Journey Complete!
Finisher #115 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
2.61
Average Rating
100%
Complete
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
Favorite Album
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Shoegaze
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
11
5-Star Albums
48
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
m b v
My Bloody Valentine
|
5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
|
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
|
5 | 3.17 | +1.83 |
|
Cross
Justice
|
5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
|
Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
4 | 2.28 | +1.72 |
|
Since I Left You
The Avalanches
|
5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
|
Dub Housing
Pere Ubu
|
4 | 2.35 | +1.65 |
|
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
|
5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
|
Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
|
4 | 2.49 | +1.51 |
|
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
|
4 | 2.52 | +1.48 |
|
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
|
5 | 3.59 | +1.41 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
|
1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
|
Eliminator
ZZ Top
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
The Band
The Band
|
1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
|
Sea Change
Beck
|
1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
|
1989
Taylor Swift
|
1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
|
Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti
|
1 | 3.25 | -2.25 |
|
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
|
1 | 3.24 | -2.24 |
|
Forever Changes
Love
|
1 | 3.22 | -2.22 |
|
Hysteria
Def Leppard
|
1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
|
Vivid
Living Colour
|
1 | 3.2 | -2.2 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 4.67 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.17 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 1 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 4 | 1.75 |
| Beck | 3 | 1.67 |
| Madonna | 3 | 1.67 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 2 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 2 |
| Def Leppard | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Band | 2 | 1.5 |
| Primal Scream | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| TV On The Radio | 2 | 1.5 |
| Taylor Swift | 2 | 1.5 |
| ZZ Top | 2 | 1.5 |
| Orbital | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Divine Comedy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Super Furry Animals | 2 | 1.5 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 2.29 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 2.2 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 2.2 |
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 2 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 2 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 2 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 2 |
| Pet Shop Boys | 3 | 2 |
| Echo And The Bunnymen | 3 | 2 |
| Kings of Leon | 3 | 2 |
| U2 | 4 | 2.25 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 2.25 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 2.25 |
5-Star Albums (11)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
3/5
You know what? Fuck you. 3 stars. After reading some of the more informative reviews here and putting this LP in context, I'm willing to give it a decent rating for being completely different than anything else I've heard on this list. While the first half is an absolute auditory mess (and I would bet more than a few of the people here don't even listen for more than 5 minutes), the back half shapes up into some pretty energetic improv work that had my toe tapping. It may not be an easy listen and it does take some understanding, but at least it's not another tepid Britpop or Bob Dylan album
50 likes
The Associates
1/5
The absolute worst that the UK has to offer. Histrionic, tortured vocals on top of bland, homogeneous instrumentals indistinguishable from any other Britpop LP out there. Getting real tired of these, feels like there’s at least two a week when many other albums from the era deserve to be on the list.
36 likes
Simply Red
1/5
More a function of the rough day I’ve had but I’m somewhat saddened at how warped the list selection feels day after day. 900+ albums in and time after time I’m presented with some new British monstrosity of a band that somehow makes the same music as the 500 others before it. I would redo this whole project from scratch if it meant the selection contained exciting, underground albums that deserved the praise and recognition of being in the top 1001 of all time, not whatever this shite is Dimery be damned
28 likes
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Shame that some of the more exciting instrumentals from the Stones have to be paired with their most alarmingly misogynistic lyrics
28 likes
Haircut 100
2/5
Robert Dimery really out here forcing us to listen to every mid Britpop album he liked in his teens, huh
25 likes
4-Star Albums (114)
1-Star Albums (48)
All Ratings
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
Decent tunes, I think this album veers too far into folksy territory for me to appreciate as a cohesive product. The tracks using electric are enjoyable, but the acoustic material just didn't grab me
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Liked this way more than I expected to - rich songwriting and lyrics that drew me in
Elton John
3/5
Liked this way more than I expected to - rich songwriting and lyrics that drew me in
Peter Tosh
3/5
Love the arrangements on this one. I would enjoy a greater variance in tempos but given this album's intent I can understand why it likes to sit in the groove. Highlights: Legalize It, WHY MUST I CRY
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Not jiving with this at all - the compositions are repetitive and at times cheesy due to overusage of the 80s synth sound. Narratives are a bit lifeless.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Glad I gave this another listen. While the compositions veer from minor to major, there’s still a cohesiveness to this LP which I think stems from Elliott’s vocals. The lyrics are vague but delivered with enough emotion to carry each song from one to the next. I’m not usually a downtempo acoustic guy, but even the slower compositions here grabbed me.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Great interplay between the simple but alluring beats and Biggie's great flows. Lyrics are surpisingly hooky for what I expect a typical rap album to be, there's the usual boasting and explicit content but it's delivered with such authenticity that you can't help but be drawn in.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
Some good ones on here but most compositions were a bit overlong/not varied enough to hold my interest. An interesting genre mix though
B.B. King
2/5
Great energy for a live album, but felt the tracks didn’t have enough variation to keep me hooked
Duran Duran
3/5
Good, but not memorable outside the big hits. Some great new wave sounds, though
Blur
2/5
Not as engaging as their later efforts. Some tracks have a good deal of life to them, but I feel like most are somewhat repetitive and forgettable. Too much straight britpop with sing-song structure
The Byrds
3/5
Interesting mix of a little country twang + Beatles-like vocal harmonies and compositions. Not wholly memorable or distinct from other 60s output in the same category but still a good listen
JAY Z
3/5
Great flows and beats. I do think the vocal sampling became somewhat gimmicky but not to the point where it sunk the tracks. Great listen
Funkadelic
3/5
Good jam album, a whole lot more than just a Sleigh Bells sample. I do feel some of the compositions had more room to grow, but the jams as they are were great and refreshingly experimental
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
Who would've thought that the band that wrote Bellbottoms, a song I enjoy immensely, would write other songs that I enjoy immensely.
I can hear so many influences in bands I like coming out of this album - BDoD, VU (inspired by), Autolux even. A great modern garage rock LP
Love
1/5
Just not varied at all - some uptempo compositions but most are slow acoustic ballads that all blend together
The La's
3/5
This one deserves another listen - I loved how fluidly this album moved through genres, and though they didn't always excite me there are definitely tracks worth returning to on this one
Deerhunter
3/5
A shame Spotify burnt me out on Revival, this is a great LP that sounds surprisingly modern for being released 14 years ago. I do wish they had leaned in more on the more expansive, wall-to-wall production rather than the standard indie rock fare, but this is still a solid listen through and through.
Rod Stewart
1/5
Not vibing with this at all. Bland/repetitive country-esque fare.
Beatles
5/5
Don't know how I called myself a Beatles fan without having given this one a thorough listen. For some reason I thought of this one as disjoint from the rest of their discography, but there's still the narrative whimsy of classic Beatles interspersed throughout. The tension inherent in the creation of this LP is clear as the track lengths thin towards the end, but even these snippets carry a wealth of life and delight.
Femi Kuti
1/5
This kind of choral long-form jazz is just not my thing
The Slits
2/5
Was not expecting the heavy reggae influence here. Even though I don't think this album comes together for me, a few of the tracks on here are definite bops.
The The
2/5
Some decent new-wave with interesting influences but nothing memorable
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Decent LP but no standout tracks really
Def Leppard
1/5
I will never understand the unholy fusion of overdriven guitar, cheesy synths, barbershop-quartet vocals, and horny lyrics that is hair metal. Contains two of what are perhaps my least favorite songs of all time ('Love Bites' and 'Pour Some Sugar On Me')
Bee Gees
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I anticipated. There's a definite cheese factor, but it's genuine cheese - the production is polished but the feelings are still raw. Some great and memorable progressions in here.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
Some great energy and messages here, but the tracks could've used some editing -- cut everything by 1-2 min and this would be a much tighter, catchier album
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Haven't listened to an album this dependent on narrative song structures in a while. Some tracks definitely overlong, but this is an LP meant to be taken in as a whole.
The Zombies
4/5
Me: Mom can we have Sgt. Pepper?
Mom: We have Sgt. Pepper at home
Sgt. Pepper at home:
Enjoyed the psych-tinged 60s/early 70s pop vibes this gave me. 'Time of the Season' is a track that's been on the mental tip of the tongue for a while and the rest of the LP is similarly good.
The Band
1/5
Not digging the bland, Beatles-country-bluegrass-esque fusion here. Nothing memorable on this one.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Show tunes just aren't my thing
2/5
Not a Dylan fan
Gary Numan
3/5
Some great synth work here - tracks tend to drag on a bit longer than they should but it's easy to see why this LP was revolutionary
Sepultura
2/5
Think there are some good ideas here but after a while all the chugging sounds the same. Would have loved more exploration of the harmony blending on 'Dead Embryonic Cells' or the solo work on 'Murder.'
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Not what I was expecting after Murder Ballads. I loved the uptempo tracks here - reminded me of Lullaby-era QotSA. Think the slow tracks dragged on way too much though
Living Colour
1/5
This one just did not resonate with me. Though technically impressive, the tracks are all over the place and just do not mesh with one another. There's additionally too much push-and-pull between overlong choruses and indulgent shredding that make the songs 1-2 choruses too long imo.
Brian Eno
3/5
While the front half of this album tends to lose the plot in all its production tricks, the back half manages to nail the balance between instrumentation and cohesion. A solid Bowie-esque experimental album all around.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A decent fusion of blues, country, and rock - I do think 'Gimme Shelter' promises a wholly different album than the one that follows, but the following tracks are enjoyable for the most part.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Does exactly what it says on the box. A good portion of the songs do follow the same drum pattern, but the emotion here is palpable.
Hawkwind
3/5
Great live rock album. I think one would have to take this in the moment to get the full experience (the out-there interludes don't make for easy listening), but even as a recorded experience the energy and life behind each track is apparent. Reminds me of a prog King Gizzard.
Love
3/5
Unsure what to make of this one - absolute rippers ('Seven and Seven Is') among cheesy ballads ('Orange Skies') and extended jam tracks ('Revelation'). I don't know if this stands as an album per se, but the parts themselves are interesting and unique enough to warrant further listening.
John Coltrane
2/5
Didn't really grab me, good jazz but nothing memorable.
Turbonegro
2/5
Decent hardcore but overly repetitive and smilar-sounding throughout the record.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Great material for a singer-songwriter album, every song felt unique.
I think what's so frustrating about this album is that it could be so much better if the arrangements were allowed to go even a little off the rails. The opening track and 'When I Look At the World' get close, but otherwise the production is so sterile it saps all the fun out and leaves mega-cheesy ballads behind. Sounds like a Keane album.
Julian Cope
2/5
The scope of this project is admirable but it runs into a jack-of-all-trades situation as a result. Any memorable riffs were too buried in the kitchen-sink mix to jump out at me.
Nirvana
3/5
Slint
3/5
Better on a second listen - most of the songs here are slow burns but worth the wait.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
Surprised by how good the arrangements are on this record. That being said, things tend to get monotonous after a while, and it's hard for things to feel organic with Manson's over-the-top lyrics making everything feel way too on the nose.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Great indie-rock album. Maintains the classic sound of the late '90s without feeling dated or tired. The more synth-heavy, balladish tracks lose me but most everything on here rocks.
Wire
4/5
Love this mix of punkish-indie rock. Both the bite-sized and longer tracks alike share a kind of spastic energy reminiscent of acts like Squid or black midi today, and the remaster on this thing is insane - sounds like it could have been recorded today. The sludgey guitar tone that features on many of the tracks is absolutely perfect to boot.
Dire Straits
2/5
I think my problem with Dire Straits has always been the lack of dynamic or structural variation in their tracks. 'Money For Nothing' takes a good riff and then repeats it on end for 8 minutes with few changes, and that just doesn't make for an interesting or engaging song. Also the whole back half of this album sounds like the soundtrack to a chintzy 80s Tom Cruise romance flick verging on porno territory.
Fats Domino
4/5
Absolutely classic, not a weak track on here. There's no escaping the groove on any of these tracks thanks to the strong instrumentation and lyrics from Fats.
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Beautifully vibrant album. Every track manages to twist and turn through several variations within 2-3 minutes while maintaining a core sound throughout the LP - it's immediately clear the influence this has had in Melody's Echo Chamber and other dream/psychic rock projects of the like. Amazing that this was recorded in 1972 as well, each instrument is layered so well in the mix it sounds modern as can be.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Absolutely classic, a list of best ofs for Cash coupled with the amazing dialogue between performer and prisoners.
James Taylor
2/5
I can acknowledge that the instrumentation and vocals here are exceptional, but I didn't find anything memorable outside of that in this LP.
Doves
3/5
Interesting melodic ideas here, I just wish they had mixed things up as each song rehashes the same themes over and over rather than going anywhere new or different.
Grizzly Bear
4/5
Angry I didn't listen to this in full sooner. Brimming with a melancholic energy that permeates the entire LP. The arrangements are dense but discernible, and the shifting natures of the track means there's never a dull moment.
Fairport Convention
2/5
Great at first, but the arrangements tend to grow a bit stale after 4-5 minutes of repetition
The Saints
3/5
Standard but solid garage-rock fare.
Beck
2/5
Definitely some sounds on here that push the indie envelope but the whole slacker-chill vibe wears thin after 5 songs or so
The B-52's
2/5
I think I would like this more if the vocals weren't so obnoxious and had more dynamics. The sparse arrangements work well but the shouting doesn't
The White Stripes
3/5
Some ho-hum B-sides and gratuitous noodling here and there can't detract from the absolute classics on this one. A highlight of early '00s rock for sure.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
The slower tracks tend to drag a little, but the vocal harmonies and compositions still make this album a solid listen.
Violent Femmes
4/5
The lo-fi recording style, threadbare instrumentation, and frenetic energy of this album all work wonderfully together. Worth another listen just to piece together the themes of sexual frustration and denial that run throughout.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
There are definite highlights, but the lack of variation in the synths means the whole album washes together into 40 minutes of monotony.
The Prodigy
2/5
This album leans heavily on dense breakbeats and the rhythm section as a whole. That's not wholly a bad thing, but a bit more melody would have made everything feel cohesive rather than 1-2 synth lines over percussion.
Roxy Music
2/5
Disappointed in this one - the synth textures on 'Virginia Plain' and the earlier tracks promised an exciting fusion of proto-punk and dance, but afterwards the LP fizzled and hit middle-of-the-road territory for me. Multiple times I got absorbed in other things and then snapped back to the music only to be surprised that a track was /still/ playing, often repeating the same riff I had tuned out on.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
A bit more plain noodling on here than I expected but still a classic in every way. I do think some tracks meander a bit, but the monoliths of "All Along the Watchtower" and "Voodoo Child" make this LP a must for any rock fan.
Ghostface Killah
2/5
Some great tracks on here but the production is lacking - even the enjoyable beats wore 1-2 samples thin over the course of a 3-minute track instead of adding in some other instrumentation or melody.
CHIC
3/5
This album works best when it focuses on the uptempo, guitar-driven tracks, but even the slower songs have their place here. It's clear this is an LP to dance to - the track lengths and structures are undeniable in their rhythm and catchiness. Fun to see the building blocks of early House (four on the floor beats, synth-like piano lines, and tight, compressed guitar looped) permeate this album and remember where the samples originally came from.
Grateful Dead
1/5
I will never understand how such a mediocre band became so monstrously popular. The tracks here aren't bad, moreso forgettable - there's only so many ways you can arrange a major blues scale and noodle over it. Also some majorly uncomfortable vibes on 'Til the Morning Comes'
Donovan
2/5
One trick pony of an album, really. The off-kilter energy of the opener could've sustained a good chunk of varied tracks, but instead we get a slate of bloated ballads that go nowhere quickly.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
A lovely album that hits its stride moreso on the uptempo tracks than the broodier ballads. Whether sparse or wall-to-wall in production, the foot-stompers like "Cecilia" have an undeniable genuineness and joy that's hard to find nowadays
Laibach
3/5
A captivating but unconventional listen - hard to pin down a genre on this one as it sways between anthemic orchestral tracks to spoken word to overdriven guitar solos. Definitely an album to be consumed in one sitting, as vocal and instrumental leitmotifs weave the LP into one continous narrative. Need to look at the German to see what the overall message is here, but still an enjoyable listen notwithstanding.
The Shamen
2/5
I don't think I've ever listened to an album more reminiscent of the 90s than this one. Some decent melodies and occasional guitar work on here, but it's not enough to escape the LP's datedness or lack of forward momentum.
The Jam
3/5
Interesting mix of Britpop vocals and more punk-leaning guitars. Slight traces of Sex Pistols here and there, an overall enjoyable listen
Santana
2/5
The LP is at its best when it takes on the frantic but freewheeling energy found in 'Se a Cabo' and ;Hope You're Feeling Better,' but often eschews these joyrides for bogged-down noodling and annoyances like 'Oye Como va'
Jamiroquai
2/5
As a dance album this is great, for just easy listening it's lacking the variation in tempo and composition to make it more than background music.
Roxy Music
3/5
Falls into the same trap as S/T before it - several stunners on here, but buried in between overlong ballads or operatic tracks that well overstay their welcome. Still manages to be much more entertaining overall than its predecessor, though
Nick Drake
1/5
This album commits the cardinal sin of being plain boring - while some of the compositions shine, the overall woodland meadow vibe can hardly save the LP given how little vocal range Drake uses.
Animal Collective
3/5
A fantastic synth-filled romp – some definite duds in the tracklist bring this down a bit, but the freewheeling energy that permeates this LP is undeniably infectious. Particularly impressed how well most tracks function with minimal percussion (usually only relying on a handclap) while creating tight rhythms.
TLC
2/5
The compositions and vocal harmonies are engaging, but without any solo vocal sections the LP feels way too homogenous. Wish it had leaned more into harder rhythms and flows and dropped the interludes as they completely derail the flow of the album
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
A much more engaging listen than 'Bridge...' for sure. Dapples in several types of genres and arrangements that create unique, memorable tracks while preserving a sense of unity throughout the LP. Worth another listen for sure.
Madonna
2/5
Blown away by how little key modulation happens in the span of this album. The vocals and instrumentation for each track are good, but rarely does a song venture outside the 4-chord/Verse-Chorus structure in the starting key. Overall bland
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Amazing bars, wordplay, and arrangements define this LP. An absolute blast to listen to.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
The compositions themselves are beautiful, but often last 1 chorus or verse too long. There's an inherent mystery in the progressions, but repetition wrings out any interest before the tracks have ended.
Metallica
3/5
Even though the guitar tone remains constant throughout the full hour, it works surprisingly well with the brilliantly arranged tracks that make up this album. There's a bit of a slide into monotony near the back half, but still a strong LP nonetheless.
Sisters Of Mercy
1/5
Includes all of the worst aspects of New Wave - annoying drone vocals, flat compositions, annoying synth choices, and arrangements that go absolutely nowhere
2/5
Some solid rock tracks on here with interesting arrangement but dragged down by some ho-hum filler in between.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Contains too many callbacks to 80s hair metal to be enjoyable as a whole, especially the made-for-radio ballads on the back half. Still interesting to see the groundwork being laid for later progressive metal like The Mars Volta, At The Drive In, etc.
Erykah Badu
3/5
Some great tracks on the front half, disappointing to hear the album turn to repetitive and uninspired ballads on the back. That being said, the astounding mix of R&B/Hip-Hop + production (especially on the vocals!) show that Badu knows exactly what she's doing.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Hot Snakes with a horn section.
While the arrangements are somewhat simple and SJR's voice can't carry all of the tracks, there's a solid core of great balls-to-the-wall rock songs here.
Pretenders
3/5
A decent Brit pop-rock LP. Female vocals are a much-welcomed change of pace from the usual fare in this genre.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
An absolute rock classic. This is the band's rawest LP by far, but the production makes every Muff-slathered guitar lead shine through. Tight riffs and tonal shifts make for a thrilling and varied album that remains fresh to this day.
Pulp
2/5
Bland British pop-rock – seems like the band is trying to force these big, emotional moments but they're not earned anywhere in the instrumentation or track layout. The more upbeat and enjoyable tracks just sound like discount Blur.
M.I.A.
3/5
Great mix of influences stirred together and dashed with some off-the-wall production. Some of the more minimal tracks tend to grate with annoying samples/vocals, but the others lean fully into a complete wall of sound and clever drops that make this a joy to listen to.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
To this album's credit, the instrumentation is diverse and interesting - each track has its own sonic identity and stands out from the rest. It's in the composition that this album fails to impress. Once a groove is locked in, it remains in neutral while Kiedis' questionable RATM-esque delivery is the only dynamic element of the song. Things get stale quickly, though there are still flashes of pop-inspired brilliance that would foment in greater quantities in later Peppers albums.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Some good tracks on here but the final product is ultimately too disjointed to read as a cohesive album. Comes across more as a set of B-sides and demos, a view reinforced by the garage-level production
Shack
2/5
Starts off strong but the arrangements quickly lose creative steam and blend together. The unearned bombast of the horn section is grating as well.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Decent early garage rock LP, some tracks reminded me of Ty Segall and Oh Sees.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
Good varied instrumentation and voice leading, but French Tropicana is just not my thing.
Soft Cell
3/5
Not sure how to feel about this one. There are some excellent/classic tracks on here, but this LP tiptoes dangerously between tongue-in-cheek and all-out cheese. When the balance is right things are enjoyable, but some of the later ballads strain patience.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Overly jammy on some tracks, but the tip-top arrangements, production, and guitar tones compensate to make for a mostly enjoyable album.
John Lennon
2/5
Expected more in the songwriting department from John on this one. Lyrics veer way too repetitive and obvious, instrumentation could use a boost of originality and harkens back to Beatle days.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Earns its title as an indie classic - sounds like an album that could have been released within the past 5 years. Not all of the tracks are stunners and sometimes wear their welcome thin with repetitive arrangements, but there are enough high points here to make for an enjoyable listening experience.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Enjoyable riot grrl LP with some unexpectedly deep songwriting and arrangements along the way. Need to give this another listen to fully appreciate it.
The Youngbloods
3/5
An interesting mix of influences leads to an LP with a surprise around every corner. Though the instrumentals shuffle on well past their end-by date, each track still blossoms with its own unique sense of adventure.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
Takes its time to get going but encompasses a wide swath of well-blended influences at its end. Swing, acid house, a touch of Tropicana and more are blended into unique pop operas that have a life all their own. The interludes could be trimmed (even in the context of the narrative) and some fat cut from overlong arrangements, but a great concept album over all.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Overreliant on one to two vocal samples to drive each track, this album fails to impress in terms of originality and variation no matter how catchy some of the underlying DnB is. The sampling and arrangement brilliance of the last two songs show how the others could have been so much better.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Much more dynamic and inspired than 'Liege and Lief' - the songs here are varied and draw from a wide range of influences that surprise and entertain at each turn. Track length is still an issue, though, with several pieces beating one verse and chorus within an inch of their lives.
David Bowie
2/5
While some of the individual tracks impress with their strong instrumentation and influences, the album as a whole reads more as a grouping of demos than a cohesive product.
a-ha
1/5
A slog of a listen - songs tend to drone on without soul or purpose, meandering through with plenty of annoying synths and vocal accents but no substance to speak of
Minutemen
2/5
Some interesting tracks here and there but missing the unifying element to bring it all together, especially for an album of this length
Primal Scream
1/5
Strives to hit some balance between choral, dance, and indie but ends up becoming a bland, repetitive mess in the process
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
Some decent tracks on here but nothing memorable, especially given their other work.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
I cannot put into words how much I hate this album. Muzak-like synths, awful violin parts, and lyrics dripping in cheese make this the worst examples of 80s indulgences
John Martyn
2/5
Not enough here to generate substantial interest from a singer-songwriter standpoint. Most tracks abandon any interesting improvisation in favor of rehashing the chorus on a loop, but even then the style isn't strong enough to differentiate it from the crowd.
The Kinks
2/5
Overall enjoyable but needs more variation - blends into an indiscernible amalgam of Beatle-esque jangle pop after a while.
Mercury Rev
2/5
There are several stunning compositions and brave production decisions throughout this album, but they're overshadowed by odd interludes and a cheese factor that's hard to shake and dates the LP heavily.
The Kinks
2/5
The virgin Harry Rag vs. the chad David Watts
Deee-Lite
2/5
Some fun vocal manips and beats here but not enough to justify the runtime
Elton John
3/5
From the get-go it's clear this is John's 70s album. Borrows influence from prog all the way through tropicana and injects them with his typical bombast to make each track uniquely its own. Whether the LP holds together as a cohesive whole is dubious, but each track is a great ride in and of itself even outside the well-known hits.
FKA twigs
4/5
An absolute masterclass in electronic arrangement and production. Each track is its own small microcosm of carefully layered synths and samples, a small world that exists for only 3 minutes at a time and fully encompasses the entire soundstage. Some tracks could use a bit more variation, but overall an amazing listening experience.
Beastie Boys
3/5
A little disjointed sample-wise, but still some solid beats and bars here. Wish there was more of the aggressively nasty synth and guitar present on some tracks, but the lo-fi production still brings out the savagery across the rest of the tracks.
Richard Thompson
2/5
Some interesting instrumentation, but most tracks are dreadfully one-note in structure
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Solid early Ska album with some B-52ish influences. This does lend some annoying vocals at points, but the varied melodies and innovative use of chorus compensate to make for a good listen.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Great early 2000s alt-rock statement. Sharp instrumentals and arrangements complement witty lyricisms for an incisive (if sometimes repetitive) LP.
Ian Dury
1/5
This isn't a joke? I'm not being put on here, am I?
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Few interesting tracks on this one, most are repetitive and instrumentally bland
Television
3/5
A great early alternative, guitar-driven album. The back half of the LP does seem to lose steam and resort to repetitive arrangements, but the combined force of the instrumentation and charging title track still make for a decent listen.
The Fall
2/5
A shame that the production mutes the raw intensity present on this LP. As a progenitor of the lo-fi distorted chorus sound, it's boggling that this album eschews a louder, more visceral production style for the flat mix that does nothing for the tracks.
Maxwell
2/5
There’s no denying this LP is well-constructed, but it leans so hard into one-note rhythms and song structures that it all kind of blurs together into an overlong porn Muzak compilation
Steely Dan
2/5
Surprised by the range of influences on this LP, but a bit disappointed in how monotonous the album becomes after the first few tracks
Blondie
3/5
The highs are smashing but the lows are disappointingly bland on this one. 'Heart of Glass' still slays though
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Much better than 'USA' - this is a big, bold album bursting with life. While the tracks aren't mindblowing (save for the absolute screamer of a title track), they bubble with a life and individuality that makes the LP a fun listen.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Some Elton John has creeped in during the intervening years between 'Born to Run' and this LP. This one does cross too much into ostentatious territory, unfortunately - the tracks feel just a tad overwrought but not memorable.
Randy Newman
2/5
While there are some clever lyrics ('Political Science' for example) to be had on the album, the compositional choice for most tracks to be standalone piano ballads or have sparse orchestral backing strands the majority of the LP in uninteresting waters.
The Doors
3/5
Solid classic rock album both contemplative and riff-filled. Some dynamic contrast could have livened things up a bit but good compositions nonetheless
The Mamas & The Papas
2/5
Sounds to me like Beatles-meets-Monkees here and there, could definitely use more of the former as the slow, shambling one-note ballads could use some more lyrical and instrumental variation to move things along.
Marty Robbins
4/5
An album that goes well beyond the meme. Some amazing narrative lyricism + expertly minimal instrumentation makes for a rapturing listen even if country isn't your genre. The explicit religious themes of 'The Master's Call' dates/detracts the narrative and loses this LP a few points, but doesn't hamper the album enough to make it any less of a lyrical joyride
Motörhead
3/5
While most of the songs lean on their lyrical theme pretty hard and there are some questionable choices ('Jailbait') made, there's no denying that at its core this is an absolute charging rock machine that's a classic for a reason. RIP Lemmy
The Stooges
3/5
Some dark, contemplative rock on this one - the longer, trying, experimental back-end is balanced out by some concise bangers on the first half.
The Doors
2/5
An interesting mix of bluesier influences and proto-rock but not enough for an engaging listen
Spiritualized
3/5
Starts out rough with meandering tracks searching for a plot, but comes into its own strongly on the back half with gazey, domineering guitar parts and strong psychedelic overtones.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
A zippy live album for sure. There's no dynamic contrast or distinction to be found, but the rollicking energy of Lewis and the crowd still provide an enjoyable listen.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
While this is still definitively a S&G album, the wealth of influences it incorporates within their iconic sound pushes it well beyond their past output. The brash synths, upbeat orchestrations, and more sinister compositions here all build into an album that changes face with every track but maintains a coherent throughline.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Interesting guitar work here and there but not enough to overcome the repetitive song structures and annoying vocals
Public Enemy
4/5
An amazing hip-hop album, great production and flows + a lyrical focus on social issues that are /still/ relevant today makes for a fun but engaging listen
The Soft Boys
3/5
Interesting tracks here and there punctuated by just enough tongue-in-cheek energy and wild abandon to make things work. Kept me interested enough to listen through all 2.5 hours at least
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Leans too hard into the blues portion of blues rock, way too much gratuitous noodling over what would otherwise be nice, concise rock tracks.
Neil Young
2/5
This LP sounds unsure of what it wants to be - it starts off with some gratingly repetitive country tracks, tries to go in for big bombastic numbers that Young's voice can't support, and then manages to nail a few standard rock tracks. A very uneven listen and album overall
Mudhoney
2/5
Works best when it explores the fray between indie arrangements and grungier instrumentation, unfortunately leans too hard into the latter on most tracks and becomes a bit homogenous and unremarkable throughout
The Smiths
2/5
Didn't leave much of an impression - even as an originator of the jangly but dark chorus-tinged 80s sound, the Smiths don't know when to mix it up or cut a song short. The back half here especially drags as 6-minute tracks wear out 3 minutes worth of ideas.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
While I'm sure this worked as a live experience, there's not enough connective tissue to make something this proggy work on record. Without the visual experience of being there or the fidelity of a studio recording, the threads that tie this into a cohesive listening experience just aren't there.
Venom
1/5
If you're going to write an hour's worth of thrift store Metallica songs about hell, you should at least make them sound different from one another.
Dire Straits
2/5
While the overall composition here is rock solid, these tracks just don't know when to quit. The grooves established on some are enough to power through a solid 3 minutes, but others are so limpid that even 2 minutes feels like a drag.
Hole
4/5
Superb female-fronted grunge/garage rock. Though the compositions tend to be repetitive, Love's take-no-prisoners energy makes each track its own inherent testament that needs to be heard until the end.
TV On The Radio
1/5
Blech - songwriting is at best cheesy/lazy, the tonal flow jumps all over the place, and the tracks are too long by at least 1-2 minutes each.
This is the first album that's made me question the mechanism behind the list. Surely there are more seminal albums from the aughts than this one?
Barry Adamson
3/5
A fever dream of an album - more than a few listens are necessary to fully explore the nooks and crannies here
10cc
3/5
A fun and tongue-in-cheek LP that sounds surprisingly modern. Some of the slide guitar lines remind me of Ratatat for how trebly and rhythmic they are.
Deep Purple
2/5
For being the inspiration behind the most abused guitar store riff in history, this album does tend to punch above its weight. However, it still gets mired in repetitive song structures and gratuitous noodling that tends to wear thin after a while
Stan Getz
3/5
Solid jazz album, appreciated the inclusion of some Spanish influences here and there.
Suzanne Vega
2/5
Vega's vocals (though odd) are beautiful, though the entire album is weighed down by repetition in its tendency to abuse a 4-8 bar lick/chord progression throughout.
Spiritualized
2/5
An abject disappointment following 'Melodies' two years earlier. The lack of a strong rhythm section and any kind of melodic variation does make it feel like you're floating in space, but more in a 'god this is boring' kind of way rather than anything exciting.
Dennis Wilson
2/5
Some tracks are enjoyable here and there, but overall the LP left little to no impression on me after the fact.
Jethro Tull
4/5
I'm likely biased since I learned bass on these songs, but man is this album one of balance. It knows when to go for the proggy narrative lyricism but also when to let the rippers fly, when to dial it down to acoustics but also when to crank the dynamics to 10. The fact it maintans a sense of cohesion throughout is just the cherry on top
Miles Davis
3/5
Miles always delivers - a solid jazz album, not entirely memorable but makes for a good listen
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Contains some of Brubeck's strongest tracks, but is mired slightly by the homogenous piano interludes.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Great to hear the classics in context on this one. Suffers from the usual BB drawbacks (vocals on top of each other in the mix especially) but the production and guitar here still make for an entertaining LP
The Byrds
2/5
This is at least reminiscent of classic country, so not nearly as grating as modern country can be. However, this thing is just way too homogenous - tracks blend into one another after a while if the slide guitar tone and arrangements remains relatively static.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Not at all what I was expecting! While there's still some cheesy arrangements here and there, this LP takes its premise to the extreme and doesn't let up. Bongos forever y'all
2/5
The energy is there, but without much representation in the mids it’s hard to distinguish one track from another in a live environment.
David Crosby
2/5
Weird cross between muzak-level vocal-led tracks and attempts at flashy rock that fall flat. Not a fan
The Who
3/5
Classic rock at its best - some ho-hum tracks stall a bit of the forward momentum, but the synth tracks on this LP absolutely kill.
Fishbone
2/5
An interesting mix of Reggae and rock influences that tries but misses the mark. Marred by overlong arrangements, dated synths, and questionable vocals.
Funkadelic
2/5
Lacking enough cohesiveness to work as a full LP, reads more as a scattered collection of (sometimes catchy) B-sides
Aside: This is my ~180th album and the first not available on Spotify
The Young Rascals
2/5
Decent Beatles-esque LP, though a bit forgettable
Johnny Cash
3/5
While the selection and quality of songs on 'Folsom' is better, the banter between Cash and the inmates here really sells the authenticity of these performances.
The xx
3/5
This still holds up as a solid overall LP, but on relistening it's clear how much this album suffers from static song structures. Most tracks tend to ride solely on a repeated 8-bar verse, and while they tend to end before things get grating a few tracks stay well past their welcome.
Anita Baker
2/5
Baker’s vocals are outstanding, but the backing tracks fail to live up to the vox with their dated synths (the drums and sax still rip tho)
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
This album is crisp as hell - minimalist beats and bass lines that take no prisoners coupled with dense bars that range from abstract to narrative gems. Deserves more than a few replays for sure
Metallica
3/5
Plenty of metal classics on this one - while the production is air-tight, the album does lag in its back half as the songs tend to fall into repetitive arrangements.
Paul Simon
3/5
While these tracks meander from tropicana to rock-inspired with little cohesion between, Simon's narrative storytelling weaves a strong enough thread to make the entire LP a worthwhile listen
Lynyrd Skynyrd
2/5
There are some good songs in here, but they're all buried beneath way too much gratuitous noodling to enjoy listening to.
Public Enemy
2/5
While there are some great themes explored here, the production is way too busy and at times overwhelms the bars.
Elvis Presley
3/5
The Delta-Blues influences are front and center for most of this album, allowing Elvis to show off his guitar and vocal chops. The back half sags into kitsch balladry a bit, but the overall product still makes for a good listen.
Scott Walker
2/5
Too much orchestration in the instrumentals or drama in Walker's vox to feel genuine. Frustrating because songs like 'Old Man' masterfully blur the line between genres while remaining catchy, yet such hits are few and far between on this LP.
David Bowie
2/5
Unsure what to make of this one, there are flairs of the Bowie charm here and there but the tracks feel too disparate to form any kind of cohesive LP.
Dr. John
2/5
This Creole jazz LP struggles to string even 30 minutes of runtime together without feeling threadbare and hollow.
Heaven 17
3/5
I can appreciate the group leaning fully into these off-the-wall synth textures and arrangements even if things tend to get a bit repetitive here and there.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Though a tad overstuffed, this LP dodges any sort of datedness with a diverse set of influences to pull from. The scorching guitar tone still invokes the 90s, but purely in the best way possible as it floods the tire soundstage. A masterclass in production and arrangement all around
Bon Jovi
2/5
Only gets two stars because I heard several of these songs on the "80s, 90s, and today" radio station on repeat when I was a kid in the car. 'You Give Love A Bad Name' is a killer track, but the rest is bland, repetitive, overproduced fare that should have been left in the 80s.
Alice In Chains
3/5
Solid 90s grunge album with a surprising amount of variation in the guitar licks and song structures. Some tinges of 80s grandstanding and the mix bring the LP down a bit, but not enough to prevent a relisten.
Tom Waits
2/5
While the initial lure of this LP's odd vocals and compositions is strong, it quickly dies out due to the one-trick-pony aspect. Most tracks blend into one another with little distinction and fail to provide a good hook into the album at large.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2/5
Bland, repetitive rock. There are flashes of intrigue here and there with good hooks, but they're greatly outweighed by the bland crooners and lack of genuine energy on any of the uptempo tracks.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
An intriguing whisp of an album - didn't cohere fully on first listen, but this may have been a function of the organic, ethereal feel each track has, as if they're arising out of nothingness
PJ Harvey
4/5
One thing I appreciate about Harvey's artistry is how undeniably 'her' each album she makes is. This sophomore effort has all the classic PJisms - gnashing guitars, looming interludes, creeping voices in the background. Things do tend to get a bit homogeneous and too blandly 90s grunge in the middle, but some discordant interludes snap things back into focus sharply for a strong finish.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Shame that some of the more exciting instrumentals from the Stones have to be paired with their most alarmingly misogynistic lyrics
3/5
Say what you want about prog, but no other subgenre can produce sprawling yet intricate tracks like this. Squier keeps the band locked in with a boisterous yet precise bass tone, and from there the band builds into massive melodic structures that can stop and turn on a dime. Docking two stars as the middle track feels somewhat listless (and eats up nearly a third of the runtime!), but the other two tracks could stand as EPs in their own right.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Starts off strong as a passing of the torch from Oasis to Blur kind of LP, strong guitar leads with a healthy dollop of facetious wit. Wilts in the back half unfortunately, swapping sardonic rippers for Keane-esque Britpop ballads dripping in cheese.
Tears For Fears
2/5
Outside of the huge singles, this LP struggles to find an identity for itself. The leading tracks all have strong personalities with their defined guitar or synth hooks, but the meandering quality of the rest derail any kind of overall cohesion.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Hard to believe this is the same artist who put together ‘Songs.’ Arrangements are one-note, instrumentals are cheesy, and the overall product is just disappointing
David Bowie
2/5
Caught between the Bowie extremes of quirky, threadbare ballads and all-out pop-rock stardom. There are some excellent tracks on here ('Changes' and 'Queen Bitch' to name a few), but the entire product never really gels into a full LP.
Elbow
2/5
Nagging vocals get lost in ethereal instrumentals to make this LP end up a repetitive yet forgettable mess.
KISS
1/5
Everything about this album - the strained vocals, limp instrumentals, and blandly repetitive arrangements - sucks, but that was to be expected.
Little Richard
3/5
While the tracks get somewhat repetitive after a while, Richard's voice and energy make the whole LP an absolute blast to listen to.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Marlie can pull off some great vocals, but the LP as a whole is overwhelmingly repetititve.
Elastica
2/5
Starts off strong with some pop-rock stunners, but completely loses all momentum with some middling ballads in the back half.
Coldplay
4/5
A dark, brooding LP wrapped in layers of production. Probably the group's best effort alongside 'Viva La Vida'
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Starts off completely uninteresting (muzak-level composition and vox) before taking a turn into the annoying with grating vocals that come across as trying too hard. There are some commendable production decisions on this LP, but everything above coupled with an overall dollop of arrogance throughout means I won't soon be returning to this one.
Death In Vegas
3/5
Great collection of some out-there remnants from the death throes of the 90s. While I wish the LP carried more of the chaotic energy of 'Dirge' and felt a bit more cohesive, I still find myself drawn by how well this encapsulates such a revolutionary and scattershot decade of music in a collection of tracks that evoke without feeling dated.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
The instrumentation is there, but everything else falters big-time. The entire LP is so repetitive that once you've heard the first verse-chorus set you can skip the entire rest of the song.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
I've tried to get into this album for years and it only just clicked today. One of those that must be listened to as a complete product - no single song defines this LP, nor sets the tone. It's the collective themes (coupled with great melodies and lush production) that make this album whole.
The Human League
3/5
An album from the 80s that doesn’t indulge in itself for once. Though some songs tend to plod due to lack of editing, the synth melodies and catchy vox are enough to keep things moving through the slow spots.
Kanye West
3/5
The production on this LP is pristine - massive walls of synths cascading into quieter passages with some hard-turn samples thrown in for good measure. The bars usually rise to meet the occasion, but there are some lyrics that stick out like a sore thumb with their datedness or slightly cringe viewpoints.
Wilco
3/5
I’m still stuck on whether I like this band or not - the tracks that borrow heavily from early ‘00s rock with some country influences shine on this one, and some of the slower tracks with more country elements are enjoyable as well. There are just a few songs here that completely get lost in the country veneer that sound so bad I can’t make my mind up as to whether they derail the whole thing.
The Undertones
3/5
Solid punk basis with pop sensibilities on top. Nothing to write home about (especially some stale non-starters in the back half), but enjoyable rock all around.
The Byrds
3/5
Some more imaginative and varied tracks on this one than previous Byrd outings – though the strong psychedelic streak at the start fades out in the back half, there's still enough thematic links (and a hell of a lot of flanger) to cohere the entire LP together.
Talking Heads
3/5
Slightly on the repetitive side, but with such fun, spontaneous energy on each track that’s hardly a problem. The instrumentation could be a bit more varied on each track, but for its time this LP still shines.
Ray Charles
3/5
Classic blues-inspired R&B. Not a lot of variation to be found, but Charles does one thing and he does it well.
Nirvana
5/5
A grunge manifesto in disgust for corporate and popular society at large. Cobain's seething delivery and simple yet evocative guitar lines underwrite not only an indictment of Nirvana's success post-Nevermind and Kurt's feelings of exploitation ('Rape Me', 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifter'), but a continually relevant vision of the sheer vapidity of modern society ('Very Ape', 'Dumb'). Shifting between pure discord and true beauty ('All Apologies' is and always will be a stunner of a track), this LP is not so much rage but cynicism sonified, one final wail against the cesspool of American society before finally giving in.
Finley Quaye
3/5
Starts out a typical reggae album… sidesteps into straight rock… and then proceeds to mix the two throughout? While the vocals did wear on me after a while, this LP managed to keep me on my toes for its entire runtime with an eclectic mix of genres that somehow works way better than it should.
Eurythmics
2/5
Outside of the title track, this one fails to impress. Some of the vox here are shockingly bad, and the instrumentation presents itself in sparse and displeasing ways. Unsure why the wonderful vocal harmonies and synth lines of 'Dreams' didn't play a larger role in the album as a whole.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
I know this band can bring the energy just from 'Come on Eileen' alone – this LP instead just sounds limpid and flat, even the brass/string sections sound as if they're just reading the sheet without much enthusiasm.
Faith No More
2/5
Another misguided 80s mishmash of genres, this time between something approximating heavy metal and of course cheesy, blaring synths. There are some salvageable tracks on here, but throwing aggravating vocals into the mix means there’s little enjoyment to get out of this LP.
Beatles
3/5
An intersectional Beatles LP - snippets of the past poppy and future psychedelic/rock-ripper directions all jumbled together in one album. Not the most cohesive product, but an interesting one at the very least
The Replacements
2/5
Wish this one had stuck closer to the crude, punkier tracks that showed real instrumental and thematic verve. The intermingling of piano ballads and slower pieces just killed all momentum and cohesion of the LP as a whole.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
I think my biggest qualm with this album is the production - Gaye’s vocals are great as always and the melodic instrumentation is layered wonderfully behind a small ocean of filters, but there’s not enough umph in the rhythm section to grab onto. I get this is an R&B album, but without any kind of strong rhythmic presence these tracks just flop around like a blob fish without much sense of direction (which doesn’t help the fact that some of the melodies sound similar to one another)
Neil Young
2/5
More captivating than 'Harvest' in its composition and instrumental execution, but still lacking a singular focus. Tracks drift mindlessly from one to another without any sense of cohesion, even taking into account the beach theme.
Cyndi Lauper
2/5
Such a frustrating LP - the base melodies and most of the vocals are stellar, but overlong runtimes and grating delivery make this an album to endure, not enjoy.
The Pretty Things
3/5
An interesting LP that starts out as Beatles-lite only to morph into more experimental and involved psych work on the back half.
Steve Winwood
3/5
An interesting LP that sounds surprisingly modern at times - the opening track especially called to mind modern electronica artists like Porter Robinson with its structure and synth tones. Does meander from where its best in some more questionable tracks, but there’s enough here to warrant another listen.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
The bridge between Britpop and true shoegaze, this LP sees MBV wading into a prototype of the glide guitar style that would come to define an entire subgenre. Altered/eery melodies and song structures complement the style well, giving this album a somewhat menacingly ethereal feel. Not every track lands (the band can’t write a dynamic arrangement to save their life, meaning a few songs drag on), but the visceral creativity and knowledge of what comes next makes this LP a notable one.
Gang Of Four
4/5
Glisteningly sharp proto-punk. While one could claim the songs sound similar instrumentation-wise, each has a distinct, sharp take due to clever melodies and wry lyrics.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
As always Mitchell's vox soar and swoop all over this LP, evoking a range of emotions and reeling the listener in with its tones. However, the orchestration and arrangement here are a bit too meandering to gel together as an artistic whole - this album nearly sells the essence of floating across Central Park on a lazy day, but gets caught up in one too many refrains and jazz licks to really land the concept.
Steely Dan
2/5
Too bland to escape beyond muzak-level recognition - some interesting melodic ideas, but nothing punchy enough to draw attention.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
An LP fueled by righteous anger alone. The lyrics and instrumentation are simple, but the furor with which each is delivered brings each track to a level greater than the sum of its parts. Big props to Morello for indulging in some nu-metal guitar tones in a way that feels experimental without dating the album.
Cream
3/5
A simmering proto-psychedelic LP that blends more than a few genres into a rocking, cohesive whole. Has a surprisingly modern feel to it - some tracks reminded me of bluesier QotSA songs even.
Big Star
2/5
Some interesting textures and ideas here and there, but not nearly enough to unify these scattershot tracks into a cohesive whole.
Khaled
3/5
An interesting mix of Arabian, French, and even English styles that makes for an overall engaging listen. The slower tracks drag a bit, but there’s enough energy and variety in the remaining tracks to keep one engaged.
New Order
2/5
I always struggle to believe that the band that can produce stunning guitar+synth-driven powerhouses like 'Age of Consent' can revert to such dull, one-note tracks. While some of the melodic lines here are catchy, there's not nearly enough variation to hold interest for the 4-5 minute runtimes most tracks occupy.
Boston
3/5
An ecstatic LP that excites on both emotional and instrumental levels. While the back half slides into forgettable classic rock territory, the front dominates with catchy melodies that don't skimp on flashy, satisfying solos.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
While some of the ideas here are exciting, there is absolutely way too much going on for anything to gel into something beyond a weird primal scream. The vocal are either great or insanely irksome, the instrumentation groovy and interesting or grating, and the overall effect one of misused potential.
AC/DC
2/5
Blandly repetitive outside of the title track, perhaps the only song on this LP with an interesting melody behind it.
Neil Young
2/5
You could group all the uptempo and slow Neil Young songs together and any two tracks from either group would be indistinguishable. There’s an attempt here to jazz things up with some jazzier arrangements, but the sheer repetition and Young’s scraggly vocals just make every track an absolute drag.
Ryan Adams
2/5
A shame this LP can't live up to the wonders of uptempo tracks like 'To Be Young' - while the pace is significantly too slow across the rest of the album, Adams' lightheartedness and genuine delivery do at least make the slower tracks tolerable.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
O'Connor seems to sample every hot genre of the 90s in this one, running over the bombastic pop ballad, trip-hop piece, and standard britpop rocker just to name a few. Some are executed better than others (a few even to a T!), but the lack of a consistent theme means this feels less an album and more a dartboard of musical experiments.
Fugees
3/5
An excellent collaboration between three stellar hip-hop titans. A solid blend of beats, bars, and social commentary thrown in with some not-too-cringy skits make for an enjoyable LP, though I wish Hill had more airtime on this one.
Laura Nyro
3/5
A wild ride of an LP - the compositions are loud and boisterous, while Nyro’s vocals sit on top and often threaten to go off the rails (though never do). Worth another listen just to fully digest all that’s happening here.
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
The narratives here are engrossing enough, but lord the song structures need some sort of variation. Often the 'chorus' follows every verse, some of which are as short as a single line. This wouldn't be too much of a problem normally, but given every song overstays its welcome by a minute and one of the Louvin brothers has more twang than a detuned guitar, this does begin to grate after a while.
The Smiths
2/5
Some interesting production tricks and solid chorus-tinged guitar tone, but not enough variation from song to song to leave any lasting impression. Also Morrissey is a piece of shit.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Starts off strong but quickly gets mired in overlong arrangements that have no payoff. I don't mind the covers since they have some unique takes to offer on some classics, just wish the album could maintain the focus and energy found on its opening and closing tracks.
Jeff Beck
2/5
There are some genuinely interesting compositional and voicing ideas on this LP, they're just too obscured by indulgent noodling and cloying vocals to make it worth the listen.
Nico
2/5
Absolutely beautiful when it allows Nico to juxtapose her vocals against simple guitar melodies, but too often opts for crowded arrangements that squeeze her vocal range uncomfortably.
Q-Tip
2/5
The production soars near the beginning of this album but quickly loses steam to the point where the last tracks are cloying in their use of samples. Mediocre bars throughout mean this one lands firmly in the disappointment pile.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
Great prog weaves several distinct themes into a unified whole, meaning songs that last up to 20 minutes can feel distinct yet greater than the sun of their parts. This LP takes sharp turns, abandons themes left and right, stuffs incompatible ideas into overlong tracks, and has weird growling noises on it. This is not great prog.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
Never have I heard an album where all the songs are stuck in first gear, right on the verge of breaking through to some big musical moment but stuck instead wearing down the same melodic line and tired lyrics. Not a great sign when the most exciting song on the LP is a Springsteen cover.
Rush
4/5
A masterclass in prog composition and execution. Each track bursts forth with memorable melodies underscored with amazing technical prowess. Even on the more subdued and less notable back half of the LP, Lee, Pert, and Lifeson still deliver outstanding performances that continue to offer hidden intricacies.
The Lemonheads
2/5
If you took every single alternative album released in the 90s and averaged them together you would get this absolute milquetoast, forgettable LP.
4/5
An LP that manages to build whole worlds out of nothing but some sparse arrangements and a healthy dollop of personality. While Bowie plays fast and loose with the actual narrative structure here, near every song thrums with a life, ego, and damnably catchy melody of its own.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Starts off as a strong alternative LP but quickly loses itself in dated synths and truly awful songwriting. I swear everyone in the 80s set their Juno-6 to the same vocal-esque patch and used that for pads.
3/5
Rating this one higher than expected for how modern it sounds and how gracefully it has aged. The band still may be riding the success of being the first outfit to use a delay pedal on every song, but the compositions, productions, and rare 80s tendency not to overindulge in dated synths makes it seem at least some of that success was warranted.
Various Artists
3/5
A great collection of different takes on some holiday classics, I was able to tolerate listening to this one which speaks highly to its quality.
An aside on Christmas music: When will someone create a new holiday staple? The current Christmas song canon has been unmodified since Mariah Carey cursed the world back in the early 2000s. Perhaps I'm just a 20-something cynic but I'm tired of hearing the exact same recording every single year.
Supergrass
3/5
An interesting, angular LP that harkens the arrival of Jack White 4 years before the White Stripes would drop their S/T. Not all of the slower tracks work alongside the familiar-yet-skewed uptempo rock songs, but the overall product is one that warrants a relisten by far.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Some of the more lively tunes from CCR's discography on this one, though after 3 of these LPs everything does tend to run together.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
Nothing personal against this album, acapella/choral stuff has just never been my thing. Extreme props to the performers and recording engineers on this LP - the hint of natural reverb lifts the delivery of this album beyond a recording into an almost hypnotic aural vision.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
You've heard this one before - a ho-hum, Doors-esque rock LP complete with gratuitous noodling, meandering song structures, and not much of a point. A few tinges of psychedelia aren't enough to save this one from mediocrity.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
The lead track isn't lying - this LP arrives with a lot of pomp and circumstance only to retread 1-2 loops for seven minutes at a time, leading to an album full of mildly peppy background music. James Murphy tries to add some flair in the vox, but lacks the delivery, creativity, and quality of not being an asshole to make things work.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Ya like jazz?
4/5
Enjoyed this one much more than I expected to. Lynn and her genuine vocals carry each arrangement on a mix of pure simplicity, true sorrow, and honest emotions.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Despite the cult of personality surrounding this album, it does deliver on its premise of a highly thematic rock album that doesn't get lost in its own narrative. Though some tracks tend to run long, the majority manage to exhibit a wealth of their own personality while still serving the overall LP as a whole, helping it to deliver a message of mortality and meaning.
The Doors
2/5
There are some melodies and ideas which try to extend beyond the rock canon here, but ultimately they're crushed by the mediocrity of noodling, overlong track lengths, and harsh vocals.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
A mostly forgettable rock album filled with gratuitous lead guitar and not much melodic substance.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Not as definitive or memorable as their other works, mainly lacking in verve due to a noticeably less prominent rhythm section.
Nick Drake
3/5
A warm hug of an album that flashes in and out of existence hardly before it gets started. What makes this short, sweet LP work is the rawness of Drake's vocals and performance - the rasping of guitar strings silhouetted against his dulcet vox makes it feel as you've stumbled upon his performance umprompted.
Beck
1/5
Discogs said this was one of the 'best breakup albums of all time,' so if by breakup album you mean plodding, repetitive, mumbly moaning tracks and by best you mean worst, I agree.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Though it succumbs to the late 60s temptations of limpid ballads/Beatles-esque tunes at times, this is LP exudes a clear sense of direct purpose otherwise. The early psychedelic stylings (the constant presence of reverb, jangly interwoven guitars, hell the song titles) here hint at what was to come in the 70s and still sound fresh to this day.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
Two halfway decent tracks bookend the rest of an LP filled with pure schmaltz. Disappointing to see the slight sparks of something different in the lengthy opener and shoegazey closer completely snuffed by the insipid melodies and eye-gouging repetition of lyrics such as "I know/ but I don't know" and "I love your walk/ I love your talk."
The Police
3/5
Finally, an 80s album that doesn’t overstay its welcome or choose the worst synth presets possible. Some tight, punchy compositions on this one using great interplay between guitars and synths. Sting’s almost improvisational bass and crooning vox on top yield an overall solid listening experience.
ABBA
2/5
There are hints of interesting ideas on this LP, but they ultimately end up being washed out by standard 80s fare uninspired synth ballads
Air
4/5
French House meets Stereolab in the best way possible. An expansive, encompassing LP that could come off as cheesy but reads as genuine due to its wonderful instrumentation and vocal performances.
Nina Simone
2/5
The idea is clearer than the execution here - Simone strives to tackle some weighty issues on this one, but the arrangements are just too sparse to make things feel cohesive enough
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Yes. Hell fucking yes. This wasn't my first Queens album, but it was certainly the first album to permanently drag me into the fray of fuzzed-out, lo-fi garage rock that pulled no punches and took no prisoners. The lack of polish on this LP is a feature, not a bug - the grimy guitar, punchy drums, and absolutely sinful growl of the bass unify to form some sort of primal roar, a sound dwarfing the expected output of a usual rock threesome. Already the vestiges of future QotSA albums are present in the straightforward rock charts augmented with off-kilter, skittering accents that suggest something is not quite right, that perhaps the sex, drugs, and rock n' roll this song describes belies some greater horror. An unbelievably deep first outing for a band (thanks in part to Homme's time with Kyuss) and an album I return to whenever there's the need to kick some metaphorical teeth in.
Jurassic 5
3/5
A decent hip-hop LP, some interesting bars here and there but the arrangements don't do enough to push this album into memorable territory
Miles Davis
3/5
Interesting free form jazz LP with a heavier dose of effects (especially reverb) than one would expect. Some interesting takes hear, just wish there were stronger melodic threads or motifs in the longer tracks
Metallica
3/5
I don't think I've ever heard the full-length version of the title track, so I was pleasantly surprised to find ~3 more minutes of head-banging goodness on top of what I already knew. It's that relentless energy that makes this album listenable; maybe I'm using the wrong speakers/'phones, but this thing absolutely drowns in mids that tend to wash out the bass and drums. Burton's lines deserve to be heard, damn it!
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
A solid proto-shoegaze LP filled with lush chord vamps and looming vocals. Spoiled this one a bit by knowing J&MC's later work - this album does feel a bit stuck in second gear when every song is centered at the ~90 bpm mark, especially when this band can really crank it out on uptempo tracks.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
An album made even more outstanding when one considers its lead architect can't even read sheet music. Jeff Lynne fires on all cylinders with this LP, interlacing stacked vocal melodies on top of horns, organ, guitar, bass, and countless other multitracks to form a carefully crafted wall of sound that defies any genre label one might want to put on it.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Contains some of my favorite Stones tracks (the multi-layered 'Sympathy for the Devil' and rollicking 'Street Fighting Man'), but the good here is greatly outweighed by the gratuitous honky-tonk of the remaining tracks.
Sam Cooke
3/5
A lovely live recording bursting with energy. Cooke clearly enjoys being a conduit on center stage, leading the crowd in call-and-response refrains while providing a healthy dollop of banter on top.
Bad Company
2/5
Only a few tracks here (mainly the title) stand out from a background of droll, almost muted songs that lack in originality and verve.
Raekwon
2/5
Minimalistic production paired with easy-going bars. Nothing too memorable lyrics or backing-track wise, which is especially a disappointment for an album of this length.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
It’s to this album’s credit that it manages to be so entertaining enough as to warrant nearly 2 full hours of airtime. Not every song is a hit (and some tend to stay well past their welcome), but those that are pulse with a genuine, earned passion and joy that’s hard to turn off.
Kate Bush
2/5
Nothing extremely memorable here - several tracks felt on the verge of taking off, but stayed at frustratingly mid-tempo paces. Lots of delivery with little payoff
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Wonder's vox come through much more powerfully here than on 'Key of Life,' a marked improvement given how talented he is as a singer. Though the LP feels more like a grab bag of songs rather than a cohesive album (too much tempo/styling variation), there are enough highs here to keep things enjoyable throughout the 45-minute runtime.
Jean-Michel Jarre
2/5
Might as well have come out in the 80s for how dated, excessive, and cloying it is. A lack of any melodic throughline means this is ambient music listening at best.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Some fun dance/house on this one, normally I’d be annoyed by the length and repetition but the beats are great and there’s enough tongue-in-cheek lyricism to make things work
Aphex Twin
3/5
Much less melodically driven than other AT works, dwells more in ethereal soundscapes and ideas than grounded song structures. This works intermittently throughout the album - the highs are enjoyable, but other tracks tend to fade into the background due to repetition or lack of meaningful melodic content.
Circle Jerks
2/5
Too ephemeral to leave much of an impression – tracks appear and exit before they are able to leave much of a melodic impression. I get that this is punk, just not seeing much to return to here.
Charles Mingus
3/5
A fun improv jazz album that hits harder than most on this list so far. The Spanish influences and melodic echoes throughout the track (especially the anthemic closer) bring this one to a new level and give it a bit of staying power.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Having taken one (1) astrophysics course in graduate school, I am completely qualified to make the following assessment:
If we estimate a zillion as being equal to 10^33 and take our reference point to heaven as the center of the universe, it is located ~10^24 light years away from the edge of the known universe. Assuming the rate of cosmic expansion holds constant at 67.4 km/s/megaparsec and taking the edge as a static point (not an extended unit of length that will expand itself), this implies that it will make contact with heaven in (10^12 ly)*(9.46*10^12 km/ly)*(67.4 km/s)^(-1)= half a million billion years (4.45*10^14 centuries).
N.W.A.
3/5
A hip-hop album that prefers to lay back in the groove with some more narrative bars. Wish there was a bit more variation in tempo and beats on this one, things seemed to run together after a bit.
Can
2/5
The first quarter of this LP slays, full of crunchy krautrock riffs on top of smooth, infectious grooves. The rest is its Achilles heel, however, as things get way too experimental and out there to support interest in the rest of a 2 hour album.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
A whole different album beyond the singles that have been played to death on alternative rock/mainstream radio. Pleasantly surprised by the more hard-driving uptempo tracks on this one, as they push well beyond what's expected from an RHCP song. The slower, ballad-like tracks come out of left field as well, but balance some of the more indulgent energies on the rest of the LP.
Carole King
3/5
There are some powerful tracks where the lyrics shine through here, but for most of the LP it seems King's vocals are mixed directly in the instrumentals. Everything just tends to blend together as a result, obscuring the singer half of this singer-songwriter album.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Starts off strong with powerful guitar leads and riveting vocals, but quickly dates itself back to the 90s on the back half with schmaltzy arrangements and questionable vocal delivery.
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Most of the absolute classics on this one. The arrangements do tend to get a bit repetitive, but even then I wish some of the tracks were longer here - Franklin knows how to write a damn catchy verse.
Ministry
2/5
There are some genuinely interesting ideas and musical moments on here, they're just a bit washed out due to overlong arrangements. A bit of editing to cut the fat would've made this a 3-4 star album; as is, it's a bit of a slog to take in all at once.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Disappointed in this one - feels way too tame for a Harvey album. Missing the usual frenetic, undeniable energy of her past LPs and feels deflated and limpid as a result.
Massive Attack
2/5
Caught between the pull of early dancehall and soulful R&B, this LP lands smack dab in the disappointingly tepid middle. There are occasional flashes of the innovative production and sound design that would later characterize 'Mezzanine,' but here the highs aren't nearly frequent enough to keep the album from feeling like a chore.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Listened to the deluxe version on Spotify which includes both the standard reggae versions + original album tracks. Refreshing to hear Marley rephrase his Jamaican reggae stylings into more modern arrangements of the time - it's a testament to his musicianship and passion that both versions both share a common thread but manage to have their own distinct sonic personality. While I'm still not the biggest fan of reggae for its inherent repetition and downtempo nature, the tracks here did grow on me as the LP progressed.
AC/DC
3/5
One of my favorite quotes is Angus Young saying “ I'm sick to death of people saying we've made 11 albums that sounds exactly the same, Infact, we've made 12 albums that sound exactly the same.” And hey, if your dumb horny rock n’ roll music ain’t broke, I certainly agree you shouldn’t fix it.
Fugazi
2/5
Disappointed with this one - a lack of variation in both the guitar tone and melodic lines means everything just blurs into one big hardcore mess that's ultimately forgettable.
Solange
3/5
Reminds me of a smaller-scale, more intimate version of FKA Twigs' LP1. Smaller-scale tracks rich in lush production are complemented well by meaningful, socially-focused interludes that give a loose sense of narrative without distracting from the album's flow.
Parliament
2/5
Missing the experimentation and energy of their other LPs. Most songs tend to beat an already dated melody to death over the course of 4-5 minutes, and even those that shine pale in comparison to the tracks this band can knowingly produce.
Pink Floyd
3/5
While the middle tracks are a bit ho-hum standard Floyd rock, 'Diamond' absolutely dominates the LP with its swaggering synths and boisterous guitar. Not shying away from the true depths of prog means the final product sounds a little dated, but still maintains enough grandiosity to enthrall on each listen.
Radiohead
5/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
Deeper vocals and less reliance on doo-whop harmony means this one stands out from the typical Beach Boy LP output. A bit of bite from the slightly overdriven guitars gives the whole production a bit of edge as well.
Ozomatli
2/5
An interesting blend of genres and influences that doesn't quite stick the landing - some tracks swirl with the perfect mix of Eastern/Latin/Hip-Hop rhythms, but others bite off more than they can chew and fall into a repetitive (and boring) holding pattern.
Soul II Soul
1/5
Repetitive and cloying, mainly thanks to bargain-bin beats and the most British vocals you can find. Some tracks on the back half manage to eke their way into mildly catchy territory, but after the absolute slog of the first half the LP needs a lot more than a few bangers to atone for its sins.
Iggy Pop
2/5
There are definite grooves and high points outside the frustratingly repetitive title track, but not nearly enough to elevate this album to anything memorable when it comes to rock.
Carpenters
3/5
Most of this LP is what one would expect from the Carpenters, but there are a few curveballs in here that eschew the long ballad structure for more exciting uptempo jaunts. A decent (if not entirely memorable) listening experience
The National
2/5
One thing I find so frustrating about this band is that they will let a song build and build and build... before just leaving it stuck in 2nd gear on a repeated refrain? There's no payoff to any of the tension built in unique arrangements and instrumentals, just kind of a dull fizzle as if the band ran out of steam halfway through writing the song.
Donald Fagen
2/5
At first this is a somewhat fresh take for the 80s, still reveling in horribly-dated synths but keeping things scaled back production-wise as opposed to an all-out assault on the ears. Even this quirk isn’t enough to save the album from droll repetition, though, as crooning can only get you so far when all the backing tracks sound the same.
The Specials
2/5
The unique, quirky ska energy manages to keep things fresh for about 3-4 songs before the bit gets stale. Little variation in rythms, instrumentation, or arrangements means everything starts to blend together into 40 or so minutes of British whining and vaguely reggae-ish beats.
Muddy Waters
3/5
An in-situ (and even meta) look at the transition between Delta blues and what would eventually become rock n' roll. Some tracks run a bit longer than they can sustain interest for, but the LP mostly delights with infectious energy, passion, and historical interest.
George Michael
3/5
Kudos to this LP for wearing its aggressively horny heart on its sleeve. Michael manages to get away with this in no small part to how endearing and catchy these songs are - some stray into standard cheesy ballad territory, but most keep things lively and interesting beyond what one would expect.
Deep Purple
2/5
Whatever catchy initial hook these songs enter with is inevitably lost under 4-5 minutes of gratuitous, unnecessary guitar soloing. This band cannot just let a track breathe (or end in a reasonable amount of time).
Thelonious Monk
3/5
A good if not wholly memorable jazz LP. The performances are fluid and graceful, just not anything I think will stick in my memory.
The Clash
3/5
Classic tracks aside this album earns points for how varied and experimental it's willing to be - no two songs seem to rely on the same structure or tempo, and as a result things stay relatively fresh throughout the LP. While the guitar tone could be a bit more pronounced in the mix and the tracks a tad more memorable, the project still sounds modern and engaging enough to warrant a re-listen.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Seems almost like a throwaway album the studio put out as an afterthought. Some of the melodies are catchy, but most songs just exist for two minutes and peter out into nothing almost as if Elvis gave up trying to find a suitable ending and just left the stage. Goes without saying this isn't a wholly memorable project.
Public Enemy
2/5
A rare miss for this group - usually the beats and bars hit hard and fast on a Public Enemy album, but here they feel a bit tired and repetitive. The subject matter and flow is still at the top of its game, but there aren't as many standout tracks or even individual mic-drop lyrics I know this group is capable of.
Bob Dylan
2/5
My dad does an absolutely over-the-top, sidesplitting parody of Bob Dylan and that's all I can really think about as poor Bob slurs his way through one repetitive chorus after another on this one.
Little Simz
2/5
Even for a shorter runtime this LP can't hold enough interest to be more than background music. Occasionally a memorable bar or beat will slip through, but Simz' doesn't put up nearly enough on the production or lyricism front to warrant a re-listen.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Missing the energy of their later efforts - there's a latent sense of the fun lyricism and infectious beats that would later define the outfit, but the creativity here feels stifled and mute compared to what comes later in DMC's discography.
Bobby Womack
3/5
An enjoyable mix of uptempo soul and smooth R&B. Some tracks get a bit repetitive towards the end of their lengthy runtimes, but a healthy dose of slap bass sitting forward in the mix means even these moments feel infectiously groovy.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
The arrangements are repetitive, the vocals are just plain bad (or irritating, take your pick), the sound is dated, and the ideas were already done better in the 80s. Nothing salvageable here at all.
Megadeth
3/5
Solid metal album - appreciated the variation in instrumental arrangements so it wasn’t just 40 straight minutes of chugging. Some questionable vocals near the end, but overall an enjoyable listen (which is apparently more than I can usually say for LPs in this genre)
The Beach Boys
3/5
From PSAs about your feet to ripping student riot manifestos, this LP clearly isn’t interested in any kind of coherence as a musical whole. It does read as genuine, however, mostly thanks in part to the passion and catchiness that are a part of every tune on here no matter how diverse.
Willie Nelson
2/5
Not nearly enough energy here to sustain interest for even a sub-40 minute LP. Nelson can write a great country ballad, but without any uptempo tracks in the mix to balance them out this album becomes a snoozefest real quick.
Portishead
4/5
Full of surprising guitar tones and production choices, this LP caught me off guard as I haven't been a fan of Portishead's earlier works (which I found to be mired in unexceptional instrumentation and mumbled lyrics). The whole band seems sharper here, as the production brings out challenging, unresolved chord progressions that highlight the simmering emotion in Gibbons' vox.
The Who
3/5
A decent rock LP that shines when it sticks to the janglier guitar tones and livelier, catchy arrangements. Does lose itself in the middle with an ill-advised try at Delta Blues + some other genres that don't suit the band well, but the sheer number of tracks manage to produce enough winners to make for an overall pleasant listen.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
Shines in its uptempo moments but not enough to break the mold of usual 70s country.
David Gray
2/5
This LP has aged worse than spoiled milk - the drums sound straight out of the 90s Korg catalog, and the synths could be presets on any old synth you'd find at a garage sale. The only part that makes this semi-tolerable are the mildly unique arrangements, but even those are hard to find under Gray's melodramatic vox.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
An interesting mix of singer-songwriter downtempo ballads and high-energy rock tracks. Alanis' domineering vocals and unique songwriting means the latter land in unforgettably catchy territory, though that's balanced out by the more generic, ho-hum ballads. Tried my best to give this one a fair shake, nearly 1/2 of the album was already engraved in my mind from listening to the radio in the car as a kid.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Reminds me of a punkier, more abstract Screaming Females with a layer of slick, chimey production on top as was common in early-aughts indie. It does seem to me the album loses steam halfway through, especially as Karen O's vocals tend to wear thin. However, the sound and orchestration of the tracks are killer - if the band had varied things a little throughout the album's runtime this would easily be a 4-5 star LP.
The Incredible String Band
2/5
A bit downtempo and acoustic for my tastes - there are several interesting vocal touches on choruses, but not enough to keep things from getting stale across the 40-minute runtime. That being said, this hardly deserves to be one of the lowest globally rated albums in the project given some other LPs I’ve heard…
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Listened to both the English and French versions and felt the latter flowed better - the rich production complemented by the lyrical flow of the less-angular vocals made the LP feel warm and syrupy. This was both a benefit and detriment, as the synths are top-notch and the production clear without being overpowering, yet there's just too much here to stomach all in one sitting as the melodies vary little from track to track (though maybe that's because I listened to the whole 2LP at once).
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
Caught between the push-pull of the harder industrial tones and attempts at enveloping melody, this LP ends up feeling disjointed and a bit unpolished. There could have been great synergy between these two goals, but each song tends to lean so hard one way or the other it's hard to find this a cohesive product rather than a grab bag of ideas thrown together. Throw a 14-year old's version of "edgy" lyrics on top and this one just feels misguided and half-baked.
Cypress Hill
2/5
Most tracks start out strong with great samples and defiant bars, but run into trouble when they get stuck in an infinite loop (i.e, "Hole In the Head") before hitting lazy fade-outs every single time. The LP would be so much well-composed if the tracks maintained their energy through variation and actual endings rather than disappearing like puffs of smoke once they've seemingly run out of ideas...
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Lo-fi punk rock that's just interesting enough to be listenable while still serving as decent background music while I worked today. Will say the energy starts off strong on this one, but the arrangements and vocals became a bit repetitive about midway through - there are still some surprises on the back half, but nothing that blew me away.
Madness
3/5
An enjoyable standard Britpop outing, a bit more listenable than its brethren as each track displays individuality while maintaining the core sound of the band. A few songs here and there drag on, but most have catchy enough hooks to sustain interest. Excellent production as well, everything on here is clear as day.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Dated in all the best ways - heavy but not overpowering use of flanger, grungy lo-fi production that sounds like it was done on a dive bar's DI, drawn-out vocals that carry from one verse into another. The intersection of post-punk and 80s glam and it sounds damn good.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
1/5
Costello's voice sounds like what would result if you asked an AI to recreate Lenny Kravitz and it produced a soulless, uncanny-valley esque replica but also it kind of sounds squeaky and clown-like? If that wasn't enough there are some boggling songwriting decisions on this one - never mind several of the tracks borrow chord progressions from each other, ending a verse on you crooning 'garbage' or 'barbershop' with way too much vibrato is just odd and a little disconcerting. Never mind the fact Elvis thinks he has an n-word pass...
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
A decent, if overlong, classic rock LP. Definitely wears thin by the end, but the guitar tone is so good and the solos so bread-and-butter blues rock that I was able to find myself nodding along most of the time.
Green Day
3/5
An absolute classic. This album's secret weapons are both the strong, memorable basslines and presence throughout + Billy Joel's intuitive sense of melodic rhythm and harmony. Pushing and pulling against the instrumental, Armstrong's verses elevate this LP from standard punk to a deserving classic.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
There’s more authenticity on this single LP than all of last year’s Top 40 releases combined. While not breaking any new ground musically, Songhoy are playing directly from the heart with all the chops needed to back it up. Exceedingly rare to hear music made simply for expressions sake, and though this may be ‘just’ a blues-inspired rock album it’s a damn good listen when all is said and done.
Taylor Swift
2/5
In which domineering pop icon Taylor Swift co-opts and bastardizes the label of 'indie' to take up shelf space and sales that should've gone to actual indie artists
Musically I can't add anything new to what's already been said here. The album is inoffensive and blandish, but not altogether unlistenable. What has always repulsed me from Swift's music is the blatant inauthenticity in her image and actions. From the time when she pulled her music from Spotify because she 'wasn't making enough' (when her net worth was already in the millions) to now, where she attempts to pass as a reformed indie artist in some sort of half-assed musical rebirth, everything has been a calculated play not in the interest of making music but money. Swift is a cultural chimera, adapting her image to whatever will sell the most albums actual musical content be damned. Her true artistry ended after she abandoned thoughtful songwriting and actually decent musicianship on the first two country albums and traded them in for the big bucks making soulless pop smashes that dominated the cultural zeitgeist for years. So no, Taylor, you don't get to claim to be an indie artist after topping the Billboard time and time again, no matter how many attempted soulful piano ballads and The National collabs you stick on one LP.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
A standard Dinosaur Jr. outing, save for some younger J. Mascis vocals that help the LP evoke an almost heavier Pavement-like sound. No tracks that really leap out, but this band has undeniable chops which mean the album is an enjoyable listen.
Talking Heads
4/5
I've been trying to get into this band for what feels like forever, and I think this is the album that finally opened the door a bit. Each track is distinct 'Heads' material, but the off-kilter guitar tones now match up to Byrne's eclectic delivery and leave every song an earworm. Lots of head-turners in terms of instrumentation, rhythm, and production only complement the sense of artistic weirdness and make this a fun but easily digestible listen.
Pentangle
3/5
Started off at a 2-star level as I expected yet another retread of the tired Scarborough fair sound, but improved along the way. There are some fun rhythms and vocal interplay on this LP, and while not wholly memorable it does stand out just a bit more among a crowded field in this project so far.
2/5
I can't well give this a one as there's a certain point where it becomes such a parody of itself it crosses into 'so bad it's good' territory. Highlights and personal favs include -
1) The opening track maintaining a sense of seriousness for all of 30 seconds before laying on the 80s synths as thickly as possible.
2) The mildly porno slap basslines on a few songs where regular bass would've been just fine
3) How every song's chorus includes an awful two-word or so vocal tag (sHoW mE, shOw ME)
4) The point where the band's songwriting gives out and devolves into, I shit you not, "Hip hip hooray...Yippee ai yippee aiay!!"
5) A song that tries to make everyone's most-hated retail job into a convoluted metaphor about being horny
6) A reference to the 12 disciples on a track called "4 ever 2 Gether [sic]"
And many more. So yes, this is a musical dumpster fire, but it's at least an entertaining one
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
If you asked 1000 people to name one song off this album and made a histogram of the results, 99% of the answers would involve 'Dreams,' 'Go Your Own Way,' or 'The Chain.' This isn't a knock on the LP, but it definitely depends on a few anthemic tracks that have stood the test of time for most of its impact. The other songs are pleasant, but lack the absolute verve that these 3 powerhouses incorporate (as well as feeling a little dated... Wurlitzer much?), and it's hard not to feel as if they're filler around absolute killer in an album that dominates vinyl sales even today. The additional reliance on fadeouts for the end of every track gives the album an almost unfinished feel as well.
The Temptations
3/5
A decent R&B/rock crossover LP. The driving track feels a bit overlong for how threadbare it is, but most of the other songs are equipped with catchy enough hooks and plenty of envelope filter to get the job done without too much fuss.
Al Green
2/5
This one didn't escape background music level for me - there are some interesting melodies and Green's voice is generally pleasing in delivery, just not any solid hooks I found to grab onto here.
Eagles
2/5
One of the stronger pillars of my parents’ marriage is their shared hatred for Hotel California to the point where I was not allowed to play it on Guitar Hero World Tour in their presence.
I don’t share the same level of disdain, but there’s not much to like here either.
Talking Heads
3/5
Not as immediate or charming as their other work, meaning it ends up in standard twee territory and lacks some of the eclectic energy that makes a Talking Heads LP stand out. Bonus star for the pure nostalgia of 'Take Me to The River' - my great uncle had an animatronic mounted fish that flopped around and sang this song, and I was ultimately banned from using it because I loved hearing it sing so much.
The Who
2/5
Lacks the energy of a truly great live album, and the culprit lies mainly with the vocal performance. There's a great selection of the band's hits and best B-sides at play, the instrumentals are charged and rip through the mix, but Daltrey sounds tired and is buried underneath everything else to the point where even his stage banter seems forced.
XTC
2/5
Solid in the first half, with interesting and unexpected melodies for an 80s Brit pop effort. Unfortunately gives in to its roots on the back, resorting to that intolerable sniveling vocal delivery the Brits were so fond of at the time plus overdramatic yet somehow equally bland songwriting.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
A more relaxed and low-key affair from a usually eclectic band. Could use some more uptempo tracks, but what's here is enjoyable and listenable enough as is.
The The
2/5
Contains some sparks of the well-thought-out songwriting on S/T, but lacks in the memorability department. This LP kind of washed over me - I didn't mind most of it (though some parts leaned heavily on standard 80s indulgences, mostly synths), but found nothing to latch on to here.
Paul Simon
3/5
A left turn of a Paul Simon album that eschews his usual warm, bare-bones guitar-based style for a distinctly unique take on the 80s. A wealth of genres and styles are sampled on this LP, but none clash or overwhelm in the way that most 80s records tend to do; this is still Simon's sound and songwriting, just clad in the sounds of its time.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
For Gilberto's Brazilian roots this album sounds surprisingly French, with light and airy guitar/other instrumentals floating along in time to her powerful but not overpowering vocals. Some tracks do fall flat (any song that includes a child sing-along is an instant no from me), but most of this brief LP delights.
Oasis
3/5
A lesser outing as compared to the masterpiece of 'Morning Glory' that would follow in '95. That being said, this isn't a bad album by any means - one can hear the slow churn of early grunge mixing in with Britpop, even if the two disparate genres still seem a little at odds.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
Starts off strong with some wonderful meta touches (the recording dialogue was amazing), but with the back half being live takes and demos the overall LP feels overstuffed and half-baked. Would be much stronger with most of the second half left on the cutting-room floor
Eric Clapton
2/5
Barely a 2 - while there are a few fun tracks here, the others test patience to the extreme by riding on one or two unimaginative progressions/riffs for much longer than they can hope to sustain. I get this LP has a heavy blues influence which entails some repetition, but there's a complete lack of improvisational energy that's necessary to make these tracks not grate after 5 minutes of the same two chords.
Deep Purple
2/5
Live albums require a good deal of energy and focus to even hope of matching the energy of an in-person show. This outing starts strong but quickly fades in the effort as it gets lost in gratuitous soloing and fills that just don't translate from a live setting to wax.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
A fun, vibrant LP - the longer track lengths and relative lack of vocals means this one falls into the background music category a bit, but not in a negative way.
The Cardigans
4/5
What seems a standard twee pop album quickly expands to become an interesting exploration in pop arrangement and instrumentation. While 'Lovefool' steals most of the LP's spotlight, it's the at-times discordant progressions and off-kilter rhythms that make the tracks here so memorable and engaging.
Lorde
2/5
This LP was a disappointment to me in 2017 and remains so to this day. I'm not going to get into an Antonoff hate rant (there's plenty of discussion on that already in these reviews), but for the follow up to "Pure Heroine"'s dark instrumentals, encompassing production, and intoxicating feel overall to be so flat and lifeless is just depressing. This album fades into the background, doesn't demand attention as its predecessor did - each song is so overengineered and wrapped in such a thick layer of production gloss that it goes down without a thought, each track another 'perfect' pop song without much personality or any distinguishing features. The continuing homogenization of music does nothing but disappoint, and this LP is unfortunately a good example as to why.
The Kinks
3/5
Most of the tracks here are interesting enough, just wish this LP could maintain a single plot thread – veers all over the place genre-wise, from straight 60s' rock to Beach Boys-esque ballads.
Ride
4/5
As a shoegaze fan, I found myself subconsciously avoiding this LP for some reason. Found it refreshing to dive in and find a rich, substantial album that escapes feeling dated while delivering on a wide sonic palette. The early Britpop foundations of shoegaze as a genre shine here, imbuing a strong melodic body without carrying over the awful remnants of the 80s. Not every track finds its own voice, but those that do stun with the heavy guitar lines that would become fundamental in later gazer works.
Björk
3/5
Despite some of Björk's irritating vocal tics, this is a mostly enjoyable LP. The production is lush and encompassing, and the instrumentals generally offer interesting melodic progressions intertwined with the singer's swooping delivery. Could use some editing, though, as most tracks exhaust their ideas by the halfway point.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
No album in the past 30 years has come close to revolutionizing the guitar as an instrument as much as this LP did. Each track leaves no inch of production space unused as every inch of the sonic spectrum is slathered in crunchy mids, ridiculous amounts of feedback, and healthy dollops of reverb to round everything out. It took bankrupting a whole record label to find out that guitars could sound as alive and real as this, but it was worth every penny.
This album is not without its flaws - mbv can't write a dynamic song structure to save their life, and I fully understand people who get bored with this LP. For me at least, however, the lack of dynamism is excused when the instrumentation and melodic structures are /this damn good/. 'To Here Knows When' may be the same sound and general 'aaaAAAaah' lyrics for 3 minutes on end, but hell if it isn't the most beautiful thing I've ever heard come out of a shitty tube amp. The inklings of early 'gaze on 'Isn't Anything' ignite into fully realized bliss here as artistry and instrument collide, the band's experimentation and creativity coming through clear on each song. A personal fav moment has to be the entirety of 'Sometimes' - the mental imagery for me has always been as if Shields covered the entire guitar line in gasoline and lit it ablaze, the longing and melancholy of the melodic line backlit by the warm flickers of fuzz.
30 years on, it's clear why this LP continues to inspire new generations of guitarists and musicians despite how abstract and uninviting it may seem on first listen. Who knew fucking around with pedals could create one of the best albums of all time?
The Black Crowes
2/5
Hated this a little less than I expected too given these tracks were plastered all over rock radio throughout my childhood. There are some genuinely good riffs and melodic ideas here, they’re just buried under either track lengths that are way too long or vocals that grate to the extreme
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
It's not entirely fair to judge a soundtrack without knowledge of the film and its context, but I doubt any film could give much order to the smattering of tracks here. Jabs at American big band, Spanish classical, and others are mixed in with a constant undercurrent of Bollywood that just feels a little half-baked as a whole.
Prince
3/5
Just like Prince to release an LP 17 years ahead of its eponymic title, only for it to still sound as if it came right at the turn of the century. Not every track here is perfect and a few tend to drag on a bit longer than they have the melodic power to, but most are infectiously catchy across the board and are still listenable today (something that can't be said for most 80s music).
Sister Sledge
2/5
Good production and melodies on this one, just not enough distinct material to sustain much interest.
Elliott Smith
3/5
While I think I prefer the larger production and uptempo feel of 'Figure Eight,' this LP offers a collection of beautiful, small-scale tracks that highlight Elliot's penchant for simple but poignant songwriting.
Tracy Chapman
2/5
Wish this LP offered more of Chapman's vocal range - her vocals are stunning, but remain firmly in the midrange for the entirety of the record leading to a sense of monotony. Doesn't help that the instrumentals have aged poorly and read as quite dated.
Travis
2/5
Tries to hit the sweet spot between nascent '00s-indie (think Guster/Keane) and Radiohead-esque grunge roc,k but lands more in the doldrums reserved for forgettable contemporary radio you hear while waiting in the doctor's office.
Bob Dylan
2/5
While refreshing to hear Bob with a bit more instrumentation and production around him, it's quite frustrating when he does absolutely /nothing/ with it. This isn't a 1-star LP (that's reserved more for albums I feel antipathy towards), but it's close due to committing the cardinal sin of any media: being boring. None of the instrumentals on this thing go anywhere or make any statements, which leaves Dylan's cig-decimated vox to pick up the slack (spoiler: they don't). There's no narrative or melodic excitement to be found here, and closing things out with 16 minutes of monotony is the ultimate frustrating footnote.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
Doesn't commit too many fouls outside of some annoying vocal rhythms, but quickly wears thin after 40+ minutes of repetitive melodic lines... when there's still half an hour left to go. Some editing of the filler tracks could've made this a tight, exuberant rock LP but as is it's just way too bloated an album.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
True to its title - some broader, more experimental compositions from Wonder that stray outside his usual comfort zone. Not all land successfully, but there’s enough energy here for a solid toe-tapping listen.
Sonic Youth
3/5
A bit too much of a good thing when it comes to the song structures on this one. The grungy wall-of-sound guitar approach means there's plenty to love sonically, but things do tend to blur together with how low the vocals and other instruments sit in the mix.
Can
2/5
Can albums are challenging in that they're usually a joy to listen to, but lack the melodic staying power necessary to be memorable in any sense. Exact case here - this was an enjoyable 40 minutes of psych-rock, but I'm pressed to remember any exact phrases that stayed with me.
Bob Dylan
2/5
The only benefit I got out of listening to this album is figuring out where that one Death Grips song title comes from
Gang Starr
2/5
Picks up steam as it goes along but can't escape some fatal design flaws – most beats are built around either repetitive or straight-up annoying samples (or both!) that grate across the space of a 3-minute track, and the bars tend to feel somewhat monotone and uninspired. There are several high points where the production and delivery rise to the occasion, but mostly this LP just feels a bit hollow.
Tricky
2/5
There are several moments on this LP where everything clicks into the place and the songs mix off-kilter production with sly vocals to great effect. For the most part, however, the production is either too obtuse or the vocals too cringe-inducing to listen to these tracks more than once.
David Bowie
3/5
One of Bowie's best guitar-wise – Lots of fun tones and tricks on here that pull standard guitar cliches of the time into fun, transgressive statements in the way only Bowie could. Doesn't settle wholly into a cohesive LP as some of the more experimental tracks are a bit hit-and-miss, but a fun listen per usual from Dave's discography.
Beatles
4/5
This is probably the Beatles album I'm least familiar with, so I found myself pleasantly surprised by how strong the songwriting is here. Not too many fancy instrumental tricks or experimental styles, just good instrumentation and lyricism executed to a T with genuine feeling.
The Black Keys
3/5
I remember when 'Tighten Up' swept pop radio airwaves back in middle school, and looking back the feat seems even more impressive given several pop titans such as Lorde and Adele were on the rise. It helps that the Delta Blues styled songwriting lends itself to simple, catchy melodies that can sustain 3-4 minute tracks, but Auerbach deserves credit for injecting just the slightest touch of synths and slick production to make the LP more digestible in the ultrapop age. I don't know if this album deserves more than 3 stars (the songwriting isn't super dynamic, and I don't know if we'll be talking about this album in 10 years time outside of a Stereogum anniversary post), but it deserves quite a bit of credit for clawing its way onto the charts in the first place.
Merle Haggard
2/5
While still miles better than today's country offerings, this one falls a bit flat for me just based on preference. Much more in the Johnny Cash-style uptempo lawless classic country camp, as opposed to the slower, slide-guitar and chorus-driven love ballads found here.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
There's a decent metal album (one well ahead of its time) somewhere on this LP, it's just buried underneath dated gratuitous guitar solos and the repetitive vocal stylings of the 80s.
Michael Jackson
2/5
At the risk of sounding culturally inept, I didn't know that the heavy hitters that begin this LP were by Michael Jackson (though the vocals and production flair should have made this obvious in hindsight). While these early tracks wow, the energy definitely decays across the remainder of the album as things drift into Muzak territory. There aren't enough novel melodic ideas or song structures on the back half to spark interest, so the overall enjoyment droops as the LP runs.
Pantera
3/5
Does better than the usual metal album at keeping things interesting and varied. The wide variety of rhythmic structures and guitar tones here keep the LP from falling into the usual metal doldrums of endless mid-heavy guitar tone and chugging riffs for 40 minutes straight.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Symphonic post-rock at its finest, an enveloping hour and ten minutes of warm, gazey guitar and ethereal vocals that consumes the entirety of the soundstage. Not easy listening by any means - this is an LP that requires full playback for the best experience, but rewards those willing to listen.
Simple Minds
2/5
This album managed to be so stereotypically yet inoffensively 80s that it really went in one ear and out the other. Couldn’t name you a single melody beyond some vague gestures at chorus-heavy guitar if I tried.
Talking Heads
3/5
This is my fourth TH album in the project, and I’m glad I had a chance to hit the prerequisites before arriving at this one. To the uninitiated, this album may seem obtuse, overlong, and hard to vibe with; but those who know the Heads formula, this is the epitome of their free-flowing, organic, and near-improvisational nature. I didn’t find every track on here enjoyable, but those I did fell into such a strong and memorable groove that it’s hard to remove the hooks even hours later.
Pixies
3/5
Sits at the intersection of the decades gracefully, calling back to 80s guitar tones and melodies (some things on here sound verbatim Clash) while dialing up the distortion that would pervade the 90s grunge scene. Not all tracks on here are memorable or enjoyable, but the LP still deserves big props for balancing such a notable shift in popular styles as well as it does.
Liz Phair
3/5
While there's definitely some radio filler on here, most of the LP shines with mesmerizing songwriting and decent instrumentals. I'm not big on lyrics so much as form, but Phair's vocals make it impossible to ignore the narrative structures that clearly drive each track.
Thundercat
4/5
This album excels in its willingness to be fun and freewheeling while still managing to smuggle in serious topics and discussion into its stream-of-consciousness delivery. The instrumentation is wild and distinct across each track, giving a cohesive feel to the LP while allowing each track (even the tiny interludes) to have distinct personalities. Overall, a fun ride with hidden undercurrents that warrants endless relistening.
Radiohead
4/5
This may well be Radiohead's best /rock/ album – There are only hints of the experimental band that would emerge with OK Computer a few years later, meaning Yorke and Co. were still in their nascent grungy days preceding the tentative debut of Pablo Honey. This LP certainly dips into grunge for a good chunk of its sound, but manages to escape feeling dated with an iron core of catchy melodies and restrained but beautiful instrumentation. Not every track is a winner ("High and Dry" has always bugged me for how much of a whiny, repetitive Oasis-like ballad it is), but from the spacey "Planet Telex" to the chilling "Street Spirit," Radiohead were at their prime here when it came to primarily guitar-driven tracks. "The Bends," "Just," and "My Iron Lung" are still some of my all-time favs to play on guitar – the progressions here aren't revolutionary, but they're distinctly unique enough and just plain fun, catchy, and evocative of a harder Radiohead sound I do tend to miss on the newer albums.
Chicago
3/5
A fun mixture of big band and rock instrumentation that provides an instant nostalgia shot. While the more anthemic nature of the LP means I don't see myself returning to all the tracks for easy listening, the album as a whole is a toe-tapping ride from start to finish.
The White Stripes
4/5
While I wasn't on the music scene in my toddler years, I can only imagine the jolt this sharp, directed LP delivered at the time. Clean-cut, searing guitar riffs pulling from both the blues and grunge over tight, effective drums - nothing more and nothing less. Compressing De Stijl's nascent lo-fi idealism into a guitar-driven gut punch, there's no instrumental or production ornamentation necessary here. Whether slow-burning or white-knuckling in their delivery, the Whites' were at their absolute prime and the result is one of the best rock albums of the century.
Beatles
4/5
Some of my absolute favorite Beatles tracks on this one. The range of sonic and lyrical experimentation here is astounding, and demonstrates how innovative the band could be once they dropped the pop focus. The use of early distortion tones is a key feature to note - my dad told me how the blown-out intro riff on 'Revolution' floored him at the time because nothing else before it had sounded quite like that. I do think this album falls a bit short of 5 stars as there's no hope of cohesion as a full LP given how many genres and styles exist alongside one another, but the highs are plentiful and represent the most exciting and out-there tracks of the Beatles' long career.
Otis Redding
3/5
A solid collection of well-orchestrated covers that Redding absolutely nails the delivery on. This isn't my preferred genre and the LP isn't mind-bending, but still a well-executed and enjoyable listen that I wouldn't mind revisiting.
T. Rex
3/5
The early notes of slacker rock take hold here, each track unhurried but delivered with clear focus and enchanting progressions. This does mean a few tracks last a bit longer than they should (a minute could easily be chopped off most of the tracks here), but the earnest and lyrical storytelling + varied instrumentation mean even the overlong tracks float by enjoyably.
Thin Lizzy
2/5
A live album gives the opportunity for a band to create a larger-than-life experience, an LP that conveys the excitement of the crowd and experimentation of the band on playback. Kind of hard to excel at that when you play the tracks straight off their respective LPs with no flair and the crowd can't be bothered to clap/respond in time with the music.
Portishead
2/5
The early notes of Portishead magic are here, but they're much too dated and buried underneath abstruse arrangements to make much of an impact. I'll always be a "Third" fan (likely a function of my age, but who knows), and to me that LP works because it has the perfect mix of dynamic contrast and emotion – this one doesn't hit the right balance between loud and soft, emotional and out-there to really leave a favorable impact
Bad Brains
2/5
Not nearly as tight or exciting as their debut album, more so tainted by the general 80s tendency for repetitive vox and uninspiring, repetitive instrumentals (even by punk standards where the songs are under two minutes).
Kate Bush
3/5
An 80s album that has surprisingly stood the test of time - whether the choice to put Bush's enamoring, demanding vocals forward in the mix or to eschew the dated synth sounds of the time, this LP still holds up today. Not every track is a winner, with the slower pieces coming closest to evoking the dreaded stereotypes of the decade, but when the tempo keeps pace the album charges forward triumphantly.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I have a soft spot for these late 50s/early 60s crooner records, mainly because they were written at a time when narrative storytelling was essentially the whole point of each song. Dusty's voice cuts clear through the mix and delivers a powerful, impactful performance (even if the subject matter is the same for every single song). The big band instrumentation, while not revolutionary in any sense, adds the necessary pomp and drama to deliver an experience.
The Gun Club
2/5
On paper, this album should be well within my wheelhouse – fast-paced, deeply rhythmic, guitar-driven, and lo-fi as all hell. Where the LP loses me is its inability to see beyond progressions with more than the same 2-3 chords. /Everything/ seems to be centered around a C or Emaj, so the initial excitement quickly gives way to melodic blandness. Really wanted to love this mix of proto-punk with a little twang, but the substance just isn't there.
Pink Floyd
2/5
Builds up some grand, anthemic feeling across 80 minutes of runtime, but for what? The thematic impact is nil when most of the tracks are formless, amorphous blobs of dates 80s synths and none of the awesome guitar work this band displayed on ‘Dark Side.’
Van Morrison
3/5
A decent singer-songwriter LP. Well-fleshed, catchy instrumentals and good vox, nothing too memorable but still a good listen.
Tom Waits
1/5
I'm not sure how many packs Waits chain-smoked a day, but I know it was enough to give me secondhand smoke from listening to this.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I don't think I've heard an album unbeholden to genre since the last few Avalanches releases - manages to pay homage to several styles without becoming trapped within them. There could be a bit of a stronger melodic throughline (things do tend to become a tad too amorphous for any sense of strong cohesion), but the songs stand strong on their own and I have no doubt they'll end up in my heavy rotation.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
Definitely would've enjoyed this more if I knew how to speak French. The guitar work is delectably lo-fi and loose throughout the LP, but the spoken-word focus means I found myself waiting out some sections as the narrative part of this concept album took center stage.
The Cure
4/5
Absolutely stunning and timeless album for being released so early into the 80s. The miracle of this LP is how it defines some of the musical tropes of the decade (see espec. the Cure's trademark chorus-based guitar tones) without making itself a relic of the time – one or two instrumental aspects of each song will date the track to the 80s, but once the full mix prevails that quickly becomes forgotten. Couple this with stunningly dark melodic compositions and proto-gaze wall-of-sound production and you have an album that is both a product of its time and yet timeless in itself. My only complaint here would be that runtimes could be a bit tighter, as each track could cut about a minute to heighten impact, but overall this still stands miles above other LPs of its time.
ABBA
2/5
Standard issue ABBA album: dated instrumentals, schmaltzy love-based lyrics, every song sounds the same-ish. The attempt at a Beach Boys track is interesting but still ends up an amorphous synthy blob like the rest of this band's tracks.
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
If I really wanted to hear 15 minutes of mediocre noodling over blues scales at a time, I would just go to my living room and play guitar myself.
The Go-Go's
3/5
Decent pop LP that lives mainly by its refusal to go downtempo at any point in its runtime. The songwriting isn't mindblowing, but each track comes with a guaranteed fun melody and exciting (if somewhat repetitive) vocals that get the job done. Definitely enjoyed this and could see some tracks going onto a high-energy playlist.
Rod Stewart
3/5
A mixed bag here, but most of what's in the bag is good. Some of Stewart's best guitar work and catchiest songwriting means most tracks are toe-tappers, with only 1-2 duds to slow things down. Stylistically it never coheres as a full LP for me, but still an enjoyable listen all the same.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
A fun, defiant LP that pushes slightly above the crowded 2010s indie scene. There's some excellent guitar work here, and the arrangements are generally chaotic and absorbing without being too abstruse. There is a fair amount of soft-voiced downtempo generic indie filler, however, and even the most interesting tracks suffer a little from lack of editing when they introduce a fun guitar lick... only to repeat it for four minutes into an eventual fade-out. Longer tracks are fine ('Useful Chamber' is one of those sprawling indie anthems that contains worlds within itself and invites endless relistening), but only when there's a fair amount of variety to keep things from getting stale.
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
There are bright moments of interesting composition and guitar work on this LP (most notably the genre-androgynous title track), but most of the album just felt too pedestrian to be overly memorable
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
2/5
While it's not to be unexpected for this period, most of the tracks on this LP are melodic one-note love songs with maybe one catchy hook and chorus to their name. Resoundingly meh listen all said and done, found myself tuning out a good deal.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
A Sinatra album with a good mix of tempos and valences? Just my thing. A Sinatra album comprising only downtempo crooners and woe-is-me love songs? Boring as hell.
Napalm Death
2/5
Not as bad as the ratings would imply, it's just a politically-minded hardcore album and what you see is what you get. Heavier music and hardcore especially, much like coffee or beer, is an acquired taste that you have to step into – jumping into this album without much prep is like swigging a beer you stole from your dad's fridge at age 12. The production sinks this one to a two for me since the guitars are muddy as hell, but otherwise this completely tracks for a Reagan-era hardcore album.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Starts out strong with a great melodic footprint, setting down some major grooves and thematic pillars for the rest of the album. Falls apart about midway through, though, as tracks become more and more interlude-like
with little driving focus.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Interesting to hear the entire parody album genre take shape in what's probably one of the earliest attempts at musical self-satire. Some interesting takes and mild chuckles here and there (and crystal-clear production on the first track and first track only?), but the ultimate impact of this LP is mired by fact it sounds (and acts) exactly like the songs it's attempting to parody.
Tim Buckley
3/5
A decent singer-songwriter LP that’s a bit thematically scattered but still mostly hits the mark. Does well when it leans into some real impressive guitar-driven tracks and stays away from the Scarborough Fair-esque stuff
Kanye West
2/5
The best parts of this album are the artists Kanye invites on or lifts entire melodies from, with his own contributions bordering on cringeworthy (saw the 'black balls' line coming from a mile away, and not in a good way). Even the production can't save this one, the track lengths are way too gratuitous and often wear surprisingly minimal ideas down pretty quick. Hard to believe this is the LP that preceded the similarly tongue-in-cheek but way more hard-hitting and tighter 'Yeezus' that would follow three years later.
Gorillaz
3/5
Starts off as a typical Blur album but quickly snowballs to become a genre-bending project of its own, in a bag. Hip-hop, alt-rock, breakbeat, reggae, rap... Albarn brings together a talented consortium of artists to make an LP that exists solely within its own class while building on well-recognized tropes, in a bag. The album definitely struggles in the editing department (some of these tracks are clearly base-level melodic ideas extended to 3 or 4 minutes), but there's enough gold here to warrant relistening, in a bag.
The Byrds
2/5
One of the more forgettable Byrds albums, nothing much here to distinguish it from the other run-of-the-mill guitar-driven 60s albums. Some melodic flavor here and there, but again nothing to write home about.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Kudos to whatever studio forced this one out of Leonard before the poor old fart died – the cigarette on the cover is fitting, as the man sounds like he's on death's doorstep with how onerous he croaks out each verse. The range and dynamism of his earlier vox are clearly out of reach on this one, and even if the vocals were at their previous peak the dollar-bin production and instrumentation would damn this LP anyway.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
This one isn't as infuriating as the last EC album I got here, but it's still got the annoying tics this artist relies on so much. There's actually decent guitar work/tones and some genuinely catchy melodies here, but the song structures are so repetitive that any melodic love a song may earn is quickly squandered by the third chorus. Each song ends with the title being repeated upwards of 10 times in Costello's best (read: most annoying) squeal, and honestly after listening to an hour of this man's vocals I've had about all I can take thanks.
The Prodigy
3/5
A bit unfair to judge a dancefloor album off a first listen sitting here in the office, but this one still delivered for the most part. Even if there's not a lot of rhythmic variation within each track, there's enough across the whole LP to keep things moving and decently interesting. Wish there was a stronger melodic presence here, this group usually leans toward sparser DnB/breakbeat arrangements but has a great ear for catchy progressions.
Magazine
2/5
A mixed-bag of an album that throws a spastic combo of Brit pop guitar, mild cheesy synths, and genre uncertainty at the wall where it doesn’t quite stick.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Solid funk album, starts to drag a bit on the back half but wraps up before the magic is gone.
Queen
3/5
The popular conception of this band over time has become more 'Freddie Mercury and the Queens' than just 'Queen.' This album is a good reminder of how integral Brian May and co. were to making the band's catchy formula work, supporting Freddie's sky-high vocal range with solid backing instrumentals that excel in their own regard. Not every track here is a winner (outside of 'We Are the Champions,' I don't think this band has done well at downtempo tracks, with most being snoozers), but those that shine do so brightly and are memorable to a fault. I will die on the hill that 'Killer Queen' is the best track this band has made, the subtle touch of phaser on the chorus vox is a sign of a band that knows exactly how to make interesting, fun music.
Foo Fighters
3/5
A decently exciting first outing from Grohl's long-running post-Nirvana outfit. While some tracks are pure 90s radio filler and it's not /as/ grungy as I would like for the time, the guitar tones and song structures here often hit heavy and hard enough to justify a solid listen.
Common
2/5
This album thinks pretty highly of itself for how utterly mediocre its production, beats, and bars are. Bloated as well, though that's keeping within its egotism.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
Overstuffed - what could’ve been snappy, tight melodic songs are extended well beyond their welcome into 4 or even 5 minute territory. Also a bit confused as to why this needed to be a double album? There’s no major tonal or symbolic shift between discs, leaving this whole thing a structurally and melodically confusing mess.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
A fun, breezy indie LP that's aged quite well. The orchestral additions on top of Turner's unmistakable AM sound make for some interesting tracks that feel a bit highbrow without seeming pretentious.
Beth Orton
2/5
There are some amazing guitar tones and riffs going in the first track, and then they completely disappear never to be heard for the rest of the album. All that's left is an hour of bland, stereotypical 90s singer-songwriter minutiae that's a shadow of what the opener promises.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Feels a bit thematically unbalanced (having 20% of the LP runtime in one track definitely doesn't help), but still hits the familiar and welcome marks of an enjoyable Iggy Pop album. This one wins bonus points for sounding like a shamble through a druggy haze, the stilted rhythms of "Nightclubbing" are just one example of how the musical uncanny valley is put to good use.
Radiohead
5/5
What I would consider the best Radiohead album - the perfect mix of their pioneering synths against the rock basis that brought them to prominence, a juxtaposition mirroring how major-key this album sounds while being depressing as hell lyrically. My only complaint is that the tempo is generally lower than desired, especially since high-energy favorites '15 Step' and 'Bodysnatchers' frontload the album (check out the 2006 Bonnaroo version of 'Videotape' to hear what could've been). Downtempo tracks like 'Nude,' 'Arpeggi,' and the absolutely haunting 'Reckoner' are hardly consolation prizes, however, and the overall feel of sugar-coated, media-driven breakdown is perhaps the most intoxicating thing the band has made. Also worth noting that this is the last true 'rock' album Radiohead has made - TKOL/AMSP find Yorke and co. exploring deeply rhythmic and synth-based tracks, so the prominent, driving guitar here represents some of the last we may hear from the band (unless LP10 arrives to prove me wrong).
Tito Puente
3/5
Now That's What I Call Samba©
Adele
2/5
A lab-grown, executive-directed, soulless album with about as much cultural impact as the first Avatar movie. Adele has great vocals, but some of the vocal rhythms/song structures here are so tortured they should be protected under the Geneva convention.
Depeche Mode
2/5
There's a reason you only hear the singles from this one on 90s radio. All of the good melodic ideas and pacing are expended on these 3-4 tracks, leaving the rest of the LP a plodding mess of half-baked synth ideas. While certain songs shine and maintain a strong foothold in memory, the shambling remainder means the whole album feels wildly inconsistent.
The Style Council
2/5
A decent 3-star jazzish muzak album that completely abandons genre coherency at the midway point to tack on a mish-mash of 1 star bargain-bin demos it sounds like. Just utterly bizarre.
Mike Ladd
3/5
An interesting breakbeat/hip-hop LP from the beginning of the aughts. Not every track is a winner (the guest features are downright bad and some songs easily date themselves to the time period), but most present a mix of electronic production and wordplay that's engaging and enjoyable. Wish this was on US Spotify, there were a few tracks I really vibed too and would drop in my heavy rotation
The Verve
2/5
Despite some of the more experimental instrumental tones on this album, it ultimately ends up a slog of standard 90s light radio fare. Whiny vocals and a general lack of melodic/thematic focus don't help either. If I never have to hear the pained violin intro to 'Bittersweet Symphony' again it'll be too soon.
ZZ Top
2/5
A mix of decent country rock and unbearable drawling country - there are glimpses of brilliance here, but the overall product comes across as a loosely-bundled collection of guitar noodling
Amy Winehouse
2/5
There's no doubt Winehouse has vocal prowess, but damn if she doesn't make it hard to appreciate it when she insists on doing vocal runs in /every/ /single/ /phrase/. I never once felt enmeshed in the tracks (which have serviceable at best instrumentals that feel a bit GarageBand-esque) because of the constant vocal acrobatics, as Amy never once allows a verse to be a verse so the listener can settle in and appreciate the track.
Talk Talk
1/5
This is the muzak you heard when you were at the doctor's office as a kid and all the chairs/decor were weirdly stuck between 90s and 2000s trends and it overall felt like a very liminal experience that doesn't seem quite real in hindsight.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Not much to say on this one, just typical 80s schmaltz with annoying vocals.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
The nice thing about slower, stripped-down samba albums like this one is they allow me to realize how much Spanish I've forgotten since high school.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Thought this would be a grueling slog after hearing the first few tracks, but surprisingly this LP manages to exceed expectations by earmarking itself as a time capsule of the late 90s. While not every song goes by without sounding dated, the majority manage to live at the weird intersection of grungy metal and trip-hop that evokes the time period without being unlistenable. The sometimes repetitive song structures and tonal whiplash between tracks are the cherries on top that solidify this LP as the 90s incarnate.
OutKast
2/5
An absolutely exhausting double LP. Struggles to fill the time with interesting melodic ideas and bars for even one hour, much less two - some production ideas are interesting, but the absolutely limpid vocal delivery (save for some great guest features like Killer Mike) just makes this an absolute battle to finish.
Roxy Music
2/5
The least memorable of the Roxy albums - oddball genre attempts and a lack of melodic/thematic consistency means this one falls in the bland, standard-issue Britpop pile.
Orbital
2/5
Falls straight into the outdated 90s techno/acid house bucket. Overlong and underwhelming tracks means this LP is only good as a reminder of decades past, one that’s probably not worth too many revisits at that.
Sade
3/5
An enjoyable listen, mainly due to a strong melodic presence and powerful vocals from Sade. Some tracks (mainly those that lean heavily on the auto-wah) do feel a bit outdated, but most are still engaging and fresh enough to warrant a relisten.
Beastie Boys
3/5
A bit overlong, but still an enjoyable listen. The mixture of the outfit's usual ferocious yet tongue-in-cheek bars plus the genre experimentation between rap and punk yields a Beastie Boys product that is at once familiar yet experimental and refreshing.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
A decent if somewhat overlong in parts rock LP. At its best when it keeps things simple and tight like bravado-filled opener 'Black Dog,' but tends to stumble later on with dragging one-note ideas or overstuffed tracks (yes, this includes Stairway).
Suicide
3/5
Despite its flaws, I like this LP for presenting something completely different. While repetitive, the synth backing tracks are distinct for the time period, and the frenetic vocals do line up with the thrumming background energy.
Fela Kuti
3/5
A great long-form jazz album – keeps a steady, enjoyable groove while being melodically diverse enough to maintain interest. The addition of the live track is brilliant, as the impromptu energy of the performance heightens the sense of freedom and playfulness hinted at in the earlier songs.
Joy Division
5/5
Rarely does a debut album enter the world so fully formed and confident, much less containing a complete sonic world within itself. With only sparse drums, minimalist guitar lines, a bit of synth, and a dash of hall reverb, Ian Curtis and company construct an endless cavern of solitude and isolation, a melodic landscape built a single note at a time in the darkness.
The MO is clear from the start with the fake-out cheerfulness of 'Disorder,' a 3.5-minute death spiral perked up by a singular, catchy bass line. It's all downhill from here through the various melodic fugues and monotone pleas from Curtis. Less is more as the bright, trebly guitar rebounds off seemingly infinite space, sneakily bolstering the minimal instrumentation while increasing the sense that these are the last dispatches from some place of emptiness and desolation. 'Shadowplay' manages to feel so immense only because it's the first song on the LP to let actual full chords ring out - by holding so much back, the album imbues the song's 3-note solo with more import and feeling than entire tracks on modern releases.
Much like Nirvana's 'In Utero,' knowing what comes next in Joy Division's short history paints this LP as an obvious warning sign of Curtis' failing state. Even without the grim context, however, it's clear to see the album exudes darkness and singularity from the cover art to its musical core. Perfect albums are often personified as having a unifying soul at their core, but 'Unknown Pleasures' wears its dark, bleeding heart on its sleeve instead.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
A great early psychedelic effort, some real fun use of tremolo, reverb, and drive to get that classic sizzling psych tone. Does lose the plot and wander off into weird genre experiments at the end, but for the most part is a laser-guided, driving LP that gets the job done.
The Cars
4/5
What the 80s could and should have been: fun, synthy tracks driven by a baseline of solid guitar, drums, and relatable lyricism. Not every track here stands out memorably, but those that hit do so in a huge way - "Just What I Needed" still gets airplay today and manages to sound nostalgic yet new, a throwback that still feels fresh in the modern era.
Def Leppard
2/5
Given my expectations from the last Leppard LP, I was pleasantly surprised to learn the band had taken the time to write actual bridges and unique verses on this album instead of beating the same chorus to death for three minutes at a time.
The Adverts
3/5
A pounding, frenetic garage rock LP – the instrumentals slap, the lyrics get the job done without being overly British, and the overall feel is upbeat and high energy. A bit overlong in places, but not enough to prevent a few of these tracks from ending up in my heavy rotation.
Aerosmith
3/5
Not the absolute cheese-fest I expected it to be. Tyler is a genuinely good vocalist, and paired with some fun melodic ideas in the vox and instrumentation the band manages to make most tracks shine with a bit of tongue-in-cheek joy. Not too much soppy balladry or radio filler - the only thing dragging this LP down is that most tracks are a minute or two too long.
Mott The Hoople
2/5
At best forgettable and at worst cloying and a waste of time. Not sure if this band is American/British but aping already stale Britpop themes isn't the way to go.
New York Dolls
2/5
What could be a serviceable garage rock LP is cratered by over-the-top, cringe-inducing lyrics. Instrumentals and production generally bop, just can't stand the lead singer trying way too hard to wring comedy from what should be an easy performance to nail
Silver Jews
4/5
While solidly downtempo from my usual taste, this LP contains an unexpected wealth of lyrical and instrumental power not belied by the first few tracks. The first half excels at less is more - powerfully raw lyrics set against minimal but appropriate melodic tracks can never go wrong. The second wows with an almost orchestral swell in the melodic and rhythmic sections, bringing the album to an emotional breaking point before drifting away into the ether.
Radiohead
4/5
The most challenging and abstruse Radiohead album by far - even more so than the juvenile effort of Pablo Honey and the rhythmic jungle of TKOL. Took me years to get into and appreciate this one as a whole, so I fully understand all the low ratings here.
The crowd-pleasing '2+2 = 5' is a fitting opener, as while it seems to herald a return to Bends-ish territory from Kid A/Amnesiac the shifting 3-act structure belies the melodic and rhythmic menagerie that follows. From here, the complete downshift into 'Sit Down' thus begins the surprising, hills and valleys that make up this LP. I think this is far and away the least polished RH album, especially given that Thom's lyrical subtlety is about as smooth as sandpaper throughout ("Fuck Bush. Fuck you, Bush. What were you doing in Iraq, Bush?").
Themes aside, even the instrumentals and vocals sound slightly rawer than the vacuum-sealed electronic efforts that came before. That's not to say they lack interest or staying power - 'Where I End' was one of the first Radiohead tracks I listened to on repeat solely for the bass, '2+2' shreds obviously, 'Young Blood' builds to one of the most satisfying climaxes in the group's discography, and even 'Gloaming' has a bit of frenetic charm to it.
In describing these tracks, though, it's clear that the melodic throughline is a bit lax. Rather, the thing that holds this burgeoning mess of tracks together is the airtight production and distinct instrumental palette throughout. It's a recalibration period for the band, a step back to OKC territory but with a bigger synth presence after the practice afforded on Kid A and its twin. At its heart, however, is Amnesiac 1.5 in disguise - listening at all to Thom's lyricism betrays the same sense of curdled hope that has passed through cynicism into bitter despair.
So yeah, there's a lot going on here. Not all of it works, it's bumpy tempo transition-wise, and some of it just isn't even palatable the first time around. But despite its flaws, the LP presents such a logical step in the band's discography and overall sound that it shines in context (and honestly presents some experimental pathways I wish the band had followed). I don't fault anybody who hates this on first listen or just doesn't get it - an album that requires understanding an entire band's output to 'get' isn't perfect by a long shot. For me, though, I keep coming back to this runt of the litter LP that wears its 'Scatterbrain' on its sleeve and finding things new to love about this band.
2/5
Hot take: this would be a semi-decent metal LP (maybe mid-tier deftones level) if you cut a few tracks and the lead singer didn't sound like Ron Stoppable.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
A solid, back-to-basics hip-hop album. Appreciate that this one doesn't have too large an ego about it, only a good sense of solid shittalk. A bit long in places, but solid beats and bars are hard to beat.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
A wonderfully lo-fi, more coherent VU effort that expertly straddles the line between chaotic freeform and musical excellence. The more improvisational nature means some tracks do come across as rambling (and the LP nearly falls apart in the back half), but those that stick to the message while living it up a little are a joy to listen to.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Would be a great album if it focused more on the bold lead guitar parts, but falls back into the tired and trite Young-isms of way too long runtimes, repetitive verses, and bargain-bin songwriting.
R.E.M.
2/5
What could be a surprising departure for the band ends up being an underbaked flop. There’s one solid ballad on here (“Everybody Hurts”), but the rest are woefully sluggish and sound as if they’ve been ripped off commercial radio of the time. Stripe’s voice isn’t up to the task, the band sounds a little lost and uncomfortable playing such slow tracks, and the overall thing is just blegh.
Destiny's Child
2/5
Wanted to like this one, but repetitive song structures, clunky lyrics, and an overall feeling of sameness (especially on the vocals) between the tracks made that difficult.
The Cure
2/5
Lacking in direction and focus compared to 'Pornography' before it, this LP unfortunately succumbs to the ostentatious, blown-out orchestration that was common to 80s albums as the decade came to a close. At its best when it opts for the tight, chorus-drenched guitar, this album instead opts for grandiose synth numbers that feel bloated and tend to stretch track lengths well beyond their logical run times. Chop 30 minutes out and you have a solid Cure album, but in its current form 'Disintegration' is much too long and melodramatic to leave a mark.
Pixies
4/5
A more electrified, unhinged Violent Femmes feel to this one. Oddly prescient of the 90s with its grungy riffs mixed on top of radio-friendly acoustic, an amalgam of all the best parts of the decade to come. My only qualm here is that a few tracks are too short to fully realize their melodic potential, but otherwise this is a great, fun listen throughout.
Coldplay
3/5
An interesting retroflection on Coldplay's earliest artistic focus now that they've fully jumped the musical shark for profit's sake. This LP expertly rides the line between singer-songwriter (plenty of acoustic/soft vocals throughout) and the burgeoning early-aughts indie rock of the time, given that it's not afraid to throw in a healthy dose of overdrive/reverb or even delve a little into gazier, washed-out tones. Things do get into Radiohead-lite territory on the back half and drag just a tad, but this is still a worthy artistic product in its own right and a great listen at that.
The Icarus Line
4/5
These are the albums that make this whole project worth it for me - had never heard of this band before, but love this absolutely thrashing, nasty, guitar-whirlwind of an LP. The runtime may be a bit long for how many melodic ideas it has to offer, but what it lacks in creativity this album more than makes up for in energy. While it has a solid blues-rock basis, there are a few left-turn zigzags into weird chords or rhythms that keep the listener on their toes and make this an exciting trainwreck-in-motion of a listen.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Absolutely love that this band said fuck it to intelligible lyrics and let them instead flow with the rhythmical and melodic needs of the song. As someone who pays mainly to melodies, I strongly believe that vocals tend to bring down a song rather than elevate them. It's when the voice is used as a complementary instrument (rather than a central feature) that songs reach their true potential. Coupled with the lush, encompassing synths and production on this LP, the end result is an immersive listening experience unlike anything else out there.
Van Halen
2/5
Caught between pleasing the questionable tastes of the 80s and the usual VH desire to shred the threads of reality through riffs, this one falls a bit flat as a whole album. It shocked me when I learned 'Jump' was a Van Halen track for how synth-reliant and cheesy it is, and you expect me to believe this can live alongside 'Hot For Teacher' and form a coherent whole? Some bright moments here but overall just a misfire of an LP in my book.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Not nearly as tight as the follow-up album (which I received way back in the project). Still packs a punch with the same tight, punkish energy (and gets deliciously heavy in parts), but most tracks run for 1-2 minutes past their welcome. A bit of editing and the dismissal of the more repetitive tracks would make this a rip-roaring, undeniable LP, but as is it's still a fun listen regardless.
The Only Ones
2/5
From the Dylan-esque opener that falls flat with offputting vox, through some Byrds-like attempts in the middle, to some mild rock at the end, this one is hard to pin down across the board. While an idea of where the band wants to go is present, it veers a bit too much and lacks just enough direction to land.
Frank Zappa
2/5
Decent background music so long as it stays away from the skit-style vocals, but not an LP I would consider essential listening by any means.
The Charlatans
2/5
Oasis but make it bland and without all the fun Liam Gallagher antics
Brian Eno
2/5
An album-length equivalent of when you’re over at a friends house and he asks you to listen to a riff/lyric/synth sound he’s excited about and then you have to sit there and nod politely while waiting for the whole ordeal to end
Moby
2/5
I would’ve thought the album this guy used to catapult himself to mild fame and then be a massive creep would’ve been way better
New Order
2/5
Hard to believe the same band that wrote the absolute anthem that is ‘Age of Consent’ can churn out an album full of listless pop-rock. The instrumentals and melodies are serviceable at best, and the vocals (both songwriting and delivery) are godawful
Hookworms
3/5
A fun, immersive LP in the stlye of MGMT meets Soulwax meets Animal Collective. I appreciated the tasteful throwback and reimagining to 90s-era synth sounds, just not sure this one is impactful enough to warrant inclusion on the list.
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
There was a huge amount of discourse around this LP when it dropped, especially concerning how Musgraves was 'reimagining' country. To that end, the album does start out strong - even if the songwriting is a tad stream-of-consciousness, the melodic ideas are fresh for the genre and the production is air-tight. As the album progresses, however, this clean execution starts to sound more like the same sterile, bitter taste of any other modern pop-country artist. Somewhere around 'Space Cowboy' the melodies curdle into the same plasticine Max Martin progressions we've heard 1000 times before, and the LP gives up completely on sounding like anything other than pop-country radio filler.
Le Tigre
3/5
A truly uncaring, rough-around-the-edges LP that keeps its tongue firmly in its cheek for the whole runtime. Not every track lands (if you don't like the vocals/hook that's all you have to run with for the 2-3 minutes each song runs), but those that do have such a fun, careless swagger about them that it's hard not to smile.
Ray Price
2/5
Starts off strong with its off-kilter, fourth-wall-breaking intro, but quickly becomes a bit plodding as each track stays firmly within the 60-80 bpm song about heartbreak lane
Sonic Youth
3/5
Like most Sonic Youth albums, this one never fully coalesces as a whole for me. The tracks are mostly enjoyable, containing the usual noise-rock mixture the band is famous for, but at a certain point it feels more like a semi-related playlist than a fully-realized LP.
Tom Waits
2/5
How to turn growl knob down
Missy Elliott
2/5
Lacking originality and it shows - most tracks rep on the same bar for up to a minute at a time, giving way to guest rappers who lay down much better lyrics than Elliott is even close to coming up with herself. Throw in a few unfortunate cultural references and not much distinction in the backing tracks and this is just a forgettable mess
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
What a weird mess of an LP. Attempts to go the bargain-bin Elliott Smith route before dipping its hands into a wild assortment of genres on the back half and spiraling out of control. Some tracks here have great melodic ideas and explore them well, but overall this is just a fractured tangle of songs stuck together rather than a full album
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
No matter how acoustic his guitar is or how much reverb he puts on it, Springsteen just cannot pull off the country authenticity needed to sell this LP. Little rhythmic or lyrical variation means this is a forty-minute slog that just never hits home as a truly genuine red-dirt country album.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
A high 2 that has some great tracks ("Bluebird" rocks), but is all over the map when it comes to track flow and thematic consistency. Veering from great emergent 60s' rock songs to weird country-ish ballads on to anthemic concept pieces does not a cohesive album make.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
An enjoyable African-Reggae album. The tracks were forthright enough to keep me interested, but not so melodically demanding as to take my attention away from other things. Some of the instrumental choices (see: the prominent 'woo!' sounds on most of the tracks) grated on me a bit, but I can definitely see myself turning this on and vibing while getting some work done in the future.
Throwing Muses
4/5
Absolutely worth the effort to piece this one together. Underneath the surprisingly effective combination of grungy guitar and near honky-tonk rhythms is a frenetic energy that keeps one on their toes, not knowing which way the track will dodge next but fully understanding the new direction when it does. For being released pre-90s, the LP also shows a prescient vision of where guitar-led music was headed with early dips into grungier tones and abrasive vocals. Overall, this LP is an exemplar of why I put up with some of the more questionable albums on this list, as its hidden gems like this which make the experience worth it.
Norah Jones
2/5
Wanted to give this one a shot, but 45 straight minutes of tempos in the sub-70 BPM range and not much melodic/instrumental variation made this LP a slog. Very much coffeeshop-core and not sure why it's on the list to be quite honest
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Has a soft spot in my heart due to the title track being a favorite on Guitar Hero: World Tour. Though it doesn’t always pull off the grand ideas it’s trying for, sometimes sounds like an incoherent mess, and can be pretty damn annoying, this album has heart and a sense of fidelity as Paul finds his post-Beatles way around.
Mekons
2/5
It takes until the final track for all the wayward ideas in this LP to coalesce into something listenable, and even then the final product leaves quite a lot to be desired. Adding a bunch of funky instruments (including some of the worst-recorded violin I've ever heard) and spoken word segments does not make your generic rock sound any better.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
Boring, repetitive, and perhaps the progenitor of modern country-pop.
The War On Drugs
2/5
Indieheads loves this band but I just don’t get it. The melodic ideas are tepid at best, and without any strong rhythmic structure the whole thing is an aqueous, chorus and reverb-drenched hour without much form or flow. Stronger drum presence in the mix would elevate things slightly, but there just needs to be more compelling and grounded leads in this thing for it to be a palatable listen.
Supergrass
3/5
Would’ve loved to listen to a 45-minute cut of this LP. It speaks to the strength of the songwriting and performance that I enjoyed the whole hour, but this album’s downfall is its extended runtime. The opening half of the album is so strong that it doesn’t need the extra back to water down the overall impact
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
Even on an 80s curve this one falls flat. The orchestrations are messy, the performances are all over the map, and outside of the first few opening tracks none make a strong enough mark to ride above background noise.
Talvin Singh
3/5
Got a lot of work done today with this running in the background, managed to keep me interested with the mix of styles and upbeat rhythms. Some songs become repetitive and a tad cloying, but for the most part I was able to zone out and let the music wash over me.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Not a bad listen, but not entirely grabbing either – I question why such a run-of-the-mill jazz LP made it on the list at the expense of others. Definitely could've used some cuts to the runtime too, as it did tend to drag on and could've been much more concise.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
A well-done if somewhat blandly uniform vocal-driven LP. Would’ve liked to see more variation from Fitzgerald on this one, as she mainly stays in the lower registers instead of really using her set of pipes.
Lightning Bolt
3/5
A wonderfully frenetic romp of an LP. Not all melodic attempts here work with the hyper-aggressive instrumentation and delivery, but for the most part this one flies by in a usually enjoyable rush.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
2/5
A somewhat decent funk LP that’s lacking in memorability. Not a lot of the key melodic rhythm and repetition from Flash’s other work that makes it so memorable
Ash
3/5
An enjoyable alt-rock LP that comes across as just a bit more radio-oriented but in the same vein as what Hum was doing around the same time. Does run a bit long for how many ideas it has to present, but a solid find from the project nonetheless.
Slipknot
2/5
Production and monotony kill this one for me – despite some interesting rhythms and instrumentation tricks, the constant onslaught of mid-heavy guitar and screamed vocals just makes this a sonic wash for an hour. Gets tiring quickly and doesn't innovate between tracks enough to maintain interest.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Absolute masterclass of hip-hop delivery and production. The beats are minimal yet demand toe-tapping, allowing the delivery to take center stage while propelling each track along an undeniable groove. The bars themselves are the perfect mix of tongue-in-cheek, witty, and drop-dead serious that allow the words to flow right on top of the mix while packing a serious thematical punch. Overall, this LP is a great reminder of what focused, uncluttered hip-hop can be
Joni Mitchell
3/5
A more experimental LP from Mitchell which still stays true to her singer-songwriter roots. Not every instrumental sound lands well (the filtery bass sounds especially dated), but they're still a small yet welcome departure from the artist's tried-and-true formula.
Yes
4/5
Though the meat of the album is in its anthemic, multi-part bookends, the entire LP is a rightful prog classic that dips its toes into a multitude of genres and plays with the limits of instrumentation. The personal highlight here is Chris Squire's bass work - the undeniable Ric 4001 sound defines this album and serves largely as its melodic core, pushing many of the tracks along and scoring many of the notable riffs.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
A serviceable rock album with a great Joplin lead. Does get a bit stale by the end due to a lack of melodic variation (and really, this LP is just an excuse for guitar noodling and theatrics), but maintains enough raw power to remain interesting.
Wilco
2/5
I've never quite understood the appeal behind this band and specifically this album. Taking a standard indie rocker and adding some mildly off-kilter samples does not a coherent genre epic make.
Boards of Canada
3/5
This one has always felt a bit too loungey for me, likely due to its lack of overwhelming valence like Geogaddi's simmering menace or Campfire's slightly ominous tones. Cohesion and grip lack as a result, but that being said there are no bad Boards of Canada albums - this one is just a bit too free-flowing for my taste.
Alice Cooper
3/5
A solid early rock-n-roll LP with some characteristic flair. There are some memorable riffs throughout, just wish it had stuck more to narrative, tongue-in-cheek songs like 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' as the band has a real knack for nailing these tracks with catchy leads and lyrical zingers.
Buzzcocks
3/5
A decent Britpop/rock LP. Don’t know if any of these tracks will stick with me through the end of the week, but they were at least a joy to listen to in the moment
Isaac Hayes
2/5
An interesting take on long-form jazz and balladry, but lacking in melodic material to prevent the LP from falling into repetition.
Dr. Dre
2/5
Despite my southern upbringing, I would like to think I’m not much of a prude. That being said, I find this LP hampered by a lack of maturity and especially a fixation on using bitch whenever possible (to the point where it interrupts some great flows for no reason). Other hip-hop greats like B.I.G. have shown how to do sex-obsessed tracks masterfully, so the juvenile showmanship here just seems lacking in taste.
Bauhaus
2/5
While I enjoyed some of the individual tracks here, I never felt as though they gelled into a coherent LP. The mixture of grungy guitar and synths + abstruse songwriting is usually a winner, but a few annoying vocal choices and lack of cohesion derails this one for me.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Amazing how all 80s-era Britpop albums manage to sound exactly the same across the vox, instrumentals, and general melodic feel. This was a pleasant listen but lacks any distinguishing features to make me feel it warrants inclusion here.
Johnny Cash
3/5
It’s got all the classic Cash flair even if it’s a somewhat melancholic listen overall. I do think the covers detract from the impact of the LP (even though I enjoy Cash’s interpretations), but for a final farewell it’s still a solid product.
Paul Simon
3/5
Though a tad dated instrumentally, this LP has enough strong songwriting and melodic variation to keep things interesting until the end. 'Cars are Cars' is an absolute bop and you cannot convince me otherwise.
3/5
You know what? Fuck you. 3 stars. After reading some of the more informative reviews here and putting this LP in context, I'm willing to give it a decent rating for being completely different than anything else I've heard on this list. While the first half is an absolute auditory mess (and I would bet more than a few of the people here don't even listen for more than 5 minutes), the back half shapes up into some pretty energetic improv work that had my toe tapping. It may not be an easy listen and it does take some understanding, but at least it's not another tepid Britpop or Bob Dylan album
Lou Reed
2/5
Expected more from a Reed solo project given his work as part of the Underground. The narrative components are fine, but the surrounding instrumentals are just... there? The melodies aren't compelling and none of the instrumental choices grab the listener's attention, which is disappointing given the distinctly unique tracks Lou would orchestrate with VU.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Like all other Sonic Youth albums, the individual tracks are great but don’t coalesce into something greater than their parts. Things also tend to get monotonous near the end - save for occasional bursts of personality like “Kool Thing,” there’s not enough narrative or melodic power hear to keep the same guitar tone from wearing thin over the course of 40 minutes.
John Prine
4/5
A strong sense of lyrical narrative (both serious and tongue-in-cheek) on top of great country songwriting is a sure fire formula for a great LP. I’m a little ashamed I hadn’t listened to any Prone before this - it’s easy to see why his passing invoked such loss as the artistry and skill here is rather clear.
Aerosmith
2/5
It's the same Aerosmith album you've heard before, just lacking in any definite highlights such as 'Dream On' or the like. Would recommend for fans of bland guitar noodling and radio-friendly rock.
Nirvana
4/5
One thing I love about live albums is getting to hear the artists' commentary/feedback/jests, and that's especially true on this LP. Rolling off the distortion both shows the melodic power of Kurt's songwriting, as well as gives him a chance to step out from behind his usual tortured vocals and be a person. Deconstructs a good deal of the general Nirvana criticisms and manages to be a powerful music statement and artifact of an artist gone too soon.
Ute Lemper
2/5
I fully believe the lyrics were written by a teenager making their first attempt at erotic fan-fiction and you cannot convince me otherwise.
The Yardbirds
3/5
While I’m not sure any of these tracks will stick around with me, they were at least enjoyable in the moment. Some solid guitar lines here and there plus some interesting genre twists to boot.
R.E.M.
3/5
An interesting early effort from the band which I had not heard before. Challenges typical R.E.M. expectations both melodically and instrumentally, especially with Stipe exploring different vocal ranges and intonations well beyond his trademark tenor.
Beatles
2/5
The Beatles had to teeny-bop before they could run
Soundgarden
2/5
There are strong examples of great songwriting and entrancing melodies on this LP (Black Hole, Spoonman, Head Down), but they're weighed down by either running for far too long or are in general drowned out by the sub-60 BPM chugfests surrounding them. I'm all for some proto-djent sludgy guitar lines, but filling over an hour of runtime with slow-burn grunge and ONLY slow-burn grunge is a recipe for boredom.
Depeche Mode
2/5
Just plain bad – not only are paper-thin melodies stretched to full-length runtimes ('The Things You Said' is literally the same riff repeated for four minutes), but some of the instrumental choices and attempts at novelty are mind-bogglingly poor (the song that's just pure grunt noises, anyone?).
Bert Jansch
3/5
This one didn’t leave much of a mark on me, but the guitar work was enjoyable in the moment.
Prince
2/5
Did not enjoy this one at all - most tracks were bogged down in misguided synth melodies and rarely offered Prince a chance to let his vox shine. Feels like a stale relic of the 80s more so than any kind of lasting classic.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Close to being a solid listen but still a misfire. Attempts to be radio-friendly Beatles on the first half while aping Cream and the like in the second, resulting in a weird mishmash of tones and tracks. As for the title track, it doesn't offer enough melodic meat to justify its length – I absolutely love long, anthemic tracks, but this one is just too much gristle to be an enjoyable listen.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
A short but focused effort, and likely my favorite of all the Mitchell albums I’ve heard here so far. Each track manages to expand on its chosen narrative without going overboard, allowing the story and melody to flourish without dragging on. Also includes the most upbeat and fleshed-out instrumentals of Joni’s career, which do well to highlight her more playful lyricism this time around as opposed to her more introspective efforts
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Solid, pumping background music while I cleaned the apartment today. Don't know if I would recognize any of these tracks a few months down the road, but I don't think recognizability is the goal when your music is made to play in packed clubs while up on Molly.
Radiohead
3/5
Hot take as a Radiohead fan but the hype around this album has well eclipsed its musical worth. That’s not to say I hate this album - it still contains several of my fav RH tracks and sees the band continuing the radical experimentation started on OKC on their way through to In Rainbows. Mostly brilliant technically, though the mix of synths and guitars is a bit lopsided and makes the album feel a little bit short of gelling as a sum of its parts.
Rather, the issue is that I’m tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of the never-ending Pitchfork/Stereogum/Reddit rehash of how Kid A is such a great album when there’s never any deeper level of discourse about it. I don’t understand why the music community collectively wanks over this specific LP so hard when its predecessor was much more daring and Rainbows was a much more well-realized album as opposed to Thom Yorker’s First Go at a Synthesizer (Plus Some Guitars). This album has become such a sticking point for entry into the band as a whole as well, and it makes me a little sad I see people put off by the circlejerking over this album as it just completely crowds out any wider discourse on the actual music or band itself. Maybe I’m just a salty Amnesiac fan who gets mad that the sister LP to this release gets completely shafted when it’s the much more expressive and organized released, who knows? But in any case, can we please collectively agree to put any further discussion of this album on ice until we have some actually meaningful things to say about it?
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Good mix of rock and delta blues that mostly scratches the riffing itch. The longer tracks do tend to drag on - the band is at its finest on the shorter rippers like 'Good Times Bad Times' where it can barnstorm a riff and chord change. The longer tracks become monotonous after a few reps and drag down the momentum.
The Crusaders
2/5
Elevator muzak: the album
2/5
Usually a fan of quick and dirty, ramshackle guitar-driven LPs like this one but it's just not hitting for me. Think the mix is a bit too timid for the instrumentation and the songs a tad one-note to really stick.
Blur
3/5
A great, guitar-driven relic from the late 90s that’s aged quite well. Many have already mentioned the Blur v. Oasis debate here and even as an Oasis fan I have to side with this band - there’s a greater sense of raw feeling, performance, and overall fun to this LP that makes it glide through time a bit better than the sometimes preachy nature of the Gallaghers’ output.
Miles Davis
3/5
A great jazz album and an excellently invigorating but calming listen while working today. I will say that I wasn't bowled over by any one element of this LP (as its reputation would suggest), but again it was a solid listen and I'll likely be returning in the future.
Air
3/5
An enjoyable listen, just think I'm lacking some context here by going in cold without having seen the film. Sounds more like ambient covers of Air than their usual personality-filled work, but again I'm lacking the extra oomph that comes from seeing these tracked alongside the film.
Beyoncé
1/5
Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run this mutha? Girls Who run this mutha? Girls Who run this mutha? Girls Who run this mutha? Girls Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) Who run the world? Girls (girls) is still better songwriting than most of what's on this album
The Smiths
2/5
There are attempts here at sonic palettes beyond the usual jangly guitar and 4x4 drums that characterize most Smiths songs, but they're hamstrung by Morrissey taking an off-day and not even trying to show up in the vocal department.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Instead of making a sex joke (which I see we’ve already beaten to death here), I just want to point out how well Marvin can sing, a fact that’s often overlooked with regards to the subject matter he’s singing about. There’s both an ease and power in the vocal delivery, and along with the near-orchestral instrumentation and layered production that means this LP stands out as a fully genuine, well-crafted artistic product. Though things do tend to get homogenous near the back end of the album, it’s still a strong testament to how powerful simple things done well can be.
Minor Threat
2/5
A blink-and-you'll-miss-it ripper of a punk LP. Leaning towards a low 3 on this one, while fun and energetic it does feel somewhat homogenous and overlong even for its 21-minute run time.
Mariah Carey
2/5
I won't deny that Carey has an amazing vocal range and performance, but it's completely wasted on soulless commercial pop like this. Too much vocal filler and seemingly computer-generated instrumentals just leave this LP feeling lifeless and flat - RIP to the session musicians responsible for playing the blandest backgrounds possible on this one.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Some absolute classics and pure hits of nostalgia on this one - ‘Paradise City’ was the soundtrack to a racing game I played religiously on the PS3. Fond memories aside, the gems do shine bright enough here to carry (but not cover up) how repetitive the rest of the track list is. It’s hard not feel a little disappointed when the absolute fucking ripper that is ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ segues into a tepid rock-101 track, especially as the lyrics start to tend towards overly edgy.
David Bowie
4/5
I remember the double whammy of having this drop and then Bowie passing shortly after. With that retrospect, it’s clear this LP is both a reflection on and confrontation of mortality. Not all the new instrumental ideas work, but there is an overall feeling of completeness and tempered celebration that makes the album flow despite its rougher sections. Few of us will have the chance to eulogize our own death beforehand, but then again no one was quite like Bowie.
3/5
I’ve only heard the main Devo hits, so this LP full of wiry, energetic punk-pop was a welcome surprise. Things do get a little repetitive, and some vocal fills are a little annoying, but these pass by so quickly it hardly detracts from the fun of this 30-minute romp.
The Clash
2/5
Think I did myself a disservice by listening to the band’s later work first - this one seems to lack the maturity and ideation that’s all over ‘London Calling,’ going for quick spastic bursts over the more refined idealism of the later LP. There are some fun tracks on this one, it just pales a little in comparison to what came after it.
William Orbit
2/5
Some interesting ideas here and there but nothing that pushes this album beyond background noise – if an album is going to floor me (and be worthy of being on this list), I would hope it at least does enough to grab my attention
Happy Mondays
3/5
An enjoyable album if somewhat crass and dated at points. An uptempo way to start a Wednesday, at least.
2/5
A tad long and bit on the nose, innit bruv.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
They somehow managed to combine all the worst British vocal tics into one lead singer on this one, the continuous runs and qUirKy vocal tricks are like sandpaper to the ears. The instrumentals are somewhat salvageable but lord is this guy annoying
Beach House
4/5
An excellent turning point in the dream-pop outfit's discography as they maintained the warmth of their earlier output while bringing in the live drums and exciting synths that would define their later work.
While not my favorite Beach House album, Teen Dream still holds a place in my heart for being the sonic equivalent of a bear hug – Alex's guitar tone with its massive bass response + Victoria's breathy vocals means the production space feels way clamped down, almost as if you're sitting around a campfire as the band plays away. Couple this with some top-tier songwriting and simple but effective instrumentals and you have an absolute winning combination, especially in the band's masterful use of late game-changing codas to spin a song on its axis even as it ends.
'Walk in the Park,' 'Take Care,' and 'Silver Soul' have soundtracked some of the best and worst moments in my life, and in each case it was the warmth and comfort that every song on this LP exudes that I was looking for. I still stand by Bloom and 7 as my favorite Beach House albums for their gazey mix of spatial, ethereal dream-pop, but every time I need to come down back to earth it's this LP I will turn to.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
The coarse, uncut energy I needed today. Though I expected a bit more diversity in the bars and would've hoped for a little less repetitiveness in the beats, the pounding flows and undeniable fury behind the performances make this a pump-up album I'll be returning to whenever I need some backing tracks for some righteous anger.
Rush
3/5
Definitely lopsided when it comes overall feel, the absolute monster of a lead track eating up over half the album's runtime and good melodic ideas. That being said, it's still a Rush album - Geddy, Pert, and Lifeson are all respective masters of their instruments and the rhythmic/melodic play here shows that. Kudos to the band for continuing to push the experimental envelope and stepping into some unfamiliar territory here ('Tears' sounds like an early Radiohead track at points).
The Birthday Party
2/5
There’s definitely a space for music that’s not afraid to get down and dirty with grungy, scuzzy instrumentation and primal vocals - this LP misses that mark by being a musical slog fest with fucking annoying mumbling on top.
Elvis Costello
2/5
Even if Costello's vocals weren't as grating as squeaky sandpaper, the banal and overlong backing tracks would still sink this album as a boring mess. Also, someone tell Elvis he still doesn't have an n-word pass, man sounds like an edgy high-schooler who just discovered racial slurs.
Steely Dan
3/5
Coasting on some nostalgic memories of playing ‘Do It Again’ on Guitar Hero: World Tour all the way back in ‘08. Not every track stands out, but those that do have enough diversity and sheer hooks to make this one more than just a flash in the pan.
Ice Cube
2/5
Expected more from this one – the thematic content and general social awareness of the LP is great, but repetitive sampling/lack of originality in the backing tracks and sometimes limpid bars hamper the album's flow.
Lucinda Williams
2/5
Hello, my name is Lucinda Williams, welcome to Masterclass.
Today I will be discussing how I write great country albums.
First I add generic red-dirt instrumentals
Then I add the title of the song, a four or five word phrase
Then I say it again
Then I say it again
Then I say it again
Then I say it again
and we’re done! Thanks for watching
Underworld
2/5
The most positive thing I can say about this LP is that it helped me fall asleep on the plane.
The Stooges
3/5
A decent if somewhat rambling hard rock LP. Would've liked most of the tracks to be a bit more concise in execution, but they at least have enough energy to make their minimal ideas pop.
Queen
3/5
I've never heard Bohemian within the context of this album, so I was surprised to find its orchestral trappings fall right in line with the rest of Queen's output here. It's definitely a novel place to take a rock-oriented album, and while not all of the ideas here work, most are catchy enough to make me glad that Freddy and Co. gave it a try.
Steely Dan
3/5
One of the more varied and experimental Steely Dan efforts, with each track having its own distinct feel. There were no songs that stood out and wowed me, but taken as a whole this was a pleasant listen I could see myself returning to for some easy listening.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Reminds me of British food - bland, monotonous, and lacking in any discernible punch or taste
Cat Stevens
2/5
While Stevens plays from the heart and bares his soul across this LP, it's ultimately not striking enough to leave much of an impression. There are no melodic or lyrical hooks to turn heads and elicit a response, meaning the whole album feels somewhat anticlimactic and monotonous.
Linkin Park
3/5
Somewhat repetitive, but has enough little details a la the synth accents in ‘Points of Authority’ to show that some artistic effort did go into this LP. It’s definitely aged much better than other products of its time and still presents a decent listen.
50 Cent
2/5
Hard to believe this is a debut album given how limpid and tired Fitty delivers his bottom-of-the-barrel bars. Seriously sounds like they had to slow the tempo down on the instrumentals (which are uninspired at best) so the man can eke out his kindergarten-level rhymes and strings of curses/slurs. The best part is when Eminem shows up to inject some life into this album, but then he tries to rhyme “pork” with “walk” and it’s back to having the worst bars possible. Only giving this a 2 as I was able to tolerate listening to it and didn’t feel the outright hatred which merits a 1.
5/5
Confession: I was a huge Muse fan in high school, and that obsession started with this album. Nostalgia definitely plays a role here, but listening back today I'm still floored by how well this album mixes the ostentatious, proggish rock the band was already known for with a heavy dose of electronics + a little Western pastiche to make a Space-Cowboy rock opera that somehow doesn't crumble to bits under the weight of all its ideas.
Is it a little corny in parts? Yeah. Do all of Bellamy's conspiratorial, lizard government ideas make for great song material? LOL. Is 'Demonocracy' perhaps the most high-school edgelord lyric of all time? Most certainly. But despite the obligatory trappings of being a Muse album, Black Holes is so much more than the sum of its odd and contradictory parts. The instrumentals here still wow to this day and represent perhaps the most experienced and tasteful performances of the band's career – I've been trying to mimic the simple-but-speedy drum fill in 'Assassin' for years now and still need some practice. Every bass line, guitar solo, and drum fill steals the show without detracting from the holistic impact of each track, and though somewhat indulgent at times the album manages to pull off a cohesive feel without sacrificing each song's wildly individual feel.
Muse hadn't jumped the shark yet, but they were definitely on the ramp at this point. Bellamy's introduction to synths on this album may have cratered the band's already divisive career from then on out, but damn if it didn't perfectly gel together into one LP that had a huge impact on high-school me. While I've grown out of my outright fandom for the band, I will never forget or forsake the album that contains all the tracks that made me pay attention to instrumentation for the first time. 'Knights of Cydonia' rocks so damn hard it made me start playing the guitar, a musical touchstone in its own right that put me on the path to being the indiehead I am today. Cheesy, stupid, and over-the-top it may be, but I'll be damned if I don't say that I love this LP.
Jeff Buckley
2/5
This one is just all over the place stylistically and can't find a niche where it can thrive. Zig-zagging from 90s' grunge-adjacent alt-rock to operatic ballads to Leonard Cohen covers is guaranteed whiplash, and doesn't leave much room for Buckley to demonstrate much artistry given how many vocal personas he has to put on in the course of 50 minutes.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Another great Kuti live album - while not as raw or memorable as 'Zombie,' the album still wins out on its energetic, improvisational performances and Fela's driving energy as a frontman.
Jane Weaver
4/5
Love discovering more modern albums that flew under my radar off this list. This LP is an inviting, enclosed psych-synth adventure from start to finish and one that I found myself perfectly okay with playing again once its initial run had finished. The instrumentation maintains a cohesive feel throughout while giving each song its own distinct personality, and the song structures remain diverse enough to sustain interest (plus create a perfect loop on the final track, a touch I always find immensely satisfying). The vox stay smooth and inviting throughout without being distracting, and at times sound near sympatico with a Melody's Echo Chamber project.
A bit of editing could have elevated this one a bit as things do tend to feel a bit long by the end, but for what it's worth this was a great discovery all-in-all. I get the debate here around whether this LP 'truly' deserves to be on this list, but I think it's worth considering A) the musical canon of the past 10-15 years is still an open topic of debate and B) we don't need to include every single Beatles/Stones/old white dude rock album from the 60s-80s on here at the expense of newer LPs and that it's okay to live a little with something a touch different :)
The Who
2/5
I don’t think the band committed to rhe bit on this one - some stellar and interesting tracks at play on top of a topic ripe for satire, yet the end product feels too tame to make much of a statement. The interstitial tissue just isn’t there between the commercial jests and standard Who tracks to gel this into something more than a miscellaneous collection of songs.
Suede
2/5
Stellar, expansive production and guitar on the first few tracks and then
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Some great guitar work here, even if nothing breaks all the way through to the surface. There’s a bit of paucity in the melodic department to justify its runtime, but I could see this going on a top-tier focus playlist so I can enjoy the music while keeping my mind locked in.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Strong, heavy rock LP. Not as immediate or powerful as their other output but a great, chugging listen nonetheless.
Fiona Apple
3/5
A decent singer-songwriter LP – kept me interested enough to not dread listening, though some parts have already dated themselves heavily in terms of the overlong vocal runs and instrumental choices. Apple does know how to write a great song, though, and there are several standout tracks here that piqued my interest enough to appreciate this LP a bit more.
Sparks
4/5
Was dreading this one a few seconds in, but came to regret that early impression pretty quickly. This LP mixes equal parts bombast and whimsy to wild success, managing somehow to take its antiquated vocals and make them sound tastefully retro atop heavy layers of sharp, angular guitar. A real out-of-left-field find that I know for a fact I’ll be returning to!
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
What sinks this album for me is the track length. The instrumentals and vox are well-executed and pleasant, but wear quite thin after 5-7 minutes. I'm sure being able to follow the narrative would make things a bit more interesting, but my Spanish is way too rusty to keep up here.
Prince
3/5
Prince at his most maximalist – an album that throws everything at the wall and manages to stick quite a bit. While a good number of these tracks have been ruined for me by radio overplay, there's no denying the sheer personality and presence Prince injects into each song, leading to a listening experience that zig-zags constantly but still manages to sound shockingly coherent.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
This LP is just a tad too laid-back for my tastes. I understand reggae isn't the genre to expect uptempo tracks from, but there's not nearly enough tempo variation or exciting melodic hooks here to raise this album to anything noteworthy in my book.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Feels like this LP wants to be a jam album so bad, but can't commit to letting itself loose. Does feel a bit locked into longer songs without much variation, but there are enough highs to keep listening from getting too repetitive.
Aerosmith
2/5
'Walk This Way' and 'Sweet Emotion' are way too good of tracks to be buried under the rest of the boring, overlong, and at worst creepy shit that makes up the rest of this album.
Madonna
1/5
Madonna tries to make a New Age dance record and it goes about as well as you would expect. Takes the crown for most dated instrumentals I’ve heard yet in the project (including all the 80s LPs, which is saying something).
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
Like others noted here, I kept tuning out of this one rather than finding myself drawn in. On paper a mix of jazz instrumentals with samba stylings should at least be enjoyable to me, but there's not enough editorial or musical guts here to get down to killer tracks rather than filler background noise.
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
An enjoyable country album that was well ahead of the curve, even if it sounds somewhat banally country-pop today. Good mix of tempos, instrumentals, and vocal delivery to keep things varied but musically cohesive. Yoakam sounds almost prescient of the late 90s/early 2000s sound on this LP, and even though many have done the same after him, he does manage to break new ground and at least keep things interesting on this LP.
Don McLean
2/5
Some dismally slow and sour guitar ballads bookended by great, uptempo folk rock. Some of the effort in ‘American Pie’ should’ve been smeared around the other tracks a bit more to make this a steadier listen.
Lou Reed
3/5
A better solo outing from Lou as opposed to ‘Berlin.’ Varied tempos and interesting ideas keep this LP moving right along, experimenting just a little bit less than I would still like from the Velvet Underground frontman but still coming together to form a mildly gripping listen.
Jacques Brel
2/5
As others have noted here, I wish I could get a better sense of what Brel is singing given his flair for wit - alas, I do not speak French. That being said, the instrumentals are way too low in the mix here (even for a live album), and the whole experience of being spoken to by a French man for 30 minutes is not a pleasant one.
Billy Joel
3/5
This LP gets off to a hella strong start with 'Movin' Out' and co., a snappy number that my dad loved to parody in my younger years. Nostalgia aside, that streak does continue throughout most of the album even as it wanders through more contemplative tracks such as 'Scenes.' Does get a little cheesy near the end with sappier ballads, but overall the album is still impressive for how much variation in melodic ideas and tempo Joel gets to flex on.
Sex Pistols
4/5
RIP Queen Elizabeth, you would've loved the Sex Pistols
3/5
Definitely the intermediary point of Harvey's discography between the ferocity of 'Rid of Me' and the somewhat more radio-friendly and less memorable 'Let England Shake.' Some of my favorite individual tracks of PJ's live on this album, but as an album, I'm not sure they cohere well enough over the 40-minute span to make the collection more than a sum of its parts. That being said, there's a wealth of excellent musicianship and songwriting here that plays with fast and slow, loud and soft, and Harvey's other favorite extremes to create standout tracks that I've listened to time and time again.
Van Halen
3/5
An absolute ripper of an LP – convinced Eddie and co. walked into the studio, cranked their amps, and proceeded to ram out all 35 minutes at once. There's not a whole lot in the way of dynamic, rhythmic, or melodic contrast, but that's not the goal here. EVH revolutionized guitar for a reason, and while I suspect many will be turned off by the technical wankery that dominates most of the album, I'm all here for it as a guitar dude. Hearing those two-hand tapping runs all over each track makes me grin ear-to-ear, and the whole LP is worth it just for the gratuitous bombast of 'Eruption.'
Green Day
2/5
Despite the nostalgia behind this one, I can’t get myself behind everyone’s favorite mainstream emo LP of the aughts. The highlights (‘Idiot,’ ‘Boulevard,’ ‘September’) show the band at their most creative and confrontational, but they’re ultimately dragged down by being coupled to longer, less innovative sections in the weird decision to shove two songs together into one for a cinematic purpose. The rest is just filler - I’m not expecting punk songs to use more than three chords, but the production is so sterile and lifeless that the lack of dynamic melodies/tempos/rhythms really sinks this one to two-star territory.
Beatles
3/5
A solid transitionary album for the band as they leave teeny-bop behind and begin experimenting with slightly less radio-friendly songwriting. ‘Hard Day’s Night’ may be my fav Beatles track of all time, and though the rest of the LP does slide into homogeneity during its runtime it’s at least a pleasant one.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
Somehow derivative of 80s pastiche only 3 years into the decade, this album manages to bring in all of the hokey harmonica and tiring vocal antics one would expect and then beat them to death over the course of 40 minutes. Not really any creative ideas here outside of some faint interest in the intro, and that's damning praise at best.
Isaac Hayes
2/5
Agree with others here that this is a questionable addition outside the context of the movie – several tracks are enjoyable and decently funky, but this OST was written to literally provide background music for the film. There are definitely musical chops shown here, but as a standalone listen it just doesn't break above surface level.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Just another long, tired, and overdone 80s Brit synthpop album. I understand the conveners of the list lean largely British, but man am I tired of hearing the same repetitive synth/bass-line + wacky male vocals track over and over again. There were so many experimental and interesting ideas to be had in the 80s - is this really the best we can come up with as a representative of the era?
Kraftwerk
2/5
While I can appreciate the electronic experimentation going on here, the LP is just too simple melodically to justify its track lengths or existence really. Not sure I would've been as accepting as I was with this one if it wasn't on as background music while I cleaned the house.
Cornershop
3/5
An interesting amalgamation of tracks that really gives me no clue as to the base genre this artist stations in. A few songs wore down my patience but ended without beating a melodic dead horse to death too badly before giving way to something different entirely. No way in hell these tracks gel together as one cohesive LP, but there's at least a strong enough thread of artistry to make them feel at least loosely connected.
Iron Maiden
3/5
A great metal LP that couples strong, narrative songwriting with fun, blazing licks. Does get a bit monotonous production and tone-wise towards the end in the context of a full-album listen, but the stand-alone tracks respectively rock hard enough to warrant relistening.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Just plain boring, overlong, and stale. Only gets two stars for the level of musicianship at play, plus some enjoyable guitar runs mixed into the hour of dull twang.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
This one didn't leave me with much of an impression - solid instrumentals and decent vocals, but not enough melodic impact for me to return to.
Arrested Development
3/5
Phased out for the first half of this LP but was snapped back to attention by the take-no-prisoners lyricism and stylings in the second. After giving this another front-to-back run-through I can appreciate the stylistic experimentation in the genre's early years as well as the pointed but artistic political messaging in the bars. Some tracks do run overlong or use annoying samples, but while this drags the album down just a bit the highs are still noteworthy in their own right and definitely warrant re-listening.
Goldie
2/5
Hard to give this one a fair rating when it's being presented so far outside its intended context. If this was on at a club while I was out on the floor, then sure, I wouldn't mind the vibes. As a solo listening experience, however, it's way overlong, repetitive, and annoying - but again, I don't think it's /intended/ to be listened to on its own! Times like these are when I wish I had the 1001 blurb on hand to understand why exactly an LP like this made it onto the list.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
The fractured, matured sister to Loveless - while the latter has more tracks that I outright enjoy, something within me says that this LP is better in some holistic way. The disjointed grouping of ideas and sometimes rambling nature of the tracks makes that a hard sell, I know, but even in the more abstract, experimental final third of the album there's a complete sense of artistic freedom and creativity that's rare to experience in situ. The opening three songs are by far the band's best production-wise, and 'who sees you' is perhaps the most primal, evocative collection of sounds I can think of (like a melody ripping itself into existence from the sonic vacuum). The lows may be low, but the highs present a band so completely focused on a creative vision and singular sound that they changed the guitar's instrumental trajectory /again/ for an entirely new generation of listeners.
Eminem
3/5
A hard one to rate - this is by far one of my fav hip-hop albums on the list to date given the 5-star bars and overall exemplary wordplay that Mathers is able to lay down faster than one can blink. That being said, the homophobia and misogyny that crops up in the later half of the album is hard to stomach and permanently strands the LP in the early 2000s, unnecessarily aging what could’ve been a timeless album. Gonna have to hit the middle of the road and give this one 3/5, but man I wish I could give it the full 5.
Muddy Waters
3/5
A simple but effective Delta Blues LP that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Waters was /the/ progenitor of electrified rock and roll, and it’s easy to see why with both the chugging ballads and relative rippers on display here.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
I enjoyed the long-form, guitar-driven movements of the first half, but then again I am squarely at the intersection of both those musical interests. The back half definitely drops off into pure noodling territory, but I find myself so surprised at how captivated I was in the first that I'm willing to mildly excuse it. Perhaps a bit malformed and wandering for an early stab at psychedelia, but somebody had to take the first shot and it's overall good for what it is.
The Cramps
3/5
A straightforward garage-rock LP that's about what you would expect from The Cramps. No surprises on this one, but that's not a bad thing – I personally enjoy this style of rough 'n ready, sleazy rock, so I found it a solid listen.
The Who
3/5
A solid take on a rock opera, wins big nostalgia points for 'Pinball Wizard' alone which I listened to a good deal when I was younger. Do wish the band had been a bit more experimental and out-there with the instrumentation on this one, but without the context of the full show I'm missing a huge deal of dialogue/staging that would make more sense alongside the somewhat passive arrangements here.
The Band
2/5
You only need like, what, one chorus and verse to write a 5-minute song, right?
T. Rex
3/5
An LP that really puts the rock in glam-rock. Plenty of laid back, in-the-groove melodies and tracks to dig into here, and while some border on repetitive with their track length, most are great shots of tranquil, fuzzed-out guitar right into the bloodstream.
ZZ Top
1/5
Pure commercialized schlock - all the genuinely great instrumental performances this band can put out are nothing when sterilized by a layer of sterile production and clear label interference
Michael Jackson
3/5
A decent Jackson LP that suffers a tad from the track ordering. Putting the uptempo heavy hitters (especially the title track) up first before stacking all the ballad-pace songs in the middle means the energy seems to peter out. Luckily the instrumentals don’t suffer from datedness, and Michael’s killer vocals do save even the slowest track from being too boring.
David Bowie
2/5
Not Bowie's best – the incorporation of more funk-oriented melodies should be a hit knowing his regular style, but each track stretches its musical content way too thin.
The Temptations
3/5
A short, groovy LP that has juuuust enough in the tank to sustain its brief runtime. Not overly wowed by this one, but it did get my toe tapping and I could see myself listening to it again.
Michael Jackson
3/5
While I don’t know if I would class this as ‘best-selling album of all-time” in my own book, this is still a strong LP fill of fun instrumentals and great songwriting. The rising/falling action from ballads at the beginning/end to the monstrous three-song run in the middle keeps things flowing well, and the songs in question (“Thriller,” “Beat It,” and “Billie Jean”) are so rich and evocative across the board it’s easy to see why they’ve become Jackson’s biggest hits.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
Bland Britpop drivel that can't even decide what it wants to be – veers from cheesy 80s balladry to orchestral themes and back without any clear sense of direction (or guiding talent).
The United States Of America
2/5
I can appreciate the experimental spirit here, and definitely appreciate an LP outside the usual fare this project spits out. The album in question, though, lacks any defining traits other than ‘vague circus music’ and pushes way too far into avant-garde for my tastes. Wish I could enjoy this one a bit more but it just wasn’t there for me.
Billy Bragg
3/5
What a great and touching idea for an album. I’m not a huge fan of the genre or artists at play here, but Wilco definitely knows how to execute instrumentally and there were instances of songwriting that made me smile more often than not. Hearing Guthrie’s efforts brought to life posthumously is an exceptional artistic endeavor, so it’s easy to see why this one landed on the list.
Manu Chao
4/5
Man(u) had me hooked by “Bongo bong.” An exceptionally fun world album which breaks the mold for a genre I usually don’t enjoy. Lots of shining songwriting moments and fun instrumental flourishes which run throughout the album.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
It’s fine - the modern trend towards more spoken word sections and less emphasis on the beats isn’t my favorite, but some tracks here are enjoyable. More so annoyed that this crowded out other selections from what was a massive year in indie music for LPs much stronger than this one.
The Fall
3/5
A great post-punk forerunner LP that delivers plenty of brash, heavy guitar, abstruse songwriting, and overall mercurial sonic whirlwind. Points off mainly for being a tad forgettable - I listened to the album first thing this morning and its excitement is nowhere near present here at the end of the day.
De La Soul
4/5
An amazingly fresh hip-hop LP with personality in spades You could argue this album is too bit-heavy, but the sense of personality woven in between masterful micro-sampling and exquisite beats yields a winning combination that easily sustains the hour-long LP. Great wordplay in the bars and a loose narrative thread for everything together into a top-tier product that’s joyful yet focused, playful but heavy on performance. Between De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest + others, I’m realizing just how shamefully uninformed I was on the genre - tradeoff is I get to discover all these amazing LPs in exchange for taking the deep dive.
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
Actually kinda vibed with this one. My receptiveness would definitely depend on my mood at the time, but yesterday I was in the zone for something a little different and this delivered. Interesting to see the raw, unfiltered emergence of some industrial textures that still define the genre today and listen to some semi-improvisational discovery along the way. Not every experiment lands, but kudos to these guys for pushing the envelope a little.
Common
2/5
Notable bars and beats are few on this LP – Common has a few great lyrical insights to share, but is easily outclassed by each and every guest feature on the album when it comes to wordplay. Instrumentals aren't helping given they're firmly stuck in the mid-gear of the early aughts, some blandly positive commercial vibes transposed into music.
Judas Priest
3/5
Solid metal LP from an outfit I've been meaning to check out for a while. Rides the line between genuine expression and outright cheese fairly well, and knows when a track has run its melodic course and needs to end. An enjoyable listen that goes to show less is often more (except when it comes to guitar tone).
Nick Drake
3/5
A more downtempo, singer-songwriter LP with some frills I found myself enjoying more than expected. The songwriting isn't strong enough to wow melodically for the whole runtime, but the lyricism and fun punches of (somewhat dated) sax keep things interesting enough for Drake's soft lull to work its magic.
The Specials
2/5
This was going pretty well until they decided to stop in the middle and poorly appropriate a bunch of cultural music they couldn’t/shouldn’t have executed.
Radiohead
4/5
Kid A’s twin brother that languished outside the spotlight, but that’s almost fitting given how introspective and isolated this album feels. Yorke and company turn the slightly-off synths and excellent guitar work inward for a darker mirror image of the already heavy Kid A, and the end result is a tight, claustrophobic LP that suggests something dark and formless just beneath the surface. Excellent instrumental work (especially guitar) on this one, creative songwriting in spades, and just some overall great tracks (even if I can’t listen to them when I’m depressed). One wonders if this album was meant to live in the A shadows, as that’s where it finds the most gripping examination of loss and isolation put to wax.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Not usually a Young fan, but the addition of Crazy Horse on this LP balances out what I usually dislike to make for an entertaining product. The gradual ramp from the slow as molasses tempos Neil favors to some nearly breakneck songs at the end of the album was a fun ride, and there’s some great sizzling guitar on here to underscore the usual narrative songwriting that leads to a fun and unique product.
Mudhoney
4/5
Sludgy, thick, heavy guitar coupled with frenetic vocals and energy is a perfect combination in my book. Any album named after a fuzz pedal (much less two!) probably rocks, and this LP does so in spades. Things are fairly homogenous in the track length/tempo department, but when the sound is this good you gotta let the little things slide and let it wash over you.
Peter Frampton
2/5
Not a Frampton fan to begin with and the recording quality on this one does him no favors. Sounds entirely washed out compared to other live albums of the time, with no bass presence and brittle drums. The song selection is understandably hit-heavy, but when it’s just guitar and vocal in the mix there’s not a lot you can do with the set list to overcome serious sound design flaws.
Lambchop
2/5
Not sure who this album is for - solid, orchestral/choir-like, and well-performed the instrumentals may be, but the abstract songwriting and lack of focus on any driving melodic or narrative themes means this one is a meandering mess.
Nas
2/5
Feels as if Nas could be bringing a whole other level of wordplay, but is taking it easy and only giving us a casual attempt at MCing. This is reflected in the beats, where every track seems to hone in on a 3-note sequence to repeat endlessly rather than opting for a longer, more interesting loop.
Ray Charles
2/5
There’s no denying Charles’ vocal talent, it’s just hard to sustain interest in 1.25 hours of love me/love-me-not ballads in the sub-60 BPM range.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
It’s fine - a bit downtempo and uneventful for my tastes, but the vocal harmonies and guitar are well done, and it actually throws some minor key into the mix instead of remaining in haply-go-lucky sunshine and rainbow mode the entire runtime (like other 60s-70s LPs are prone to do).
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
There's been some recent press about Cave explaining his (extremely well-reasoned) motive for shifting towards lighter, happier music, but damn if it's not boring as hell. The songwriting here is repetitive and milquetoast as hell, and the muzak-level piano and guitar focus isn't helping either – expected way more out of this one :/
Lana Del Rey
2/5
Not as terrible as I expected but still somewhat of a drag - aside from some fun guest spots, there’s little to distinguish one track from another instrumentally, melodically, or vocally. Some of Rey’s vocal inflections and rhythms here are annoying as hell, but these grating bits are usually scattered enough to make her singing tolerable and at times even interesting. Wish we could get some 2020s-era LPs representative of the decade’s explosion in genre-bending and other creativity, though, rather than the albums that sold the most because they made the best tiktok tracks or had the largest cult of personality surrounding them.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Takes the standard, overdone Britpop formula and stands it on its head with washed-out, heavily spatial sound design and melodies that break far beyond the usual Brit mold. Strikes an impressive balance between the rock canon of the time and an almost proto-shoegaze with its dense reverb and delay on nearly every track. Found myself enjoying even the mandatory sappy Brit ballads on this one – though definitely the weaker elements of the LP's songwriting, anything is digestible if you wrap it in enough overdriven guitar and reverb.
The Jam
3/5
Doesn't reinvent the wheel or bring much of anything new to the table, but still presents an enjoyable Brit-rock LP that kept me engaged for the full runtime.
Björk
3/5
Surprisingly accessible compared to what I expected going in - there are some great uptempo tracks that are digestible on an easy-listening scale, not at all what I thought a Bjork release would look like given her recent LP. The longer tracks drag and tested my patience a bit, but definitely some tracks on this one I see myself returning to.
David Bowie
2/5
A disappointing contemporary outing from Bowie. The man sounds tired on this one, and while he's still putting his soul into every lyric, the overall performance just doesn't land satisfyingly. A large part of this is the dollar-store instrumentals that sell out the usual Bowie flair in this department, but it doesn't help this is some of the most repetitive and clichéd songwriting Dave has produced.
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Sole classic Aretha on this one - her vocals are perfectly situated within the mix on top of some creative, funk-inspired instrumentals and backing vocals that make each track pop. A bit downtempo for my taste, but still great to hear the context around some all-time classics
MC Solaar
3/5
Starts as a strong, in-your-face hip-hop LP with promise but never quite finds the grit needed to shift into fifth gear. Solaar easily slips from vicious to smooth on his French vocals (a key standout given how prominent they reside in the mix), but a lack of dynamic or instrumental contrast across the album means the oomph just isn’t there to push things beyond mildly-enjoyable listen territory
Slipknot
3/5
Got off to a rough start but ended up dialing in the djent near the end. Don’t think the falsetto vox are Feldman’s strong suit, but when the band locks in around an uptempo riff with the heavy vocals things click.
Taylor Swift
1/5
Hindsight is 20/20, and I'm feeling that now that I look back on my 2-star rating of Swift's 'evermore' a while ago. Compared to this LP, 'evermore' is a Nobel Prize in Literature winning, 5-star work of genius and creativity.
Repetitive choruses written at the schoolyard-chant level, bland instrumentals born straight out of a sterile DAW with no human hand, classic Max Martin production that sucks the air out of every ounce of soul or humanity left – the awful but understandable ingredients of an LP that dominated the airwaves and zeitgeist so thoroughly it hasn't quite been matched since. This lab-grown, genetically-engineered organism of an album has no other purpose but to seek and destroy entire blocks of radio play, to still dominate house-party and club playlists, to worm its way so thoroughly into your brain you can't help but tap along to the stupidly simple saxophone accents in 'Shake It Off.'
There's not one entire genuine expression of artistic merit or flair on this thing; instead, it's a scientific study in how to combine the most dull and minimal of musical elements to maximize the fittingly named Big Machine Records and Swifts' bottom line. And before you accuse me of being a hater, please compare her debut (that forgotten country relic which features Swift playing a real instrument and swinging above her weight with some pretty impressive narrative lyricism) to this album, one that can rarely be bothered to find a different set of lyrics for the second verse instead of just aping the first one again.
It should be abundantly clear by now but this album, to me, represents the absolute nadir of big-money, label-made music and the homogenization of pop culture as a whole. This is what happens when you pursue a 100% capital-oriented pursuit to music in the interest of inflating your profits - and it worked! It worked so well that Max Martin gets to produce anything and everything nowadays, leading to popular music which sounds melodically similar (there are YouTube compilations out there if you don't believe me) and lifeless, music that has no soul because no one involved had actual music in mind. I guess this is /truly/ one of the 1001 albums to listen to before you die in that it provides a tripping hazard in hell of bar for genuine artistry.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Being able to look back at this album after the absolute fervor it caused when it dropped mid-pandemic, I can appreciate it a bit more on its own and not be too put-off by the cult of personality. I definitely think this is my favorite Apple album – it's easily the most accessible and melodic, intertwining the artist's penchant for offbeat instrumentation and lyricism with creative sound design and a sense of cynical fun. The sparse back half does wear a bit thin with its overuse of strained vocals and the minimalist, near purely-rhythmic backing tracks, but overall this is a concerted and creative songwriting effort I can see myself returning to again for sure.
George Harrison
4/5
A lush, resplendent suite of psychedelic outpourings that suggest the former Beatle was holding a good deal of creative energy back during the final years of the band. Each track bursts with creative energy as novel chord progressions are amplified by warbling, reverb-wrapped instrumentals. Add in vocals which sit well-balanced in the mix and straddle the perfect line between simple and meaningful, and you have an absolute sonic treat that spills, soars, and ensconces for close to two hours on end. The jam sessions are a fun if noncommittal bonus, a bit of gritty, grounded palate-cleanser guitar and drums that can serve as an optional epilogue without being required listening.
Big Black
2/5
A high 2 – there are some genuinely interesting ideas for a unflinchingly abrasive punk album here, but I’m just not feeling it gel together as I would hope or expect it to. Big missed opportunity to maintain genre expectations while being different in only using Albini’s warbly, hyper-distorted guitar harmonics for maybe two songs. A punk LP of this stature leaning into heavy instrumentation with plentiful melodicism would still be revolutionary today, leading me to wish that was the case instead of constant sludgy guitar I would usually enjoy.
The Monks
2/5
Started off strong with some angular guitar work that reminded me of some modern-day Dwyer projects a la Damaged Bug, but quickly sloughed off into annoying 60s tropes. Repetitive surf guitar, one-hook structures, and cloying vocals made this a journey I increasingly wanted to end.
Pearl Jam
3/5
Despite more than a few of these tracks being played to death on early aughts radio, I still found myself jamming along to the gold standard hits and deep cuts on this one. Definitely better to listen with headphones and get the full brunt of the guitar tone on this LP, which is the real star – given that it makes Vedder's vocals tolerable and then some is a notable feat. Avoided this band due to way too much exposure on the radio as a kid, but may have to circle back if the other albums are as solid as this one.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
While Cohen's picking and singing remain untouchable on this LP, his bitter attitude tinges a good deal of the songs on here with way more hate than love. Something about the disposition towards cloistered, minor-key fugues here with only a few sardonically cheery ones to balance out just put a bad taste in my mouth, and the clear pro-life sentiment of 'Diamonds in the Mine' certainly doesn't help either (and has aged rather poorly).
Digital Underground
1/5
One of the most challenging listens of the project so far, and not in a constructive or positive way. This thing is dripping in enough cheese to give any person a coronary - the bars are consistently corny, creepy, or both, leading to a steady level of baseline cringe that fluctuates from unbearable to uncomfortable. The beats offer no salvation as they opt to instead beat several 1-2 second samples out to 4-7 minutes at a time, meaning the backing tracks are at best stale and at worst infuriating. There’s one track that has some sort of female moaning/vocalizing looping over and over for the entire runtime, and it’s probably the most annoying track I’ve listened to out of nearly 700 albums on this list so far. This is not some nostalgic relic worth revisiting, it’s just plain bad and should remain firmly in the 90s.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
An exuberant and commanding listen, if a bit more pomp than substance. Signals the coming of the 80s as it maintains some narrative worth, but opts more for the big synth splashes and gated drums, a herald of the gradual cheapening of the instrumental and lyrical value that was to come over the next decade. Would consider re-listening as I had a pleasant experience, but only because the songs did not leave much impression outside general positivity the first go round.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Frank can sing but man is he a one-trick pony. This is my second or third Sinatra album on the list, and each initially wows with the bombast and flair one would expect in vacuum from the crooner but quickly grows old over the span of 30-40 minutes. The added orchestral element here was a nice addition, but some sluggish sections + constant crooning didn't win me over at the end of the day.
Patti Smith
2/5
It's clear Smith can write and play interesting guitar parts, but that means little if she can't get her vocals out of the way. I'm all for experimental singer-songwriter approaches to liven things up a bit, but the tricks, gimmicks, and downright annoying vocal mannerisms across this thing just kept me from getting into the flow of the album.
Yes
3/5
A Yes album with a bit more pop sensibility mixed in along with their usual blend of classic prog. Wish Squier’s bass sat a bit higher in the mix and had more presence overall, but hey , not every album can be ‘Fragile’
The Pogues
2/5
The instrumentals/vocals are well done to my ear, just think this isn’t the genre for me. An hour of distinctly Irish music felt a bit tiring when the Pogues opt to use a small set of keys over and over, with not much rhythmic variation on top to spice things up.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
Enjoyed this genuinely new-to-me find today. Wish there was a bit more verve to the melodies and instrumentation, but this was a solid early electronica album that provided some enjoyment and a few surprises along the way.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Solid metal LP – not as dynamic as their other album on the list, but given the selections I've been going through recently I will take any well-done guitar-based album I can get.
Weather Report
3/5
Big nostalgia hit for 'Birdland' alone, which was one of my favorite stand tunes we got to play in high school band. Not every track on this LP measures up to the verve of its opener, but with Jaco's basslines gluing everything together into a perfect rhythmic mesh even the more filler tracks keep moving at a great clip. Lovely jazz album overall and definitely a formative LP in my high school years.
The Roots
2/5
Too many ideas at once to make these tracks coalesce into a sold LP. I can appreciate some fun interludes and weird textures, but this album never establishes a core sound or identity before it starts throwing everything at the wall (with not much sticking).
UB40
3/5
A great reggae album with some verve to keep its downtempo arrangements moving along. Appreciated that each song had a distinct melodic feel to it, rather than one major key mush some albums in this genre tend to become.
Steve Earle
2/5
Too much twang over a short period of time for me on this one, some interesting song compositions here and there but mostly too straightforward and static to capture me.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
A solid and diverse LP that offers 70s rock at its best. I have to shamefully admit my experience with this album didn't go beyond 'Immigrant Song,' so I'm glad to have a chance to revisit and take in the wealth of musical talent on display. From the eerily off-kilter symphonic accompaniment on 'Friends' to the straightforward chugging of 'Celebration Day,' Zepp manages to pull off a staggering range while maintaining their distinct sound and feel throughout. I did feel the back half sagged due to the front-loading of all the uptempo tracks, but even in its slower moments, this LP delivers a genuine, rich compositional feel that has easily stood the test of time.
Tom Waits
2/5
If you make me listen to another album by the man who sounds like he smokes 12 packs of cigarettes a day and reminds me of the crazies on the Philadelphia bus system I am going to cry.
Elis Regina
2/5
A samba album with nothing much memorable to say - the melodies and vocals were good, but nothing to make this album notable or 1001-worthy.
Faust
3/5
An interesting krautrock album that runs the gamut from ambient to industrial, showcasing some exceptional guitar tones and musicianship throughout. Not sure this one wholly gels as an experience for me given how some songs just don't fit with the longer, nigh-orchestral tracks and their flow, but an engaging and novel listen nonetheless.
Django Django
3/5
Listened to these guys a lot in high school, so this was a great blast from the past for today. Love the reedy guitar, rhythmic focus, and actually good use of unusual rhythm elements from the dreary hay day of clap-stomp indie. Definitely frontloaded in terms of the energy and better tracks, but a fun album for a car ride or other casual listening.
Randy Newman
2/5
Another snoozer from ol' Randy. Doesn't even get into the darker, more complicated narratives that at least jazzed up his previous efforts' songwriting, and drives home my impression of the guy as the Tom Hanks of music.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Loved this creative, unhindered synth romp. While there definitely was some listening fatigue (and some of the cheesier, 70s musical vice tracks) near the end, most tracks shine with just enough unhinged energy to be wild and memorable while staying well within listenable territory. It's clear Rudgren had a blast making this LP, and it's both a rare and wonderful thing when the artist's joy transfers 1:1 to the listener.
The Police
3/5
A serviceable Police LP – gives away the ghost by letting its best track ('Bottle' by a long shot) up front, with not much achieving that high bar for the rest of the runtime. That being said, even a ho-hum Police album is a solid listen, as Sting and co. pilot their way through the standard mix of chorus-drenched guitar + unconventional rhythms to great effect.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
For what it is musically, it's fine, but the co-opting of Southern culture by a Dylan compatriot definitely reads as anything other than genuine. Throw in some off-base bonus tracks meant to lengthen the album for re-release (including a near-orchestral track with female vocals?) and it's hard to feel that this is a passion project more so than money grab.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
An effortlessly amazing LP defined by how at ease Hendrix feels throughout – this isn't a performance or production, just Jimi expressing pure feeling by means of his guitar. The lack of any kind of artistic facade felt wonderfully refreshing and meant I was able to tune purely into the sheer wonder that is Hendrix's musicianship. A spectacular listen, and one I will be returning to often.
R.E.M.
3/5
Easily R.E.M.'s most vibrant, upbeat album and one I had largely never heard before (though it contains my favorite track of the band's in 'One I Love'). Appreciated the changeup in rhythms from the somewhat slow pace the band usually favors for faster, more energetic, and alive arrangements. Not sure too many tracks stuck with me after an initial listen outside the mega-popular singles, but definitely a welcome listen after my last few R.E.M. outings on the list.
Daft Punk
3/5
A much rawer and more experimental debut for the duo as compared to their follow-up efforts – the acid house/French touch influences aren't so much tinges as stains all over the album. The progressive layering of each track into something greater than its parts would take a backseat to cinematic bombast when 'Discovery' rolled around a few years later, but here it's easy to see the pair synthesizing the surrounding musical era (even giving a few facets a nod on 'Teachers') into something uniquely their own. Definitely overlong in terms of track arrangements, and not every sample/melody/beat combo hits, but an interesting retrospective nonetheless into an act that would come to dominate the electronic and house scenes down the line.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Usually a fan of concept albums but this one misses the mark a bit in the balance between cinematic diegesis and musical structure. Without a real film or even general story to give context to the many screams, spooky tritones, and other world-building elements, there’s not a whole lot to drive interest in a 1D soundscape not tethered to any deeper lore. Maybe I’m just not imaginative enough - would’ve loved to see a musical experiment like this succeed, but the effort here just doesn’t resonate with me.
King Crimson
2/5
After the high of ‘Crimson King,’ this one comes off as more of a slightly-polished studio jam sesh than tight prog epic. I think some more vocals or string melodic themes would’ve helped this album feel more cohesive rather than a scattershot of collection of tracks (and at times, individual phrases or even sounds).
Crowded House
2/5
A banal, vapid 80s LP masquerading under the more reserved, authentic instrumentals of the early 90s. The musicianship is serviceable, but the melodies drag on and underwhelm at best. Add in truly god-awful songwriting and this was one poor performance away from being a 0.5 star album in my book. T
Os Mutantes
3/5
This album isn't lacking in vibrance or originality, but a bit of cohesion wouldn't hurt. Enjoyed most of the tracks individually for their out-there approaches and arrangements, just wishing there was a stronger melodic throughline to connect some of the noisier, spastic moments in a little better.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Expected a good deal from this album given the praise it's received in the indie community and general culture, but felt let down given how overstuffed and overlong the end product is. Starts off incredibly strong with some excellent beats and wordplay courtesy of some heavy hitter guests (especially Thundercat), but hits a wall in the second half once the instrumentals start to blend together. Kendrick has some top-tier bars to lay down throughout the entire LP, but they get lost in a mix of too many ideas being stuffed into one song structure + too many one-off interlude/throwaway tracks that feel like dead-ends rather than detours on the LP's narrative journey.
Gene Clark
2/5
Not gonna lie, this one was pretty fucking boring. The musical chops are there, but my attention isn’t.
Lauryn Hill
2/5
While there were rhythms, beats, and box I definitely enjoyed, this one just left me a little flat for some reason. There’re hints of a narrative and melodic thread here, but it’s not strong enough to tie together an absolutely stuffed LP that doesn’t have much exciting to say.
Joy Division
3/5
Such a tough rate after the perfection of 'Unknown Pleasures.' The same driving energy and dark creativity are still at play but fail to coalesce into any kind of piercing image unlike its predecessor. Manages to pull a 3 based on strong tracks like 'Decades' and 'Means,' pillars which suggest a larger form the other tracks just can't sustain due to some poor choices in lyricism or repetitive instrumentation. This album still wows with its experimental verve, it just feels stuck in a weird space between the guitar-born darkness of Joy Division and the synth-happy splendor of New Order.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
A straightforward outing from rock’s most consistently stellar group. Doesn’t wow as much on the compositional side as its follow-ups, but still pulls out some fun studio tricks and exceptional instrumentation as always to deliver a great listen.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Can't believe I'm saying this, but I've finally found my first tolerable Dylan LP after getting around 5 or so on this list to date. Helps that he keeps the nasally delivery down on this one and tries out several different kinds of arrangements, leading to an album that has a bit of flow from track to diverse track rather than singer-songwriter acoustic throughout. While the messaging isn't groundbreaking by any means, the overall peace themes are pleasant and I would even consider listening to some of these tracks again.
The Stooges
2/5
Would be a riot of an album if it didn’t include a 10-minute funeral dirge in the middle
Frank Ocean
3/5
I’m a victim of the hype here - it’s understandable how Ocean’s debit earned massive critical acclaim, given its introduction the soft, R&B-inspired vocals on top of heavily electronic instrumentals that still dominates popular music to this day. With that being said, however, I’m not blown away by the performances here, especially given the almost life-changing status they’ve been raised to by most indie heads. The production is exciting and creative, but most tracks seem to meander and attempt to stuff several songs into one which leads to thematic burnout. Definitely see myself returning to several tracks here (especially the dark centerpiece that is ‘Pyramids’), just a bit disappointed this one didn’t live up to the atmospheric expectations that have been built up around it.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
A great introduction to traditional sitar music. The explanatory, pedagogic intro was a welcome surprise and made me realize how much I would love to hear musicians talk more about their craft within a song itself, an interactive Song Exploder-like experience.
Justice
5/5
Somewhere along the way you heard an album that changed everything – an album that transcended your personal understanding of music and showed you that there was so much more.
I wasn’t unfamiliar with Justice as a group before I listened to Cross, but I hadn’t taken in much of their musical output. Even as a 12 to 13-year-old the cross iconography seemed a bit edgy, and what tracks I had encountered on Pandora hadn’t resonated and most always used up an hourly skip. It took a particularly boring day in freshman Bio to give in to Youtube’s insistence I listen to “Justice - Cross [FULL ALBUM]” after it had languished in my recommended section for a good long while. The opening brass section of ‘Genesis’ was all it took to get me locked in for the next hour and redefine what I knew an album could be.
Cross’s strength is managing to build up a completely logical hourlong LP out of the most disparate, batshit-insane bloghouse tracks produced in the genre’s short span in the spotlight. Each track is a small little world in its own right, an escapade through corners bright and dark alike. ‘Genesis’ wastes no time in wiping the floor with expectations, delivering a massive brass overture that tumbles into the grimiest, slitheriest club staple known to man. Any other album would take the hint from the jet-black album cover and keep things in the dark of the dance floor for the next track, but no, ‘Let There Be Lite’ is a slippery, nervous romp that goes for blowing the tweeters instead of the subs.
This constant reinvention never stops once over the LP’s 48-minute runtime – from the absolute earworm smash that is ‘D.A.N.C.E.’ to the claustrophobic ‘Stress,’ Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay create, destroy, and demolish any kind of consistency while maintaining an incredibly tight sense of cohesion. The seamless bleeding of tracks into another (something which blew my mind as a 14-year-old raised on Top 40 and Red Dirt radio) definitely helps keep this paradox afloat, each auditory assault seeming to both rise from the ashes of the previous track and simultaneously rush into existence from the vacuum. But so too does the airtight production and omnipresent sense of goddamn slickness contribute to the sense that this album knows exactly what it is and what it’s meant to do. Not one of the 400-odd microsamples across this thing feels out of place, each distorted, chopped, and twisted beat or melody fitting effortlessly into Justice’s chaotic jigsaw.
What should be an absolute mess of ideas is instead a laser-guided missile made up of jagged 808s, slap bass, overdriven synths, and a few Britney Spears samples, a motley crew of influences that lands the mark every single time. The dynamism here astounds; while all loosely assembled under the dance/electronica umbrella, the tracks cut a wide swath across all parts of the era’s electronic sound. ‘DVNO’ leans into club music with a vengeance, forging a 4-on-the-floor tongue-in-cheek banger in both melody and lyrics alike. ‘Newjack’ presents a twitchy take on acid house, the sound unmistakable but the composition unstable and spastic. ‘Waters of Nazareth’ is a close personal favorite, a take-no-prisoners onslaught of gritty synths and triumphant organ that finds the album at its sonic peak (both in dB and rising action). The ‘Phantoms’ present Justice’s spirit the best, the domineering Pt. I reimagined with a dancefloor-friendly swagger on Pt. II immediately preceding.
It was unlike anything I’d ever heard before – not just the brimming, untouchable textures each track contained, but a fully-realized artistic vision, a complete statement in its own right. Cross was the first album I listened to as an album, and even today I can’t dip my toes into one track without throwing the whole thing on from front to back. Justice’s opus isn’t without its Achilles (‘The Party’ is an unfortunate bit of label meddling, with Uffie hogging the spotlight on a wholly unearned and uninspired guest vocal), but this humanizes the ordeal if anything. It’s still by far the closest an album has gotten to perfection in all my listening, and little has done to touch it in the years since I clicked play on an unassuming YouTube album rip.
King Crimson
4/5
A tighter and more carefree outing than ‘Larks’ that remembers prog is supposed to be fun at the end of the day. Sashays between near tongue-in-cheek inanity on ‘Schizoid’ to serious operatic theming on the title track, hitting every possible valence stop along the way. It’s clear the the band is enjoying themselves as they lay down some seriously impressive lines, and the fun studio tricks add another layer of melodic color and variety that give this album a cohesive feel despite its dynamic content. Just a fun prog opera romp at the end of the day, and you can’t really ask for more than that.
The Libertines
2/5
Some decent instrumentals ruined by Wish.com Morrissey vocals. Some truly awful musical choices by the frontman on delivery, timing, and overall musicianship, so I hope the band found someone better to lead their relatively catchy early-aughts indie pop down the road.
Keith Jarrett
2/5
While impressive as an improvisational piece, this is at the end of the day simply an hour of piano playing. Inspired as it may be, this LP opens a whole can of worms about list inclusion when it comes to more classically-oriented pieces – if improvisational piano is worthy of 1001, aren't at least 100 other classical pieces with inspired performances or innovative designs?
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
A surprisingly accessible Beefheart effort with some fun takes on Delta Blues meets early rock. Does run a bit long, but probably would’ve checked out earlier if the tracks weren’t as interesting or unique.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
A fun attempt at mixing both the early aughts dance and indie crazes into a singular LP. Gets a bit homogenous towards the back end, a few standout tracks but loses the energy as the album goes on.
Brian Eno
2/5
Funky out-there background music fueled by David Byrne’s creative whimsy is still just background music at the end of the day
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Solid, well-crafted Blues album with some more energetic takes on the genre. Not wholly my thing but I can respect the craft here.
LL Cool J
2/5
Mr. J is his own worst enemy on this LP; each track has something going for it in terms of the album’s overall flow and production, but the MC can’t keep from tripping himself up on either awful lyricism (see: tuna melt) or cloying, repetitive samples on a loop. Part of me really wanted this to break into low 3 territory, but there are too many songwriting sins on this one to do so.
Ice T
3/5
Was prepared to write this LP by everyone’s favorite SVU star well off before it started, but found myself pleasantly shocked at how it managed to hold my attention for well over an hour. The cheese factor is definitely on okay, but there’s some alarmingly prescient and outspoken social consciousness as well which was unexpected. Musically it’s a bit middle of the road, but T keeps it varied enough between skits, interludes, spoken word tracks, and fully-fleshed beats to where things aren’t too grating over the course of 70 minutes. Overall, this one came out of left field for me, and I’ll have to give a few tracks here some replays given how well they landed the first time around.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
A soulful live jazz album with heart. Not usually my cup of tea, but Vaughan’s velvet voice and charming personality made this one an enjoyable quick listen.
Tori Amos
2/5
Usually when I’m listening to a new (to me) album I’m looking for songs that grab my attention and don’t let go - ‘Crucifier’ came close in that regard before the rest of the album sunk into banal 90s singer-songwriter tropes, and my attention never recovered.
3/5
Didn’t leave too much of an impression - I wasn’t overly wowed but didn’t find myself bored either. Warrants a relisten to make sure I caught everything this time around, but I’m not sure I’ve ever felt more middle of the road about an album here than this
David Holmes
2/5
Not terrible but not great either - when the defining characteristics of multiple tracks is just the heavy use of cymbal, things probably aren’t going well composition-wise.
Burning Spear
3/5
A short and sweet but solid little reggae album. Doesn’t fall into the genre’s usual trap of beating a melodic dead horse, as each track arrives with distinctive progressions and flair for a compact 2-3 minute jaunt.
George Michael
2/5
There are a few decently successful attempts at some dynamic songwriting on this one, but for the most part Michael just parks it on one big riff/line and stays there for most of the track. Needs to be a bit more there to substantiate an LP, no matter how talented the vocalist.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Serviceable, but not entirely the groundbreaking organ performance I expected. Did provide some nice easy listening this morning even if I don't see myself returning to it anytime in the future.
CHVRCHES
4/5
Somewhere in my shoegazey, guitar-driven hard-rock heart I have a big soft spot for indie electronica, and I’m pretty sure it’s this album that started me down that path.
When this LP dropped in 2014, it was the first melody-driven, well-executed electronic music I’d heard that didn’t revolve around massive drops or progressive builds. Mayberry’s featherlight yet strong vocals on top of some great synth choices and big, booming rhythms is a great play of light against heavy, light against dark. The use of space is exceptional - not a single track goes by without feeling huge and anthemic due to the airtight production and heavy use of reverb, but the group still manages to make tracks feel small and intimate (‘Gun’ is a great example of this).
To this day the album feels fresh, alive, and new thanks to the strong songwriting and use of texture that makes every line, beat, and word resonate hugely in a wall of vibrant sound. It’s unfortunate that the band hasn’t been able to innovate their sound with much success in the following decade, but with an opening statement this strong, unique, and fully-formed, I have no problem if the group continues to stay in their lane and make excellent indietronica.
Pavement
3/5
By all means I should be a huge fan of Pavement’s stoner-esque irreverence and garage band sound, but the band has never stuck with me. Maybe it’s Malkmus’ whiny vocals and (to me) holier-than-thou attitude, maybe the instrumentals aren’t distinct enough from other 90s fare. In any case I’m always left feeling a bit weird after listening, like with this album - didn’t hate it, enjoyed some of the tracks a good deal, but felt like I should it enjoy it so much more, ya know?
The Boo Radleys
2/5
The definition of throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. A complete mess of 90s genres, musical cliches, and melodic fads messily glued together in an attempt at relevance - there's no sense of coherent personality here whatsoever, and I'm left at a loss as to what genre the Boo Radleys actually are given how poorly they sample across a wide swath of unnecessary genres here.
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
Nearly breaks into low-3 territory with some inspired beatmaking here and there, but the lyricism just drags it so far down. The gratuitous 12-minute one-loop ‘outro’ (if you can call it that) is perhaps the most egregiously bad and self-indulgent/narcissistic thing I’ve heard on the list so far.
Duke Ellington
3/5
Solid live jazz album. The artistry and interstitials were notable here, just a lot of music to take in all at once and fully appreciate at once
The Auteurs
3/5
Feels like I’ve been transported to an alternate universe where I like The Smiths. This LP definitely stands in the shadow of Morissey and co. vocally, but carves its own unique niche with some biting post-punk guitar and simple yet delightfully odd arrangements. Didn’t like every track on here (the slow ones especially veer far too close back to the source material), but enjoyed hearing something a bit old and a bit new to break up the Brit pop monotony.
Frank Black
3/5
An interesting departure from the Pixies frontman. Still has some of the same frenetic energy, but takes a more melodic and structured approach with each track. It’s a testament to how good the melodies are that I never felt bored, but I can’t help but wonder if this could’ve been a killer LP if it wasn’t 30 minutes of good ideas smeared out over a full hour.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Expected to hate this, but found myself pleasantly surprised by how varied this LP was. Definitely stays within its funky comfort zone for most of the runtime, though the Tom Tom Club manages to make each track feel distinct with its own vibe rather than a rehash of the same melodic/instrumental territory again and again.
k.d. lang
3/5
An interesting, genuine country album that dips its toes into a bevy of genres alongside. Lang’s voice carries through whatever arrangement she’s working with, and while I wish the production felt a bit smaller and less blown-out/grandiose I did enjoy this one a good bit.
Method Man
2/5
Doesn’t push above the surface for me - several tracks had notable beats and great lyrics, but as a whole I never felt the album coalesced into something which demanded my attention (as one would expect for a Wu-Tang product)
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Not always successful in its gritty mixed-media approach to song composition, but commendable in its attempt to offer one (1) creative, prescient riff on the grunge craze that would dominate and homogenize rock sounds of the 90s. If this one manages to stick around in my rotation, I could definitely see this one being a grower. There's a combative layer here that definitely rankles on the first go-'round, but some of my fav albums have been challenging, abrasive ones that didn't click until many listens later and this might be one of those.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Not usually a country guy but found myself enjoying this one. Rare to hear this level of genuine care for the craft - it’s clear Nelson has put his entire heart into this LP, and it shines as a result.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Roughly 750 albums in and I can’t count how many mid Britpop albums there have been. The editors have a clear bias towards UK music, especially this middle of the road 80s pop, and it’s a bit tiring when there are so many other great albums out there to explore.
Billie Holiday
2/5
Was having a bad day and this didn’t make it any better - an hour of the same instrumentals repeated and barely recontextualized again and again, plus Holiday’s monotonous and often croaky vocals on top. Just plain boring and a waste of my time
Motörhead
3/5
Listened to all two hours because no other band out there went as hard as Motörhead did. Definitely gets samey without any variation in the tempo (and not much in the instrumentals if we’re being honest), but that hardly matters when you have the hardest guitar and bass tone of any rock band. An absolute treat to hear the group match and exceed their studio expectations, RIP Lemma and RIP rock n roll.
Miriam Makeba
2/5
This one didn't grab me, never really broke above the surface and demanded my attention. Makeba's voice is great, but this vocal-focused fare with generic instrumentals has never been my fare.
fIREHOSE
2/5
Maybe it’s because I expected a hardcore/Midwest emo LP from the band/album name combo, but man did this not come across in any kind of memorable way. Listened before lunch and I’m struggling to recall any specifics outside the somewhat Pearl Jam-esque closing tracks, just not distinct or important in any kind of way.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
The common factor among Hendrix's releases is how effortless all of them sound, as if this music spontaneously emerged from the vacuum and is now winding its way into your ears. It's easy to forget just how much of himself Jimi is giving to guitar and how insanely difficult this style of fast but lyrical playing can be. Not every track on this LP specifically shines with individual personality like some of the other Hendrix albums, but the overall ebb and flow from lick to lick is enough to carry the LP a good deal. Always excited to see one of these come up in the project, as it means a guaranteed good listen and (usually) good day.
Brian Wilson
2/5
Realizing I’m not a fan of The Beach Boys without the vocal harmonies - the songwriting here is good, just not a fan of the execution vocally or with some of the instrumentals.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
A total musical dumpster fire but at least it’s a silly one. +1 for making me chuckle multiple times at how over the top whimsical and goofy this thug managed to be while trying to be 100% serious.
Fred Neil
3/5
A low 3 for me - some great, powerful country-western guitar on a few tracks made this listenable, it’s just the shockingly bland songwriting that lets the LP down.
The Stranglers
3/5
An 80s-esque LP that preceded the key-driven, goofy sound of the next decade while executing on the style better than any actual 80s LP on this list. A touch of quirkiness makes this one work, and though most tracks tend to run long for how much melodic/lyrical content they have to share, the end product is still a stellar out-of-left-field inclusion on the list that I’ll likely be returning to.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
An interesting mix of big band, soul, and rhythmic jazz that explores the whole range of dynamic contrast in its modest runtime. Not mind blowing by any means, but an interesting listen nonetheless.
Gillian Welch
2/5
Not notable in any way, really - the live track was nice, but everything else felt so stereotypically singer-songwriter that it didn't leave much impact, if any. Not sure if there's historical context I'm missing, but man have I been getting some boring albums here lately.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Went into this one with high hopes but ultimately left just kind of whelmed. Some interesting ideas in the production and sampling, but repetitive bars and a general lack of verve in the vocals kinda killed it for me.
David Bowie
3/5
A higher point in the Bowie backlog that straddles the singers’ excesses quite well. Dripping in production, there’s still a sense of the stripped-back human element Bowie excels at present even with synths and guitars blaring at full volume. The back half does peter out fairly quickly, but the excitement of the first is more than enough to sustain a whole listen.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Neil should break out the electric more often, as this one LP has more energy than all his others on the list combined. The upwards shift in tempo and instrumentation means the songwriting hits harder, and even if the songs run a bit long they have much more melodic variation to sustain them now. A good shift in pace for the singer-songwriter that leads to a nice rock slow burn overall.
Korn
2/5
Amazing how long an hour and change can feel.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
The first big Kendrick album and the last for me on the list. Walking back in order of maturity has been an interesting review of Lamar’s work - while I prefer the hyper-focused lyrics and interlocking beats of the DAMN era, this LP has a sense of sprawling chaos that feels much more raw and alive than anything that comes after it. Lacks some polish and gets way too loose/experimental at times, but has some killer consciousness /and/ instrumental combos that may be some of my fav Kendrick tracks I’ve heard.
Beck
2/5
Wherein Beck tries his hand at appropriating more than a few different cultures with mixed results. Several songs have a certain catchiness about them, but the end product feels to scattershot and see-what-sticks to feel whole. Can’t decide whether it wants to be radio-friendly or experimentally artistic and lands firmly in the middle at Beck’s usual smarminess
Calexico
3/5
An interesting mix of modern alternative and salsa. Enjoyed this as a departure from the regular fare on the list, as it brought new ideas to the table and was well-executed instrumentally and production-wise. Don’t think this LP packed enough of an artistic, cohesive punch to land on my faves list, but I definitely see myself revisiting tracks here if I’m feeling stuck in a rock rut.
SZA
3/5
Torn on this one, the production soars in places with touches of shimmering synthpop that meld perfectly with the vocals, but said vocals often strain the limits of my patience (such as saying pussy so many times it loses all coherent meaning). Need to listen to SZA's most recent release to see if it can maintain the strong instrumentals, as some maturity in the songwriting would easily make this a 4-star album.
Orange Juice
2/5
Another so-called post-punk album I had high hopes for that started off strong but quickly devolved into bland and repetitive guitar work. A few tracks with interesting melodic lines, but not nearly enough meat and potatoes to hold together an entire LP
Basement Jaxx
3/5
An inventive, high-energy romp from a group I’ve enjoyed on the list before. This LP contains its fair share of annoying samples and overall repetitive tracks, but the songs which hit the groove do so in a way that more than makes up for the rough patches here and there.
Tom Waits
3/5
I was dreading, and I mean DREADING listening to this album given my prior experience with Tom Waits on the list. Found myself shocked that Waits opts for a less growly and more melodic vocal approach here, one that allowed me to focus better on the creative instrumentation and melodies building up each track. While I don't know if I would return to this LP, I did not hate my experience with it and that's much more than I expected!
Goldfrapp
3/5
One of those albums I wanted to enjoy more than I actually did. The duo nails a perfect blend of 50s lo-fi nostalgia with early-aughts indie sensibility when it comes to the instrumentation, but there's not nearly enough melodic or rhythmic variation to wow consistently across the whole 40 minutes.
Skepta
2/5
Mid-2010s rap/hip-hop experiment that aims to mimic the heady beats and poignant themes of its modern contemporaries, but ends up feeling completely lifeless and without a personality of its own as a result.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Another album I was dreading this week that was much better than expected, this time thanks to Costello opting to nOt dO waCkY gOofY thInGs WItH hIS vOicE.
Great Britrock album with some interesting ideas, not sure it will stick with me into the near future but enjoyed listening in the moment.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
All for a good jam album, but this one lacks in character and content to sustain its runtime. There’s plenty of funk, it’s just so repetitive that the genre’s presence can’t be appreciated
Black Sabbath
4/5
Pure, unadorned rock that leaves everything on the table. No gimmicks, tricks, or attempts to patch over potential weak spots with studio fixes - just one band showing off instrumental prowess by way of chugging melodic lines that break far beyond the blues scale woes of the time.
Tina Turner
3/5
An expressive, vocal-focused album that surprisingly doesn’t suffer from it’s dated instrumentals - rather, the 80s cheese factor buoys Turner’s vocals and provides a nice contrast to their impassioned, genuine delivery.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
A wild 35-minute ride that careens from symphonic-backed group-sex celebration to paranoid, tango-esque lamentations the next. While held together by a thematic thread, there’s a sense of unruly passion that laces this disparate collection of tracks together into a hell of a good time. Not sure if the songs will hold up in isolation, but even if this is a full-album listen kind of LP I don’t mind taking another spin.
Sebadoh
3/5
This one was much more expansive and sprawling than the Sebadoh tracks I’d heard prior. There are definitely moments of fatigue given the length and instrumentation choices on the LP, but once I had an understanding of what was going on I felt this one hit a groove of its own. Shame the bonus tracks aren’t available on US Spotify, as the few I tracked down added some
Interesting layers to the sounds the main LP had built up.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
A country album which does things a bit differently, if for a bit too long. Straightlaced female vocals in place of stereotypical male twang was a welcome change to the usual formula, and the instrumentals were executed well. Just wish there had been a tad more variation in the melodies, as I did feel a bit fatigued by the LP once the 50 minutes were up.
Gene Clark
2/5
Yet another singer-songwriter effort on the list that left me flat. Not overly wowed by any of Clark’s attempts at bombast, as the core songwriting is just too stereotypical for the era to grab me at any point.
Sabu
2/5
Starts off wild and free but grinds itself into mediocrity rather quickly. The improvisational spirit is there, but the instrumentation is so sparse and the vocals too annoying to sustain even the short runtime that’s there.
3/5
An album that feels like each track is pulling in a different direction – was hoping for a bit more out of this one, certain songs are executed well and show strong songwriting, but when each track feels like it’s off a different album it’s hard to constitute a focused LP.
Suede
2/5
While it has definitively more verve in the instrumentals than its compatriots, this LP falls squarely into the Britpop bucket I’ve grown so tired of throughout the project. I did find myself bopping my head to a few tracks, but otherwise the vocals were forgettable at best and the overall feel tiring at worst.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
This one was fun, appreciated the mix of different instrumental approaches along with fun, effortful lyricism. Can already tell this one's gonna fade from memory fast, but it was definitely a fun whelming listen in the moment.
Grateful Dead
1/5
So when I dick around for the guitar for an hour I'm a "public nuisance" and "about to be evicted for noise violations", but when the Grateful dead does it they're "one of the greatest bands of all time" and "make eleventy billion dollars"
Dolly Parton
3/5
I found this to be enjoyable, if a bit dull in places. Parton’s voice is meant to carry the album, and some of the instrumentals feel a bit lackluster as a result. That being said, Dolly’s genuine songwriting and heart shine through in the lyricism, and while she can veer into cheese territory sometimes there were also a few lines that warmed my cold, dead heart
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Usually open to whatever Zappa's thinking, but this one doesn't come together for me. Too sparse in the instrumentation to have any kind of throughline, and too spastic in the ideation to grab me with any kind of experimental hook.
Orbital
1/5
The only time this rose above the level of background music is when it went for the plinky, annoying synth leads. Suffice to say I was not a fan
Baaba Maal
2/5
Not my kind of genre to begin with and it doesn’t help that Mail can’t pick a genre to stick with - the shift towards pop orchestration in the second half is a bit baffling and leaves the whole LP feeling disconnected and haphazardly conjoined together
Haircut 100
2/5
Robert Dimery really out here forcing us to listen to every mid Britpop album he liked in his teens, huh
CHIC
3/5
Some classics on here, but man are they looooong classics. There’s just enough melodic fuel to keep these tracks churning for the full runtime without wearing on the listener, and at about 800 albums in knowing when to quit gets huge points in my book.
Big Star
2/5
Had high hopes for this one but it didn't leave me with much – started off strong with some great guitar work and songwriting, but just kind of puttered into mediocrity as time went on. May need to revisit later, but for now I'm feeling pretty meh.
Bee Gees
3/5
An unexpected left-turn by The Bee Gees into narrative rock. Definitely dragged in places, but I appreciate the nerve in going from the brainless fun of ‘Staying Alive’ to an album-long concept-driven journey where each track serves the whole. Need more cool concept LPs on this list, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten one
Billy Bragg
3/5
A surprisingly robust singer-songwriter LP with some instrumental weight behind it. The chorus-heavy guitar and plentiful accompaniment means there’s a good deal of melodic meat and potatoes here to back up and bolster Bragg’s lyricism.
The Strokes
4/5
An LP which exudes effortless lo-fi cool. Julian’s vocals + the great guitar harmonies all wrapped up in warm, fuzzy production makes simple lyrics, instrumentation, and overall tracks feel massive from a sonic standpoint. Not a whole lot of melodic variation going on, but when the core sound and narrative are so locked in that’s hardly an issue.
Dr. Octagon
1/5
Why are the worst albums always the longest? There's an attempt at making some sort of themed narrative throughline here, but no effort is put into making any of the beats or bars interesting. Every musical aspect of the LP feels phoned in and tired, and that's exactly how I felt as a result of listening.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Another Britrock album which somehow manages to lose steam it already didn’t have as the energy slowly peters out over the LP’s length. It’s albums like these that have made me consider taking a break from the project for a week or two - these British throwaway albums are a dime a dozen and I’ve honestly run out of original things to say about them
Emmylou Harris
3/5
A decent singer-songwriterish country effort. Not entirely wowed on the songwriting front (I’d already heard Dolly do ‘Coat of Many Colors’ much more justice a few albums ago), but the vocals were pleasing and the instrumentals well done.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
The domineering final track overshadows one of the only good albums to come out of the 80s. Gabriel’s vocals are stellar, and while the instrumentals retain a certain cheese factor, it comes across as genuine and doesn’t make the album unlistenable.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
What could’ve been a absolute one-hour slog of a country album here is instead raised to a gripping sonic narrative thanks to some of the strongest lyricism I’ve encountered on the list yet. Though there’s a fair share of straight yokel tunes played for laughs, the dark heart at the album’s middle goes straight for some brutally honest evaluations of humanity through a Southern lens. I’m probably right in the target audience given my upbringing in the Bible Belt, but it was still refreshing to hear a genre that’s commonly associated with evangelism and exclusion warped back on itself for what honestly borders on spoken word slam poetry about problems which still plague American society today.
Overlong? Maybe. On the nose? Definitely. But there’s a prescient sense of warning and prophecy wrapped up in this country album, and it’s an intoxicating mix I’ll venture no one else has come close to replicating since.
OutKast
2/5
Not clicking for me – the bars and overall lyricism feels too lackadaisical and repetitive to warrant attention, and the beats feel uninspired and generic. Some fun moments of wordplay or comedy here or there, but most of the LP feels like it's trying too hard to ape the 90s' hip-hop greats without adding any noticeable identity on top.
Adele
2/5
If you were alive in 2011 there was no escaping this one. Adele has killer vocals and can sing the hell out of anything, but unfortunately the music industry has conspired to saturate her music in every aspect of daily life. I did enjoy what songs hadn’t been ruined by repetition already, but noted that the non-single tracks (i.e. those that didn’t break into the mainstream) felt lacking in songwriting power relative to the others. Just a shame, as there are great tracks on here that deserve their (non-forced) moment in the spotlight.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Win Butler being a creep aside, this is an impressive indie effort that unknowingly heralded the genre’s shift into the smoother, radio-friendly anthems of the teens. What the band lacks in dynamism, they make up for in composition and verve – a few lyrics here are cringe to the fullest, but they’re chanted over fun synths/guitars so many times that it’s easy to let it slide. This weakness does poke through a few times, however, when the melody just doesn’t hit right and the tracks drag on beating a dead horse of a chorus. Still, there are some ideas and lines here that show the band getting ahead of (or even defining) the synth-fueled aughts-teens transition. The hypnotic drone of “Sprawl II” (check out the Soulwax remix), pounding urgency of “Ready to Start”, and melancholic paranoia of “We Used to Wait” are only a few of the highs of this album, and they’re lofty enough to wash out the bad and keep me coming back to this LP year after year.
I’m doing my best to put nostalgia aside here and be fair even though I was like, what, 12? when this came out– does anyone else remember the interactive music video webpage for We Used to Wait? Loaded that thing on my Grandma’s computer and crashed it. Good times!
Janet Jackson
2/5
Long, repetitive, and bland - Jackson’s vocals are impressive, but the contortions she puts them through render the point moot. The usual 80s obstacle course arrangement style means the LP feels like a spastic mess that can’t pick a lane as each track bounces off the walls rhythmically. Just another listen that faded into the background rather than grabbing my attention.
Massive Attack
2/5
Outside of the title track this one completely fell off into nothingness. Hard to even write this review now, the tracks were so instrumentally sparse and unidentifiable from one another melodically. This LP needed a massive injection of actual content, outside the rhythm section it seems nobody else really came in the day this was recorded.
4/5
Big ups to Guitar Hero World Tour for introducing me to the Gallaghers' best album by a mile, where raw instrumentals meeting (mostly) inspired wordplay create what is perhaps the only good Brit rock/Britpop album in existence. While the LP definitely suffers from some guilty indulgences in smarmy ballads on the back end, most everything else is perfection. Liam's defiant whine over pounding, overdriven guitars is an unexpectedly powerful combination, and one that pushes several tracks into transcendency ('Some Might Say' is one of my fave tracks of all time for how unbound and free it feels). 'Wonderwall' may get all the credit, but this album is stacked with tracks that (again, mostly) defy the trends of the time to create something perfectly nostalgic but ageless at the same time.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
First encounter with tropicalia on the list, found this LP enjoyable if somewhat homogeneous melodically and instrumentation-wise. Don’t know if any of these tracks will stick with me long, but all of them were an enjoyable listen and that’s usually not the case in my experience.
Meat Loaf
3/5
A campy B-grade horror flick purified and condensed into audio form, including the over-the-top melodrama, cinematic voiceovers, and of course sex with blatantly underage women 🤢
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Maybe it’s the Martha/Snoop memes and resulting cultural saturation, but I’m getting tired of Mr. Dogg’s schtick. ‘Gin and Juice’ is the only notable track on here, and the rest just kind of existed without declaring or demanding much musically.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
All of these red dirt albums are starting to blend together and even use the same tracks reinterpreted through barely-discernible lens. Harris’ voice is great, but I need something a bit different and novel to keep me interested in the genre rather than the same dead horse beaten for the nth time.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
A pleasant listen, but so unmemorable it left my brain by the time I was 30 minutes out from the last track.
Klaxons
4/5
Found this one by way of a Justice live show that sampled the blaring horns from 'Atlantis,' and bumped it a good deal through undergrad. I think this album works pretty well by taking the standard Brit rock template (a big dramatic chorus, narrative building in the verses) and dressing it in abrasive, out-there textures/instrumentation. Not every crashing guitar or electronic element works and some tracks do drag a bit, but there's no denying the absolute forward momentum this LP has as it careens through 36 minutes of maximalist fun.
U2
3/5
An actually enjoyable U2 album that lacks any of the smarminess and complacency that defines much of their back catalog. Appreciated the varied song structures, great minor key melodies, and the Edge’s grittier but still atmospheric guitar work on this one.
Dolly Parton
2/5
Out of the three artists in this Trio, the only one whose work I’ve enjoyed has been Parton’s. It makes sense, then, that I only enjoyed about a third of this album. Dolly can’t write the whole group out of a songwriting rut, and while the vocals are stellar the instrumentation drags and barely changes across the whole runtime.
Jack White
3/5
Before the maxed-out production and extremely loud, over-the-top tracks, Jack White made a nice and simple rock LP that spoke from the heart. This one veers into the neo-Delta blues territory a la The Black Keys, but keeps things distinctly within the Jack White wheelhouse with his signature blend of pitch-shifted guitars and acidic lyricism. Not every track is a winner, but the sheer simplicity and genuineness (especially in the softer acoustic-driven pieces) win major points on heart alone.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Dated and campy in the worst way - not a single one of the musical fads featured here made it outside the 80s, and for good reason. There’s some rhythmic breakdowns later on that drew me in a bit, but they were a day late and a dollar short to overcome the cloying instrumentals and goofy lyricism that dominated most of this LP
The Associates
1/5
The absolute worst that the UK has to offer. Histrionic, tortured vocals on top of bland, homogeneous instrumentals indistinguishable from any other Britpop LP out there. Getting real tired of these, feels like there’s at least two a week when many other albums from the era deserve to be on the list.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Enjoyed the longer prog jams on this one, felt somewhat fresh relative to all the other Rush-era prog LPs I've heard given a different, more rock-oriented perspective. The closing tracks feel a little out of place (tacked on if I had to guess) and make the album more of a mixed bag, but it's still an enjoyable ride overall
Robert Wyatt
3/5
An interesting LP from a new (to me) artist. Not exactly sure the theme is on I jive with, but the tracks are executed well and have some interesting ideas to build on. Things do tend to stay a bit dreary in lower gear (which is perhaps the point), but I can't complain about an overall pleasant listen
k.d. lang
3/5
Liked this better than the first lang album I had on the project – this one feels more confident, a bit more surefooted in its arrangements and style. Appreciated how tracks took typical country standards and played them against differing instrumentation and structures to make something fresh.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
You ever so worked up after trying to murder your band mates with a fire axe that you hit the studio and knock out a full hour of demos, 40 minutes or so of which are actually pretty great for live takes, that your label then releases without your permission?
Kings of Leon
2/5
Surprised at how good some of the guitar lines were on this one, but as others have noted the lead singer sounds like he’s choking on his own tongue and it kind of ruins the vibe 😔
Syd Barrett
3/5
Thought this was going to be an absolute drag given the first track, but once the tempo picked up there was some enjoyable guitar work going on here. Not really an album that will stick with me, but a nice afternoon listen nonetheless
Ryan Adams
2/5
Making a tired, exploitative Americana album right after 9/11 feels slimy and gross, kind of like Ryan Adams
The Triffids
2/5
One of those albums that's just an absolute slog - nothing about the execution (instrumental or vocal) is terrible (in fact I found myself bopping along to a few tracks), but the constant beatdown of cheesy synth timbres and lackluster songwriting grates after the better part of an hour.
The Everly Brothers
4/5
Simple is sometimes all you need – the compositions are solid and well-crafted, the vocals stellar, the emotions genuine, and the production crisp and clean. This album doesn’t need much more to feel effective and lived-in, and while I’m sure it’s been remastered to hell in recent times damn does it sound nice (studio-grade even).
Screaming Trees
1/5
Bitterly disappointed in this one as a Kyuss/QotSA fan. Was expecting grimy, locked-in guitars and just a touch of edge but got derivative, radio-friendly Pearl Jam instead. The whole thing just feels as if it’s aiming for rock radio play with its big swooping ballads and deliberately repetitive vocals. Call it a case of unrealistic expectations, but I was expecting a lot more than this
Kid Rock
1/5
I'm about to wrap up this album and it has some good guitar parts despite the annoying vocals, so I'll give it a two, unless Kid Rock drops a completely unwarranted n-word on a track built solely on harmful racial stereotypes in a weird thematic left-turn for an album that already has a lot of dicey moments. Seems kinda unlikely though
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
A truly resplendent LP, one that makes doing this project worthwhile. The rich acoustic guitar alongside the finely-balanced vox is at once minimal but full, the production expansive but intimate. Once the synths kick in midway through, each track becomes a little miniature explosion of melody for a few minutes, a tiny burst of color that says its piece and goes.
Absolutely wild how modern and progressive this one feels for being released in the 90s - it’s clear how much influence the group has had through the aughts until now for how many ideas here still resonate in today’s indie releases. I’ve neglected Belle&Sebastian up until now, but I’m looking to correct that mistake immediately.
U2
2/5
Another one from U2 that lacks anything resembling a heart or soul. I’ll admit I’m negatively biased towards “One” and “Mysterious Ways” due to death by radio play, but every other track on here is just as guilty of feeling like it was crafted by a focus group for #1 straight line status. The Edge tries to inject some cool and creative guitar tones into the mix, but any kind of creative energy is completely annihilated by Bono and his genetically-modified corporate radio voice that somehow embodies the concept of smarm in sound waves.
DJ Shadow
2/5
Plunderphonics is usually one of my absolute favorite musical experiments out there, hell I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run the Avalanches catalog back to back. This one should’ve been a home run, then, but I found myself getting a bit bored with it due to a lack of personality.
It takes a definite bit of verve to make all these musical pieces line up in a way that’s new and exciting - the glue holding everything together is the character each track receives out of sonic piecemeal. ‘Endtroducing’ lacks any kind of necessary cohesion like this to make it more the sum of its parts. Maybe it’s the rhythmic bent of the samples or the heavy amount of scratching, but this LP reads more as DJ mix than elevated creation. Found myself tuning out after the nth lengthy vocal sample that didn’t contribute anything to the track, and even nodded off in the car for a bit near the end.
Bill Callahan
2/5
All these Callahan albums sound exactly the same and cover the same thematic ground every time, you would think he would at least find something different to write about or a different tuning to try after a while
Paul Weller
2/5
Nothing you haven't heard before, just a tired 70s-era sound transported to a 90s toss-up LP. The only moment of feeling this inspired in me is when one of the melodies sounded like 'Give Me the Beat Boys,' as I really hate that track.
Primal Scream
2/5
Nearly a three, liked several of the tracks more than anything from Screamadelica but none of them meshed well to form an actual statement as an LP. Wish there had been more focus on the synths mixed with the pounding drums and lively guitar, this at times almost felt evocative of proto-Black Moth Super Rainbow and I would've been all over that.
Joe Ely
3/5
Fine album by country standards, wasn't wowed but also didn't hate it and dug a few of the tracks. Perhaps the most median album of the project so far - I have no strong opinions one way or the other
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
I'm not saying <checks notes> Echo and The Bunnymen aren't a significant band, but do they really deserve a whopping 3 spots on the list? Is this really the best music humanity has to offer out of all the albums in the world?
Brian Eno
3/5
A better Eno effort than the last few I’ve received - gets quite spry on uptempo tracks like ‘Lead Hat,’ wish we could see more of that Eno on the list than the ambient snoozers of late.
Stephen Stills
3/5
A much livelier, jammier album than I expected. Some great guitar and overall songwriting on this one, the pervasive rock organ does date it a bit but not enough to detract from an overall good time.
Tim Buckley
2/5
An album that takes itself deeply seriously without knowing what it has to say. The title alone gives away how binary the writing is on this LP, and Buckley pours his heart and soul into each track but it’s a bit questionable what exactly he’s Happy Sad about. Results in 40+ minutes of emotionally confused whiplash as one would expect
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Pretty good by 80s standards, personally. A good mix of instrumentation and super-British vocals that didn’t annoy me too much. Don’t think this one will stick around in memory, but at this point in the project I will gladly take an enjoyable 80s album and not look a gift horse in the mouth.
Genesis
4/5
The vocals: emotional and well-delivered
The melodies: varied and soulful
The drums: https://tinyurl.com/msvu3ddx
In all seriousness, this one surprised me in a great way. Layered and proggy without feeling like a product of its time, as so many other prog bands of the era do. There are times the guitar and drums reminded me heavily of Yes without delving into the more experimental, abstracted side that sometimes lacks an emotional beat.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
A groovier, timelier Joy Division-esque LP. Definitely suffers due to some editorial oversight (most tracks could stand to lose some fat) and not every sonic experiment hits, but there are some great pulsing moments of rhythm and emotional intensity that caught my attention. Can see how someone would absolutely hate this, but it mostly vibed for me.
M.I.A.
2/5
Kinda timely to get a female-fronted rap album with ‘Banana’ as the first track given all the Lizzo allegations that just came out.
Alas, this album isn’t nearly as entertaining as any celebrity drama. Flat, repetitive, and with some disappointingly weak songwriting from M.I.A. that grates with its constant turn to schoolyard-chant style verses. The skits aren’t even skits, just half-formed musical interludes that offer no connective tissue or further meaning to the album. A bit of wasted spot here if you ask me, especially given the much stronger LP from this artist I got much earlier on in the project.
Buck Owens
3/5
An enjoyable early country effort. Definitely biased by my recent trip to Nashville, but the deceptively simple lyrics and honky-tonk instrumentation really speaks to me here in a way that hits much differently than later country efforts (though granted, there was much less original ground to cover later on). This one misses out on a few stars as it definitely loses energy around the midway point and could’ve been paced a bit better, and still doesn’t come up with enough original ideas to fill a mere thirty minutes without repetition.
The xx
3/5
Remember when this dropped as the first post-"In Colour" xx release and it was immediately clear how Jamie was doing 90% of the heavy lifting for the band's musical output. The move toward greater sample usage meant the songs felt fresh, kinetic, and a bit more inspired than those of the band's previous output, and several of these tracks ended up in my heavy rotation.
Looking back, however, it almost feels like this could've been "In Colour 2" and almost suffers for the other band members being there. Romy at least has some great solo moments that feel heartfelt and genuine, but Oliver feels kinda like he's just there to provide the obligatory male vocal and maybe play a cool bass line before going back to playing the root for every single bar. The project had clearly transcended both of them by this point and this one feels almost like an awkward goodbye in recognition of that, especially since everyone went their separate ways following its release. Regardless, it's by far the xx's best album and has some stellar standout tracks.
The Verve
3/5
Surprised by the reviews here as I thought this one was much better than whatever Bittersweet Symphony was off of. Yes, still overly gratuitous when it comes to the draggy ballads and overall track lengths, but there were some good guitar tones and bigger moments that actually worked pretty well.
Arcade Fire
3/5
A greater guitar-driven effort from Arcade Fire I overlooked in favor of their progressively synthier discography that followed. There’s no denying the genuine emotion here, but something felt unsatisfying - my best guess would be how homogeneous the instrumentation and mostly upbeat melodies feel throughout the entire LP, never really throwing any curveballs or even mildly deviating from expectations once the first track is done. This was a decent listen, but just never shifted into a gear that demanded my attention.
2Pac
2/5
Long, tedious, and gratuitous when it comes to extolling 2Pac’s questionable accomplishments and ego. Given how much I’d heard about this guy I was expecting a layered, confrontational LP with something to say, but it seems the best pac’s got is boasting over milquetoast, repetitive beats
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
I would be willing to give this album more credit if it wasn’t clearly James Murphy’s blatant attempt to start his ego and cash machine back up. Breaking a strong hiatus when your band bowed out at its peak is one thing, but going on to play for crypto conferences and packed residences in the middle of COVID is pretty telling of his intentions down the line.
Problematic creator aside, this album can’t decide on its identity - I love the dark, brooding synth tracks in the vein of ‘i used to,’ but for every one of these actual artistic efforts there’s an art-school wannabe song or lyric that just ruins the vibe. Murphy whines all over this thing and honestly should just shut up and let the other band members make music, and the closing track ‘black screen’ ending in a minute of silence is about as subtle as a punch in the face. It feels like there’s a great introspective album in here that could’ve pushed the band in new directions, but it’s so choked out by unnecessary gloss, posturing, and indie pick-me energy that it’s really a mixed bag at best once all is said and done. James Murphy is basically this generation’s Morrissey, and in all the worst ways.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
Played snippets of ‘Chaneleon’ for a marching band show so I’m definitely partial on this one. While the back half does run long for the melodic content it has to share, the two heavy hitters up front are more than loaded with enough bounce and personality to compensate. Not going to be for everybody due to the length, but I greatly enjoyed the 40 minutes of grooves this one provided.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Listened in stereo and didn’t regret it - this is exactly the rough yet lush psychedelia I’ve been craving every time an album comes up on the project with the tag. Swirling and unconventional instrumentals coupled with some gritty bar-room vocals make for a wonderfully spaced LP that clearly earns its cult status - my only complaint is that it was too short!
Aimee Mann
2/5
As apathetic as the title suggests, not much more than standard angsty 90s rock with some slower emotionally-oriented albums thrown in. Mann has some great vocals here and there, but the whole LP feels very unmotivated and lacking in purpose.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Damon Albarn and his mates have a go at being Radiohead, but (spoilers) he’s no Thom Yorke
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Speaks to the diversity of songwriting and skill of the artists here that I was able to make it through this one without feeling fatigued. Wasn’t expecting the more country-esque instrumentation that’s scattered throughout, but aside from that I generally enjoyed what was going on with the arrangements and production. Also impressive that they put 69 songs about the same (already tortured) subject on here and not one covered a similar facet or felt repetitive - loved the exploration of both the good and twisted sides of love and how out of the mold all the takes felt.
Definitely suffers a bit from quantity over quality, but overall this is an impressive piece of work and an art piece in its own right.
The Monkees
3/5
A Monkees album with some kick - they really let it rip with some of the guitar parts here, an unexpected surprise for a band that always seemed keen to stay in the lines instrumentally. Got me wondering what could’ve been if some of these more mainstream 60s bands had indulged in some heavier guitar tones.
Neu!
3/5
An interesting mash of synth and prog. I’m still fairly new to Neu! and didn’t know what to expect, but found myself nodding along to most of this album as it hit some interesting and unexpected grooves. Hate to say it but the instrumentals mostly decimate the tracks with extended vocals, wish the whole thing was pure instrumental flow as that’s where the band seems to find its most inspired songwriting and overall synergy.
Kate Bush
3/5
A welcome relief after hearing ‘Running Up That Hill’ nonstop for the past year. Great to see an artist get weird with it and push the boundaries of what’s expected - not every track works here (the donkey sounds are a questionable choice, I gotta admit) but this is by far one of the most creative LPs I’ve had on this project in a while.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Resplendent, if a little homogeneous. Even if some of the tracks feel similar, if they’re all this well-written and passionately voiced it hardly matters.
The Fall
4/5
Great album that pulls an insane mix of 70s rock, 80s synths, and early 90s grunge into a cohesive firestorm of an LP that works by sheer will alone. Vocals didn’t kill it for me - surprised to see so much whining about them here when they feel like a slightly drunker Ian Curtis at worst. Still, the instrumentation is by far what carries each track, with every song focusing an amalgamation of fuzzed-out guitar and dripping synths into an unholy combo that just works somehow. Even though the more synth-heavy tracks do tend to feel a bit dated, that’s not enough to slow down the momentum - overall, a much more enjoyable LP than I was expecting, especially given the reviews here
Ice Cube
2/5
Some great, incisive bars scattered throughout an album that’s at least 30 minutes too long. Misogyny aside, it’s just hard to take Mr. Cube seriously when his hard-hitting political takedowns sit alongside rhymes about gangster nursery rhymes.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Beat Beck to the punch musically by a hare and by a mile skill-wise. Hits just the right amount of slacker against soloist to yield some arrangements that feel startlingly fresh and prescient. Some of the grooves are not my thing (I hate Beck for a reason after all), but this still managed to beat my expectations and provide a great listen
TV On The Radio
2/5
Don’t understand the critical appeal of this band to begin with, much less this dirge of an LP. The last thing I needed today was TVOTR’s insufferable vocals over ambient drone sludge for an hour, maybe they got tired of pretending to care about writing interesting, dynamic songs.
Björk
3/5
Surprisingly accessible given her other efforts, but maybe that’s just my fatigue from the last round of singles being played constantly at the station. I will give credit to Björk for carving a niche that is unmistakably her own - while hard to nail down, the instrumentation and arrangements she builds on would be recognizable immediately in any context. This LP definitely suffers due to tracks running longer than the ideas that fuel them remain interesting, but for such an out-there album I found myself jamming along decently well. Given the fatigue that comes with listening to 1001 albums (some seemingly identical to one another in their blandness), I appreciate any artist who doesn’t give two fucks about respecting Western arrangements or ideas of what music should be, even if the execution is not always my thing or their name sounds like a lamp from IKEA.
Meat Puppets
4/5
A wild ride through nearly every genre out there - sags a bit in the back half, but man is the front loaded with amazing tracks. Manages to dip its fingers into a bunch of musical pies without feeling too scatterbrained but rather just the right amount. One of those out of left field finds that make the whole project worthwhile, would’ve never found this without getting it here.
Slayer
4/5
\m/_༼;´༎ຶ.̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̨̨̨̨̨̨̨.̸̸̨̨ ༎ຶ༽_\m/
Röyksopp
3/5
As a casual Röyksopp fan this one left me a little high and dry with all their characteristic flair frontloaded info ‘Eple’ and not much else. While enjoyable, the back half was giving low key Boards of Canada vibes, and I think I was hoping for a more upbeat listen today
Van Morrison
2/5
Not badly executed at all, just nothing memorable left with me after a full listen. Could use some stronger instrumental presence or more present lyricism.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Good PJ LP that sits at a nice intersection between her more aggressive songwriting and catchier, radio-friendly side. Can’t say any of these tracks will stick with me, but they’re well-executed and raw so I can’t ask for much more.
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
Expected bland British fare from the album cover, but couldn’t be happier to be proved way off the mark. Can’t believe I’ve never really heard much of these guys when they sit at a clear intersection between early hard rock and indie - at times the tracks felt like a mix between Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Django Django, which wasn’t a crossover I knew I needed until today.
This LP in particular manages to deftly dip its toes into several prominent genres of the time (including some notable shoegaze influence) without dating itself in the process. The back half slumps off with some wandering instrumentals, but even then it’s impossible to deny the strength of the opening gauntlet and most of the tracks on this album. I feel like a broken record here sometimes, but it’s undeniably albums like these that make the project worth the effort.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
I agree with the elevator guy, there’s clearly plenty of artistry and mastery at play here but none of it is thrilling or the least bit engaging at all
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
Rating here is more a matter of taste than execution. No doubting the innovation on this LP when it comes to wordplay and pushing lexical/vocal structures to their limits in artistic ways, just happens that several of these linguistic experiments rubbed me the wrong way. Album also ran a big long - could’ve been much punchier if each track slimmed down a bit.
Moby Grape
3/5
Pleasantly surprised by this short little rocker of an LP. There were times it was evocative of Hendrix, but also had some distinct personality on the more tongue-in-cheek or tender moments. Not sure it’s going to stick with me, but an enjoyable album in the moment for sure.
The Pharcyde
3/5
A bit torn on this one, has some of the better wordplay and bars I’ve heard from a hip-hop LP in a while but the vibe just felt off due to some stale, repetitive subject matter. Reminded me of a less wholesome Tribe Called Quest
Count Basie & His Orchestra
2/5
While a suitable jazz album, it was pretty standard fare overall… nothing that blew me away or warranted the ‘wow’ factor I would expect a jazz album to have to be on this list.
Roni Size
2/5
I was blown away by how hard-hitting the opener’s lyricism was by the end, but that energy quickly fell off into typical 90s dance floor tracks. There have been ~10 albums like this so far on the project and I honestly couldn’t tell the tracks apart if I did a blind listening test.
The Darkness
3/5
Shuddered when I saw this was a glam rock album, but actually maybe enjoyed (?) this one a bit. It leans so far into the bit that it escapes draining pomposity and lands at the far edge of total cheese, and the vocalist's absolutely insane takes and range led to some good laughs. Not sure I would listen to this on the regular, but definitely happy to have my expectations subverted.
808 State
2/5
Given the great band name and slick, minimal cover art, I really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately it was too minimal for its own good - stripped-down drum beats and archaic synths can’t sustain even the short runtime this LP aims for. There’s just something about 90s dance albums that has so irreparably dated them beyond repair and so many are now slogs to get through
The Sonics
3/5
Knew about this one a bit as I was put on to "Have Love Will Travel" by a Radio Soulwax mix nearly a decade ago. The catchiness from that track is inherent across the rest of the LP, and thankfully the short runtime means things feel fresh throughout without getting homogeneous after a while. The vocals did grate on me a bit near the end, but still enjoyed the raucous 60s' vibes on this a good deal.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Usually enjoy the output from this band but it feels like Mascis and Co. are stretching themselves thin here in terms of ideas, just feels oddly noodly and unfocused overall. Usually there's a strong lyrical and instrumental backbone that anchors the band's LPs, but with that missing here the whole experience just feels somewhat aimless and grasping.
The KLF
1/5
Went on a great date with a girl today and I got to talk about the 1001 Album Project, mainly how I was tired of the clear British favoritism towards awful, repetitive albums like this one.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
This LP is at its best when it stays in the uptempo Country ditty territory, so it’s a shame that it chooses to opt for such slow and mournful tracks instead.
The Residents
2/5
I usually like to play devil’s advocate for the lower-rated Avant-garde albums like this one, since the average user here seems to dislike anything that’s remotely outside the realm of a Led Zep/Beatles LP. That being said, I can only advocate for these things if they’re good - this album tested my patience, and despite listening to some of the B-sides even there was not a single melodic shred I could grab on to. I love music that fights back and challenges the listener, but this is toeing the ‘noise’ line of noise rock a bit too hard
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Been waiting for this one! I had a go listening to this a few years ago and was excited to return to it with a more developed ear. Exactly as chaotic, crude, and experimental as I could’ve hoped - not every track lands (I could’ve done with less rambling near the end), but to hear a band in the middle of creative expression and churning out some great riffs along the way is an exceedingly rare experience. A testament to the chaos is how I was able to listen for the full 78 minutes in one sitting, I was intrigued the whole way through (for better or worse) and never thought to take a break. Here’s to challenging, weird music!
The Pogues
3/5
Wanted to like this one more than I actually did - the uptempo shanties were great, but at the end of the day I am not an acoustic guy and the more stripped-down tracks kinda dragged. Fuck the British tho, that I can agree with
John Martyn
2/5
Waiting-in-a-pastel-painted-dentist's-office-in-the-80s-ass album
Alice Cooper
3/5
A fun old-school rock romp, really loved the trebly bass presence throughout. Does feel a bit homogeneous at times, but thankfully its short runtime means the fun doesn’t overstay its welcome too long.
3/5
Also someone who only knew ‘Low Rider’ and was pleasantly surprised by the range here. Could use a bit more depth melodically, but even if things were a bit similar throughout the grooves were good enough to overcome the deficit.
Machito
2/5
It was fine, I guess? Not sure how this is 1001-worthy when it sounds like every other big band LP you could pull out of the dollar bin
Morrissey
2/5
Full of all the snide, sniveling complaining I’d expect from Morrissey. Dude was whining about cancel culture decades ahead of anyone else. Only managed to incentivize myself to finish this one by reading the amazing hate fest of a comments section, giving this LP two stars for giving me some good laughs and the sheer audacity of the things this man has to complain about
Gram Parsons
3/5
Decent classic country album, appreciated the inclusion of the live medleys to give this LP a much-needed kick in the pants tempo/energy-wise
System Of A Down
3/5
Great album from a band I’m still deciding whether I like or not. The musicianship here is insane with the amount of rhythmic tricks and flow the band is able to pull off, but I’m not sure if that’s really my thing at the end of the day.
White Denim
3/5
All I know about White Denim is that they opened for Tame Impala in Chicago sometime in 2012 as Kevin Parker mentions them several times throughout the set on the live album, referring to them as “freakishly good musicians”
I think Kevin is spot-on in his assesment - there are some impressive runs here, and each track has a lot going on melodically without feeling too chaotic. Do think this LP could’ve benefitted from fewer hazy interludes, though, as the tendency here to eschew locked-in rhythms and pounding guitars with hazy synths time and time again is a bit frustrating. Would like to see what’s in this band’s back catalog, this album was promising but needed a more grounded approach in my opinion
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Probably the best of the Stones LPs on here because it keeps things nice and simple instrumentally, and generally respects women lyrically.
3/5
A fun, out of the ordinary LP that offered a welcome deviation from the norm. Wish that as a whole the album could’ve been a bit more grounded in the often stellar guitar and rhythm section rather than the synthy interludes, but for what I expected this was still a great listen.
The Hives
2/5
Definitely a snack food kind of band - great at first, but the more I consumed the less satisfied and kind of sick I felt.
The Dictators
2/5
If you are not Bob or Larry from Veggietales, then I do not want to hear your silly songs. I fucking hate silly songs. By succumbing to silliness, this album has irreparably dated itself, not to mention included off-color humor that hasn’t aged well at all. Get the fuck out of here with this fucking silliness.
The Byrds
2/5
Perhaps the least-focused and engaging Byrds album on the list so far, which is saying something. Running out of things to say about these middle of the road 70s albums, everything’s blending together and it’s hard to put together specific cons other than me just being tired of albums like this.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
The title track is a bop, the whole thing just wears thin after a while. Gets points for being well ahead of its peers at the time, though, and exhibiting musicianship so skilled it seems nearly effortless.
D'Angelo
2/5
The progenitor to modern mumble rap, which is not a title worth holding in my book. There are several tracks where D’Angelo can’t be bothered to do more than say the title and add a few “mhms” and “yeahs” on top, leaving mostly instrumental to listen to. The production is at least decent and the backing tracks even a bit soulful and rich, but the mediocre performance by the star of the show means this one is destined for mediocrity.
Morrissey
3/5
I must begrudgingly admit this is a pretty decent album, but that’s likely due to the lack of lyrical whining on Morrissey’s part. The instrumentals really carry this one and keep it from being a snooze fest, the vocals have just never cut it for me and seem too soft and airy without some solid rock track behind them
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
I like to be a contrarian for the lowest-rated albums here when I can, but I don’t think I have the heart for this one. Definitely the kind of art that’s meant to be in a gallery and viewed from a critical perspective, but music has never been about the ‘art’ for me. Without much context, I can’t really assign any kind of thematic thoughline here, and the tracks themselves vary so wildly there’s little to grab on to. For the time period this is an impressive piece of avant garde experimentation, but much like experimental film where nothing happens I really think this one is leaving me high and dry
George Jones
3/5
Decent country album, nothing really grabbed my attention but it was a pleasant listen all the way through.
Joan Baez
3/5
Not usually a singer-songwriter guy but I found myself enjoying this one. Baez’ voice is oddly powerful for waning so thin sometimes, but carries each track well and provides some beautiful moments. Do wish there was a few more original tracks here rather than a who’s who of vocal covers, but again things are executed finely throughout.
Van Morrison
2/5
An LP with a great deal of energy to draw from given the live recording and more than able backing band. Still, to sustain a mix of mostly rote jazz for nearly 100 minutes would be a challenge for any musician, and Van Morrison’s vocals just aren’t enough to keep this thing chugging along for that span of time.
Simply Red
1/5
More a function of the rough day I’ve had but I’m somewhat saddened at how warped the list selection feels day after day. 900+ albums in and time after time I’m presented with some new British monstrosity of a band that somehow makes the same music as the 500 others before it. I would redo this whole project from scratch if it meant the selection contained exciting, underground albums that deserved the praise and recognition of being in the top 1001 of all time, not whatever this shite is Dimery be damned
Baaba Maal
2/5
Always up for exploring new international genres, but man is this LP long. The sparse instrumentation does no favors when the runtime stretches out over an hour, the initial novelty wearing off quick as each track sounds quite similar.
Incubus
2/5
I’ll always associate this album with the football coach with serious anger issues that I had in middle school who listened to it on repeat, and from what I’ve learned since I really think that’s the target audience here
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Meh - some interesting guitar here and there, but much too bombastic and over the top for what it has to offer melodically/thematically. Was hoping the instrumentation could carry this LP early on, but that too became cluttered and excessive near the end as well.
Bob Dylan
3/5
It’s a Dylan album, thankfully upbeat and not as much of a slog as some others but still not my thing. Feels like this guy’s entire discography is on this list, and while I know he was an impactful figure in music, weren’t there other folks who deserve some of the spots all of these LPs are taking up?
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Definitely getting the Beatles influences on this one, a pleasant listen if somewhat lacking in a personality strong enough to remember at the end of the day.
The Modern Lovers
2/5
When your frontman shows up in a raging drunk to the session waving papers around covered in scribbles of “asshole” and “girlfriend” but you really gotta use the studio time
SAULT
2/5
Reads more liberal arts mixed media final project than actual album. Whenever the instrumentation isn’t covered by an overly long spoken word or soul sample, what’s left is bare-bones synth and drums that’s barely reaching Orbital levels (and I didn’t rate their albums highly earlier on in the project either). Just a weird mix of samples and thin connecting tissue that feels like it was thrown together in GarageBand without much thought to the overall experience.
Another gripe: this album seems to promise a whole treatise on what it means to be Black but only offers platitudes. I feel like if I asked the group what I’m supposed to get out of this album I would be told that “I don’t get it” or “it’s not for me” in the most condescending tones possible. It’s been shown time and time again by artists like Kendrick and RTJ that you can make damn good and catchy as hell music that carries a social message or societal critique in a racial vein.
All in all this album is all looks and no substance, both musically and thematically. Others have said the intended message here before in much more poignant and entertaining ways, so I’m sticking with my impression that SAULT are a gimmick band (see the “limited edition” 99 day album release) who have their heads so far up their own egos to know what good music should be
Spacemen 3
3/5
I’ve always seen Spacemen 3 as the avant-garde dark horse of shoegaze, a group that was well on the fringes of an already esoteric subgenre. The compositions here are challenging and it’s 50/50 whether the melodic payoff is worth the trouble, but when a track hits it comes together in a beautiful way like a tapestry assembling itself in slo-mo. I get why such a patchwork album is getting a tepid reception here, but I found this an interesting listen that pushed boundaries in an exciting way.
The Undertones
3/5
Was expecting another Teenage Kicks-like romp but this was a fun, unexpected detour that showed some great range. Did start to wear thin by the end, but luckily the short tracks meant any melodic missteps were relatively minor and most were pretty fun
MGMT
4/5
A welcome, familiar listen that benefits from peak high school nostalgia, and not at all in a derogatory way. This LP embodies the changeover from the early aughts' garage rock revival by way of The Strokes into the synth-heavy, dance floor hits that would dominate through the early teens. Warbling synths, scraggly vocals, and a healthy dollop of bass way up in the mix come together to form a surprisingly winning combo – one that has aged surprisingly well. Few other albums capture the time period without feeling dated, and given just how 2007 this album reads it feels almost like an eternal time capsule of the era both in production and instrumentation. While the hits certainly make up most of the album's impact, this thing is relatively rock-solid throughout and never cloys or annoys like other prominent artists of the time. The only thing I have to complain about is the whole thing feels much shorter than I remembered, I could drift along on the rolling synths here all day.
Killing Joke
4/5
Stellar album that feels cuttingly raw yet refined, with an exceptional amount of composure and poise for a debut. Also gets points for sounding quite experimental by 80s standards and blurring genre lines to create an almost quasi-metal sound that still lands firmly in post-punk range by ear. I don’t know what was in the water circa the late 70s, but between this band, Joy Division, and several other post-punk pioneers this era produced some outstandingly dark music, shame the whole decade after went mostly to bright, glamorous shit.
Eels
2/5
Promises something above the usual 90s angst-riddled Nirvana wannabe LP before diving headfirst into every trope possible. The opener and few tracks near the beginning felt original and skimmed on the surface of the era without feeling cliched, but terrible songwriting and whiny vocals drag the rest of this album down into a pit it has no hope of escaping.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
Novel experience to hear a band figuring it out as they go. Definitely a scattershot listening experience that drags in places, but the core of the LP’s songwriting and the skilled instrumentation carry this wild ride over the finish line.
The Beta Band
2/5
Spoken word poetry was not really what I was expecting out of this band, some flashes of fun here and there when they verged on being an earlier incarnation of Django Django but the sheer wordiness and banal lyricism crater any interest I may have had here.
Coldcut
3/5
This LP was fine, if a little long. It thrives mainly on its unlimited energy, tapping into a constant but varied rhythmic flow to keep things moving at a pounding tempo. Some of the melodic leitmotifs got old quick, and some tracks were a bit too similar to one another, but I got some good work done while this was on and didn't hate it so by 1001 standards it's solid for sure.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Mercifully short thankfully, nothing inspired or engaging coming out of this one. A weird combo of sometimes country, sometimes showtune takes two of my more challenging genres and doesn’t do much of anything worthwhile with them, and the vocals aren’t doing the whole thing any favors.
Genesis
4/5
Genesis almost never misses - for how long this thing is, the LP never fails to pull new, catchy melodic tricks up until the end and then execute them perfectly courtesy of Collins and company’s breathtaking instrumental skill. The drums fucking pound, the guitar is rock solid without overpowering the softer moments, and the keys are the unsung melodic powerhouse here. Some tracks felt a lil flat, but again for the length it’s amazing how many moments I found myself checking the track because I /knew/ I’d be coming back. Biggest surprise goes to several moments that felt like OK-era Radiohead decades in advance.
Super Furry Animals
1/5
I think this could’ve squeaked out a 2/5 if it stayed in its boring little singer-songwriter lane, treading water in 2000s easy-listening territory. Instead, it veers wildly into art-rock territory with electronic squawks and unjustified genre change-ups that feel less avant-garde than desperate. A fat load of trite nonsense to sit through on the plane, would’ve preferred the dude’s monotone vocals over soft guitar for an hour instead so I could’ve gone to sleep.
The Young Gods
2/5
Actually kinda liked the trippy circus-like French oddness up front, promised something new and different which I’m always down for. Seemed that the creative spirit left after the first track or two, though, as the album ground itself down into a monotonous Grindcore kinda thing? As a whole the LP felt a bit rushed and lacking in direction, disappointing given the jolt of novelty it promises up front.
Björk
2/5
Third Björk album and I can definitively say I don’t get it - the instrumentals hit some notable highs and scratch the experimental itch, but the vocals kill me every time. The repetition, odd rhythmic delivery, just all of it. I get this is her thing but as someone who is an instrumental listener first I just cannot digest what sits on top of some stellar electronic backing tracks.
John Lennon
3/5
Great solo outing from John with an unexpected deal of range. Things get much more experimental and exploratory without the confines of larger band holding Lennon back, and he executes well throughout the album. Does feel a little unfinished in my opinion though, ends somewhat suddenly and the tracks lack the cohesion to form a satisfactory, homogenous LP. Would’ve welcomed a Harrison-style mega album on this one, just feels like there’s so much more to say at the end.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Pivoting your entire act to a different genre just because a remix of one of your tracks got super popular using it is pretty pathetic, but that’s on brand for this band.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Decent album, if not the most memorable thing in the world. While nothing really stood out or wowed me, it’s clear Otis is a talented musician, and a good consistent album is much-needed after some of the schlock I’ve had to weather here lately.
Germs
3/5
A surprisingly lengthy early punk effort, had one of these tracks on rotation in undergrad but hadn’t revisited the whole album in a while. Not every track hits a good melodic groove, but that’s the great thing about punk - just wait a minute or two and you’re off to the races on another track.
Small Faces
2/5
Started off so strong with the monster opening track and then just straight up whimpered and died. Got my hopes up for a lush psychedelic rock LP and now find myself bitter those expectations couldn’t be realized.
Kelela
2/5
What I’m finding with the more modern picks is how cynical I’ve become towards music released in my lifetime. There are some interesting moments here and there on this LP, but it is so painfully obvious what has been put in with an eye for radio play and charting. There’s been a steady homogenization of popular music (indie included), and it’s just sad to see music as a product rather than an expressive art form. The year this released so many other kickass albums dropped that challenged what music could be and broke the mold - is this the best representative album we’ve got?
Soft Machine
2/5
Usually a huge fan of long, sprawling tracks, but I do require some interesting journeys along the way. This LP doesn't have much to share in that department, choosing instead to meander and bump its way through 4 artificially extended tracks that gave been inflated to reach an arbitrary goalpost of 18 minutes each. Just could not grab on to anything this LP was trying serve, which again is a damn shame given how long tracks like these don't come through here often
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Tough one here – Cave's wrenching, unflinching portrayal of grief is something to be commended for its brutal honesty, sheaving a father's raw loss in shimmering synths and instrumentation. As an art piece it's a triumph, but as a piece of music this album did feel about 10-15 minutes too long. The instrumentation is gorgeous and perfectly executed, but 70+ minutes of synths within a narrow melodic vein + spoken word vocals would is a challenge regardless of the subject matter.
I'll be revisiting this one in a clear headspace to take it all in again, as I concede I'm an instrumental listener first and a lyric appreciator second. While I caught glimpses of the narrative Cave was painting throughout the album, the sheer heft of emotion here deserves to be understood and appreciated in full.
Anthrax
3/5
A decent shredder of an album, appreciated a heavy, guitar-oriented album after some lighter fare over the last few months. Fatigue does set in a bit past the 40-minute mark (these guys aren’t really reinventing the melodic wheel from track to track), but for the genre and what it is I was A-OK with throwing this on for a listen today.
Leftfield
1/5
Do you know how many great electronica albums have dropped in the past twenty years? Arca, Kelly Lee Owens, Burial, hell even a deadmau5 or Tiesto album have been more impactful and important than whatever this dated dancefloor shit is. Electronic music is one of my absolute fav genres, yet it's one of my lowest-rated in the project because the representative selection is so godawful.
The Waterboys
2/5
Zips along under the power of its own songwriting before getting bogged down in what seems to be a never-ending parade of already well-worn covers. An edited re-release containing just the original tracks would be a much more compact and powerful listen than the currently bloated form of this LP
Slade
3/5
A much-needed rocker after some more challenging, droll albums this week. Keeps things nice and simple with some solid guitar, keen songwriting, and lyricism that has aged surprisingly well for the era. This straightforward formula does wear a bit thin by the album’s end, but an overabundance of some good meat and potatoes-level rock n’ roll is welcome after the picks I’ve had as of late.
Fever Ray
3/5
While I wasn't a huge fan of the vocals, I did like the instrumentals enough to appreciate the whole effort as a more accessible kind of Björk-lite. Found myself hitting a groove after some initial distaste up front, and I think would be okay coming back for another listen if the circumstances were right. I know Ray gets a bit more experimental and out there on his later releases, and this was a good stepping stone to checking those out.
Black Flag
3/5
Was expecting a mad, frenetic dash to the end on this LP but got some more contemplative moments by punk standards. Great to hear Rollins and co. break up the usual formula with some unexpected rhythmic change-ups and chord progressions that push the punk mold, need to give this one a full relisten though as I wasn’t fully zoned in enough to appreciate.
2/5
It was the song where the frontman kept cheekily spelling out curse words in a hilariously unsubtle attempt to be cutting that reminded me of an episode earlier this year at the community radio station I volunteered at where a 30s-something man couldn't bring himself to say fuck, instead replacing every instance in the song title with a simple 'F.' It was a little sad, but mostly pathetic, an attempt to seem cool and hip well beyond one's prime or when they should have quit long ago. That sums up this album for me, an ending chapter for a band that had long since died an ungraceful death.
Pere Ubu
4/5
The abysmal average rating + the glowing reviews up top here give me the confidence to say something that's been on my mind since I started the project: The top 20 are basically pulled straight from Reddit, right? Like, I think you would struggle to pick a more stereotypically white male selection of albums.
Tastes of the masses well aside, this album rocks in a lane entirely its own. Again, the rating made me expect something wildly experimental and out there, and while the vocals are definitely unique, nothing here grated on me in a way the other bottom 10 albums have. The combination of angular post-punk and free-form electronica is simultaneously discordant yet makes complete sense, the ambling vocals providing a consistently nonsensical glue on top. This is also the rare 'happy' post-punk LP, or at least I got a triumphant, party-like feel from most of the tracks. Most of these albums live in a world of doom and gloom, so to hear the sharp guitars and stilted rhythms of the genre filtered through an upbeat lens felt like a revelation. Just a fun, unique, and wildly individual album, exactly the kind of find I love getting out of this project.
Hot Chip
3/5
As a more recent Hot Chip listener, I was pleasantly surprised by how experimental this felt relative to their usually poppy sound. The instrumentals reminded me of a few Holy Fuck tracks (big plus in my book), but with the vocals on top, this was still very much its own indie pop outing with a definite sense of personality. Do wish the LP was a bit stronger/memorable melodically, but it's going in my library for later relistens which has not been the case for 1001 picks as of late.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
When I was first getting into Hot Snakes, this album came up as an obvious early chapter that I just could not wrap my head around at the time. Following a half-decade of listening to some more abrasive music, this one finally makes sense. Compared to the relatively tamer, more narrative hard rock of Hot Snakes, this LP (and the DLJ project as a whole) was Froberg and Reis' chance to gnash at the teeth and hone the instrumental sound that would come to distinctly define all their projects – there were more than a few moments on this album that made me turn my head in recognition, whether it be a melody, lick, or even something as small as a guitar slide/choke that felt familiar.
That's not to say this earlier effort is lacking compared to what would come after. If anything, this album sees the two Snakes at their purest, rawest, most genuine form. While several of the tracks feel a bit lengthier than justified, not a single one feels inessential to the LP. - this album comes out as well more than the sum of its angry, twisted parts. I understand why sonic assault and more abrasive guitar work may wear on and turn people away, but if you're willing to let John and Rick rage at you for over an hour it all starts to make a twisted, beautiful kind of sense. The raw emotion at play here is immense, and while the statement can be a bit to stomach it's worth the bitter pill it's encapsulated in.
Glad the project brought this one back to my attention for another go-around. I still haven't processed Rick Froberg's death from earlier this year, and I think what that means musically has yet to fully hit me. The world lost an excellent musician (one who wasn't so much ahead of as defining the curve in the hard rock scene), and it saddens me to know we'll never get to hear another thesis from the man who could sound so angry yet carry so much emotion in his music.
Missy Elliott
2/5
If you're going to make an LP that's well over an hour long, it has got to have the energy and instrumental verve to justify that amount of listening time. This album has neither, Missy delivering some half-hearted bars on top of limpid beats that do little to capture one's attention. There were a few tracks where I was mildly interested in what was going on, but that was the extent of my enjoyment on this one.
The Streets
2/5
I really don’t think you could make a more stereotypically British LP (derogatory)
N.E.R.D
3/5
Knew this project was a bit different but it still caught me by surprise. The off-kilter mix of Hip-Hop fundamentals with a heavy dose of pop lyricism/production and the occasional rock beat was enough to keep me genuinely interested for the full runtime. Some tracks did wear their concepts a bit thin, but newer, more boundary-pushing music is what I’ve been asking for with some of the more modern picks on the list.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
Indie music you could hang in an art museum – I am firmly in the more abrasive, uptempo, guitar-driven camp when it comes to music taste, but can't deny my love for this LP and Pecknold's overall work with Fleet Foxes.
Not only can the man compose near-orchestral level tracks that still allow each (beautiful) instrumental to shine through, but his touch for key modulation is some of the best I've ever heard. Every time I've heard a FF song effortlessly shift from triumphant meadow singalong to desolate, wrought fugue and vice vice versa I cannot only believe how effortlessly the band pulls it off, but that I didn't think of it first. There's a ground-level sense of organic creation here, as if Pecknold isn't writing these tracks so much as showing off a cool collection of sounds and ideas he found in the forest. I get the complaints about length and things getting rather abstruse at times (even as a fan I can stomach only so much choir-like singing), but if that's the price of entry it's well worth it just to hear what comes next.
Flamin' Groovies
2/5
Why are the most bland/uninteresting albums the longest? Not sure what the significance of this LP is, especially to merit inclusion here. It's decent blues rock, but I'd wager good money it was far from the first LP to sound this way and there are 100 others out there that are better executed. Only thing I can guess is this is the first recorded example of butt rock, otherwise I've got nothing
The Thrills
2/5
Never finds it own sound outside of the frontman’s whining - there are some promising glimpses here and there, a track that evokes Elliot Smith or shows some Dinosaur Jr. influences, but nothing that coalesces over a very generous runtime. And yeah the vocals are just bad sorry
Garbage
2/5
Too stuck in the 90s for my taste, instrumentals and songwriting just feel dated plus there's the obligatory unneeded breakbeat song. Agree with some of the others here who feel this one is an industry plant – the whole thing just feels a bit lifeless for how much of a spectacle it tries to be.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Haven't had a Funk LP here in a while so I enjoyed this one. Listened too lightly to take in all the lyrical subtext, but the instrumentals were good enough to keep me cruising through the entire (surprisingly short) album. This one didn't reinvent the wheel or blow me away in any respect, but sometimes you just need a good groove and the sense of where to take it to make a good album.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would – definitely a tad too mellow for the runtime, but not to the point where I was bored or lost interest. When the drums do kick in, the LP nails a great blend of emotional electronica (especially for a musical project whose entire thesis was 'big tree dream'). Reminds me of a more electronic Tennis project, and that's a great thing in my book.
Elvis Presley
3/5
A short, succinct rocker which underlies so much more to come. While I’m a little torn on how I feel about Presley taking more than a few Motown staples and using them to rocket to fame, there’s no denying he performs them with the perfect amount of swagger to draw you in. Good to revisit some classics here and tap my toe a bit.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
Much more in the experimental instrumental camp as opposed to experimental vocals – it's clear Newsom can sing and write well, but these expansive Scarborough Fair-esque tracks need a lot more than some good poetry to hold attention for up to 17 minutes at a time. Found myself constantly slipping away and having to bring my attention back to the music given how utterly dull the instrumentals became near the end of several lengthier tracks.
Hole
3/5
A solid rocker that I had some slight familiarity with (mainly the title track) coming in. Do have to say the aforementioned opener sets a high standard that the rest of the album doesn’t live all the way up to (1-2 tracks could be trimmed to make this a tighter and punchier LP), but it still offers a high-quality dose of grunge.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
2nd B&S album here after the excellent ‘Tigermilk ‘ earlier this year. This has been my big 1001 album artist discovery of the year, and I’ve been going through the back catalog but hadn’t listened to this one yet. Some great narrative lyricism and sharp wit per the band’s usual standards, coupled with the simple yet effective twee instrumentals that always manage to reinvent the wheel when it comes to catchy. Had to listen to this one in the car so audio quality wasn’t great and need to revisit it - personally I would’ve swapped this one for ‘Arab Strap’ or ‘Catastrophe Waitress,’ but this band is so consistent it’s a credit that any one of their albums could end up on this list.
Miles Davis
2/5
All for long jazz epics but these really don’t bring enough excitement to the table to justify the runtime. There’s some great flair for mellow jazz here and there, but you have to throw way more spice in to keep things moving over the course of several tens of minutes.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
An interesting art piece, if not exactly my kind of music. I’ve been learning German for a while so I appreciated the language practice, definitely kept me engaged when the instrumentals got much too show-tune. Even though this kind of music is well outside my wheelhouse I did find myself taking more interest than expected, not something I would throw on for easy listening but glad I had the chance to take it in.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
This was pretty dumb and silly, but at least entertaining in a corny way. Amazing how rapidly dated the breakbeat sounds of the 90s became in such a short time frame, hearing the Amen break looped repeatedly as the rhythm track feels like the musical equivalent of discovering a fossil.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Tribe Called Quest/classic hip hop in general has been one of my biggest musical finds from this project, so to hear a group take the ATCQ sound and push it in an entirely different direction was a great surprise today. There’s a heavier preference towards sampling on this LP than other Native Tongue projects, and to hear bits and pieces of the 90s melted down into a rhythmic stew was an absolute delight. Not a lyrics guy so I didn’t listen thoroughly all the way through, but what I did tune in for was a great blend of witty lyricism without the crasser tendencies that tend to drag projects like this down. Hoping there are some more early hip-hop LPs left in the next few months, these always make my day and I’m happy to have stumbled upon the genre here.
Morrissey
3/5
Expected another whine fest, but was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the guitar lines at the start of this one. Morrissey’s vocals are still the weakest part of his own album, and the energy does drop off in the back half, but to not hate on one of this guy’s LPs is already punching well above expectations
Scissor Sisters
3/5
Tough call on this one, definitely something new and exciting given the usual British fare here but a tad too homogenous to land in four-star category. Really enjoyed the defiant, distinctive personality on this LP, and was pleasantly surprised an album this unapologetically queer garnered such strong support. The instrumentals and compositions are quite prescient in retrospect, foreshadowing the MGMT-era indie dance craze of the 2010s. Not sure there’s enough variety to sustain a full-length’s worth of interest, but I still really enjoyed this one and wish more of the Brit selections could be as out there as this one.
Culture Club
1/5
Listening to ‘Karma Chameleon’ for the first time and wondered why everyone would make a fuss over such a busy, repetitive track. Rest of the album nosedived from there into pure 80s excess, with way too much going on and yet nothing meaningful being conveyed. All pomp and no circumstance, should’ve left this back in the awful decade it came from.
The Damned
3/5
Fun, quick little rocker - was hoping for a jam to match the caliber of 'Neat Neat Neat' or something of the like, and while the tracks didn't reach that high a level, they're still great punk songs by any standards.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
A unique LP with energy to spare, and a great sidestep of British musical tropes at the time. Was surprised at how lively and energetic the whole thing felt from the get-go, and while the ordeal starts to wear a bit thin near the end of its runtime, it at least finds a diverse set of melodic paths to get there instead of beating a compositional dead horse throughout.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
Decent garage/hardcore-ish LP with a few fun tracks. Can’t say anything has stuck with me throughout the day, though, and there are far more notable albums from the time period.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Sitting here scratching my head and trying to remember a single melody from this morning’s listen. Just standard Beatles-lite fare (if a bit more saccharine) that drifted through one ear and out the other.
The Zutons
2/5
So disappointed in this one. Felt fresh and exciting from the get-go channeling the early-aughts rock sound I love so much, but once the tempo slows down the whole thing fell into a morass of the worst late-90s ballad schlock. Had things stayed in the uptempo range this was well on its way to a 4, but the whole thing just ended ip testing my patience by the end
Bob Dylan
2/5
Close to 100 days before I finish the project and I’m still getting Dylan albums. The tragedy of this one is I think it would be great if the songs were half the length - there’s some great guitar, and Bob’s voice is tolerable enough to where the basic melodies and compositional ideas work pretty well. It’s when each track goes on for six to seven minutes at a time, a seemingly never-ending purgatory of nasal whine, that my patience was tested. Do that for every track to the tune of an hour and now you’ve just made me mad (but that’s still a better emotion than bored).
R.E.M.
3/5
Only one I’d heard off of here was ‘Stand’ (one of my favorite R.E.M. songs) so I was elated to find an LP full of other great tracks. Appreciate that this album never dips into the dour or sappy tendencies the band has when the tempo slows down, things moved along quickly and the album flowed quite well.
Britney Spears
2/5
Brittany taught me everything I know http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
Lo-fi Beats to Study and Relax To-ass album
The Psychedelic Furs
2/5
Execution was fine instrumentally and there were a few Melodie’s that caught my ear, but nothing stuck with me after the fact. Not bland per se, but not exactly memorable either.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
Interesting punk album with some tricks up its sleeve. I enjoy the genre but often feel albums burn themselves out of meaningful ideas even with sub-30 minute runtimes, but this one had enough in the tank melodically (not to mention thematically) to keep things churning from front to back.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I was all for this one after the perfectly-executed opening track, but the whole LP gradually became more and more gratuitous as it went on. Arcade Fire has always tended towards the bombastic, and it's clear they hadn't yet learned the tasteful moderation that would see 'The Suburbs' succeed. Way too much choir/organ-infused balladry in the middle that makes the whole album feel a bit bloated - cut the fat and this would be an excellent debut.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
This one was less cringe than I was expecting - the religion section was definitely on the nose, but the rest of the album was standard post-punk fare for the era. Does take a bit of patience (I understand those who tapped out here), but if it doesn’t have at least one grating, never-ending track is it really a post-punk LP?
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
What a delightfully odd LP - while it does seem to meander thematically, that definitely fits if we’re aiming for penguin vibes. Some of the more kooky, vaudeville instrumentation tested my patience a bit, but overall this was a wonderfully left-field album I would’ve never found on my own.
Stan Getz
3/5
Fine samba/jazz combo album that makes for an easy, if somewhat dreamy and unengaging listen. Peaks up front with 'Ipanema,' but there are several other great compositions mixed in as well that make this an enjoyable experience overall.
The Mars Volta
4/5
Outside of 'Inertiatic Esp,' I wasn't nearly as familiar with this project as I am with At The Drive-In's discography. Kicking myself for not diving in sooner, as this new iteration takes the latter band's angular guitar work and disjointed narratives to 11, opting for proggier, more symphonic tracks that twist and turn over extended runtimes. The technical proficiency on display is immense, Bixler-Zavala somehow managing to deliver some seriously impressive vocal chops on top of the most precise, laser-sharp guitar I've heard. This LP really shines more in its compositional work, though, crafting a melodic throughline that borders on concept album without tying the songs together irreparably. Not all of the longer tracks' twists and turns felt especially necessary, but the overall journey was still a hell of a ride.
Madonna
2/5
I've not been a fan of most Madonna LPs served up through this project, but at least they had a more cohesive organizing principle than whatever this mess is. Spastic autotune, random Americana covers, twee radio pop interspersed with (questionably executed) dips into other culture's musical themes. Whoever produced this clearly didn't know how to say no to a single coke-addled request from this pop idol, and the end result is just a bizarre mishmash of musical ideas that feels like the auditory equivalent of a home for abandoned children. Gets one extra star for the sheer balls it took to actually release this to the public and the fact it made me question my sanity.
John Grant
4/5
One of those albums that effortlessly walks the line between beautiful and familiar, comical but heartfelt. Biased here as I already enjoyed Midlake's reserved but emotional jams from knowing them as a local band, but coupled with Grant's effortless storytelling and a symphonic punch, their songwriting takes on a new dimension and sounds larger than ever before.
As for Grant, he's one of the rare songwriters who doesn't sound like he's fishing for snaps at the local poetry night. It's crystal clear what the lived experiences channeled here are, but never do they feel forced or insincere. Amazing how this man manages to plumb the depths of depravity and pure human kindness in the same verse, all with the cadence of your buddy you grab a beer with once a week at the local bar. Big props as well for giving this forever-topical treatise on the queer experience some needed outlets as well with the dryest humor known to man - 'Sigourney Weaver' had me dying, and I wish I could say more singer-songwriter albums from this project have elicited the same reaction.
American Music Club
2/5
Such a bland and unengaging LP for one of America's most storied and vivid states. The songwriting and instrumentation never rose above what felt like a hollow murmur, and the vocals left a lot to be desired.
Malcolm McLaren
1/5
From the second I saw this guy was the Sex Pistols’ manager, I knew this would be scummy. A plagiarized pastiche of various cultures that somehow manages to steal without making anything interesting of the loot, an LP that sounds like a world music sampler thrown in a blender - however you slice it, this is not good music or a good look in any way.
Morrissey
2/5
So tired of this man. This is the fourth Morrissey solo album on the project, and even if this one rises above the abysmally low standard of whining and moaning he usually engages in it's still a near-copy of the other LPs. While I'm not a fan of the Smiths, I can admit they were highly influential in the British music scene. That doesn't give Morrissey a free pass for every single one of his miserable albums to be on this list, and it's yet another damning example of the British bias of the (surprise) mostly-British editorial panel putting the 1001 book together.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Like all Sonic Youth albums, this one starts out amazingly headstrong before descending into just a bit too much chaos to break through to four stars. I love this band's sound, instrumentation, and wryly dour yet witty lyricism, but not a single album has escaped the noodle zone. All for chaotic instrumentals, but even I have a limit for how much discordant guitar scratching I can take before the plot is lost.
Sugar
2/5
Husker Du was already pushing the limit of how much 90s rock schmaltz I could be nostalgic for, but this project goes over the limit and still (even twenty years later) feels dated rather than a sentimental relic. Damn shame since some tracks approach a wild mix of R.E.M. melodies with Hum-like wall of sound instrumentation. Could've been an amazing combo if the songwriting wasn't so bland and the tracks didn't ramble on for so long.
Mylo
2/5
Another middling house album that barely even touches lo-fi beats level, providing a few decent tunes but not really reaching for anything beyond background music. It’s clear the editors haven’t dipped their toes into modern electronica given how the most recent albums in the genre stop around the early 2000s, which is disappointing given how electronic music, instrumentation, and the artist scene has flourished and evolved in the two decades since. I get space on the list is coveted, but could we at least boot LPs like this + 1-2 Dylan albums to give someone deserving their due?
Eagles
2/5
I’m feeling eh? Always thought the Eagles sounded like if you took every 70s rock band and averaged them out. Some interesting guitar flourishes here and there, just not feeling this as one of the 1001 best albums of all time ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Queen
3/5
An absolutely refreshing find - I can’t say I’d heard any of these tracks prior to today, so it was nice to hear the classic Queen sound as if for the first time. This LP does come across a bit muted relative to the band’s later discography, but again it’s somewhat novel to hear Freddy and Co. in a different gear. It’s a shame that we as a society have decided to beat Bohemian Rhapsody/Bites the Dust/Killer Queen, etc. within an inch of their life and squeeze any remaining serotonin they may have dry when a more fair-handed look at all of Queen’s albums could’ve spared some fatigue.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Imagine what a shock to the system this was in the mid-80s, a blown-out firestorm of distorted guitar amid a sea of the cheesiest synth pop man has ever produced. Many often credit My Bloody Valentine or Ride as the first shoegazers, but this band truly laid the groundwork by taking well-written rock and pushing the instrumentals to 11. What's so profound here is that the songwriting is similar to many rock bands of the time with a touch of new wave idealism/vocals, but coupled with the wall of roaring sound, each track takes on a hazy, dream-like quality that would become a staple of shoegaze down the line. Jesus and Mary also get big props for being so consistent yet exploratory with their sound, still pumping out LPs today with another one on the way in a few months (a more fun-loving attitude towards making music I wish Kevin Shields would take some notes from).
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Big props to the people here who pointed me in the direction of the original and NOT the re-recording. This was an absolutely resplendent LP, rich in unfamiliar melody and excellent compositions. While my interest did gradually fade over the album’s runtime, I enjoyed the listen as a whole and was glad to get a great non-US/UK listen (something the project could use a whole lot more of).
Pere Ubu
2/5
Not as psyched with this one as I was the funkier, dance-oriented 'Dub Housing.' Starts off with some interesting industrial textures and the classic Pere Ubu experimentation, but starts to lose steam by the third track and never really recovered.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
A different side of Nick Cave, still plumbing the depths of darkness but this time styled as a road-trip/highway album a la Songs for the Deaf. Enjoyed the more uptempo takes on Cave's classic sound, and wished his discography included more selections like this one. My main complaint is, like always, the runtime and editing of certain tracks. I get Cave is trying to do something more cinematic and encompassing, but you could easily scoop out 5 verses from the opener and have a much punchier, shorter track. All in all, one of my faves from Nick so far – definitely see a few tracks popping up in my listening rotation.
Traffic
2/5
Yet another bland 70s' British LP, this time with a bit of organ to hopefully (but not successfully) distinguish it from the glut of other albums of its kind on this list. Technically well-executed, but ultimately forgettable - listened to it yesterday afternoon and can't really remember any melodies or tracks worth remembering over my morning coffee.
Neil Young
3/5
Like most Neil Young albums here it was fine to me. Raised the thought that maybe the list folks were struggling to find 1001 albums at the project’s inception - it seems some artists got their whole discography dumped into the book without question (see: Bob Dylan). I’m not arguing that these artists and their albums aren’t influential, but surely not every Neil Young album was massively groundbreaking enough to warrant inclusion here.
Janis Joplin
3/5
What an album to go out on, Joplin's vocals are unmatched to this day and their sheer power (coupled with genuine delivery and performance) really carry this LP to a sum much greater than its parts. I will say that outside a few choice lyrics I didn't carry much of this one through the day with me, but in the moment it was an incredible listen.
Scritti Politti
2/5
What I will give this album is its choice of instrumentation - the synths are notably distinct in timbre from other LPs of this era, and clearly influence some of the more nostalgic throwback electronica today. However, good instrumentation is worth little without solid melodies, and this album is severely lacking in anything beyond Muzak-level songwriting.
The Avalanches
5/5
Everything is a remix - even as instrumentation evolves in the digital age, most of the melodies, choruses, and overall tracks we hear are interpolating that which came before. Why not, then, simply take the past (3500 pieces of it) and make a pastiche that becomes completely new? While The Avalanches themselves have moved on from plunderphonics in their later releases, the impact of the genre (and mainly this one album if we’re being honest) is still felt today as sampling becomes a larger and larger part of popular music.
This LP is at once accessible and a bit incomprehensible – it’s hard to find footing at first when it comes to genre, rhythm, and feel as the title track builds itself out of the ether. Once you’re locked into the album’s granular logic, though, everything makes sense. Entire rhythm sections appear out of countless constituent pieces, soul samples combine to form a makeshift vocal feature, melodic flourishes repurposed out of random vocal and instrumental bits pop in and out in perfect placement. While each individual track creates its own little world, the album is best experienced as a cohesive musical sea, waves of creatively used samples coming in and out at regular rhythms. While the overarching concept seems a bit loose (tropical heartbreak? Therapy vacation?) compared to The Avalanches' later opus 'Wildflower', it’s still a logically and organically defined world all its own.
I’ve only handed out one 5-star rating for every 100 albums on this project which, by my own admission, is a bit low and harsh on some great musical statements that have been included here. However, a perfect album is a rare thing, much less an LP that redefines what music itself can be. It may seem an odd comparison, but this album reminds me of ‘Loveless’ in how it opened an entirely new frontier in instrumentation. Just like the hazy, extreme guitar on that album redefined what an entire instrument could do, so too did 'Since I Left You’ open the door to building entire worlds out of seemingly disparate pieces, a promise that is only now being made good on with more experimental electronic production. No other album, though, has reached the level the fullness and purely organic wonder this LP set at the turn of the millennium, and I’m simply thankful to live in a world where even one artistic statement of this level exists.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
An enjoyable jazz-driven LP with some funk influences. As with most soundtracks on here, I do think I'm lacking situational context for the tracks which would help mesh them together into a more cohesive whole. That being said, this was a fun change of pace and something I'd be willing to watch Superfly for to understand a bit better
LTJ Bukem
1/5
Have a big project for work due in a few days, so this was the perfect background music I needed to zone out and get things done. No real melodies, lyrics, or content at all really, just straight Ableton presets direct to disk.
The White Stripes
4/5
A more adventurous White Stripes LP with what I believe is the best WS track ('Blue Orchid'). Outside of the pitch-shifted madness, though, this was a big step for the Stripes instrumentation-wise and a preview of Jack White's solo career to come. Lots of varied tempos, track lengths, and marimba make this a lively, breathing LP that's still definitively a Stripes product, just a bit more fluid and out there. Great album, wish we could return to this rock revival era where guitars were cool again.
Kraftwerk
2/5
Usually a Kraftwerk fan but this was way too repetitive and draggy for me. A slight increase in tempo or some more varied melodies outside the central theme could've made this work, but as it is there's just not enough exciting electronic action here.
Traffic
2/5
Starts off with some decent guitar, forgets the instrument exists for about half the album, then picks back up with some notable licks. Feeling ho-hum on this one, maybe it’s my tastes/inclinations but most of the rock from this era feels homogeneous so anything that doesn’t punch above the noise is quickly forgotten
Kings of Leon
2/5
Most of my malice towards this album was driven by radio overplay of ‘Use Somebody’ when the LP first dropped, but overall I just can’t shake the sense this was more lab-grown crossover than genuine artistic statement. There are moments where the instrumentation punches through and offers a shining moment, but most of the album feels so dreamy and lost in a fog that it kind of stumbles forward mindlessly.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
A somewhat darker version of Genesis coming through on this Gabriel solo LP. Starts off a bit murky and uncertain, but once it returns to the usual soundscape of his former band the ideas take on a more realized form that's pretty enjoyable.
Pink Floyd
2/5
I wanted so much from this album when it opened with huge swells of gritty, scuzzy guitar, and was prepared for forty minutes of solid psych rock. Imagine my disappointment when the guitar immediately faded after the opener and the whole LP became a misguided, meandering mess. Some cool studio tricks and tech to note here and there, but you do actually need some melodies and sense of songwriting to make an album work.
Richard Hawley
2/5
Not sure I'm really feeling this modern take on Sinatra/showtunes. The instrumentation was great and had some cool ideas going on, but mostly I found myself wishing I was listening to The Growlers instead. Not enough tempo variation and upbeat oomph to keep this thing going for me, even though there were some moments of beauty here and there.
Brian Eno
1/5
What an absolute waste of time – I don't care if this was the first ambient album or has any historical significance therein, it is elevator music plain and simple.
I have ranted about this at length, but it's immensely disappointing that electronica is one of my lowest-rated genres here when it's one of my absolute faves in real life. The selections are so heavily weighted towards the generic breakbeat and ambient of the 90s that it's a joke, music that hasn't aged well at all. This is the genre that is redefining what music can sound like and truly be through crazy synths, imaginative sampling, and wild instrumental developments, and yet the project thinks this is what matters? Fucking bullshit I say.
Megadeth
3/5
Nice and easy listen today – the comparison to Metallica is inevitable, but dare I say these guys are much more technically skilled. Always love listening to the guitar on Megadeth albums, as they incorporate some interesting rhythms that shake up the usual heavy metal plug and chug. The whole LP does feel a bit homogeneous, but it's certainly not looking to reinvent the wheel and that's okay, so long as the ride is as enjoyable as this one.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Usually a Chem Brothers fan but this one frustrated me. There are some amazingly raw, dirty breaks on here that could've made for an intense LP, but they're sandwiched between so much filler that they feel like a flash in the pan. Spun some of these tracks twice and still couldn't shake that this one is plagued by compositional issues.
David Ackles
3/5
An interesting and lively singer-songwriter LP where nearly every song contains its own small-scale drama. Ackles' passionate delivery makes everything genuine and smooths over some of the cheesiness that would otherwise mar the narrative flow. Could've done without the overtly religious songs, mainly because they detract from the thesis the LP establishes, but otherwise for a singer-songwriter project I like this one a decent amount.
Tim Buckley
2/5
If this could stick to a guitar-focused narrative with perhaps a tad less misogyny it would actually be a decent listen. Alas, it mostly rambles in a pretty TMI fashion and establishes Buckley as a very horny and mind of weird dude
Doves
3/5
This one could've been so much more in my opinion – the opening track bursts onto the scene with an amazing, prescient mix of shoegazy melodies that promises much, but when push comes to shove across the bulk of the LP there's too much early-'00s Britpop influence to make this its own statement. That being said, there are some great tracks on here when Doves stray away from the Coldplay/Oasis sound to one of their own, and I can't knock the technical prowess and forward-thinking instrumentals. Just feels like there's so much unrealized potential on this one!
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
An amazingly laid-back jazz LP that dabbles in both relaxed, easy-going grooves and sharp social commentary. I'm normally an uptempo guy, but the stellar instrumentation around Scott-Heron's soothing baritone was a joy to listen to all the way down to 60 bpm. This album is undeniably a complete artistic statement with vision, chops, and a message to share, and it was such a breath of fresh air to listen to after the hundreds of bloated, commercial LPs that mostly fill this list.
Metallica
2/5
Good idea in theory, but a bit goofy in practice. Not sure who wrote the orchestral accompaniment but it's clear they struggled to find melodic space to insert the orchestra alongside the band – most of the backing vamps or phrases feel tacked on and don't jive with the original song's melody in a way that feels organic rather than forced. When things do click between the band and orchestra, it has the unfortunate effect of feeling like a Final Fantasy boss fight theme or a track made for anime opening credits. I will give this LP credit for being mildly entertaining (I didn't mind listening for the 2+ hours) and having a great mix (it could have sounded a whole lot worse), but again while the idea is good this just does not execute in the way the band wanted it to.
Mj Cole
1/5
Yet another vapid dance floor LP that has aged poorly since the new millennium. Been getting a string of these lately, which makes me feel I should have my electronica rant ready to copy-paste. Needless to say, it's a waste of a slot on the list when so many better electronic albums exist.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Killer vocals on top of well-done instrumentals that provide a great flow while not hogging the spotlight. Still a bit burnt out on 'Rehab' from radio overplay back in the day, and I'm not sure more than a few tracks will stick with me, but there's no denying this is a well-done LP that showcases Winehouse's amazing talent.
The Beta Band
3/5
An odd little LP, felt a bit draggy and unsure in the first half but pulls itself together in the later sections to approach what feels like an even more relaxed Django Django. Wish there had been more cuts similar to 'Out-Side,' as the band really hits their stride on louder, uptempo tracks.
Wild Beasts
3/5
Given the atrocities described in the reviews here, the vocals didn't upset me that much – it's essentially a more extreme version of the husky falsetto Glass Animals would use later down the road. The singing does, however, cloud the album a bit and take center stage over what I think are some amazing and creative instrumentals. Lots of great guitar work and experimental tones going on in the background, but they have to play second fiddle to the vox which are staged front and center in every single track. A little frustrating to have an album sound so good but be one I don't think I want to listen to again. Sitting right at a 2.5 for me so I'm going to be gracious and give it a 3.
Sonic Youth
2/5
In the typical Sonic Youth fashion, this one starts strong but just can’t sustain melodic interest before most of the album falls into homogenous noise. Usually I’m on board with the resulting jams, but this one fixates too hard on its darker thematics and just kind of sinks into murk halfway through.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
Decent but didn’t leave much of an impression at all, there are already so many Smiths albums on the list that a poppier knockoff the sound doesn’t register as anything special.
Stereolab
4/5
The looping repetition won’t be for everyone, but for those who are attuned to Stereolab’s certain brand of jamming this is a home run. Featuring instrumentals that are perfectly evocative of the era without feeling dated, this LP gently winds and unspools in a logical fashion that’s pleasing while packing a few surprises. Maybe it’s the Wurlitzer, maybe it’s Lætitia Sadier‘s assured vocals, but Stereolab has always been a band which evokes a sense of comfort and safety not unlike coming home to family after a long day.
Red Snapper
2/5
In the final 100 album stretch of the project and they saved all the poorly-aged triphop club music for last it seems. This one at least manages to bring some interesting vox and synth timbres into play, but at the end of the day, it still rushes by in a forgettable whirl of standard 90s drum machine presets.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
What is this LP trying to be? It’s pleasantly experimental at first, winding its way through a tasteful swath of orchestra-bolstered singer-songwriter fare that yields some pretty good results. As a natural consequence of its length, however, Wainwright’s journey inevitably loops back over well-tread material one too many times for the album as a whole to end on a happy note. Could’ve been a 3-4 star contender at 40 minutes, but the persistent (and shockingly consistent for the genre) songwriter bloat just leaves a dull, uninspired taste in my mouth.
Stereo MC's
3/5
As a naive child in the early 2000s, I heard the title track quite a bit on local radio and just assumed it was from the 80s given its old-school feel. The LP as a whole has certainly aged better than some of its compatriots, but the crossover component that enables this is also the album’s downfall. Every track sounds like a slight variation of the title track, and at the end of the day I’m scratching my head trying to think of one song that registered with me. Not a bad listen per se, but not really an engaging one either.
Ramones
4/5
As straightforward and punk rock as it gets, if you don't like one song just wait two minutes and it'll change! This was a great shot of adrenaline for where I'm at in the project, and the easy-going cool of the Ramones' execution made for an easy listen. Sometimes all you need is a few chords and 1-2 minutes to just lay it all out there.
GZA
3/5
Some great bars here, even if the accompanying production felt a bit uninspired compared to the vocals’ energy. Prime example of an LP that could’ve benefitted from getting out of its own way - the sampling gets a bit excessive, and the last track feels so heavy-handed and tacked-on that the flow/finale of the album is tainted.
Giant Sand
2/5
A terribly mixed bag – gets more disoriented and unsure of itself as time goes on, stumbling from the discordant to attempts at standard guitar ballads. Unsure of what the aim was here but the whole LP feels jumbled and lacks cohesion, maybe I’m missing an art piece statement but this just sounds aimless.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
A relaxing listen, though I agree with others here that I wish Cooder had less influence over the musical stylings. The LP is at its best exploring non-Western compositions and losing itself in lyrical free-flow as Touré wails away on his guitar, and I could listen all day in the forefront or background.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Surprisingly listenable for a Costello album given the lack of his usual vocal hijinx. That being said, it's still a Costello LP musically and just fails to entertain as a result – the songwriting here is about as average as it gets, and there's not much exciting going on instrumentation-wise to jazz things up. Dare I say Elvis needs to do vocal acrobatics to make his music even somewhat interesting?
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Second draft for this review: Great voice with some decent (if aged) instrumentals. Wish we had gotten more tracks like those in the back half, a more uptempo vocal-centered LP is a welcome addition to a typically sluggish canon
First draft for this review: Joan Arms Trading
The Killers
5/5
As a disclaimer, this one gets pushed into 5-star territory as it's one of my dad's favorite albums and something we would often listen to together during long car rides – definitely thankful I was exposed to relatively modern music for the time interspersed along with The Beatles or Led Zepp as we rode along together. No idea how this one ended up in my father's heavy rotation, but I'm sure glad as hell it did.
That being said, this is a strong contender even without a nostalgia boost. Listening back in 2024, it's amazing how clearly this LP feels like a time machine to the sweaty nightclubs and jaded cynicism of the early aughts. Marrying guitar tones just a tad crunchier than The Strokes with a heavy (but not dated!) synth presence, this is so clearly an indie rock album from 2003 yet feels so timeless and modern even today. Distancing itself just slightly from the indie mainstream of the time with just a touch of glam and the aforementioned synths, the LP manages to evoke the period without feeling tied to the past, a bit of lightning in a bottle that The Killers have unsuccessfully tried to capture again on every preceding album. Perhaps it's the forward-thinking instrumentation, a healthy dose of straight rock guitar married to punchy, trebly basslines pulled from the dancefloor along with the synths. Maybe it's Brandon Flowers' vocal and emotional range, swinging from high to low with a touch of flair a la Mercury (but with tasteful restraint so as to never feel cheesy or ingenuine). Whatever seemingly grab-bag mix of artistry came together to make this LP just /works/, and even if the band never recaptures the grimy energy of the '00s they at least have this gem to point to.
Holger Czukay
3/5
A much-appreciated solo LP from one of the CAN crew that definitely lives within the same vein as its parent project. Doesn’t fall into the trap of most krautrock albums where the tracks run much longer than their noodly hooks and melodies can sustain interest - there was an appropriate jam to length ratio going on for most of the time here, and the instrumentals were interesting enough to keep things moving. Not the most memorable album in the world, but definitely appreciated after a run of 90s breakbeat and British garbage here recently.
The Blue Nile
2/5
An LP where every song contains a declaration of unrequited love made while standing in the pouring rain with a boombox over the singer's head, all set to elevator music. Not my thing really
John Cale
3/5
A decent if somewhat inconsistent LP - had things stayed in the vein of ‘Macbeth’ this would’ve easily been a 4-star rock LP. Definitely a matter of taste but the slower, ballad-like tracks don’t do it for me and seem to gum up the flow of the album. Cale can clearly rock, and I wish he had let loose and done so a bit more here.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Threadbare as most Cohen LPs are, but this one is much shakier in the vocals than his previous albums I’ve listened to here. The whole album felt a bit rickety in a way, and this vocally-driven, instrumentally sparse kind of music is not my cup of tea to begin with.
Louis Prima
3/5
Been a while since I got a fun big-band LP here. Beyond the larger-than-life instrumentation, Prima has a personality that comes through in his lyricism and auditory showmanship. Some of these older LPs tend to sound a little homogeneous, but the almost dramatic styling of the tracks as small skits kept each song feeling fresh and lively in its own way.
Sepultura
4/5
Over 70 minutes of raw, bloody mids from a rabid guitar section + the most guttural throat singing you’ll hear this side of the Himalayas. This was the exact kick in the ass I needed from this project right now, and Sepultura more than delivered. Given its lengthy runtime it’s inevitable that things begin to lean homogeneous when it comes to songwriting, but when the riffs are this heavy and brutal I don’t mind being sonically pummeled for over an hour.
Gotan Project
1/5
Default ringtone collection from the first Android smartphone your mom bought you in 2008
Guided By Voices
4/5
An LP that's simple in execution but manages to hit a wide swath of rock genres, emotions, and reactions effectively. Stumbled upon this album my sophomore year of college, and though 'Game of Pricks' was the standout track for my adolescent depression the whole thing just hit all at once even in piecemeal.
I must shamefully admit that I've never given the whole thing a straight playthrough until today. The smattered, ramshackle tracks can stand on their own but work much more effectively as a train of consciousness recorded straight to tape, and even if a given melody or lyric doesn't work it's quickly swept away and replaced with another in logical sequence. That's not to say there are too many misfires here, most of the instrumentals ramble along in a shockingly workable approximation of harmony that all comes together under the lo-fi production and the melodies are simple but damned effective. Feels almost as if Robert Pollard and crew are having a rager, group therapy session, and intervention all at once on record
Queen Latifah
2/5
Questioning whose album this really is - Latifah has the most airtime, but there are so many features and guest MCs it feels more like a revolving door of who’s who than her own statement LP. Too many bits where she just lets the beat ride without any vox on top as well - the magic of hip-hop is hearing the words and beat meld into something greater than their part, and I definitely felt like I was missing that here
Kings of Leon
2/5
Though the instrumentation is much better than the top-40 friendly soft rock of their later releases, that simply gives the frontman more of the spotlight to show how awful of a vocalist he is. Found myself enjoying some halfway-decent (if not terribly inspired) rock riffs only for Elvis Costello Jr. to come croaking onto the track and ruin the momentum.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
This one held a few surprises - not a pop guy by any means, but the slick production and Aguilera’s bountiful energy carried my interest for much longer than I would’ve thought. The album’s runtime is too long, stretching the songwriting thin in spots throughout, but thankfully Christina’s vocals and adequate instrumentals make this less of a slog than it very well could’ve been.
Supertramp
2/5
While there are some great guitar lines present on this LP, they’re swimming in a sea of 70s indulgence that’s a slog to get through. Copious layers of organ, unnecessarily long track lengths, and a wandering tonal center - it’s 70s alright, just not the good kind.
The Cult
3/5
Just some old-fashioned straight guitar rock and roll. Sometimes dumb, mostly fun, always loud. There are some questionable lyrics here and there that have aged poorly, but these moments are few and far between enough to not detract heavily from the experience.
Pixies
4/5
Perhaps it's just noise to some others, but hearing the absolute chaos this LP encapsulates was a much-needed trip after treading water in the bland monotony of other albums I've had here recently. The loosest of threads holds together what very nearly sounds like a bootleg studio session, but thanks to some searing guitar melodies and Black Francis' inordinate screams there's a clear envelope holding together an organic mess of feedback, chatter, and explosive tracks. Amazing how prescient this LP feels on the cusp of the 90s, eschewing the 80s' gluttonous decadence for raw, organic noise. With grunge right around the corner, it's definitely clear how much of an impact the Pixies had on the genre and era as a whole if they were this early to the game.
Tortoise
3/5
Curveball of an LP that will require a few more listens to parse out my feelings on. Overall, though, I found myself enjoying this slower, more contemplative post-punkish rock even if the LP is a slow burn at parts. The mids-heavy distortion over glassy basslines reminded me of bands like Dismemberment Plan, but stretched out and slowed down to a contemplative pace that felt like its own thing.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
While this was a nice LP to mix things up culturally on what has been an extremely Western-centric project, it was simply too damn long for my taste. The sitar compositions are rich and recorded wonderfully, but even the most beautiful instrumentation would struggle to carry an hour-and-a-half album. The tonal center doesn't deviate much either, meaning things blur together after a while.
Cheap Trick
3/5
It’s fine - as others here have stated this feels a bit too off-the-rails even for a live album, with some noticeably sloppy musicianship as the band hurtles along. That being said, there is a definite infectious energy here, and when the band circles around to their best songwriting efforts (‘Surrender’ will always be a jam) the crowd fervor really elevates the whole thing. The only other major downside here is ‘Want You to Want Me,’ perhaps the most annoying vocal performance of an already annoying song that is a stain on an otherwise good band’s discography. No idea how that’s the breakaway single for this LP, but maybe people in the 80s just loved nasally vocals.
James Brown
3/5
A short and sweet little live LP. The flattened production mutes some of the vibrancy a bit, but it’s a testament to James Brown’s stage presence that this album keeps rolling along at a clip regardless. Some fun crowd interaction here as well, feels organic and genuine unlike some other live LPs that have cropped up on the list.
Dion
2/5
Overlong tracks, cheesy lyrics, gratuitous instrumentals that at once feel too much yet anemic - this man was way ahead of his time making spot-on 80s albums in the 70s.
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
This LP would be much better off if every track dropped a chorus or two - there are some interesting melodic ideas here, but each track feels bloated and as if there’s a runtime minimum Faithfull is stretching to reach. Also wish the Depeche Mode-like instrumentals from the first track had carried through the rest of the album, most of the remaining tracks feel pretty ho-hum instrumentation-wise
Ms. Dynamite
1/5
This one was an uphill battle all the way through, not because it's a terrible album in any sense, but simply because it is so plain and unremarkable as to be boring. The beats sound like default Ableton presets, what little melody there is barely changes track to track, and Ms. Dynamite sounds like she can't be half-assed to show an ounce of excitement on her own LP. This is the album that inspires me to force my way onto the 1001 editorial board and see what madness is going on there, because nobody needs to hear this one before they die.
The Offspring
3/5
A fun, dumb modern punk LP that knows not to take itself too seriously. Could stand to trim some fat given how each song is instrumentally identical, but the searing guitar and wonky vox are distinct enough to carry the whole album through. An enjoyable listen, and completely understandable why so many of the singles here took off given this was perfectly juxtaposed between the early '90s' true grunge phase and the early '00s' commercialized pop punk.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Amazing collection of long-form jams - from the iconic opener to the anthemic closer, the entire band is locked in and churning out rhythms and melodies that still feel creative and fresh today. While there’s a bit of tonal wandering in the middle, this LP is for the most part a hypnotic rock journey, with 6-7 minute tracks passing by in the blink of an eye. Clear to see why this album is so celebrated and cited, even if the individual tracks aren’t the most popular cultural mainstays as other anthems of the time.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
I usually like to play devil’s advocate for the lower-rated LPs on the project, but this one won’t be getting my support. Had a bad morning and this album only made it worse, going from an okay dreamy ambling to a misguided attempt at harmonic noise music. The incessant horns and nonsensical vocals grated on my patience, and I am struggling to see any artistic meaning in such truly awful composition (or simple juxtaposition) of noise here.
Pulp
2/5
The British are interesting people - most folks would be a bit appalled to hear a man who can’t sing be horny on main while chintzy pop instrumentals drone on in the background, but apparently that’s a chart topper across the pond.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
I lived in Sheffield (the UK hometown of both AM and Pulp) for six months, so it's a fun coincidence I got each band's representative album back to back.
With that context, it amazes me to see Pulp trying to shove their South Yorkshire heritage under the rug and pretend to be something they're not – 'Desperate Class' fails as an album because it feels so forced, so desperate to claim some sort of high-class appeal (writ large and subtle as sandpaper in 'Common People'). Perhaps that's why 'Whatever People Say I Am' is such a breath of fresh air - Alex Turner and co. aren't afraid of their upbringing in a steel mill town with the worst team in the Premier League. It's their willingness to lean into the grit, the grime, the mundane day-to-day grind of middle-class living in the early 2000s that makes this LP feel so fresh and genuine two decades on.
The same gnashing guitar tone throughout, solid rock drum beats for days, and Turner's now trademark nasal vox filled with don't-give-a-shit attitude make this a ripper front to back, with some well-executed balladry to add some tonal flavor. That's all that's needed to make this a winner, so it doesn't hurt that the songwriting feels genuine, alive, and real as if these are events/emotions that actually happened. No pageantry, no playing pretend, just life as it is in a mid-size British city with its best days behind it. Sure, Turner may be crooning over spacy art-rock to much larger crowds nowadays, but he and the band have damn well earned it and I doubt Jarvis Cocker could say much of the same.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Substandard arrangements/instrumentals can’t do much to lessen the blow of some cloying vocals here. There’s even a few interpolations of much more popular hits (including this band’s one massive track) that suggests they were trying to lazily recapture the magic and net at least one smash single. Another one for the British favoritism pile, which is unfortunately quite a large fraction of the 1001+ LPs on the project.
Japan
3/5
An interesting LP that hits a nostalgic vein of proto-synthwave. Doesn't feel too dated, but the heavy synthesizer provides a distinct sonic signature and carries some milder songwriting. The more traditional tracks do tend a bit too 80s for my liking, but this was something different from the norm and I enjoyed listening.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
Smoother and more skillful than its mouthful of a title would suggest, this is a nice soul-centric LP with the spotlight firmly focused on D'Arby's powerful vox. The writing is a bit worn (no surprises in the instrumentation or tracks here), but there's a beautiful sense of artistry and genuine emotion that makes this an engaging listen.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Another perfectly executed LP by the Beach Boys, who have some of the best instrumental chops of this era's bands by a long shot. I will say I felt this album had some unrealized potential - the few uptempo tracks show a much different side of the band with some amazing songwriting and tones that I hadn't heard from them before. It was a bit disappointing, then, to hear the album descend back to the usual mid- to ballad-level tempo and put things creatively in park. The slower tracks are still layered with amazing melodies and vocal harmonies, but I just feel there was a moment where it seemed this album was going to re-invent what I knew about the Beach Boys before providing more fo the same.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Credit where credit's due, this one surprised me - Aguilera kept me entertained for over an hour, and while a certain fatigue does set in by the end it was much less than that of other lengthy pop LPs. The big hits definitely shine brightest here (any '00s child will recognize 'Fighter' whether they know it or not), but there was enough interesting production and artistic flourishes to push this above radio-friendly filler. The airtight production does feel a bit sterile by the end, but Aguilera's killer vocals punch through the gloss and offer a more varied, organic element to the album. Pop music can be good actually!
The Cure
2/5
Wanted a whole lot more from this one - liked the spooky, off-kilter ambiance in the instrumentals, but there’s little thematic direction and the LP kind of loses itself. It just ended without much fanfare and I wanted more!
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
Not sure who was doing the songwriting on this one because it sure wasn’t Bruce. The entire LP reeks of studio meddling as Springsteen is ushered through a wild collection of genre attempts with some of the most bland, uncreative lyrics I’ve ever heard. The instrumentals are similarly insipid, sounding like default DAW presets rather than anything inspired. If you’re going to make me sit through an hour+ album at least make it interesting.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
I mean, it’s alright I guess. Even if Timberlake has a voice of silk, this RnB-influenced pop has never been my thing from its early-aughts incarnation here through to the Bruno Mars era of today. This LP feels too glossy, while Justin may dip into the raunchier side lyrically there’s nothing in the instrumentation to latch onto and it all feels quite homogenous by the end. There was a definite period in the 2000s where every artist was putting out hour-long albums, and JT didn’t really need to be among them.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
The start of an indie-rock titan and the genesis of their feisty garage rock sound (which later releases should have stuck with, if we’re being honest). While the tracks are very similar instrumentally, some strong songwriting and forceful vocal hooks give each track a unique identity while serving the album’s overall feel. Wish more of these upstart indie albums made it on here, the 2000-2020 additions seem biased towards rap and hip-hop while leaving out some indie heavy hitters.
The Bees
3/5
An interesting and delightful change of pace here - this is a more recent addition to the project, and it’s great to see some out-there indie that I had never heard of before. Enjoyed the mellow, lo-fi vibes on this one and found myself having a nice relaxing listen with some witty lyricism here and there. Perhaps a touch too mellow to make a distinctive mark, but a great listen nevertheless.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
An interesting 60s albums that feels a bit ahead of its time, even if it’s a mixed bag tonally. The instrumentals are great and really punch above their weight for an early psych rock LP, highlighting some fun melodies with bright, plucky guitar. The main thing working against Paul and his crew here is how the tracks jump from ballads to rockers and back without much cohesion - albums were still a novel concept as an artistic idea instead of a commercial one, but this album does feel a little disjointed as a result. Still a fun listen though!
Saint Etienne
3/5
An interesting LP for sure, clearly irreverent in one hand but focused on groove in the other. I liked the French avant-garde approach here, an assemblage of beats and samples leading into the tracks and making this feel like a found footage reel. Not sure the overall effect works musically given how disjointed some tracks and transitions feel, but I was happy to see where things went on this decidedly French approach to music.
Kanye West
3/5
I think we’re all in agreement that Kanye West rates one star as a person, but it’s hard for me to understand what virtue signaling here about not listening to the album is doing to help anything. You’re not completing the project if you ignore albums you don’t like, and there were plenty of torrents for this album out there. Plenty of albums have controversy surrounding their creators and it’s a cop-out to use that as an excuse - maybe listen to the album and form an opinion first?
That being said, this one is depressing as it’s actually decent and shows how troubled Kanye has become from a somewhat upstanding idealist. The production is creative and has aged flawlessly, and West is perhaps at his best wordplay-wise as he focuses on societal issues and making it on the scene rather than fellating himself. Religion, family, education - there are some weighty topics at play here, and even if the treatment is sometimes juvenile or undercooked, it’s wild to hear Kanye’s debut making 100x more sense than whatever he’s mumbled on his recent (pre-Nazi) projects. A shame that this man doesn’t get the help he clearly needs, as there’s a very clear and righteous voice coming through here that’s been gone for quite a while now.
The Vines
3/5
Dug this LP quite a bit in high school and I think that’s about the level it’s good for. Not a dig in any sense, this is well-executed rock with some fun guitar and appropriately grimy vocals, but at the end of the day it’s more snack food than Michelin star meal.
Scott Walker
2/5
Scott's really singing his heart out here, but it's all a bit too much – they lyrics are overly dramatic for the narrative Walker is trying to tell, the emotion is layed on a bit too thick to be genuine, and while the instrumentals are great every track feels like it's the climax of a different album. There's great talent going into each part of this LP, but it would have come out much better if some restraint had been shown along the way.
Pavement
4/5
Stephen Malkmus' is a love-or-hate kind of songwriter, and while I don't hate other Pavement LPs, his tongue-in-cheek, lackadaisical lyricism really didn't fit the instrumental vibe of those albums. Here, however, something just works - perhaps it's Malkmus' more serious tone, the grittier instrumentals, the darker songwriting. Whatever it is, this edgier version of Pavement stands miles above their previous work. Everything feels raw and exposed like a bleeding wound, the tube screamer guitar serving as a constant mids-heavy beacon in a relatively minimal mix. While I'm slightly biased here (I was put onto this LP by another band's cover of 'In The Mouth A Desert,' my overall fav Pavement track), I wished we had seen more of this side of the band given how hard this album goes.
Eminem
4/5
What to say here that hasn’t already been said - it’s abundantly clear that Mathers is the unrivaled master of wordplay throughout this discography and especially on this LP, twisting rhymes and rhythms in unexpected ways. I almost had to stop working and just listen in fear I would miss out on the lyrical flow, the album near relentlessly wordy over its hour-long runtime. The beats could stand to have a bit more personality, but still suffice to give Eminem’s bars a solid platform to work on (and let’s be real, the production was never going to be the star of the show here). Per usual some lyrics have aged rather poorly, but overall this LP stands up to the test of time much better than some others in the Mathers discography and is still an absolute wonder to listen to.
4/5
The most carefree and fun Beatles LP in my opinion – it's clear the band is simply enjoying themselves on this one, and that spirit more than carries through while listening. Some fun instrumental forays into different genres spice up the usual Beatles sound while staying true to the band's core, and as always the writing is evocative and rich without bogging the songs down. This LP does lack cohesion (that's really the entire concept of this concept album) which makes it a bit of an odd one, but there are some truly beautiful tracks here that range from rollicking to heartbreaking alike. Glad to have this one show up in rotation, especially here near the end of the project - save the best for last!
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Thought this one was fine for what it was, a collection of dancefloor tracks aimed for spinning at the club. Definitely not meant for targeted, full-length listening, but it helped me focus and get some work done as some great background music. Not sure why it's on here outside of a historical reason, but I can't be mad at this LP for doing exactly what it said on the box.
Paul McCartney
3/5
McCartney's solo career has always reflected what a quaint songwriter he is – there are truly some odd little tracks in his discography, and while not all of them work the whole run has been remarkably solid. This first solo LP embodies that spirit, containing an eclectic mix of short ideas, interludes, instrumentals, and anthems that feel like a post-Beatles release of energy. The album could stand to gain some more connective tissue seeing as it feels so piecemeal, but each track has enough ideas or charm to gloss things over slightly and make this a decent listen.
The Coral
2/5
Instrumentally interesting, but runs its one-trick shanty sound into the ground well before its short runtime concludes. The vocals are challenging from the get-go and only get worse as the LP goes on, and the situation isn't helped by some truly brain-dead, repetitive lyricism. An interesting idea and sound overall, but the execution could have been way better.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Crow has a nice rustic voice, but this LP could stand a whole lot less of it – each track runs at least one verse + chorus too long, and even the more interesting melodies started to wear on me. This did well on ‘00s radio with each song in isolation, but taking it in all at once became quite a drag after a while. Definitely needed some stronger instrumentals to back Crow, who sings her heart out but can’t save this bloated LP.
Kraftwerk
3/5
Solid Kraftwerk album, had some nice memorable melodies and decent vocal hooks. These aren’t always the most exciting LPs, but this band was pivotal in bringing electronica to the forefront and it’s fascinating to hear that sea change take shape here.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
This is my last album on the project, so I thought it was fitting that it seemed a gauntlet of a listen at first glance. Two hours later, however, I felt a fitting sense of denouement after so many tracks of lap steel, banjo picking, and twang – I fully get how people would hate listening to this whole thing if it's not your thing, but as a guitar player it was a delight to hear so many different voices, sub-styles, and country influences meld together into a fluid amalgamation. There's a bit of homogeneity, yes, but all the instrumentals here are perfectly executed and organic, flowing forth from a pure sense of camaraderie on behalf of the artists.
Having visited the Opry on a trip to Nashville last year, I felt a deeper appreciation for the tapestry of Americana this era of country music represents - outside of jazz music, hot dogs, and hamburgers, this is one of our only pure American exports. These narratives of heartbreak and violence set to bright, twangy guitars are some of the most genuine artistic products produced in this country, and to get a two-hour sampler was at once both exhausting but refreshing. Happy to get a fitting LP to close the project, now I just have to fill the hole in my life the 1001 generator will leave behind!