My User Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Rip It Off Times New Viking	5	2.2	+2.8
Sunbather Deafheaven	5	2.78	+2.22
Live in San Francisco Thee Oh Sees	5	2.91	+2.09
You'd Prefer an Astronaut Hum	5	3.04	+1.96
Keep It like a Secret Built To Spill	5	3.17	+1.83
MOMENTUM Calibro 35	5	3.18	+1.82
Souvlaki Slowdive	5	3.23	+1.77
GLOW ON Turnstile	5	3.38	+1.62
Pinkerton Weezer	5	3.42	+1.58
Nonagon Infinity King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard	5	3.44	+1.56

Album	You	Global	Diff
Daisies Of The Galaxy Eels	1	3.22	-2.22
Pushin' Against a Stone Valerie June	1	3.17	-2.17
Body Talk Robyn	1	3.16	-2.16
Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 Bruce Springsteen	1	3.11	-2.11
Neon Golden The Notwist	1	3.07	-2.07
Angel Dust Faith No More	1	3	-2
Geography Tom Misch	1	3	-2
Emotion Carly Rae Jepsen	1	2.99	-1.99
Rêver mieux Daniel Bélanger	1	2.97	-1.97
Ruin The Amazing Devil	1	2.94	-1.94

Artist	Albums	Average
Daft Punk	3	4.67

Artist	Albums	Average
The 1975	2	1

Weezer

4/5

Great pick for the list – well before Weezer sold out and became a shadow of their selves, they burst onto the scene with this still LP that still feels fresh and new even today. The instrumentation draws on earlier grunge elements, but the overall feel is decidedly slackerish and goofy, a combo that works amazingly well. Hard guitars against some clever and even dark lyricism fits just right, thanks in part to Matt Sharp, who would leave the band post-Pinkerton and lead to the creative downward spiral that's still happening today. History aside, however, I'm glad Weezer managed to produce both this LP and Pinkerton. Both albums shine bright even today, and there are some anthems here ('Buddy Holly' especially) that feel timeless, instant classics that will stay with pop culture forever.

I Need to Start a Garden

Haley Heynderickx

3/5

Listened to this one a good deal over 2020 and was familiar with the more popular tracks. Those that incorporate a full band have some wonderful arrangements and instrumentation, and Heynderickx's vocals swing from soothing to frenetic to perfectly match whatever the mood may be. I do wish the experimental singer-songwriter streak present in the bigger tracks was consistent throughout the album, but overall this is a solid listen and I hope we get more material from Haley soon!

A Live One

Phish

2/5

You can’t tell me this isn’t the drug-fueled, adult-facing front for The Wiggles

Boys And Girls in America

The Hold Steady

2/5

Not jiving with this one at all, even if ‘80s rock revival was having a moment in the late aughts. The instrumentals sound dated on arrival, and though there are few bright spots in the arrangements creatively, the vocals sink any interest I may have had after that point.

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum

Tally Hall

3/5

A friend introduced me to this band in high school so I knew a few of the tracks here, but I had mostly forgotten the odd little niche this band has embraced with open arms. What you get out of this album depends on your affinity for tongue-in-cheek quirkiness – to me, this LP really toes the line between wit and embarrassing goofiness at times, but overall things work for a majority of the runtime. There are some fun instrumentals to be had, and love them or hate them, there are some clever lyrics here that fit the alt-rock vibe perfectly. While I don’t know if I would return to this as a full album, there are definitely some fun, creative tracks here I added to my library and I had a good amount of fun during my listen.

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Arctic Monkeys

2/5

I remember being disappointed with this one after a few skims on release, and while I have a deeper appreciation for the artistry on a re-listen, it still just doesn't sit right in the Monkeys' catalog for me. Following the massive success of the swaggering rock revival of 'AM,' this LP takes such a sudden left turn into crooner territory that you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a different Alex Turner project entirely. It's not that it's poorly done – the production is smooth and clean, and the instrumentals are perfectly executed. It's more so the stunning lack of the characteristic swagger, snarl, and cocksure attitude that's ever-present throughout Arctic Monkeys catalog, the band seemingly aged overnight and now singing to fellow geriatrics at the nursing home. Artists are allowed (and encouraged in my book!) to take big leaps and departures from their characteristic sound, but this changeover hits so poorly that it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth today.

F♯ A♯ ∞

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

4/5

Thankful to whoever added this to the list, I've wanted to get into Godspeed for some time now but could never quite get Skinny Fists. I definitely feel one has to go into this LP expecting something symphonic – this is not easy listening by any means, and is better enjoyed as an art or performance piece. That being said, there are some great entertaining moments within the epic 15-30 min. long tracks that could exist as songs on their own, yet still contribute to the grand scale Godspeed builds across the entire LP. While I wasn't a huge fan of the 2-3 minute blocks of silence here and there, I have to concede it built a sense of dramatic tension and made sense in context. This isn't an LP one can take in as background music, and I appreciated that – having to sit down and appreciate the scale and detail of what's going on here was a great listening experience, and one I will likely revisit again.

Emotional Mugger

Ty Segall

4/5

Been listening to ‘Manipulator’ a good deal recently so I was stoked to see some more Ty pop up here. I’ve been a fan for over a decade now and this guy just doesn’t miss - each LP is consistently solid, usually stacked with close to an hour of pitch-perfect garage rock, and at this point he’s put out over 30 (40?) releases between his solo career and many, many projects. Hadn’t returned to this LP specifically in a while, so it was more of a blind spot in the discography. Per usual, there are 2-3 tracks that absolutely rock, a majority are pretty good, and 1-2 that I could maybe do without - Segall usually opts for a few more experimental noise tracks on his solo releases and those just didn’t vibe with me here. May sound like a tepid reception on my part, but the standard of Segall excellence is so high that this was still the listening highlight of my day. Ty’s characteristically sludgy yet buzzsaw-like guitar tone has already Pavloved my brain into releasing hella dopamine, and I was more than happy to dive right in as part of my 1001 listening.

Dogrel

Fontaines D.C.

3/5

I have a bad habit of getting super into an artist's recent releases without checking out the rest of their discography. Case in point, 'Skinty Fia' was one of my 2022 albums of the year, but I didn't even bother to listen to the rest of Fontaines D.C.'s albums. Glad this came up, then, as it was great to hear the band in a more exploratory, rock-focused period in their nascent years. The basis of each track is solid modern rock, but there's a certain (and now characteristic) bleak energy the band manages to infuse that makes it feel as if they're accepting the end of the world with a shrug. Maybe it's Grian Chatten's deadpan delivery, or the tight, almost post-punk guitar lines, but in any case, it's a niche that Fontaines have clearly carved for themselves and one they continue to solely occupy. Coupled with the slightly gritty production and constant (but not overwhelming) use of reverb, there's a real sense of space and occupancy that gives this LP a genuine feeling of being lived in day in and day out. Always wild to hear bands burst onto the scene nearly fully formed, and while not every track hits (and there is a certain sense of tonal exhaustion by the end), this was a great listen to understand where the band has built from.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Neutral Milk Hotel

4/5

This LP has become such a staple in the indie scene that I don't know if I can offer any new or novel takes, only my appreciation for the odd little world Jeff Mangum has constructed on this record. It took years for me to hear this album in full and piece together the at-first abstruse thematic elements, and even today I feel there are nooks and crannies here I'm not fully appreciating. Each time I return there's a new detail to uncover or a motif to recognize across the impressively varied (but damn good) instrumentation or songwriting, and each time I leave feeling there's still an idea or easter egg left on the table. Can't say I'm terribly familiar with the rest of Hotel's discography, but knowing the expansive run of Mangum's musical output, I'm thankful that such a densely packed album manages to convey the expressiveness and ideation that defines both his solo and Elephant 6 works without collapsing in on itself. Excellent addition to this list, and yes, an absolute crime it wasn't included to begin with.

Racine carrée

Stromae

2/5

Tough call on this one – while the LP picked up in the back half with better arrangements and varied instrumentals, I can't shake the PTSD of the 2011-2014 EDM period that this invokes in me. The front half especially leans hard into synth presets that defined (for better but mostly worse) the techno revival of the early 'teens and felt a bit flat songwriting-wise. Later tracks like 'Formidable' are beautiful and carry a quiet strength, but aren't enough to outweigh an album that's perhaps a bit overstuffed with dated content.

Control

Pedro The Lion

3/5

I've been somewhat willfully ignorant of this band ever since they seemed like another bland singer-songwriter addition to Polyvinyl Records' stellar lineup of artists. Joke's on me then – this was a super-surprising LP with some interesting songwriter takes on post-punk. While not wholly memorable, this album gave me some novel takes on the standard post-punk angular guitars meeting some softer, more abstruse vocals. I need to take a re-listen to collect some of my standout faves, but overall I was happy someone added this so I could stop being a contrarian and give this band a listen.

Vedergällningen

Garmarna

3/5

An interesting set of Swedish takes on a whole gamut of genres. Not exactly what I was expecting, but an eye-opener to some new musical styles. Even if the LP wasn't my thing musically, its addition to the list here embodies the exploratory spirit of what the 1001 project should be so I'm giving it extra props.

Piledriver

Status Quo

2/5

All of the Youtube comments for the tracks on this LP seem to be Boomers talking about drinking wine and rocking out to this album, and that about sums it up – dated, guitar-noodling blues rock for old people.

Rêver mieux

Daniel Bélanger

1/5

This LP commits the cardinal sin of media in that it's boring, through and through. I don't care if the gentle, lulling guitar is well done, or that the touch of synths adds a dimension to the instrumentation – this is a flat, one-dimensional hour of a French man gently talking over what amounts to default iMovie backing tracks. I can understand why someone would enjoy this, but I can't do so myself.

Oncle Jazz

Men I Trust

3/5

Listened to a few of this band's tracks before, but was put off largely by what I felt to be a massive wave of overrated hype. Now that the craze has subsided, it was nice to come back with a fresh mindset and finally give this a full listen. These guys are undoubtedly masters of their craft – the instrumentation flows freely and organically, a dynamic contradiction to how difficult this type of music is to write and play well. The songwriting pops, and while the tracks do start to blend together on the back half of this 70-minute sprawl, there's never a dull moment or wrong turn to be had. My only complaint would be that there's too much good music on this LP – it's fun to hear different themes and motifs revisited across the album's span, but cutting some fat and getting this down to a 40-minute runtime would've made it that more punchy and powerful.

Nuyorican Soul

2/5

Enjoyed the Afro-jazz fusion going on here for a while, but then the album kept going... and going... and going. Definitely a function of my personal tastes here, as the instrumentation is airtight and the arrangements at least somewhat varied throughout. However, there just wasn't enough variance to sustain the whole runtime for me and I was checking out there at the end.

22, A Million

Bon Iver

3/5

My first full-length Bon Iver listen, and I fully get the hype. This is a wondrous, expansive LP that strives to push boundaries and break things, misusing production techniques to create some truly clever tracks. This does, however, lead to a certain sense of emotional sterility – the LP reads more as a museum art piece than an album I'd put on to fully listen to for the emotional response. I know Iver's other works have soul in spades, so it's a shame this collection of tracks doesn't quite read that intimately. That said, however, this is still an amazingly cool work of art and one I could see myself returning to when the vibes are just right.

Enema Of The State

blink-182

3/5

This LP stands on a strong basis of fun (if somewhat repetitive) pop-punk tracks, but what elevates it to classic territory is the more involved songwriting efforts – "All The Small Things," "Adam's Song," and "Age Again?" are the beating heart of this album, serious narratives wrapped in a deceptive gauze of power chords and feedback. A few more of these tracks could have done the album well (it still feels a little off-balance in favor of somewhat generic filler), but the sheer popularity and staying power of the core classics here means this is a notable listen and a great addition to the list.

Because the Internet

Childish Gambino

4/5

Huge unforced error on my part not to listen to this whole LP - bumped '3005' all the time back in high school, but foolishly neglected the rest of the album. This is the closest I've come to giving an LP 5 stars on my first listen, mainly for the outstanding electronic production that makes this album's beats sound fresh even a decade later. The melodies are strong and memorable, the drums aggressive and punchy, and the synth choices attention-grabbing without distracting from Gambino's involved flows. I could easily listen to this album as an instrumental version and rock out, which stands in contrast to other rappers' beats which often skew heavily rhythmic and sometimes forgettable. If I did that, though, I'd be missing out on Glover's perfect wordplay. There were times during my listen yesterday that I had to stop working and just listen to the lyrics in fear I'd missed some small nuance or slight of hand that was crucial to the story Gambino was telling. There are so many lexical nooks and crannies in the flows here that one could easily get overwhelmed, but Glover has no problem firing off info at a crisp machine-gun pace before hitting rapid changeups and mirroring the sketch voices of rap's glory days. Each verse has clearly been thought out and planned to the smallest syllable, but Donald makes them sound effortless and casual even when he's hitting the more acerbic, spitting verses (i.e., the entirety of 'Sweatpants'). The only thing keeping this album from perfection (to me) is the quieter, less demanding final third that fails to live up to the high standard of what precedes it. That being said, the whole album is still an absolute joy to listen to in full, thanks in part to the artistic attention to detail that's been so thoroughly paid to each and every granule of the production space. Top to bottom (or vocals to beats), this thing is a densely constructed piece of art that rewards listeners for paying attention and taking notes while maintaining an overwhelming sense of carelessness and fun – if that isn't good music, then what the hell is?

The Lion's Roar

First Aid Kit

2/5

This LP is well-executed instrumentally and organizationally, with some great Americana singer-songwriter instrumentation and compositions. That being said, this is one of my least favorite genres, and while it's perhaps a stellar treatment of the material there's just no accounting for taste.

Lahai

Sampha

1/5

Not sure what it is but every one of this guy's vocals sounds whiny and pleading. Couple that with some mostly generic ambient music in the background, and this was an absolute struggle of a listen. Also, this came out a little over 6 months ago – maybe allow critical reception to cool first before adding it to a list of all-time albums? Just a thought.

Discosis

Bran Van 3000

2/5

I was vibing with this early-aughts mix of electrofunk for a while, but 70 minutes of club music is a tall order for any artist to pull off – as the LP went on, even the curveball instrumentation between tracks wasn't enough to sustain interest for the whole runtime, and the bargain-bin songwriting in the lyrics certainly didn't help.

Tomb

Angelo De Augustine

2/5

Sufjan-lite was exactly what I thought the second the vocals kicked in, and others hear seemed to have the same impression. The compositions are quite rich, and the production feels like you're right there with Augustine around some cozy campfire while he strums his guitar. The songwriting does leave something to be desired, however, as the LP starts feeling a bit repetitive not even halfway in – variation in tempo, dynamics, or vocal delivery could've saved my interest, but I found myself wanting to leave this campfire for a good while.

Come And Get It

Rachel Stevens

3/5

A fun bubblegum pop LP to mix things up a bit – ran a bit long for its melodic content, but was a mostly fun listen that was evocative of what I heard on the radio while growing up. Fun to see everyone's different tastes here, even if I don't like every single album it's much more varied and exploratory than the canon 1001 list.

Madvillainy

Madvillain

3/5

Been meaning to listen to this one for a while, and it (mostly) didn’t disappoint. Madlib’s bars flow over MF DOOM’s tapestry-like beats, the airtight production meaning not a single note, sample, or beat goes unnoticed. My main complaint here is that I wanted more out of each track – there are some amazing melodies here that get going only to end abruptly right when the flow was hitting. Coupled with the fact there are some 20-30 second expositional samples on a good amount of the songs, it’s almost like the heavy-hitting portions end before they’ve even begun.

Game of Fools

Koritni

3/5

Pretty standard hard rock release, but that's not a bad thing at all. Definitely needed an injection of distorted guitar this week, and the usual arrangements and lyrics got my head bobbing and kept me entertained which is all I can ask for.

Nonagon Infinity

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

5/5

NPR is responsible for introducing me to the Gizzverse - they had this LP streaming on their website, and I couldn’t ignore the band name, so I gave it a listen. Thus was my introduction to King Gizz and their distinctive brand of fucking insanity. As far as gimmicks go, the endless loop album has definitely been done before. What makes Gizz’s attempt so memorable is how relentless the entire 41 minute run is. Even in its gentler moments, the album has at least one out of the seven band members playing their ass off on any given instrumental. These moments, however, are more the exception than the rule – usually all 7 Lizard Wizards are going at once, helmed by Stu Mackenzie’s inspired yipping on top of a massive slate of guitar and double drums. Couple this in with some simple but catchy garage-rock songwriting, and each track is left with a distinct personality plus some insanely good riffs. Of course, it’s the sum of the parts that makes this such a great LP. I’ve always been a fan of artists bleeding tracks into one another, and KG pulls that off flawlessly here. Even better is the use of consistent motifs outside the track they star in, almost as a short intro or easter egg for what’s coming down the line. The whole album thus feels remarkably solid and consistent, a canon in itself. It’s a remarkably satisfying listen that at once is a whole meal in itself while leaving you itching for another loop – a record store in Chicago had this LP’s genre listed only as “fucking incredible,” and I think that’s a fitting accolade all in all.

A City Dressed In Dynamite

That Handsome Devil

2/5

Frustrating LP – some creative, fun, and insanely layered instrumentals going on that deserve a fitting vocal line, but instead, get Tom Waits 2.0 for over 50 minutes. I have never understood why people enjoy this style of singing (it gets right on my nerves and just plain irritates me) and I was disappointed that such great instrumentals had to sit beneath it. All a matter of taste I suppose, but I for one think we should leave Tom Waits and his questionable vocals in the past where he belongs.

Sublime

3/5

Forgot how many classics originated from this one LP until they kept coming one after the other. The band’s distinctive reggae-punk fusion is at its peak here, infectious and melodic as a sense of carefree wonder meets some heavier instrumentals. You know it’s an effective blend when my father (your standard white dude) feels compelled to belt out ‘Santeria’ every time it comes on rock radio in the car. The highs are definitely high here, but given its runtime the LP does drag a bit later on as not all of the tracks can sustain the wildly impressive first half. Still a great album though, and a worthy addition that should be on the official 1001 if we’re being honest

Bloody Kisses

Type O Negative

2/5

Knew about these guys but thought they were heavy metal and definitely missed out on the goth part. There's some interesting instrumentation going on here, and I enjoyed a good deal of the arrangements, but man this thing is long – didn't look at the runtime before it started, and it just felt like it kept going and going without end. As a result, things get a bit tiring by the midpoint (which could've made a decent LP all in itself) and become an absolute slog by the end. The theatrics were fun at first, but really wore me down and made me tired of listening.

Nurture

Porter Robinson

3/5

Tough call here - on its own, I do enjoy this LP and the complete, calming world it builds across an extended runtime. In the context of Robinson’s discography, however, this was a huge letdown after the triumph of 2014’s ‘Worlds,’ an LP that lived up to its title with some of the most well-defined, expansive tracks of IDM/electronica at the time. Artists are free to change and experiment, and I love it when they do. However, given the wait between ‘Worlds’ and ‘Nurture,’ I expected so much more from the latter LP and felt a little disappointed when the world it built felt so insular and small. Additionally, the instrumentation is relatively homogeneous and the sampling near-nonexistent. It’s still airtight and solidly built, just lacking in scale and verve. Perhaps I’m just completely missing the point here, or am just feeling the results of my own inability to chill out with this chill-out album. Just wanted so much more from this one in the context of Porter’s body of work!

Apostrophe(')

Frank Zappa

3/5

A standard Zappa LP - some good ones, some bad ones, all of the tracks equally odd in their own way. Really enjoyed the guitar work here, wish some of the lyrics were a bit more serious to complement the instrumentals but that’s asking a lot given the territory.

The Best of The Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings

Louis Armstrong

3/5

I can only echo what others have said here in that it's an absolute crime there was no Armstrong on the official list – really highlights the UK bias of the project that a fundamental jazz great was excluded in place of several flash-in-the-pan Britpop bands. Nearly an hour of oldies was a bit longer than I would've liked to listen, but there's no denying the masterclass Armstrong puts on here.

A1A

Jimmy Buffett

3/5

RIP Jimmy - this was such a relaxing listen, an LP that couldn’t give a fuck about what’s going on in the world so long as it has a beer in hand in the beach. Great prominent guitar, good melodies, and that characteristic sense of chill. Not the most memorable or dynamic songwriting in the world, but a great listen nonetheless.

Korn

2/5

While the production here is commendable, this band’s music has always felt homogenous and sludgy in an unappealing way. Even with the wrenchingly honest lyricism from the frontman on the final track, the LP just felt as if it lurched from one mids-drowned riff to another without much distinction.

Continuum

John Mayer

2/5

John Mayer can certainly play the guitar, but the songwriting here is so inoffensive and bland that the instrumentals hardly matter. I certainly don’t miss this radio-friendly soft rock era of the early aughts, as it’s so common denominator focused that every track becomes a similar brand of melodic mush designed to be just pleasing enough to be memorable but not so bold as to be offensive. This LP deserves to be forgotten - the list is supposed to be a collection of artistry and creativity, not the place of mainstream mediocrity.

Night Drive

Chromatics

3/5

Love me some Chromatics, even if this isn’t their best work (check ‘Cherry’ for what I think is their personal opus). This one drags a tad too much for four-star territory, but it’s still got the classic synthwave stylings and luscious, 80s-esque production that the band made into their own personal style. Not as strong melodically as their other works, but it contains some of my fav tracks from the band - ‘Tick of the Clock’ is a nervy masterpiece, and my first intro to the band courtesy of Hotline Miami.

1, 2, Kung Fu!

Boy Azooga

4/5

Really enjoyed this pick, a mix of things old and new that felt fresh, creative, and inspired. This is what the main 1001 canon should have been focused on, albums that mixed things up and pushed genre boundaries while still being instrumentally strong and actually enjoyable to listen to.

Frosting On The Beater

The Posies

3/5

Decent power-pop LP that sits a bit outside the norm of what was on the main 1001 list. Runs a bit long and gets a bit homogenous at the end, but again there was a distinct lack of some 90s flash-in-the-pan genres on the main list (in favor of breakbeat and triphop??) and it’s good to see some more picks from the decade here.

The Black Parade

My Chemical Romance

4/5

An LP synonymous with the aughts – I may have been a goody two-shoes non-emo kid in middle school at the time, but even I felt the impact from this album. This is my first time listening in full, but about twice a year I turn on ‘Black Parade’ to jam out so I already knew the melodic gist and band. After a full run-through, I get the hype. The band has a very strong sense of melody, and nearly every guitar line/vocal blast is harmonized which makes everything feel rich and full. The songwriting is about what you would expect for an emo album of the time, but there are enough left hooks (the triumphant ‘Parade,’ the stomping ‘Teenagers,’ etc.) to make this LP distinctly unique to MCR and the sound they were establishing. Not every track breaks the emo-pop mold, but with Gerard Way’s cutting, distinctive vocals at the helm and some massive power chords behind him that’s about all the band needs to write a classic here.

I And Love And You

The Avett Brothers

2/5

This LP can’t decide what it wants to be - starts off straight singer-songwriter folk, attempts poor pop renditions, zigzags back to folk, etc. All of it feels so bland and boring, and reaching for something it’s not.

Blue Is The Colour

The Beautiful South

2/5

Some of the odder lyricism and songwriting I've heard from an album here – at first intriguing, but things became much too amorphous and disparate as the LP progressed for there to be much of an artistic statement. Not sure what this band is trying to convey or affect here, and I think I was more confused at the album's end than before I had even begun.

A Salty Dog

Procol Harum

3/5

Never heard of this band, but I enjoyed the combination of Tropicalia meets 60s-esque rock. Didn't drag or overstay its welcome and felt fresh relative to some other contributions from the decade, so a good listen all in all.

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera

3/5

The Beatles meets Jon Spencer’s Blues Explosion in the best way possible. Felt a bit long for the ideas it had to share, but still a great take on older rock that felt new to me.

Blink-182

blink-182

2/5

A fun LP, but feels a bit less inspired after a first introduction to the band through Enema. This is more straight pop punk, which is enjoyable for a while but wears a bit thin by the end of the album’s surprisingly long runtime

Misplaced Childhood

Marillion

2/5

Big soaring prog rock that’s trying so hard to be Genesis but ends up feeling goofy and boring in the process.

Nail

Scraping Foetus off the Wheel

1/5

Not a fan of this LP, which somehow thinks Tom Waits vocals meets dated industrial instrumentation is a good combo. I'm all for musical abrasion, but this is more noise for noise's sake than anything artistic or meaningful.

Dimanche à Bamako

Amadou & Mariam

3/5

An exciting African LP that combines the best of old and new – I was excited from the get-go to hear some traditional African scales filtered through a lo-fi Chorus pedal. This is a fun listen, I just wish it could cut loose a bit more – the guitar here is great, and some tracks sit in neutral for a bit.

St. Jude

Courteeners

2/5

We have Arctic Monkeys at home

King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown

King Tubby

4/5

I was previously aware of Dub from various electronic samples here and there, but had never given a full LP a listen until now. Clearly I've been missing out – the warped and twisted alleyways this album took its tracks down was right in my wheelhouse. Loved the ethereal, hazy sense the chopped rhythms and punchy guitars produced, and the vocals wandered in and out to only further the sense of a trip gone horribly right. Big ups for adding this one to the list, I've already come back to this one a few times and see it hitting my heavy rotation.

10,000 gecs

100 gecs

2/5

I was a big fan of 1,000 gecs for its new, everything-at-the-wall take on hyperpop. The joke is much less funny the second time around, though – there are some shining moments, samples, and memories here for sure, but the middle section feels underbaked and tired, almost as if the band is grasping at ideas. There's barely enough to support a scant 26 minutes, and given the time it took to come out I wonder how long the band can keep up the jest.

Relatives in Descent

Protomartyr

4/5

Big ups to whoever put some Protomartyr on the list. While this is definitely the band's most consistent LP, their entire discography is amazing – led by Joe Casey's trademark vocals and a distinctive post-punk sound, this outfit has created an unmistakable sonic signature that stands out among a crowded field. I'd listened to most of these tracks in isolation, but they really come together as a full LP. There's an innate sense of isolation and ruin, of things lost and left behind. It's amazing how evocative the songwriting is with just a little reverb guitar, simple pounding melodies, and of course Casey preaching/droning on top. Excellent album and a perfect addition to the more modern 1001 canon.

I Am

Earth, Wind & Fire

2/5

These guys definitely know how to write a harmony, but the songwriting felt so repetitious and homogeneous that even the beautiful vocals felt tiring after a while. Stretches much longer than its 37 minutes, a telling sign of how lacking in dynamics this one is for all its instrumental richness.

The Hazards of Love

The Decemberists

3/5

An epic that I'm not quite sure I fully get on first listen – this is an expansive, sprawling album that deserved much more attention than I could give it today, though I already picked up on the superb melodic motifs gluing the whole project together. This is an LP that weaves its narrative in words, and there's a whole lot of them here – while I picked up on some of the story occurring throughout, I'm sure the album feels much more cohesive once the story falls into place. Leaving this here as an initial voucher for the great instrumentation (somewhat shanty-esque at points) and melodies, with a rider that I'll be returning to give this a deeper listen.

After Hours

The Weeknd

2/5

First go at a full Weeknd LP and I left feeling unsatisfied. There's an immense amount of effort poured into the production here, with not a single synth out of place in the airtight but expansive soundstage that most of the tracks live in. However, all that works means nothing when the instrumentals feel limp and uninspired, aggressive synth stabs making short appearances only to be replaced by pretty basic melodic placeholders. Abel sounds bored and like he can't be half-assed to pour any real emotion into his vocals, and it makes sense when the lyrics are thinner and less imaginative than a piece of toilet paper. Just a frustrating LP overall – it's clear Tesfaye wanted to build something massive here, but the end product feels empty and sterile due to his lack of follow-through.

When Smoke Rises

Mustafa

2/5

Way too soft-spoken and timid to leave a mark. Most of the instrumentals are relatively unexciting, and while Mustafa’s voice is amazing, the lack of dynamics means the whole album passes by like a soft whisper.

Before These Crowded Streets

Dave Matthews Band

2/5

About as exciting and pleasurable a Dave Matthew's Band experience as those Chicago tourists got in 2004.

Forced Witness

Alex Cameron

2/5

Wanted to like this one but it just didn’t leave a mark – the arrangements feel dated and unoriginal, and while Cameron alludes to many genres in the instrumentation, none of them really stick and the whole thing ends up feeling a bit lost for a core sound.

Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides

SOPHIE

3/5

This dominated the indie scene back when it dropped around 2018, and I somehow missed giving it a listen. There’s an immense amount of world building going on here, with some creative production and massive instrumentals creating a real sense of organic space. I do wish the connective tissue were a bit stronger (it feels a bit disjointed and amorphous in parts), but as an experience it was well worth the trip.

Stranger In Town

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

3/5

Amazed at how many classics were on here, some that I hadn’t heard in ages but still knew were impactful. While a bit samey throughout instrumentation-wise, this LP does classic rock well with a good mix of moods and a whole heap of soul from Seger. A fun listen and a good addition to the list.

Silent Alarm

Bloc Party

3/5

An amazing early-aughts fusion of dance, hard rock, and indie that hasn’t been replicated since. The Strokes-like angular guitar licks, harder focus, and urgent lyricism make this LP feel immediate and fresh even today, and it still occupies a unique niche in indie culture untouched by other contemporaries like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. There is some unnecessary padding here and there within the shorter runtime, but for the most part this LP firmly believes in burning twice as bright for half as long and is all the better for it.

McDonald and Giles

Ian McDonald

4/5

Whatever you’re expecting going into this one, you’re probably wrong – loved getting lost in the rich narrative structure this LP built, and how it twisted and turned through a few different styles on its way through. Well ahead of its time, too, for being released in 1970. A good deal of psych-meets-prog innovation wonder that sadly doesn’t seem to be reflected in the main 1001 canon picks of the era.

Live in San Francisco

Thee Oh Sees

5/5

This was my add, and a generally poor attempt at covering a blind spot I (personally) found in the original 1001. You’re probably familiar with the work of John Dwyer whether you know it or not – if you’ve played Grand Theft Auto V or watched Breaking Bad, you’ve heard some of his work as part of the soundtrack. The main vehicle for Dwyer’s insanity is Thee Oh Sees, who throughout the years have been known as - Orinoka Crash Suite - Orange County Sound - OCs - The Ohsees - The Oh Sees - Thee Oh Sees (when I came on board and my personal fav) - Oh Sees - Osees With each name change usually highlighting a complete departure from the band’s previous musical focus. Originally just Dwyer recording solo guitar in his bedroom, the project has been through so many notable incarnations and lineups that the past/present members could likely host a whole family reunion on their own. While Dwyer’s focus has pinged anywhere from somber freak folk to crunchy electronica, he has consistently put out some of the best psych-tinged music on Earth running for three decades at this point. There’s an undeniable thread running throughout the 50+ albums in the man’s complete discography (including about 15 side bands and projects), a distinct feeling of being lost somewhere in the Mojave with some esoteric words scrawled on the rocks as lyrics – think Dopesmoker, but crack instead of weed. All of this underscored by some of the loudest, most aggressive guitar work out there, deceptively simple but technically wild. The live LP I’ve thrown up here is an incomplete compilation of the various Oh Sees eras filtered through the lens of their current, rock-heavy lineup (which features two drummers, because why not?). While this LP doesn’t do justice to the true variety of the Osees catalog, it’s the best encapsulation of the raw fucking passion Dwyer brings to each of his projects. This man has put out or contributed to 1-3 albums a year since 2001, all the while observing a tour schedule that would put many other bands in the ground. I’ve seen The Oh Sees about 5 times now, and no other live experience has topped what this band does time and time again like a well-oiled machine. The sonic element is captured pretty well here, and highlights some of the more notable songwriting from Dwyer’s catalogue (even if it is biased heavily toward the heavier garage rock the band was putting out from 2012 - 2015). If you liked what you heard here, I recommend diving into 2011’s ‘Carrion Crawler/The Dream’ EP or 2013’s full-length ‘Floating Coffin.’ These are the most popular entry points into the Dwyer discography by way of OCs, but only the first step into an oeuvre littered with names like Gong Splat, Witch Egg, Damaged Bug, and Coachwhips. It’s a long way down, but an easy journey when Dwyer’s complete devotion to the music shows on every single, EP, project, and live album. This man cares about nothing more in life than music, and I think that’s something worth celebrating here.

Sailing The Seas Of Cheese

Primus

3/5

Nearly all of the big Primus hits on this one, and a great run-through of what to expect from Les Claypool and his delightfully weird band. Does run a bit long for the melodic content (or lack thereof) it has to share, but the off-the-walls orchestration in the bass contains enough novelty horsepower to make this a fun listen regardless.

No.1 In Heaven

Sparks

3/5

Been a while since a synth-heavy album has come through on the project. This was balanced just well enough to keep me interested all the way through without veering into cheese territory, though I could definitely feel my attention waning by the end. A fun listen and a good add.

Ænima

TOOL

3/5

A much more focused and intense (almost hardcore) effort than I was expecting from the band having only listened to 'Lateralus.' While I still prefer the more long-form efforts of the latter, this was an exhilarating listen and gave the band some room to shred and let loose for a bit. The interludes could be dropped (they're solely in the throwaway filler camp), and some of the arrangements tightened, but this LP still fucks heavy overall and that's what I needed today.

Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Steven Wilson

2/5

This LP has no idea what it wants to be, and all the guises it tries on are equally annoying. There are longer sections of breezy radio-friendly pop that give way to boring attempts at pummeling hardcore, all that circling back to plucky synth pop that should’ve stayed in the ‘aughts. At its completion, this album gives me no sense of what Wilson was trying to accomplish or what kind of artist he wants to be, even though he tried damn hard for an hour to convince me otherwise.

Version 2.0

Garbage

2/5

While there are some fun early-00’s bops on here, none of them rise above what I would’ve expected for the era. A good time but not wholly memorable all in all.

Carolina Confessions

The Marcus King Band

2/5

There’s been a large wave of this country-bluegrass revival sweeping the indie scene in the past decade, and I’ll be quite honest in that most of it sounds similar to me. This LP is executed well but barely makes any kind of mark, there’s just not enough personality in the songwriting, instrumentation, or arrangements to make this stand out in any way.

Peasant

Richard Dawson

3/5

Was expecting a slog from the genre and description, but found a nice palatable LP instead. Important to go in with the context that each track is written from a different perspective (as the names would suggest), which helps glaze over some of the more scattershot songs that don't fit nicely with each other. Definitely missing out on a lot here as I'm more of an instrumental than lyrical listener, but from what tidbits I did pick up on it's clear Dawson has layered the entire LP with plenty of narrative and thought to sustain its runtime. All in all, a good experience - not what I was expecting from an hour of avant-garde folk at all.

La cagaste... Burt Lancaster

Hombres G

2/5

Failed to make an outstanding impression on me – most songs feel quite similar, and the vocals are cloying and flat. The Spanish songs that came on rotation after the album ended felt much more vibrant than anything displayed in the 35 minute runtime on this LP.

The Beautiful Letdown

Switchfoot

1/5

There are maybe 1-2 good songs on this entire LP, which displays all the failings of modern Christian rock. I wasn’t exposed to any of this through my Methodist upbringing (it seemed to be a bigger hit with the Church of Christ crowd), but even then I could realize how generic and homogenous the genre is by design. Step one foot outside of outright praise and you’ve pushed too far for success, meaning artists regularly scramble to find new words to describe the same old act of praising Jesus (which wasn’t all that lyrical to begin with). No wonder the lyrics on this album feel so corny and cheesy throughout, and the instrumentals non-dynamic and flat. I’m hoping some incarnation of Switchfoot found their way out of the genre and into a more welcoming creative space. The decently solid tracks here have some really creative songwriting and exciting instrumentals, finding ways to connect back to the narrative agenda in a way that’s not wholly religious and palatable for wider radio play. Just a shame the rest of the album has to be coated in cheese, platitudes, and worship guitar that’s nigh unbearable for nearly an hour.

Hammersmith Odeon, London '75

Bruce Springsteen

1/5

Five albums on the list wasn’t enough for you, bud? Absolute waste of a spot that could’ve gone to a modern artist not on the 1001.

Don't Throw Stones

THE SPORTS

3/5

This one was fun! Had some interesting, catchy melodies to share in its apt runtime. Good album to get going in the morning and an enjoyable listen overall.

Maestro

Kaizers Orchestra

3/5

Fascinating foreign LP – reminded me of a darker, more orchestral Tally Hall. These bands often have a tendency to slip into cheesy melodies or forgettable arrangements, but the Kaizers stuck the landing here with some great, creative songwriting. Picked up a few tracks here I'll be coming back to, only way I could've been more engaged with the album is if I spoke Norwegian.

Currents

Tame Impala

5/5

Giving this one a 5 as 'Lonerism' isn't on the list – while the latter is Tame Impala's magnum opus, 'Currents' is a nearly perfect successor that saw Kevin Parker flexing his musical prowess by merging psych rock with synthy pop sensibilities without batting an eye. There's a perfect push and pull here between the OG Tame Impala sun-drenched guitar and the larger role played by synthesizers (who were already starting to steal the show on 'Lonerism'), the mix absolutely jam-packed with lush, rich melody but not overwhelmingly so. There are so many moving parts instrumentally on each track, but there's never a sense of fatigue or burnout – the drums, bass, and guitar anchor a strong psych-rock basis that allows Parker to experiment with wild synth runs and his now-classic falsetto dancing on top. Most of this experimentation is wildly successful, with 'Less I Know' becoming an instant smash and 'Let It Happen' becoming a modern psych staple of almost prog-like proportions. Much like its cover, the album is an encompassing miasma that flows and envelops everything around it in a way that's distinctly Parker's sound, but in an exciting new evolution. While the album did presage the crushing disappointment that was the sterile 'Slow Rush' (where, personal opinion, Parker sold way the fuck out), it's an amazing note to go out on as the last real Tame Impala LP. Psych-rock meets synth-pop is clearly a winning combination we need more of, at least when Kevin Parker tries his hand at it.

Afraid Of Sunlight

Marillion

2/5

In a way this would be a perfect addition to the standard 1001, as it falls right into the bland, cloying Britpop that makes up a good chunk of the list. Some good melodies here and there but not nearly enough to salvage the LP.

Yeti

Amon Düül II

3/5

Great representation of some earlier German rock, would've thought this band had Eastern roots if not for the vocals. This LP felt somewhat ahead of its time – the closest analog that kept popping up for me was a more operatic 'Dopesmoker' by Sleep, in that it was a journey unto itself across the full length of the album. Probably won't be to everyone's tastes (and I could've used some more of that vibrant guitar), but still a good pick to add some variety to the list.

Transatlanticism

Death Cab for Cutie

4/5

A crime I haven’t listened to this one all the way through - only knew ‘Sound of Settling’ because it was a free track on Tap Tap Revenge all the way back in 2008. It’s clear to see why this is one of Death Cab’s highest-regarded LPs in an already storied discography. The album bursts vibrantly to life from the opening track, and doesn’t really let up until about 3/4 of the way through. Gibbard’s layered sonfwriting and the band’s punchy yet lush instrumentals are turned up to the max here, reaching an energy level usually not present in the project’s output. The whole thing does drop off hard after the auditory stream runs out, but the LP is so front-loaded with amazing tracks that the whole thing coasts to the end on its momentum. A fun, invigorating listen, and an album I’ll be returning to for sure.

Daisies Of The Galaxy

Eels

1/5

One Eels LP on the official list was already one too many, and this album is somehow even worse. Playground songwriting, no sense of coherence, and a piss-poor vocalist who sounds like he’s barely trying are only part of the problem here – add in some forgettable backing instrumentals and this somehow manages to be both boring and annoying at once.

Watch Out!

Alexisonfire

2/5

While there’s plenty of dynamic contrast across this LP, it somehow manages to feel quite flat – at a certain point, the combined wails of the vocalist and guitar become a sort of white noise that fades into the background. This is a typical problem for albums in this genre, and while I support more early-aughts representation on the list I don’t think this is the best contender to rep the era.

Wild Planet

The B-52's

3/5

While the B-52's already had an album on the list, I think this LP is a much better representation of their energy and overall oeuvre. The tracks are a bit more varied, the energy is generally high, and the musicianship feels more honed than on their S/T record. 'Private Idaho' is my fav track from the band and much better than some of their other hits, and I will not hear anything to the contrary.

Give Up

The Postal Service

3/5

Only heard ‘Such Great Heights’ previously, so the full LP came as a little bit of a shock with how experimental and almost clubby it felt. Not sure Gibbard’s wandering and narrative lyricism gels 100% with the fully electronic tracks, but somehow it all makes an odd kind of sense. This feels like a breath of fresh air even today (despite a few dated instrumentals), so I can’t imagine how hard it hit back in the early 2000s.

The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking

Roger Waters

2/5

Long and dreary without much excitement along the way – some flashes of interesting melodies and guitar work, but mostly flat and non-dynamic for most of its runtime.

Zuckerzeit

Cluster

4/5

An actual deep cut that surprised me with its depth. While the uptempo energy does peter out over the course of the LP, the strong start is enough to demand attention with its layered rhythms and punchy, bassy synths. Most of the electronica from this era has aged poorly due to the high-pitched treble-drenched synth choices of the time, so to find a well-done LP with some electronic meat on its bones is a real treat

Spilt Milk

Jellyfish

3/5

Interesting LP, sounded almost like a 90s refresh on Queen. The instrumentals are executed well, and even though the arrangements feel a bit homogenous by the end I considered myself entertained for the most part.

Music For People In Trouble

Susanne Sundfør

2/5

This was already going to be an uphill battle as I’m not usually one for slower singer-songwriter efforts, but Sundfør’s predilection for sub-60 BPM tracks across the entire LP made this one a slog. Next to no rhythmic or dynamic contrast, cloying lyrics, and straight love songs across the board meant this was well outside my wheelhouse and honestly kind of annoying. Susanne may have a killer voice, but 45 minutes of boomerish whining about how nO oNe BeLiEveS iN lOvE AnYmoRe would be a tough sell even if it was coming from a choir of angels.

"Awaken, My Love!"

Childish Gambino

3/5

Per usual for a Gambino album, this is a lush journey with some excellent production, arrangements, and thematics. Personally prefer Internet/Camp for their harder-hitting synth stylings and tongue-in-cheek vibe, but I can't fault Glover for exploring other genres and executing them with perfection.

Funeral Dress

Wussy

2/5

This one left me high and dry - the instrumentals are okay, if a bit generic indie, but the vocals are much too ramshackle and unfocused to bring everything together. The LP feels a little aimless and without a solid organizing principle.

El Circo

Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio

3/5

Liked that this LP put a bit more energy into what I would expect from traditional Hispanic pop music, a little bit more verve in the instrumentation did a lot for my enjoyment of the genre.

Recipe for Hate

Bad Religion

4/5

How this band didn’t end up on the list is beyond me, this was an amazing, fully-formed Punk LP with substance for days compared to some of the representative albums on the official project. The amount of social critiques woven into great instrumentals is off the charts here, and even if some of them are aggressively on the nose, they still succeed based on usual punk standards for subtlety. Great add and a personal fav find so far.

Englabörn

Jóhann Jóhannsson

3/5

Nice to hear some classical on the list, though I wish there had been a stronger melodic throughline or some more leitmotifs to glue the whole thing together. The modern production techniques added some new layers to the classical repertoire, but without an iconic melody or unifying theme, this felt more like a collection of tracks rather than the grand journey the best symphonies represent.

Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha!

Gotcha!

1/5

Overlong, crass, and dated – couldn’t really stand this one from the get-go and it only got worse from there. There was a certain sense of pique born from the early grunge movement that mutated into an almost childish immaturity by the early 2000s, and this LP represents the worst of those impulses with its pointlessly vulgar lyricism and forgettable instrumentals.

Join Us

They Might Be Giants

3/5

Tongue-in-cheek lyrics always ride a fine line for me, but thanks to some creative and glib wordplay this one ends up in the positive camp. Doesn’t hurt that these guys have a real knack for melody – while I wished there were some longer, more-involved tracks, the selection here was a fun ride overall.

Re

Café Tacvba

2/5

Wanted to like the mix of traditional Hispanic + some modern electronic elements, but the vocals were so grating and the execution so lacking that this one became more of a slog than anything else.

Poesía Básica

Extrechinato y Tu

3/5

Rueing the fact my Spanish is so rusty since this album makes it clear there's a pretty epic narrative being spun across the tracks. Even without the added context, this was an entertaining listen – not every song broke the mold I would expect for the genre, but most made me pay attention through the novel instrumental choices and genre mixes. Great listen and a good model for the international representation that should have been on the official project.

Don't Say No

Billy Squier

3/5

A different take on 80s rock that I enjoyed - no wild vocals, no dated synths, just a solidly rock LP with some minor glam stylings. I’d heard of Squier before but had never listened to any of his tracks knowingly, so appreciate this actually worthwhile classic rock addition.

Cleopatra

The Lumineers

2/5

About a decade on from the dreaded handclap/footstomp era of indie, the hindsight hasn’t changed much from living in the moment itself. The instrumentals are executed well, the sound design feels alternative, and it sure looks like an independent LP – so why then does the whole thing feel so soulless? There’s not a shred of genuine emotion on this thing, and despite the musical execution the whole thing feels flat. My working theory is that many artists of the time saw this kind of working man, independent lo-fi aesthetic as a covert way to sell out. These tracks may have started out on smaller stations, but eventually they all somehow found their way into mainstream radio, home insurance commercials, and brunch restaurant playlists. It’s the same kind of artificial songwriting that modern pop uses to establish memorability more so than actual musicality, and it still feels just as stale as when it first hit the scene.

People

The Burning Hell

3/5

An interesting one, reminds me of a more modern, sardonic Silver Jews. Mostly enjoyed this LP, felt it got a bit too caught up in its own lyrical cleverness here and there but for the most part I enjoyed the stories it was putting down.

Fuzz

Chucklehead

3/5

Solid funk LP, didn’t have much staying power for me but I enjoyed the grooves in the moment and that’s all I can ask for.

Kick

INXS

3/5

Glam rock done right – each song comes in with a groovy, chorus-drenched main riff, says its piece, and leaves without taxing the listener. Definitely gets a nostalgia bump since I jammed out to this one with my Dad on longer drives, but it still holds up as a solid listen today.

Gemstones

Adam Green

2/5

I’m sure some people see artistry when they listen to this LP, but all I’m getting is crass, vulgar nonsense. Feels like someone recorded some uninspiring guitar and let the local crank talk over it just for kicks.

The Animal Years

Josh Ritter

3/5

A more modern take on a dinger-songwriter LP with some great guitar and surprising instrumental tricks up its sleeve. Still primarily vocal-driven, but thanks to Ritter’s solid writing there’s at least some sense of narrative intrigue that sits well on top of the meatier instrumentals.

Carrie & Lowell

Sufjan Stevens

3/5

A softer side of Sufjan compared to the epic ‘Illinoise,’ this LP has some serious chops in the instrumental department with a great mixture of guitar and some low-level synths. I think your mileage on this one depends on how you feel about Sufjan’s vocals (which take up center stage throughout) and more singer-songwriter leaning tracks.

Home Sweet Home

Kano

2/5

Feels like a beginner's attempt at a rap LP, with dreadfully banal lyrics and not much interesting to speak of in the beats. Also feels like the vocals are mixed down below the cymbals at points, so the whole thing needs some more studio polish at least.

Silence Yourself

Savages

3/5

The instrumentation here was perfect, just wish there had been some more variation in the vocals – the given riffs/melodies for each track were interesting and raw, but hearing the same word or phrase over them again and again put me off.

Loss

Mull Historical Society

1/5

Relatively awful album, all in all. Little rhythmic or dynamic contrast means there’s not much excitement to be had in any way, and coupled with dollar-store chord progressions the whole LP feels flatter than a pancake. The vocals do nothing to build up this poor foundation, instead opting for repeating phrases that feel lazy and grate as the album goes on. The whole thing feels like a stuck gearbox with clutch caught on first gear and making an awful grinding noise, but even that would be a more interesting listen than this LP.

Nightbirds

LaBelle

3/5

Decent funk/soul-inspired LP with some absolute classics that have stood the test of time. It's a testament to LaBelle's vocals that the mix at time feels too rich, with several perfectly-executed vocals crowding out a stronger rhythmic basis from the instrumentals.

Piñata

Freddie Gibbs

4/5

Great modern hip-hop LP with well-sampled beats and a who's who of guest stars. Does feel a bit crowded and overlong as a result, meaning Gibbs' own personality here is a bit hard to decipher against MadLib's stylings, but given the stellar production and instrumentals (+ poor showings from the more recent selections on the official list), I'm willing to give this a high rating for being such a rock-solid and fun album.

Goat

The Jesus Lizard

4/5

Hell yeah, awesome add. Discovered this LP last summer and have had it in some sort of rotation since, given it feels stunningly fresh for an album released in the 90s. Between the untamed vocals, rock-solid drum and bass, and wiry technical guitar, this feels like the original incarnation of Daughters or other recent mathcore bands two decades ahead of time. Lots to dig into from a technical perspective, but what matters here is the overall sweaty, animalistic feel that exists alongside an overwhelming sense of control, two opposites building on and tearing into each other. The result is an absolutely wild, feral ride that's become hard to find in rock music nowadays, and one I don't mind returning to again and again (especially as a native Texan, Austin represent).

Savage Sinusoid

Igorrr

3/5

I've always thought metal was a genre ripe for electronic crossover, so it's cool to see an artist carry that experiment out with decent results. This LP does take a minute to get off the ground, but once it does the assortment of creative production techniques and wild instrumentation makes for a fun ride. My main gripes are that the scattered vocals are uniformly pretty bad and distracting, and that there needs to be a stronger sense of melody throughout – I for one am happy to listen to an hour of pure noise, but some stronger hooks and sense of musicality would've easily lifted this to a 4.

Contra

Vampire Weekend

3/5

At the risk of bringing out the pitchforks, I’ve never understood the lasting appeal of this band in the indie scene. Sure, you have some interesting melodic hooks and the clever, witty lyricism, but then again so did fun. and a few dozen other indie bands of the era. Do these guys get the credit simply because they were there first? Did the silly little comma song guarantee lasting fortune and fame forever? This LP is a solid and enjoyable listen, but the whole project has definitely soured a bit as the cleverness has turned in on itself and resulted in more bloated, forgettable albums like this year’s ‘Only God Was Above Us.’ Maybe I’m being a boomer on this one, but I just don’t get the hype y’all.

Super Ape

The Upsetters

3/5

I don’t know what it is, but if you add some funky guitars and a healthy dollop of psyched-out reverb to one of my least favorite genres (Reggae) it becomes one of my absolute faves. This was a great, slow-burn Dub LP that chilled me out on a particularly stressful day. A tad less vibrant and varied than the previous user-submitted Dub album (light spoilers, sorry), but a great addition nonetheless.

Go Farther In Lightness

Gang of Youths

2/5

This band is trying way too hard to be a glossy, modern-day Springsteen and ends up sounding like a cut-rate version of the Killers as a result. The instrumentals are executed well and I can see the vision, but this is still landfill indie at the end of the day.

We Like It Here

Snarky Puppy

2/5

Eh, it's fine – without any context (live album? soundtrack? concept album?) or introduction to the band, this reads as some nice but ultimately bland jazz that doesn't have much grit to it. Technically astounding, but even if someone juggled flaming bowling pins in front of you for an hour on end you'd still get bored because it's all the same!

Ultra Blue

Hikaru Utada

3/5

A decent (if overlong) J-Pop LP with some interesting production elements and beautiful vocals. Giving this one a bump as Japan was sorely underrepresented on the main list, great to see some international representation and different genres for once!

Squeezing Out Sparks

Graham Parker

2/5

Some solid 70s rock instrumentals aren’t enough to keep this feeling like some copycat Costello – vocal antics do nothing for me but incite rage, so the repetitive choruses and kooky delivery didn’t do much here to improve the LP’s standing.

Whipped Cream & Other Delights

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

3/5

Waffled between a 2 and 3 on this one, as while it’s well-executed and generally pleasing it lacked a certain wow factor and left me disappointed as to why some record stores have entire walls tiled with copies of this LP. Going with a 3 here by thinking about this in its historical context – not a big band expert, but I’m sure this was a relative hell of a listen when it first dropped.

Dead Man's Party

Oingo Boingo

2/5

Suffers from many of the classic New Wave pitfalls of the time, most notably arrangements that run on and on and don't know when enough choruses are enough. Even the tracks with appropriate runtimes feel so flat, much as I usually love the synthy soundscapes of the genre.

Out of the Blue

Debbie Gibson

3/5

Surprising to me there weren't more 80s pop efforts on the initial 1001, so this felt like a breath of fresh air. The compositions are vibrant and lively, Gibson's vocals are rich and well-positioned in the mix, and the whole thing feels like a more well-suited use of the 80s' sense of indulgence than another New Wave or glam rock LP. Could definitely use some fat trimming (most tracks can't help but run one chorus too long), but a fun listen and again something that felt new after ~1200 albums.

Tales Of Mystery And Imagination

The Alan Parsons Project

2/5

Not really sure what this LP is trying to be or what APP was trying to communicate here. The individual rock and orchestral portions are done quite well (if a little standard for pieces of their time), but they mix together like water and oil with not much narrative thread to hold the abrupt shift together.

Pushin' Against a Stone

Valerie June

1/5

This LP had an uphill battle already as singer-songwriter is one of my least favorite genres, but it was so vapid and poorly constructed that it actually made me a little angry. June has little to offer in the way of original songwriting, with most of these being timid covers of greats gone by. Much worse, her take on these classics is the softest, most quavering vocal I’ve heard in a while - it’s almost as if she’s afraid to raise her voice above a whisper lest someone know she’s singing. I wanted to attribute this to bad mixing, but even on the very few tracks that have a tempo above a crawl her vocals barely rise above the instrumentals. Just an uninspired, insipid LP overall that brings nothing new to the table.

Eye

Robyn Hitchcock

3/5

Firmly believe the British are at their best when they’re taking the piss – there were more than a few moments on this one where Hitchcock’s frank, sardonic delivery got a chuckle out of me. This LP isn’t without its faults, as the more ballad-like tracks drag on without the characteristic wit of their uptempo counterparts, but for the most part it’s pretty solid. Good instrumentals, serviceable melodies, and the album’s characteristic humor all make for a surprisingly enjoyable listen in a genre I usually struggle with.

Phantom Power

The Tragically Hip

3/5

Liked this one, even if it felt a bit stodgy due to trappings of the past at points. Think cutting a bit of the fat and getting this LP down to a 40-minute runtime would’ve made it killer, but even then it was enjoyable getting to hear Canada’s take on R.E.M.

Chet

Chet Baker

3/5

A decent jazz album, I wasn’t familar with Baker’s work before this so it was nice to put some tunes to the name. The instrumentals were flawless, just wish this had a bit more bite/personality to give it some flair.

A Deeper Understanding

The War On Drugs

2/5

Thought this would be the LP to finally get me into this band, but after a strong start it hit all of the usual problems I have with Granduciel's songwriting. The ethereal, encompassing sound should be right in my wheelhouse, and for the first few tracks, a stronger guitar presence kept the whole ordeal grounded and raw for a great sonic combination. That grit leaves somewhere in the middle though (did the overdrive pedal give out?), and what's left are considerably lengthy tracks that feel more like a soft, dull cloud than anything real and tangible. You cannot write an 11-minute track and fail to develop the chord sequence either, which to me seems a massive oversight in songwriting that I would have preferred to do without. If this is the band's musical ethos then I think I need to accept this will never be the band for me.

We Rock Hard

Freestylers

3/5

Initially, I was dreading over an hour of breakbeats and scratching, but in thinking of this LP as a documentary rather than an artistic statement I think I enjoyed it a bit more. DJing is such a masterful and underappreciated art, and having a collection of solid mixes is a great introduction and documentation of a niche genre. That being said, I was feeling the effects of the performance being flattened down to a 2D representation – the visual aspect of watching DJs move the faders and scratch with seemingly inhuman skill is what (to me) makes this kind of music so fun, so I fully understand if people finish this LP and feel burnt out and exhausted.

Mm..Food

MF DOOM

4/5

One of DOOM’s most cohesive and catchy efforts, chock full of hypnotic beats and the ever-playful, witty bars the man was known for. Like most MF efforts, this LP gets a bit too caught up in the meta-narrative for my taste and lets audio samples get in the way of its own creative genius, but once the tracks get rolling it’s hard not to lose yourself in the flow. RIP DOOM, man had so many ideas and tracks left to give the world yet still left such a prolific mark while he was here

Human Racing

Nik Kershaw

3/5

A rare New Wave LP that took me by surprise - was never really sure where this one was going, and the constantly-evolving rhythms and off-kilter instrumentation felt surprisingly distinct for an album in this genre. Some slower, standard takes of the time towards the back half drag a little, but overall this was a solid and pretty entertaining listen.

Dilate

Ani DiFranco

2/5

Not the album for me – while some of the instrumentals were creative and fun, DiFranco’s breathy and at-times rhythmically-tortured delivery marred any chance of musicality here. I’m much more of an instrumentalist than a lyricist when listening, so an hour+ of edgy, bitter singing was not really my cup of tea.

Moffou

Salif Keita

3/5

Enjoyed an international detour for a bit, and the strong sense of melody in the instrumentals was much appreciated. This was a rich (but not fatty) LP, Keita’s warm, dominant vocals sitting perfectly atop the well-mixed melodies. Did get a bit homogeneous near the end, but overall a great listen and another much-needed international addition to the original 1001.

You'd Prefer an Astronaut

Hum

5/5

I discovered Hum during the pandemic when they dropped their most recent LP, and instantly it was clear how influential and timeless this band is. The ‘space rock’ tag could easily end up invoking dopey 90s’ pop in disguise, but Hum make it stick with unrelenting walls of guitar and a perfectly-mixed rhythm section that keep the whole effort somehow tethered to Earth. Though some of the quieter, downtempo tracks feel a tad out of place on this album, the project as a whole presents an unapologetic artistic vision that clearly evokes a natural extension of the 90s grunge scene while feeling timeless even to this day. This LP in particular encapsulates the most visceral of Hum’s songwriting – the lyrics aren’t going to win a Pulitzer, but they manage to add just enough depth to some of the band’s most insane instrumentals that pushes this LP to the top for me. The loss of drummer Bryan St. Pere a few years ago was a huge loss for the band and music as a whole, especially for an outfit that had clearly maintained their form and had so much more to say musically. That the band already has such a rock-steady discography to stand on is a testament to how clearly locked in this band was on their vision, one that managed to feel deep but with its hair down at the same time. I’m definitely biased (I listened to ‘Stars’ 120+ times this year), but this band still does not get the credit it’s due for subtly altering the course of rock to come.

All Hail West Texas

The Mountain Goats

4/5

One of my indie marks of shame growing up was that I went to college in Denton, Texas, yet never truly listened to The Mountain Goats (and missed out on many hometown shows) out of a fear that I never "got" their music. Coming back a decade later, I understand why the younger version of myself struggled – this is a narrative LP through and through, the only things guiding the listener through a threadbare acoustic and Darnielle's monotone storytelling. Maybe it's my age, maybe it's the fact I left my home state behind a long time ago, but listening back to these intimate corners of life set in familiar locales finally hit home. The consistent minimal lo-fi instrumentation does threaten to wear a bit thin in the middle, but the genuine nature and slightly sardonic lens we're given to look through at these human situations carries the LP enough to make it to the finish line. This is the highest I've rated a singer-songwriter LP by far (it's one of my least favorite genres instrumentally), and I'm definitely giving this bonus cred due to my Texas pride, but I cannot deny how well-composed and real this album feels.

Djarimirri

Gurrumul

2/5

Too oblique and ambient an effort to leave much impact - I’m of course missing the impact of the lyricism here, but an hour ten of orchestral tracks that all aim to be these grand, sweeping art pieces does not make for an LP with a sense of depth or progression. More movement and melodic variation in the instrumentals would’ve done a lot to give a sense of rise and fall, as is this just sounds like the final boss of the world’s fanciest open mic/slam poetry night.

O

Damien Rice

2/5

Another singer-songwriter effort that feels so much like the others. My listening habits focus pretty squarely on the instrumentals for a given LP, and while great lyrics can elevate a track to new heights, this album (and genre as a whole) treads so much of the same ground again and again. Give me an interesting chord progression, a wild timbre, something I’ve never heard before - just please don’t sing the same song about love and loss over the same thin guitar chords over and over again.

World Of Echo

Arthur Russell

2/5

What a frustrating listen – could’ve been a great amalgamation of experimental, industrial textures if it actually had any melodic content. Instead, the LP feels nearly threadbare and more a collection of assorted sounds than any real statements. There are bits and pieces of chords scattered about, and with some real melodic meat on its bones this could’ve been a pretty wild fusion of some different timbres. Instead, this just drags on forever without much reward for 70 minutes of your time.

Real Life

Joan As Police Woman

2/5

Couldn’t read any kind of personality from this one at all, struggling to even recall a memorable line or chord progression. Not sure what’s meant to make this stand out from the crowd of similar artists of the time, whatever it is I’m not seeing it.

Pop

GAS

3/5

This one nearly exceeded my patience, but managed to stay within tolerance through some interesting synth instrumentation and melodies. Felt very organic and alive in its production, which helped the 10-minute tracks feel slightly more tolerable and dynamic as a relatively static progression can be. This one will definitely get some hate here, but I was able to mostly vibe with it and I think it was the LP I needed today.

Ruin

The Amazing Devil

1/5

Music that theater kids would make for their point-and-click fantasy game that’s a painfully unsubtle metaphor for being bullied in high school.

Diary

Sunny Day Real Estate

3/5

This band has been on my periphery for ages and it’s on me for not listening to them sooner. The highs here were great, a mix of charging/simmering instrumentals coupled with perfectly insidious vocal delivery that yield some haunting hard rock. The lows unfortunately drag the whole LP down to a sludgy crawl (hence the rating) and could definitely be trimmed to make this a leaner, meaner LP. That being said I will be returning to more than a few tracks off of this one and look forward to diving into the Sunny Day discography!

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Big Thief

2/5

I’ve been a fan of previous Big Thief efforts and have usually enjoyed their LPs, but this one is entirely too long and bloated as an artistic project for my tastes. 80 minutes of music that doesn’t have much of an overarching narrative progression is a lot to ask of any listener, and even a band of this instrumental caliber struggles to hold together that much songwriting in a way that feels distinct track to track without getting tiring. Big Thief has always excelled at creating small, intimate moments in their tightly-coordinated albums, so I struggle to understand why they pushed to extremes here and tried to pack so much into one go.

Young Team

Mogwai

3/5

I've danced around the periphery of this band for some time as a casual fan of prog, but hadn't given one of their LPs a full listen. This was a mostly fun ride, and at times felt almost theatrical which made for a fun listen. My personal preference would've been to cut down on some of the quieter interludes that bulk up the track runtimes – this band excels at intense technical passages, and it felt those only got 40% of the limelight relative to the less-novel quiet bits.

Alive Or Just Breathing

Killswitch Engage

3/5

A solid pick, the user-added LPs could use some heavier genre selections instead of more singer-songwriter efforts. While this one definitely lacked any kind of dynamic contrast (making it a bit of a tiring listen at 45 minutes of pure loud), it did keep my head bopping and toe tapping through some bread-and-butter djent riffs. While not a perfect artistic statement, it was entertaining and enjoyable which is exactly what I needed today.

Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)

Jai Paul

4/5

Didn't think I'd be giving a demo tape this high a rating, but here we are. I remember the hype when this official LP dropped in 2019, but the context was well before my time as a music nerd and I couldn't fully appreciate the narrative behind the release. Hearing these tracks now, I'm floored by how well-realized and rich this tape is melodically – Paul is willing to saturate the entire production space at once, but does so masterfully without destroying the mix or fatiguing the listener. While it understandably reads in a disjointed fashion, this LP has such high highs that I'm willing to overlook the lack of flow. The arrangements and synth timbres are just too good to deny, and I appreciate how Jai came back to what must've been a crushing artistic blow and reclaimed it in his own way.

Set Yourself On Fire

Stars

2/5

This LP stretches itself much too thin trying to figure out what it wants to be, jumping from one early-aughts genre to another with not much melodic or instrumental thread to connect one track to another. There seems to be a larger narrative element at play, but the the sudden, distracting tonal shifts (and accompanying instrumentation changes) meant that the lyrics often fell by the wayside of placing another disparate track in context of the others. The best albums are those where each track feels unique but contributes to the whole, and this LP is definitely lacking when you sum up its parts.

The Universe Smiles Upon You

Khruangbin

4/5

I struggled to 'get' this band up until the beginning of this year when I stumbled upon their Pitchfork Live set on YouTube (which you should watch if you even casually liked this album). I love instrumental work, but from the few tracks I had heard throughout the years felt that Khruangbin's style was too mellow and samey for my tastes. Felt like an idiot when I dove further into their discography and found that this band fucking rocks! A great mix of tempos, moods, and vibes that's executed to perfection by three musicians at the peak of their craft. Not a single note, groove, or lick is out of place here as the whole outfit runs with clockwork precision, yet the overall feeling is anything but mechanical – instead, every track feels like an organic, living thing that has grown into itself, lived-in but new and fresh at the same time. No wonder this band is selling out shows for minimal, instrumental music in an age where excess and lyrics dominate – this is a great add to the list and a deserved recognition!

Come On Come On

Mary Chapin Carpenter

2/5

So-so 90s LP with all the radio-friendly trappings of the era. Think this one could’ve made a stronger statement if it chose a lane between the pop and country elements it only dabbled in throughout – Carpenter’s vocals are strong, but the lack of strong melodies means this album feels a bit lacking in a strong artistic statement at the end of the day.

Somewhere In The Between

Streetlight Manifesto

3/5

This a good mix of ska and indie elements which I hadn't heard before. I am not a huge ska fan, but the added layer of orchestral voices to a standard indie mix made everything feel a bit richer and lively which was fun. Does fall into some of the repetitive melodies/rhythms of the genre, but still manages to make a name for itself in its short runtime.

Boys And Girls In America

The Hold Steady

2/5

The kind of music you would hear playing at an Applebee’s or other chain restaurant in a misguided attempt to seem hip. The instrumentals were dated to begin with, and the raspy, muttering vocals do nothing to bring the tracks together. Some very repetitive songwriting as well, if you don’t know how to write a bridge/coda then don’t say the same lyric twenty times over to end a track!

Bleed American

Jimmy Eat World

3/5

It’s impossible to overstate just how dominant a pop culture force ‘The Middle’ was when this dropped – it’s one of the first songs I remember hearing on the radio as I was driven to elementary school. I do feel for the band because the sheer power of the one song was always going to be difficult to top, as it completely outshone the rest of the album (case in point, this was my first full listen ever). Though definitely a product of its time, this LP still brings some ideas to the table that feel fresh even today, and whoever mixed this did a damn good job and as it’s still light and punchy. The lowest points are the draggy, sappy ballads (plural!) that were required by law for any album released at the time, and though they do kill the overall flow of the LP it still moves along with a good deal of genuine energy and verve. Not the most cohesive artistic statement ever, but a worthwhile blast from the past that made its mark.

Stage Four

Touché Amoré

4/5

Remember when this one dropped into rotation at my college station, and though my music taste was pretty atrocious freshman year I could still realize this shit rocked. Vocals like this usually strain my patience, but the ragged and thin texture works well against the shifting guitar underneath – sleek and clean until it becomes ragged on the edge at a moment's notice. Incredibly well-crafted album that feels so much longer than its 36 minute runtime (in a good way) and left me craving more, great add and a needed blast from the past.

God Shuffled His Feet

Crash Test Dummies

3/5

Blast from the past as I remember hearing a few of these tracks all of the time on the 90s/aughts station I listened to growing up. This LP certainly isn’t lacking in personality - once one adjusts to the rich instrumentation and almost theatrical production, it’s clear the Dummies have a distinct artistic bent that gives the album a solid dose of individuality. The heavy reliance on lyricism did tire me out by the end, but there were enough heavy punches of guitar and drums to keep me invested all the way through – the whole effort evokes an English major version of Spacehog which is a fun twist on the 90s sound.

Things We Lost In The Fire

Low

3/5

Low is one of those bands who I constantly do a disservice to by not remembering how excellent and varied their discography is. While I prefer the more experimental, uptempo outings as of late, this band always LPs straight from the heart – there's not a second on this album that doesn't feel genuine and crafted with care. Nice to hear a band out there that's still making music for music's sake, great add!

Come On Over

Shania Twain

4/5

This was the first CD I consciously remember listening to, and I spun that thing until the edges were worn down. Twain masterfully fused country song structures with just enough pop sensibility to create an album that’s catchier than any pop country release since, and has aged gracefully while being way ahead of its time. Solid songwriting, great lyricism and instrumentals, Twain’s stellar vox, AND the feminist anthem of our generation as the opening track? This LP is stacked dangerously high with talent and delivers on every level.

Hadestown

Anaïs Mitchell

2/5

A re-imagining of a Broadway soundtrack recorded as its own album? Kind of a silly premise to begin with – losing the orchestral flair (and going for this super-soft indie vibe) means the dramatic moments aren’t emphasized, and at the end of the day I now still have to watch the play to get the full experience. An hour of softly-whispered narrative with only a few dramatic highlights is a lot to ask of a listener without the staging behind it, and as a standalone LP this falls flat on its face as a result.

Animals

Pink Floyd

3/5

Not as immediate or striking as other Floyd LPs, but still an immaculately-instrumented album with technical prowess to spare. The symbolism does seem a bit on the nose, but with musicianship this good I don't particularly care.

Sing To God

Cardiacs

2/5

One of the most important skills a band/artist can have is a keen sense of editing, a sense that is sorely lacking on this LP. I'm not opposed to the maximalist instrumentation and kind of dug the industrial, squealing guitar, but the histrionic vocals and repetitive songwriting meant this thing was doomed from the start with a nearly 90-minute runtime. It's exhausting to take in tracks this loud and relentless over that span, and even though the album seemed to hit its stride in the back half I was too exhausted and checked out by then to care.

The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess

Chappell Roan

2/5

Definitely too recent an LP to qualify for a best-of-all-time list just yet, which also sums up my thoughts on modern pop albums in general – Roan is clearly immensely talented, and her delivery does sound more genuine than most, but will anyone care about this album in 1-2 years? Despite Chappell’s heartfelt vocals, this feels like another slickly-produced corporate pop LP that lacks an overall soul. Sure, it’s catchy as hell and has some notable queer representation, but then again so do many other albums in this vein that dropped this year. Just feels like another cycle of the industry hype machine in general, and I doubt any of these tracks will be on people’s minds in less than a year once the new lab-grown smash hit album of the summer eclipses the public’s attention span soon enough.

MOMENTUM

Calibro 35

5/5

Throughout the project, I’ve enjoyed becoming more familiar with other psych and dub projects – to hear a modern, polished LP that fuses those genres exceptionally is an absolute treat, and an unexpected surprise that honestly has made my day. This album feels at once structured and airtight while maintaining a sense of organic freedom, resulting in some exciting tracks that buck the norm of what you’re expecting while masterfully executing on the instrumental level. Could’ve done without the vocal elements here and there, but thankfully they don’t detract from the incredible melodic sense throughout this album. It’s funds like these that make this project worth it, amazing add to the list.

Angel Dust

Faith No More

1/5

Tried my hardest to give this 90s’ proto-Korn LP a fair shake, but after the third mention of jizz I had figured out this wasn’t for me. The instrumentals are squarely repetitive butt rock, but clearly think they’re hard-hitting metal which is a little sad. The lyricism is whiny and immature as previously noted, the tracks swing from hard rock to schmaltzy balladry without any cohesion, and the ill-advised cover as closer almost feels like the frontman was making an attempt to show off his vocals (spoilers: they are not show-off worthy). The coup de grace is that this thing runs for an entire hour, which would be sad if it didn’t play all of its annoying cards in the first 5 minutes.

Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise

The Dear Hunter

2/5

Lots of these extended, narrative LPs have been added recently and they just don’t do it for me. This is supposedly the 4th installment of this band’s narrative series, and while the effort is incredibly impressive I have no clue really what’s going on without the additional context (musical or lyrical) of the three other albums. In this instance, I have to take everything at face value, and with many of these tracks feeling very similar melodically it’s a little exhausting to sit through 1.25 hours of theater kid level dramatics without a strong connection to why any of this matters. The execution is great, but at the end of the day this isn’t a standalone LP and it suffers from being presented here on its own.

L'Heptade

Harmonium

2/5

Appreciated the classical feel of this one given the original 1001 didn’t have too many symphonic LPs, but ultimately this one wore my patience a bit thin. There are some interesting ideas at play, and the scope of the longer, proggier tracks is impressive, but there wasn’t a consistent enough melodic presence to keep me 100% grounded throughout. Maybe I would feel more connected if I spoke French?

Boxer

The National

2/5

Tired of hearing this band and their most recent LP on indie radio lately – while this LP contains my favorite song of theirs (“Mistaken For Strangers”), it’s still filled mostly with the droll, wandering tracks that the band continually chooses to make instead of the inspired indie rock they’re clearly capable of. Not sure how much Berninger is involved in the instrumental songwriting, but his tendency to mostly talk the lyrics he seems to think are so inspired definitely weighs down most of the band’s compositions.

Pony Express Record

Shudder To Think

3/5

Never heard of this band or LP before, and from the get-go I appreciated the heavier guitar and grungy hard rock feel. There were a few progressions that evoked some Kyuss/QotSA vibes, which is a big plus in my book as the original list was definitely lacking in heavier rock albums. The main weaknesses here are the vocals (which were passable at best, annoying at worst) and the runtime – cut 10-15 minutes off this thing and it would feel like an effective gut punch, not tje mildly repetitive love tap it currently is.

Pop Art

Transvision Vamp

3/5

A fun listen, even if some of the lyrics got annoyingly repetitive. The original list was lacking in quirky 80s pop like this, even if I don't see myself returning to this one it represents thoughtful coverage of a musical niche that deserves some recognition.

From The Lions Mouth

The Sound

4/5

Exceptional post-punk LP! Had saved a few tracks from this one years ago, so I appreciated being reminded this exists and giving it a full run-through. Appreciated the darker Joy Division feel paired against a poppier, Cure-like sensibility in the songwriting and lyricism. Could be a bit tighter and more focused overall, but still a solid listen and great addition to the list

Stories

Avicii

1/5

Solid collection of the worst musical trend of the 2010s. EDM was primed for the internet age, an entire genre of zero patience and instant gratification – the longest verse on this LP can’t be more than thirty seconds, the entire production rushing to get to the drop and deliver another dopamine hit for maximum addiction. Theres little (if any) dynamic contrast, meaningful melodies, creative instrumentation, or anything that would push this into the category of art rather than product. It’s the kind of music that was made to be background noise to YouTube influencer videos, and I found plenty of examples when I searched the track tags to confirm that hypothesis. I love electronic music because it provides a palette beyond the limits of physical instruments – modern DAWs can make just about any noise you can imagine and have nearly infinite options. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see cookie-cutter, default synth setting work get big and mar people’s perception of what electronica can be. Listen to some progressive house, DnB, complextro – anything that takes more than one brain cell to appreciate and doesn’t just push your lizard brain reward circuits for an easy hit.

Puzzle

Biffy Clyro

2/5

An LP focused entirely on some sort of anger and bitterness, but at what? There’s never a strong enough narrative focus to narrow down the gist of the band’s intent, and coupled with elementary school songwriting/wildly varying instrumentation choices, the album feels unfocused and poorly constructed. Some creative bits of guitar here and there that I liked, but there wasn’t much else I took away from this one

Under The Pink

Tori Amos

2/5

My rating here is more a reflection of personal taste than anything objective. Amos has a great voice and hits some amazing highs on this LP, but at the end of the day it’s another vocal-driven album with not much to show instrumentally. You could write and deliver the most striking lyrics in the world, but at the end of the day it’s just noise without a beautiful melody to back it up.

Live At Madison Square Garden

Vulfpeck

3/5

I've been an on-and-off fan of Vulfpeck for a while, and this was a fun live LP that captured their quirky spirit pretty well while highlighting the best of their discography. Whatever sound engineer recorded this did the band no favors though – the whole thing is entirely too mid-heavy, and Joe Dart's bass (the best part of the band imo) is lost in the mix. It was grating to listen to in a way, but it's a testament to the band's energy that I mostly enjoyed the LP in full despite its poor sound quality.

Rose Mountain

Screaming Females

4/5

Good add from one of the best DIY garage bands out there. More a fan of 2012’s ‘Ugly,’ but this LP is packed with highlights from the Screaming Females lengthy discography and some of their poppier, more accessible efforts. Always wild how this trio seems to produce the musical output of 5-6 people on every track. Marissa Paternoster’s strong vocals and insane guitar skills take the forefront, but the rhythm section is rock solid (especially the stable but frenzied drumming). It’s just solid garage rock at the end of the day, something that I feel has been dying out for a while. Case in point, these guys threw in the towel last year after 20 years of touring, recording, and publishing without a single manager or label. Saw them twice and each time was electric, they were one of the best touring rock bands out there and the scene just doesn’t feel the same without them!

The Great Outdoors Jam

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

1/5

As a guitar player, I really despise this kind of jam music. Technically uninteresting, gratuitous noodling on the fretboard is a bit like masturbation –fun for you but nobody else really wants to hear or see it. I imagine that if I was on a suitable amount of drugs this would be interesting, but as it stands sober this commits the cardinal sin of media by being boring as hell. 10+ minute jams with little to no dynamic contrast, key changes, melodic progression – it’s just flat and sterile, a block of music ready-made and packaged for you with no lumps or bumps to cut your teeth on. Really telling that A) there’s no crowd noise, probably because they were asleep or sitting politely in their walkers, and B) the best moments are when the band lifts melodies from people who know how to actually write catchy, enjoyable songs.

Choirs Of The Eye

Kayo Dot

3/5

I’d been led to believe this was a band in the vein of Sunn and other heavier outfits, so the longer, calmer ambient passages took me by surprise. I was a bit disappointed at first, but as the LP went on I settled into its groove of atmospheric contemplation punctuated by aggressive bursts of noise. Not sure I’d return to any specific track, but the artistic experience was novel and executed well

Grace And Danger

John Martyn

2/5

Outside of some interesting vocal moments by Martyn, there’s not much on this LP to distinguish it from other Muzak-esque products of the era. Listened to this first thing in the morning and it had faded from my consciousness by noon, just not much to dig your teeth into here melodically or otherwise.

WORRY

Jeff Rosenstock

2/5

Rosenstock is one of those artists who really drives home the importance of persona and perception for me. I had already listened to this LP given how inescapable it was in our college radio station circa 2017, and the marketing from Polyvinyl Records and Jeff was pretty much everywhere in the indie sphere. I got so tired of seeing or hearing this man trot out his "lol I'm so GOOFY" persona again and again, and unfortunately I think it put me off his discography (which has some great tracks!) for the foreseeable future. This LP is initially fun and carefree, but the constant badgering of Rosenstock's whiny vocals and the insistent use of crowd choruses wears thin quickly, even considering the album's brief runtime. It almost invokes a certain toxic positivity, Jeff screaming at you to give up and enjoy life regardless over and over for 40 minutes until you succumb. I offer the anecdote above mainly to show my own rating bias here, but there's a conversation to be had about artist personas in the day and age of TikTok (RIP). Labels are increasingly persistent that artists market themselves on social media, and there's been an increasing dialogue about how exhausting it is to perform not only on stage but online 24/7. The artist's dialogue and marketing around a given LP can really twist its musical impact, and has at times bolstered or ruined a given album in my eyes. Jeff Rosenstock is apparently just this annoying inherently, but I can imagine other artists feel shoehorned into personas and marketing gimmicks they don't identify with their work, and at times may even detract from the message they're trying to send.

Get Fucked

The Chats

4/5

A proper punk LP that shows up, says its piece, and then leaves before you've had a chance to blink. Not sure what they're smoking down in Australia nowadays, but it's led to some of the best and most innovative music in the indie scene this past decade.

The Evil One

Roky Erickson

3/5

Had the chance to see Roky a few years before he died, and he was rocking all the way to the end – this LP captures his absolute love for performing well, and includes some of the better riffs and progressions of the Erickson catalog. Some of the songwriting does feel a bit stuck in place and somewhat repetitive, but it’s clear the whole time that the man is loving every second of performing and feels it in his bones. Great add to recognize an early psych pioneer and a Texan musician who deserves more recognition

Symbolic

Death

2/5

Was excited for a heavier LP today, but this one didn’t hit the mark for me. The instrumentation and overall tracks are fine, but the whole thing feels unbalanced mix-wise. The screeching vocals and wall of mids from the guitar completely overwhelm any bass or treble, so the whole thing feels tinny without any kind of solid grounding from the rhythm section. I’m a big proponent of wall-of-noise music, but there has to be at least a smidge of bass in there to make it work.

Songs Of A Lost World

The Cure

2/5

Listen, I was happy for more music from The Cure too, but this is still getting radio play on indie stations. Maybe let the body cool before throwing it on a greatest of all time list? Doubt this one will be remembered a year from now, much less stand among timeless albums from decades ago. Rating is for the silliness of adding this, album is a 3/5.

Brat

Charli xcx

3/5

Some context that may influence my rating: I didn't listen to this until now, mainly because I was dating someone super cool last Spring who dumped me for their best friend and uninvited me from their brat release party. Which was a major bummer for sure. Then I had to see it all Summer and be reminded that I was alone and sad. Not a great time! So, on first listen, I understand the hype – this is some great modern electronica with pop elements, and I really enjoyed the production which usually makes or breaks an LP for me. It's catchy, slick, and still maintains some creativity even for a mainstream breakthrough that does seem a little engineered for radio play. However, there's just something missing to glue the whole effort together – each track has plenty of personality, but as a whole the album doesn't gel into a greater sum of its parts. It feels like this could be a comp or a few EPs grouped together, and the best albums are a complete artistic product. Again, some external influences at play with my perception here, but I wanted a greater impact from this one at the end of the day.

Grand Prix

Teenage Fanclub

2/5

Every LP by this band is so bland, as if you took the reigning pop-rock of the 90s and distilled into the most average product possible. This album is another snoozer, just sounds very commercial without anything to give it staying power.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen

Joe Cocker

3/5

Wasn’t really sure what was happening half the time on this one, but the energy was fun and Cocker brought out enough guests to keep things interesting. I hadn’t listened to any Cocker beforehand and was understandably a little lost, but it’s clear he’s an adept entertainer and I enjoyed the energy of this one. May return to this one after hitting some of his other discography, as I’m sure I would appreciate it more if I knew the hits.

Operation Ivy

3/5

Thought this one was going to be rough given the initial vocals, but it quickly settled into a rapid-fire, aggressive groove that I found myself enjoying. Reminded me of a more in-your-face version of Wire, which is never a bad thing.

Les deux doigts dans la prise

Les sheriff

3/5

Never thought the French could rock out like this. Definitely a lengthy listen that could stand a bit of trimming, but the duration is a testament to the band’s sheer energy – insane that they sustained this kind of energy for well over an hour and never let up. This was a great way to start my morning and was a solid listen all the way through, cool add!

Sound Awake

Karnivool

2/5

This LP can’t figure out what it wants to be – there’s a great instrumental basis, and the band clearly knows how to execute on some decent prog metal, but there’s too many detours into other genres and influences to allow this album time (even at 80 minutes long!) to develop a sound of its own. Could’ve gone for more of the growling, glassy bass lines and heavier tracks, and the thin vocals didn’t help either.

Homogenic

Björk

3/5

90s-era Björk was, in my opinion, the best Björk – this LP, much like 'Post' before it, is a great balance between the singer's more esoteric influences and grounding in more traditional instrumentation rather than 100% synth-scapes. This could be attributed to the proximity to her time with The Sugarcubes, but in any case it yields a fun, experimental album that pulses with the club influences of the era while remaining undeniably Björk.

Bob Mould

3/5

Still felt like a Husker Du album, but one that had aged much better and felt fresher. Really enjoyed some of the guitar work at play on this LP – not every track is a winner and there are some definite snoozers, but I’m a sucker for this kind of 90s guitar and enjoyed listening overall.

Not Animal

Margot & The Nuclear So And So's

3/5

Appreciated a singer-songwriter LP with a bit more to it in the instrumental department. Some of the orchestral elements felt a bit much and the lyricism didn’t do much for me, but it was nice to listen to an early-aughts indie effort that had some meat on its bones.

Metallic K.O.

The Stooges

4/5

Perhaps the truest document of punk’s raw power and ferocity I’ve ever heard put to tape. Still can’t figure out if the audience loved or hated Iggy enough here to be throwing all that on the stage, but I may return to this album just to hear that dialogue again.

Once

Nightwish

2/5

Very little of this early-aughts symphonic metal has aged well. Though technically well done (I really enjoyed some of the riffs!), the mish-mash of Iron Maiden guitar, soaring strings, and multi-part vocal harmonies just feels like it's trying way too hard to establish its own importance and justify its own existence. All of this on top of poor mixing – there's little to no bass to be found here and things feel way too trebly and top-heavy as a result

Lateralus

TOOL

3/5

I remember playing through some of these tracks in Guitar Hero when I was younger and not being fully able to appreciate them at the time. Now, it’s easy to recognize the instrumental and compositional prowess of the band and how well-executed the ideas are on this LP. As a full album, however, I do think this collection of tracks suffers from pacing issues – the quieter, shorter interludes peppered in between the behemoth showstoppers introduce too much negative space between the melodically interesting moments.

Weighing Souls With Sand

The Angelic Process

4/5

I can see why people would dislike this LP, but to me it exemplifies the raw, terrifying power that music can wield. Maximal shoegaze instrumentation, wall-to-wall production that leaves nowhere to hide, and a dark touch of melodicism yield an album that evokes what it would be like to live within an all-encompassing sonic tornado. Though the tracks here feel slightly disconnected from one another and EP-like rather than a full album, the experience was still absolutely insane from one end of the hour to the other. Wish the list had more daring picks like this one – this has been one of my favorite finds so far.

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

3/5

Still feel that I'm not at the right time in my life to fully get Godspeed just yet – this LP is a tour-de-force in composition and instrumentation, with each gargantuan track encompassing a world and journey all its own. Just frustrated that I can't fully piece together what those journies are just yet, I want to like this band so bad but there's a certain sense of fullness missing that makes things feel a bit disconnected rather than encompassing.

HELLYEAH

2/5

From the cover and title I thought we'd be getting a rare parody/humor pick for the list, but unfortunately these guys seem to take themselves quite seriously. The instrumentals are bland butt rock meets half-assed metal, the production flattens all the tracks together and leaves an unpleasant mess of guitar mids and hi-hat, and the lyricism is about as bone dry creatively as it gets to top off this unholy trifecta. This one should've been left in the aughts, there's not much here worth salvaging.

Look Sharp!

Joe Jackson

3/5

Would’ve enjoyed the 1001 more if all the Britpop albums were like this one - slickly produced, sharply executed, and with just enough tongue-in-cheek attitude to sell the whole package. The slower songs dragged a bit for my taste, but I’ll be returning to the uptempo ones for the great guitar parts and fun energy overall

All Hour Cymbals

Yeasayer

2/5

Some interesting textures at play on this LP, but none of them ever coalesced into something solidly catchy to hold on to. A full album of strongly rhythmic tracks like ‘Forgiveness’ would’ve rocked, but what’s presented is just too diffuse and meandering to leave much of an impact

The Lonesome Crowded West

Modest Mouse

4/5

Even as a casual fan, I’m still relatively unfamiliar with Modest Mouse’s back catalog, so this was a great way to get to know one of the band’s better efforts. It’s a testament to the band’s creativity that a 75-minute runtime here doesn’t kill the listening experience – there's a lot going on, but the LP dabbles in equal parts quiet and chaos to give the listener some breathing room. Isaac Brock's roughshod vocals and excellent guitar-playing give this album more than enough personality, and play a huge role in how this band can sound so consistent yet reinvent themselves from track to track.

The Monitor

Titus Andronicus

2/5

I'd listened to 'A More Perfect Union' before and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to this listen. Unfortunately, this LP suffers from a lack of editorial artistry – there's entirely too much going on in an already-stuffed runtime, and the album as a whole feels like a tsunami of ideas without much organization towards a central theme outside the rough concept of New Jersey. I enjoyed some tracks here and there, but a full listen left me exhausted!

Cor-Crane Secret

Polvo

4/5

I've always enjoyed Polvo's skittering, angular guitar work so I was well-primed for this one. This LP definitely feels a bit short and sweet without too much of a strong thesis statement, but the instrumentals more than make up for that – the band's musical style is wholly unique and recognizable from a mile away, and the inventive rhythms/guitar work make each track feel somewhat unpredictable but fully underscored by some twisted internal logic. Great add and a fun listen!

Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Courtney Barnett

4/5

Listened to this one a good deal in the summer of 2015 after it dropped, and for good reason. This is by far Courtney’s best album across the board, both as a songwriter and instrumentalist. Each track builds out a well-defined world painted in strokes both broad and incredibly detailed, where even the smallest throwaway line contributes toward the sardonic point Barnett is making. Couple this with guitar work that knows when to lay back and when to absolutely shred, and you have a delightfully fun, breathing LP that feels alive while captures the dilute existential malaise that characterized the mid-teens. Great add!

Souvlaki

Slowdive

5/5

If My Bloody Valentine were the progenitors of the fuzzed-out, aggressive style of shoegaze, then Slowdive are the founders of the ethereal, spectral branch that would go on to inform so many other bands and eventually create a whole new genre in Dream pop. Both bands deserve immense credit as the definitive innovators of modern shoegaze, but I’ve always felt Slowdive has lived in the shadow of MBV for no good reason. A true loss, then, that some will never hear a discography with the likes of ‘Souvlaki’ included. Much like the titular space station, this album positively orbits – the production space is filled to the brim with reverb, the guitar lines strong and defined but turning into whispers at a moment’s notice when you reach out to grab them. As opposed to fuzz-driven shoegaze, the shimmering clean tones here give room for prominent vocals and actual dynamic contrast rather than just screeching or screaming loud. Goswell’s vocals have always been the band’s secret weapon, her breathy falsetto at once offering a grounded, human element to the soundscape while fitting perfectly with the dreamy guitar. As a result, The tracks here offer an entire gamut of spaces and sounds while remaining distinctly within the world of the LP, the encompassing explosion of ‘40 Days’ fitting thematically alongside the solitary ‘Dagger’ in perfect contrast. There’s a reason this LP stands as one of the giants in shoegaze canon, and it remains as timeless and ghostlike 30 years on from its release date. If you ever have the chance to see this band (who is still touring and putting out albums, unlike some other aforementioned shoegaze titans here), do it. Spend the money and get the ticket. Even if you’re only casually interested, it is an experience of a lifetime to hear 125 dB+ of raw, beautiful sound cascading over and enveloping every sense you possess. It goes without saying here but this was an exceptional add and a much-needed correction to the original 1001 – an absolute crime this isn’t in any of the editions, especially given how UK-focused the whole selection is.

City Of Evil

Avenged Sevenfold

2/5

As a guitar player, this one had some really fun technical elements but was sunk by its runtime and rigid adherence to only one sound across the entire LP. If you're going to make an hour+ album, instrumental dynamics and contrast are essential – the base sound here is great, but too much of a good thing would kill any musical effort.

Clarity

Jimmy Eat World

2/5

Usually a fan of Jimmy’s output, but this LP left me wanting pretty severely compared to their usual fare. The guitar never quite seemed to kick in, the tracks left mostly soft and uninspiring instrumentally. Couple this with uncharacteristically pleading, whiny, and repetitive vocal lines, and the whole thing was mostly unappealing to listen to. Not sure if this is a function of only having the expanded version to listen to, but this album was so uniformly bland that I don’t think any editorializing would’ve helped.

Comfort To Me

Amyl and The Sniffers

3/5

I've been a fan of Amyl and Co. for a while now, but hadn't gotten around to giving their sophomore LP a proper listen. While not as ferocious as their debut, this album still has a fair share of the kick-your-teeth-in energy that's defined the band from the start, distorted guitar with a sense for melody underlining Amyl's unforgiving vocal callouts. Out of all the bands that have come out of the recent Aussie punk resurgence, these guys have been the standouts to me – not every album has been a winner, but they have such a distinct sonic signature and clearly do whatever they please and I respect it.

L'autre...

Mylène Farmer

2/5

Most of this vocal-focused fare from the early '90s has aged about as well as rotting meat, and this LP is no different. The instrumentals are what date this so badly, the airy synth pads and gated reverb drums firmly damning this album to forever sound like a product of its time. Farmer's singing itself is great, but unfortunately is caked over by a heavy layer of production and reverb that obscure the real star of the show!

In Between Dreams

Jack Johnson

3/5

I remember listening to Johnson's soundtrack for the Curious George film when I was younger, and while I may have outgrown my tolerance for most singer-songwriter music I think this guy has earned a pass. This LP starts out soft and slow, but gradually builds in some great instrumentation to keep things varied and lively. Johnson's vocals are somewhat limited in range (some dynamics or tonal contrast would be nice), but he's done an excellent job composing tracks around his dulcet tones to bolster his vocal performance.

An Empty Bliss Beyond This World

The Caretaker

4/5

This one floored me a little – on the outset, I was wondering how I was going to make it through a full 45 minutes of old-timey piano, but as I let this one seep into my consciousness it began to grow on me. It's been a while since an LP has conjured a whole new set of emotions while listening, but this album made me feel an enjoyable sense of dread, like my fate had been decided and I was calmly awaiting my doom with a peaceful sense of acceptance. I can see people here absolutely hating this album, but to me, this is what the project is about, finding completely new musical experiences that I wouldn't have made myself listen to otherwise – purgatory's waiting room music wasn't on my bingo card (or something I would have even thought I'd enjoy), but I'm glad you added this to the list and made me listen to it!

Up

Great Big Sea

2/5

45 minutes of very Irish-ish tunes is just not my cup of tea. Instrumentals are well-executed (and pretty impressively dense), but the whiplash between sappy ballads and breathless barnstormers means this album feels very jilted and more a collection of tracks in the same wheelhouse than a complete artistic product. Just too goofy for me at the end of the day

Ungodly Hour

Chloe x Halle

2/5

Not really notable in any way, especially against the background of its modern pop R&B compatriots. It's produced well? Struggling to say anything novel here, just not sure why this LP is a must-listen in anyone's book.

Emotion

Carly Rae Jepsen

1/5

Wanted to give this a fair shot after being burnt out on 'Call Me Maybe' when it dropped, but this album is just more of the same in that department. The whole LP feels so lifeless and vapid – outside of some fun bass lines, the instrumentals sound like Ableton preset tracks and have no real character or strong melodic sense. Additionally, Jepsen's vocals come across as perfunctory, and at times feel almost computer-generated for how soulless they sound. Even if the album dared to touch subjects outside of A) love and B) boyfriend, CRJ's delivery makes it seem like she could care less about any of these subjects and is just reading off the script the studio songwriters gave her. It's all more product than performance, an exemplar of how modern pop is more commercial package than actual art – which this album is assuredly not

Fashion Nugget

CAKE

4/5

Probably my favorite CAKE album, given how well the deadpan lyrics, ska influences/horns, and general funkiness all come together. It’s a shame folks usually don’t listen beyond ‘The Distance’ given how creative and fun the band has made their little musical niche – while there’s definitely a sense of self-importance that starts to grate over the 50-minute runtime, you can’t deny how off-the-cuff and genuine the whole thing feels.

Romance

Fontaines D.C.

3/5

Love this band but 'Skinty Fia' would've been the better choice for the list – now that this most recent effort has been out for a better part of a year, it stands starkly beneath its predecessor's shadow to me. Don't get me wrong, tracks like 'Starbuster' and 'Here's The Thing' are still on my heavy rotation and promise a continually bright future for Fontaines as they push their songwriting, this LP as a whole just feels like a jumbled bag of tracks without a stylistic or thematic thread to hold on to. Comparing this with Skinty's thrumming undercurrent of darkness that made the parts feel greater than the whole, I had high hopes for 'Romance' that I just don't think it lives up to. The album does get points, however, for having some of the most creative and exciting songwriting in the band's oeuvre to date, and still ended up relatively high on my Best of 2024 list. I'm probably being mildly harsh here given Skinty is my current pick for album of the decade, and I'm still excited to see what Grian and company have in store on the next one.

The Shape Of Jazz To Come

Ornette Coleman

3/5

I’d bet anything this was added by the guy who wrote the awesome, informative review on Spy vs. Spy! Listening to some actual Coleman makes the chaos of the latter record a bit more understandable, as he seems to enjoy these squirrelly, abstract melodic runs that seem to zig and zag at will around the track. It’s bold and a little wild, even by Jazz standards, and definitely feels like a shot in the arm – the LP’s title promises the future and the album certainly delivers on that aim.

For Emma, Forever Ago

Bon Iver

3/5

Not usually a singer-songwriter fan, but there's enough going on here to elevate this one against my tastes. The orchestration (and acoustic guitar especially) reminded me of Neutral Milk Hotel, and the LP contains some surprising punches of dynamic contrast that piqued my interest. The slower, more ballad-like tracks still drag interminably as they tend to do on albums like this, but Vernon injects enough personal flair and instrumental elements to keep things as exciting as they could be

Geogaddi

Boards of Canada

4/5

My fav Boards of Canada LP – while their other albums are uniformly amazing, this one has an uncharacteristic element of darkness and creeping uncertainty. It’s the perfect juxtaposition to Boards’ usual melodic dreamscapes and makes for a more engaging, demanding listen that stands out among their ethereal landscapes

Millennium

Backstreet Boys

2/5

The vocal harmonies are nice, but the formulaic composition here means all the tracks feel the same. Three songs in and the formula was pretty clear – single-singer verse, harmonic chorus, a key change to try and get some excitement going, end track. Couple this with the fact all of the tempos are within 10 BPM of each other, and the whole thing starts to seem like the producers forget the 101s of good songwriting. There's no contrast to give this LP any definition, no hard edges or personality to show really.

Fully Completely

The Tragically Hip

2/5

Some nice grunge elements here and there, but nothing wholly notable once the full LP has come to a conclusion. This one seems stuck in 2nd gear, the solid chugging riffs never giving way to the explosive chorus they build towards.

Please Don't Take Me Back

Martha

3/5

Thought this would be a slower singer-songwriter effort, so I was pleasantly surprised by the squeal of feedback that started the LP. Can’t say I’m a fan of the male vocals (too Jeff Rosenstock for my taste), but the guitar and other instrumentals are solid and make this a fun indie outing overall.

Discovery

Daft Punk

5/5

The tipping point in Daft Punk's discography, the perfect blend between the formative acid house era of years prior and the poppier, more melodic-driven elements of years to come. Listened to this one a good deal recently after the 25th anniversary re-release of the accompanying movie (which you should watch if you haven't), and I'm struck by how well the whole album is evocative of its era while remaining timeless. The insane sampling is distinct without being intrusive, the melodies overwhelmingly catchy yet complex, the beats iconic without overwhelming the rest of the track. I'm not sure if DP wrote this album with the narrative in place already, but the end product certainly reflects an eye toward a complete, cohesive musical journey that makes this such a joy to listen to.

10,000 Days

TOOL

3/5

Feel this is some of the heaviest riffage I’ve gotten from a Tool LP, and enjoyed the heavy guitar and layered instrumentation. As usual with these outings, I don’t think I’m stoned enough to get the whole picture – Shave twenty minutes off this thing and you’d have a lean, mean chugging album, but the prog elements are what make this band so acclaimed and I haven’t listened enough to get it quite yet

Spanish Train And Other Stories

Chris de Burgh

2/5

There were some fun instrumentals on this one, at times reminding me of Fleetwood Mac in a positive way. That said, the entire product suffers with Burgh’s vocals on top – he’s clearly being 100% genuine, but the LP starts to resemble a theater play in how goofy and over the top the lyricism gets

Argus

Wishbone Ash

2/5

Despite how close this gets to sounding like Yes (one of my fav Prog bands) at times, the overall impact here isn't doing much for me. There's some seriously impressive instrumental work at play, but the guitar ends up sounding more noodly/overplayed as it strays into 70s' rock solo territory. There's an internal logic to good prog where every instrument contributes to the whole, and this one is just off-balance enough to feel more tired classic rock than foundational LP.

Stretch 2

Arca

3/5

Some much-needed experimental electronica for the list – not as demanding as some other Arca LPs I've listened to, much more rhythmic and twisting which I found enjoyable. Could've used a stronger melodic component, but still a cool LP at the end of the day.

Alive 2007

Daft Punk

5/5

The beauty of live music isn’t just hearing your favorite songs performed in front of you – it’s hearing the little twists, licks, and additions that artists throw in as they make the music in front of you. Daft Punk takes this to the logical extreme here by remixing their entire discography against itself, taking their many famous motifs and layering them upon one another to create something familiar yet entirely new. People on this project love to complain about live albums, but this is something entirely different and honestly stands as a distinct album in DP’s discography and one of their best overall. My major regret in life is not being born early enough to see this tour!

Being Funny In A Foreign Language

The 1975

1/5

This band was already overrated even before Matty Healy proudly(!) admitted to watching female torture porn to get off. This LP is pure puff pastry radio fare made to be consumed, paid for, and forgotten. Get some better music taste and moral standards, my dude!

What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?

The Vaccines

2/5

Tiptoes between a 2 and 3 for me. The instrumentals are great, invoking early-aughts Interpol with a touch of gazey reverb and delay that makes for some great atmospheric tracks, but the vocals/lyrics feel so flat and obsessed with high-school level drama. Found myself getting worn out by the end as there's not many dynamic elements in the songwriting to make things sound varied and interesting.

Frengers: Not Quite Friends But Not Quite Strangers

Mew

3/5

I’d never listened to Mew before, so this was a fun introduction. Not every track jumped out at me, but the general personality and sense of genuine fun radiating from each track made this an enjoyable listen. I see the list as a way of uncovering musical blind spots so this was a great add imo - I never knew this kind of Panchiko-esque metal-adjacent rock was being made so early into the aughts.

The Lioness

Songs: Ohia

2/5

Starts off strong with some bolder instrumentals for a singer-songwriter LP, but quickly fades into quiet ballads without much melodic variation. Credit for the electric guitar tone and impressive vocals, but the overall product just didn't stand out to me

Alexisonfire

3/5

The classic shitty Midwest Emo vocals were to be expected, but the guitar work here was interesting enough to keep me tuned in the entire LP. Reminded me at points of Mars Volta with some pop-punk flair, which was a surprisingly workable combo.

Stop Making Sense

Talking Heads

3/5

Great document of what is generally considered to be one of the best live performances out there. Loses a bit of definition without having the visual element (the big suits are carrying a lot of the show on those shoulders), so it may feel a bit flat to those who have seen the movie first, but still an excellent Talking Heads introduction with some great cuts and amazing performances.

Deep Down Happy

Sports Team

3/5

A fun indie rock LP with a solid dose of personality, wasn’t a huge fan of the vocals but the instrumentals were solidly enjoyable. Does burn twice as bright for half as long - not sure any of these tracks had staying power to make it into my heavy rotation, but still a solid listening experience all in all

Toxicity

System Of A Down

4/5

About as prescient an LP you could drop a week before 9/11. I've been relatively ignorant of SoaD's catalog outside the big hits, and this was a needed intro to one of their most blistering yet catchy albums. Plenty of snippets I recognized from pop culture but hadn't heard in full – Serj's amazing vocal range (from professorial to barking to melodic) plus the technically melodic instrumentals are a perfect match, and one I wish I had listened to sooner. Vanishingly few artists can pull off a listenable protest album that doesn't age like milk, but System of A Down nails it every time.

GUTS

Olivia Rodrigo

2/5

Appreciated some of the heavier instrumentals by top 40 pop standards, hearing some overdriven guitar and punchy drums was nice given how bland most mainstream efforts can sound. That being said, I found myself getting bored at how thematically narrow this LP treads – Rodrigo has a powerhouse voice, but most of the tracks here cover such familiar ground (heartbreak, getting back with your ex, FOMO, etc.) that even Amy Winehouse couldn't breathe life into how banal the songwriting is. Would love to hear an instrumentally similar LP with some good, challenging lyricism behind it, would absolutely kill with Rodrigo's passionate vocals and not fall flat like the Top 40 retreads here.

A Beginner's Mind

Sufjan Stevens

3/5

Prefer the more instrumental-backed Sufjan of 'Illinoise' than the ambient wash here. There are some absolutely beautiful chord progressions and synths going on here (a complement to Steven's light, airy delivery), but 45-odd minutes of minimal drums or any other grounding instrumentals means this LP feels /too/ ethereal and ambient without much to grab onto. Giving this a 3 instead of a 2 as it's technically well-done and has some great songwriting, but again just feels too nebulous a listening experience to leave an overwhelming impact.

Triage

David Baerwald

3/5

Every time I thought I had this LP pinned down, it found a new combination of influences to keep me guessing. Don't know if I'll be returning to Baerwald's world here, but the listening experience was novel and lively enough to keep me entertained and that's all a solid album needs to do in my book

Rip It Off

Times New Viking

5/5

Reminds me of a garage rock era that has long since passed, and evoked some Thermals, early OCs, and plenty of other pioneers in the lo-fi rock space. While lacking in cohesion, this LP makes up for its disparate tracks with an overwhelming sense of momentum and a slacker kind of urgency, fulfilling some sort of unspoken need to get the ideas onto tape before they whither into thin air. It's messy, raw, and plenty of users here are going to hate it, but I love this kind of guerilla musicianship and felt so reinvigorated listening to this album – much better than some of the compressed, carefully packaged, and insipid efforts that have been added to the list!

My Brain Hurts

Screeching Weasel

3/5

Fun LP that pulls no punches and wastes no time getting into some solid punk. Not the most memorable album in the world to me, but it was an enjoyable listen and solid throughout.

Crystal Castles

4/5

Neglected listening to this one for quite some time, mainly to my detriment – this LP is such a fun, singular recollection of an indie electro-pop era that's long gone. While certainly colored by nostalgia, in my eyes the short period between 2006-2010 produced some of the best indie and electronic heard since as synths and electronic production became more accessible to bedroom producers. There's a charming sense of roughness around the edges of this LP to boot, and when coupled with a clear sense of experimentation and joy from the group's performances the whole thing just feels so genuine and human. It's clear actual people made this record, and it's a far cry from how austere and produced modern electronica or indie usually sounds.

Old No. 1

Guy Clark

3/5

Decent country LP that wasn't exactly groundbreaking for its time when it dropped in the '70s considering the historical context, though it's a solid enough listen. Waffled on this one a bit, but Texas features prominently and that's where I'm from so I will give it an additional star.

Spirit of Eden

Talk Talk

2/5

There are some beautiful melodic moments on this LP, but the surrounding space in each track is so sparse that it feels more like reaching an oasis in a desert than any sort of musical epiphany. Couple that with the ho-hum intermediary songs sandwiched in between tracks stretched well beyond their attention-carrying capacity and the whole album just drags – if the dead space that populates most of this LP was filled I think I would have enjoyed it much more.

AmarElo

Emicida

1/5

Even if the lyrics were worthy of a Nobel Prize in literature, I don't think understanding them would make this mess any more listenable. This LP aims for Bad Bunny-esque grandeur but fails to capture any kind of life or melodic inspiration in the instrumentals, and the Drake-like vocals do nothing to help.

Telefone

Noname

2/5

Starts off strong with some great lo-fi beats and lyricism, but somewhere along the way Noname starts to get crowded out of her own album – the guest features seem to mostly interrupt the solid flows she has going, and the whole thing begins to feel crowded, more group poetry night than the strong individual statement this LP could have been.

The Shape Of Punk To Come

Refused

4/5

Took a bit to settle in, but I actually listened to the whole LP (live tracks and all) because I enjoyed it so much. This album's blistering, frenetic punk veneer rests on a surprisingly technical set of instrumentals and progressions for the label, and each one of these tracks punches above its weight due to the combined effect of such good musicianship. The vocals seem to be everyone's catching point here, but to me they fit in perfectly among the other technically discordant elements – just like a feedback squeal or pinch harmonic, the screaming is just another aggressive instrument in the mix. This isn't the kind of music you can just dip your toes into off the bat as most of the reviews have shown here, but if you're a seasoned vet who's into this kind of thing, this LP is an amazing find and a great add to the list!

A Black Mile To The Surface

Manchester Orchestra

3/5

I'd heard a few tracks off this LP before and enjoyed them, so it was nice to return to the album in full and place them in context. The band is at their best when they steer clear of the sappy balladry/lyricism that does bog down some corners of this LP, opting instead for the richly layered expressiveness of the more uptempo tracks. It takes some skill to make all the instrumental pieces work and sound so cohesive, and when it all comes together this LP really impresses!

Portishead

3/5

Sits right in between 'Dummy' and 'Third' for me, enjoyed the more prominent trip-hop/DJed elements but some tracks still drag on without enough meat on their bones to justify the track length.

Repetition

Unwound

4/5

Darkly hypnotic post-hardcore – I'd listened to the big hits but had somehow never given this LP a full run-through. While not every track hits as it should to keep things from dragging, the highs bring so much to the table that the duller sections are easy to ignore. Sharp, angular guitar lines, entrancing bass riffs, and some lockstep drumming make this an instrumental masterpiece and make the whole experience doubly chaotic yet logically coherent as a result.

Last Splash

The Breeders

4/5

Even with heaps of acclaim, this LP has still always felt under-appreciated to me. There’s more than a touch of genius in taking the distinctly American feel of surf rock and twisting it into a grungier, self-aware version of itself, and it’s a potent niche that no other album has managed to occupy. The whole thing seems to flow like a wave, the instrumentals light and bouncy up until they crash into each other for some explosive choruses. Huge range in the songwriting as well – Kim Deal knows how to write an excellent track, and I think we’re all the better she escaped the shadow of Pixies before it was too late.

John Dawson Winter III

Johnny Winter

2/5

An LP that's a bit too full of itself for me to fully enjoy. The energy is there, but the gratuitous guitar soloing crosses into noodling territory and doesn't really advance any of the tracks. The lyricism doesn't help either, as Winter's ego clouds some of his better melodic ideas and distracts overall.

A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

The 1975

1/5

This is the 2nd 1975 LP added to the list and that's about two too many. This band seems to exclusively produce maximalist corporate slop, producing tracks that throw every idea they have at the wall in an attempt to make something coherent. Add in every song being mixed within an inch of its life to give it that sterile Top 40 gloss perfect for coffee shops or Urban Outfitters, and this just isn't a genuine artistic effort all. Final obligatory mention that Healy is a creep to boot!

Get Rich Or Die Ryan

Spose

2/5

I can’t deny this LP has heart, but man is it dumb as fuck. Would’ve loved to see the audio tech’s face on some of the vocal takes here, and can’t imagine how much this guy spent on studio time to make nearly 100 minutes of Limp Bizkit revival meets AJR.

Out Of Time

R.E.M.

4/5

This LP surprised me with how much personality the band showed on each track, the hits are the hits for a reason of course but there’s a stronger artistic sense of self that hasn’t registered for me on other R.E.M. albums. The slower parts did drag out somewhat, but overall this was a great listen from a band who I mistakenly thought I knew back to front.

Bon Iver

3/5

I've listened to a few Bon Iver LPs by now, but this one surprised me – I wasn't expecting how varied and lively the instrumentation would be, and really enjoyed the richness of the production. This is still a singer-songwriter LP at the end of the day and felt a bit slow to me in parts, but the album still punched well above its weight for a genre I'm not typically a fan of.

Year of the Cat

Al Stewart

2/5

There’s the sense of a strong songwriting effort attempting to break through here, but from a modern perspective it’s hampered by the sonic trappings of the past. Found myself questioning whether this was a lost Bowie B-sides album at points, as the LP just can’t clear a defined path for itself.

Take to the Skies

Enter Shikari

2/5

Never quite understood this subgenre of metal, the technical breakdowns and screaming butting up against extended melodic sections and deeply passionate lyricism. Kind of feels like water and oil to me, the LP not really gelling into any kind of cohesive artistic product or statement in the course of its runtime

How to Operate With a Blown Mind

Lo Fidelity Allstars

2/5

There were already multiple slots given to whatever this bland subgenre of UK breakbeat is called on the main 1001, I didn't find it interesting then and I sure don't find it interesting now. These tracks are meant to be mixed into DJ sets and played for dancefloors, not collected into a full sit-down listening experience. Made for decent background music on a long car ride, but that was all this LP had going for it.

Fear Inoculum

TOOL

2/5

Usually up for whatever labyrinthine tracks TOOL has to offer, but this LP doesn't coalesce into the usual tight prog-rock the band is known for. Too many of the progressions here feel lost, meandering along repeated riffs that don't seem to reach much of a justifying conclusion. Maybe the band was trying to make up for lost time between releases, but the album suffers as a result and feels uncharacteristically bloated and lacking in focus.

Latin Mass

Os Mundi

4/5

This fucking rocked, great to hear some classic German kraut with some King Crimson-like twists thrown in. Felt much easier to trace the influence of this LP than those by CAN/other Kraut titans down to similar artists of today such as King Gizz and Oh Sees for some reason – may be the less-crowded compositions or general uptempo feel, but in any case this was a fun listen that put a smile on my face!

Chocolate & Cheese

Ween

3/5

Surprised there hasn't been a Ween LP anywhere on the original list or user adds until now. Felt good to finally give this mythic band a listen (I'd only heard Ocean Man before), and for the most part I really enjoyed the distinctive character that made itself present in the well-executed instrumentals. I do think this LP lost a good deal of steam as it went along, front-loading its best ideas and getting a bit monotonous as things went on, but overall I appreciated the Ween crash course and enjoyed this album!

Thunder And Consolation

New Model Army

2/5

Victim of its own excess, enjoyed the instrumentals but this LP fell into the usual British tendency to keep running the chorus instead of letting the song end. Cut 20 minutes off this thing and it could be a lean, mean listen, but as it stands the melodic ideas here get beaten to death and the album tends toward slog territory.

People Watching

Sam Fender

2/5

You must have the memory span of a goldfish if an album that dropped 5 months ago is the best you've ever heard in your life. The product itself is alright, but definitely leans heavy on Springsteen nostalgia and gets a bit bland after a while with no real dynamic contrast and a pretty narrow BPM range. Just a silly pick, so many good albums from the early aughts and teens left off the list and you pick an album that will barely make 2025 best-of lists if that.

Young, Loud And Snotty

Dead Boys

3/5

Fast, gritty, and uncaring – lives up to the album title for sure. Not the most groundbreaking punk LP I’ve heard, but a hell of a lot more exciting than other additions to this list

Script Of The Bridge

The Chameleons

4/5

Some great post-punk on this LP, a bit longer than it needed to be but I was just happy to hear some spacey, droning guitar drenched in chorus again. For how Brit-centric the original 1001 is I was surprised at the relative lack of solid post-punk, so thank you for rectifying the issue here with a stellar add

Norther

Ex-Easter Island Head

4/5

When I first heard the tinkling vibraphone come in I was dreading a long, frustrating contemporary art piece. Once the thrumming bass line appeared, I realized this was a more concentrated attempt at making experimental music that wasn’t just bland ambient. Loved how creative and expressive this LP managed to be with a minimal toolset, crafting novel sounds out of familiar synths and showing some heavy artistic depth. I let the suggested tracks run for a few hours after this album concluded and felt pretty immersed in a genre l usually shunned, so thanks for the opening the door to some awesome new (to me) music

Foxes in the Snow

Jason Isbell

2/5

Classic (adj.): judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. Quit adding recent releases to the list! Defeats the whole point of the project. This isn't even Isbell's best LP by a mile, with its downtempo focus and lack of exciting songwriting. Some of y'all have no music taste of your own, and it shows if you can only think to add the most recent album you listened to. Fucking brain-dead pick.

Lemonade

Beyoncé

3/5

This one surprised me a bit given my feelings on previous Beyonce LPs. There's finally some decent songwriting and lyricism for Knowles' to lend her impressive vocals to as opposed to the repetitive chants of previous albums. Couple that with some solid production and mostly interesting instrumentals (+1 for the Jack White feature since I'm a guitar guy), and there's a solid musical statement here that stands much stronger than some in her past. Still not my cup of tea taste-wise, but music is meant to convey strong artistic statements and there's no denying this LP is one of them.

I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

Yo La Tengo

4/5

Took me way too long to get into this band, an outfit that I'd written off as another indie singer-songwriter outfit of the aughts on early listens. Joke's on me, especially with this LP – there's a sense of warmth across all of YLT's discography, but this album especially hums with a humanity that makes every track feel like the sonic equivalent of a warm hug. The production is just lo-fi enough to add the human touch, but clean enough that the bandwidth between the softer tracks and giant walls of noise register equally. A wide breadth of songwriting on this one too, with plenty of dynamic contrast and variety to make the album's runtime feel nearly justified. Just a great album at the end of the day, and a shocking oversight of the original 1001 to omit

Suzuki

Tosca

3/5

First time in a while on this project I can say I've listened to something strikingly new (to me). This LP definitely takes heed from the early days of electronica with some clear Aphex inspiration, but forges its own meandering path that's oddly hypnotic. You would think 6-minute tracks with minor progression would test one's patience, but there's a sly sense of worldbuilding in each song that keeps you hooked until the end. While the album does start to lose steam pretty severely in the last third, it still provides an unexpectedly entrancing listen which I genuinely enjoyed!

John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman

John Coltrane

3/5

Solid smooth jazz addition, a bit slow and too warbly in the vocals to stick with me but a needed bit of variety in context of the original 1001. After completing the Rolling Stone 500 list, it became clear how this project sorely lacks in major jazz contributions so I'm happy to see some more here!

Is Ellipsis

Psyche Origami

4/5

A nice, punchy hip-hop LP with some fun mixing elements that made it feel unique. Could've tightened up a bit and dropped to a lean, mean 40 minutes, but even as it is this is a fun listen. I enjoyed how there seemed to be a constant dialogue between the MC and the DJ, made the album feel more organic and contributed a genuineness that set this apart from other hip-hop efforts.

Blade Runner

Vangelis

3/5

Torn here – there's no denying that this score works exceptionally well in the context of the film, but as a solo listen it leaves something to be desired. The genre-defining ambience and scale of Vangelis' soundscapes are undeniable on this LP, but separated from the dark, brooding world of the film there's a substantial loss of impact that leaves the synth-washed tracks drifting on their own. Not a fan of the movie dialogue mixed in over the actual score as well. Tough call overall, warrants a discussion on what makes a great film score vs. a great album - there's an inherent parasitism between the two forms of media, but to me the best soundtracks can stand on their own musically at the end of the day.

Shack-man

Medeski, Martin & Wood

2/5

It's a jam album, nothing more and nothing less. Not sure why this is notable in any way, maybe I'm missing some historical context but it's meh all around.

The Fame

Lady Gaga

4/5

Though it was easy to dunk on her at the time, there's no denying Gaga was visionary and highly influential – she essentially set the stage for pop to come, wrapping her music and public persona in attention-grabbing showmanship that is part and parcel of today's releases. 15+ years on and the songs here still hold up, infectiously catchy and just a tad goofy but still genuine. The LP leans more heavily into four-on-the-floor dance rhythms than I recall, but that explains how it dovetailed so nicely with the EDM boom that was right around the corner. The lyricism can get relatively deep by pop standards (nonsense aside), and Germanotta has the vocals to back up even the silliest of choruses and make them feel dead serious. This is definitely getting a nostalgia boost as it was everywhere during my teens, but even though it's not in my wheelhouse, this album isn't a bad listen at all. Love her or hate her, Gaga knows what she's doing and she does it well.

The Midnight Organ Fight

Frightened Rabbit

3/5

Figured this would be straight singer-songwriter all the way through, so it was nice when the full-band instrumentation kicked in. Had some quibbles with the banal songwriting and sometimes bland arrangements, but it was a decent listen and something new I hadn’t heard before.

Mouth Sounds

Neil Cicierega

4/5

I was more than familiar with Neil's one-off videos on Youtube from my teen years, but had never known about these full-lengths, so thank you for bringing this one to my attention. I would be curious as to the age breakdown on the ratings for this one – if you've never heard Neil's work I would get why you'd be confused and angry, but to me (and most of the young-ish folks here) it's a complete encapsulation of the early 2010s-era internet in the best way possible. Don't let the Smash Mouth samples fool you, Cicierega is an artist in every sense of the word. To sample and juxtapose so many disparate tracks into one cohesive 4-minute slab of insanity at a time shows some serious musical insight; to continually morph the same samples into distinct tracks that form their own meta-text is genius. I would love to see the stem map or hear a commentary on where this guy's mind was while making this album just to know what neurons fired to connect some of these tracks together. This brought me back to my teen years in the best way possible, reminding me of a pre-Spotify age where aimless Youtube wandering (without ads!) was a prime pastime and streaming service, and the world seemed much less serious. Funnily enough, the people whining about this not being on Spotify are emphasizing what a product of the times this is – they've clearly never had to comb Youtube for a blatant CD rip ([FULL ALBUM]) because it was the only way to listen and it shows!

Has A Good Home

Final Fantasy

2/5

Didn’t really click with me – lots of great instrumentation packed into some complex arrangements, but the LP never coalesced into a satisfying whole. Feels almost confused with so many ideas rather than a cohesive artistic statement

TEKKNO

Electric Callboy

1/5

Just plain bad. Overloaded arrangements, bad production that sags under the weight of so many elements at once, and terrible lyrical content and focus. Metal is a genre ripe for fusion with how technical and layered it can be, but there has to be some artful consideration of HOW to layer in new elements without just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Also gives me flashbacks to the lolXDsoRandom! era of the early teens, which is impressive for an album made a decade later.

Imaginal Disk

Magdalena Bay

4/5

Saw these guys live two days ago and am still riding that high as I write this review. Music as a whole (and the indie sphere especially) has been lacking in good, solid dance music for years, so to have a complex, layered LP full of tracks that still make you want to shake your ass is a triumph. There's so much work that's been put into stacking the synths, piano, and killer (non-synth) bass lines into towering compositions that feel full of life, but without overwhelming the production or listener and still managing to feel slick as hell. While it's easy to overlook on more electronic tracks, the musicianship of this duo is pretty insane – the keyboard runs aren't easy by any means, and their show was the first time I've seen a keytar used (and to great effect) in the 200+ concerts I've had the chance to see. Yet, almost in spite of the compositional work they've invested, Magdalena manage to make each one of these tracks infectiously catchy and simple to dance along to. It shows clear focus and intent that such well-written songs can be enjoyed either at the club or listening intently at home. I challenge anyone to find a catchier, sexier track than 'Image,' a song that pulses with desire and feels like a revelation in an indie sphere that's tended towards brooding, singer-songwriter focused work over the past few years. While this LP is a more recent release, I think the dust has settled just enough aside its notable artistic caliber to mark this as a potential top 100 album of the decade when Stereogum writes their huge review article 5 years from now. Just great music at the end of the day and a solid addition to the list!

Autobiografia

Duncan Dhu

2/5

Instrumentally fine and well-executed, but way too long and melodramatic. Still a much-needed international pick for the list, just not my cup of tea

You & I

Rita Ora

2/5

Ora has an incredible voice, just can't help but feel the production and songwriting has let her down here. The backing tracks sound like they were scrambled together using Ableton presets, and so many of the tracks have repetitive verses and pretty bare-bones lyrics. I enjoyed a few songs off of this one, but felt it could have had a much larger impact.

Deltron 3030

4/5

Feeling foolish given how much I've always enjoyed Del's verses on Clint Eastwood and other Gorillaz tracks and then just... never sought out his work independently. This is a great hip-hop concept LP that's aged pretty well, and seems almost prescient in places. Del has such an art for putting together flows that hit incredibly hard but read clearly with several interwoven layers of semantic cleverness. Couple that with some great production and interesting, melodic beats (not to mention the tasteful turntable action), and you've got an exemplar album that shows how powerful hip-hop can be. I was a little disappointed at how repetitive some of verses were, but outside of that minor quibble this was a great listen and an awesome add.

WE ARE

Jon Batiste

3/5

This is my first full Batiste LP, and I enjoyed how rich and diverse this album felt as it sampled and paid homage to a pretty wild amount of genres. It did feel difficult to isolate Batiste's artistic voice as a result, however – this may have been a personal failing on my part, though, as this LP demands one's full attention to catch all the elements at play. I'll be returning to this one for sure!

Vs.

Pearl Jam

3/5

A side of Pearl Jam I hadn't heard before, reminded me of Primus in a few spots with the typical Vedder twang. Did run a bit long for my liking, but it was nice to hear some solid 90s hard rock for a change here.

Quadrophenia

The Who

2/5

There's some decent rock on here as only The Who know how to do it, but the entire LP runs so long that any moments of joy get crushed beneath huge swaths of mediocrity. There are only so many vocal Daltrey-isms and Townshend lines one can fit in an hour and a half before patience starts to run thin.

Ocean Avenue

Yellowcard

3/5

I wasn't fully conscious yet when this album dropped, yet I still realize it as a perfect time capsule of what was going on in early-aughts rock. The not-quite-grunge but still in-your-face guitar, the overly emotional lyricism that's a little cringey, the sheer gloss of overproduction... takes me right back to what was on pop/rock radio when I was a kid. Listening back now, this LP has held up surprisingly well – it definitely starts to lose steam and repeat itself near the end, but the energy is undeniable and the band doesn't take themself too seriously which helps. Regardless of what you may think of this album, this feels like an important add on the music history side of things and covers a gap that's been missing here for a while.

Oceanic

ISIS

3/5

Didn’t wow me but I didn’t hate it either. Vocals felt fine against the more atmospheric post-rock atmosphere, and this felt much more introspective and wandering than the chug fest I expected. Coming down on a 3 here, probably won’t return to this one but it was a solid listen.

News at 11

Cat System Corp.

2/5

This LP wraps around itself in knots trying to be clever that it ends up back at perfect banality. I've listened to a good chunk of vaporwave, and slightly slowing down some Weather Channel music doesn't really cut it for artistry even by this genre's flexible standards. Also incensed by the entire theming of '9/11 but nothing happens' – It's clear from the album's Wikipedia description that this was simply Weather Channel music before suddenly becoming this grand conceptual statement, and the whole thing reeks of an art school project being thrown together the night before its due with some bullshit cover to make it necessarily #deep. The fact that the artist actually commented on the YouTube stream to point out that side A has 9 tracks and side B 11 (eh, EH? DO YOU GET IT? LIKE 9/11?) felt a little pathetic and encapsulated how hard it felt like this ablum was trying to say somethign meaningful while being a whole bunch of mostly plagiarized music and barely recontextualized samples. Giving this a 2 because it generated a lot of meaningful discussion amongst my friends about what makes music original and noteworthy (and generally challenged my thinking about what constitutes artistry), but even as a jet fuel can't melt steel beams guy this just seems cheaper and tackier the more I think about it.

People Who Eat People Are The Luckiest People In The World

AJJ

4/5

A freak folk classic, one of those albums that defines a genre following its release. I always appreciate AJJ's breakneck approach to the usual singer-songwriter fare, throwing words and instrumentation together into a chaotic mix that all somehow works together. It's a heady blend that requires active listening, and pushes the bounds of what you'd expect from the typical ho-hum guy with a guitar tracks that seem to be everywhere on the 1001. Great add, cool to see such a small but strong corner of the indie sphere getting some recognition here.

Thank Christ for the Bomb

The Groundhogs

3/5

Interesting 70s’ rock LP with some great psych elements, felt a bit CAN-inspired at points. Lost a bit of steam on the back half, and not sure I’m getting the thematic content that’s supposed to be here, but the instrumentals were superb and just ragged enough to keep me interested until the end.

The Impossible Kid

Aesop Rock

2/5

This LP has some great things going for it in the production, but the vocal delivery just killed the whole thing for me. The beats go above and beyond the typical Ableton preset standard for rap nowadays and incorporate some well-done electronic elements, but Rock's flat delivery became monotonous and grating real quick. He's got some great flows and has clearly put a lot into the lyricism, but the complete lack of vocal emotion made everything feel homogeneous.

No Balance Palace

Kashmir

4/5

Honestly sounds like a lost Radiohead LP with some Interpol thrown in – definitely loses steam in the back half and gets a bit diffuse, but I was blown away by the guitar work and orchestration here. Brought me back to that early-aughts indie sound in the best way possible, and I appreciated the creeping unease that saturated most of the tracks here. Great add, excited to see what else this band has in their discography!

Y Ahora Qué?

Reincidentes

3/5

Great rock LP, at times felt like it was dipping into hardcore before pulling back into a few other genres. A bit long for the melodic content it has to share, but still a much-needed international pick for the list.

Yellow & Green

Baroness

4/5

Baroness always makes a quality LP, and I think that's because the band has such a strong focus on the fundamentals. There's no flashy solos, heavy chugging, or edgy lyricism here – just straight, well-done metal that speaks for itself. There's a great focus on melodicism here, with some amazing guitar harmonies that make the tracks memorable and just sound great. The distinct tonal shift between the Yellow and Green sections is clear and well-motivated, and it's impressive how the band was able to squeeze two whole LPs worth of great tracks into a cohesive album. The end product is perhaps a bit overlong, but given the high quality throughout it's more than a joy to listen to the band power their way through 75 minutes of rock-solid metal.

The Mantle

Agalloch

3/5

Expansive post-rock LP that reminded me (in a great way) of Deafheaven mixed in with some acoustic and folk elements, clear to see the influence from this in the aughts to the spacey blackgaze and post-metal of today. The LP did feel a bit diffuse throughout its considerable runtime, and I can't believe I'm saying this but I wish there were /more/ vocals to ground the tracks a little bit. Solid listen and an interesting band I'd like to hear more from.

Fine Line

Harry Styles

2/5

Listened to 'Harry's House' earlier this year, and in comparison this LP just does not hold up to the artistic standard Styles has set for himself in his later work. This album felt much more commercial, slicked down and any rough edges sanded off to slip smoothly into radio play. There are definitely highlights where Styles shines vocally and the melodies approach memorability, but for the most part this album disappears into the pop landscape of its time with no defining features to make it stand out. Feel that in 10 years time this LP will be mostly forgotten while 'Harry's House' has a solid shot at being remembered as a stellar, boundary-pushing pop album.

Harbor Lights

Bruce Hornsby

2/5

Discount store Genesis, tries so hard to invoke the progressive rock titans of its time that it loses any sense of individuality in the process. Silly lyricism and muzak-level instrumentals further hinder the LP, and it ends up going in one ear and out the other – listened to this in the morning and it was gone from memory by lunch.

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

of Montreal

4/5

Psyched to see some of Montreal here, especially Hissing Fauna. This album may be getting close to its 20th birthday, but it still reverberates uniquely in the indie space even today. Defiantly eccentric and inherently queer, this LP takes quirky yet danceable instrumentals and smothers them in lyrics both heartfelt and smutty, bordering on social extremes for the time given that it came out during the Bush administration. Kevin Barnes wears all of it proudly on his sleeve, and it's that distinct genuineness that makes this 50-minute smorgasbord work so well. I'm guessing this will pick up some pretty negative reviews here given Montreal's style is more of an acquired taste, but it made me happy to see an oft-forgotten early indie contribution featured here.

Blizzard Of Ozz

Ozzy Osbourne

3/5

Solid comp that serves as a reminder of why Osbourne is so lauded – the man invented metal itself alongside Sabbath, and wasn't content to stop there. Enjoyed the track selection here, doesn't feel too focused on any one era or project, and I was happy to see Mr. Crowley on here, a song I always felt got overshadowed by Crazy Train. Wish there was some Sabbath to contextualize things but I'm sure rights got in the way of that. Think this is a solid add to commemorate the man and acknowledge his contributions, even though every Black Sabbath LP ever is already in the main 1001.

METAL FORTH

BABYMETAL

2/5

Was going to rant about another too-recent pick for the list, but given there seems to be another Babymetal LP waiting for me, this seems to be someone's (or some people's) idea of a joke. Kinda sad to think somebody listened to 1100 albums just to throw their pick away on a gag, but hey, whatever floats your boat!

No Talking Just Head

The Heads

3/5

An important add just for the music history alone, I didn't realize there was an LP underscoring part of the larger, acrimonious break in Talking Heads. As for the album itself, I found myself getting into the more new-wave take on what are undoubtedly Talking Heads instrumentals. The more abstract lyricism pushed this into arthouse territory at times, and while not every one of the sonic experiments here produces worthwhile results, I found more than a few tracks to return to.

Promises

Floating Points

2/5

Expected a lot from this LP and left disappointed. Combining the ethereal electronic Floating Points is known for with a full orchestra's magnificence seems like an unmistakable win, but the main theme is so piddling and timid that this quickly becomes 45 minutes of slog. Pharaoh Sanders' excellent sax does its best to inject some liveliness, but then feels foreign atop an ultimately banal melody. The composition here is just not good (at least to my taste), and I'm left wondering what could have been if someone had written a melody that dared to get above a meek whisper.

The art of Amalia Rodrigues

Amália Rodrigues

2/5

No context around this one, comps like this summarize an artist's contributions well, but pluck tracks from LPs randomly and remove any narrative elements a full album would give. Couple that with the sizable runtime here and a general dislike of singer-driven music and I can't say I'm a fan. Rodrigues is an excellent vocalist, but the instrumentals are so sparse and the songwriting so similar throughout that this felt like it took forever to finish.

Chocolate Synthesizer

Boredoms

2/5

I wanted to enjoy this LP so badly, but have to concede that an hour of loose, textural noise rock is not my thing. There are bright moments that sound like Melt-Banana meets Lightning Bolt (even a few moments where i was reminded of Boris), but these are easily lost underneath a sea of aggressive, low-tempo textures that blur together over the LP's runtime.

Images and Words

Dream Theater

3/5

Great memories of playing ‘Pull Me Under’ on Guitar Hero World Tour so there is a nostalgia bump here most likely. There’s no denying the instrumental work here is incredible – everyone in the band is firing on all cylinders, and while the guitar parts are a standout I found myself entranced by the drums throughout. That being said, I can’t help but feel that sizable chunks of this album just feel kind of silly, with the synth parts and completely over the top arrangements evaporating the immersion at times. I’m being a complete hypocrite given I’m a huge Rush fan, but this early-aughts prog does sometimes feel like it fell victim to the rise of electronic instrumentation which can make it sound dated and overdone. All in all, though, this was a solid listen and a great modern add.

BABYMETAL

3/5

Not as draining a listen as I expected, definitely too long but there's at least some sense of melodic/instrumental variation, and I did bop my head at times. The solid production does help, maybe a bit over-produced but this LP moves along like a well-oiled machine with not a track out of place. Remember enjoying this group's debut for causing an absolute civil war among metalheads about what constitutes 'real metal,' an incredibly dumb argument when music is inherently subjective and taste is 100% personal.

Polygondwanaland

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

4/5

I remember being a bit fatigued by this one when it dropped in 2017, the 4th out of 5 total LPs King Gizzard would drop that year. With time, though, it's clear this is one of the best out of that lot. Gizzard embracing prog in full feels like a foregone conclusion as they weave countless themes into the monstrous but agile 'Castle' as an introduction. The remaining tracks flesh out these ideas, building on earlier motifs in the traditionally insane way King Gizz operates. The album does seem ponderous in places, and it's not nearly as tightly bound as some others in the band's discography, but the overall sum of these parts into a sonic journey evokes a sense of completion much like Nonagon Infinity's looping structure. Solid add from the golden era of Gizz \m/

Sunbather

Deafheaven

5/5

Was thinking the other day that maybe I should have added Sunbather as my pick instead, so first off thanks for adding this album and righting my wrongs. It seems a logical combination - take the thrashing instrumentals of metal and combine it with the reverb-drenched guitars of Shoegaze. Somehow, this was the first LP to execute on that premise and deliver ‘blackgaze’ to a degree that I don’t think has been matched since, even by Deafheaven on their later releases. Every element of this album is tuned to fucking perfection. The production is air-tight, allowing the instrumentals to claim what seems like infinite space. And claim they do – the drumming is surgical but raw, the bass absolutely pounding, and the guitar lines expand until you’re enveloped in beautiful, pummeling melody. Clarke’s gnashing vocals will turn off the prudes on this project, but you can’t deny they seem to emanate right out of the sonic wall of midrange that erupts out of each track. It’s perfect order that sounds like absolute chaos, each of the main tracks a colossus that feels at once towering but fluid and agile. The LP’s composition only heightens its sense of scale, the contemplative interludes allowing a bit of breathing room before your head is forced back underneath the waves. What makes Sunbather truly revolutionary to me, however, is its unshakeable melodic grip. Metal is known for the minor-key, doom and gloom chugging that gets heads banging and mosh pits roiling, but the second ‘Dream House’ springs to life it’s clear this is no fugue. I’ve yet to find a track that matches the absolute triumph, power, and joy that’s invoked on the opener, which still feels like a breath of fresh air even a decade on. The rest of the album dips into darker territory (this is Deafheaven, after all), but even at its darkest the chords still ring out clearly and there’s a complete sense of musicality, not just distortion. Look past the gut reaction to the screaming, and you’ll find absolutely beautiful progressions and genuinely incredible artistic statements at the core of this album. I venture folks here will chafe at the interludes, but even the one with drill noise has some incredible piano going in the background. The more I listen to this album (which is frequently – ‘Dream House’ is a go-to driving/workout/fuck yeah kind of song), the more I’m certain this is one of the most important releases of the 2010s. Rarely does an album transcend its genre-trappings, but Sunbather does so in such extravagant fashion to sound at once orchestral and refined while being an insanely fucking raw metal LP at heart. This album absolutely deserves to be on the official 1001 and has already made it onto the Rolling Stone and NME Top 500 album lists, so again a massive thanks for getting it included here.

Save Rock And Roll

Fall Out Boy

1/5

Kinda hard to save rock and roll with a corporate-shlock sellout album designed for Top 40 radio play.

The Hypnogogue

The Church

2/5

These guys have been around for nearly 50 years which is impressive, and the 80s origins certainly show in the bright flashes of Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, and New Order-esque motifs throughout the LP. There’s not enough of these highlights, however, to sustain an hour-long LP. Somewhere around track 4 or 5 there’s a downshift into this vague ambient feel that the album never really recovers from – what starts off strong with lots of individuality just kind of fades into so-so 80s new-wave. A full LP of the early guitar-driven tracks with some uptempo pep would’ve easily been a 4, just not sure why this one falls off so hard in the middle.

The General Electric

Shihad

2/5

Starts off with some solid energy and genuine passion, but quickly devolves into standard late-90s rock without much new to say. There were moments that reminded me of Incubus or Deftones, but more in an emulatory sense than the band trying to make their own artistic statement.

Gordon

Barenaked Ladies

3/5

Plenty of personality on this one, with some tongue-in-cheek songwriting and Cajun influence to boot. I've never been a huge fan of this band taste-wise, but there's no denying their musicianship and distinct style – agree that not including them on the current 1001 is a big oversight, so this was a more than worthy add.

Piano Bar

Charly García

3/5

Enjoyable soft rock and an always-needed international pick for the list. Didn’t blow me away, but it was fun to hear the more wry Argentinian take on a genre that usually demands complete sincerity.

Fantasies

Metric

4/5

Great to see some Metric here, even if I would’ve gone for ‘Synthetica’ over this one – this band was an early fav of mine, and they’ve carved a definitive sound of their own that I haven’t heard another band approach. There’s a marked simplicity in Metric’s approach to composing a track, but every piece is executed so well that even a straightforward guitar line feels larger than life. Add in Emily Haines’ no-nonsense vocals and a strong focus on melody + a good hook and you have a winning formula. This output does verge on corniness sometimes (not every set of lyrics is a winner), but for the most part you get some memorable, genuine indie tracks out on the other side.

Only Death is Real

Stray From The Path

2/5

I’m primarily an instrumental listener, and despite the band’s technical skill here I wasn’t floored by a straight run of djenty chugging and drums with no real melodic meat. It’s clear that the instrumentals are meant more as a platform for the shouting, and even if I agree with what’s being shouted it’s an exhausting combo all around – this felt much longer than its half-hour runtime.

"Weird Al" Yankovic

2/5

Weird Al definitely deserves recognition on the list, but surely there was a better collection of his songs somewhere out there? This is the one time I feel a greatest hits LP would be warranted as an add.

Diamonds & Gasoline

Turnpike Troubadours

2/5

While the songwriting on this LP punches above its weight class for the genre, focusing on some introspective and outwardly emotional themes, the instrumentation is straight Top 40 modern country. It's a shame that some genuinely strong lyricism in the narrative vein of Drive-By Truckers has to be paired with the same banal Red Dirt tracks we've heard a million times before and will hear a million times again.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Various Artists

3/5

Shaming myself here as I’m nearly three decades old and haven’t seen Rocky Horror yet. Had some familiarity with a few songs before going in but enjoyed this LP, even without the context of the movie. There’s a strong sense of melody throughout, and the Broadway-style lyricism only elevates the memorability. Most importantly, the whole album is just fun – this made me look up local showings as I’d like to put the whole thing in context.

Once Upon a Rhyme

David Allan Coe

3/5

Not the most revolutionary LP in the world, but there’s just something about hearing an older guy with a twangy voice sing about how much he loves his guitar.

Speak & Spell

Depeche Mode

2/5

Some fun tracks here and there, but everything this band has released ages so poorly in a modern light. The dominant synth melodies and accents are a bit grating and haven’t been included on any hardware released past 1990, and the repetitive songwriting doesn’t help matters either.

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Bright Eyes

2/5

If the vocals are meant to carry the repetitive, uninspired instrumentals, then they're doing a pretty sore job – purely a matter of taste, but I just do not enjoy vocal-driven music where the focus is supposed to be on the narrative/delivery. There are flashes of interest where the instrumentals get a bit interesting and mesh well with the story being told, but mostly this is one step above a singer-songwriter LP. Understand why this was so significant in the early days of modern indie, but it just hasn't aged into something I enjoy.

Cold Fact

Rodríguez

4/5

What a stunning LP, completely distinct and original compared to the rest of the 1001. Rodríguez shows what a singer-songwriter album can be – not just a threadbare collection of acoustic guitar and ho-hum lyricism, but a striking diatribe wrapped in warm, crisp instrumentation. The lo-fi 70s' recording definitely adds to the air of grounded mysticism that permeates the LP, each track rich in varied instrumentation that uplifts and intertwines with Rodríguez's firm but emotional delivery. Every song tackles a distinct (still relevant) social ill, yet even the sparser tracks still feel hopeful and upbeat as Rodríguez spins the hard facts of the matter into lines you can bop your head along to. The best part of this LP is how genuine and human it feels – seems like the guy walked into the studio, picked up a guitar, and laid his woes straight to tape. It's a living artistic statement, and a musical triumph that many albums on this list could only hope to be.

Pinkerton

Weezer

5/5

The 'Blue Album' party is over and the sleazy reality of being a rock star has set in – wanton sex, unwanted attention, exhaustion, and a dash of creepy desire to finish it all off. This is probably my favorite Weezer LP (out of the two good ones they've released) for how categorically inverse it stands to the unadulterated joy of the Blue Album. Though panned at the time, the LP offers a textbook example of how to destroy the sophomore slump, especially in such a transformative way. The instrumentals are top-notch (artfully messy when they need to be, locked in when it's time to focus), the melodic songwriting improved over the high standard of Blue, and the lyricism perfectly fitted to invoke a questioning eyebrow-raise as Cuomo sings about his 18-year-old crush. Think a lot of people miss the point of how this album is a send-up of the exhausted, over-idolized 90s' rock star (Rivers himself said " [it's] a portrait of the worst version of myself") and meant to be nigh-satire throughout. It's the earliest version of the tongue-in-cheek attitude that would come to destroy the band's later output in a wave of cheesiness after Matt Sharp took his guitar lines and left, but it works here even at such a large dose. Great add, this LP is always such a fun, sickening listen and really stands without equal subject-wise in my opinion.

Que c'est triste Venise

Charles Aznavour

2/5

The original 1001 already has the French guy LP covered with Brel's 'Olympia 64,' though I suppose Aznavour's take is much more downtrodden and mournful. Reflects in how dreary and miserable a listen this is – perhaps a matter of taste, but it's just not for me.

One Life

Malibu

2/5

It’s fine, well constructed and executed but just too ambient and wandering in its short runtime to generate any interest.

Neon Golden

The Notwist

1/5

Commits the cardinal sin of media by being just plain boring – not even frustrating or so bad it’s good, just boring. Maybe it was notable in the early aughts, but throwing together sparse acoustic plucking and synths that sound like a bad Thom Yorke solo LP doesn’t do much for the album’s nearly hour-long runtime. It’s all so disparate and lacking in any kind of connecting thread, feels mostly like the world’s worst (or most pretentious) jam session.

Exile On Coldharbour Lane

Alabama 3

2/5

Kinda wild the combination of country + acid house where a Foghorn Leghorn-esque DJ lectures you a la a Sunday youth service never took off.

Hall of the Mountain King

Savatage

3/5

Some fun 80s hair metal, great organizing structure to take the classic Grieg track and incorporate it in as the melodic backbone of the album. A bit too much instrumentally at times and not always memorable, but an enjoyable listen and a decent dose of metal.

Body Talk

Robyn

1/5

I never liked 'Dancing On My Own' to begin with, and the rest of the LP follows suit. Juvenile lyricism, typically repetitive/bland pop songwriting, instrumentals that sound like Ableton presets – Robyn even manages to somehow suck the life out of Röyksopp's vibrant artistry on their collaboration. This is a one-hit wonder LP at best, and even the one hit should've been left behind a while ago.

One Time for All Time

65daysofstatic

3/5

Listened to these guys' work before and enjoyed their contribution to the 'No Man's Sky' soundtrack. The band's unique take on strong ambient melodies combined with breakbeat is a bit more suited to atmospheric use than direct listening, but it's still wholly unique among other albums on this list and a nice taste of something different.

Brand New Eyes

Paramore

4/5

One of the rare few indie bands that’s managed to make it big without selling out their core sound too much. I’m not familiar with much of their discography, so this was a nice gut punch of technical instrumentals and Williams’ piercing lyricism. Things get a bit homogeneous towards the back half of the LP, but most of the tracks demanded my attention and surprised me with their range – really enjoyed the listen overall, and was appreciative of the chance to listen to some fundamental late-aughts indie!

Ida Con Snock

Michael Hurley

2/5

There was a critical lack of solo male vocalists playing guitar on the 1001 so thank you for addressing this gap (◔_◔)

Time's Up

Living Colour

3/5

Strong sense of personality and a unique voice here – the runtime wore me down a bit given how consistently heavy the arrangements lean, but that’s better than being bored to death by another singer-songwriter LP

Melt My Eyez See Your Future

Denzel Curry

2/5

Doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from similar projects and feels pretty bland as a whole due to minimalist, boring beats. There are 1-2 tracks that piqued my interest, but the LP is let down by uninspired instrumentals and repetitive bars that don’t say much of anything new.

O Monstro Precisa De Amigos

Ornatos Violeta

2/5

Just alright, a bit sappy and melodramatic in places for my taste. What’s notable is how prescient this LP is in terms of the early aughts indie rock sound – there’s some guitar here and there that reminded me of Interpol, only 6 years ahead of schedule. Those bright moments weren’t enough to make this LP a winner for me, but it was fascinating to hear.

Geography

Tom Misch

1/5

If you're going to have a spoken-word passage at the beginning of your album talking about you're only in it for the music, you should probably ensure the following LP lives up to that self-aggrandizing promise. Despite the tight instrumental execution and thoughtful, clean production, the actual musical content of this album is flatter than a pancake. No matter how many times Misch steps outside of the key or fits in a funky little solo, the bones of these tracks are drop-dead boring: muzak-esque progressions, repetitive lyricism and instrumentation, meandering guest features that feel misplaced or are just plain bad. Tack on the jam band elements and the orobouros of Misch jacking himself off is complete – telling when you need a gratuitous re-do of 'Isn't She Lovely' to inject any kind of life into your album and it manages to be the most memorable track! The whole project is just self-serving and too smug for its own good. The main feat I'll remember from this one is how Misch managed to make even a De La Soul feature feel lifeless and limpid.

The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads

Lift To Experience

3/5

Having a weird déjà vu moment where I could've sworn I'd already listened to this one as part of the list. In any case, I'm glad to have the chance to give it another listen because if I already did, I sure didn't appreciate it at the time. While I'm definitely giving subconscious brownie points as a native Texan, the sheer expanse of this LP is flooring and worthy in its own right – each track is anthemic in its own right, and every nook and cranny of these lengthy songs has clearly been thought out and executed to the fullest. Even with pioneering bands like Wednesday and Greet Death (who this reminded me a lot of) bringing countrygaze to the masses, it's still a niche genre with few practitioners, so it was cool to add another qualified band to the list. My main qualm with this LP was the lack of breathing room – not every track can be massive, and dynamic contrast exists for a reason. There's almost too much of a good thing here as well, the chunky runtime drowning out some of the more impressive moments on the album. Cut this down to an hour or so and it's a lean, mean 5-star gut punch of guitar in concept album form. Finally, hidden tracks that are cloaked behind 15+ minutes of silence are a personal pet peeve (but hidden tracks in general are cool!). Despite these nitpicks, I really enjoyed this LP for being so radically different and committing fully to its conceptual bit. Shame these guys haven't put out anything further, would've been interested to hear their artistic development on a second full-length. There is some badassery to dropping an album of this length/caliber as your debut and promptly disappearing though, and it was a great addition to the list all-in-all.

Singles

Future Islands

4/5

I’ve been a fan of this band for a while but hadn’t listened to this LP straight through. I’ve always enjoyed how unique their sound is, a heady mix of synth and prominent bass underscored by Herring’s passionate vocals. People here are going to complain about the latter, but the man just genuinely loves performing – saw them live last year and he clearly lives to sing and bare his heart to others. It’s emotionally honest and refreshing, some authentic artistry in an increasingly cynical and profit-driven music industry. Nobody is making the exuberant yet melancholy-tinged tracks like these guys, and I hope they continue for a good while. An absolute crime one of their LPs wasn’t on the original 1001, seems like it would be up Dimery’s alley.

Alopecia

WHY?

4/5

Everyone I worked with at my college radio station loved WHY? and I was just too dumb to get it at the time. This is a wholly unique blend of indie sensibility and lyrical genius, a completely distinct artistic statement that has no equal in the 1400+ albums I’ve gone through on this site. The whole product dares you to get comfortable, keeping you on your toes with some insane lyric or instrumental change-up right around the corner. Not all of the tracks gel into more than the sum of their many parts, but even then I found myself dazed (in a good way!) after this one ended and going back for more. Thanks for adding a more-than-worthy album to the list and once again proving how awful my judgement was in college.

10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

2/5

Just an odd pick for the list all-around – Shepard inserts himself into some classics played by the all-time greats as a documentary soundtrack of sorts? Way better comps and actual blues LPs missing from the list that deserve an add. Not that this is a bad album per se, the greats are the greats for a reason, but this isn’t an artistic statement really - just a collection of tracks around a common theme produced as a byproduct of a film.

First Utterance

Comus

2/5

Lengthy folk LP that doesn't go anywhere or say much of anything – purely a matter of taste, just never understand the journeys that the albums in this genre go on.

Katamari Damacy

Various Artists

2/5

I don't think a video game OST is a bad add per se, but the listening context is wholly different from its intended purpose. These tracks are meant to sit in the background while your frontal cortex works on rolling things into a massive ball, and without the context of the game it can be a bit of a slog to listen to them straight through as a first introduction. I enjoyed the overall character of the LP, just felt it ran long and I had no hooks for the narrative this album is supposed to supplement. Did remind me I need to play Katamari though, that's one cultural rock I need to crawl out from under for sure.

California

Mr. Bungle

3/5

A wholly different experience than ‘Easter Bunny’ and one where Bungle shows their chops. There’s an insane mix of ska and metal stylings on this LP, and every time you think you’ve found the rhythm of where this album is going it changes up on you. The back half lacks in the prominent melodicism that makes the front so enjoyable and the listen gets a bit fatiguing, but even then there’s no denying the originality and uniqueness of this LP (which is what this list should be about!).

Wildflowers

Tom Petty

2/5

Always struggle with Tom – I enjoy his more rock-centric tracks and liked ‘Torpedos’ quite a bit, but he struggles with knowing when to let a good track end. Every song on this LP runs 1-2 choruses too long, and even the more enjoyable tracks wear a bit near the end. Couple that with songwriting which leans heavier into balladry rather than rocking, and I don’t think I’ll be returning to this one anytime soon.

Modal Soul

Nujabes

3/5

An interesting and nuanced hip-hop LP with some great beats, enjoyed the more involved instrumentation and clear vision in composing the backing tracks. Does get a bit repetitive at times, and the back half feels more demo-tape without any features on top (which feels like a weird omission), but an enjoyable listen nonetheless.

Up To Here

The Tragically Hip

3/5

A decent guitar-driven LP with a bit more grit than the other albums from this band that have ended up on here. After listening to the 1001 + the Rolling Stone 500 and a few other lists I’m going to be honest in that I’m running out of novel takes and things are starting to blur together a bit

Paid In Full

Eric B. & Rakim

2/5

Feels kinda flat overall – the instrumentals feel repetitive, and neither MC seems jazzed to be performing. Some interesting samples here and there, but nothing to write home about.

Black Devil Disco Club

4/5

What a fun curveball, there was barely any disco on the 1001 and this went to a delightfully weird, electronica-infused place I really enjoyed. Rarely say this about albums but I wish it was longer! There’s so many niche microgenres of electronica out there, and the 1001 barely managed to cover the essentials as it is – some more adds in this nature would be appreciated to liven things up a little.

Nia

Blackalicious

3/5

An interesting LP at the intersection of hip-hop, rap, and soul, with some spoken word thrown in for good measure. This was an enjoyable listen, but did not leave much of an impression for me – struggling now to recall more than a sample or bar that captured my attention.

Tomorrow Belongs To Me

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

2/5

Way too eccentric an LP for its own good. Maybe some will enjoy this guy's kooky lyricism and scattershot collection of themes, but personally they strained my patience and left me wondering what the point of this album was.

The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me

Brand New

3/5

This band has always been in an indie blind spot for me, so this is the first LP and honestly first songs I’ve heard from them. Enjoyed the spacious production and prominent guitar, but left my listen wanting – just felt the songwriting left something to be desired, as tracks tended to get a bit repetitive and lose their way. Slimmed down by 1-2 minutes each, this would be a killer, focused album. As it is, though, this is still an enjoyable listen and definitely a band which deserved documenting on the list for their sizable presence in the indie sphere.

Pulse

Pink Floyd

2/5

I don't think anyone is doubting Floyd's all-time great status, so why add a 2.5-hour live album of songs that are already present on the list? We've already listened to them on the main 1001, and while this LP is executed well with exceptionally clean production and amazing performances, it's still a duplication of effort at the end of the day. Stop wanking over the same 5 classic rock bands and add a new album/artist that hasn't been given their time to shine!

Are You Shpongled?

Shpongle

1/5

Outside of Aphex Twin's discography, I really haven't heard an IDM album that hasn't bored me to tears at some point. Kinda forgot this was on at times as I went about my day, and when I did tune back in the parts were largely indistinguishable from one another. There's just not enough melodic or instrumental meat on these track's bones to make them interesting, and that's before you stretch their runtime out to 7-8 minutes. Just don't get this genre, I'm clearly missing whatever it is others see in it.

Smell No Evil

Ookla The Mok

1/5

Points for committing to the bit I guess? Not to be an uptight no-fun asshole, but this was way too goofy and overdone for my taste. Narrative LPs always tread a fine line for me, and the bone-dry, uncreative instrumentals did nothing to lift the silly stories here to anything tolerable. I've always had an awareness of filk (even though I didn't know the genre name until today), and it can be done well, Jonathan Coulton being a shining example. This does not shine – it takes one joke, beats the absolute hell out of it, and loses its way about 20 minutes in, saddling its listener with 40 minutes of shit afterwards. Makes self-aware apology from the band at the end more frustrating than funny, and makes me even angrier this was the one (1) album I got to listen to today before working a 12-hour shift.

Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend

2/5

I mean, it's alright? Just kinda inoffensively bland in a way. Some decent guitar and a fun moment here or there, but Koenig has clearly run out of Ivy League experiences to write quirky, worthwhile indie songs about. The lyricism and instrumentation on VW's LPs have consistently sagged further into almost balmy dad rock territory, and this doesn't really suggest a change in that trajectory.

To Be Kind

Swans

3/5

I swear I’d listened to this one before but it looks to have slipped past me. I was familiar with the more accessible tracks (if you can call them that) like ‘Screenshot,’ but had never done a full run through. Though there was much more silence than I would’ve liked in an album that runs over 2 hours, I loved the agonizing builds that ultimately exploded into discord and carefully-structured chaos. Two hours seemed to slip right by, and when the LP focuses in it’s almost a hypnotic experience. Even with its early-era noise additions, the main 1001 sorely lacks in more experimental, confrontational albums like this that are earning modern classic status, so I’d say this was worth the add.

Nearer My God

Foxing

3/5

Pulled two different directions with this one – there was some exceptional indie rock at times, the pounding guitar and touch of synth making for some great tracks, but then the LP would slouch back into tepid, banal waters and leave me wanting. Additionally, the vocals on this were (to me) pretty bad and took away from the instrumentation. Giving this a 3 as it sits on a knife edge for me, and I liked some of the band’s other work that came up on shuffle afterwards. Despite my mixed feelings I was still sad to hear these guys threw in the towel recently, never fun when an indie band calls it quits.

Quebec

Ween

4/5

Kudos to Ween for always delivering both exactly what I would expect and exactly what I wouldn't on each LP. Maybe the most identifiable and unique rock band of the past few decades – even though the tracks here don't always mesh into a full cohesive album, each song is unmistakably a Ween song through and through. The dynamic range from quiet and introspective to loud and abrasive makes this LP interesting throughout, and the band is never afraid to drop some off-kilter instrumentation that feels like it should be unwieldy but always manages to fit the track. Some bands write music that sounds inherently goofy and sucks as a result, but even their fitting association with SpongeBob has never made this band feel unserious – just distinct.

Beautiful Midnight

Matthew Good Band

1/5

I knew the second I saw the shitty Photoshop cover art that this was going to be an offensively bland soft rock LP. Seems like Good is trying to ape some of the nu-metal/rock sounds of the time with some clear Incubus/Bush influences, but never manages to define himself sonically save for the most uninspired vocal delivery I've heard. Boring listen, never challenges the listener or offers anything new musically, so not really worthy of listening to before you die imo.

Get To Heaven

Everything Everything

3/5

Torn on this one, when the dance instrumentation and layered vocals lock together it absolutely rocks, but that's not always the case. Does feel like some of the arrangements are structured a bit oddly and don't always mesh into a cohesive track, but this doesn't happen frequently enough to ruin the listening experience by any means. I did appreciate how distinct a sound the band cultured throughout the LP – this was super-evocative of mid-teens indie without being trapped by those associations, and it was nice to return to some decade-old memories as a result.

The Grass Is Blue

Dolly Parton

3/5

Dolly is always a guaranteed great listen, I didn't know she had over 37(!) LPs by 1999 and likely many more today. Given her notable albums are already on the list, I'm not sure this was the most necessary add (especially since there aren't any tracks on here that seem to be Best Hits), but an enjoyable listen nonetheless. Still worthwhile to celebrate one of the only genuinely good people on the planet, seems like every musician nowadays has skeletons in the closet but Dolly keeps on being an angel.

Joy as an Act of Resistance

IDLES

3/5

I was put off listening to this LP when it dropped for some reason, maybe because my early listens felt so dramatically different from the lean, gritty perfection of 'Brutalism.' Listening in full now, some of those early beliefs are dispelled and some confirmed – the opening salvo through the middle of the LP rips, the wiry guitar and unique arrangements giving the band a distinct, different sound from their debut while remaining distinctly IDLES. It was the complete antithesis of what I needed while stuck on a flight, the album daring me to sit with all that energy and raw power it was delivering. Midway through, however, glaring issues with the songwriting start to drag the momentum down no matter how hard the band continues to charge ahead. Joe Talbot's lyricism has always been as subtle as a brick to the face, but the blatant lecturing and talking really weighs down some solid instrumentals with cringey declarations and virtue signaling. I don't disagree with what he's saying, but some of the diatribe just feels awkward in the way it's phrased and arranged in the song, an issue that's only grown worse on the band's later releases. Couple that with a lack of dynamic contrast in the LP's closing half and some repetitive guitar work and it feels more crash landing than smooth conclusion. I once heard somebody on Stereogum deride a later IDLES single for being 'another song where the guitar player just bends the root note for 4 minutes' and it's hard to look past that issue here with the other problems going on. There are some great tracks here and I mostly enjoyed the listen, just feel that this band needs to get out of its own way sometimes.

Odyssey Number Five

Powderfinger

2/5

Just kinda bland early-aughts alternative? I don’t have much to say here, nothing bad to say about the execution or instrumentals but it seems like the kind of music you’d hear playing softly in a waiting room and think oh yeah, those guys.

Highway Prayers

Billy Strings

3/5

Initially rolled my eyes at having to listen to 75 minutes of twangy pop-country, but this LP did grow a bit on me. When Strings focuses on narrative lyricism or just lets his band rip, the album finds a strong melodic groove and is a treat to listen to. The only bumps in the road tracks like the weed song, which feel like blatant attempts to get the TikTok virality or push a single onto the Top 100 with gimmicky songwriting. Overall a solid listen, doesn't fully cohere as an album but some great tracks for sure.

Afrociberdelia

Chico Science

2/5

Nice to see some more international picks for the list, but this LP didn't wow me really. There's an interesting blend of hard-hitting French vocals mixed with electronica and traditional styles, but little dynamic contrast means the aggressive delivery starts to blend together after a while. Some more ebbs and flows in the energy could've made this a standout, just kinda blended into the background as it is for me.

Ram

Paul McCartney

4/5

I tend to enjoy McCartney's solo work, but never find myself actively seeking it out for a listen. This is my second go-round on this album after listening for the Rolling Stone 500 list, and I found myself really getting into this LP this time around. Paul's songwriting (and even the band arrangements) hew pretty closely to Beatles territory, but there's a clear vein of experimentation that gives the album an injection of energy and a personality of its own. Great mix of tempos with a tendency towards the upbeat, and per usual some exceptional melodies. Appreciate the chance to give this another go-round, definitely worth being added to the list.

Sunset Mission

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore

4/5

From the album art and artist names I was expecting some sort of weird dub/IDM LP, so I was pleasantly surprised to get a strong dose of excellent Jazz. The album name fits perfectly – this LP is evening embodied, incredibly strong nighttime vibes conveyed by perfect instrumental performances and a strong sense of melodic presence. The runtime could have flirted with disaster, but each track embodies such a different feeling that the 75-minute experience never drags or wears on the listener. I do think one has to be in the right mindset to listen to this album in full (I was stuck on a morning shift watching the sun rise, and it fit perfectly), but I hope everyone here has the chance to experience this in the right mood and feel as immersed as I did. Amazing add!

Keep It like a Secret

Built To Spill

5/5

Started listening to this band in early undergrad, wasn't nearly mature or listened enough to appreciate the songwriting depth until the past few years but I'm glad I got there. It's hard to pick a fav BtS LP, but this one is up there – it has some of the most aggressive arrangements and guitar parts of their catalog, but maintains the wry human spirit that defines this band thanks to Dough Martsch's excellent lyricism. It's one thing to tell a compelling story, much less to set it against some excellent grungy guitar with ripping harmonies and chord progressions. So glad to see this LP here, honestly the whole BtS discog deserves to be on the list and it's a crime there's not a single one on the official 1001.

Circles

Mac Miller

2/5

Never listened to Miller's work, even after his untimely passing caused his star to rise to insane levels. Blown away by the man's vocals, feels almost like a richer, more soulful Tom Waits. However, the writing and instrumentals here really betray Miller's great vocal performance – the backing tracks feel too amorphous and soft, lacking any hard edges or memorable definition. The lyricism goes in circles, repeating the clever lines again and again until they've well lost their charm. Almost felt like the sonic equivalent of trying to get out of a bean bag and being stuck in an ever-shifting mass you can't really grab on to. Would've loved to hear Miller put some dynamic range into this project and maybe get a bit louder too.

Wet Leg

3/5

Dug the singles when this dropped in early 2022, but felt a bit hesitant to take the whole project in at once for fear the tongue-in-cheek energy would be too flagrant for the project to land successfully. Listening now in the context of Leg's recent sophomore LP, this debut makes sense even despite its shortcomings. There's definitely an overload of indie twee in the less-defined back half (the crowd vocals on "Supermarket" were the tipping point and I kinda hated that song in particular), but the sheer strength of personality throughout the rest of the LP mostly carries the project. The catchy, ripping instrumentals flirt with electronic elements while remaining firmly grounded in solid indie rock, and the lyrics as a whole pull off the band's wink-wink nod-nod ethos without overdoing it too much. Feels at once both a more and less subtle 2020s version of Pavement if that makes any sense.

St. Louis To Liverpool

Chuck Berry

3/5

Probably the best-sounding Berry LP I've heard – nice to hear the bass restored alongside the crisp treble of Chuck's excellent guitar parts. I have heard most of these tracks previously through various album projects (mainly the Rolling Stone 500), but the representation on the original 1001 is lacking so it's nice to see Chuck getting his due.

TRON: Legacy

Daft Punk

4/5

With the exception of Broadway adaptations, it's hard to think of an OST that has so completely eclipsed the source material it's part of. Daft Punk was a slam dunk choice for soundtracking a Tron movie, giving the world the chance to hear the robots' classic electronica melded with brass and strings for a wall-to-wall listening experience. Some of the hard edges had to be sanded away to meet the Mouse's standards (no acid or saw synths here), but for the most part, this LP sounds like DP had free rein to inject their unique flavor of French house alongside orchestral accents to make something wholly unique. It sits a bit awkwardly in the duo's discography given the lackluster nature of the film, but I still throw this on regularly when working or driving later at night and am just happy it exists. Would love to see more notable OSTs on the list, indie artists have had an increasing stake in pictures big and small, and there are some great soundtrack LPs worthy of recognition here as a result.

Atrocity Exhibition

Danny Brown

4/5

Used to despise Brown's vocals, couldn't get overy the whiny, nasal delivery solely in the upper register. Took seeing him open for RTJ + more than a few years to 'get it,' though I think that's still an ongoing process. Thankfully, the genius on this LP is still pretty clear to see – love it or hate it, Brown's voice is the crazy glue holding together an amazing free jazz assemblage in the beats, each track seemingly assembling itself as it goes along. The production is clean yet analog-feeling, allowing each instrument to drift in and out freely as the fever dream proceeds. There's 1-2 tracks with draggy features that kill a bit of the momentum, but most of this 15-track album delivers in a way that's still unique nearly a decade on.

Transmissions

STARSET

1/5

I've listened to ~1700 albums between the 1001 and a few other lists the past few years, and this is the first LP I wanted to skip outright. I knew exactly what this would sound like from the first track in, and the next hour only proved me right – this banal, mass-produced ass-rock was everywhere in the early teens, and this has all the failings one would expect from the genre. Walls of forgettable midrange guitar that are supposed to be heavy but sound thin, songwriting that makes every track somehow feel the same, and of course the most basic, trite lyrics and rhymes you've heard in your life. Pretty garbage all in all, if this is your idea of an LP you must listen to before you die then god help you

Excitable Boy

Warren Zevon

3/5

This LP is definitely showing some age, but overall I enjoyed the distinctly upbeat and slightly cheeky rock Zevon put together on this album. 'Werewolves' is an absolute classic to this day, and it's a credit to Warren's songwriting that the dive-bar piano parts still jive well with the guitar nearly 50 years later. The fact there's no Zevon albums on the main 1001 is a little shocking, so I'd say this is a solid add.

Auri

2/5

Didn’t really dig this melodramatic woodland fairytale soundtrack LP, felt a bit overblown and could’ve cut so much fat out and gotten to the point. Just not my thing, really

II

Espers

3/5

This was in a similarly folksy vein to yesterday’s LP (Auri’s S/T), but unlike that album exceeded my expectations of the genre. Thanks to Espers’ willingness to dig into electronic and heavier guitar tones, this feels like folk on steroids and at times played with crossing into noise which I enjoyed. Some tracks are perhaps a bit too long and could’ve used some editing, but this was a nice shakeup of what could’ve been another folksy slog.

Penguin Eggs

Nic Jones

2/5

There’s some amazing guitar and fingerpicking on this LP, but the storytelling and pacing are such drags that this felt like more of a slog than anything else.

This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!

Pop Will Eat Itself

1/5

Not a fan of this almost breakbeat, wall-to-wall LP. I was a little surprised this band bills itself as alternative rock when this feels more like the house/dance output of Primal Scream. Whatever genre the band may roll with, there's little melodic cohesion to glue this entire thing together – I love noise music, but even the harshest tracks in that genre have some sort of hook or sense of artistic direction to make them interesting. This LP felt more like throwing sounds at the wall and seeing what sticks, and just seemed to drag as a result.

The Feeding of the 5000

Crass

3/5

A firecracker of a Punk LP that’s here one minute and gone the next. Listened to this twice in succession and feel it blazed by a little too quickly to leave a lasting impression, but it was definitely a fun listen in the moment.

Witness

Modern Life Is War

2/5

Vocals killed this one for me, the instrumentals were interesting enough for a mid-aughts hardcore LP, but the raspy, abrasive shouting sat on top of the mix and kinda drowned everything else out.

Milo Goes to College

Descendents

4/5

Punk that feels nerdy yet slick, the adolescent screed of finding yourself and being mad as hell the whole time you do it. This is a little ripper of an LP that flirts with EP length, but the band ensures that each minute counts. Each of the 15 tracks brims with a different melodic flavor and focus of scorn, and there's not a single second of breathing room in between. I didn't realize until writing this review that this album dropped only 3 years ago, 37 years after the band's debut, and it's insane that they've kept such solid form for nearly twice the time I've been alive. Great shot in the arm for the list, another glaring omission that there hasn't been a Descendents LP anywhere here for how influential and present they've been for decades.

Ruby Vroom

Soul Coughing

4/5

Took a bit to ease into the neo-soul/Tom Waits foundation this LP builds upon, but once I got there I greatly enjoyed the sleazy, backroom clouded with cigarette smoke vibes. There’s just enough gritty rock instrumentation to drive the clubbier vocals and sax and give this LP a distinctly unique feel in a crowded field. Awesome these guys got back together this year, really enjoyed this album and would get tickets for the next round of touring.

Revolution

Q65

3/5

Enjoyed the early psych elements here, and there are more than a few sizable jams on this LP. As it is though, this album is about twenty minutes too long and does dilute some of its own success.

Inside

Bo Burnham

4/5

As a big Bo fan this special really threw me for a loop when it dropped right in the middle of COVID malaise. There's always been a bubbling undercurrent of depression/mental health and the interplay between performer and audience in Burnham's work, but the isolation of the pandemic threw those themes into the very center of the work in an unsettling way. Musically, this is some of Bo's best writing – even the little interludes contain amazing accompaniments and great melodies. Some bits feel a tad unnecessary or scattered, but overall the LP serves as a damning encapsulation of struggles with mortality, isolation, and mindless consumption as artistic death. If this is your first listen sans the video component of the special I can get why you would dislike this, but I'm thankful that this performance was so music-heavy that it translates near-effortlessly to audio only. Worthwhile add for sure, one of the only comedy LPs (save for Weird Al but that feels different) that could justifiably be on the list.

Slip

Quicksand

3/5

A decent, hard-hitting post-hardcore LP with some serious grit to it. Doesn’t reinvent the wheel and was a bit in one ear out the other, but it was a ripping listen for sure.

Erratic Cinematic

Gerry Cinnamon

3/5

Even if this felt a bit disjoint at times, it was nice to hear some Scottish representation on a list that leans heavily towards England. Don’t think I’ll return to this LP anytime soon, but Cinnamon sings his heart out here and I had a good time listening.

All the Pretty Little Horses

Current 93

1/5

Looked up the genres for this one and apparently this LP falls in the Neo/apocalyptic folk category, which is a new on for me. Whatever it is, I didn't particularly care for it – this sparse, 'Hush-a-bye' sound feels like the sonic equivalent of gnawing what morsels are left off a stripped bone, and the intensely English vocals are cloying and off-putting.

Stella

Yello

2/5

Haha, it has that one funny song! Too bad the rest is pretty dated and stuck firmly in the 80s. There were some interesting textures/beats here and there, but this one should've stayed on the discoteque floor.

Dancing In The Dragon's Jaws

Bruce Cockburn

3/5

Decent singer-songwriter LP, the strong acoustic guitar up in the mix meant I enjoyed this one more than usual for albums of this fare. Strong songwriting and guitar lines made for a solid listen, I would appreciate all the singer-songwriter adds here if they were more like this.

Psychic

DARKSIDE

2/5

I get what this LP was going for, it just takes too long to hit its stride to make a mark. The back half comes alive with deep synths and immersive production, but the sparse, atmospheric padding at the start kills a good deal of the momentum this would have had otherwise.

Moa Anbessa

Getatchew Mekurya

4/5

An explosive combination of genres makes this LP feel wholly unique compared to the ~1500 before it on the 1001. Loved how the combo of jazz and punk kept morphing across each track, making it feel like the album was twisting and turning through different genres while maintaining a strong sense of identity. Add in the prominent sax and this LP just seized my attention and wouldn’t let go. Awesome add and exactly what the user list is for.

Uncovered

Zamilska

4/5

Enjoyed this unique little slab of Polish electronica, every track encompassed its own little world and the whole experience made for some gripping listening. Appreciated the interplay between warm, organic synths and completely artificial samples (of garden tools? I think) that made this feel more alive. Love when music plays between sounding 100% ripped from the cloth of the universe vs. being a human construct made of vibrating wood and metal, and this LP definitely scratched that itch.

How To Be A Human Being

Glass Animals

3/5

Remember when this dropped and had the indie pop world in its clutches for about half a year. I enjoyed this LP at the time and still do now, though I think some of its personality was inflated by my nostalgia – some of the tracks get pretty samey on the back half. That being said, this is still a wonderfully vibrant album that feels intentional and alive. Wrapping the dark, sultry themes of the band's debut in warmer, poppier instrumentation (with a heavy dose of synths) is a winning combo that gives this LP a distinct sonic flair even today. It still stands apart from other indie pop contributions of the time – even if the band will never revisit this space in favor of selling out for the nth remix of 'Heatwaves,' this album and 'Zaba' still warrant them mention in the 2010s indie compendium.

I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

Hamilton Leithauser

4/5

Dreaded another lengthy solo vocalist effort, but this was such a rich and beautiful listen. Everything Rostam touches comes to life with spacious, jam-packed production and this LP is no different. The instrumentals are diverse and alive, Leithauser’s vocals convey a massive emotional depth, and overall the LP feels like a breath of fresh air in the singer-songwriter space. One of those albums that makes me question my indie blind spots and if I’m missing out on other great albums, amazing add.

Fly

Yoko Ono

1/5

Wrestled with this one for a while but can’t justify the 2. Even if this is genuine art, it’s the kind that wraps back into itself so hard in an attempt to justify its existence that it ends up feeling forced as hell (much less the execution and content). It’s the kind of easy punching bag neocons love to point at and say art is dead, and given how there’s a track that’s just a toilet flushing I feel the comparison to Duchamp’s urinal is apt - it’s not clever, it’s just laziness masquerading as a high-society conception of what cleverness. Whether Yoko thinks she’s being clever here or not, it’s just bad art plain and simple. Want so bad to know what the recording engineer was thinking during this thing.

Six

Mansun

2/5

I usually love albums that keep you guessing and pivot effortlessly between sounds, unafraid to change a track's feel at a moment's notice. This LP takes that idea so far to the extreme that it suffers as a result instead – the listener never gets a single chance to rest and absorb a base-level idea of what the band is trying to say, instead whisked off to the next motif/idea/progression without a change to digest. The result is an overstuffed, scattered assemblage of pieces rather than any cohesive whole. The random Nutcracker section only invites 'everything but the kitchen sink' accusations, and the band never focuses enough on one track to make them more memorable than this one Christmas quotation. Never thought I would encounter an LP so chimeric it has no personality of its own, but this album seems to have achieved the impossible here.

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

M83

3/5

Big credit to Anthony Gonzalez' songwriting that I can hear 'Midnight City' for the nth time and not be absolutely sick of it. Even if the ad industry has done their best to ruin that one plus 'Outro' and a few others off this LP, these highlights still shine as some of the best examples of 2010s synth pop. Immaculate production and synth work yields absolutely massive-sounding tracks, galaxy-size anthems that have enough human elements to feel like they fit in the palm of your hands. Not all of the tracks shine like this (my rating reflects how bloated and overstuffed this project is as a standalone album), but even the bloat is beautiful and executed flawlessly. Even without trimming the fat, this LP easily warrants recognition as a decade-defining album and is an amazing (if sometimes scattered) listen. Great add!

Crack the Skye

Mastodon

3/5

Solid metal LP, vocals felt a bit unsuited for the instrumentals at times but I enjoyed a heavier addition to the list.

Spinvis

2/5

I get what this LP is going for, and in the front half it mostly succeeds at this fun one-man tweet band sound that at times echoes Stereolab. Just feels that the energy peters off in the back end, and the tracks become very similar and drowsy.

GLOW ON

Turnstile

5/5

The purists may wrinkle their noses at this one, but as somebody who's been in their fair share of hardcore pits I fucking love this album. Turnstile always had a knack for energetic, upbeat hardcore with clean-cut mixes, but this LP took all those tendencies and turned them to 11. Crystal clear production allows each instrumental to shine through while maintaining their ragged edges, the progressions are laser-targeted and memorable, and Yates' ecstatic vocals brim with fury and wonder at a moment's notice while he belts some actually memorable lyrics. Is it wholly hardcore? No, but in stepping outside the genre's rigid definitions while keeping its instrumental DNA, this LP dares to ask: can hardcore be fun? The answer is a resounding fucking hell yeah, and I think we're all the better for it. Hard to think of a better 5-song run this decade than the front half of this album, and honestly every track hits. Modern classic for me and will definitely be in contention for album of the decade in a few years time. Exceptional add to the list!

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