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Sun Mar 31 2024
Weezer
Weezer
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.
4
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Mon Apr 01 2024
I Need to Start a Garden
Haley Heynderickx
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!
3
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Tue Apr 02 2024
A Live One
Phish
You can’t tell me this isn’t the drug-fueled, adult-facing front for The Wiggles
2
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Wed Apr 03 2024
Boys And Girls in America
The Hold Steady
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.
2
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Thu Apr 04 2024
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Tally Hall
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.
3
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Fri Apr 05 2024
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
Arctic Monkeys
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.
2
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Sat Apr 06 2024
F♯ A♯ ∞
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
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.
4
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Sun Apr 07 2024
Emotional Mugger
Ty Segall
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.
4
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Mon Apr 08 2024
Dogrel
Fontaines D.C.
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.
3
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Tue Apr 09 2024
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Neutral Milk Hotel
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.
4
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Racine carrée
Stromae
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.
2
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Thu Apr 11 2024
Control
Pedro The Lion
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.
3
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Fri Apr 12 2024
Vedergällningen
Garmarna
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.
3
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Sat Apr 13 2024
Piledriver
Status Quo
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.
2
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Sun Apr 14 2024
Rêver mieux
Daniel Bélanger
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.
1
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Mon Apr 15 2024
Oncle Jazz
Men I Trust
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.
3
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Tue Apr 16 2024
Nuyorican Soul
Nuyorican Soul
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.
2
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Wed Apr 17 2024
22, A Million
Bon Iver
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.
3
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Thu Apr 18 2024
Enema Of The State
blink-182
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.
3
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Fri Apr 19 2024
Because the Internet
Childish Gambino
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?
4
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Sat Apr 20 2024
The Lion's Roar
First Aid Kit
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.
2
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Sun Apr 21 2024
Lahai
Sampha
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.
1
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Mon Apr 22 2024
Discosis
Bran Van 3000
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.
2
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Tue Apr 23 2024
Tomb
Angelo De Augustine
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.
2
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Wed Apr 24 2024
Come And Get It
Rachel Stevens
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.
3
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Thu Apr 25 2024
Madvillainy
Madvillain
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.
3
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Game of Fools
Koritni
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.
3
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Sun Apr 28 2024
A City Dressed In Dynamite
That Handsome Devil
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.
2
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Mon Apr 29 2024
Sublime
Sublime
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
3
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Tue Apr 30 2024
Bloody Kisses
Type O Negative
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.
2
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Wed May 01 2024
Nurture
Porter Robinson
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!
3
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Thu May 02 2024
Apostrophe(')
Frank Zappa
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.
3
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Fri May 03 2024
The Best of The Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings
Louis Armstrong
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.
3
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Sat May 04 2024
A1A
Jimmy Buffett
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.
3
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Sun May 05 2024
Korn
Korn
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.
2
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Mon May 06 2024
Continuum
John Mayer
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.
2
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Tue May 07 2024
Night Drive
Chromatics
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.
3
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Wed May 08 2024
1, 2, Kung Fu!
Boy Azooga
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.
4
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Thu May 09 2024
Frosting On The Beater
The Posies
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.
3