My album submission. I had a hard time picking an album of his but this was the first one I heard so I went with that. Mainly I was trying to think of more types of music that weren't on the list. Very little modern classical along the likes of Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, etc. You may have heard Johann's music without even knowing it: he did the soundtracks on Arrival, The Theory of Everything, and Mandy (among others). He does have some non-film works that are typically soundtracks or conceptual albums, I believe this was his first solo work. He's of that neo-minimalist school of classical music that includes electronic elements and when I heard it, it was definitely a new combination that I had not really been exposed to. I do appreciate the sense of longing in every track he basically makes. It's not a 5* even for me though, there are some tracks that are sort of meh. But I love what he's going for in general.

The Lumineers are kind of derided these days of a relic of that "hey ho stomp clap hey hollar" indie-folk that was very popular around the early 2010s. I think it's... fine. I don't dislike it, but I don't love it. The Lumineers are clearly decent at what they are doing and have a lot of popular songs, but it's not my thing. It's a bit too much U2 meets Folk which feels a bit more about a spectacle.

My main roommate in college absolutely loved Sublime. And by love I mean he played Sublime and this album maybe 90% of the time at his desk when listening to music. So that was my introduction to it. It's not bad, but it's peak 90s skate/surfer reggae-stoner music. Ironically my roommate did not smoke weed.

Wtf there was no Louis Armstrong on the main list. For that alone this is a 5* to represent him in general, although this compilation is pretty nice.

Brian Eno said every person who bought a copy of "The Velvet Underground & Nico" started a band; in a similar fashion, every sad boy in college who heard "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" wanted to pick up a guitar and start an indie band. This one was everyone's darling in my college years around the hipsters and kids with a music taste to prove. Interesting that it is viewed as a heavily distorted album, cause I didn't really feel that. It's warm for sure due to compression and equipment, but that is a different type of distortion to me. There's also the internet music committee bit here. This was a special time on the early-web where almost anything could take off much easier than today if you put yourself out there, and I think a lot of the cult of personality came from that group. Overall though, it definitely holds up. Still a fan. Definitely should have been on the list.

Not into Phish much at all, they are talented but the super long jam band thing ain’t my cup of tea. Also 2hrs oof.

Crazy debut that is still strong over 25 years from release. I can’t imagine how different this sounded to late 90s listeners. Hell, it’s still quite unique today.

Fun and happy sounding instrumental Krautrock. I can't say I've listened to much Cluster so this was a fun revisiting.

Huh, Swedish folk. It’s alright, I guess there’s other folk I’d rather listen to but then again I don’t understand Swedish.

I had no idea that The Weeknd was the #1 streaming artist on Spotify, as well as maybe this album? I have heard a few tracks from The Weeknd but could not have told you who they were by. That said, this was better than I thought. Musically the beats and blooming synths sound great on their own, which unfortunately are brought down to earth by the vocals one-dimensionality. He’s kinda like the new T-Pain with the use of auto tune here, although it’s not a strongly used. Lyrically it’s all about longing and wanting that person back, which is so boring in pop music to me but… it’s universal and what you’d wanna sing about to get the most fans, for sure. Overall not bad. Although I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen, it wouldn’t also make me immediately reach to turn it off. Win?

When this came out it took indie folk by storm, probably as an introduction to most folks. At the time I would have likely rated this a 4, but over time it has lost it's staying power for me. It's still "good" but a bit too one-dimensional and feels like it's missing something... I'm not sure.

That's hilarious that they got popular due to A Walk to Remember. This was all the rage in this era though, especially with my Christian circles at the time that were given carte-blanche to like Switchfoot because they were "Christians" even though they were never "Christian Rock". That said, I find it completely generic beyond that "they are Christian gimmick". I mean I'm sure they are fine folks but... musically I'm underwhelmed.

Iconic album 00s cover. Surprised this wasn't on the main list to be honest. Overall this is the type of hip-hop I'm into: esoteric sampling, dense lyrics, odd song structures.

A bit more sophisticated than most Arctic Monkeys I've heard. Star Treatment was surprisingly funky and had some interesting musical changes. I remember hearing Four Out of Five before. Overall it's a pretty good album, but for some reason it doesn't quite jive with me a ton. I think it's the vocal style, it just isn't my thing. Very close to a 4* though.

It's fine, brought down by the late 70s/early 80s production.

A fun groovy time, ya dig?

This was all the rage in college for me. I suppose quite influential for indietronica but feels a bit hollow in retrospect.

A fine dancey time. Definitely feels like decent driving music.

Listened to this one a few times. Surprised on the use of synthesizers but love the unhinged tones they are bringing here. Sonically everything here sounds great and the short run-time makes it a nice encapsulation of Ty Segall. The whole baby aesthetic is creepy and unsettling though, likely intentional though. The KEXP performance where he asks the host "Will you be my mommy?" "...uh ok" "Yaaaay!!" was hilarious and uncomfortable but, I'm sure it's all part of the plan. W.u.o.t.w.s. was a surprising addition, it's like Ty Segall's Revolution 9. 4.5 down to 4. Love: Squealer, Emotional Mugger, Squeaker Two, W.u.o.t.w.s., The Magazine

It sure is mid 2000s alt-rock.

Sorta would rather listen to the "Simlish" version of the full album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r5r8yii6Rg

Your favorite local funk band that plays at that bar that you'd listen to live but never at home.

Power-pop-we-have-Queen-at-home.

Transported back to mid 00s pop radio, and not in a good way.

I always thought Bad Religion were just okay. There's other punk-rock I'd rather listen to.

Shocked this wasn’t on the list. I don’t really get into Weezer much but this album does what it is trying to do quite well. Do I enjoy it? Not a ton. Is it good? Yeah pretty much. I think the uniqueness of the ground is down to the vocals. Best song: Undone - The Sweater Song

Kind of interesting electro… dance? I could see this definitely growing on me a bit more.

Surprised this also wasn't on the list. I'm always dub-appreciative and this one was a banger, albeit a bit one-note.

DMB is a group I have a very cursory experience with. I feel like they sort of get shit on by folks but I don’t find it that bad. If can see why some people really like it. Honestly it always sounds to me like a bunch of real good musicians that are having a blast playing together and I can always get behind that, although it personally doesn’t do much for me.

“I Like Birds” is kind of cute. Other than that track the rest are sorta meh for me. Not my thing in general, although there are a few tracks where Eels overall are not bad.

Brian Eno said every person who bought a copy of "The Velvet Underground & Nico" started a band; in a similar fashion, every sad boy in college who heard "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" wanted to pick up a guitar and start an indie band. This one was everyone's darling in my college years around the hipsters and kids with a music taste to prove. Interesting that it is viewed as a heavily distorted album, cause I didn't really feel that. It's warm for sure due to compression and equipment, but that is a different type of distortion to me. There's also the internet music committee bit here. This was a special time on the early-web where almost anything could take off much easier than today if you put yourself out there, and I think a lot of the cult of personality came from that group. Overall though, it definitely holds up. Still a fan. Definitely should have been on the list.

Fun jams. Not my thing overall but I can see the appeal for sure.

Definitely not bad. I enjoy the song structures, but I kind of want it to be a bit more "raw" a la The Fall. Like the vocals are a bit too pretty? Even though they aren't. I dunno.

House ehhhh. French House. Not horrible but nothing I wanna hear at home. Take me to da club.

Chill, mellow, and folksy. An after-dinner mint.

I just can't with prog sometimes man, sorry.

I believe I HAVE seen David Bazan live. Just him acoustic for the most part. Seems like he definitely has a cult of personality around him among folks. I think the folks who listened to Sufjan and Pedro the Lion were overlapping. Definitely had college roommates way into Pedro the Lion. I think he's okay. Just never got into it a ton. Not bad at all though.

It's like a post-punk Bloc Party. Not bad at all. Fun structures, almost moves closer to punk than post-punk for me, really. I want it to be a little bit more raw like older post-punk a la Talking Heads, The Fall, etc. Idk just a bit more clean than I would like, but not bad at all.

A nice funky groove, albeit a bit one dimensional and I kind of got a little bored towards the end. Sounds nice though.

Groovy and chill prog. Definitely better than most prog that came after it but still... not my thing.

Milquetoast hard-rock.

Wtf there was no Louis Armstrong on the main list. For that alone this is a 5* to represent him in general, although this compilation is pretty nice.

Can’t say I expected a song about the Monty Hall problem. Also look at that power sit stance. Pretty sure I saw a dude at a coffee shop working too. I mean Jimmy Buffet is fine, but not hugely my thing but I don’t hate it. I sorta respect it?

Very 90s alt-rock. Inoffensive but a whole lot of nothing for me.

Childish Gambino will no doubt be added to future editions. Overall though, I find this album kind of meh. It's there, doesn't say a whole lot to me. But it all sounds fine.

It's fine.

It's nice folk. Not exactly groundbreaking, but it was lovely. Reminds me a bit of Mothers early work.

A name I've heard of, but never listened to and I can sort of see why. Oh I've definitely heard "Need You Tonight". Completely not my thing. I'm sure it's a fun show and they are all having fun, but I find it completely vapid. All the things I don't like about 80s pop/rock. However from how many people love this album and the accolades it has I can see an argument on why it should have been on the list.

Semi-obscure psych! I like these little neat finds and moments of time that never panned out but had a time where they were active. It all sounds just as competent as most psych around that time. 3.5 up to 4 just cause I enjoyed the discovery.

Garbage definitely existed in that weird alt-rock meets the new technologies and styles of digital production and electronica. Always was just "ehh it's fine but not my thing" for me. I can tolerate it in small doses.

The Lumineers are kind of derided these days of a relic of that "hey ho stomp clap hey hollar" indie-folk that was very popular around the early 2010s. I think it's... fine. I don't dislike it, but I don't love it. The Lumineers are clearly decent at what they are doing and have a lot of popular songs, but it's not my thing. It's a bit too much U2 meets Folk which feels a bit more about a spectacle.

I never knew this band really, but I think I've heard a few songs here and there from soundtracks, etc. Sounds like this album was a bit of a departure from their previous sound of noisy lo-fi; this is very much a polished nostalgia. Apparently reminiscent of Italo Disco? I can see it. Has a nice low-key quiet dance to it. Was a decent working soundtrack. A bit too long though. I do have a playlist called "Driving" and as advertised a few tracks work well for that. For that reason I'm rounding up 3.5 to 4.

Definitely sounds like something that'd be on the Asthmatic Kitty label. It's fine, I don't mind the softness but it's a bit one dimensional in the breakup way. Maaaybe if I was in a huge breakup I'd really get with it.

Was better than I expected from the album cover, but it's still just kinda just okay for me. Kinda cheesy, but I did recognize Curtis Mayfield here.

Another album I'm surprised wasn't on the list, just cause it was so influential for that angsty pop-punk formula that was very popular in middle/high school for me. I suppose it has longevity but it's not something I wanna listen to anymore. Still, an important punk album.

“The Guardian placed it on their "1000 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list.” Yeah, ok. I find this completely soulless and manufactured. Sorry.

People who like Tool REALLY like Tool. Definitely a band with a cult following. There have been songs here and there that I've thought were decent, but overall Tool's discography doesn't quite mesh with me. I don't dislike it, but I don't love it. I can sorta respect what they are doing though, they do seem to be trying to do things to the beat of their own drum and there are some surprising moments in the album that I would not have expected. Lyrically and thematically some of the juvenile humor is kinda cringe to me though. From the New Yorker: "There is a superficial similarity between Tool’s career and that of another nineties band that spiralled out into its own world. Radiohead, after a rock hit of its own (“Creep”), became one of the most celebrated British bands of all time, expanding its palette and ambition while cultivating a hip and highbrow sensibility. By contrast, there is something unpretentious about Tool’s artsy experiments, which have enough snap and snarl to sound terrific coming out of even the tinniest car speakers, and which seem calculated to delight both drug-addled weirdos and hyped-up dudes in skater jeans." I suppose I am fully into the hip and highbrow sensibility camp.

Two user-submitted Blink-182 albums ehhh. It's unfortunate they are so closer together for me in the list. I liked them a lot in middle/high school but after the years they are just... fine. I mean, a lot of it is nostalgia for me, but I think "Enema of the State" is probably the better album. The song with Robert Smith of The Cure was a surprise though. Not the collaboration I would have thought existed.

Used to like them in college. But it always feels a bit one-dimensional.

Too prog for meeee.

Some classic Earth, Wind & Fire tracks on here. Overall it's a banger.

It's like if you mashed Bruce Springsteen and The Killers together with an 80s throwback with more profane subject matter. I can see why people would be into it, but not my shtick.

Love what they are going for, but for me this album is likely more fun to play than listen to. I do need to look into my King Gizzard though cause some songs of theirs really work with my sensibilities.

First song was just okay, like a Gaga-esque pop-song. But the subsequent songs went full on avante-hyperpop. Kind of into those. Sucks she died, would have been nice to see what else they would have produced. I can see the appeal though, I think I'd be into a lot more pop music if this was the predominant style.

It's good, however it's perhaps a bit TOO polished and one-dimensional in it's lyrical structure for my tastes.

Important Krautrock, but unfortunately I never really got into it much. Feels a bit more symphonic metal and it all sounds a little cheesy, but it's saved by the german-ness of it all.

My main roommate in college absolutely loved Sublime. And by love I mean he played Sublime and this album maybe 90% of the time at his desk when listening to music. So that was my introduction to it. It's not bad, but it's peak 90s skate/surfer reggae-stoner music. Ironically my roommate did not smoke weed.

My album submission. I had a hard time picking an album of his but this was the first one I heard so I went with that. Mainly I was trying to think of more types of music that weren't on the list. Very little modern classical along the likes of Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, etc. You may have heard Johann's music without even knowing it: he did the soundtracks on Arrival, The Theory of Everything, and Mandy (among others). He does have some non-film works that are typically soundtracks or conceptual albums, I believe this was his first solo work. He's of that neo-minimalist school of classical music that includes electronic elements and when I heard it, it was definitely a new combination that I had not really been exposed to. I do appreciate the sense of longing in every track he basically makes. It's not a 5* even for me though, there are some tracks that are sort of meh. But I love what he's going for in general.