We listened to music in your dorm room early into the morning as the empathogens from the night faded. You played this Lauren Hill album. We talked about family. We talked about friends. We talked about love. We talked about your early life in Botswana. When the song To Zion came on, we became silent as it felt like the world stopped for us to listen. It was the most beautiful song I had heard. Soon the dorm came to life and it was time for me to go. That was our first and last time meeting. It was my first and last time listening to this song. It was the last time until today. This was the most beautiful song I've heard. I can't remember being this touched by a song before. Ten stars.

Jesus this list is like all shitty Brit pop.

Just great! But what’s up with Mother? I had to check my phone to make sure I didn’t switch to a different album.

The album that killed my love of hip hop and sent the entire genre on a shitty path for at least 10 years. Fuck this album. Express yourself was a dope track though.

I don’t really like this style of overproduced studio showcase, but it is so well done for what it is. Wavering between a 3 and a 4. I’ll go with the 4 because… my god did she ever get the short end of the stick after the Superb Owl.

Despite being the least favourite of the Native Tongues, still a classic in rotation.

Not as weird as I expected, sugar daddy-o. Still half sounds like it would fit in current music, or maybe that’s just me being old and thinking music hasn’t progressed since the 90s.

Worth revisiting! This album was totally in line with stuff I listened to ten years later. I’m assuming this influenced everyone from Wilco to... umm all those indie peeps later.

Worth revisiting! This album was totally in line with stuff I listened to ten years later. I’m assuming this influenced everyone from Wilco to... umm all those indie peeps later.

Feel like this album is only here because of where the members ended up after. Which is significant for sure. So that's blues, eh?

Ummmm, disjointed, boring... first album I couldn’t finish.

Just great! But what’s up with Mother? I had to check my phone to make sure I didn’t switch to a different album.

Why do I suddenly feel like my black nail polish collection is lacking?

Better than Roxy music. He’s a music icon, but never listened. Thought this would be more experimental. There was some fun experiments especially with the last few songs, made it worth it.

Ducking stupid

When I thought this was from 1996 I thought it was lame. When I realized it was *86* that changed my perspective. Still, I wasn’t doing the drugs these guys were doing, so it didn’t really jive with me

Ummm pretty cool I guess?

Surprisingly good! What a fun gravel voice. And other stuff.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Minus one star for the line “Lyrical clientele but I ain't a bocat, I don't like the smell”

Erghhhh, was like a 47 minute version of bohemian rhapsody. I couldn’t wait for this to finish. Two good songs and a bunch of weird crap.

This album is rubbish. I cram to understand how a sophomore album from a second rate one hit wonder made this list.

Not my style, so hard to judge. Liked this *way* more than their other album though. I would actually do this one again on my own.

River Man!! *****

I get the historical significance, but this did not age very well at all. And the horrendous rapping... OMG.

Meh.

Wondered if it would have aged well. It did. Awesome.

It’s method man. So yeah, great! More exceptional, but great.

Strike this off the list. I just wasn’t in the mood, which is fine, but I tried. Generic reggae turned into WTF?!? I heard enough.

It’s steely Dan. The epitome of mediocrity.

Don’t kid yourself this is a 5-star. Hard to separate the personality from the music, but I did.

My ears are bleeding. What the bell is this 💩?

Held up quite well. I remembered this, but was never into it deeply. It’s worth going back to revisit.

OMG it just goes on and on. I think I hate 70s rock.

I suppose it was something when it came out. No real context for me, so no real rating.

Wow, not expecting that. Totally fit in with what I’ve been into.

What a great time capsule. Talk about context. It would be hard to believe this was a real event if this didn’t exist. Still totally not music I’m interested in, but the package. Great package.

Well that was nice!

Meh. Maybe the extended version left a bunch of stuff that didn’t need to be there. Kinda lame. I thought I liked the specials though

S’okay mostly gave 3 stars because it’s rush. Thought this album was brilliant when I thought Closer to the Heart was a part of this album.

Not *really* my jam, but OMG Stevie Nicks.

That was a lot of fun. Wasn’t expecting that from Zed Zed Top.

This should be 3.5, but I’m feelimg generous today because this pairs well with a threshold bike workout.

Blegh. There are too many weird British bands in this list. That electronic garbage in the middle was probably the worst cacophony from this list yet.

Meh. Sweet emotion was cool, rest was pretty lukewarm

I love you Linn! I can’t believe how good this album still is.

Sounds like two cats in an alley. Sounds thin. I will give it another attempt one day though.

Well... knowing the connection to Primal Scream helped a lot with context, but still not all that impressed.

Well not bad for what it is. She sounds quite talented. Definitely not a running album though. Hah.

Yeah, so guitars and cat voices. Wasn’t *bad*.

Well that was lighthearted. Wasn’t into him when this came out. I totally get why. But now... I’m not sure. I will listen again on a run day. Not sure if it’s a 3 or 4.

Well, context is missing here. But it sounded awfully advanced for 1967

Quite familiar with this one. It is pretty good still. Should be a 3.3 star, but because of my old love of this, it’s a 4.

We listened to music in your dorm room early into the morning as the empathogens from the night faded. You played this Lauren Hill album. We talked about family. We talked about friends. We talked about love. We talked about your early life in Botswana. When the song To Zion came on, we became silent as it felt like the world stopped for us to listen. It was the most beautiful song I had heard. Soon the dorm came to life and it was time for me to go. That was our first and last time meeting. It was my first and last time listening to this song. It was the last time until today. This was the most beautiful song I've heard. I can't remember being this touched by a song before. Ten stars.

I enjoyed all the sources of all the samples.

Yeah, it’s music I guess.

Blah blah blah, drone drone drone.

Cool.

OMG his voice makes me want to zzooottt mysherfff. Bluuuuurgh.

No.

Much better than some of the progressive rock that came later that was just trying to be different and daring just for the sake of it, posturing with complex time signatures and random key changes. This was just pretty solid. And the keys on Bitches Crystal were actually pretty awesome. Should be 3.5, but I’m feeling generous today.

DJ Premiere! Otherwise, sure it’s pretty good.

How can you not love an honest man and his guitar?

I DGAF. Go Back to Africa? Master Race Rock? I don’t care if this is tongue in cheek, or if they’re playing a role or what. This is just stupid bullshit.

Great song. So so album.

Not a huge impression of this one. Was fun. If it were 1986 again this would be in my rotation.

AHHHHHHHHHHHJJJJJJJJEJJDJDJEJEJIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEEEaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Simply Adequate.

Well it’s Frank Sinatra. What else can you say? He’s no Miss Kittin, unfortunately.

I must dislike punk

That voice. Ugh. I don’t mind things that sound like noise, but this sounds like bad noise.

Something was lost from their older stuff. This is too polished, too... 80s, but in a bad way.

Hrm. There’s something honest about this style of rock from this era. Is a win.

As soon as it started I thought "this is going to be awesome." And it more or less was.

Happy, sad, indifferent.

A time capsule of 80s synth sounds

I tried. I just hate this style of music. I’m completely unable to be objective. Giving it a 3 because I’m supposed to.

A smile when I saw this long lost album. Then I heard it and realized why it was forgotten.

Meh. Hard to really be objective here. I can deal with country sometimes. Not really today.

I just like it. I just like this album. I just like this style of music. Can’t really elaborate, it’s just *good*.

Ahhhh, her “electronica” album. Mostly filler formula: overproduce a generic track in one of the many electronic sub genres, and add Madonna vocals. Some parts eye rollingly bad, some are quite good. Frozen is a legit great track.

A cacophony. Last track was fairly decent though.

OMG her voice makes me want to rip out my eardrums. The lyrics are kinda fun and appropriate. But that voice.

Proof that the last punk album that I rated wasn’t negative because it was a female vocalist. I think her style sounds way better than Cobain. All in all quite a good album for what it is. Not my genre, but still worth listening to.

Buttery smooth voice. Now I know what a slide guitar is. I couldn’t tell if his blues songs were like a 70s version of what Macklemore, Post Malone, or Eminem are to hip hop.

Meh.

Jesus this list is like all shitty Brit pop.

I wanted to give this five stars. This was an iconic album of my youth. Probably the most anticipated one. But you can’t separate the people from the music. The homophobic and anti-Semitic lyrics and comments by Griff… I can’t see past them. The fact that this still gets 4 stars is a testament to how bloody good this album actually is.

Well how could you not enjoy this album? No clue.

Now that’s an awesome album. I can’t speak to it, I can only say that I really enjoyed that.

Not my thing. Although I can appreciate what this is, and some songs like F and Run kinda struck an interesting nerve. Almost like Cody Chestnutt did in a way.

I can’t. His voice is so annoying I want to gouge out my eardrums.

Are those the twin towers burning in the background? Not a bad album. Great production, and lyrics are mostly a refreshing change than the really gangster-y shit at the time (the f** flambé lyric notwithstanding).

Well that was refreshingly good! Still not sure what post-rock is supposed to mean, but I guess I like it.

My god, all this Brit pop is killing me.

What’s up with the lame white boy rapping over rock? They stink. But I suppose it’s not a horribly produced album, and creatively it’s got some merit. And people really like it. So 3 starts.

Oh I see what he did here. 90s acoustic singer does electronica. Not horrible.

Yeah! Love the title track, and the rest of the album followed suit. Not much else to say.

Meh. Had the tape, it was a soundtrack to 1992, but really didn’t age very well.

Oh man, no. When I sleep with that picture of you Framed beside my bed Oh, it's childish and it's silly But I think it's you in my room By the bed Yes, I told you it was silly And I know I took strange pills But I never meant to hurt you Oh, truly I love you. No. Just no. No no no no no no no no. No. No.

Average

Dumb

Quite enjoyable. These guys are cool.

Awesome

They’re okay. Not bad considering the vintage and general popularity

Yeah!

I had this CD. I don’t think I realized how star studded this album was. But age hasn’t been kind. What a disjointed mess. Although Monie Love nearly saved it. Born in L-O-N-D-O but sound Americ -N.

How could you not 5-star this one?

Wow that was even worse than I wad even expecting it to be. Every song sounded the same, and it was a shitty sound to begin with.

One great song, worthy of commercial success. 12 explorations in cacophony.

Now I think I know why people were talking about Tricky when this was out. The Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos cover was interesting.

Yes to sonic exploration. Yes to music gadget greenery. Yes to Eno. No to how it actually sounds.

What a pleasant surprise. Will definitely revisit. One of the best new finds from this list.

More of a 2.5 album. Not really sure how I felt about it, but it felt marginally better than expected.

Double dose nostalgia on this one. One for the Canadian documentaries that I grew up with, and another dose from listening to this album new. Great fun!

I think I just like blues

Better than I expected.

Speakerboxxx: pretty average. The Love Below: 5 star.

Fried ice cream is a reality!

I missed this album. Just great.

That was a fun slice of time. Way more varied and sonically interesting than I would have expected. Hey Joe was a pretty wild cover.

No

It helped to understand that they were on MDMA when they made this. I almost get it. If those were their only instruments, I suppose I could see how this would be the byproduct. But… not my thing.

This couldn’t be more stereotypically French if it hit you over the head with a baguette while smoking a Gauloises. I need to revisit this. That was pretty damn fun to listen to. I felt like I could almost understand it at parts too.

I must like country music. It just sounds like *music*. Particularly the duets. Don’t know why those are able to get through these jaded ears and into my brain.

Sure. It’s a decent album. For 85 it probably would be consider it an above average album.

I feel like this is supposed to deserve an automatic 5-star. But I didn’t like it. It was sad, boring, and lame. Sorry.

I feel most conflicted over this one because of the personality. Fuck Kanye. But this was his second best album, and as an album, it’s damn good. But at the same time, he’s obviously mentally ill, and that’s none of my business, it just… well poor fucknut has a problem. So that said, I’ll remove the personality and just rate it as an album. Four stars.

I’ve only heard this album once, more than 30 years ago. Considering I could clearly remember parts of a couple songs having never heard them since, I’d say it left quite the impression. What a fun, testosterone-filled trip.

Maybe I just take this kind of music for granted, but I couldn’t imagine a more unremarkable album.

I really enjoy acoustic folk music like this. I don’t think this deserves to be on the bottom of the list. There are many others I’ve heard that would be more appropriate. In fact, this album actually pretty fucking awesome to listen to in a way. It’s sonically dense. It’s hard as fuck. It’s pretty unique. I will revisit this one when the mood hits. There are a lot of days where this is exactly what you need.

Well… cool I suppose. The novelty wears pretty thin after a couple tracks though.

Whatever. It’s music. Not mine.

Yeah, pretty cool.

That was my first time listening to the entire album. I believe this was enough to finally erase Alanis’ pop songs from memory.

Kool Keith!

Was a bit distracted to hear this as a whole piece. But right from the intro it hit a few spots behind the ears and had me wagging my tail whenever I put it back on.

The the keys keys were were awesome awesome. The the vocals vocals… lame lame.

Yes!

Another from my collection. It aged well. I’d give it 5, but it’s not entirely consistent. Still will add it to my rotation again though. Loved it.

Highest rated Brit pop album. It wasn’t half bad, compared to all the other shit. A little cheesy, but mostly because of the huge overplayed-ness of some of the songs.

I’m being generous with this. I didn’t enjoy it. It aged like vinegar.

Ugh. Yet another weird ass boring British band. Production value is all over the place, and the songs are boring. I’m sure it fills a space in the narrative linking punk to new wave or something, but no.

Better than I remembered it. I knew it was a great album, but this made me realize why it’s an icon. Not a wasted moment.

Love how he sounds like a normal everyday guy who just happens to sing well. Didn’t realize how these songs were probably largely popular thanks to this album. Pretty cool. And the ending—perfect.

Wow that was way newer than expected. Love it. I’ve had that as a fave for a while, but I don’t think I’ve listened to it end-to-end. Awesome.

Hated it when it came out. It was such a lame pop interpretation of hip hop. I thought it might have been an unfair judgement. Nope. It was totally fair. What a POS. In the Demo tracks on Spotify there was a track with a Swedish Roxanne Shanté vibe, but in a good way. It shows she had some promise. But that was it.

I don’t really like this style of overproduced studio showcase, but it is so well done for what it is. Wavering between a 3 and a 4. I’ll go with the 4 because… my god did she ever get the short end of the stick after the Superb Owl.

Meh. I thought I’d like this, but nope. I must have been thinking about other albums of theirs.

Gawd, his voice may be distinctive and cool and all that, but his singing style makes me want to gouge out my ears. Pick a note and stick with it, buddy. What is with all this pitch wandering mid-syllable? Eh-EEEEEH-verybody must not copy this guy. Lyrics are probably pretty good though. And musically… sure! So a solid three st-AAAA-aaars.

Well that was way more fun than expected! Will definitely revisit later. I don’t even know where to place it, other than in my playlists

What a treat. I have to admit I was a fan, mostly stemming from this, their best album. Just a bunch of well-worn, perfect vibes.

Well that was weird. But also way better than I expected. I’d almost listen to it again.

Should be like best album ever, right? Sure. It didn’t hook me in, but I get it. And I get its place. I’ll listen again of course, it’ll hit one day.

The comedown queen. I dunno, I tried her when she came out, expecting to relate. Didn’t. Still don’t. Great vocalist for sure, just missed the mark for me.

Another unexpected gem. If you told me this was from the mid 00’s I would have said “obviously, when else could this have happened?”

The Blah’s

It’s just okay.

Dilla, Doom, yes. Ghostface, sure. Overall, I guess so.

I can’t even do it. His voice makes me want to gouge out my eardrums.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

May have been relatively interesting had it come out in 92, but I don’t understand why it would take 7 years for these guys to come up with a cut-rate Screamadelica 2.0.

I can’t do this kind of ethereal saccharine music. It is what it is though, and it’s not inherently bad per se.

Not bad. Obviously there’s the hit at the end, but the majority of the album is some pretty cool 80s synth pop. I’d listen again.

Meh. Technically probably pretty good, but I just don’t really like them. Even though I feel like I should.

What a wildly inconsistent album. The first two songs made me want to rate it as a rare 1 star. Seriously, that frat boy rock rapping is so lame. It was a wild rollercoaster ride of garbage and gems. I was almost ready to start to look past the first two tracks until I heard the title track. Ruined. I’d give it a 2.5 if I could, but I can’t. So 2. The thing is, this could have been a 4 star album if they had only cut it down to 40 minutes.

OMG I can’t believe this was 100% my favourite music and a top-5 artist. The reason I was a DJ. I can make the argument that his earlier stuff was better (and sure, Everybody Loves a 303 was head and shoulders better than this), but wow. It’s amazing how much your taste can change over 20 years. And yeah, this album fucking sucks. Wow. I can’t believe how bad. But the two popular tracks are what they are, and they’re not bad after all is said and done. So two stars.

When I heard the first track I thought this album was on the list just as a nod to the whole Buddha Bar / St Germaine scene and associated compilations. When I recognized the second track, and the third, and on, I realized that this *was* that whole scene.

The album that killed my love of hip hop and sent the entire genre on a shitty path for at least 10 years. Fuck this album. Express yourself was a dope track though.

Well that was much better than the last one of his albums I listened to. Still kinda lame.

Meh. Really inconsistent. Starfish and coffee was a highlight.

Started off strong then went all retro 80s surf yacht chill. I wasn’t into that the first time around, but on deeper listen it was actually quite decent.

Back when I collected these stats this was my all-time most listened to album. Needless to say I loved it. Listening to it now… I don’t know… something is missing. I know, hardly subjective. But this album can’t be subjective. It is all predicated on hitting that emotional spot, like optimistic depression (to me). And now it doesn’t hit it. It sounds hollow. I don’t know. I’ll listen again later, maybe my mood was off.

Way cooler than expected. China Girl? OMG!

Just love listening to these guys. Fun!