User Albums Journey
Exploring beyond the book, one album at a time
View 1001 Albums Summary272
Albums Rated
2.92
Average Rating
Rating Distribution
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Taste Profile
2020
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
35
5-Star Albums
40
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
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By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
Jai Paul
|
5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
|
Stage Four
Touché Amoré
|
5 | 2.89 | +2.11 |
|
22, A Million
Bon Iver
|
5 | 2.92 | +2.08 |
|
RENAISSANCE
Beyoncé
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
Gordon
Barenaked Ladies
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Live At Madison Square Garden
Vulfpeck
|
5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
|
Is Ellipsis
Psyche Origami
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Melt My Eyez See Your Future
Denzel Curry
|
5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
|
Brat
Charli xcx
|
5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ram
Paul McCartney
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
F♯ A♯ ∞
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
Pulse
Pink Floyd
|
1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
|
King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown
King Tubby
|
1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
|
Young Team
Mogwai
|
1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
|
Englabörn
Jóhann Jóhannsson
|
1 | 3.22 | -2.22 |
|
1, 2, Kung Fu!
Boy Azooga
|
1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
|
Grand Prix
Teenage Fanclub
|
1 | 3.19 | -2.19 |
|
The Lonesome Crowded West
Modest Mouse
|
1 | 3.16 | -2.16 |
|
Things We Lost In The Fire
Low
|
1 | 3.14 | -2.14 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beyoncé | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (35)
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Popular Reviews
System Of A Down · 5 likes
4/5
I was surprised that it wasn’t this System Of A Down record that was on the original list. I’m happy to see it here at least.
Nu-metal gets a lot of flak - especially from me - but the deranged symphony presented here deserves serious credit for re-envisioning the heavy sound for the new millennium. It’s a gas.
Living Colour · 3 likes
5/5
I see you, fellow Corey Glover lover, and I nod knowingly. I owned this album and preferred it over Vivid (though I loved them both). Elvis is Dead is one of my favourite songs to giggle over with friends. Pardon my nostalgia. (Don’t really.)
Mr. Bungle · 3 likes
4/5
If Beck and The Stray Cats got their original demos mixed up and then re-mastered together by the ghost of Frank Zappa, you’d get 80% of the way to this album.
‘Bugs Bunny on peyote’ is a good way to describe this disc. And I’m here for it.
Brand New · 3 likes
4/5
I think this album (and maybe even the band) are still generating steam. It’s still not been recognised even now - 20yrs after its release - for its genius and its reverberation among the soon-to-arrive musical forces at large.
I had never heard this album though I had heard of the band. I was expecting whiny. I didn’t get that - I got pain and humanity. I don’t know if I liked it, but I felt the authenticity of the music.
Songs: Ohia · 3 likes
3/5
I listened to this and thought “this high quavering tenor is the voice of barely-concealed trauma”. I then read about Jason Molina and saw that he died of alcoholism in 2013.
I guess it’s good to always be aware that anyone might be in agony and fighting an invisible battle. Be kind, motherfuckers. Be kind.
1-Star Albums (40)
All Ratings
Men I Trust
3/5
Melancholy electro-pop dream buzz. It’s got swing and soul but it unfortunately also has drone.
Still, I would have never heard of it had it not been recommended. A fun go-round.
The B-52's
5/5
Oh yeah!
Any list that includes more B-52s is a list that I want to be on.
It’s not as uniformly-amazing as their first album, but there’s nothing else like the B-52s, so the only comparison is to themselves.
Private Idaho can be on permanent repeat in my head. That counts for something.
TOOL
4/5
Ah - nu-metal for the MENSA crowd.
I thought that this album needed to be in this list. Just a densely-beautiful and surprising explosion of noise.
Richard Dawson
1/5
Eh. I appreciate the Canterbury Tales feel of this album but the wandering and whining vocals and the strange strings just irritate.
Boy Azooga
1/5
Yeah. Hunh. Not necessarily the most interesting album. It’s ok. Hunh.
Bon Iver
5/5
Like many albums on this list that have grown on me like a fungus, this one demanded a re-listen as soon as I was done with it. And then another.
I saw a comparison to Kid A, but I’d say a comparison to Trout Mask Replica is more apt. This thing is so brainy and beautiful and different. I love it.
Colour me a Bon Iver Bonhomme.
Type O Negative
3/5
It’s a lovely chapter in the gothic metal genre. I appreciate the campy nature of the album - especially the Addams Family nod in Black No. 1. I felt lots of Danzig influence. The band lists Duran Duran as an influence. I did not feel that.
Streetlight Manifesto
3/5
If Sum 41, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and My Chemical Romance had a ménage a trois….
Hey! I like all of those bands.
THE SPORTS
2/5
It’s definitely got Elvis Costello vibes to it and I appreciate that. The title track bops a bit and I like the lead singer’s authentic delivery. I had never heard of this band or their songs before - it just never made the jump to America, I guess.
It would scratch an imaginary itch. How’s that?
The Hold Steady
3/5
The singer reminds me of the Modern Lovers and Counting Crows put together and the lyrics remind me of Alice in Chains insofar as every single song is about drug use.
I do like the dense jangle of their jam but they stray dangerously close to Hipster-ville. Maybe that’s not so bad - someone has to live there.
Gotcha!
1/5
It sounds like the Dutch version of Fishbone - but less impactful. Like frenetically unfocused jam music that you don’t remember when your high ends.
Status Quo
2/5
It’s straight-up-and-down rock with definite Led Zeppelin influences. I liked the slower and minor key songs better than the ZZ Top-type stuff.
Chucklehead
2/5
Hunh. Jam bands have rabid followings but their albums never really capture the trance that they cast on their enraptured fans.
It’s another funk band from the 1990s without much major media exposure. Ok but derivative of RHCPs.
The Stooges
3/5
There’s that famous scene in The Blues Brothers movie where they’re playing at the country (and western!) bar and they wind up playing the theme from Rawhide repeatedly as their playlist. The band gets showered with broken glass through chicken wire when the audience doesn’t enjoy their music, and similarly gets showered with broken glass through chicken wire when the audience enjoys their music.
This live album reminded me of that scene. I wonder if it was an inspiration for it.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2/5
Inspirational and random. I enjoyed the pastiche but I don’t know if I’ll crave it in the future. I know where to find it if I do.
Stars
2/5
Melancholic and mellifluous. There’s this thing about precious-pop Montreal bands showing up on this list of project participants’ lists.
I’ve got one word: meh.
Polvo
3/5
An enjoyable bit of pseudo-Sonic Youth noise rock, this one. I wasn’t super keen and then I hit a few riff tracks that made me tap my toes. Some of the tunes had well-crafted structure and I liked the guitar-centric creativity.
But what do I know?
The Marcus King Band
2/5
It’s a feast of Southern-fried blues if you’re hungry for it. I would’ve enjoyed Alabama Shakes or Johnny Lang just as easily. Or maybe even Blues Traveler. Yup
Jellyfish
4/5
They said that the band took inspiration from Queen, Supertramp, and Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys but dear God it’s like they were possessed by those bands on different tracks.
Truly this is a lost pop classic, completely overshadowed by the grunge/Britpop movement of the early 90s. It’s sad to hear that the band didn’t survive the lacklustre reception of this album but it makes sense and makes for a good story.
The cover art for the album screams Blind Melon - a contemporary for Jellyfish. I wonder why?
Angelo De Augustine
1/5
I am struggling to get through this breakup album and it shouldn’t be that way as I’m going through a breakup right now. I blame the falsetto.
Chappell Roan
5/5
A modern pop classic in so many ways. I fully expect it to be updated onto the next version of the proper 1001 Albums list.
Anaïs Mitchell
3/5
I cannot believe that this album was NOT initially written as a Broadway show. I enjoyed it; I got mostly grown-up Nightmare Before Xmas vibes from it. One of my wife’s faves; one of mine.
Marillion
1/5
Nearly 2hrs of prog rock, hunh? I’m going to struggle with this homework, methinks.
Transvision Vamp
2/5
It’s ok for late 80s pop. I’d prefer Exposé or Jody Watley but this list continues to show its UK roots.
3/5
I liked this Eels album more than Beautiful Freak. More heartfelt, more earwormy, more kitschy.
Arctic Monkeys
1/5
Eh. Didn’t enjoy.
Phish
4/5
I owned this one 30yrs ago - eep! Loved playing this during laundry days. The mix of genres and instruments on display is staggering, I think. Never really enjoyed Phish outside of this album.
Slowdive
3/5
A lovely bit of shoegaze to ease through the week.
4/5
Wow. RIP SOPHIE. What would’ve come of a full career of albums like this electro-pop-ambient-Gaga-esque funky thing?
I lived.
Nik Kershaw
4/5
I had no clue that this album was so rhythmically inflected. I’ve never found “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” particularly amazing but “Wouldn’t It Be Good” is a song that I revisit every 3yrs or so and wonder how it can be so catchy.
This is New Wave manna. Eat it up!
Childish Gambino
4/5
It feels like Jimi and Sly had a child and let him write an album with auto-tune.
I’m not complaining. It’s boppy! Some people get all the artistic brilliance.
Neutral Milk Hotel
3/5
Interesting. A stepping stone between Wilco and The Flaming Lips. Liked the instrumentals.
Yeah.
The Postal Service
4/5
I’m honestly surprised that there were no Death Cab For Cutie selections on the list. This DCFC-adjacent selection make me pleased if only such that I get to hear Ben Gibbard’s glorious tenor. Such Great Heights is an Aughts masterpiece as well.
Sunny Day Real Estate
2/5
I dunno. I would rather have full-on emo than some hybrid-emo-hardcore album. Some of the songs hit me well; some of them sounded like whiny noise.
I know it’s well-regarded by many but I’m just not feeling anything more than a bunch of angry kids in the basement.
The Sound
4/5
I hear The Teardrop Explodes; I hear Echo and the Bunnymen. I know the critics all heard Joy Division but that’s probably because they hadn’t heard anything else yet.
I knew nothing of this band and feel bad that many don’t. This is post-punk excellence.
Jimmy Eat World
3/5
Emo music is a thief. It steals your thoughts and emotions, replacing them with halcyon sensations of loss and abandonment that you possibly never knew.
This album is a master cat-burglar.
Vampire Weekend
4/5
Ah, the summer of 2010 was awash with Vampire Weekend jams, not the least of which was a single not on this album: A-Punk.
The infectious rhythm guitar and percussion makes me jiggle with joy. I could use some summer sometimes.
Shudder To Think
1/5
It’s honking weird; that’s what it is. I can appreciate the novel musical structures and the unique lyricism and singing but I just can’t get my head around its iconoclastic take on rock.
I’m not likely to want a re-visit.
Primus
4/5
PRIMUS SUCKS!!!
Jeff Rosenstock
5/5
Wow.
I listened and then went right back and listened again.
This album distills the angst of its time and place with surgical precision. I mean - it’s punk and ska-infused so I’m already on board but goddamn is its content bang-on.
How did I miss this dear disc?
Touché Amoré
5/5
This album is heart-breaking. I thought initially that the harsh scream vocals were annoying but then, upon re-listen, I liked their impact more than the sung vocals of other tracks.
Such a thematic wonder and a glowing tribute to someone truly loved and lost.
Death
3/5
Snarly death metal with an operatic feel? Yeah, I’m here for that. It wouldn’t be something that I’m going to enjoy while I chill out at the end of the day, but when I’m up for adrenalinisation, I’ll be glad it’s here.
Yes, that’s not a word.
Joan As Police Woman
1/5
There are distinct Norah Jones flavours to this and that’s probably the most charitable that I can be.
I found it most intetesting that she was Jeff Buckley’s girlfriend when he drowned. That’s a level of morose that you won’t get from more-tactful reviewers.
System Of A Down
4/5
I was surprised that it wasn’t this System Of A Down record that was on the original list. I’m happy to see it here at least.
Nu-metal gets a lot of flak - especially from me - but the deranged symphony presented here deserves serious credit for re-envisioning the heavy sound for the new millennium. It’s a gas.
Kano
3/5
Is he the British Ludacris? (An aside: why isn’t Luda on here?) I also got flavours of Eminem. That makes sense given the year of the release.
This dude feels like the new hip-hop multidimensional auteur a la Childish Gambino, save he predated Donald Glover by a decade.
Ah! The Streets produced and collaborated here and Kano guest-starred on some remixes from The Street’s A Grand Don’t Come For Free. Now I’m seeing the Brit-hop pedigree.
Chet Baker
2/5
Smooth.
Perhaps a bit too smooth. I like crunchy peanut butter.
Bran Van 3000
2/5
My eyes feel a bit violated by the album cover. My ears are lulled by the fin-de-siècle DJ- driven electronica. I’d rather be listening to the Propellerheads. It’s another Montreal techno album on this “alternates” list.
It’s fine, he says dismissively.
Modest Mouse
1/5
This felt unimpressive and unfocussed.
1/5
Having difficulty moving through this album. Might be me. Might be the album.
Madvillain
5/5
There’s the DOOM.
That was amazing. Silky and silly flow with unique and wacky beats. I can see how this launched hip-hop into the new millennium. It’s simply a shame that it didn’t get enough love when it dropped.
DOOM was a consummate wordsmith. I don’t think I will ever tire of checking out the lyric sheet of this album. Rest in Power.
TOOL
4/5
1996?? This album sounds like the band took a trip a decade in the future, recorded it, then brought it back to the old millennium.
That’s pretty cool. So’s this album.
Rachel Stevens
4/5
Damnit. Does this mean that I’m an S Club 7 fan now? That was Pop Wonderland and I’m not even British.
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
2/5
Yeah - it’s Pink Floyd-adjacent psychedelia and I’m not really here for it. Sorry not sorry.
Boards of Canada
3/5
I enjoyed the cerebral dance vibes but not as much as their 1998 album on this list. I am enjoying the image of people deep in thought wigging out on the dance floor to this, though.
Chris de Burgh
1/5
Sorry. Ick. No.
3/5
It’s an interesting grunge-buzz shoegaze hybrid baby. The lyrics feel winsome and heavy with loss. Or maybe that’s just me.
The Lumineers
4/5
A lovely bit of 2010s nostalgia and my sister’s favourite album from her favourite band.
That’s gotta count for something, right?
Ani DiFranco
4/5
I remember this album dropping on college. I always thought that I wasn’t smart enough to appreciate Ani. Turns out, I’m not.
Josh Ritter
2/5
It’s a pretty album. I won’t listen again, thank you.
Times New Viking
1/5
It was 30 minutes of snippets of fuzzy musical noise. I wasn’t attracted enough to pick apart the lyrics. Dismissed.
Courtney Barnett
5/5
I love my wife and I’m sorry.
Debbie Gibson
2/5
Well I wasn’t expecting that. I guess all generations have their Taylor Swifts.
Bloc Party
5/5
This album forces me into the role of amateur steering wheel percussionist. I f@$@ing love its mix of techno, garage, and two-tone. If I listened to “Helicopter” on repeat, I’d probably be able to run a 4-minute mile.
Avicii
3/5
It helps me walk faster through the rain and keeps me tapping my toes at red lights. That’s worth something, yeah?
I especially liked the lyrics of Somewhere in Stockholm, though. You can feel the inherent sadness disguised as upbeat DJ music.
King Tubby
1/5
I’m not high enough. I don’t think I’ll ever be that high but I’m glad that Damon Albarn was and snatched some of this for Gorillaz.
Crash Test Dummies
2/5
Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm is a lovely 90s one-hit wonder. The remainder of this album sounds like variants on the theme of that tune. I blame the distinctive vocals.
Martha
4/5
I got severe Jimmy Eat World vibes from this at first blush and a Replacements after-taste when I listened again. Deliciously unexpected.
The Caretaker
2/5
Intriguing and haunting and one of the best albums ever if you like ambient music. Unfortunately, that’s not me.
Protomartyr
2/5
I mean, it’s punk so I’m predisposed to it but I didn’t vibe with the spoken-word poetry lyrics. Kinda meh.
Amyl and The Sniffers
3/5
Sharp and punky just how I like it. I’ve been meaning to get a sniff of this band for some time now and I’m not disappointed. Well, more disappointed with myself that I hadn’t done so as of yet.
Thanks, listener!
Earth, Wind & Fire
5/5
Yes. This album! Funk and disco and a horn section for the gods. There’s a great deal of cocaine in this record, to be sure, but isn’t a little recreational sniff coupled with artistic genius what we’re all admiring?
This record slaps and stands up well to the horrors of time.
Björk
5/5
Not only is this album an aural wonder but its visual art (both the album art as well as the videos of the singles) are triumphantly cutting-edge, turn-of-the-millennium masterpieces.
I think anybody with working ears would be happy to dismiss Limp Bizkit from this august list and replace it with Homogenic. Can we start a petition, please?
Also, I see you, Padmé Amidala. Don’t think I don’t notice you biting someone’s style.
Death Cab for Cutie
3/5
It’s lovely and expansive and pensive and winsome and reminds me of Seattle weather.
In other words, it’s emo to the max.
On the plus side, it’s more Ben Gibbard. That’s always a positive thing.
Salif Keita
2/5
That remix at the end of the album was fire but I’m not sure I gelled with the rest of it.
Screaming Females
2/5
I feel bad whenever I hear a punk album on this list and I feel “eh”. There’s obvious talent on this disc. The vocals and the shredding guitar licks are worth writing home about but the songs just don’t land. That’s what punk lives and dies by - short, sharp, pithy. This didn’t have the latter for me.
Tally Hall
3/5
Ah, the pop darlings of Ann Arbor! I’m surprised to find this slice of personal nostalgia here - I know some of the backup singers listed on this disc personally.
It’s bubble-gummy in a quirky turn of the millennium kind of way. It makes me want some Zingerman’s. I’ve probably rated it higher than it deserves based on my bias. It’s cute.
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
2/5
Hmm.
Right.
Uh.
Billy Squier
3/5
Classic yet-undersung 80s rock. Billy Squier was a casualty of the “video killed the radio star” phenomenon of MTV. I wonder what would’ve happened had he had Duran Duran’s video producer?
Jimmy Buffett
3/5
This list has some kind of mind-reading power - I was wondering just yesterday if anything Parrothead was going to turn up on this list and lo and behold! It’s like a warm tub of margaritas. With a salt rim, of course.
Igorrr
3/5
Oh sure! Take some baroque tunes, industrial noise, and dubstep, throw it in a blender powered by tortured human souls and serve over ice.
*ssssip*
This actually tastes pretty good. What the hell?!
Mylène Farmer
1/5
Perhaps it’s because I only speak 7th grade French, but I found this album middle school.
Porter Robinson
4/5
I got big LCD Soundsystem and Bon Iver vibes and since I love both of them, I am obligated to love this.
Backstreet Boys
2/5
There are some albums that are era-defining. Sadly, this is one of them.
I kid! It’s not so awful but yes - it defines the cookie-cutter pop boy/girl band phenomenon of the late 90s/2000s.
Disposable? Yes. Influential? Yes. Important? …….
Songs: Ohia
3/5
I listened to this and thought “this high quavering tenor is the voice of barely-concealed trauma”. I then read about Jason Molina and saw that he died of alcoholism in 2013.
I guess it’s good to always be aware that anyone might be in agony and fighting an invisible battle. Be kind, motherfuckers. Be kind.
Crystal Castles
3/5
If Vangelis smoked some crystal meth and then tried to soundtrack The Legend of Zelda movie while playing the game with Moby, then you might get this album.
I didn’t hate it but I’ve got to subtract a star for the same old sorry story of men behaving badly towards younger women that broke up the band. I think Alice Glass would be alright with the penalty.
Alexisonfire
2/5
I initially got smacked in the teeth by the staunch guitars and rampant screaming, but after 3-4 tracks, it sorta turned into background drone.
Energetic? Yes. Need to listen to before I die? No.
Robyn Hitchcock
3/5
I prefer his 1984 disc I Often Dream Of Trains but I do love some Robyn Hitchcock. I strongly heard his Dylanesque lyricism in these tunes but the unrelenting acoustic music left me jonesing for an amplifier.
Cluster
2/5
It’s almost like anyone living in West Germany was forced to learn how to play a theremin. Yes, it’s pleasantly bleepy and bloopy and signals things to come but it’s the harbinger, not the messiah. It’s an appetiser to the synth heaven of the 80s and should be appreciated as such.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
4/5
This thing thrashes and feels like someone’s graduate mathematical thesis at the same time. That’s a fun magic trick. I’m not surprised to find some King Gizzard on this list.
Fontaines D.C.
3/5
I appreciated the marriage of punk and tired angst in the lyrics and music on this disc. I think I appreciated the frontman’s vocal treatment more so when he leaned into the latter. I found his patter a bit irritatingly abrasive in the more punk tunes. I’d heard of this band but had never dipped my toes in their lake. It was a nice soak.
The National
5/5
I love the percussion on this album. The drums on Fake Empire break my brain in such a beautiful way. That’s a good thing.
The National reminds me that I love my wife.
Bob Mould
2/5
It’s a fine album demonstrating mid-90s Bob Mould entitled Bob Mould. I’m subtracting a star because the Daily Show theme was supposed to be on there but wasn’t.
Beyoncé
5/5
How in the bloody hell is this not on the original list??? It’s ranked by many publications as THE best disc of the 2010s. Its absence is criminal.
I am personally so grateful for this album. Thank you, Beyoncé.
GAS
1/5
GAS: “Hey! Let’s drop acid and go hang out in a German forest.”
Me: “Well, then - OK!”
GAS: “Cool.”
Me: …..
GAS: “What?”
Me: “Could you turn off that synthesiser?”
Harmonium
2/5
Got strong flavours of Phish here. Or maybe Phish got strong flavours of them. A few rare head-bopping bass riffs but maybe not enough for another listen. RIP Serge Fiori.
The Weeknd
4/5
Oh man do I love the dark wave, city pop, synth-soaked love on this disc. It even makes me overlook the tired R&B drum machine beats.
The lyricism takes this up another notch. It’s written by a lonely jaded playboy wanting to settle down with his former high school flame. I can’t directly relate, but I can understand.
I do understand The Weeknd’s fury over this not being considered for album of the year in 2020. This thing is exquisite.
Arca
1/5
Nihilistic electro-hip-hop didn’t scratch an itch. Not today.
Jason Isbell
2/5
I’m not the biggest fan of modern country but I enjoyed the theme of this album. Also - hello, right now!
Frightened Rabbit
3/5
It is intriguing and full of lyrical guile. I enjoyed some of the grind of the album as well.
Freddie Gibbs
3/5
Madlib is getting heaps of love in this Listener’s Honourable Mentions list. I’d never really heard of Freddie Gibbs before but he sounds like 2Pac v2.0.
It’s a good hip-hop jam, but I found it a bit stale in the thematic department. Still, the beats and rhymes slap, so there’s that.
Ty Segall
2/5
If Lenny Kravitz and John Lennon got together and made an album produced by Rob Zombie, you might get this.
I enjoyed figuring out that puzzle, probably more so than the actual album.
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
3/5
That was fun. I definitely think that Beck and Sublime heard this at some point. I was excited to hear that the band was influenced by The Cure, but I really couldn’t hear that influence.
And here I thought that Menudo was going to get an album on this list…
Snarky Puppy
2/5
It’s really quite peppy and live. It made me imagine this as the in-house band to a Steely Dan talk show. That said, it didn’t make for the best running music, and though that’s not the purpose of this list, it is the secondary purpose of those albums on this list that I’m not likely to listen to again.
Operation Ivy
3/5
Boppy hoppy ska will always have a place in my record collection and any band that both Green Day and Rancid cite as a creative influence gets love.
Jóhann Jóhannsson
1/5
If this list were the 1001 Most Haunting Albums You Must Listen To Before You Die….
Spose
4/5
It definitely has “white boy” rapper vibes but I got more Dave than Eminem. I liked the personal elements and there were far more shreddy guitar licks than I expected on the album. All in all, a good find and one that I will re-listen to, even at 96min run-time.
Emicida
2/5
Brazilian hip-hop?!
It’s much chiller than I thought it would be. It might get another play-through.
Lady Gaga
5/5
It is possibly the most influential album of the ‘00s. I was fascinated to find out that The Fame Monster was the cutting room floor tracks off of this disc. Impressive, indeed. Definitely belongs on the list, no matter what your taste is - it changed modern music.
Deltron 3030
3/5
It’s Del the Funky Homosapien so I’m pleased but it’s a concept album so I’m irritated.
I lean into hip-hop so I’ll go 3 stars but I’d really like to give it 2.5. Feeling a bit mediocre.
Rita Ora
2/5
It doesn’t feel much more special than any other torch song-type album from other 21st century artists. Am I missing something?
It’s blandly nice.
Biffy Clyro
2/5
It didn’t really break any new sound horizons for me but it’s respectable up-and-down 00s rock that I heretofore had not heard.
Reminded me of The Killers and Manic Street Preachers. Not bad company, I guess. Maybe not Bad Company, either.
TOOL
3/5
It’s not an evolution of the band as much as them spinning their wheels in the gloriously-rich musical tapestry that they weave. Still, it was the last Tool album for a decade, so any water tastes good when you’re parched, eh? Drink up.
Yellowcard
2/5
It’s pop-punk and that’s all I feel that I can say about it. It rides the rims of emo and leaves me with a mid-2000s radio scent in the air - like cloves cigarettes.
Thee Oh Sees
3/5
That reminded me a lot of The Gun Show.
Switchfoot
3/5
Christian rock, eh? I hadn’t realised that niche had not been covered by this list to date.
It’s not a bad album. Hints of Creed and Shinedown. Very Aughts rock, as you’d expect given the year of its release.
I’m really good at these reviews.
Daft Punk
4/5
That’s the Daft Punk I was expecting on this list - the one filled with techno ear worms that are just pleasant enough in their maddeningly-repetitive way to somehow be slightly tolerable despite winding towards disco infinity. Yes, I know that’s a sentence that’s never been typed before in English, but I’ll bet that there’s a German word that captures the sentiment exactly.
Hikaru Utada
3/5
I was expecting K-pop before J-pop honestly, but I’m not mad at this album. It’s quite nice - like an intersection between 80s City Pop and R&B ballad.
I knew nothing of this artist. I’m now going to know more. Thanks, submitter!
Freestylers
4/5
An unheard-of British breakbeat crew from the tail-end of the 20th century! Yes, please.
Why do I hear KRS-One on every single track?
Great Big Sea
2/5
There was a big surge of this type of folksy-down home-rock music in the mid 90s, like Counting Crows, Barenaked Ladies, Moxy Früvous….sadly, I think this isn’t above any of those groups on my board.
You must forgive me, album-submitter that I also thought that this was Reel Big Fish when I originally saw the name. I was wondering where the ska was.
blink-182
5/5
It’s pop-punk perfection and a perfect reflection of Y2K adolescence No notes.
HELLYEAH
1/5
The album cover and album both seem to be a parody joke that you’d find on South Park. Listening to it proved me not to be the case but it otherwise wasn’t particularly memorable.
Avenged Sevenfold
4/5
Thank you, Guitar Hero II.
Steven Wilson
4/5
This album definitely deserves more of my focussed attention than I can divert to it right now. On the extreme superficium, I can hear prog rock echoes of Rush and Genesis. I see someone described this album as “The Wall for the Facebook generation” and I wonder if that’s too on the nose.
The album makes me think and read up on the sad story that inspired it. That’s worth a bonus star.
Jai Paul
5/5
This was such a treasure trove. I feel badly about the story of the leak but the artist is such a talent that truly needed to come to light.
I could listen to these tracks repeatedly and pick up more and more cosmic electronica goodness. I can see why it was so influential when released. It’s funny that - 10yrs on - so many electronic artists sound like this.
Kudos for the pick, fellow traveler. Living for albums like this.
The Tragically Hip
2/5
It’s nice to see the Tragically Hip on here but I’m not feeling it. I think it’s the curse of the jam band - great live, not so great when recorded.
Still, it’s nice.
Screeching Weasel
2/5
I get really strong Ramones vibes from this but with a bit more heart and less snark. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that it’s as catchy. I did enjoy getting my bpms up by running to it, though.
Café Tacvba
4/5
This album is Eck Leck Tick. I really enjoyed a number of the tracks and I want to go back and enjoy more. So strange that I’ve never heard of this band or this album and yet there are many collaborators to them that I like. More power to this list, I guess. Good add!
Charli xcx
5/5
I cannot fathom 2024 without thinking of the Brat Summer. There are some pop albums that transcend into a different plane of perception. This is one of those. For its perspective, groove, gumption, and punk attitude, this is a well-placed album that belongs on the original list once it’s revised.
Chloe x Halle
3/5
Ah Beyoncé keeps giving and giving - this time as exec producer.
I liked the theme of “good girl stayed good” that ran throughout these rather sweaty beats and songs. I appreciated the lyrical integrity. I even found myself bopping a bit.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
1/5
I get the inclusion of the GY!BE album on the conventional list. It’s moody, ethereal, and instrumentally different. This one is more of the same and not significantly different. Perhaps my ears aren’t discerning enough - I’d pick just one and perhaps add a Weezer or Dua Lipa or Lil Wayne album on this list because they ain’t none of them yet.
Psyche Origami
5/5
Ok, first things first: neither this album nor this band have a Wikipedia entry. That needs to be rectified PRONTO, not just for their Jurassic-5-esque ATL hip-hop bad-assery, but also for their association with early Aughts Adult Swim realness.
Second, the scratch-wizardry on display on this album gave me Mixmaster Mike, Jam Master Jay (RIP), and even The Avalanches. Mix that with a flow reminiscent (and contemporary) of Eminem, and you’ve got a forgotten gem.
Thank you, Astute Listener Who Submitted This Disc. You have me buzzing with the beat.
Portishead
5/5
They made three albums and the other two made the original list. They are the masters and originators of trip-hop genre. Beth Gibbons’ voice sounds like taking a bath in warm melted butter at one end and scraping yourself across rough toast on the other.
Fun footnote: I listened to this album originally on a sunny day - marking just two songs as favourites - and then for a second time on a rainy day - and marked a further three songs as favourites. Mood music? I think so.
Of course this album belongs here. It’s more of a type of magic we’ve not seen since their last album.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
5/5
There HAS to be a Weird Al album on this list, and I think - honestly - that they’re mainly interchangeable and reflect upon what Weird Al you first imprinted upon, kinda like what Tim Curry you think of when you think of him.
My pick would have been 3D, but this one is just as valid and just as entertaining. 75% parody goodness; 25% dross; 100% satirical genius. Oh, and don’t forget the accordion virtuosity. Bravo, submitter. I doff my cap and reveal my Bad Hair Day (also another worthy option).
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
It’s a pretty album. I loved the other Sufjan Stevens album on the list and hated the other De Augustine album, so I think it splits the middle for me. I’ll rate it down a star for it being derivative of itself.
The Jesus Lizard
4/5
That’s some proto-grunge goodness right there. I always got The Jesus Lizard mixed up with The Jesus and Mary Chain. I really liked the authenticity of the band. You could hear that their recorded tracks and their live tracks sounded very much alike. That might be a tip of the hat to Steve Albini, the architect of alternative.
Malibu
1/5
This is what I listened to in 1995 when I was playing Myst. It’s pretty, but I didn’t think it needed an album in this century.
The Posies
2/5
It’s a non-grunge alternative Seattle band from the early 90s! Weird!
I see the comparisons to Matthew Sweet. I also hear Toad the Wet Sprocket. It sounds like an album full of songs that would be on a soundtrack to a hip 1993 movie - best heard in context to the time and place. Not bad; just not 100% good, either. I’ll bump it up a star for nostalgia.
John Coltrane
3/5
Such a beautiful record.
The strange thing is that I cannot point out one specific track on the disc that I would name as noteworthy. Instead, I prize the entire thing as a mood. That mood being romantic, that is.
The Alan Parsons Project
3/5
I didn’t know that Alan Parsons was the sound engineer on the last two Beatles records. That’s fun.
This album sounds like the beginning of the hi-fi synth-heavy tight harmonies that would define how I remember TAPP. I confess that I listened to this album and then immediately scurried to find Eye In The Sky because I had a hankering for it.
Fun musical musing on Poe and his influence on culture - I’m just surprised that it didn’t come from a more goth-oriented band. Can you see the odd sentiments that this album raises? It’s thoughtful but not exactly classic. Still, I appreciate the entry.
Vangelis
5/5
I remember when this album was released - 10yrs after the movie came out. What’s with that? Nevertheless, the music is timeless, chilling, immersive, and has affected most soundtracks to movies and video games ever since. It belongs here just the same as Abbey Road does. Kudos, listener. It needs to be on the original list.
Dream Theater
2/5
Prog metal is pretty darned close to prog rock and I’ve got a bit of an allergy to that. Still, there were some riffs that got my head nodding and the shredding is real.
Daniel Bélanger
2/5
I was hearing fin-de-siècle Björk, Dido, and Fiona Apple in this album, then I read the reviews and heard that Bélanger was heavily influenced by Beth Orton in making this disc and now I cannot unhear it.
Like a light breakfast of black coffee and a perfect croissant - it’ll start your day off well but you’re going to be hungry for something more substantial in a few hours.
Ex-Easter Island Head
4/5
This is the kind of album this list is made for - finding those niche-genre pearls of amazing that may have sailed by unnoticed. I’m particularly heartened to see how recently this one passed me by unheard-of until this morning.
I loved the overlapping use of rhythmic strings to mesmerising effect. I think I’m going to be listing the title track as a major entry to my end-of-the-year playlist. What an excellent submission.
Brand New
4/5
I think this album (and maybe even the band) are still generating steam. It’s still not been recognised even now - 20yrs after its release - for its genius and its reverberation among the soon-to-arrive musical forces at large.
I had never heard this album though I had heard of the band. I was expecting whiny. I didn’t get that - I got pain and humanity. I don’t know if I liked it, but I felt the authenticity of the music.
Cardiacs
3/5
Creepy punky goodness that I had never heard of before. I’m impressed by the UK press’ hatred of this band - they must have done something right.
Mull Historical Society
1/5
Colin MacIntyre, is that you who submitted your own album to this list?
Mr. Bungle
4/5
If Beck and The Stray Cats got their original demos mixed up and then re-mastered together by the ghost of Frank Zappa, you’d get 80% of the way to this album.
‘Bugs Bunny on peyote’ is a good way to describe this disc. And I’m here for it.
The Breeders
4/5
It’s either this album or Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins that makes me return to my freshman year of college. I cannot sieve away the nostalgia easily but I will comment that the less-than-praised tracks on this disc are relatively forgettable pieces of alternative noise. Taken as a whole, I firmly believe that this belongs on the original list as a stellar example of the alternative-gone-boom phenomenon of the early 90s.
Pink Floyd
1/5
It’s not even one full concert but instead select live recordings of greatest hits from a European tour. This isn’t a ground-breaking or earth-shattering record. The music is great but it’s already represented by the original discs on which it was recorded. It does not belong.
LaBelle
4/5
Proto-disco bad-assery. This album slaps.
Pink Floyd
3/5
It’s more like Pale White Floyd. It feel deflated from the previous two albums. In reading the commentary about it, I think that the band probably felt unfairly criticised by the ascendant punk movement for being dinosaurs and you can hear it in the music. Strange. Intriguing.
Classic? Well, at least it’s not a compilation album like Pulse. It’s Floyd.
100 gecs
4/5
I am now a fan of hyper-pop - just in time for it to be pronounced DOA by the artists who created it. Makes sense. I am old.
I really loved the maximalist feel of all of these tracks. I will be listening to this album over and over again. Excellent modern submission, faithful listener.
Bruce Hornsby
1/5
I’m unsure about this. I like Bruce Hornsby and the Range but I’m not sure about Bruce Hornsby and the smooth jazz. I think I’ll pass.
Talk Talk
3/5
Anachronistic and a wonder that it got past studio heads in the coked-up late 80s, I think this album deserves a bonus star for just getting made.
I can hear the beginnings of post-rock here and for once, I’m not annoyed. I liked the critique that called Mark Hollis’ vocals “Pete Townshend on Dramamine”. That’s funny.
I think this disc is black or white - you either love the whole thing or you hate it all. I’ll spurn both sides and go down the middle on my rating.
Garmarna
2/5
I really wasn’t expecting that level of throbbing intensity from a Swedish language band singing folk songs, regardless of their propensity for electronic modulations. I’m impressed.
The main question would be “Do I need to hear this before I die?” and that answer is a staunch “inga” (“no”) but I was pleasantly surprised, so I’ll spare it a one-star rating on my list.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Sprinkling the dust of New Wave magic across my cerebral hemispheres - this album is much lighter than other Mode but there are some serious hooks that cannot be passed up.
Much appreciated.
Savatage
1/5
I’m not sure how I hadn’t heard of this band. Unfortunately, listening to this album didn’t make me think I should have.
It’s a fine metal album. I just don’t think it’s a classic.
John Martyn
3/5
A beautiful album that reflects the pathos of a love divided. That’s what I’ll say when I finish the album.
Of note, after listening to the first two tracks, I think this would be a better disc on the original list than Solid Air.
Tame Impala
5/5
More Tame Impala, less war and sadness.
Seriously, this album makes me joyful. Excellent addition. Should be on the original, methinks.
Nujabes
4/5
The ‘J Dilla of the East’ deserves more notoriety for his career and kudos, listener for including this important disc, but also begs the question: where is J Dilla on this list? The Soulquarians got some nods but J Dilla gets a frighteningly-little credit for - as Nujabes also seems to have done in Japan - revolutionising hip-hop beats into a more jazzy free-flow direction.
I’m not mad at this inclusion at all but I want J Dilla on line one, please.
Vampire Weekend
3/5
I do love me some Vampire Weekend and I especially love the inclusion of recent albums in the addendum list. This disc felt very introspective and less boppy than I was expecting. I fathom a guess that the inclusion has deep personal meaning for the submitter. It’s a solid choice for a recently-crafted album but I don’t think it’s classic enough or matured enough to consider inclusion in the original list.
Dead Boys
4/5
Yup, I wanted some grungy punk. This scratched an itch - very pleased to get this fix today. I needed it.
Jack Johnson
3/5
I think I streamed or downloaded this album in 2005 because I liked the Banana Pancakes song. It reminds me of lazy Saturday mornings at the coffeehouse before life got complicated. It’s chill through-and-through and sometimes that’s all you need and all you get and that’s good enough.
Jack Johnson seems to be one of those good souls that this world could use more of. I’m pleased to see his album here even if I don’t think it’s superior enough to warrant inclusion on the original list.
Shihad
4/5
It’s so cool to get an album from New Zealand that hasn’t had much exposure outside of the Pacific. Shihad is currently on their farewell tour around New Zealand so their first big album on this list is well-timed.
As far as the anthemic stadium rock exemplified on the album, it’s appropriately stirring and toe-tapping. It’s probably not everyone’s cuppa, but I’m pleased at its selection.
Hombres G
3/5
That was a funky non-English language pop-explosion from Spain. I had no idea what to expect - it feels a little like what Oingo Boingo might have sounded like if they had hailed from Barcelona.
Electric Callboy
2/5
This was a great album to workout to, but I’m not sure when else I’d listen to this apart from angry yard work. It’s musical and fun but I don’t know if I’d call it classic.
Turnpike Troubadours
3/5
Heartbroken and hungover, like a classic country album should be. I really enjoyed the lyrics - “drivin’ to Okee City in slightly-stolen car” would be what Hemingway would write if he was a Nashville lyricist.
Speaking of derivatives, if I close my eyes and furrow my brow, I can imagine this album as the Counting Crows goin’ country. I’m sure I’ve got a brain parasite or something.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
3/5
It’s 43 minutes of prog rock mastery which means there’s every reason to despise it and yet there’s something seductive about the tracks leading into tracks self-referencing within those same tracks like a Moëbius strip of multilayered harmony. It’s not my favourite Gizzard/Lizard/Wizard, but it’s close.
Floating Points
2/5
Ethereal and hard-hitting at the same time, I feel lucky to have had some Pharaoh on this list. It’s fascinating to think that it was recorded at the depth of the COVID epidemics. Am I listening to it again? Probably not.
Koritni
1/5
My American friends and family occasionally ask me what, exactly, the word ‘bogan’ means. Now I can make an album suggestion to them that perfectly encapsulates the phenomenon.
It’s watered-down AC/DC time-travelling from the 80s. It’s not bad, but it is an acquired, not-great-beery kinda taste. And aftertaste.
Foxing
3/5
It reminded me of Arcade Fire in its anthemic approach and M83 in its electronic savvy. I liked it. I didn’t love it but then again, do I have to in order to appreciate the music?
I guess I do if I want to say that it needs to be on the original list.
Boredoms
1/5
When one of these suggested albums doesn’t appear on Spotify, I often feel ripped off. Not so much in this case.
Pedro The Lion
2/5
Evocative and raw but god I didn’t need this today.
65daysofstatic
1/5
Nope. Didn’t need to listen to that. I’ll take another Godspeed You! Black Emperor album before more of that.
Roger Waters
1/5
Aurally offensive, visually offensive, geopolitically offensive…the only way that this could be a worse selection for the list would be if it were a scratch n’ sniff album.
No. Bad dog. No bone.
Zamilska
2/5
Not a bad album as my soundtrack to start running in the morning again but it sounds like backing music, not necessarily amazing on its own.
Various Artists
5/5
Nostalgia aside, this is the most antici……………………
……pated soundtrack on this list.
Teenage Fanclub
1/5
I wasn’t a fan of the first Teenage Fanclub album on the list and I’m not a fan of this one, either.
How does an album sound tired?
Wussy
3/5
That was unexpectedly catchy for an alt-country band of which I’ve never heard. And then I see that Robert Christgau lists them as his favourite musical group ever - well, that makes you take notice.
I don’t know if it’s one of my desert island discs, but I did like it and it warrants a replay.
Refused
3/5
I can see why this didn’t do well commercially when it was originally released, especially in comparison to the pop-punk explosion that occurred at the same time led by Blink-182. It often takes time to see visionary musical advances like this album.
Was it enjoyable? It made my throat hurt as I listened.
Os Mundi
1/5
Progressive rock full Catholic mass from a forgotten German group? I guess that’s what this user list is made for - and I didn’t hate it.
I didn’t really like it, but I didn’t hate it.
Wet Leg
3/5
Quirky and fun and acerbically-clever. I enjoyed picking up the remnants of 2022 that I previously missed.
Living Colour
5/5
I see you, fellow Corey Glover lover, and I nod knowingly. I owned this album and preferred it over Vivid (though I loved them both). Elvis is Dead is one of my favourite songs to giggle over with friends. Pardon my nostalgia. (Don’t really.)
Ween
3/5
I wasn’t expecting the level of snarl at the start of the album and I really like it. Probably darker than other Ween that I’ve heard. I’m pleased to see them on this list - a deserving band.
Vulfpeck
5/5
I’m now a member of the Vulfpack. This was everything you’d want in a live funk album and more. I’ll be listening to this for some years to come. Sweet Jesus does Ann Arbor make some excellent indie bands.
The Upsetters
3/5
Lee “Scratch” Perry needs all the love for his contributions to music the world over. Dub might not be my favourite music genre but I enjoyed this more than other dub albums on this list.
Tori Amos
5/5
It’s my favourite Tori album and Cornflake Girl and God get me fired up when I hear them. It’s such a delicate weave that I can’t imagine the 90s without this album.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
1/5
It’s alright in the same way as grilled skinless chicken breast is alright. I liked the first Alex Harvey album on the original list. This one doesn’t feel as special.
Susanne Sundfør
2/5
it’s interesting - I’ve never heard of this artist before but in reading about her, I was clued in to her previous album to this one - Ten Love Songs - and liked it infinitely more than this one. This one feels a bit anaemic in comparison. Bonus star for introducing me to the artist.
Joe Jackson
5/5
There is no reason why this album isn’t on the original 1001 list in place of one of the also-ran Elvis Costello nominees. Joe Jackson needs so much more love as the lovably-awkward go-between amidst punk and New Wave.
I know it’s not Joe’s favourite of his own albums but I wouldn’t expect he’d ever self-aggrandise. The impact of this disc is still seismic despite missing out on the MTV turbo-charge by a few years.
Guy Clark
3/5
That’s some quality outlaw country that I wasn’t aware of before. I have to be in the right mood for it, but it scratches an itch I didn’t know that I had.
Michael Hurley
2/5
It’s a lovely snapshot of a prolific folk artist. I think it’s quirky and cute but I wonder if Have Moicy might have been a better selection as a representation of his best work.
Jon Batiste
4/5
That’s a master class in music theory. I really loved the lyrical progression of the latter half of the album. It felt inspired and triumphant - and given the burgeoning BLM movement happening when this was created - it feels correct.
Paul McCartney
1/5
The Clash’s lyric “phony Beatlemania has finally bitten the dust” seems to be apt here. I think only McCartney apologists would rank this album as worthy of enshrinement on this list. There were enjoyable moments but nothing so sustained that I’ll revisit this later. It feels a bit entitled too - “I’ve made enough money to suggest that living in the country is my best next move”.
Roky Erickson
3/5
An interesting album from an artist I’d never heard of - this makes for an interesting soundtrack to a poker night between friends on Halloween. I’m glad to have heard it.
Paramore
2/5
It’s nice to see Hayley and Co on this list. Are they ground-breaking and iconic? No, but they’re fun and snarly and you can tell it’s Paramore within the first five seconds of each track, so their brand is well-stamped. I honestly believe that most of their albums could interchange with each other as a representation on the User Favourites List, but I don’t know if they belong on the original.
Nuyorican Soul
2/5
It’s a peppy background album with admirable musicianship but I can’t fathom how it would reach iconic status.
Mustafa
3/5
I love finding artists I’ve never heard of on this list. This felt very neo-soul-inspired, almost as if it was a throwback to the Soulquarian movement. I appreciated the earnestness of the music. Perhaps this is what Drake could have been without the Kendrick Lamar beef?
Alex Cameron
1/5
The content of this album felt like it was written by someone addicted to chat rooms. The music felt like easy listening 80s synth pop. The combination of the two seemed to be backed up by the image on the album cover. It gave vibes of “memorable for the wrong reasons”.
Sports Team
2/5
It feels like a throwback to the heady garage rock revival days of the Aughts but it also feels - pardon me - largely disposable.
Tom Petty
3/5
I’m sad that Petty isn’t on this list more. This album didn’t have as many bangers as others, but the thematic feel of this album makes up for it.
MF DOOM
4/5
I was hungry for some eclectic hip-hop badassery. It seems that my order was already taken.
I love how these tracks seem to end 1-2 minutes before their run time, allowing plenty of time for a segue into the next wacky-ass conglomeration of lyricism, beats, and funk. I don’t know how I didn’t hip to the MF Doom hop sooner, but I’m grateful to have done so.
Manchester Orchestra
3/5
I got Arcade Fire vibes from this album tinged with remorse and wit. I noticed that almost all of the tracks were named “The…” as if they were titles of Friends episodes. It’s fine. It’s fine. Will I listen again? Eh, maybe?
Vince Guaraldi Trio
4/5
It is my favourite Xmas song and the best Xmas vibe. Is the entire album classic? Naw, but it’s probably the best Xmas album on this list.
First Aid Kit
2/5
I loved the vocalists’ voices and the tight harmonies but oh my god was this melancholy. I think it answers the question: “What would it sound like if the XX and Taylor Swift had a baby?”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
2/5
I appreciate the history behind the album and the traditions saved for posterity by the album. Will I listen again? Eh….
Karnivool
3/5
It’s the Australian TOOL - their name even rhymes with TOOL.
I didn’t say that I didn’t like it. I just noticed the similarities.
The Mountain Goats
4/5
I was expecting nothing and then I got hit in the face with evocative Dylan-esque tales with lo-fi production values. And I liked it!
New Model Army
1/5
This album just didn’t do anything for me. It’s fine music but damn it felt like English weather - grey.
Mogwai
1/5
It sounded like an instrumental backing track for System of a Down played on a slow speed. That’s my snarky critique.
I WANT to like post-rock and occasionally do, but when multiple tracks consist of static-filled phone call conversations and feedback-filled guitar loops, then I don’t.
It’s too bad - I’d heard great things about Mogwai. Maybe this isn’t the Mogwai album for me?
Baroness
2/5
Can I listen to this album and wonder why there’s no Mastodon on this list?
It’s not fair to Baroness, I agree, but the progressive Southern-soaked metal stamp seems to have imprinted on me with a different band. It’s not a bad album; I just want to be listening to someone else.
Duncan Dhu
4/5
I wasn’t expecting to like this album as much as I did. I see the comparisons to The Smiths but I feel that The Teardrop Explodes is a closer call. Regardless, I’m totally down as a polyglot for some non-English 80s English alternative music. I’m not so OK with another double album shoehorned on here, but the novelty and variety saved it for me from a more savage criticism.
Chromatics
2/5
That “Running Up The Hill” cover wasn’t my favourite. I liked the art of the album more than I liked the actual album. Meh.
Dolly Parton
3/5
This album is pretty but unlike Trio, I find the bluegrass rhythms infectious and the heartache just like I like my country music - offset by toe-tapping.
Amadou & Mariam
4/5
I discovered this group soon after this album was released via the song ‘Coulibaly’ - I never listened to the rest of the album. I’m sorry I hadn’t. It’s a banger. RIP Amadou.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
The magic of a live album is hearing the audience’s responses to hearing their favourite song played right at their faces. This album being the first time that the UK got to see Springsteen is magical. The face that it’s the Born To Run tour is extra magical.
It’s pretty weird. I liked the title more than I liked any songs yet. I’m going to give it a re-listen.
ROSALÍA
5/5
Mind. Blown.
Björk, Lorde, Kate Bush - meet the modern-day counterpart.
Khruangbin
2/5
On Ill Communication, the Beastie Boys included about 25% funky instrumental tracks that only accentuated the hip-hop entries. This album seems to be just the filler funky instrumental tracks. They’re nice, but they’re still filler. I don’t think it needs to be listened to before you die. Bonus star for the funk, though.
Ornatos Violeta
4/5
This is Portuguese BritPop and you can’t tell me otherwise. More specifically, this is the Portuguese version of Supergrass meets Pulp. The singer’s slurry delivery is unique and infectious. I liked it plenty.
Shpongle
1/5
I think if I was more familiar with the psychedelics that inspired this album, then I’d have a more favourable opinion. As is, it sounded like house party noise for people who don’t want to dance.
Warren Zevon
4/5
Zevon’s best album? The man deserves big love for his wit and werewolves, both of which are on display here. I enjoyed the listen and I’ll enjoy it again. That’s the beauty of classic rock.
Agalloch
1/5
Oooh….post-apocalyptic sound pastiche with metal vocals. No, not today.
Gang of Youths
4/5
It sounds as if the vocalist for The National is singing along with Arcade Fire in place of Win Butler. I did not expect to like it like I did and further more didn’t expect it to be from Australia and I had NEVER HEARD OF IT.
Valerie June
2/5
You can definitely hear the Black Keys in the production. It almost sounds like a spin off. It makes me want to hear some Sharon Jones. Is that good? Meh.
Neil Cicierega
3/5
It’s a fever dream of 80s and 90s (and some 00s) music and media clips designed to infuriate those who liked the originals. I think the first 1-3 listens reward but anything past that would likely just annoy.
Not that I’m going to get past 1-3 listens…but that Bustin’ song is pretty sweet.
Modern Life Is War
2/5
Iowa hardcore seems to be a scene what with Slipknot leading the way. Did I like this? Yeah, it was alright. Did it affirm my life? Nah.
Vampire Weekend
3/5
It’s Vampire Weekend so you know it’s going to be a bop, but I don’t believe it offers anything more rewarding than most of their other albums on this list.
Amália Rodrigues
3/5
I hear both Ella Fitzgerald and Björk in her voice at different times but the mastery in her tones and inflections is a marvel, regardless of my ability to understand most Portuguese. I dreaded listening at first, knowing that traditional fado music is often mournful, but I found the treatment of the tunes, the progression of the (translated) lyrics, and the overall musical tapestry intriguing. I skipped ahead to Coimbra thinking it might have been something that I had heard before - but no. I still enjoyed it, much like most of this surprising album. Thanks for expanding my horizons, faithful listener.
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore
2/5
Great music as background for an interim scene in a David Lynch movie. Not so great as a soundtrack for exercise.
Gerry Cinnamon
2/5
An interesting album - I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I’m not sure still. Can I find it benign?
Kashmir
2/5
Hmm. Interesting but not gripping. I barely registered Bowie on the album. It was upbeat enough to run to but not memorable enough to rate higher than….
Haley Heynderickx
3/5
Singer-songwriter albums can get bland to me really fast but fortunately this one did not fall into that trap. I liked the singer’s voice a lot and appreciated the wry lyrics. Worth another listen methinks, even if it didn’t light me on fire the first time.
The Chats
4/5
Oh, I love this band and I’m very happy to see their snarky punk rock on this list. Unfortunately, this album doesn’t contain Smoko or Pub Feed - two more gems by this trio - but goddamn is it just a perfect bit of grimy Aussie goodness.
Descendents
5/5
This is from the “I really should have listened to this album by now” list and it did not disappoint. Tight, snarly, proto-pop-punk and obviously hugely influential. It does make me wonder why it wasn’t on the original list. It’s good!
Chuck Berry
4/5
I didn’t realise that the rock band Buck Cherry was named after Chuck Berry. This album is just full of reasons why this man was a legend.
Procol Harum
3/5
An interesting concept album and more enjoyable than most other prog rock albums. It reminded me of prog-era Genesis (and likely influenced them) and that’s a favourable comparison.
Garbage
4/5
It’s Garbage, so you know it’s going to have that good stank. Shirley Manson turned herself up to 10 on this disc and I think her lyrics here represent the best of the Garbage discography. I felt that the production slid backwards ever so slightly, so while I’ll rank it a star lesser than their premiere, I still think it’s one of the more hit-dense albums of the 90s.
Porcupine Tree
3/5
It sounded like a more adult contemporary version of Radiohead to my ears. Not bad, but a bit more melancholy and less quirky than OK Computer. Or maybe that’s just me projecting.
Mansun
2/5
I listened and read about this band and it wasn’t bad but it didn’t really impact me much.
Barenaked Ladies
5/5
I’m so happy to see this album here. It’s my favourite Canadian album of the 90s - a perfect mix of goofiness, sincerity, snark, and angst.
Side note: I read that they recorded King of Bedside Manor naked and I thought that was a technical recording thing - then realised it wasn’t.
Yeasayer
2/5
It’s not terrible music - it’s just not anything that I’d consider genre-defining or emblematic of an era. I can’t see it as a Desert Islands disc.
Eric B. & Rakim
5/5
Now this is an era- and genre-defining album. I hear Beastie Boys, Stetsasonic, Eminem, Heavy D, Jay-Z, and so many more hip-hop artists in this music. It needs to be on the original list, I firmly believe for the scratch magic, the lyrical flow, and the seismic advance of rap music influenced by this album.
Weezer
3/5
I have been waiting for the Blue Album by Weezer on this list for well over a year and this is the first Weezer offering I see?
I listened to this when it came out. I did not purchase it. It seemed a dud to me. It’s nice to see that it’s gained a lot of emo-love over the years and I’ll admit that Rivers’ lyrics on this ache like a heart rent in two, but there ain’t anything on this album that I’m singing along to with the windows down as I overuse my accelerator pedal.
It’s Weezer. That’s a step in the right direction. I’m just not taking this disc first when I’m drafting Weezer albums. Not even second or third, TBH.
Yello
3/5
‘Oh Yeah’ is the quintessential definition of a one-hit wonder and it’s a belter of a tune. The remainder of this album sounds like a musically-talented group wanting to show off a high-end synthesiser’s new capabilities for a mid-80s Xmas catalogue.
Harsh? Yup, but check the star rating. ‘Oh Yeah’ is worth it.
The Weakerthans
3/5
I liked it - it seemed to be a go-between for me from BNL to The Decemberists. Oh Canada!
Reading about the dreary subject matter of the album, I was pleased to find the album upbeat. I especially liked the song written from the POV of an owner’s cat.
The Cure
4/5
Yup. This selection makes sense. It feels like peak-Goth-age Cure fired off as a double middle finger to the ticking of the clock a full five years after they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There’s life in that Robert Smith yet!
Not as good as Disintegration, but not too far off the mark. Still 90% better than most other albums released in 2024.
Roy Harper
3/5
It sounds like Bob Dylan with a better singing voice. I read the Hunky Dory comparison but I don’t think that fits anything more than the year of release.
I can see why guitar impresarios would find this disc seminal. It doesn’t resonate so much with me, but you have to salute mastery when you hear it.
WHY?
2/5
It’s labelled as alternative hip-hop but I just hear alternative à la Beck or Cake at their 90s zeniths. Enjoyable? Yes, but like a bag of peanut M&Ms that I absolutely need at the time of purchase, the ephemeral enjoyment has left me before I’ve even finished the experience. I’m pleased to read that they play all their own instruments. I wanna give 2.5 stars.
CAKE
5/5
Strange timing - I had just invoked CAKE in the description of a different album on this list. They’re such an influential and unique 90s band. It makes sense that their best album is on this list. Yes.
Killswitch Engage
3/5
It’s a foundational metalcore album and I salute it thusly with a meaningfully-slow head bang. It’s not my cup of tea but it did influence the hell out of a generation. I will rate it thusly.
Lift To Experience
1/5
Hmm…a religious concept album through an alt-country experience? The first minute started strong but I confess the rest of the album left me wondering when the Second Coming was going to be over.
Talking Heads
5/5
It is THE foundational music concert movie. The inclusion here (and not on the original list) is criminal, I believe. Also, we get more Talking Heads this way! It’s a win-win.
Beyoncé
5/5
A modern classic inspired by club music of the 80s? Did Beyoncé write this album directly for me?
Delusions aside, the sheer badassery on display here deserves serious nods of approval. Always raising the bar on feminism, sexuality, and power, proto-Cowboy Carter (at least on this album) makes you want to bow down.
And so I shall.
The Heads
1/5
Hunh. I just had a classic Talking Heads album and now this.
It’s as if someone asked Chat GPT to create a mid-90s alternative album heavily influenced by Garbage and Soderbergh film soundtracks. It’s derivative and I can see why David Byrne sued The Heads to stop them sullying the legacy of the bigger group.
Yup, it’s an easy one-star, moreover because of the denied potential of what could have been.
They Might Be Giants
2/5
This album reminds me that Flood should be on this list. I don’t have much else to add - this is a TMBG album so I’ll give it a bonus star for that reason.
Matthew Good Band
1/5
It seemed to have set fire to the Canadian world in 1999 but nowhere else. It set fire to the Canadian part of me (not much, that) but nowhere else.
Damien Rice
4/5
Wasn’t expecting anything and I get slapped in the face with a magnum opus of heartbreak and remorse. I knew of Damien Rice’s name but I hadn’t listed to anything of his. More is the pity, to be sure, to be sure.
Extremoduro
3/5
So firstly, RIP Roberto Iniesta.
Second, this sounds like Spanish Led Zeppelin. Not a bad comparison, TBH.
But goddamn - 3hrs of this? I mean, let’s pick one album that exemplifies their best stuff, not ALL of their stuff.
Still, Led Zeppelin in Spanish ain’t half bad.
Sum 41
3/5
It’s grimier pop-punk than their contemporaries and that’s meant in a complimentary light. I appreciated the back story behind how the album got its name. I’m trying hard not to call this the Canadian answer to Linkin Park but my favourite tracks (“We’re All to Blame”, “Angels With Dirty Faces”, “88”) make it difficult not to call it. Again, that’s a complimentary comment, even if it indicates derivation.
Pearl Jam
4/5
While it didn’t reach the rare-air heights of their debut album, this was by no means a sophomore slump. I have very fond memories of hours of Castle Wolfenstein (3D!) accompanied by the soundtrack of this really grungy disc. I love the nostalgia and I’m only knocking off a star to allow for Ten’s superlative glow.
Tindersticks
2/5
Hmm. It’s pretty, yes. I like the aural pastiche painted, mmm. The lyrical content is evocative and ardent, sure.
Does it make me want to listen again? Mehhhhh….
Denzel Curry
5/5
damn.
That lowercase is on purpose.
I loved this. I had previously stayed away from the Soundcloud rap genre because - forgive me - I judged the Crayola-crayon-dreadlock book by its cover. And maybe I’m just awarding the best of the best in this beautifully-bitten off beats bonanza but Curry brings it and I just cannot ignore it.
I was dancing to tracks on the first listen and I’m a middle-aged white guy. Serious praise here.
The Decemberists
2/5
I love the Decemberists but I firmly believe that Picaresque is their best album and belongs on this list. This album doesn’t give the best of what magic their eclectic chamber pop can weave.
I’m not feeling the concept behind this album, either. It’s a “close but no cigar” rating for me.
Weezer
5/5
This was the first album that I suggested to be on the listener’s list when I was gifted the opportunity to add something missing. I firmly believe that the exclusion of this beautiful 90s snapshot of guitar arias and whipsmart lyrics from the original list is a crime against humanity. It’s Weezer’s consistently-best album. Though they’ve had highlights on many other discs, this disc remains 100% killer; no filler.
Lo Fidelity Allstars
2/5
It’s serviceable big beat and fun to go running to but I don’t think it’s going to stick with me after my exercise endorphins fade.
Slapstick
3/5
Ska-punk makes me so damned happy. Pardon me if I think it’s all by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones but I very much enjoyed this one-shot album by this seminal but forgotten band.
Wilco
3/5
Uncle Tupelo (from whence Wilco derived) started the alt-country party in the 90s, soon joined by Whiskeytown, Old 97s, Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, etc, so it’s nice to hear Wilco’s debut but you have to wonder at what .38 Special, Tom Petty, and Neil Young had to say about the “creation” of a new genre.
It’s not my favourite Wilco but it’s pleasantly-familiar. More twangy than later Wilco, obviously.
My Morning Jacket
4/5
There’s obvious comparisons to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, and The Killers on this disc but I caught some weird notes of Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Animals, and Sparks and I’m not mad about it. It belongs in the “you should have really listened to this by now” category. I enjoyed that it was a tidily-contained album as well.
4/5
I wasn’t sold on this album until well past the halfway mark but damnit did that evocative love-lorn lyricism get me in the end. I would’ve appreciated more synth-soaked 1975, but the pathos really hit me in the nuts. In a good way.
Arthur Russell
2/5
I cannot deny the musical genius present on this disc. Rather, as is part of the appeal of dub as I understand it, that which is not on the disc is more emblematic of the genius at play.
I more appreciate this disc as an opportunity to posthumously celebrate a forgotten visionary’s contribution to the sonic world. That said, I’m not sure I’m listening to it again.
It does remind me of Young Marble Giants and makes me think that their disc deserves to be on this list as well. Yes, I hear John Martyn’s Solid Air as well but in contrast, I appreciate the abrupt stops to these tracks - it makes my ears perk up and strain to hear what comes next. A fun magic trick but my rating is going to be similar to that of Solid Air.
BABYMETAL
4/5
On the negative side, the male voices rapping over the metal riffs reminded me of Limp Bizkit at the worst or Linkin Park at the best. That said, those metal riffs sounded more like Avenged Sevenfold or Mastodon than nu-metal.
On the much more prominent positive side, I loved the J-pop-meets-death metal lyricism and the constant shredding. I thought I’d find this kawaii but I actually found it kamikaze. In a good way.