User Albums Journey
Exploring beyond the book, one album at a time
352
Albums Rated
3.24
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1960s
Favorite Decade
Post-punk
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UK
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Perfectionist
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10
5-Star Albums
4
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking | 5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
| A Salty Dog | 5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
| Gordon | 5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
| Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum | 5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
| Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 | 5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
| Grand Prix | 5 | 3.18 | +1.82 |
| Don't Say No | 5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
| The Hazards of Love | 5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
| Afraid Of Sunlight | 4 | 2.59 | +1.41 |
| Cold Fact | 5 | 3.62 | +1.38 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | 2 | 3.98 | -1.98 |
| 10,000 gecs | 1 | 2.89 | -1.89 |
| Alive 2007 | 2 | 3.68 | -1.68 |
| Watch Out! | 1 | 2.62 | -1.62 |
| John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman | 2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
| Madvillainy | 2 | 3.41 | -1.41 |
| Ænima | 2 | 3.37 | -1.37 |
| Enema Of The State | 2 | 3.37 | -1.37 |
| Lateralus | 2 | 3.34 | -1.34 |
| Singles | 2 | 3.32 | -1.32 |
5-Star Albums (10)
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Popular Reviews
Pink Floyd
5/5
Animals was not on the original list??? WTF. Amazing album. Some of Gilmour's best guitar work. 5 stars.
12 likes
Bran Van 3000
4/5
I was not expecting to like this at all, but I really did. Very diverse array of musical styles and the production was just impeccable. 4 stars.
10 likes
Sunny Day Real Estate
3/5
Perhaps it's just the mood I'm in, listening to this in the morning after waking up to the news that my fellow countrymen have inexplicably made the decision to elect one of the worst people in the world to the highest office in the land. It's a dark day for democracy and for the world. It's a dark day for women, for the LGBTQ community, for minorities, for immigrants seeking a better life. It's a dark day for dissent, it's a dark day for Palestinians, for Ukrainians. It's a dark day for justice, for the economy, for the middle class. It's just a dark fucking day.
But back to the music. It's okay, just kind of strikes me as Nirvana-lite. Got better toward the end. 3 stars.
10 likes
Yoko Ono
2/5
Once, when I was in my early twenties, I really liked this girl named Susie who I worked with. Susie liked to sing - she even auditioned on Star Search once, performing Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot. She gave me a tape of her doing some songs, and I thought she was amazing. I played it for my friends, expecting them to be like, wow she's so good. But instead, they tried to convince me she was mediocre at best. I refused to listen to them. It was only years later, after things with Susie had run their course, that I realized they were absolutely right. She was mediocre. All that to say, I get it, John.
8 likes
Procol Harum
5/5
Yay, I get to review the album I submitted. First, I'll say that I knew I was going to add a Procol Harum album, because they are one of my all-time favorite bands and I think they have been unfortunately overlooked, often viewed as one-hit wonders with Whiter Shade of Pale being their first release and becoming such a mega-hit.
They have so much amazing material though, that I struggled to decide which album of theirs to include. I could have chosen any of their first 7 studio albums, or possibly a good choice would have been their live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This album to be honest is a bit inconsistent, but the songs that are great are really great, so I went with this one. (Yeah, I know the album cover is awful. Procol was not great at album covers.)
Let's walk through the tracks:
1. A Salty Dog. The title song is one of the most beautiful songs ever created and recorded by a rock band. The strings are amazing, the melodies beautiful, Gary's voice is perfect, and the lyrics evocative. It's such a mellow song, but the drumming of BJ Wilson (one of the best drummers of all-time who turned down Jimmy Page's offer to be in Led Zeppelin) is just amazing and really completes the song. A masterpiece.
2. The Milk of Human Kindness. A bit of a throwaway. Not a super interesting song, but Robin Trower's guitar playing is nice.
3. Too Much Between Us. Another bit of a throwaway. A different, more mellow, sound for the group, but not their most interesting song.
4. The Devil Came from Kansas. It might sound like another throwaway on first listen, but there's some cool stuff going on here, including some harmonies, which is not typical for Procol Harum. This song reminds me of another of my favorite bands of the time, The Band.
5. Boredom. Another sort of filler song, but still interesting due to the use of some unusual instrumentation.
Okay, after a few tracks that are inconsistent let's carefully flip our vinyl over to side 2, where things get really interesting.
6. Juicy John Pink. The purest blues that Procol Harum ever did. Sounds like three or four really talented guys sitting around in a basement jamming.
7. Wreck of the Hesperus. One of Matthew Fisher's best contributions to the band. The piano, the soaring strings and orchestration, the lyrics, it's a great complement to the title song.
8. All This and More. This is Procol at their finest. The song starts sounding beautifully classical, then evolves over the course of the song to reach moods that are both dark and ominous, but also soaring and inspiring, with great guitar and piano throughout.
9. Crucifiction Lane. Another great Robin Trower contribution. He was clearly going in a different direction from the band, but one of the things that makes this album great is the variety. Definitely the most diverse Procol album.
10. Pilgrim's Progress. Another of Matthew Fisher's best and a fitting closing to the album. Another classic Procol track, with classical/churchy sounding organ at the core, some nice piano in the mix, solid drumming by the amazing BJ Wilson, and lyrics that are mysterious and allude to seeking a higher truth and wisdom. The closing bit is just a perfect end.
It's not a perfect album, but if you give Procol Harum a chance and check out their first several albums, you might discover some pretty amazing music that has been largely overlooked. Sadly, many of their best albums (namely Shine on Brightly, Home, and Broken Barricades) are still not available on Spotify.
I finally got to see them in concert in 2019, more than 50 years after they got their start. Mostly different lineup, but I was shocked that Gary Brooker's voice still sounded largely the same at age 74 as it did in his twenties. Even their final album, 2017's Novum, while not up to the level of their earlier releases, is still excellent.
5 stars, of course.
7 likes
1-Star Albums (4)
All Ratings
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
4/5
I liked this much more than I thought I would. A bit too frenetic for me at times, but a lot of interesting stuff going on. Strangely reminiscent of progressive rock at times, e.g. Yes. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Well, so far I'm two for two on the user submitted albums. Another good one. I've always liked the Arctic Monkeys, but never delved too far into their catalog beyond their first album, so happy to have the opportunity to listen to this. It's mellow, but really nice and interesting. Strangely evocative of David Bowie at times. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Extrechinato y Tu
3/5
This is certainly interesting. Sadly, I can't understand the words as I don't speak Spanish, so I won't comment on that. Musically it's interesting, strangely it brings to mind the Alan Parsons Project for me. Kind of good, but also kind of generic sounding. The singing I don't really care for - not very pleasant to my ears. Overall this is just okay for me, but I'm glad I listened to it. 3 stars.
The Postal Service
3/5
I've listened to this before, and I like it overall. The songs are good and interesting, but I really dislike the inorganic sounding electronic aspects of the album. It makes the whole thing sound kind of droning and monotonous. 3 stars.
TOOL
2/5
When I decided to continue this journey with the user submitted albums, I told myself I wouldn't force myself to listen to something that had no appeal for me. But then I realized that I would be a little sad if people didn't at least give the album I submitted a chance. So, I've modified my approach: I'll at least listen to a sampling of an album and then decide whether to listen to the whole thing. So that's what I did with this one. I listened to 4 random songs on it. And to be honest I can sort of see the appeal. There's more going on than I thought. But at the same time I confirmed this really isn't for me. Maybe if I was in a very particular mood, but overall I'm just not a fan of this style. 2 stars.
Sparks
3/5
Sort of like if Freddie Mercury and Kraftwerk got together and decided to make a disco album. Not really my thing, but not boring! 3 stars.
Alex Cameron
4/5
My first reaction: This is pretty lame, generic throwback music that borders on easy listening. But as the album went on I really started appreciating the clever lyrics, interesting songs, and quality production. By the end he pretty much won me over. Happy to have heard this and will listen again. 4 stars.
Protomartyr
4/5
Always excited to hear a band from Detroit that I wasn't already familiar with. I liked this a lot, and I have a feeling it will be rewarded by repeated listening, so that's what I plan to do. Thanks to whoever added this! 4 stars.
King Tubby
4/5
Very nice! Excellent groove to the whole thing. 4 stars.
The Posies
4/5
I always get the Posies mixed up with the Pixies. I don't care for the Pixies, but I like the Posies a lot. I consider myself a power pop fan - Big Star is one of my all-time favorites, and I love Matthew Sweet and Teenage Fanclub - but I haven't really listened to much by the Posies for some reason. I'll take this as a good reason to right that wrong. This album is great. I plan to re-listen and check out more of their catalog. It's a shame Ken Stringfellow turned out to be a bad guy, but I do try to separate art from the artist in general. 4 stars.
Susanne Sundfør
4/5
WOW. I had never heard of this artist before and from the very beginning it grabbed me. Simply sublime. Familiar-sounding yet completely distinctive. I have a feeling this will become a regular part of my listening rotation, and I will check out her other work as well. Thank you to whoever added this to the list! 4 stars.
The Lumineers
3/5
Back in the good old days when I used to listen to the radio, the Lumineers would regularly get played on the station I usually listened to. I never turned the station, but at the same time I can't say I really loved it. It was always good, but maybe a little bland. That's how I feel about this album. There's nothing I can point to that's bad about it, but it's just a little boring. 3 stars.
THE SPORTS
4/5
I hadn't heard of this band before, but after a single listen it's clear that these songs stack up favorably with popular music of the time, e.g. Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Squeeze. The songs are catchy but not simplistic, well-produced but not over-produced. Surprising and disappointing that they weren't more well known. 4 stars.
Status Quo
3/5
It's good straightforward rock and roll. Nothing wrong with that, in fact I enjoy it. At the same time, it's pretty simplistic and not much about it is unique or groundbreaking. 3 stars.
Amadou & Mariam
4/5
Very nice! 4 stars.
The Weeknd
2/5
I tried, I really did, but this just isn't interesting to me. 2 stars.
Fontaines D.C.
4/5
This really grew on me over the course of the album. I think it was Roy's Tune that really got me. It's what I like about most Irish punk/post-punk - the emotion, the authenticity, the plaintiveness, the simple beauty. 4 stars.
Angelo De Augustine
4/5
Very nice. Quite reminiscent of Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens but still different enough to be interesting. 4 stars.
Childish Gambino
3/5
I can appreciate that Donald Glover is super talented, but this just isn't my cup of tea. 3 stars.
Amon Düül II
4/5
I liked this a lot. Heavy, driving and psychedelic. It reminds me of something that I considered submitting as my user-submitted album - an album called Satori by Flower Travellin' Band from Japan released in 1971. It's got a very similar vibe, so if you like this album I recommend checking out Satori as well. 4 stars.
Neutral Milk Hotel
4/5
I've listened to this before and found it really interesting. Didn't know anything about the band though, and the fact that they only released two albums. Good stuff, reminds me a bit of the Decemberists. 4 stars.
John Mayer
3/5
I like this best when Mayer is rocking out a little, like on Bold as Love. The more polished, smooth stuff that makes up most of the album is good but a little bland. 3 stars.
Ian McDonald
4/5
Nice early prog rock. Very pleasant and interesting. 4 stars.
Dave Matthews Band
3/5
I was kind of into Dave Matthews back in the day. I even saw them on their Under the Table and Dreaming tour. Listening to this album I can see why I liked them. They are clearly great musicians who play well together, and the songs and arrangements are strong. If I'm being honest though, it's just a bit bland, and it goes on too long. 3 stars.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
It's a fun boogie wonderland. Not my favorite type of music, but enjoyable to listen to. 3 stars.
Ty Segall
3/5
This caught my attention right away; it felt fresh and interesting. But I have to admit by the third song it was grating on my nerves. Mainly his voice. I will listen to it again, maybe it will grow on me. But for now it's 3 stars.
Phish
2/5
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Phish gave the deadheads somewhere to go so they're not just out wandering the streets, but 2+ hours of pointless canoodling? No thank you. I'm sure it would be fun to see them live, but listening to this is not fun. 2 stars.
Jellyfish
4/5
This is great, glad I got to hear this! It's too bad the band only lasted for two albums. 4 stars.
INXS
3/5
When I was in college, probably around the time this album came out, I worked as supplemental security at an outdoor concert venue on our campus. They only hired students as extra security for the "big" acts that came through, so I got called to work the INXS concert. Basically we had to walk around in the woods along the fence line and try to stop people from sneaking in. Once it got dark, it was useless trying to keep people out, so we just took bribes from people wanting to get in. I couldn't hear much of the concert, but the INXS roadies brought us some beer to drink while we were hanging out in the woods, so that was cool.
Anyway, onto the music. It's alright, but nothing I find that special or interesting. I like Michael Hutchence's voice, but musically it's sort of boring and simplistic. Some of the guitar riffs (if you can call them that) almost make me laugh - just like two chords repeated duh-duh.. duh-duh. Must have been excruciating to play over and over again from one night to the next. 3 stars.
Steven Wilson
3/5
I appreciate Steven Wilson for his support of prog rock and some of the great remixes he's done. I like his music also, but I find it a bit cold and emotionless. It's sort of how I feel about Rush compared to Yes. I absolutely love Yes, but with Rush, while I can appreciate their technical proficiency at the end of the day it leaves me a little unsatisfied. I will give his another listen though. 3 stars.
3/5
Definitely interesting and glad I listened, but not a big fan of the more abrasive stuff. I hadn't heard of her before, sad that she died much too young. 3 stars.
The Avett Brothers
3/5
I like folk-rock, Americana, or whatever you want to call this style of music. The Avett Brothers aren't my favorite of the genre though. They're good, I wouldn't turn the station on them, but somehow they feel a little flat to me. I think it's the vocals. Overall I enjoyed this but so many other artists in this category I prefer - Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, Be Good Tanyas, Justin Townes Earle, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, etc. 3 stars.
blink-182
2/5
It's weird, I like punk and I like pop, but punk-pop seems like a stupid genre to me. Unpopular opinion I know. The singer sounds like a 14 year old brat. 2 stars.
Pedro The Lion
3/5
Pretty good. Songs are good but I don't love his voice, it has sort of a flat quality to it, reminiscent of Evan Dando. 3 stars.
Bad Religion
4/5
Good, solid punk rock. What's not to like? 4 stars.
Chucklehead
3/5
Seems like they'd be a fun bar band. 3 stars.
Weezer
3/5
I'm not a big fan of this "pop-punk" genre. I will say I like this better than the Blink-182 album I had recently, but it all sounds like 14 year old brats whining about stuff. 3 stars.
Bon Iver
2/5
Once in a while I hear a Bon Iver song and thing, "Oh, that's pretty nice." But mostly I just find him pretentious. Naming songs the way Elon Musk names his children, and please, enough with the auto-tuner. 2 stars.
Sublime
4/5
Better than I expected. I didn't know the story about this band or the singer, very sad that he died so young. 4 stars.
Stromae
2/5
Listened to three songs. More than enough to know this isn't my thing. I feel bad for the kid, because based on the picture I saw of him on the album cover, he's just a disembodied head. Sad really. 2 stars.
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
4/5
Interesting one. Never heard of this group before, but it holds up well compared to other music of the time. Started out seeming a bit like a novelty act, but got better as it went along. I Was Cool reminded me a bit of Tom Waits. Too bad they weren't able to hold it together for more than two albums, would have been interesting to see where they would have gone. 4 stars.
Tally Hall
5/5
Wow! I live in Ann Arbor, have been to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum many times, had heard of the band Tally Hall, but never really listened to them and didn't know this album existed. What a revelation to not only find an album that hits so close to home, but to top it off it's really, really good. Excellent, up-beat energy. 5 stars!
Louis Armstrong
4/5
Classic. Normally not a fan of compilation albums - I prefer to think of an album as an artist's vision at a particular time - but times were different back in the day so I can make an exception. I'm also not a big jazz-head, but I can totally appreciate and enjoy this. 4 stars.
The Hold Steady
4/5
Love this album. 4 stars.
Thee Oh Sees
4/5
This rocks hard. I like it. 4 stars.
Daniel Bélanger
4/5
I can't understand a word of what this guy is saying! Seriously though, this is really nice. Mellow but intricate and interesting. 4 stars.
Richard Dawson
3/5
I liked him as host of the Family Feud, but not so sure about this. Haha, I'm so funny. And old.
I liked this. At its best reminded me of early Peter Gabriel and Genesis. A bit weird at times but kept my interest and I enjoyed listening to it. 3 stars.
Mustafa
3/5
Like Bon Iver but not as overrated. Pretty nice overall, not my favorite genre but I can appreciate it. 3 stars.
Gotcha!
3/5
It's pretty good when it sounds like older funk/R&B, not so much when it veers into Red Hot Chili Peppers territory. Overall it's just okay for me. 3 stars.
Porter Robinson
3/5
The more upbeat numbers remind me of going to big tech conferences, when you're gathering for the keynote in the cavernous conference center ballroom, thousands of chairs arranged in a grid pattern, huge widescreen at the front with random factoids popping up while people are getting themselves seated. It's the type of music they play to get people's energy up, but is also inoffensive and bland to some degree. Overall it's okay, just not really my thing. 3 stars.
blink-182
2/5
I feel the same way about this as the other blink-182 album that was user submitted (was there collusion???). I just don't care for it. The singer sounds like a 14 year old whiny brat. I'll even go so far as to offer another unpopular opinion - although I like punk and I like power pop, "pop-punk" is a crappy genre of music.
It's a good album cover though, I'll give them that. 2 stars.
Garbage
3/5
I like Garbage overall. The songs are good and I like her voice, but I'm not the biggest fan of the way its mixed. I don't really have the words to describe what I mean, but the instruments all sound sort of mushed together. 3 stars.
That Handsome Devil
4/5
Pretty cool. Reminds me just a little bit of an artist I love called Spottiswoode and His Enemies. Vocals are different but similar style. If you like this then I recommend you check out Spottiswoode. 4 stars.
Nuyorican Soul
3/5
A bit too jazzy for my tastes, but it's alright innit? 3 stars.
Jimmy Buffett
3/5
I've gained a lot more respect for Jimmy Buffett since he passed away and all the tributes poured in. It was especially interesting seeing an old quote from Bob Dylan mentioning Jimmy Buffett as one of the songwriters he most admired.
Having said that, this is all good, though a bit too country-ish for my taste. 3 stars.
Madvillain
2/5
It's alright for what it is, but not a type of music I enjoy much. 2 stars.
4/5
I love the Eels but for some reason I don't listen to them that often. So I was very happy when this one came up. Great album! 4 stars.
First Aid Kit
4/5
Man, I love First Aid Kit but to be honest I kind of forgot about them! So I was really happy when this came up. A great opportunity to revisit their beautiful music and harmonies. 4 stars.
Type O Negative
2/5
Didn’t enjoy this at all. 2 stars.
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
3/5
Pretty decent, not super interesting though (other than the album cover). 3 stars.
Tame Impala
3/5
It’s alright but not super compelling. 3 stars.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
A nice reminder of how awesome Bruce Springsteen is. Not only has he written some of the most iconic songs and produced some of the greatest albums of all time, he and the E Street Band are certainly among the all-time greatest live acts. This album captures that live feeling about as well as you can on a recording. I saw them on the Born in the USA tour, but would have loved to have seen them in this era as well. 5 stars.
Sampha
2/5
I tried, but I just can't get into this. 2 stars.
My Chemical Romance
3/5
Pretty good. Not a big fan of “pop punk” but this is better than most. 3 stars.
Switchfoot
2/5
"The Mediocre Letdown" would have been a more apt title. 2 stars.
Haley Heynderickx
4/5
I like a good singer/songwriter with a beautiful voice, and this certainly qualifies. Very nice, interesting songs, excellent lyrics, beautiful arrangements. I don’t like her hairstyle on the album cover, that’s my only real negative. 4 stars.
Rachel Stevens
3/5
Not something I would normally listen to, but it's poppy and fun. Nothing wrong with that. Reminds me of Madonna. 3 stars.
Garmarna
3/5
This was pretty interesting. Not sure I would listen again, but glad to have the opportunity to hear it. Definitely not the same old same old. 3 stars.
Josh Ritter
4/5
This is really, really good. I need to listen to more Josh Ritter. 4 stars.
Procol Harum
5/5
Yay, I get to review the album I submitted. First, I'll say that I knew I was going to add a Procol Harum album, because they are one of my all-time favorite bands and I think they have been unfortunately overlooked, often viewed as one-hit wonders with Whiter Shade of Pale being their first release and becoming such a mega-hit.
They have so much amazing material though, that I struggled to decide which album of theirs to include. I could have chosen any of their first 7 studio albums, or possibly a good choice would have been their live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This album to be honest is a bit inconsistent, but the songs that are great are really great, so I went with this one. (Yeah, I know the album cover is awful. Procol was not great at album covers.)
Let's walk through the tracks:
1. A Salty Dog. The title song is one of the most beautiful songs ever created and recorded by a rock band. The strings are amazing, the melodies beautiful, Gary's voice is perfect, and the lyrics evocative. It's such a mellow song, but the drumming of BJ Wilson (one of the best drummers of all-time who turned down Jimmy Page's offer to be in Led Zeppelin) is just amazing and really completes the song. A masterpiece.
2. The Milk of Human Kindness. A bit of a throwaway. Not a super interesting song, but Robin Trower's guitar playing is nice.
3. Too Much Between Us. Another bit of a throwaway. A different, more mellow, sound for the group, but not their most interesting song.
4. The Devil Came from Kansas. It might sound like another throwaway on first listen, but there's some cool stuff going on here, including some harmonies, which is not typical for Procol Harum. This song reminds me of another of my favorite bands of the time, The Band.
5. Boredom. Another sort of filler song, but still interesting due to the use of some unusual instrumentation.
Okay, after a few tracks that are inconsistent let's carefully flip our vinyl over to side 2, where things get really interesting.
6. Juicy John Pink. The purest blues that Procol Harum ever did. Sounds like three or four really talented guys sitting around in a basement jamming.
7. Wreck of the Hesperus. One of Matthew Fisher's best contributions to the band. The piano, the soaring strings and orchestration, the lyrics, it's a great complement to the title song.
8. All This and More. This is Procol at their finest. The song starts sounding beautifully classical, then evolves over the course of the song to reach moods that are both dark and ominous, but also soaring and inspiring, with great guitar and piano throughout.
9. Crucifiction Lane. Another great Robin Trower contribution. He was clearly going in a different direction from the band, but one of the things that makes this album great is the variety. Definitely the most diverse Procol album.
10. Pilgrim's Progress. Another of Matthew Fisher's best and a fitting closing to the album. Another classic Procol track, with classical/churchy sounding organ at the core, some nice piano in the mix, solid drumming by the amazing BJ Wilson, and lyrics that are mysterious and allude to seeking a higher truth and wisdom. The closing bit is just a perfect end.
It's not a perfect album, but if you give Procol Harum a chance and check out their first several albums, you might discover some pretty amazing music that has been largely overlooked. Sadly, many of their best albums (namely Shine on Brightly, Home, and Broken Barricades) are still not available on Spotify.
I finally got to see them in concert in 2019, more than 50 years after they got their start. Mostly different lineup, but I was shocked that Gary Brooker's voice still sounded largely the same at age 74 as it did in his twenties. Even their final album, 2017's Novum, while not up to the level of their earlier releases, is still excellent.
5 stars, of course.
Alexisonfire
1/5
Sorry, I just can't with those vocals. 1 star.
Chromatics
3/5
When I saw the words "Italian disco" I have to admit I was overcome by a feeling of dread. But this was actually very good. A little long maybe, but overall enjoyable. 3 stars.
Cluster
2/5
Interesting at times, but overall not my thing. It was 37 minutes long but it felt like an hour and a half. 2 stars.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
4/5
Very interesting! For some reason it reminds me of David Lynch. It has sort of the same vibe to it as Twin Peaks and some of his movies. I will definitely listen to this again. It seems like the type of album that rewards repeat listens. 4 stars.
The Decemberists
5/5
Love the Decemberists and love this album. 5 stars.
Frank Zappa
2/5
I feel like a curmudgeon whenever I have to review a Frank Zappa album. I just don't get it. I think he's highly overrated. Technically he's a very good guitar player, but if a good guitar player plays stuff that isn't enjoyable to listen to is he really a good guitar player? 2 stars, because it's short and more listenable than most Zappa, and I actually liked the song Apostrophe'.
Boy Azooga
4/5
Very nice! Reminds me a bit of the Eels. 4 stars.
Koritni
3/5
I know they say not to judge an album by its cover, but I did and I was wrong. I was expecting some type of death-metal/grindcore/growly vocal type bullshit, but this was like 80's throwback hard rock. Still not quite my cup of tea but not half bad. 3 stars.
Wussy
3/5
It's not bad, it just feels a bit amateurish at times maybe? 3 stars.
Men I Trust
3/5
Pretty nice. A little long. 3 stars.
Kaizers Orchestra
3/5
Despite being unable to understand the lyrics, I quite enjoyed this. Kept my attention. 3 stars.
Courteeners
3/5
I liked this, but I also feel like it sounds like sooooo many other bands. 3 stars.
They Might Be Giants
4/5
Wow, I love They Might Be Giants but to be honest I had kind of forgotten about them. Looking back on the original list, I'm shocked that there are on TMBG albums on it. What the hell?
I love TMBG so much that my wife and I had the song Birdhouse in Your Soul played as the recessional song at our wedding. Their first children's album (No!) was a fixture at our house while our kids were little.
Anyway, this album is great. Hadn't heard it before so I'm glad it was on the list! 4 stars.
Korn
2/5
Nah, can't do this one. Just not my thing.
Roger Waters
5/5
Wow, great to see this album here. This came out when I was 18 years old, and at the peak of my Pink Floyd obsession. I bought it on vinyl, wore it out, and saw Roger in concert on this tour - only the second concert I'd ever been to, and it was amazing.
I love that Roger Waters, on breaking up with one of the greatest guitarists of all time in David Gilmour, just called up his friend Eric Clapton and said, "Hey, mate, I'm making a new album. You wanna play guitar on it?" Eric was probably like, "I don't know..." so Roger says, "There's going to be a naked girl on the cover," and Eric's like, "Okay, I'll do it." It's honestly great guitar work by Clapton, a bit of a resurgence for him after making some pretty weak crap over the previous few years.
The album itself is uneven at times, but the concept works. It's a lot like a dream in that there are crazy and random things happening (eating a sandwich with a puppy on it?!?) but at the same time it's a cohesive story. The lyrics are just amazing. "Fixed on the front of her Fassbinder face was the kind of a smile that only a rather dull child could have drawn." How can you not love that? Or, "Hey girl, as I've always said I prefer your lips red. Not what the good lord made, but what he intended." The song Gone Fishing is just perfect, the way it paints this idyllic picture of a family getting back to nature, but even from the beginning there are ominous undertones that portend disaster.
Anyway, I love this album (obviously). Not quite up to the level of Pink Floyd's best work, but still worthy of 5 stars in my book.
Marillion
4/5
Wow, it’s like discovering a Genesis album you didn’t know existed. That’s a good thing. 4 stars.
Bran Van 3000
4/5
I was not expecting to like this at all, but I really did. Very diverse array of musical styles and the production was just impeccable. 4 stars.
Bloc Party
3/5
This was pretty good. It rocked hard and I was especially impressed by the drumming. It was maybe a bit much though, too overwhelming, not enough space between the notes, if you know what I mean. 3 stars.
100 gecs
1/5
Only good thing about this album was how short it was. And the song about the frog was sort of cute, but that's not enough to redeem this one. 1 star.
Childish Gambino
3/5
I've never listened to any of Donald Glover's work, other than the one album that was on the original 1,001 albums list. Like that album, this also surprised me a bit, feeling more like classic R&B than what I would think of as hip hop. 3 stars.
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
3/5
I have a love/hate relationship with Bob Seger. When I was really young, like 10 years old, I loved him. In fact, Beautiful Loser is the first album I ever owned. The song Katmandu just connected with me somehow.
But as I got older at some point I started hating him. I was more into progressive rock, and then later I got into alternative music, and Bob Seger just seemed lame by comparison. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate him again, even if I don't love his music.
I definitely prefer his rockers. Feel Like a Number on this album is a standout for me. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this, even though I was already very familiar with most of the songs. 3 stars.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
I like Sufjan overall, but only in small doses. 3 stars.
Jóhann Jóhannsson
4/5
Very nice. Kind of blends into the background, but nice to have on while focusing. 4 stars.
The Beautiful South
3/5
I wanted to like this, really I did, but something about it rubbed me the wrong way. The songs were good but sounded awkward or forced in some way, like they were trying too hard to be clever. A good example: Liar’s Bar sounds like it could have been a really good song, but recording it with a bad Tom Waits impersonation? It just made me cringe. Made what should have been a really good song almost unlistenable. 3 stars.
Billy Squier
5/5
What a great album. I remember well when it hit the airwaves back in the day. I tried to resist, mistakenly believing that anything this popular must be trash. I could only resist for so long because it's just that good. It's like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were reincarnated in a single person. Great selection for an addition to this list, shouldn't have been overlooked. 5 stars.
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
2/5
Not great, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting based on the cover and the description. 2 stars.
Primus
2/5
Not a fan. 2 stars.
The Marcus King Band
4/5
I'm not a big "southern rock" fan, but this is really nice. 4 stars.
The B-52's
4/5
Great album! 4 stars.
Hombres G
3/5
Not bad, but not super interesting either. 3 stars.
Savages
4/5
Intense! Love it. 4 stars.
Death Cab for Cutie
4/5
Haven't listened to Death Cab for Cutie in quite a while, good to revisit them! Very nice album. 4 stars.
Marillion
4/5
I like progressive rock, but I've never really gotten into the more modern stuff. This is very good. I like it better than some of the other more modern prog rock I've heard, e.g. Porcupine Tree. 4 stars.
The Burning Hell
4/5
This is great, certainly one of the more interesting artists I've been introduced to during this journey. Reminds me a bit of the Eels and maybe Carseat Headrest. Will definitely listen more! 4 stars.
Adam Green
2/5
I found this to be pretty annoying. Like someone trying really hard to be clever. 2 stars.
Café Tacvba
3/5
I enjoyed some of this, but at times it grated on my nerves, especially the vocals. 3 stars.
Kano
2/5
LaBelle
4/5
Funky and groovy. 4 stars.
Mull Historical Society
4/5
I enjoyed this. Refreshing and catchy. A bit Oasis-ish at times. Nice album cover too. 4 stars.
Freddie Gibbs
2/5
Not my thing. 2 stars.
The Jesus Lizard
2/5
Didn't care for this much at all. 2 stars.
Igorrr
2/5
Gang of Youths
4/5
Wow, I really enjoyed this. At first it reminded me of Springsteen, similar energy, which was really good. Then the songs started slowing down a bit and the strings came in and it just blew me away. 4 stars, will listen again.
The Upsetters
2/5
It's alright, not really my thing though. 2 stars.
Snarky Puppy
3/5
It was alright, interesting at types, meandering and pointless at times.
Vampire Weekend
3/5
I like Vampire Weekend well enough, but they tend to get a little cutesy-fartsy for me. 3 stars.
Hikaru Utada
2/5
Not really loving this. 2 stars.
Graham Parker
3/5
It was alright. For some reason I was expecting Graham Parsons and some country-rock. This was okay, but probably not something I'll listen to again. 3 stars.
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
3/5
Pretty nice but sort of average at the same time. I do like the album cover. 3 stars.
Debbie Gibson
3/5
Chock full of good pop songs, like a more wholesome version of Madonna. Impressive that she wrote everything on this album herself and helped produce. Probably not something I'd listen to again, but it was enjoyable overall. 3 stars.
The Alan Parsons Project
3/5
I was pretty big into Alan Parsons back in the day. I still like some of their stuff, but over time their flower has faded for me. This album sort of varies between sounding like a bad musical and a movie soundtrack score. There are some good moments, but overall it's just alright for me. 3 stars.
Oingo Boingo
4/5
Fun, upbeat, catchy. 4 stars.
Valerie June
4/5
I really liked this a lot. Very unexpected, given that the genre listed is Soul. Sounds much more traditional folk/Americana to me, and I like it. 4 stars.
The Tragically Hip
4/5
Every time I hear the Tragically Hip, I think to myself, "I need to listen to more Tragically Hip." They were so good. It didn't even occur to me until now that there was no Tragically Hip on the original 1,001 albums list. That seems like a pretty major omission to me, but what do I know. In any case, thanks anonymous person for adding this. 4 stars.
Robyn Hitchcock
4/5
I have mixed feelings about Robyn Hitchcock. He's obviously talented, but often I find he gets too cutesy-fartsy. On this album though, the cutesy-fartsiness seems to be lower than average, and there are some really nice songs here. I'm going with 4 stars.
The War On Drugs
4/5
This is nice, very polished. Reminds me a bit of Daniel Lanois, both in terms of the atmospheric production and his voice also has some similarity. Some of the songs drag on a bit too long, but overall I liked this and will listen again. 4 stars.
Ani DiFranco
3/5
I appreciate Ani DiFranco's talent, but at the same time her music never really connected with me that much. 3 stars.
Chet Baker
3/5
It's nice, but feels like elevator music. 3 stars.
Freestylers
2/5
Eh, no thanks. 2 stars.
MF DOOM
2/5
Not my thing.
Nik Kershaw
3/5
It's alright, seems like pretty standard mid-80s fare to me. 3 stars.
Salif Keita
3/5
I enjoyed it. 3 stars.
3/5
There's a certain type of guitar sound that I have a really visceral, negative reaction to, and this is it. It's that heavy, muddy sound. I don't know why, but I just don't like it. Some of the songs were pretty good though, especially the last one. 3 stars.
Gurrumul
4/5
I liked this a lot. Very cool. 4 stars.
Damien Rice
4/5
This was really nice. Mellow and haunting. 4 stars.
The Mountain Goats
3/5
This was alright, but it could have been so much better. I'm not opposed to a DIY/home recording approach (Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen is one of my favorite albums) but this didn't work that well for me. It just comes across as being slightly pretentious and overly clever. Still giving it 3 stars, because at the core the songs are solid.
GAS
3/5
It's alright I guess as something to have on while you're doing other things, but not very interesting to me. 3 stars.
Arthur Russell
3/5
It's interesting, but ultimately just not my thing. 3 stars.
Joan As Police Woman
4/5
I'm a sucker for a beautiful voice and well-crafted, interesting songs, and this certainly qualifies. Will listen again. 4 stars.
The Amazing Devil
3/5
It's alright, a bit too theatrical for me. 3 stars.
4/5
This is really nice. Long, but nice. 4 stars.
Mogwai
4/5
This was pretty cool. Reminded me a bit of that band whose music was used in the show Friday Night Lights, Explosions in the Sky I think they were called. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
Sunny Day Real Estate
3/5
Perhaps it's just the mood I'm in, listening to this in the morning after waking up to the news that my fellow countrymen have inexplicably made the decision to elect one of the worst people in the world to the highest office in the land. It's a dark day for democracy and for the world. It's a dark day for women, for the LGBTQ community, for minorities, for immigrants seeking a better life. It's a dark day for dissent, it's a dark day for Palestinians, for Ukrainians. It's a dark day for justice, for the economy, for the middle class. It's just a dark fucking day.
But back to the music. It's okay, just kind of strikes me as Nirvana-lite. Got better toward the end. 3 stars.
Jai Paul
2/5
This should come with a warning label, sort of like strobe effects in a movie can cause seizures I felt like this was going to cause me a seizure. I could only listen to half of it. 2 stars.
Killswitch Engage
2/5
Mary Chapin Carpenter
3/5
Solid songs, solid performance, solid production. There's nothing really bad about this album, it's just sort of... bland, I guess. I think Mary said it best in her song "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" - Everything is so benign,
Safest place you'll ever find. Lucinda Williams is a good comparison, since they're both in sort of the same category and Mary covered Lucinda's Passionate Kisses on this album. They're both talented singers and songwriters, but Lucinda just has that spark of something special, while Mary just sounds a bit generic. 3 stars.
Khruangbin
4/5
This is really nice. Mellow with nice grooves. I could listen to it all day. 4 stars.
Stars
4/5
Nice. A bit reminiscent of Death Cab for Cutie. 4 stars.
The Hold Steady
4/5
Wasn't this already on the original list? Maybe it was one of the ones that was mistakenly added early in the project. Either way, happy to listen to it again as I love this album. 4 stars.
Streetlight Manifesto
3/5
I like ska, but mostly in small doses. It all kind of sounds the same to me. I like the horns in this. 3 stars.
Jimmy Eat World
3/5
Crash Test Dummies
4/5
This takes me back. I loved their first album. Heard Superman's Song on the radio one day, bought the CD, and was hooked. The second album didn't hit me quite as hard, but it's still very good. Nice to revisit it again after all these years. 4 stars.
Touché Amoré
2/5
I realize this makes me sound 100 years old, but I just don't get all the yelling. Usually with hardcore music like this I just dismiss it as bad, but in this case the music is really good. I'd love to hear what an actual singer would do with these songs. 2 stars.
Shania Twain
3/5
It's alright. I don't mind the more pop-oriented tunes. When it veers more country-ish I'm not a fan. 3 stars.
Anaïs Mitchell
3/5
There are some things I like about this, but I'm really not a fan of musical theatre. It's just sort of over the top dramatic. I may check out other works by her to see if there are some that are less theatre-y. 3 stars.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Animals was not on the original list??? WTF. Amazing album. Some of Gilmour's best guitar work. 5 stars.
4/5
This is really nice. When I saw "Low" the first thing that came to me was that song by Cracker, although I couldn't remember who sang it or whether the song was called that or the band, so that was what I was expecting going in. Thank goodness it wasn't that. This is mellow, somber, melancholic, and beautiful. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Calibro 35
4/5
This is very cool! I enjoyed it. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Cardiacs
2/5
I couldn't have disliked this much more. It felt like being pounded over the head with a hammer for an hour and a half. It's obvious these lads are talented, but I with they would use their talents for good, not this hyper-frenetic bullshit. 2 stars for the effort.
Faith No More
2/5
Reminds me of Metallica. I hate Metallica. This style of music just doesn't do anything for me. 2 stars.
The Dear Hunter
4/5
Interesting! Reminds me a little of the Decemberists in that it's conceptual, literate, and the music is well crafted. I love the Decemberists. This is not quite as appealing to me on first listen, but I could see it growing on me with repeated listens. Will listen again and check out their other material as well. 4 stars.
Chappell Roan
4/5
Good, solid pop music. Not really breaking any new ground, but I like her voice and the songs are catchy. 4 stars.
The National
4/5
Good stuff, surprised it's not on the original list. 4 stars.
Harmonium
3/5
Interesting! 3 stars.
Screaming Females
3/5
I was curious, would this actually be females screaming? Not really, I would say it's more of one female singing with a pretty good voice. Overall I think this is pretty good, though nothing really stands out to me. 3 stars.
The Sound
4/5
This is nice, definitely stands up well to other music of the time. Wasn't familiar with it before. 4 stars.
Biffy Clyro
2/5
I could tell right away I wasn't going to like this at all. I made it through 4 songs but that was enough for me, just not my thing. 2 stars.
Tori Amos
4/5
She's pretty weird, and some of her songs border on inane (Icicle, Icicle, where are you going?) but I like Tori Amos a lot, especially her first couple of albums. 4 stars.
Transvision Vamp
3/5
I thought this was good overall. I like the singer's voice when she's singing straight up, but when she adds that little snarl/rasp/or whatever it doesn't appeal to me as much. 3 stars.
Shudder To Think
2/5
Just not my thing. 2 stars.
Kayo Dot
3/5
I really have mixed feelings about this one. Some of it I found really interesting and liked, but the screaming/hardcore parts I can't stand. 3 stars.
The Chats
4/5
I'm surprised I haven't heard more Australian punk. Australian culture sort of seems like it is made for punk. In any case, this is awesome. Good, straight ahead punk. 4 stars.
Avicii
2/5
Yeah, just not my thing sorry. 2 stars.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
3/5
Eh, it's ok. They're definitely talented but I'm not a big fan of jam bands. 3 stars.
Jeff Rosenstock
4/5
Love Jeff Rosenstock. My son, who is much cooler than I am, introduced me to him a while ago. Reminds me a bit of my favorite band, The Replacements - raucous and loose, but also catchy. 4 stars.
John Martyn
3/5
Vulfpeck
4/5
I'll always give a band from my hometown of Ann Arbor a thumbs up. Not exactly my style of music, but it was very good! I'm sure they would be a lot of fun to see live. 4 stars.
Charli xcx
3/5
I would probably enjoy this more if not for the autotuning. I just don't get it, it sounds dumb to me. Other than that it's not bad. 3 stars.
Roky Erickson
4/5
Roky, a true legend. 4 stars.
Joe Cocker
4/5
Kind of surprised this album wasn't on the original list. Iconic. 4 stars.
The Cure
4/5
Holy moly. I got halfway through this, thinking, "this is amazing, how have I never heard any of this before?" I finally looked it up and found that it's pretty much brand new. Amazing. Earlier in this list when I got Pornography and Disintegration I was blown away because I had never delved deeper into their catalog than the hits I had heard on the radio. Now I'm even more impressed. So good. 4 stars.
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
Excellent album. I had heard a couple of these songs before but for some reason never listened to it all the way through. Which is strange, because I'm a huge Big Star fan and have always had a positive view of Teenage Fanclub because of their obvious adoration of Big Star. I will be listening to this more. 4.5 stars, rounding to 5.
Death
2/5
I don't mind the music but I just can't with the vocals, sorry. 2 stars.
Operation Ivy
3/5
It's not bad. Maybe trying a bit too hard to sound like the Clash. Not a huge fan of the ska thing. 3 stars.
Karnivool
3/5
Didn't love this. I like a lot of progressive rock from the 70s, but for some reason the more modern progressive rock doesn't usually connect with me. 3 stars.
Björk
4/5
Love me some Bjork. 4 stars.
Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
4/5
This is really good. Kind of Radio Head-ish but less pretentious. I've heard this band before but haven't listened to an entire album by them. I will now though! 4 stars.
TOOL
2/5
I didn't hate it quite as much as I thought I would, but I didn't like it either. Just not my thing really. 2 stars.
HELLYEAH
1/5
No thanks
Les sheriff
3/5
I don't believe I've ever heard French punk rock before. It was pretty solid, although a lot of the songs kind of sounded the same. 3 stars.
The Angelic Process
2/5
Didn't care for this. 2 stars.
Nightwish
2/5
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
4/5
Very impressive. 4 stars.
Titus Andronicus
4/5
A punk rock concept album about the civil war. Hmmm. Pretty damn good, actually! Reminds me a bit of Jeff Rosenstock, and with some of the raucous feel of my favorite band, the Replacements. Good stuff, will check out more of their work. 4 stars.
The Stooges
4/5
Sound quality is pretty bad but still, it's Iggy and the Stooges live in Detroit, what could be better than that? 4 stars.
Bob Mould
3/5
Yeasayer
4/5
This was really interesting. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Modest Mouse
2/5
Not really a Modest Mouse fan. 2 stars.
Joe Jackson
4/5
Excellent! I know he had a couple of big hits, but I'm surprised Joe Jackson wasn't a bigger star. 4 stars.
Polvo
3/5
Slowdive
3/5
Pretty good shoegaze. 3 stars.
Courtney Barnett
4/5
Such a great album. I love Courtney Barnett but had kind of forgotten about her, so thanks for the reminder! 4 stars.
Jimmy Eat World
3/5
I would rate this as pretty alright. 3 stars.
The Caretaker
2/5
I found this pretty boring to be honest. In general I'm just not a fan of ambient. 2 stars.
Carly Rae Jepsen
3/5
It's okay, nothing against it, but not really my thing. A bit too bubblegum for me. 3 stars.
Mylène Farmer
3/5
Pleasant enough, not that interesting though. 3 stars.
Chloe x Halle
3/5
CAKE
4/5
This was a fixture in my CD player in the late 90's. Still great. 4 stars.
Amyl and The Sniffers
4/5
It's like a punk version of Courtney Barnett. Love it. 4 stars.
Jack Johnson
4/5
Jack Johnson's great. We used to listen to a lot of his music when our youngest son was about 3 years old, because of the Curious George soundtrack. Our son loved his music, but every time he said his name he said "Jackson Johnson", and so that's how Jack Johnson will be forever known in our house. Anyway, this is great stuff, I'm glad someone put it on the list. 4 stars.
Martha
4/5
This was very good. Reminded me a bit of my favorite band, the Replacements, though a bit more pop-sounding and less punk sounding. 4 stars.
Wishbone Ash
4/5
I grew up with the music of the 60s and 70s, mostly classic rock and progressive rock. So how is it that I've never heard this? I've definitely heard of Wishbone Ash, but couldn't name a single song or album by them. This is really good! Fits in well with the music of the time. Excellent guitar playing, reminded me of Yes at times. 4 stars.
Daft Punk
2/5
I've been to so many tech conferences in my life, and twenty years ago this was the music they played as people were gathering in the big hall for the conference keynote to get people "hyped". Didn't really work for me then, and still doesn't today. Just doesn't do it for me. 2 stars.
Fontaines D.C.
4/5
I really liked the other album by this group that was added to the list. Not sure I liked this one quite as much but it was still very good. Will listen again. 4 stars.
The Tragically Hip
4/5
It still boggles my mind that there is no Tragically Hip on the original list. Maybe the biggest oversight of this whole project. 4 stars.
Boards of Canada
3/5
I'm not usually a fan of electronic music, but this was pretty cool. Mostly as background music, but interesting. A few of the songs creeped me out, especially some in the latter half of the album like The Devil is in the Details and Dawn Chorus. 3 stars.
Great Big Sea
4/5
This was pretty good. I'm a sucker for traditional tunes done in a modern way. 4 stars.
Chris de Burgh
3/5
This grew on me over the course of the album. During the first song I was like, no way, but by the end I could appreciate it. Probably not something I'll listen to again, but glad I heard it once. 3 stars.
Bon Iver
4/5
I'm not a fan of Bon Iver's work after this album (what I've heard of it anyway), but this album I absolutely love. Especially the song For Emma, it's so beautiful. My daughter's name is Emma, so the song makes me emotional for that reason as well as the pure beauty of the song. 4 stars.
Ornette Coleman
3/5
I'm not a big jazz guy but this is a pretty good way to start a Friday. 3 stars.
Daft Punk
2/5
Arca
1/5
The 1975
4/5
Pretty interesting. 4 stars.
Alexisonfire
2/5
Very nice. Reminds me a lot of Death Cab for Cutie and other indie bands from the early oughts. 4 stars.
Songs: Ohia
4/5
I really like this. I've listened to one other album by them (him?) - Magnolia Electric Co. - and always liked it but for some reason never delved deeper into their catalog. It's very intense, reminiscent of Neil Young to some degree, but not an imitation by any means. I didn't know anything about Jason Molina and was sad to see that he died in 2013 as a result of years of alcohol abuse. Such a shame and major loss of a talented man. Thanks for adding this album, random person! 4 stars.
David Baerwald
4/5
I actually bought this album on CD back in the day and listened to it a fair amount for a short period of time. But then I kind of forgot about it. I liked it, but I guess it didn't age very well for me. But it was great hearing it again. It's actually a really ambitious album, reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons. 4 stars.
Sports Team
3/5
This was pretty good! 3 stars.
Talking Heads
4/5
One of the great live albums of all time. Surprised this wasn't on the original list. 4 stars.
Times New Viking
2/5
Didn't care for this at all, sorry. 2 stars.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
This was pretty nice, though it sort of blended into the background for me. 3 stars.
Screeching Weasel
4/5
Good solid punk. Hadn't heard of them before. 4 stars.
Olivia Rodrigo
4/5
I was not expecting to like this. I've obviously heard of Olivia Rodrigo, but I'm honestly not sure whether I've ever heard a song by her before. I was thinking it was going to be vapid pop bullshit, but it was really good. Impressed that she co-wrote all the songs as well. Too often with pop artists they are just a face and a voice, with a giant team of writers and producers behind the scenes, but seems to be not the case here. 4 stars.
Unwound
2/5
I didn't hate all of it.
Manchester Orchestra
3/5
This was pretty alright, if a little bland. 3 stars.
Talk Talk
3/5
Surprisingly somber and contemplative. Very interesting. 3 stars.
Portishead
3/5
Pretty good, not as good as their first album though. I do like that there was less sampling. 3 stars.
Guy Clark
4/5
Good stuff. It’s funny, I absolutely hate modern country like Toby Keith and all that other bullshit, but stuff like this I love. Thanks for adding this to the list!
Al Stewart
3/5
It's alright, I just can't get past his voice for some reason. It's always bugged me. 3 stars.
Bon Iver
3/5
I have a love/hate relationship with Bon Iver. Some of his music I think is beautiful, while some is pretentious and unlistenable. This I found to be more of the former. 3 stars.
The Breeders
3/5
Good stuff. 3 stars.
3/5
It's alright. Don't love the autotuning that appears on some of the songs. 3 stars.
Os Mundi
4/5
Okay, this was pretty darn cool. Like In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida only better. Reminded my a bit of the Doors at times as well. 4 stars.
Enter Shikari
2/5
No thanks. 2 stars.
TOOL
2/5
Don't care for it at all. 2 stars.
R.E.M.
3/5
I love R.E.M. but this is not one of my favorites by them. Still good, but just feels a little flat to me. 3 stars.
Johnny Winter
3/5
Good, blues-based rock 'n' roll. 3 stars.
Sam Fender
3/5
A lot of this reminded me of 80's rock by the likes of Don Henley. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. 3 stars.
Ween
3/5
Ween is never not interesting! 3 stars.
Dead Boys
4/5
Classic punk. A bit surprised this wasn't on the original list. 4 stars.
New Model Army
4/5
This was pretty interesting, not what I was expecting. 4 stars.
Ex-Easter Island Head
3/5
Jason Isbell
4/5
I really liked this. 4 stars.
Yo La Tengo
4/5
I liked this quite a bit, will listen again. 4 stars.
Beyoncé
2/5
Nah
Tosca
3/5
It's alright, but like most albums of this genre I find it sort of repetitive and just blends into the background. 3 stars.
John Coltrane
2/5
Psyche Origami
3/5
Medeski, Martin & Wood
4/5
Very cool! 4 stars.
Vangelis
3/5
Great movie, good soundtrack. 3 stars.
Final Fantasy
4/5
Very cool. I'm a sucker for good violin-based indie music. 4 stars.
Lady Gaga
3/5
Not my favorite type of music, but I have to respect Lady Gaga, both for her musical talent and as a person. 3 stars.
Frightened Rabbit
4/5
I like this a lot.
Magdalena Bay
3/5
I wasn't expecting to like this just based on the description, but it was really good.
Jon Batiste
4/5
Very nice.
The Groundhogs
4/5
This was really good. Surprisingly, hadn't heard of them before. 4 stars.
Yellowcard
3/5
Don't really love this sort of punk-pop sound. It's okay, just not my thing. 3 stars.
Pearl Jam
4/5
Excellent album by an excellent band. 4 stars.
Trying too hard to be clever. 2 stars.
The Who
3/5
Not my favorite by the Who, but still very good. 3 stars.
Reincidentes
3/5
Kashmir
4/5
Excellent. 4 stars.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
4/5
An excellent album and well deserving of being on the 1001 albums list. I was a fan since the early days, I can still remember hearing My Bologna on the Dr. Demento show for the first time. 4 stars.
Bruce Hornsby
3/5
It's alright, but sort of bland. 3 stars.
Harry Styles
3/5
Almost skipped this one, but decided to give it a try. And I didn't hate it. 3 stars.
BABYMETAL
2/5
Babies shouldn't be playing metal.
Ozzy Osbourne
3/5
I really like early Black Sabbath, but strangely enough I've never really listened to any of Ozzy's solo work (other than songs that have gotten airplay). Good stuff overall, not as good as early BS though. RIP Ozzy.
Dream Theater
2/5
Agalloch
3/5
Musically it's pretty cool, but overall just not my thing. 3 stars.
The Heads
3/5
I was really excited when this came out. I bought it on CD without having heard a single song. But, after listening to it a couple of times it was just sort of meh. Not bad, but just sort of average. Too bad, because there are a lot of talented people involved with this. 3 stars.
Yoko Ono
2/5
Once, when I was in my early twenties, I really liked this girl named Susie who I worked with. Susie liked to sing - she even auditioned on Star Search once, performing Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot. She gave me a tape of her doing some songs, and I thought she was amazing. I played it for my friends, expecting them to be like, wow she's so good. But instead, they tried to convince me she was mediocre at best. I refused to listen to them. It was only years later, after things with Susie had run their course, that I realized they were absolutely right. She was mediocre. All that to say, I get it, John.
Turnpike Troubadours
4/5
It's funny, popular country music is among my least favorite genres, but stuff like this (e.g. Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Be Good Tanyas, Emmylou Harris, Jayhawks, etc.) is among my favorite. It's weird, because they certainly share some things in common. Anyway, I loved this. Now I'm going to have to listen to the rest of their discography. Thank you for adding it to the list! 4 stars.
Amália Rodrigues
4/5
Sublime. 4 stars.
Barenaked Ladies
5/5
I can still remember exactly where I was when I first heard the Barenaked Ladies. I was driving in Dayton, Ohio, where I lived at the time, and Box Set came on the radio. It was the public radio station in Dayton where I often discovered cool new music. Not knowing who it was, I was convinced it must be some older artist trying to make a comeback and singing ironically about his new box set. It just sounded way too mature to be a brand new artist. Anyway, I ended up buying this album on CD and was instantly hooked. It's an amazing debut really, showing a level of musicality and maturity beyond their years. Great addition to the list. 5 stars.
The Tragically Hip
4/5
Excellent. 4 stars.
The Church
4/5
Wow, this was really good. I need to listen to more of the Church's music. 4 stars.
of Montreal
3/5
It's alright, but I'm not a big fan of this frenetic, frantic sound with nonsense lyrics. Similar to how I feel about New Pornographers. 3 stars.
4/5
Very nice! 4 stars.
David Allan Coe
3/5
Veers a bit too far into traditional country for my tastes, but still pretty good. 3 stars.
Charly García
3/5
This was easily as good as popular 80's music. Unfortunately, I don't really love popular 80's music that much. 3 stars.
Ornatos Violeta
3/5
It's pretty alright. 3 stars.
Depeche Mode
2/5
Not a fan. 2 stars.
WHY?
3/5
Pretty interesting! 3 stars.
Comus
3/5
This is interesting for sure. Dark and sort of disturbing. Not sure I would listen again, but glad I heard it at least once. 3 stars.
Future Islands
2/5
Alabama 3
4/5
This is a great example of not judging an album by its cover. Not being familiar with this band, I assumed by the cover this was going to be some hardcore, unlistenable crap, with maybe some shitty country music thrown in? I don't know, but I definitely was not expecting what I got, which was excellent. And even the Sopranos theme song thrown in, which I had no idea what band was behind that. Very nice. 4 stars.
Espers
4/5
This is really nice. 4 stars.
Vampire Weekend
3/5
I think Vampire Weekend is pretty good, but they get a little cutesy for me. This album is no exception. 3 stars.
Spinvis
3/5
Musically I really like this. But, and I feel bad saying this, the Dutch language just doesn't sound especially pleasant to my ears. 3 stars.
Malibu
3/5
Not really my thing, but it's all right. 3 stars.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I love Pink Floyd, but really lost interest after Roger Waters left. Their music after that just seemed like a bland, uninspired imitation. There are some good performances here of their greatest hits, but I'd rather just listen to the original versions. 3 stars.
Metric
3/5
Bright Eyes
4/5
Very nice. I really like his voice and songwriting. 4 stars.
Paul McCartney
4/5
A great early Paul McCartney solo album, very underrated when it came out. I've always loved this one. Not perfect, but very good. 4 stars.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Dolly Parton is a national treasure, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees. Not only is she a great person, but she's also a great talent. While not exactly my favorite kind of music, this is some great bluegrass. 4 stars.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
4/5
I still remember when I got the Alex Harvey Band album on the original list. It was something I had never heard before. Familiar, but unique at the same time. I liked that album, and I like this one as well. It's fun, catchy, and never dull. 4 stars.
DARKSIDE
3/5
It's alright. Like a lot of this type of music, it sort of goes in one ear and out the other. 3 stars.
Michael Hurley
4/5
I really love this. 4 stars.
Tom Petty
4/5
An excellent album. 4 stars.
Descendents
3/5
Lift To Experience
4/5
This is really interesting. Quite ambitious for a first (and only) album. I wonder why they never recorded anything else. 4 stars.
Modern Life Is War
2/5
Daft Punk
4/5
Epic. Much better than I expected. 4 stars.
Q65
3/5
This is good, certainly holds up well compared to other similar music of the same period. 3 stars.
Warren Zevon
4/5
Gotta love Warren Zevon. Great album. 4 stars.
Mr. Bungle
3/5
Interesting! 3 stars.
Swans
2/5
STARSET
3/5
Savatage
3/5
Built To Spill
3/5
Pretty good. Didn't love the singer's voice, but the music and songwriting were good. 3 stars.
Rodríguez
5/5
Such a great album and a wild story. A shame that he disappeared after two amazing albums, he could have had an amazing career. 5 stars.
Ween
3/5
Ween is never boring! 3 stars.
Chuck Berry
4/5
So good. 4 stars.
Zamilska
3/5
It's alright, just not a genre I love. 3 stars.
Jaco Pastorius
3/5
A bit heavy on the meandering bass solos, but overall a nice listen. Totally beside the point, but does his cover photo remind anyone else of Chris Kattan from Saturday Night Live? 3 stars.
Billy Strings
4/5
I really love this. I've been aware of Billy Strings for a while, seeing clips of him occasionally on social media. I'm always pulling for a fellow Michigander as well. But, I've never listened to a complete album of his material. It's really impressive. 4 stars.
Glass Animals
2/5
I tried, but didn't much care for this. 2 stars.
Crass
4/5
How have I not heard of this band before? Excellent. 4 stars.
Wet Leg
4/5
I was aware of this band only because people are constantly posting pictures of the lead singer in the r/SexyMusicians subreddit. But I'd never taken the time to their music before. I'm glad I did, because it's really good. Catchy pop music, but with substance behind it. After listening to this I immediately went to their latest album and it's also great. Thanks for getting me to move past lustfully starting at photos of the singer to actually listening to their music! 4 stars.
4/5
I liked this. Good, raucous punk energy. 4 stars.
No Doubt
3/5
No Doubt is one of those bands that, if they come on the radio I don't turn the station, but I also don't seek them out. They're good, but not exactly in my Q zone. 3 stars.
Soul Coughing
2/5
Robyn
3/5
It's good for what it is, just not a type of music I find that interesting. 3 stars.
Hamilton Leithauser
4/5
I liked this a lot. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Nic Jones
4/5
Loved this. 4 stars.
Porcupine Tree
4/5
Matthew Good Band
4/5
I liked this. Funnily, it reminded me a bit of Tragically Hip, and then I found that this band is also from Canada. 4 stars.
Black Devil Disco Club
3/5
I almost skipped this one, but glad I decided to give it a listen. Very enjoyable. 3 stars.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
4/5
I went through a big blues phase in my early twenties, but since then I haven't listened much. So this was really good to refresh my love of the blues. Really strong stuff. 4 stars.
Shpongle
3/5
Paramore
3/5
Tom Misch
2/5
65daysofstatic
2/5
Pop Will Eat Itself
2/5
👎🏻
Brand New
3/5
Foxing
2/5
Songs: Ohia
4/5
I was already quite familiar with this album, and already loved it. I need to check out more of their work. 4 stars.
Beyoncé
2/5
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
4/5
Good stuff. 4 stars.
Turnstile
2/5
Didn't enjoy this at all. Generic hard rock. 2 stars.
Ookla The Mok
3/5
This is pretty nice. Reminiscent of They Might Be Giants and Barenaked Ladies. 3 stars.
Weezer
3/5