Top tier mid-career Madonna. Confident, composed, and coooool

This album rips, one of the best sounding records of the decade

Like the Goodfellas of rap albums

How many times have the Killers listened to this album weeping enviously

Dripping in acid haze and California heat wave, so damn cool and confident

What an incredible first album, only giving it 4 instead of 5 because I know what’s coming for the band but this is pretty close to flawless

Probably the least timeless Springsteen has ever sounded but also the most hooky. Some of these songs are smashes right out the gate, while the worst of them just sound like retreads of similar material. Overall solid in my opinion

Like the Goodfellas of rap albums

Yeah yeah it’s boring and yeah the vocal spin is WILDly incongruous with the music but at least it’s pretty (but wow this is too long)

Damn that opening track is a stunner, the production on this is so loose and great, it reminds me a lot of D’Angelo’s Black Messiah—another comeback album that’s loose and hard and a pared back career revitalization

I kind of forgot I was listening to this as I was listening to it but it has everything you could want in some good old guitar Brit rock. I definitely hear it’s influence over the second half of the 90s and early 2000s. Plus the tragic backstory is so compelling and mystifying

Can you imagine the confidence

So much of a vibe that the hooks get kind of buried, but there are so many hints of inspiration and legacy hidden throughout and it’s so daring to go over a minute before any vocals are heard

What the Straight White Man™️ Did to Marley’s legacy and reggae as a whole is unforgivable. This is an album of musicians at the peak of their craft, the tones alone across this are so sumptuous and warm and joy-giving.

I’ve never been able to get on The Offspring’s wavelength. I respect the idea of melding punk, metal, and grunge in theory but in practice it just doesn’t do much for me. It kind of makes me feel like I’m about to get bullied. Good hooks though

Goo has *everything*. A punk ode to Karen Carpenter, a fuck-you/come-on feminist anthem, a robot absolutely screlting the name Mildred Pierce, but most importantly it’s got Goo herself. Slay yas goo mama boots

I’ve always thought of common as kind of corny but this is so smooth and soulful, he has one of the best voices for hip-hop ever and I’m so glad I listened to this. More hip hop albums should be 43 minutes long

Only a meme because it’s actually good. It takes a lot of skill to make hooks out of lyrics this nonsensical. More of a 3.5 but I’ll be generous

Dreamy

Never realized how in-the-same toy box The Verve and Radiohead were at this time

One of the best sounding records I’ve ever listened to

Wish there were a little bit more standout moments but overall was a really engaging listen and can see it being groundbreaking at the time

A mystifying choice—including a compilation is not something I expected nor really appreciate but I did enjoy my listen somewhat

I’m hot and cold on QOTSA but this is a strong collection of songs, they sound confident and seductive and they always know how to sequence albums in a way that takes you on a journey

Solid blues rock, catchy hooks, amazing production. Not a ton to be mad at

How pleasant and warm

Beats are good, energy is there, just sounds really dated and the lyrics are not quite there for me

My favorite type of hip hop

Feels timeless and locked in time at the same time, definitely pushes the envelope and is confrontational and comfortable at the same time

More punk records should be this lush

Oh my god boys let me breathe

Cool and poised and wry, like the most well-dressed cyborg reading haikus

Just never gonna be my cup of tea, but the skill is definitely apparent

Long in a positive and negative way, Gaye is always listenable and compelling but this doesn’t have the ease that I relate with him

How many times have the Killers listened to this album weeping enviously

I didn’t and won’t listen to this

Queen stays queen

Very solid, sounds so great and lush

Is “I got the six” about a size queen looking for a gay hookup?

A classic for a reason

Totally fine and listenable but not sure why it’s on this list. More of 7 out of 10 but bumping it down just to being a bit bland

Dripping in acid haze and California heat wave, so damn cool and confident

Steviieeeeeee

I don’t really have anything to say, very solid. Dylan doesn’t inspire a lot of passion in me but he does inspire respect

Just solid working class country

This had some great textures but nothing grabbed me

I never got the love for this band until listening to this album

Beck’s combo of ennui and irony really depresses me but this is one of his strongest albums so I’ll be kind

Stone cold classic

Competently made but stirred nothing in me

This feels so weighty but never collapses or bores. Pretty impressive

Cool and edgy

So lush and warm

Not the Lou Reed I know but one that I did enjoy

Probably the best Beatles album? Right?

Fine

Father and Son 😢

Loses steam in the second half but this has some bangers on it

Boozy and loose, very listenable

This didn’t do it for me

I really enjoyed this, it was right up my alley and something I’d never heard of!

Not really my thing but very listenable

Nothing else really sounds like this, I love hearing rock with a feminine edge to it. The sonic palate is so comforting

This rocks

That voice, that mood

I love this album so much, what a debut

Nice and comfy

When you become a meme it’s usually because you’re iconic

Live albums really aren’t for me but thin lizzy are great

Thought I was out but he pulled me back in

Like an underground train rattling the grate beneath your feet and blowing hot summer city heat up into your face

Oozes cool and talent

Enjoyable enough but didn’t really wow me

The blueprint

Vibessss

❤️

I vibed with this, fun and heady

Alternative radio is actually legally required to play all 11 of these songs at least once a day

He is the king after all

Solid but didn’t grab me

Listenable and vibey

I enjoyed this, had some definite hallmarks of other Brit-pop/rock bands

Surprised at how much I loved this. If the lyrics were better this would be a 5

Incredible. One of the best voices ever

It’s a skill to make songs that all sound the same be compelling

So sexy and cool

Scrappy, fun, and hooks for days

Like belle and sebastian’s bratty younger brother

Fun and funky early punk

Timeless

Undeniably confident and charismatic, soars when it should, whispers when it must

I liked the idea of this more than I enjoyed listening to it unfortunately kinda gossamer thin

Pretty enjoyable but entirely too long

Cool and sexy and fresh even now

I reeeeally liked this

Like a fine score to a Zach Snyder movie

I really enjoyed this! Like a precursor to Arcade Fire or a lot of other indie rock of the late aughts

Not their best but revolutionary in its own way. Wilco does patience better than most rock bands of their time and this is one patient album. Mixed to the gods per usual

Solid and more varied than most punk outings

Hey these guys are pretty talented

Classic two handed country

Liked this much better than Exile, an enjoyable creative rock album

Björk band!!

Pretty good singer-songwriter fare

The compositions here are obviously impressive this thing could’ve cut two whole songs though

Abba goes nu-wave

Maybe one too many ballads but overall a great listen and he sounds amazing as ever

Muddy waters is probably the king of live music

Wire rules

Such a nice blend of noise and hook

Solid, inventive, and timeless

Strong but why is this SO long

Iconic. Infinitely iconic.

Storytelliiiiiiing. This album is great

Fine I guess, not insulting or bad just didn’t really excite me

Spooky, beautiful, and classic

I’m loathe to say I don’t really care (I’m sorry)

Top tier mid-career Madonna. Confident, composed, and coooool

Hey these guys are kinda good

Pretty cool and interesting but surprisingly funky

Regrettably this is pretty great

Like a cherry bomb of emo punk energy

Albums like this make me understand the appeal of live albums

This album is so good it’s actually staggering. It really has everything and sounds unbelievable

I liked it!

Not necessarily my favorite thing but I really respect it and am glad it exists

Fine!

I got almost nothing out of this. Granted my brain turned off after the f-slur in track 2

Did Elvis Costello invent pop-punk?

Guys where’d the edge go...

For my money probably the best grunge album

This was cool as hell, feels like dropping an alka seltzer into a cocktail

This was a party!!

Genius indeed

Ok this thing RIPS. I love the ambient sections between songs it really gives a sense of space

Miles! MILES!!

Imagine being this talented

Maybe the only Talking Heads rip-off band worth a damn

Possibly the most 70s sounding album of all time

I’m not so sure about this one—but I’ll be generous cause it seems more enjoyable than I normally find this genre

This is such a blueprint

Y’know it is what it is

Pretty cool and sexy, Maxwell is just a classic classy guy with a solid voice. Hard to be mad at him

Man nobody makes modern rock sound as *correct* as Dave Grohl

Right up my alley

I liked it!

Pretty mesmerizing by the end

Amazing, lush, melancholy, relaxed

American masterpiece

Pretty much what I want out of a rock album, swaggering, full of personality and high energy. (Maybe would’ve cut a few songs for length but hey)

Lovely

Didn’t really do anything for me, sorry Neil

Pretty solid and surprising

Shifts and mutates like it’s working stream-of-consciousness

So cool, so good

This was my first PJ, I feel like a fool

Speakerboxxx is almost a 5/5...the love below is...not

Lived up to its title

Rock and roll is coooool

Legend. The art teacher is one of the best songs ever

Does it’s job

I love the way this sounds

Solid dad rock from the most dad rock guy around

I love ELO, I would’ve cut a few songs but also it sounds so good it’s hard to complain

I guess I get it

This was fine but unexciting to me

A masterpiece of folk psychedelica

Lives up to its name, Bohemian Rhapsody is worth the price of admission alone

This rewarded my patience I wish I had more to give

I. Love. Tom. Petty.

I really dug this, it sounds amazing and the songs have just the right amount of cheese to balance out how smooth they are

Amazing vocals and writing

Lauryn is a one of a kind talent

Ethereal and grounded at the same time

A Bowie high mark

I don’t get why this is considered lesser Waits, he seems so comfortable here and the atmosphere is so thick and palpable

This was pretty vibey and cool

Viiiiiibes

Solid pop exceptionalism

Singular, muscular, badass

Everything is right

Raggedy, smart, and ahead of the curve

This album rips, one of the best sounding records of the decade

Genre defining. I wish it lasted 24 hours

It’s Led Zeppelin

I really dug this, cool atmosphere, a hint of danger, good songs

Regrettably this didn’t do it for me

Okay his flow sucks and he has approximately 2 things to say over this hour long album but I have to say this has ~atmosphere~ and the production is really good

C’mon Lou!

I really thought this was gonna be The Rolling Stones lp that grabbed me but no it wasn’t…whyyyy did bands do this tongue in cheek Americana bullshit around this time it’s so disingenuous

Delivers exactly what it says it is

Nick Drake’s cannon is immaculate

Does its job

I reaaaaally liked this

What an effort, the conversation between rock music old and new on this is so good. They also balance technicality and fun like no other band

Pretty cool, pretty listenable

I have some qualms about the Dr John phenomena from a cultural standpoint but this is such a testament to his talent, taste, and personality

This is pretty much exactly what I want rock music to sound like

One of our best

Gotta respect it don’t gotta love it

Solid as hell, inventive and comfortable

Like Belle & Sebastian if they weren’t the whitest band in the world

Perfection

Iron man really slows this whole thing down unfortunately

Like the best collection of short stories, achingly beautiful

Yes boys

I guess I love Steely Dan

I really don’t care for this, there aren’t enough levels to it

This thing is so vibrant, artists spend years chasing the highs of “groove”

I feel conflicted about this, there are parts I love and parts I hate but overall I’m left with ENERGY so I’m leaning positive

This rules

A great Bowie era

Didn’t make as much of an impression as I anticipated

Probably my fave stones album we’ve listened to on this

Shaggy and cool

A live album that earns its worth by capturing one of the most influential aesthetic shifts in music history basically in real time

Funky and fun, brooding

Pretty timeless, lyrics are a little wonky but the energy is infectious

I really really dug this

90s rap is so comforting

Starts strong but kind of fizzles for me

Solid! Self aware! Smooth!

It’s the band!

I hate when republicans are talented

Spooky, raw, indebted to history

I really enjoyed this, inventive production and really solid songwriting

Rock! And Roll!

Why so long though

Nearly perfect

Legendary

Okay maybe I like the flaming lips more than I thought

Beautiful, queer as hell, and so we’ll written

Solid

Afrobeat legend

Even the bad song is great

Sounds like the best party ever

The first song rips, the rest is kind of sleepy

Vibey and skillful

Okay this album rips

Literally this rocks

Moody and dark and sexy

The production on this is great, those horns sound CRISP

Pretty good cheese rock

So influential and solid

I forget that this band existed

Clear and beautiful as a bell

Really strong but gets kind of one-note towards the end for me

Beautiful, energetic, cutting edge

Perfection

I liked this, it must’ve been cutting edge at the time

Musicianship, hooks, energy. Perfection

One of the most perfect pairings of songwriting and production of the 21st century

Delivers what is promised

It’s really hard to come back from “smack my bitch up”

It’s the temptations!

Funky, soulful, genre bending

Revolutionary and playful

Pretty good pretttttyyyy good

Volatile moody unpredictable

Groovy haunted and so well paced

The boys are wet, what can I say

Solid

Imagine singing like that

Overblown in the best way

Worth the odyssey it took to find it

So much energy and inventiveness

One of the great spiritual balms in this life

Mild and chill but executed better by orhers

Pretty unrelenting, I needed a little bit more to grab onto

The chops on this

A tour-de-force kaleidoscope of psych folk pop gems

It makes sense they had to virtually split up after this, they had become too powerful

Sensuous and bold

As generic and workmanlike as the name suggests

My boyfriend had a Twitter fight with boy George anyway this album is pretty good

Guess I’m a steely Dan man

So cool and poised and raucous

Didn’t leave an impact really

I really enjoyed this, haunted, the perfect blend of electronic and acoustic elements

Good

Perfection

Songs to live inside

Up its own ass in an incredibly compelling way

Nick drake is one of the all time greats

I loved this, I don’t know how I’ve never heard of this

Solid

Good!

One of those albums that you hear about all the time and you think “surely it can’t be that good” but then it’s better than you ever imagined

Bloated but solid

Maybe the best flow of her generation and the production on this is immaculate

Delivers on the name

One of the best albums of the last 20 years

I think I prefer their film work, this left me a liiiittle cold but it’s still competent. More of a 3.5

One of their best

A masterpiece

This rules. I had never heard of them and I loved this

Just perfect

Ok this rips

So amazing

Banger after banger

Amazing songs, great production, a little long

Took me a while to get on Jim’s wavelength on this one but the music itself is so strong that I didn’t mind so much

I had listened to this before and didn’t get it but this time I LOVED it. TUSK!

Haunting and visceral

Nickkkkkk 😭

This album is amazing

Good!

Charisma out the ears

You can hear the roots of Beach House and Tame Impala in this

Solid

I’ve heard this album probably 100 times but it’s still great (thanks dad)

Scrappy, rough, and energetic

Such a strange amalgam of genres but this really worked for me

Sexy and truly dark sounding, a perfect blend of skill and atmosphere

Always meant to give them a chance and happy to listen to this

Pretty singular and excellent even though it oozes toxic horniness

Stunning

This rips

Pretty good preeeetty good

Noisy, edgy, exciting

A classic

Janis doesn’t do much for me but I can’t deny the power and charisma

This didn’t really do anything for me

Strong and accessible

Unrelenting and hypnotic. Not my genre but undeniably crafted

I was a little disappointed with how much this sags in the middle, the covers don’t work for me

I miss when mainstream records could be this successful and this shaggy

This album is amazing for how layered and solid it is. It’s rare for a band to sound this fractured yet this together

One of the most quintessential singer-songwriter albums of all time

Cool, arty, yet accessible

Profane, grimy, and messy

Not a huge fan of jack but have a lot of respect for him. This is solid

I really loved this, it was a few songs shy of being a ten out of ten for me

Lush and beautiful

I was kind of disappointed by this, Chris is obviously amazing but the rest of the band sounds in the pocket but kind of bored?

Regrettably very good

Pretty revolutionary and unique

Surprisingly diverse for this era of hard rock

I loved this, this feels so foundational

Really liked this

A foundational text of indie rock

The force of the rhythm section is honestly breathtaking

Okay, I really liked this. The cutesyness threatens to overpower everything but Mclean’s clean vocals keep everything centered

Maybe the best album by a band with mostly great albums

This thing is paced…horribly? Song 2 is good enough to carry this further than it deserves but whew this felt interminable

It is a pure joy listening to someone this on top of their game

Very possibly one of the best albums ever

Zappa is bold always, crazy this came out when it did

The goats

Scrappy and lived in and cool

I was underwhelmed. This is try-hard and lazy at the same time to me

So assured

One of the best albums of the last 20 years

Nasty and heavy

Still being copied by beach house to this day

Go off Paul

This is pretty exquisite, varied and confident

Spooky, retro, edgy, solid

It’s abbey road

This left me so cold. I’m already half out with the live album aspect but it’s also sooo long

No one else really sounds like Corgan at his best

Neil said 😤

Rips

The best part are the little noises you hear in the background

Solid enough, I’m just not as taken with the charisma here as I think I need to be

Really strong

It was really hard to get past all the casual homophobia but this is undoubtably a really strong album

One of the biggest sounding albums ever

A classic for a reason

Cool and edgy still

I really liked this

I miss when superstars were just weird and bold and put whole ambient halves of records out

Electronic in substance, hard rock in spirit. This is confrontational and challenging

Nasty, raucous, incisive

I never knew how Bowie-y they were towards the beginning. This was great

Maybe his greatest work

This is all over the place but the highs are high

Just incredible

This album has everything

The English lyrics leave a little something to be desired but this is great

I liked this, textural and cool

Joni

This was… a lot

Experimental and catchy

This was great

This rips. 9/10

So eclectic I kept checking to make sure it was the same album

This albummm

Imagine hearing this in 69

Pretty solid, seems foundational

The bloom is off the rose with this knowing that nothing after really stands up but the highs are SO high here

I’ll never forget how baffled my famil was when this won album of the year

Ruthless and skillful

Damn Frankie

Reeeeally strong. Could see this becoming a 5 with more listens

Maybe the best sounding album of its kind/era…Bonnie’s voice could ground anything

Pleasantly surprised by this

What a guy

This is so rad

Made virtually no impact on me

What a cool guy

God I love music

My least favorite Bjork album but still a stunning achievement

One of the best debuts ever

Damnnn

An all time classic

Nebraska Nebraska I love youuu

Girl.

It’s crazy to listen to this knowing what’s about to come

Pretty much flawless

Hey they’re a good band

A damn incredible debut

Another incredible debut

I’m screaming

Damn

The energy! The chops!

Liiiiiz

Solid pink, amazing vocals

Go off kings

Girl she’s messy

How good is this

Not my favorite neil

Spooky lil freak

Jagged and edgy and lived in

Love how sludgy this sounds but it is a bit overlong

Love a good production showcase

Walks such a fine line between folk stomp and rock

A wise-beyond-her-years vocal tour de force. De facto her weakest album but so so strong and beautiful

Menacing and cool as fuck

This was haunting and so atmospheric

Truly one of the best

Pretty cool

Fine enough blues rock

Pretty flawless pop punk

Lush and beautifully arranged

Pretty solid, these songs mutate as they go which keeps things dynamic and interesting

I ressslly dug this. Solid Melodies

Equally influenced by jazz as noise and punk. Inventive and brutal.

So great

Jammed full of ideas and sounds and textures. Sounds like discovery

The drama

I LOVED this

I wish I didn’t have such a blind spot for bob Dylan

A classic for a reason, bolstered by two art-punk epics in birdland and land

Loved the flecks of classic rock in this

Tasteful and well composed

Classic

Layered and beautiful

Girl that first song… 😒

Sparser than I remember, so sweet

Layered and immaculately produced

One of the best

One of the best sounding albums ever

Beautifullll

Cool

Regrettably still amazing

What a swan song

The nu-metal ages poorly but otherwise this is great

My vinyl of this is weed green which fees appropriate

Pretty undeniable I have to admit

Pretty incredible

Beautiful and classic

Lo-fi yet full

For my money better than any Beatles album (sorry)

Whyyyy is this so long

Maybe the best guitar tone ever?

Love. This. Album.

Pretty electrifying as far as live albums go

This was fine, nothing hooked me but it was listenable

This is a perfect album

Bomb

Scrappy

Edgy for the time

One of the most incredible voices of all time

Pretty fine!

❤️

A great late album entry

Didn’t do much for me but it was solid

Goofy and high energy but with levels of self-awareness

Go whitegirl go

So soft and sexy

Beautiful and cool

Moody and interesting

Maybe the best of this era of new-new-wave guitar pop

The hoooks

Hell yes

Surprised how much of this I knew

Mamas AND papas? In this economy??

Crazy that this guy is an actor now

I’m so glad I’ve listened to this many times before because my appreciation for it has only grown with each listen

Classic

Nonstop rock

Harumph

Bob Dylan was wrong

I did not care for this

Okay I was skeptical but this was VERY cool

Lame but impressive

Moody and immaculate

Cool

Incredible

Like a party that hasn’t quite fizzled out yet

Perfectly blends 80s and 90s hard rock into something fresh and pummeling

Solid

Amazing

Such a bold record

I really liked this!!

Emotional and raw

Not her masterpiece, but a really solid follow up

Really solid

So great

Conflicted feelings on this one but overall it’s solid

Ya got me billy

Immaculate

The coolest album of all time?

Truly an eerie and haunting media-shifting moment

Solid

So incredible

Mesmerizing

Beautiful

Too bad he’s a rapist

This is so raucous and fun

Truly peerless

So singular and strange

Nearly perfect

The parts of this I liked I really liked

Hmmmm

Amazing

What a debut

Regrettably very good

Not my thing

Yummmm

Sooo insanely good

Haunting in retrospect

Solid

A couple of bangers and a lot of good vibes

Haunting

Coooool

This is good, I don’t get the rapturous reception it received but it’s good

Dreamy

So cool and sensual

A shot across the bow of hip hop, maybe the last truly transgressive mainstream pop act. Unfortunately I find him so annoying and tuneless even despite his obvious talent

Probably my favorite stones record I’ve heard so far

Cooler than I’ll ever be

Kooky and catchy

Confident, smart, singular

I guess she did alright 🙄

So dreamy

Solid

So great

Raucous and emotional

Perfection

Incredible piece of mood setting

I liked this more than any arctic monkeys record

So cool

Loved loved loved this

❤️

Really liked this

Meh

Hey boys

Yeaaah pretty great

Successfully brings the ethos of punk into the new millennium

This rules

Hey this guy is pretty talented

Iconique

A little long but sooo listenable

An aural feast

There are some university good songs on here

I’m just gonna give this a 5 even though a lot of it went over my head. One listen was not enough

This is really great

Lightning in a bottle

I reaaaally loved this

Incredible

Probably the zeppelin album I like most

Classic

I feel like it’s actually brave to sound good?

Cool

Very if it’s time but still solid

Stunning

Very good

One of the defining albums of a generation

Stately

What a talent

Okay sure

Loved this

Chips and hooks and charisma

Pretty cool

Coooool

Could honestly have Modest Mouse’s career

Iconique

Good!

Pretty solid if a little long

Beautiful

Dreamy

Unrelenting and whip-smart

Fire

Pretty cool but it did just sort of wash over me

Assured

Stunning

Sure

Nearly perfect

Beautiful

One of the rightful heirs to the Kate Bush throne

Stellar

Pleasant enough

Rock and roll bb

A pillar of prog rock excellence

Perhaps THE lockdown art

So long, interminably long, but good

Weird as fuck but really good

Genre defining—(how do I still know 90% of these words

Really great

Their opus

Kinda washed over me

Kinda solid kinda boring

Does what it says

Stark and stunning

Cool!

Geez okay guys

Okay this is pretty good

I wish all music sounded like this

Sure

Pretty music but that voice

Okay this does in fact rock

Looooved this. So moody and beautiful

Why is almost every blues album on this list made by a bunch of white guys

Hey this ray guy is pretty good

Fine I guess, didn’t really grab me

Stunning

So great

Okay I get it now leave me alone

A stunning achievement

Plaintive and less “freak folk” than I remember—but still a singular statement

Partyyyy

She does what she does best she gave it a character

Meh

Could not have listened to this on a more perfect day

Pretty gooood

My favorite AF record

A collage of sound

I dug

So singular—you know who it is from the first notes

Too bad that that dude is probably a n*zi

Unfortunately he’s very talented

Interesting to hear them wear their influences so blatantly on their sleeve in this way

She’s amazing

Eclectic and listenable

Captures the mood of a love performance well

Very cool

How did I know all of these songs

My favorite Kate

Pretty goooooood

Tender and romantic

Kind of samey but enjoyable

Bluesy, lush, and emotional

Rough around the edges but instantly recognizable

Why doesn’t Grace just write and sing every song?

Lush and huge

This was actually a gift

Did nothing for me

Solemn and moody

Kinky

Beautiful

Really good

Nothing else has ever really sounded like this

Amazing, like judy garland

Cooool

I didn’t know I knew some of this!

A classic for a reason

An amazing songwriter

Whyyyy is this so long

Really solid stuff

Hot take, good voice!