Outside of my normal headspace but I immediately fell into it.
An all-time favorite. Probably the best alternative country album ever (and Wilco’s last really alt-country record).
Never did much for me, a record I appreciated more than enjoyed.
Liked it much more than I thought I would, since Common generally doesn't do much for me. Overlong, but saved by great production.
More ornate than Pink Moon which was all I knew before, but still well crafted
Knew of fIREHOSE as a Minutemen fan but never really gave them a listen. Some typically solid playing from the rhythm section, and the singer/guitarist is different enough from Boon that they have their own identity. That said, it sounds like an average SST release, and it drags more than a 30-minute record should.
Didn’t click for me. Dated production, some songs grate. Saved by a few decent tracks.
Did not like the singer's affectations or the meandering compositions. I guess baby boomer folk is not my thing. I appreciated the clean, clear production, even if every song would benefit from stripping back the group vocals. An excellent rhythm section elevate the material where they can.
Really refreshing to hear mega-smash singles like “Clocks” outside of their cultural-dominance era to appreciate them for the great pop songs that they are. It starts off with the worst song (which could easily be cut) and there’s nothing quite as good as “Yellow,” but I was digging the understated production and better-than-I-remember songwriting. A really pleasant listen, and I mean that in a good way. Probably an uncool opinion. Who cares
“Sexy Boy” has aged better than a lot of other singles of its era. Air picks a lane and stays there, which makes for a coherent record, even if I don’t see myself revisiting it.
It's hard to find new things to say about this utter classic. Its bleak, past-midnight quality is never oppressive, thanks to clever wordplay and Smith's understated musicianship. For all its influence, it's a modest album - standouts "Angeles" and "Between the Bars" are deceptively simple, and "Say Yes" balances mournful and hopeful so well it makes you want to play it on repeat. Even louder, more aggressive songs like "Cupid's Trick" make sense in context. One of the best records of the 90s.
Haven't really done super-deep dives on any pre-Rubber Soul Beatles records, so this was fun - every song under three minutes and the whole record done in 30. Even the songs I wasn't familiar with were immediately catchy. Rightfully thought of as the pinnacle of this era.
I’m sure the abrasiveness and noise will turn off more than a few listeners, but embracing those is part of the point. They were smart to ease listeners in with the melancholy pop of “Schizophrenia,” while the rest of the songs veer into noisy hardcore pretty quickly. I hate using words like “evocative” but that’s exact what’s happening here, it’s hard to listen to the air-raid siren guitars, doom-y basslines, and intricate punk drumming without picturing a dark, sinister mid-80s Americana, like the Children of the Corn grew up and hid in the city, playing nihilistic noise because it’s all the know. Like a lot of the records of this era I wish the production could be beefed up but apparently the master tapes were destroyed. Just adding to the foreboding mystique at this point I guess.
Queens was pretty well fleshed out from the beginning, this record sounds like it could have come out next to their most recent. For a stoner rock record it has a pretty unique sound, it’s so dry that at times it seems like the band members are playing in different rooms. This does allow the listener to pick out each instrument individually at any given time, which is a neat trick. Has some of their best songs: “Regular John,” “Mexicola,” “How to Handle a Rope,” the record can drag a bit towards the end but overall worthwhile.
I gave it an honest try but most of this record veered between obnoxious and forgettable. “Don’t You Want Me” is a fine single of its era, but it’s obviously the only track they seemed to focus on, everything else is under-written and poorly produced. Or maybe this era of synth pop isn’t for me. Either way this record turned me off.
Okay. There's a lot to unpack here. One of the neat things about this album generator project is I sit down and earnestly listen to records I otherwise would never bother putting on, and something described by Wikipedia as a sample-based Swiss industrial band would generally elicit a "nope" without a second thought. But I did sit down and earnestly listen to this and, well, it's about half what I would expect. Pleasantly surprised that the samples themselves were understated and well-integrated, I think I was initially expecting lots of dated goofiness given that this came out in the late 80s. But they were mostly swirling orchestras that the band seemed to write around - very cool. No, the goofiness comes from the singer, whose fake-gravelly voice almost sounds like a parody of the genre. Similarly off-putting were the tinny guitars, seemingly by design, and the frequent lapses into "spooky"-circus music. I give it points for ambition and originality, but the only parts I really enjoyed were the samples. If you're into this kind of music I imagine it's an easy 5, but I have to grade by how much I honestly enjoyed the listen.
One of the better examples of those 90s records where the band tried a half-dozen different genres. Great sequencing - somehow the hardcore punk tracks don’t clash with the stripped-down sample-based hip hop. Lots of great jazz and funk instrumentals that don’t overstay their welcome. Because of this, in true 90s fashion, it sounds like a well-made mix tape. “Root Down” uses one of the best basslines ever to great effect. At times they drench their vocals in distortion and delay, reinforcing the focus on what sounds good over what would be conventionally expected of them. MCA is the MVP here, from his bass fills in “Sabotage” to the unique “Bodhisattva Vow.” Good stuff.
I’d first listened to Richard Thompson here in Fairport Convention, which didn’t do anything for me. This record is far better from the opening pair of songs, probably the two best tracks on the album. For vocals, to be honest, I prefer Richard to Linda, who’s more natural and less melodramatic. While there are some fine songs in the second half, I found myself looking for something else every time “We Sing Hallelujah” came on.
Somehow I’d never really sat down and listened to this whole album before now. I know a few of the songs - “Jockey Full of Bourbon,” it’s hard not to know “Downtown Train” - but most of the rest was new to me. Tom Waits occupies a unique corner of music, and pop culture as a whole: not quite an outsider artist (he’s too self-aware), not quite a character actor, you hear his songs or see him pop up in a movie and immediately go “oh cool, Tom Waits,” even if what follows is utterly bizarre. Rain Dogs was challenging at times but ultimately I liked it a lot, even if I truthfully preferred “Downtown Train” to some of the junkyard-percussion-filled howlers. It’s a solid and enthusiastic 4, something tells me living with this record for a while would push it to a 5.
It was fun to revisit this one, even if it wasn’t revelatory. It’s about as straightforward as 90s Epitaph punk gets, with double-time drums and probably the same distortion pedal everyone was using. Some tracks really hold up well, especially “Bad Habit” and the singles, featuring memorable lyrics from future PhD Dexter Holland. There are some ska songs of the era that hold up well, “What Happened To You” is not one of them. The 2nd half in general is less memorable in general, and they ape Bad Religion more than I remember, but it’s still a fun listen.
Not being a country fan, this is a tough one to evaluate. I certainly prefer it to anything I've (briefly) heard on country radio from the past few decades. Lynn's voice is expressive, and the guitars all sounds amazing. Can't say I'll reach for it again but enjoyable.
A great album to listen to with fresh ears. Remove every association with classic rock radio, Vietnam movies, state fair cover bands, and just the general collective unconscious in America and this record reveals itself at its own pace. While it's clearly tied to its era there is still a timeless quality, a baked-in warm nostalgia to be played on the next road trip. It was my first time hearing many of these songs but they are all casually killer. Insert an offhand thumbs-up gif here.
It's competently produced and her voice is fine, but the campy broadway-meets-60s-pop songwriting was not to my taste. When the horn section kicks in and it has hints of classic soul I tend to like it, other times it sounds like the schmaltzy Elton John records I tend to skip - there's more of the latter.
This one was tough: I liked most of the songs, they were just so damn long. And 5, 6, 7-minute songs may not be super long in a general sense, but here they felt like it. I thought the first track was wrapping up several times before yet another solo started, straight into another verse. The keyboards sound amazing (when they're not soloing). This would be a great 25-minute record. I'm okay with blasphemy.
I’ve never listened to this record the whole way through before, and it was (mostly) a blast. Compared to other albums of his from this era, this one was maybe a little underdeveloped. A good number of tracks are essentially riffs that stretch out longer than necessary - possibly awesome live, but this is a record. I prefer the radio edit of the title track, not included here, which cuts out the very beginning and end of the song (which nobody wants to hear). Another good double LP that would be a killer single LP.
I listened to Fatboy Slim a fair amount decades ago, but I realized I recognized these songs more from commercials. It might be considered unfair that his music is commodified, but it's a good guess that he's been fairly compensated.
Something is off about this record and it’s hard to put my finger on exactly what. The songwriting is fine, if occasionally dodgy: just about every song seems super long, and sometimes it seems like they’re a collection of just-okay guitar riffs. Several songs are instrumental but aren’t interesting enough to justify. Not a fan of the mix: the vocals are way too high and sound disconnected, the drums are muddy and ill-defined. The middle run of this record is good - “The Wait,” “Kid,” and “Brass in Pocket” at least attempt hooks - but the beginning and end don’t do much for me.
Another classic indie record, I'm sure it's bound to be misunderstood. Not nearly as twee as its reputation might sometimes suggest, the songwriting is robust and clever, the playing dynamic enough that the soft sections are as impactful as the loud parts. A record seemingly unconcerned with appearing cool or having a hit single, it's 10 great, confident songs - makes for a successful record.
Yeah, if ever there were an argument for revising the list of 1001 albums you must hear, it's this unfortunately titled record from Goldie. From the opening 20-minute track that, surprise, does not need to be 20-minutes, it sure does sound like jungle-whatever from 1995. It would be easy to pile on to a genre of music that does absolutely nothing to me, but it's no fun being mean-spirited. I'll just say that there are records from this era that have really aged well, that sound like they could have come out any time in the past few decades, that I could see myself listening to in another decade. This is not one of those records.
Talking Heads almost always take chances with their music, trying out odd songwriting and instrumentation that doesn't always work out. The second half of this record, for example, is only okay. The last two songs in particular I take the needle off the record and move on. So it says something about how good the first four songs are that this album is still a 5. "Once in a Lifetime" has a legit claim to being one of the best songs ever, elevated by fantastic, innovative production. A record that rewards repeated listenings.
A mostly-solid album, and a great example of modern pop-blues. Fantastic opener "Everlasting Light," which makes brilliant use of a few simple parts. Continues with another three amazing tracks before taking a dip. Truthfully, this record is front- and back-loaded. Save a few highlights the middle is kind of a slog, and I could easily see tracks like "Black Mud" relegated to B-side / bonus track status. The 10-or-so great tracks are screaming out for a tighter record to live in.
Hard to push through - not because it was too complex or difficult to figure out. This record is flat out exhausting. I suppose giving Zappa an editor would be missing the point, but when the point is full of grating, jokey speak-singing, I'm happy to miss the point. Which is a shame, because some of the fundamental instrumentation is really great. The guitars are rich and fuzzy, the drums sound like how I want drums to sound. I can certainly appreciate his deep catalogue and obvious work ethic, but I'm not in the club.
This one took me a while to warm up to, but it's a perfect example of an album that's greater than the sum of its parts. Excellent sequencing and crystal-clear production really highlight some strong songwriting and playing. Morrissey's lyrics alternate between being poignantly wounded and a hilarious asshole. Johnny Marr must be one of the most influential pop guitar players ever - rarely (if ever) playing what could amount to a guitar solo, he instead makes some extremely unorthodox rhythm playing look effortless. The rhythm section is similarly un-flashy but rock solid, elevating strong material. "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" are a few of the best 80s Alternative tracks out there. It's rare to find a full album with no filler or songs that need to be trimmed, but it's a classic for a reason.
When it comes to death metal as a genre, I'm about as qualified to judge it as I am to judge a German creative writing competition. Yet here I am, listening to this record called Black Metal, and I'll just say that I don't speak German. So maybe it can be evaluated by historical significance or influence? If so, the shitty production and lyrics about mutant babies and high-fiving demons aren't doing it any favors. It's the musical equivalent of a plotless B-movie gore-fest. I guess sometimes you just want to see some blood, but do you really need to sit through so much of it? This is a long-winded way of saying I didn't like it, it sounded like the work of a bad high-school band who don't have any life experiences to write about.
I listened to this years ago but mostly knew it by reputation, which I can say is well-earned. There's some Velvet Underground in this record's DNA, but it's mostly a dramatic evolution, with orchestrations that compliment the songwriting. A few really excellent tracks, especially "Andalucia" and "Half Past France." Maybe not as enthusiastic a 5 as other records I've given that rating to, but it's more of a grower, which is fine.
Don't think I've ever sat down and listened to a Temptations record before. Production sounds amazing, crisp and warm, it does the slightly disorienting 60s stereo thing where the drums are hard panned to one channel, so it's not a headphones record. Pretty ballsy putting a 9-minute track third, but it mostly worked here. Sounds like it's straddling the line between classic Motown and 70s soul - I preferred the Motown-style tracks. Really refreshing to hear another version of Grapevine that hasn't been played to death
Another cult 60s records that I'm just not connecting with. The A-side, aside from the great "Seven and Seven Is," is full of songs that drag and feel longer than they are, full of harpsichord and flute (which just do not work). The B-side is a single long jam. And it's pretty good! This record works better when they can stretch their muscles, it seems. A full LP side is pushing it though and it doesn't make up for the first half.
There's an amazing EP in here with, yep, the 5-6 singles/radio hits (however you want to count them) - "Just What I Needed," "You're All I've Got Tonight," "My Best Friend's Girl" - all amazing songs, great songwriting and really snappy performances. The rest of the tracks though... "Don't Cha Stop" and "All Mixed Up" are fine I guess? Honestly, compared to the singles, they're filler. And "I'm In Touch With Your World" is awful. It's all obnoxious studio effects and a tedious chord progression. How did this make the cut?
It's... fine? I struggled with this one, because while I liked some aspects of it (they're clearly accomplished musicians), so much of it made me want to turn it off. The band sounds like a pop-metal band that a record executive convinced to make an indie record. Of course, then I look into this band and they seem like the real deal. Maybe it's the lead singer's hair-metal affectations or faux-badass song titles like "Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers," but this sounds like Jet to me.
The real secret to Zep's success was Page's legendary quality control - just about any song on a good Zeppelin record could be a single, and if you were to ask any random music fan about their favorite Zeppelin songs, you'd end up getting wildly different answers from across their catalogue. It's why a largely uncharacteristic record like III works so well - in the end, the largely acoustic folk that comprises about half the record sits surprisingly well next to groove-rockers like "Immigrant Song." Of course it wouldn't be an early Zeppelin record without a super-long blues track, so here's "Since I've Been Loving You," which admittedly does feel less dragged-out than some of their other lengthy blues jams. Fantastic rhythm section - locked-in, never overdoing it. A high point in an album run that was one of the best ever.
Zep's first album is kind of an oddity in their discography - it's a blues album with rock elements, rather than the other way around. "Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown" are classics, but the pacing is kinda off - the first side drags a bit with lengthy downtempo songs, especially when "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" really feels its length. It's refreshing when "Dazed and Confused" finally picks up the pace, and the second side in general is more consistent. Still a crazy good debut, but they have a half-dozen better LPs.
Another album with a stellar reputation that I feel at times like I'm trudging through. It's a draining 41 minutes with a singer who is constantly throwing curveballs. Barrett of course was approaching an unfortunate burnout with this record, and the music is for the most part unsettled and uneasy. Piper does have some stellar tracks, especially "Lucifer Sam" and "Chapter 24." "Interstellar Overdrive" takes a great riff and then almost immediately decides to test our patience. It turns out 9-minutes of mostly atonal noodling is something I'm not super into. Same goes for "Bike," which, yeah, I'll pass.
