Jun 27 2024
View Album
F♯ A♯ ∞
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Wow. What a fine choice, and a perfect album to get as my first "extra" album after finishing the project. If this is any indication of the albums I'm going to hear from this point on, I am so ready. Minimalist, unsettling and hauntingly beautiful with a cinematic feel. This is a movie I would love to see.
5
Jun 28 2024
View Album
Racine carrée
Stromae
Catchy and often foot stompingly fun, with a level of nuance and substance I don't typically expect in this type of music. I fully expected to tire of this quickly, but it gets more interesting as the album progresses. I feel like this album fills a couple of the many gaps on the original 1001 list, both for post-millennial dance pop and music from non-English speaking artists. I like how Stromae takes musical ideas that feel very traditionally "French" and flips them around, incorporating world music sounds to make them current and add depth.
Fave Songs: Tous les mêmes, Ave Cesaria, Papaoutai, Carmen, Humain à l'eau, Quand c'est ?
3
Jun 29 2024
View Album
I Am
Earth, Wind & Fire
Vibrant, funky and unabashedly earnest in a way few artists can get away with. If you're in need of a little positivity in your life, you really can't go wrong with a little Earth Wind & Fire. Slightly uneven in quality from song to song, but when the band gets it right this absolutely cooks. "After the Love Has Gone" is a soft soul ballad for the ages.
Fave Songs: Boogie Wonderland, After the Love Has Gone, Let Your Feelings Show, You and I, Star
4
Jun 30 2024
View Album
Dogrel
Fontaines D.C.
Interesting enough album, sounds like something that might have come out 25 years earlier. Make what you will of that. Vocals frequently fall flat.
Fave Songs: Too Real, Television Screens, Sha Sha Sha, Hurricane Laughter
3
Jul 01 2024
View Album
Zuckerzeit
Cluster
This is so cool. Thanks for sharing it. Whimsical and strange with an occasional undercurrent of menace. Minimalist, but rich with nuance. This is an underheard album in the Krautrock-verse, but it's a really excellent listen and highly influential. You can hear echoes of this music in pretty much every electronic band that followed it.
Fave Songs: Fotschi Tong, Caramel, Marzipan, Hollywood, James
4
Jul 02 2024
View Album
Bloody Kisses
Type O Negative
Musically this is fine, if a bit silly. Stylistically scattershot with dumb lyrics and comically bad vocals. "Kill All the White People" kind of rocks though.
Fave Song: Set Me on Fire
2
Jul 03 2024
View Album
Nail
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
Melodramatic and outrageous in a fun way, but a little goes a long way. The band's name was kind of extreme back in the day and suggests a different kind of listening experience, but the album itself is mostly a haphazard industrial sound with psychobilly leanings. The instrumental bits are very good, but they don't really fit in with the rest of it.
Fave Songs: The Overture from Pigdom Come, Anything (Viva!), The Throne of Agony, Descent into the Inferno
3
Jul 04 2024
View Album
Rêver mieux
Daniel Bélanger
Overall a very pleasant listen, but a bit slow moving. I was ready for it to be done well before it was over, but I enjoyed it.
Fave Songs: Fugue en sol inconnu, Dis tout sans rien dire, Fous n'importe où, Te quitter, Dans un spoutnik, Chante encore
3
Jul 05 2024
View Album
Continuum
John Mayer
Not quite my thing, but I agree that this should have made the original list just based on how ubiquitous and popular John Mayer was at that point in time. Affable, easygoing and well-produced, with some highly listenable singles. The Hendrix cover was a valiant but bloodless effort, which would have been best left as an outtake.
Fave Songs: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, Belief, Waiting on the World to Change, Gravity, Stop This Train
3
Jul 06 2024
View Album
The Best of The Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings
Louis Armstrong
Are we really doing box sets here now? I feel like if you can't single out a full album by an artist, they probably don't need to be a part of this discussion. To be clear, this was top notch as a collection of songs, but a great album needs to be more than just a collection of songs. I do appreciate your desire to fill a gap in the albums from the original list, which I think a lot of us have done with our personal choices. Musically this is pretty excellent, but after 4 hours I can't remember most of what I've heard.
Fave Songs: Potato Head Blues, Chicago Breakdown, Wild Man Blues, Melancholy Blues, The King of the Zulus (A Chit'lin' Rag), St. James Infirmary, Weather Bird, Muskrat Ramble, Cornet Chop Suey
3
Jul 07 2024
View Album
Don't Say No
Billy Squier
Great choice! I was excited to see this one, not because I think it's the greatest album ever, but because it belongs here. Don't Say No was wildly popular when it came out and its songs have become a staple of classic rock radio over the years. Whether you like him or not, Billy Squier is a huge part of the rock sound of the early 80s, a sound that the editors of the 1001 list have made a point of ignoring completely.
Tight hook-laden production, with a strong pop sensibility that also rocks surprisingly hard at times. Billy Squier is a compelling, swaggering frontman who also knows his way around a guitar. Sort of a polished take on Led Zeppelin, but in the best ways.
Fave Songs: The Stroke, My Kinda Lover, In the Dark, Lonely Is the Night, Whadda You Want from Me, Nobody Knows
4
Jul 08 2024
View Album
Version 2.0
Garbage
Energetic, catchy and mildly trippy. Enjoyed this quite a bit.
Fave Songs: Special, You Look So Fine, I Think I'm Paranoid, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing, Sleep Together, Temptation Waits
3
Jul 09 2024
View Album
1, 2, Kung Fu!
Boy Azooga
This was fun. Clever, briskly paced and stylistically diverse in a way that feels really effortless. A lot of moving parts that shouldn't necessarily work together, but they do. Thanks for introducing me to this.
Fave Songs: Waitin', Jerry, Face Behind Her Cigarette, Losers in the Tomb, Hangover Square, Loner Boogie
3
Jul 10 2024
View Album
Don't Throw Stones
THE SPORTS
I love a good pub rock/power pop deep cut, so I really enjoyed this. Also a good example of an Aussie band, something the original list mostly ignores. Crisp and mildly punchy, with a strong pop sensibility. Solid choice.
Fave Songs: Don't Throw Stones, Thru the Window, Who Listens to the Radio, Worst Kind, Step By Step, Suspicious Minds
3
Jul 11 2024
View Album
Daisies Of The Galaxy
Eels
This was really good. Swings deftly from quirky to contemplative, with a rich musical palette. Much better than the Eels album that made the list. Thanks for sharing.
Fave Songs: Estate Sale, Daisies of the Galaxy, Flyswatter, Wooden Nickels, It's a Motherfucker, Mr. E's Beautiful Blues
3
Jul 12 2024
View Album
Piledriver
Status Quo
This was a fun listen. Riffy and bluesy with occasional moments of loveliness. The unexpected diversions into other musical styles are what make this album work.
Fave Songs: All the Reasons, Unspoken Words, Paper Plane, Big Fat Mama, A Year
3
Jul 13 2024
View Album
Nurture
Porter Robinson
Fizzy, blippy and charming in its best moments. But I find the manipulated vocals to be really annoying.
Fave Songs: Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, Lifelike, Wind Tempos, Dullscythe
3
Jul 14 2024
View Album
Blink-182
blink-182
In spite of my disinclination to like it, this album won me over like a crooked smile. It's well made and a genuinely fun listen, if not mind blowing. Great energy, strong hooks, and some surprisingly lovely sounds here. There's also way more musical depth than I might expect on this type of album. But I will never enjoy those vocals.
Fave Songs: Stockholm Syndrome, Asthenia, Down, I Miss You, Always, The I'm Lost Without You, All of This
3
Jul 15 2024
View Album
Re
Café Tacvba
This was a pretty fun listen and a welcome addition of a Mexican artist. Thanks for recommending. Interesting, diverse collection of songs. A little stylistically scattershot for my taste, and the vocals don't always land. But when they get it right, this is pretty great.
Fave Songs: Madrugal, Esa Noche, Las Flores, El Baile y el Salón, El Puñal y el Corazón, 24 Horas
3
Jul 16 2024
View Album
A City Dressed In Dynamite
That Handsome Devil
I liked the darkly idiosyncratic vibe of this album. But while this has all the pieces of something that I would enjoy, they don't quite fit.
Fave Songs: Treefood, Wintergreen, Squares, Damn Door, Cry
3
Jul 17 2024
View Album
El Circo
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
Happy to see another cool Mexican artist that completely got ignored on the original list. This was so much fun. Ha, I like how they start out with the classic Ranchera sound before going full ska on us. Engaging sound, with strong energy and drawing on a rich musical palette. Really enjoyable.
Fave Songs: Kumbala, Querida, Un poco de sangre, Pachuco, Un gran circo, Mare
4
Jul 18 2024
View Album
Night Drive
Chromatics
I love the slick, moody, atmospheric vibe of this album. There's something not quite right about Ruth Radelet's vocals though, which are overly soft and lacking in depth. This style of music is still right up my alley though, and I would listen again.
Fave Songs: Let's Make This a Moment to Remember, Tomorrow Is So Far Away, Healer, Running Up That Hill, Tick of the Clock
3
Jul 19 2024
View Album
Funeral Dress
Wussy
This is so great. Rough-hewn but frequently gorgeous, with jangly arrangements and a hint of a burn. I'm really not a fan of Chuck Cleaver's vocals, but combined with Lisa Walker, the pair has an off kilter charm that's really engaging. Thanks so much for sharing.
Fave Songs: Crooked, Funeral Dress, Humanbrained Horse, Don't Leave Just Now, Motorcycle, Soak It Up
4
Jul 20 2024
View Album
McDonald and Giles
Ian McDonald
Creative, stylistically far ranging and full of surprises. Also a little meandering and self-indulgent. Frequently brilliant.
Fave Songs: Flight of the Ibis, Birdman, Is She Waiting?
4
Jul 21 2024
View Album
Stranger In Town
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
So, I'm from Michigan (aka Segerland). I grew up during Bob Seger's peak years, when these songs were all over the place. He's probably still playing on one of my hometown radio stations as I write this. I also was a teenager during Seger's uncool years, when I wouldn't touch his music with a 10 foot pole. And, based on the sheer number of postpunk albums that landed on the official list, I get why Bob Seger and most his contemporaries were pretty much ignored. I grew up though, and it turns out I was wrong about him.
Leaving this album off the official list was a dumb oversight. Not only is this a genre and era-defining album, but it's also exceptionally good. I agree that one of the live albums would also been more representative of Seger's work, but this one is a pleasure to hear. It's a tight, endlessly entertaining 39 minutes of music, packed with classics. This is windows down in the summertime music of the best kind, full of earnest emotion, spot-on musicianship, and hooks for days. There are a couple of soft spots on the back half, but when he gets it right, it's brilliant.
Fave Songs: Still the Same, Feel Like a Number, Old Time Rock and Roll, Hollywood Nights, We've Got Tonite, The Famous Final Scene, Till It Shines
4
Jul 22 2024
View Album
Peasant
Richard Dawson
Musically this is fine, but the contrived tunelessness is heavy-handed and a chore to listen to. But Richard Dawson's vision is well-executed and the album is not without its charms. Thanks for suggesting something different, which I always appreciate.
Fave Songs: Scientist, Shapeshifter, Herald, Weaver, Soldier
3
Jul 23 2024
View Album
Control
Pedro The Lion
Great grungy-indie sound with a perfectly executed concept, if frequently dragging in pace. The lyrics read like bad poetry to me. A really good listen though; I would not have minded seeing this on the official list. Thanks for suggesting it.
Fave Songs: Options, Magazine, Rehearsal, Second Best
3
Jul 24 2024
View Album
Frosting On The Beater
The Posies
Great choice. I listen to a lot of power pop, so I've long been peripherally aware of the Posies. But this is the first time I've really sat with this album. It's another one of those genres that was mostly left off the official list, and Frosting on the Beater is a good example of power pop from the 90s that should have been included.
This album is full of many of the attributes of the best power pop - pleasant melodies, engaging vocal harmonies, and a bit of an edge to offset the prettiness. The weak spot is that it's lacking any truly memorable hooks, either musically or lyrically. Still a great album, and there are a few tracks here that I'd like to continue listening to. Thanks for sharing this.
Fave Songs: Flavor of the Month, Burn & Shine, Coming Right Along, Love Letter Boxes, Earlier than Expected, Dream All Day
3
Jul 25 2024
View Album
Before These Crowded Streets
Dave Matthews Band
I've never particularly been a DMB fan, but they are one of those artists I absolutely expected to see on the original list because they deserve to be there. Thanks for sharing.
I can't compare this to other albums in Dave Matthews' discography, but it was a really solid listen. Creative and well crafted, with rich instrumentation and thoughtful lyrics. Still not a fan of Matthews' vocal style, which is weirdly overwrought at times. Arrangements feel multilayered, loose and improvisational, sometimes to the point where it really just gets too busy. Enjoyed "Crush." Loved "Spoon" and "The Stone."
Fave Songs: Spoon, The Stone, Crush, Stay (Wasting Time), Pig, The Dreaming Tree, Don't Drink the Water
3
Jul 26 2024
View Album
Wild Planet
The B-52's
So much fun. I've been a big B-52's fan since forever and this album got massive amounts of play in my house when I was a teenager. I agree that it will always play second fiddle to the band's debut, which was nothing short of lightning in a bottle. While the original feels vibrant and effortless, Wild Planet comes off as a little try-hard by comparison. They're better musicians at this point in time, but a bit of the spark is missing.
That said, there is still so much to enjoy here. The album has the band's trademark oddball sensibility that draws from a lot of styles while at the same time sounding absolutely like nothing else. It's danceable and gleefully weird party music that's hard not to like. Sassy vocal performances by Fred, Kate and Cindy. Lyrics are unabashedly silly in the best way.
Fave Songs: Private Idaho, Give Me Back My Man, Dirty Back Road, 53 Miles West of Venus, Runnin' Around, Strobe Light
4
Jul 27 2024
View Album
The Hazards of Love
The Decemberists
I wasn't particularly inclined to like this, but it was really good. This a well crafted, thematically compelling concept album/rock opera, with several songs that are strong enough to stand on their own. Manages to fit in neatly with the sound of the time in which it was made, while drawing as well on prog and folk rock influences that give it a hint of a vintage vibe. Yes, this could have been 2-3 songs shorter, but I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
Fave Songs: The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid, The Hazards of Love 4, Won't Want for Love, The Hazards of Love 2, The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing
3
Jul 28 2024
View Album
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
This was very good, if a bit lacking in stylistic cohesion. But there's enough of a fairly straightforward rock and blues sensibility underneath that keeps it from wandering completely into the weeds.
Fave Songs: Talk of the Devil, Mary Jane, I Was Cool, What's the Point of Leaving, Flames
3
Jul 29 2024
View Album
Englabörn
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Really beautiful. Rich, yet minimalist sound. Thanks so much for sharing.
Fave Songs: Sálfræðingur, Ég Sleppi Þér Aldrei, Jói & Karen, Englabörn, Odi Et Amo
3
Jul 30 2024
View Album
Maestro
Kaizers Orchestra
Oh, very nice. Great sound, great energy. Language barrier notwithstanding, this was a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing!
Fave Songs: Blitzregn baby, Jævel av en tango, Delikatessen, Dieter Meyers Inst., Señor Flamingos Adieu, KGB
3
Jul 31 2024
View Album
Piñata
Freddie Gibbs
Well-crafted and engaging, with an assertive but easygoing flow. Lyrics are vivid and grim, and a bit much for my taste.
3
Aug 01 2024
View Album
A1A
Jimmy Buffett
Great summer listening. 70s country rock with an easygoing, likeable vibe that grows on you as the album progresses. Thanks for sharing.
Fave Songs: Tin Cup Chalice, Stories We Could Tell, A Pirate Looks at Forty, Presents to Send You, Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season, Nautical Wheelers
3
Aug 02 2024
View Album
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
SOPHIE
This is such a striking work, one of the more interesting things I've heard from the past 20 years. Lovely and melodic one moment, aggressively unsettling the next. I find some of the vocal manipulation to be grating, but this album has a level of creativity you don't get to hear much nowadays. Thank you for sharing.
Fave Songs: Is It Cold in the Water?, Faceshopping, Ponyboy, Infatuation
3
Aug 03 2024
View Album
Because the Internet
Childish Gambino
Wow, there's a lot going on here, but this is fun, creative stuff.
Fave Songs: Flight of the Navigator, V. 3005, Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night), Pink Toes, Telegraph Ave.
3
Aug 04 2024
View Album
Ænima
TOOL
Yeeeah, this should have made the original list. Nuanced, adventurous and deeply dark. Thanks for sharing.
Fave Songs: Stinkfist, Forty Six & 2, Eulogy, H.
3
Aug 05 2024
View Album
Blue Is The Colour
The Beautiful South
Beautiful South is one of those bands I've always liked well enough when I heard them, but have never taken the time to explore. So this was a nice album to get. This is really charming, smartly made pop, that has aged quite well. I tend to prefer Paul Heaton's vocals to Jacqui Abbott's, but it's all good.
Fave Songs: Blackbird on the Wire, Have Fun, Alone, Rotterdam (or Anywhere), Mirror, Artificial Flowers
3
Aug 06 2024
View Album
Dimanche à Bamako
Amadou & Mariam
So lovely. Rich, diverse sound that's pleasing on the ears. Thanks for sharing.
Fave Songs: Camions Sauvages, Artistiya, M'Bifé Balafon, Djanfa, La Fête au Village, M'Bifé, M'Bifé Blues
3
Aug 07 2024
View Album
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Tally Hall
Frequently quirky, occasionally catchy and pleasant. Attempts to be lyrically clever fall flat more often than not. This feels like a band who took all the wrong lessons from a bunch of artists who are more talented than they are. I struggled a bit between the 2 and 3 on this one. It has its moments, and I generally appreciate Tally Hall's oddball sensibility. But, more often than not, I also find these guys to be pretty insufferable.
Fave Songs: Greener, The Bidding, Spring and a Storm, Be Born
2
Aug 08 2024
View Album
Boys And Girls in America
The Hold Steady
I mean, this was great, musically on point, very enjoyable. I'm guessing THS kills it live. More than a little derivative, but it was a fun summer listen.
Fave Songs: Stuck Between Stations, Hot Soft Light, Party Pit, Chips Ahoy!, Massive Nights
3
Aug 09 2024
View Album
Kick
INXS
Oh, thank you for suggesting this one. Australia was done dirty on the official list with very little representation, and INXS was one of those bands I was just waiting for that never showed up. Although I find that the band's best songs are scattered over several albums, Kick is certainly the one that best belongs on the list because it was so hugely successful. It was everywhere in 1987 and many of these songs have deservedly become classic rock staples.
These are great songs, catchy and confident and beat forward. The album also skillfully toes the line between straight rock and post punk in a way that made it massively appealing in its time. Michael Hutchence is a compelling front man who balances bravado and smoldering moodiness in a way that's rare this side of Jim Morrison. If you have the benefit of having experienced this album during its MTV heyday, you know of which I speak. Some of that is lost without the visuals, but Hutchence still has a way of reaching through your speakers with a charisma that few front men have. That little whisper at the beginning of "Need You Tonight" still gets me [*blushes*].
For all the heat of Kick's best songs, beyond the singles the album is filled out with bouncy rockers that were more than serviceable in 1987, but maybe aren't particularly notable all these years later. But where the band gets it right, they're pretty fantastic. Even in its least exciting moments, this is incredibly fun and one of the great guitar pop/rock albums of the late 80s.
Fave Songs: Never Tear Us Apart, Need You Tonight/Mediate, Mystify, New Sensation, Devil Inside
4
Aug 10 2024
View Album
Fuzz
Chucklehead
Oh this was fun, groovy and energetic. The vocals are not quite strong enough to hold up against what's going on musically though. On the whole, this was an interesting listen. But if I'm going for funk at all, it's going to be old school, not these guys.
Fave Songs: Bozack, Retrosexy, Day Job, Tug Boat
3
Aug 11 2024
View Album
The Lion's Roar
First Aid Kit
My goodness this is lovely, one of my favorite user submitted albums so far. Earthy and dreamy, with gorgeous harmonies and abundant charm. I didn't spend nearly enough time with this today, but I am definitely coming back to it. Thanks for recommending this.
Fave Songs: Emmylou, In the Hearts of Men, The Lion's Roar, I Found a Way, King of the World, Dance to Another Tune
4
Aug 12 2024
View Album
Transatlanticism
Death Cab for Cutie
Great concept, and musically spot on, with thoughtful lyrics. The vocals land flat with me though.
Fave Songs: Transatlanticism, Lightness, Title and Registration, The New Year, The Sound of Settling
3
Aug 13 2024
View Album
Discosis
Bran Van 3000
Stylistically a bit scattershot and confusing. Vocals are pretty flat and the use of sampled/guest parts don't always feel organic to the music.
Fave Songs: Astounded, Loop Me, Discosis, Predictable
2
Aug 14 2024
View Album
Come And Get It
Rachel Stevens
Post-millennial dance pop that delivers, more than you might reasonably expect it to. Catchy, well-produced, easy on the ears. Rachel Stevens lacks a certain amount charisma compared to other singers in the genre, which makes all of this less than memorable, but it's still perfectly likeable stuff that I didn't mind hearing at all.
Fave Songs: Crazy Boys, I Will Be There, Secret Garden, Funny How, All About Me
3
Aug 15 2024
View Album
St. Jude
Courteeners
Well-made British Indie that is catchy, energetic, entertaining. Would listen again.
Fave Songs: Bide Your Time, Cavorting, What Took You So Long?, Aftershow
3
Aug 16 2024
View Album
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
Arctic Monkeys
Well-crafted and richly arranged. I would not have guessed Arctic Monkeys had this kind of album in them, so this is a pleasant surprise. The shtick wears a bit thin by the time all is said and done, but I enjoyed it.
Fave Songs: Four Out of Five, Star Treatment, One Point Perspective, American Sports, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
3
Aug 17 2024
View Album
Goat
The Jesus Lizard
No frills, hard rocking, strategically noisy. I'm not a huge fan of the whole "low in the mix" approach to the vocals, and it's probably for the best if you don't try to decipher the lyrics. But I still enjoyed this quite a bit, and would listen again. Thanks for recommending it.
Fave Songs: Rodeo in Joliet, Mouth Breather, Nub, Then Comes Dudley, Seasick
3
Aug 18 2024
View Album
"Awaken, My Love!"
Childish Gambino
Excellent. Funky, spacey, creative and deeply nuanced. A little soft on the back half, but I really enjoyed it.
Fave Songs: Baby Boy, Me and Your Mama, Have Some Love, Stand Tall, Redbone, The Night Me and Your Mama Met
3
Aug 19 2024
View Album
Carolina Confessions
The Marcus King Band
Soulful, well-made blues rock. Rich with influences, to the point where it almost sounds like something out of another time. Runs out of steam a bit before all is said and done, but I still enjoyed this a lot. Thanks for recommending it.
Fave Songs: Where I'm Heading, Goodbye Carolina, How Long, Homesick
3
Aug 20 2024
View Album
Nightbirds
LaBelle
Ohhhh, Nightbirds. You know, I'm sure everyone here had a similar experience while working our way through the official 1001+ albums list. You probably had a mental list of albums you just expected to be there, and as the days ticked away on the project, many if not most of those albums eventually showed up. Then there were the ones that didn't make it… that's why we're still here, right? Nightbirds is one of those albums for me. It was kind of an affront to my heart that it was excluded. It's not a perfect album, no. But it's a rare album that can move me emotionally and also make me want to move my body. I love it more each time I hear it.
70s albums in the soul-funk-disco realm are a real mixed bag, especially those made by women artists, to the point where there aren't many great ones that you want to hear all the way through. There's a reason why so much of this music is experienced by way of compilations. This album is different. It comes in like gangbusters with one of the most unique and memorable songs of its era and doesn't let go until the last note. "Lady Marmalade" is a blazing comet of a song that stands out from the rest of the album, but the deep tracks offer their own kind of musical journey, leading into some fascinating places. The intertwining vocals of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash alone are insanely powerful, a kind of a whirlwind of sound that takes my breath a bit every time I hear them.
Nightbirds defied genre somewhat in the time that it was made, drawing from gospel, pop and R&B, with a foundation of New Orleans funk and a glam rock shimmer. Cited as a foundational album for disco in particular, the album still has far more substance than much of what came after it, combining fierce, female-centered joy with sizzling sensuality and gorgeous moments of emotional vulnerability, laced with a social conscience. The charisma and rich vocal prowess of LaBelle, Hendryx and Dash is elevated further by the serious musical talent backing them up, including Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, and other members of the Meters. That kind of lightning in a bottle is hard to replicate, something LaBelle themselves were never quite able to achieve. But this is a total package of an album that delivers on every level.
Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Lady Marmalade, You Turn Me On, Are You Lonely?, It Took a Long Time, Somebody Somewhere, What Can I Do for You?, Space Children, Don't Bring Me Down, Nightbird, All Girl Band
5
Aug 21 2024
View Album
Go Farther In Lightness
Gang of Youths
Musically this was quite nice, with an emotional earnestness to the lyrics that's appealing if sometimes heavy. I find the pace to be somewhat plodding, but this improves by the back half of the album. "Achilles Come Down" was really lovely, reminding me of something you might hear by Rufus Wainwright. Thanks for sharing.
Fave Songs: Achilles Come Down, Atlas Drowned, Let Me Down Easy, What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?, Le réel, Le symbolique
3
Aug 22 2024
View Album
Tomb
Angelo De Augustine
A little goes a long way with those vocals, but this was really lovely. A dreamy, melancholy, fall day kind of a listen. Thank you for sharing.
Fave Songs: You Needed Love, I Needed You; Time; Bird Has Flown; A Good Man's Light; All Your Life
3
Aug 23 2024
View Album
Live in San Francisco
Thee Oh Sees
The choice of a live album was the correct one here. Pure, incandescent punk energy of the best kind. I would not have minded if it were shorter, but that's a minor critique. Thanks for sharing this.
Fave Songs: The Dream, I Come from the Mountain, Tidal Wave, Toe Cutter Thumb Buster, Web
3
Aug 24 2024
View Album
Relatives in Descent
Protomartyr
Musically, this captures many of the proper notes of old school post-punk, but the vocals don't really do it for me. I don't know if it bring anything new to the table, but it was pretty good.
Fave Songs: A Private Understanding, Here Is the Thing, The Chuckler, Don't Go to Anacita, Half Sister
3
Aug 25 2024
View Album
Nonagon Infinity
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Raucous contemporary psychedelic-prog that is musically on point and never loses an ounce of energy from start to finish. But I lost interest somewhere in the middle.
Fave Songs: Robot Stop, Big Fig Wasp, Gamma Knife
3
Aug 26 2024
View Album
Apostrophe(')
Frank Zappa
Playfully irreverent, frequently inappropriate, musically brilliant. It gets a little silly for my taste at some points, but when this is good, it sizzles. Not Zappa's best, but still a lot of fun.
Fave Songs: Uncle Remus, Apostrophe', Cosmik Debris, Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
3
Aug 27 2024
View Album
Loss
Mull Historical Society
Perfectly pleasant, melodic, quirky, well-made Indie pop that's easy on the ears. I don't know how much of this I'll remember, but this was a solid listen.
Fave Songs: Instead, This Is Not Who We Were, Watching Xanadu, Barcode Bypass
3
Aug 28 2024
View Album
Oncle Jazz
Men I Trust
This was a great album to get on a late August day. It's like the music is melting. Lovely sound, with strategically placed moments of distortion that keep it from getting too sweet. This is also way too long for what it is. I lost interest well before it was over, but there's a lot to like here.
Fave Songs: Found Me, Pines, You Deserve This, Norton Commander, All Night
3
Aug 29 2024
View Album
Weezer
Weezer
This is actually the first album I tried to submit, but you beat me to it and I had to pick another album. I guess great minds think alike! I was a junior in college when this album came out. It fit in perfectly with the time in which it was made, yet also stood out starkly against the mood of everything else that was going on. It's melodic, but noisy; casually cool, but deeply nerdy; ironic, but big-hearted; seemingly straightforward, but slyly complex. This is music that's catchy and charming and incredibly relatable on a basic level, but with an approach to songcraft that's so much smarter than it pretends to be. It's a nearly perfect album, one that still sounds as crisp and compelling as it did the day it was made. Its omission from the official list has me side-eyeing this whole project. I mean, how?
Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Buddy Holly, Only in Dreams, Say It Ain't So, Undone - The Sweater Song, The World Has Turned and Left Me Here, My Name Is Jonas, Holiday, In the Garage, Surf Wax America, No One Else
5
Aug 30 2024
View Album
Super Ape
The Upsetters
This was fantastic, thanks for sharing it. Deep, sonorous, chill to the point of being almost trancelike.
Fave Songs: Dread Lion, Zion's Blood, Three in One, Patience, Black Vest
3
Aug 31 2024
View Album
Watch Out!
Alexisonfire
Musically this is pretty tight, but I can do without the "unclean vocals." IMO, that style of vocal would work better if they went harder musically.
Fave Songs: Side Walk When She Walks, Accidents, Control, No Transitory
2
Sep 01 2024
View Album
People
The Burning Hell
Musically this was fine, and lyrically too clever by half. Vocals didn't do a thing for me.
Fave Songs: Sentimentalists, Grown Ups, Wallflowers, Travel Writers
3
Sep 02 2024
View Album
Forced Witness
Alex Cameron
Alex Cameron is one of those artists that Spotify is always trying to make me listen to. I've never felt much either way for his music that I've heard, but this album was pretty good. Musically, it's highly listenable and Cameron's vocals are fine, if unremarkable. I get what he's doing with the scuzziness of the lyrics in contrast to the general pleasant sound of the album; I just don't particularly care for it.
Fave Songs: Runnin' Outta Luck, Candy May
3
Sep 03 2024
View Album
I And Love And You
The Avett Brothers
Lovely and melodic with a vaguely rootsy sound, but this could have used a stronger vocal. Starts off well but meanders stylistically, and ultimately just hangs around for too long.
Fave Songs: January Wedding, I and Love and You, Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise, Tin Man
3
Sep 04 2024
View Album
Carrie & Lowell
Sufjan Stevens
Musically spare but elegant, with a contemplation of memory, mortality and grief that's almost too hard to take as a listener. This is really beautiful, thanks for sharing it.
Fave Songs: Death with Dignity, Should Have Known Better, Eugene, No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross, The Only Thing, Fourth of July
4
Sep 05 2024
View Album
Sailing The Seas Of Cheese
Primus
I have always enjoyed this album. It's a standout in an era full of standout music, and there's nothing else like it on the planet. Funky and metallic, mildly crass and gleefully weird, with true technical mastery and off the rails creativity. I also think it's an incredibly well balanced album. The songs are perfectly placed so that the hard rocking parts complement the more virtuosic parts, punctuated just enough with the silly bits, each element flowing effortlessly into the next. It's been a good 30 years since the last time I listened to this all the way through, but I'm happy to report it has aged really well. Thanks for sharing it!
Fave Songs : Jerry Was a Race Car Driver, Tommy the Cat, Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers, American Life, Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II), Here Come the Bastards, Sgt. Baker, Is It Luck?
4
Sep 06 2024
View Album
A Live One
Phish
Okay, then. So, this was fine, not a bad album per se. It's well executed as live albums go and the musicianship is solid. It's one of the better live albums I have heard, production-wise. And I get it that Phish is one of those bands that's better experienced through their live music. But you know what, for all the apparent talent the band has, only a true believer would want to sit through 2+ hours of them. If you're not already a fan, this album will absolutely not win you over. Much of it ended up being a blur in the end.
Fave Songs: Bouncing Around the Room, Gumbo, Montana
3
Sep 07 2024
View Album
Korn
Korn
One positive thing about doing the 1001+ project is that I got to a point of real clarity about my own tastes in music. I decided that certain artists just aren't for me. Korn is one of those artists. To each their own, right?
I'm not going to rip on this album though, like I did with Follow the Leader. I actually think this is the much better album of the two and it probably should have been the one to make the original list. While FTL struck me as gimmicky and excessive in all the wrong ways, this album shows some thoughtfulness that is missing from the band's other work. Musically the band is tight and as a cohesive group of songs, this album is a pretty listenable. Jonathan Davis' vocals are on point, and far less annoying than I expected. I'm not coming back to this, but I'm glad I had a chance to consider the band in a different light. Thanks for recommending this.
2