User Albums Journey
Exploring beyond the book, one album at a time
View 1001 Albums Summary252
Albums Rated
3.41
Average Rating
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2020s
Favorite Decade
Soul
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
30
5-Star Albums
7
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ultra Blue
Hikaru Utada
|
5 | 2.56 | +2.44 |
|
10,000 gecs
100 gecs
|
5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
|
Emotion
Carly Rae Jepsen
|
5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
|
Up
Great Big Sea
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Please Don't Take Me Back
Martha
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Deep Down Happy
Sports Team
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Mad Dogs & Englishmen
Joe Cocker
|
5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
|
Continuum
John Mayer
|
5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
|
Come On Over
Shania Twain
|
5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
|
Brat
Charli xcx
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stage Four
Touché Amoré
|
1 | 2.87 | -1.87 |
|
Symbolic
Death
|
1 | 2.71 | -1.71 |
|
Eye
Robyn Hitchcock
|
1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
|
Korn
Korn
|
1 | 2.62 | -1.62 |
|
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire
|
1 | 2.48 | -1.48 |
|
Alive Or Just Breathing
Killswitch Engage
|
1 | 2.47 | -1.47 |
|
Nail
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
|
1 | 2.42 | -1.42 |
|
Go Farther In Lightness
Gang of Youths
|
2 | 3.29 | -1.29 |
|
People
The Burning Hell
|
2 | 3.19 | -1.19 |
|
The Evil One
Roky Erickson
|
2 | 3.17 | -1.17 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Daft Punk | 2 | 5 |
| Bon Iver | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Alexisonfire | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| blink-182 | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (30)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
HELLYEAH
2/5
It was mildly horrifying to learn that there’s a country, hard rock, nu metal supergroup. Like the traveling wilburys but for music that’s bad. And the music is bad, like as cringe as you’d expect for something like that. Unfortunately alcohaulin ass will be a guilty pleasure for me from now on.
14 likes
Daft Punk
5/5
This is the rare live album that actually enhances the listening experience by being live. It really feels like you’re at one of the best dj sets of all time where every song is club classic as soon as it starts. It’s even better when you’re high.
8 likes
Oingo Boingo
5/5
Hey this is my submitted album! I suppose this is a good time to explain why I chose this one. It wasn't an easy choice but I wanted something that was undeservedly left off the list while also having a low chance of having been chosen by someone else. Obviously, everyone criticizes weezer and neutral milk hotel being left off and as much as I personally love stuff like 100 gecs I don't think it quite deserves inclusion on the list so I settled on this.
Not only is this a childhood favorite of mine but I think danny elfman deserves at least some representation on this list. This album in particular is the best of 80s music and is endlessly catchy and relistenable for me. Weird science is great but I like the title track and no one lives forever even more. Honestly, this is the closest thing to hyperpop like 100 gecs I can think of for the 80s which also might be a factor. Who cares if some of the songs are a bit long or the production gets overwhelming, that's the fun of it.
8 likes
Anaïs Mitchell
4/5
I get major theater kid vibes from this pick despite this technically being the concept album version. It’s a good album though with a solid mix of jazz and blues applied to Greek mythology which is super unique. Also why we build the wall feels a bit too literal now despite it being written almost two decades ago.
6 likes
Screaming Females
4/5
At this point I’ve accepted that I’ll enjoy basically every female punk rock album that I get on this list. Listening to this was a nice hit of crack for me.
5 likes
1-Star Albums (7)
All Ratings
4/5
This is my first user album and I’m excited by this concept because I’m expecting some great albums that even I noticed were missing alongside some total shitpost bullshit.
As for this one, I definitely liked it more than the eels album on the list but I also only really remember novocaine for the soul, which was better than any songs on this one. Tiger in my tank was my fav from this one.
Courteeners
4/5
This was a fun one! Definitely a millennial that just really liked this in his formative years and wanted it on the list, not meant as a criticism. It was just a solid 2000s alt rock killers type album.
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
3/5
Not one but two songs that have been completely separated from its origin. We got ladyfingers the most nostalgic/romanticized tik tok sound and whipped cream which I’ve heard a million times but never really thought of too much. Overall not bad.
Oingo Boingo
5/5
Hey this is my submitted album! I suppose this is a good time to explain why I chose this one. It wasn't an easy choice but I wanted something that was undeservedly left off the list while also having a low chance of having been chosen by someone else. Obviously, everyone criticizes weezer and neutral milk hotel being left off and as much as I personally love stuff like 100 gecs I don't think it quite deserves inclusion on the list so I settled on this.
Not only is this a childhood favorite of mine but I think danny elfman deserves at least some representation on this list. This album in particular is the best of 80s music and is endlessly catchy and relistenable for me. Weird science is great but I like the title track and no one lives forever even more. Honestly, this is the closest thing to hyperpop like 100 gecs I can think of for the 80s which also might be a factor. Who cares if some of the songs are a bit long or the production gets overwhelming, that's the fun of it.
Extrechinato y Tu
3/5
Sure why not. Poems set to Spanish/rock fusion are cool I guess.
The Jesus Lizard
2/5
This is one of those albums just like scum by napalm death that I can't say I liked but I couldn't stop listening. It's the kind of post-hardcore punk that makes me feel like I'm in the movie Green Room and gives me the urge to take a shower but something keeps me from turning it off and idk what.
Nuyorican Soul
4/5
This might be one of the more eclectic songs I've heard even counting the main list. Went from sault-type soul to pure jazz a little disco like on runaway, which was also a banger of a song. Thought this one was pretty fun.
Wussy
4/5
I have a well documented soft spot for girl rock like what was on most of this album and I couldn’t resist this. 00s indie rock will some gems like airborne on here.
The Decemberists
5/5
This started out as almost too generic 2000s indie rock but man it really picked up in the middle third. Leaned more into garage rock stuff then ended with some country-type stuff all with great lyrics and great vocals. I guess the later parts of the album being stronger makes sense with the concept since it starts as kinda bland happy music when the couple meets then pretty intense grungy stuff as they argue with the Queen and deal with the other lady then bittersweet at the end when they drown themselves. So pretty cool from that perspective. Wanting comes in waves and hazards of love 4 were my favs which are also the two biggest plot points I guess.
The more I listened the more I loved this actually. Like I can’t stop listening to it now.
Savages
3/5
I loved this album in theory. It's female rock stuff with great instrumentals but something about it didn't work for me. I started to get tired of it halfway through and it felt way longer than 40 minutes but I'm not sure what exactly it was. I think it's because the vocals didn't really change much through the whole thing and stuck with the operatic modern heavy rock sound.
The B-52's
4/5
Kinda crazy that someone listened to 1089 albums over 3 years and chose another B-52's album that also doesn't have love shack on it lol. This was good B-52's music but not terribly memorable except for give me back my man and maybe private Idaho.
Honestly I just wanted to get back to listening to the hazards of love because holy fuck its only gotten better.
Rachel Stevens
4/5
This was some great mid 2000s pop. One of those where I didn’t have a bunch of standout songs (except nothing good about this goodbye) but I really enjoyed my time with it from start to finish.
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
4/5
This was like Mexican Debo. Super funky and catchy rock that was a great time throughout. Mare was my fav song.
Tame Impala
5/5
This was a defining album of my college experience despite it coming out when I was starting high school. I get why it’s not included in the main list but I’d fully expect to see it there 10-15 years down the line because it’s awesome. Let it happen, only go backwards, and new person old mistakes are all classics and the rest is great too.
100 gecs
5/5
Lmaooooo im so glad someone used their user album on a 100 gecs album and I didn’t use mine on 1000 gecs (the superior of the two albums imo). This my or may not be a troll pick but idc because I genuinely think their music is great in its own right. Hyper pop to the extreme that’s very short and diabetically sweet because if it went a minute past 30 minutes it’d probably be too much. If you don’t like it go back to listening to Neil young for the millionth time grandpa. I love basically all the song but Hollywood baby is my fav
***also I said only go backwards instead of less I know the better in my currents notes which is kinda embarrassing oopsie.
Dave Matthews Band
2/5
I hope this one was an actual troll because someone who chooses a 70 minute long Dave Matthew’s album that doesn’t even have any of his big hits on it deserves to be drawn and quartered. This was so boring and the more edgy heavy vibe does not work with Dave Matthew’s.
Snarky Puppy
4/5
I had really high expectations for this because I wanted it to sound awesome when I was stoned but it just sounded alright—except for sleeper which was great. I still really liked it as a jazz fusion album but it wasn’t mind blowing like I was hoping which is on me for being to hopeful I guess.
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
1/5
This is either a shitpost or a submission by the most pretentious man who ever lived. Like I get that it’s super eclectic and goofy or whatever but that doesn’t make the shitty final sound and god awful vocals worth it. Oh wow you put in the hall of the mountain king in your weird song congrats. There’s literally an interlude that’s just metal chairs dragging on the floor and pots clanging.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
This is definitely some divorced dad who fell in love with this as a kid and decided to add it to the list because there’s no reason for this to be here even if it’s a good live album. Yes it’s energetic and exciting and he’s a good performer or whatever but I don’t need more Bruce Springsteen in my life. My last 2 user albums are making me very scared that the next 100 albums are all gonna be lame 70s rock stuff a bunch of boomers have fond memories of.
Jóhann Jóhannsson
3/5
I appreciate the explanation of why the user chose this album because it made me rethink what I was expecting from the user albums. I've been getting mad at these boring bruce springsteen live albums and 80s shitposts but my personal enjoyment of my user pick heavily influenced my choice. I was kinda thinking about danny elfman being left off the list but there's no shortage of new wave and I just really liked it. After listening to 1089 albums I think we've earned the right to pick whatever we want to add to the list and if foetal wheel or whatever is their pick then so be it and it's just something I'll have to endure until i get to something like the decemberists again.
Either way, I agree that modern classical is underrepresented on the list and this is definitely a good example of that even if I found it somewhat boring. His scores are better but I appreciate someone trying to fill a gap in the list with something even they aren't a massive fan of.
Boy Azooga
4/5
This was a super fun one. Just some solid contemporary indie rock. It's very eclectic and some of it blurs together for me but I really liked the last song and I listened to the album radio for about 4 hours while I worked on law school applications lol.
Protomartyr
3/5
This felt like something straight out of the early 80s. Pure post punk that I didn’t love but it wasn’t terrible I guess. It all blurred together but that was kinda by design on this one with each song running into the next.
Louis Armstrong
4/5
What a hoot hollering good time. I was playing this while I did chores and walked around and it was super motivating and made me feel like I was walking through Central Park in the middle of the day in the 1940s.
Jimmy Buffett
3/5
I’m glad I finally heard some non-margaritaville Jimmy Buffett music but unfortunately I thought it was bland easy going soft rock for the most part. It just sounded so generic to where I felt like I’d heard this album a million times on the main list. However, the last song was catchy and fun and the highlight of the album.
blink-182
5/5
I remember hating the blink-182 album that’s on the list so I’m baffled why they didn’t choose this one instead. It has all of their hits, still holds up today, and is a pretty important album of the 90s so why not choose it. Everyone knows all the hits from this so I won’t repeat them here but almost everything rocked on this album. This would’ve gone even more crazy if I had been born 15 years earlier or discovered this when I was like 14. Also pretty decent walking around the park high music surprisingly.
Richard Dawson
4/5
Apparently avant- garde for this album means a pleasant folk album with some great tracks with an occasional spurt of bullshit noise. Really liked ogre and the end of masseuse but overall enjoyed the mix of medieval folk with more modern vibes. Like I think I heard a synthesizer a couple times.
Gotcha!
3/5
Before I talk about this album I wanted to mention that I’m dumb for being so glib on Siamese dream way back when I got it. I’m listening to mayonaise and idk how I could’ve ever not loved it. I said today was overrated but man now that it’s almost fall it’s great.
This was good but not great. Definitely interesting mix of funk and hip hop but obviously not American. Higher was my fav.
That Handsome Devil
3/5
What an odd album. It’s very hard to describe because it’s a mashup of like 10 disparate genres. Like there’s Tom waits type stuff mixed with hip hop and some psychedelic stuff almost and I don’t even really know what rockabilly is but just hearing the word describes the music tbh. Not something I’d listen to regularly I don’t think but will def remember.
Procol Harum
3/5
What an odd album. It’s very hard to describe because it’s a mashup of like 10 disparate genres. Like there’s Tom waits type stuff mixed with hip hop and some psychedelic stuff almost and I don’t even really know what rockabilly is but just hearing the word describes the music tbh. Not something I’d listen to regularly I don’t think but will def remember.
Men I Trust
4/5
It’s weird to get an album that I’ve never heard before yet feel very familiar with. Men I trust is all over the bedroom pop playlists that I use to relax, study, and/or sleep so I’ve never actually listened to them as an artist until now. Honestly I think they work better as a part of a genre playlist because while I love bedroom pop like this, this was overlong and got slightly monotonous in a way that a playlist doesn’t. Still enjoyed it all the way through but was kinda impossible to stay actively listening the whole time.
Also congrats to the submitter for being a generational music hater. Spent 3 years listening to 1089 albums they apparently hated except like 20 of them. I need to look at submitter projects more often.
Thee Oh Sees
4/5
This was a unique live album. Probably one of the rawest albums I’ve heard throughout almost the whole list because you really get the vibe that they’re in a sweaty abandoned building going crazy to their like 9 fans. Super hardcore but very bluesy and grungy.
Garbage
3/5
I vaguely remember the garbage album on the list so I’m pretty sure it’s pop punk dance type stuff and this felt more electronica and techno but still similar to the first album. Nothing stood out too much to me but I’ve been very outspoken on my enjoyment of this type of female rock. The thirteen cover would make a cool duet with the original tho.
Roger Waters
4/5
According to the wiki, this movie is basically the B side to the wall and after listening to it I couldn't agree more with everything the wiki said. Picking the wall to be the pink floyd release was definitely the smart commercial move because this is a bit more out there and has a weirder concept than the wall. However, there's some stuff on here that far outshines almost everything from the wall like the title track and gone fishing. Really interesting album that I think does a pretty good job of bringing across the oddness of a bad? dream.
Amadou & Mariam
4/5
I'm glad there's still world music like this in the user section because this shit slapped the same way that songhoy blues slapped. Honestly don't have much else to say about it. I could definitely tell Manu Chao helped out and really liked the first track.
Marillion
2/5
this was some of the blandest music I've heard throughout the entire list. I can guarantee I will remember nothing about this except that it's the most unmemorable stuff I've ever heard. Definitely feels like an album someone's parents had and they just happened to latch onto this one for no reason other than it being the first thing they threw in their boombox as a 10 year old.
Haley Heynderickx
4/5
Usually I don’t like folk music like this but something about this one worked for me. Well written with haunting/beautiful production and vocals what more could u ask for. Not many songs stuck out but was a solid half hour overall
Garmarna
3/5
I busy most of the day so couldn’t listen to it all the way to the end but I got the gist of this album after like the second song so I don’t feel bad writing this without having heard the last couple songs. Traditional swedish folk songs turned into a modern rock album; fun sound and concept.
Bon Iver
4/5
I’ve only ever listened to for Emma so it was cool to hear non wistful sad stuff and listen to cool electronica type stuff instead. Fun to listen to while high too.
Billy Squier
3/5
I’m surprised this wasn’t on the main list because there were a million other bland 80s power rock albums on there that were far less deserving of this. This might be the quintessential bland pop rock album but it also has the stroke which is still a great hype song. Glad someone chose to include this.
Alex Cameron
4/5
I came to like this more as I listened to it but the more I listened the angrier I got about there being no Weird Al on the list. I'm glad that there was a decent number of comedic albums on the main list and this was a good user pick but I hope someone chose any weird al album at some point. Sure his music is more outright parody but if Beatles ripoffs can make the list why can't he.
Anyway, this had some great 80s pop production with basically every song being morally gross in one way or another, mainly predatory on underage girls. Studmuffin96 is a banger of a song that I feel bad enjoying so much but hey it's obviously a joke and plenty of the albums on the list were made by people who actually did the things in these songs so who cares.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Just as worthy of being on this list as illinoise imo. Great songwriting Great singing and a great time to listen to it in mid October. Death with dignity was my fav.
The Mountain Goats
3/5
This has grown on me since I listened to it. At first I was rolling my eyes at the shitty sound quality and the rest of the production and vocals but the more I think about it the more I think it fits the lyrics and overall vibe they're going for. As someone from Nebraska, it captures the feeling of growing up in a small rural area pretty well even if I didn't relate the exact things they were singing about.
The Avett Brothers
3/5
My basic ass mother in law loves the Avett brothers and now I know why because this was incredibly bland. Just like her Christmas food, this album didn’t taste terrible at first but kick drum heart was the turning point into the actual chewing and swallowing of unseasoned green bean casserole. That was a somewhat tortured metaphor but you get the idea, I hope whoever chose this after listening to 1089 albums enjoys their mac and cheese and chicken strips while they watch the Big Bang theory reruns.
Korn
1/5
I’m sorry I can’t be bothered to force myself to listen to over an hour of Korn. At least follow the leader had freak on a leash but after 20 minutes of yelling I decided it wasn’t worth it for a user album. If I missed some amazing Korn song in the second half of this I think I’ll live.
Stromae
2/5
French rave music. If you're into this kinda stuff I'm sure it's great but not for me.
Adam Green
2/5
Okay comedy albums are fun sometimes but they can get old. This one just rubbed me the wrong way because it wasn't particularly fun to listen to and was more vulgar than funny to me.
Sublime
3/5
This was a classic 1001 albums experience. An album I've heard about but never got a chance to listen to that has a couple classic songs and introduces me to some I never would've heard on my own. While I wouldn't say this is a great album and this streak of crass, crude records is getting old, I could at least enjoy what i got santeria and caress me down (a middle school classic for me). I also had no idea that this is the original doin time instead of the much superior lana del rey version.
Hikaru Utada
5/5
I listen to Japanese city pop every once in a while but every time I hear it or something similar I find myself enjoying it even more. This is shit was so good. Mix of j pop and early 00s dance pop; sounded greag while I was high.
blink-182
2/5
After enema of the state I thought I’d heard enough blink 182 on this list and that’s pretty much how I still feel after hearing this. Less exciting than that album and where are you isn’t enough to make it worth it. Less punky than before and more mature in a not good way.
Gurrumul
3/5
There's some really cool orchestral/African fusion stuff on here but the whole time I was listening to it I couldn't stop wondering who loves this so much that they'd put it on this list. Most of the other albums I can see why it would be someone's fav but this is by far the most niche. Glad it's here because its an interesting album but still befuddling to me.
Bad Religion
3/5
This definitely felt like a nostalgic/sentimental pick. Punk with a bit of a country twist that didn’t really resonate with me but was interesting to listen to.
Salif Keita
3/5
I didn’t really get anything out of this but it was only 16 minutes so there’s not much for me to even say or have a feeling about.
Steven Wilson
3/5
There were a couple interesting mixes of 70s and modern prog rock but overall it was just whatever. I’m beginning to realize that it’s hard to sit through these 70 minute albums when they don’t even have the 1001 album stamp of approval. At least there I’m guaranteed some reason for why I should listen to it beyond “some guy thought it was really good”
Joan As Police Woman
4/5
This one was good. Reminded me of a more modern joni mitchell even though joni still holds up. I really liked anyone.
They Might Be Giants
2/5
For some reason I always associated they might be giants with the 2000s indie crowd like car seat headrest or neutral milk hotel but after hearing this one my assumptions must be totally wrong. This was closer to like the bare naked ladies than anything else.
My Chemical Romance
5/5
I honestly don't get why this was left off the main list. It was the anthem for a whole culture in the 2000s and has great crossover rock appeal. The title track is like the weakest hit out of the album imo because dead, teenagers, i dont love you are all even better. It's the peak of emo rock before it became annoying screaming like bring me the horizon. Thank god 9/11 happened because we wouldn't have this album without it.
Bran Van 3000
4/5
This is by far one of the most eclectic albums I’ve gotten on this list. It felt like every genre from the 70s to 00s was showcased at some point. Loop me in was my fav.
Tally Hall
2/5
Ajr ass theater kid ass music even if I secretly enjoyed a couple tracks I hated the experience.
Marillion
3/5
when I got this I thought “marillion sounds vaguely familiar I wonder if I’ve gotten an album from them” and when I looked my review of the other album said it was the most forgettable music ever so I guess I was right. This was also pretty whatever but slightly better I guess.
The Posies
3/5
This was a nice enough 90s grunge/alt album. One of those like the first queens of the Stone Age album where the slow songs at the end is my favorite part for some reason.
Fontaines D.C.
3/5
This was just as uninteresting to me as all of the main list post punk albums except this one doesn’t sound like it was recorded in a basement with radio shack equipment, which makes it lose what little charm it could’ve had.
Sampha
4/5
It’s been a rough 24 hours after the election but at least this album was really good. It was like a less whimsical/goofy version of thundercat. Lyrics were great and the production is right up my alley.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
3/5
This falls in the category of albums I’m glad I listened to and will never ever revisit. It was a solid hour of unsettling atmospheric ambient music and nothing I really need to hear again.
Sunny Day Real Estate
2/5
This is the type of emo that I’m not a huge fan of. It doesn’t have the excitement or power of something like my chemical romance and just sounds like a bland 90s grunge/indie rock album
THE SPORTS
2/5
Yeah whatever. Seen it a million times by now
The Alan Parsons Project
3/5
Alan parsons read an Edgar Allan Poe collection and was inspired to make a completely passable 70s prog rock concept album about it.
Café Tacvba
4/5
I was skeptical of the “Beatles white album of Latino music” but honestly it mostly lived up to that. I’m not a huge fan of the white album in the first place so the expectations weren’t super high but it was an eclectic mix of genres just with a Hispanic twang to all of it. The heavy metal song wasn’t even my fav but it was the most memorable one just because it caught me off guard.
Madvillain
5/5
Absolutely deserves to be on the list and is one album along with stuff like daft punks discovery whose exclusion undermines the credibility of the list in general. It had cultural impact, is a unique hip hop album in basically every aspect, and objectively rocks. I don’t even personally love this album but I can acknowledge how good it is.
The Burning Hell
2/5
Okay I’m ready to declare a plague of cutesy, clever, insufferable albums on the user list. From this to Adam green to even Alex Cameron and 100 gecs who I liked it feels like a majority of these albums are just goofy more than anything else. There’s nothing wrong with that on its own it’s just turning into the user version of the over saturation of new wave and post punk on the main list. Taken on its own I just wasn’t into the Cake-like vocals and I didn’t find the lyrics to be particularly funny like I think I was supposed to.
Death Cab for Cutie
4/5
I’ve always heard good things about death cab for cutie and specifically this album but never listened to it until now, and I gotta say the hype was real. Very early 2000s indie music that’s endlessly listenable and fun. Enjoyed the first couple tracks the most.
Type O Negative
4/5
Every time I thought I had this album figured out it ended up taking another totally unexpected turn. I was settling in for heavy emo rock at first but it started as a mix of like 5 finger death punch and Depeche Mode THEN got to the heavy Metallica stuff before becoming somewhat more mainstream rock and ending with a fucking sitar. Probs wont listen again for a long time but definitely memorable if only for the Halloween song and the death to all white people song.
Childish Gambino
5/5
2:04 me and your mama tells you all you need to know about this album.
King Tubby
3/5
Ambient 70s reggae was a nice change of pace from the type of stuff I’ve been getting recently.
The Lumineers
4/5
I’m very susceptible to the stomp claps of this album. The lyrics are cringe tragedy and it definitely sounds like a 2010s album but goddamn if sleep on the floor and Ophelia aren’t total bangers. They’re so good they carry the rest of the album.
Also just realizing that there’s not much difference between this and Noah kahan.
Freestylers
3/5
I think I’m starting to become nostalgic for the main list because usually when I would get a breakbeat electronica album like this I’d get a sense of unease but now the memories of actually listening to them aren’t as bad to me, even tho I know I was mostly annoyed as I listened (anything by the prodigy is excepted from these feelings). This one was whatever, not terrible not something I’d listen to again and I’ve already forgotten most of the specifics of it. I remember a lot of it being very beastie boys sounding.
Debbie Gibson
3/5
This is the most 80s album I’ve heard in a long time. Mainline, unadulterated Olivia newton-john type 80s pop. Shake your love was my fav.
Susanne Sundfør
3/5
At first I thought this was gonna be a gillian welch type country album but then it went in about every direction a singer-songwriter album can. It started country but went into folk, jazz, fantasy, even ambient stuff at times which was cool.
The Marcus King Band
3/5
I got really excited when I saw southern rock but was mildly disappointed when I realized it was the slower, quieter, bluesy stuff instead of the black keys/gary Clark jr type garage sound that’s super heavy on the electric guitars. This was still good tho don’t get me wrong.
Jimmy Eat World
4/5
This is about what I expected from a Jimmy eat world album. It has one of the best anthems of the 2000s then one or two other hits then the rest is pretty alright 2000s alt rock.
Mogwai
3/5
Shoegaze ambient post rock type stuff. Not bad.
Daniel Bélanger
4/5
It’s been a while since I’ve had some good French music like this. Not ambient house or any weird shit, just solid French music.
MF DOOM
5/5
Equal parts dumb skits and the best production you’ve ever heard on a hip hop album. I get why the inserts are there but man sometimes I just wanna hear the good shit. Guinnessez and rapp snitch knishes are my favs.
Freddie Gibbs
4/5
Once again Madlib proves he can do no wrong and the flow of every verse on this album is great but there were also quite a few corny lyrics (mainly the La song) and in general I didn’t vibe with it as much as the Mf doom I’ve been getting recently. I think watts is my fav, I think
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
For coming out in 2018, this sounds quite a bit like a Covid album. Stripped back production with the lead singer just singing about whatever problems they see in the world. Wasn’t a huge fan of this and honestly am just waiting until AM shows up.
The Tragically Hip
4/5
Very much an album of its era and its genre. One of the reviews called it educated rock and I couldn’t agree more. The neutral milk hotel brand of turn of the century indie rock.
Chucklehead
4/5
The first song made me think this was a shitpost album but it actually turned out to be ultra 90s funk which was pretty fun to listen to. The typical 90s production tropes made the 70s funk style sound new and fresh and somehow not that dated.
Frank Zappa
4/5
This was more great Frank Zappa music. I get why the main list chose hot rats over this but this one also had some bangers mainly uncle Remus.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
It's earth, wind, and fire; of course it's good.
Phish
2/5
I listened to this for the entirety of one balatro run then tapped out. Didn’t need to listen to another hour of some of the blandest music ever. I get why the Grateful Dead has a huge live following but I don’t really get this. Like it doesn’t sound bad and would probably be fun to hear live but idk man, listening to it on my couch sucked.
Porter Robinson
3/5
Why is this on here? Lo fi beats to chill/study to ass music. Maybe if I was a cringe theater kid when I was in middle school I’d appreciate this more.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
3/5
I was worried this was gonna be 100% generic singer songwriter boredom but the middle chunk was pretty good country music which made it bearable.
4/5
It’s definitely overlong in a genre that’s overdone now but honestly this was fine by me from start to finish. Yeah I zoned out a couple times and a few of the songs were duds but there were also some pretty good ones like lovex3 so I can’t complain.
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
3/5
Wow this might be the most blatant Beatles rip off I’ve heard. Like it’s straight up taking bits and pieces of each Beatles album and mixing and matching and sometimes just emulating. It’s not bad music but it feels so derivative.
Bloc Party
4/5
This was a fine 00s alt rock album that was simply outshone by its contemporaries. Like this is what you listen to when you’re tired of the strokes and lcd soundsystem. Forever destined to have helicopter be the song people hear on Spotify playlists and think “that was pretty good” then not save it.
Ani DiFranco
3/5
This was a weird/interesting one. It felt like a split between fiona apple and gillian welch or something. Very punkish rock mixed with singer-songwriter folk. I didn't love it but was glad to have listened to it.
The reviews reminded me that alanis morrisette is another great comparison for this. So thanks user reviews.
4/5
I’m beginning to see a trend of 90s alt rock type stuff like this in the used albums which makes me think that this user base is skewed toward hipster millenials and pretentious music redditors. Don’t get me wrong this music is good but the overrrepresentation of user picks is definitely insightful.
Igorrr
3/5
This music is total bullshit but for some reason I found myself enjoying it. It’s arty heavy metal dubstep and I liked the production of it even tho it’s tacky and the screaming is annoying. Americans had skrillex in the 2010s and this is the French equivalent I guess.
Kano
3/5
There’s the lil simz and the dizzee rascal brand of British rap. This one falls in the latter category which is a bad thing but is at least listenable (even if it still sucks) unlike dizzee rascal.
Hombres G
4/5
Great album to get when you’re on vacation in the Dominican Republic. No notes
Chet Baker
4/5
The quintessential sultry, smoky, noir lounge music. I just imagined I was Humphrey bogart solving the mystery of a missing New York socialite and it fit the vibe perfectly
Switchfoot
4/5
I would probably be pretty down on this dated lame pop punk stuff but it hit different listening to it stuck in the Atlanta airport at 10 pm for some reason.
Primus
2/5
Yeah this was weird and annoying hardcore funk or whatever. Maybe I’m just basic but I want my fucky noise to be cool and groovy and fun and not staccato and harsh.
Arthur Russell
3/5
This is what I imagine Jack Dorsey or Aaron Rodgers listening to when they’re doing weird ayahuasca experiments in the wilderness. I wasn’t into it but I think if I did any intense hallucinogens I’d either love it to the point of it positively changing my life or hate it to the point of ruining my life. Also why does every song abruptly end.
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
4/5
I loved old time rock and roll as a middle schooler and I’m sure that’s the main reason why it’s on this list but the rest is just alright. Bob seger has a great voice and the production is like a cozy unchallenging blanket but I’ve heard songs like Hollywood nights and even old time so many times that I can get more excited about hearing the whole album.
Calibro 35
3/5
I yoyo’d between enjoying and hating this album from track to track. It started okay then I didn’t love the rap stuff then it just became interesting instrumental contemporary funk stuff but there were still some annoying bits that kept me from really getting into it.
I got a solo flea song once the album ended and I had no idea he made shit like this so that was pretty cool to hear.
Ty Segall
4/5
I listened to this while doing a shitload of chores at 11 pm and it kept me going the whole time. Honestly can’t even speak to the quality of the music except that I was vibing out to it the whole time. I remember being glad that it was just a straight up garage rock record and not some weird French funk metal thing or whatever.
John Mayer
5/5
John Mayer is a very interesting person to me because I perceive him as a total cultural pariah despite not knowing of anything bad he did because it was before my time. Like his controversies page on Wikipedia isn’t even that bad in this age of Trump. Just a fascinating example of cancel culture before that was really a thing I guess.
Anyway this album rocks and I love this type of blues pop stuff in general. Gravity is an all time song for me whenever I’m sad and the rest of it is like a massage for my inner ear.
Anaïs Mitchell
4/5
I get major theater kid vibes from this pick despite this technically being the concept album version. It’s a good album though with a solid mix of jazz and blues applied to Greek mythology which is super unique. Also why we build the wall feels a bit too literal now despite it being written almost two decades ago.
The War On Drugs
4/5
This was a solid listen. Everything you could really want from modern indie rock music for this style. While this might not be super memorable for me it made me relisten to the x albums after this ended and came out with a lot more appreciation for those. Honestly excited to relisten to this in a couple days and see what I think then.
Valerie June
5/5
I started listening to this and loved it, got high and loved it even more. Just immaculate voice and immaculate vibes from start to finish.
Weezer
4/5
I’ve been expecting this one for a while. On the subreddit it’s probably the most talked about for being left off the list and for good reason. Even if I don’t love this album it had a huge cultural moment and weezer ruled a huge chunk of the alternative scene in the 90s plus songs like say it ain’t so and buddy holly are still popular today. I don’t get why this got left off.
Mull Historical Society
4/5
At first I thought this was gonna be shitpost given the name and the first ~minute of the album but it turned out to be pretty enjoyable. A really nice indie rock/alternative type thing. Instead and I tried are my favs.
Angelo De Augustine
3/5
I normally don’t have a problem with wispy sad indie music like this but this one didn’t do it for me. It was elliott smith non over stuff but without the unique vocals or writing that makes those artists stand out.
Kaizers Orchestra
4/5
This was a decent change up from the past week or two. Just some Swedish alt rock out of nowhere is fine by me especially when it’s fun like this one was.
Robyn Hitchcock
1/5
After that Swedish rock thing this was a change of pace in a bad way because I could’ve gone without hearing another folksy political British/Irish album like these for a very long time.
INXS
4/5
I was surprised by how many 80s hits were on this given that I’ve never heard of inxs. Like I’ve heard the big hits and like them but never knew the artist really. Also the album cover looks like a 90s hip hop r&b thing.
Chappell Roan
5/5
Thank you to whoever put this on the list. I love this album and honestly think that this and brat could make it on the real list in a couple editions. The 80s anthem influence mixed with creative songwriting and a charismatic vocalist are the reason two songs from this album were on my spotify wrapped this year.
Damien Rice
3/5
Honestly got too high when I listened to this and don’t remember much of it. I vaguely recall the last song being really different from the rest of the album but that could also have just been whatever song came on after the album ended lol. It was alright, I think?
Khruangbin
4/5
Ambient blues. It was a nice groovy listen.
Stars
4/5
This reminded me a lot of death cab for cutie. I had the chance to do a second listen of this today and each song got better on relisten. I was also playing balatro the first time and probably wasn't paying as much attention as I should've.
Amon Düül II
2/5
The vocals on this album are so ass that it prevented me from enjoying any other part of this album.
Vampire Weekend
4/5
Can’t hate vampire weekend but I also never get into their music as a lot of other I know that listen to them. They’re catchy and fun and all but something about them doesn’t fully click with me. Don’t get me wrong this was still a good listen.
Mustafa
4/5
It’s been a while since I’ve had such a huge disconnect between my expectations from the covert art and the reality. I was expecting contemporary hip hop but got a lowkey singer songwriter type thing instead. It was a nice snack but didn’t really stick with me.
Cardiacs
3/5
This was better than I expected it to be by taking some fun turns into pep band and bombastic theater sounds. Still not sure if the second disc was super necessary.
Childish Gambino
4/5
Once again there's a childish gambino album that has some cool stuff on it like 3005 but it also feels like Donny Glover couldn't resist putting quirky, dumb bullshit in there too. Either way, probably only needed awaken, my love on the user list.
The Weeknd
4/5
While I'm more of a Starboy person because that's the one I saw live and was informational to my early high school years, I have to admit that this one has more sauce. The 80s synth sound--while he can't quite escape Michael jackson--really fits his voice and it sounds great. Blinding lights, save your tears, heartless are all super fun hits.
Killswitch Engage
1/5
I'm sorry this kind of music sucks and I can't even listen to it objectively. The double whammy of cringe and screaming is just too much.
Graham Parker
2/5
This sounded so generic I felt like I’d already listened to it despite never having heard of graham parker.
I now realize why it’s so familiar because it sounds exactly like the dozen Elvis Costello albums I was made to listen to on the main list.
Crash Test Dummies
4/5
This one really grew on me. I was uneasy about the disturbed-esque baritone vocals at first but it turned out to work really well with the indie soft rock kinda vibe. Swimming in your ocean was my fav, had some great lyrics too.
Shania Twain
5/5
Drunkenly going nuts to man I feel like a woman on my 21st birthday is a core memory for me so I can’t really give this any less than a 5. The rest of the songs are good too.
Josh Ritter
3/5
At this point I’m getting tired of describing the albums so I remember what they are later so I’m just gonna say this was a decent 45 minutes of listening.
Chromatics
3/5
I only know chromatics from their awesome song on the twin peaks revival and this isn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was hoping for vaporwave like shadow is but this was more electronica with some ambient stuff. It was fine and the running up that hill cover was interesting but it was a bit too long with quite a few songs that didn’t really add much to the album.
Screaming Females
4/5
At this point I’ve accepted that I’ll enjoy basically every female punk rock album that I get on this list. Listening to this was a nice hit of crack for me.
Tori Amos
3/5
Very unmemorable to me. As in I can barely remember anything about it since I listened to it like a day ago.
The Chats
4/5
This was a refreshingly pure punk rock album. Just half an hour of energetically complaining about whatever mundane shit annoys these guys in their daily lives.
Pedro The Lion
4/5
Is this the guys from the doves? The vocals sound very similar but the music is more rock centered overall. I ended up liking it quite a bit particularly magazine and second best.
Jai Paul
4/5
For being incomplete this sounded really good. Bedroom pop type stuff with electronica vibes too.
Neutral Milk Hotel
5/5
This is one of the expected ones to the point where I honestly just assumed I had already gotten it on the user list. Not much I need to say about the actual album. It slaps
GAS
3/5
Idk what it was about this one but I hated it so much in the first 20 minutes that I was about to dnf it before skipping ahead a bit and kinda enjoying where the album ended up. It’s no aphex twin but it definitely set a mood.
Jellyfish
4/5
This is one of the weirdest albums I've heard not because it's experimental or anything but because it somehow pulls off combining a billion different sounds and eras of popular music. Sometimes it sounds like the Beatles, sometimes it's high school musical, sometimes it's queen, sometimes it's a barbershop quartet but it all mostly ended up working for me. A couple songs were a bit too much but the picking up a falling star song was really good.
Streetlight Manifesto
2/5
I didn’t so much enjoy this as I did tolerate it for 47 minutes. It wasn’t bad enough for me to turn off but I was glad when it ended.
Faith No More
2/5
Really don't think this one needed to be added when the official list Faith No More album is far superior in every way and this one lowkey sucks.
Jeff Rosenstock
4/5
Sometimes I think I’m going crazy and hear Elvis Costello in every rock album I listen to on this list because I heard it here and nearly had a violent response until I realized that I was actually enjoying the music. It’s like a power pop rock that has yelling without being grating. We begged to explode and staring out the window were my favs.
The Upsetters
4/5
Reggae has been hit or miss for me through the whole list but I quite enjoyed this one. Very groovy and fun without getting annoyingly repetitive.
The Amazing Devil
2/5
Okay so why do I like that decemberists hazards of love album but not this. Like why is hazards of love a great concept album but this sounds like theater kid cringe to me. Must be something with the production since this sounds like it’s from a stage musical but my ears rejected this even though the sound isn’t that far off from music that I really enjoy.
Kayo Dot
4/5
Somehow this managed to beat the stigma placed on it by being avant- garde metal with jazz and noise rock inspos by being actually good and interesting to listen to. It had melodies and actual sounds beyond grating screams. Also, it probably helped that I listened to this while reading through all of trumps new executive orders because it fit the vibe pretty well.
Koritni
2/5
-Look at the cover art
-looks like lame rip off of megadeth
-listen to first 15 seconds
-it’s a lame rip off of megadeth with less metal and more lame rock sound
-keep listening, nothing changes
-turn off
Shudder To Think
2/5
This album restored balance in the world because after liking an avant garde post rock jazz album I get this post hardcore bullshit that I don’t like at all.
Alexisonfire
2/5
My best friend loves this band and we normally have similar tastes in music but this is one that I’ve never been able to get into no matter how many songs he recommends. This album was just as lame with the power screamo emo thing going on this I’ve never liked.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
4/5
King gizzard is one of those bands I always meant to start listening to but never got around to it so I’m glad the list finally forced my hand. I’m also pissed because this was really good and I should’ve gotten into it sooner.
Sparks
4/5
I remember listening to this when I watched the sparks documentary and thinking tryouts for the human race was a criminally underrated song. Now, after over 3 years of this list, I continue to think that except I disagree that it’s what created techno music like the documentary said. An equally worthy submission to kimono my house except kimono probably showcases more of the sparks than this one.
LaBelle
5/5
I listened to this while I was high and it was a heavenly experience. A perfect all female Motown vibe. Somebody somewhere and it took a long time are my favs.
TOOL
3/5
Honestly shocked I ended up listening to to all 77 minutes of this. Some of it was annoying but I was actually enjoying quite a few of the songs that were like artsy prog metal.
John Martyn
3/5
Honestly never thought I’d listen to this guys after the last album of his I got. I think I liked the other one more but this one was also decent.
The Beautiful South
3/5
Another album doing the all genres any% speedrun and I hate to admit that I enjoyed the Tom waits segment but I could also just be really high.
Roky Erickson
2/5
I got Derek and the dominos flashbacks from this because this is also the most generic form of its genre, or genres in this case. Got nothing out of it.
Gang of Youths
2/5
There was like one song that I found myself enjoying but the rest of this was the definition of 2010s artsy fartsy indie rock that kinda sucks.
Nik Kershaw
3/5
This sounded both ultra 80s with all the synths and new wave stuff and 90s dance but most importantly it sounded incredibly British.
Joe Cocker
5/5
I’ve only ever known Joe cocker as the guy that spazzed out at Woodstock but god damn this was a great live album. Really passionate soulful blues rock and as a sucker for blues rock I ate it up.
Cluster
4/5
This is stupid but sometimes it feels like a subplot of the main and user list is trying to find who really made electronica first. First it’s some no name 80s American band, then it’s tangerine dream then it’s kraftwerk then it this, which I think is a kraftwerk contemporary. Like I’ve heard “this is electronica in its earliest form” at least 3 times now. Anyway this was mostly mid but fotschi tong is such an insanely catchy banger that I have no choice but to give it a 4. Can’t wait to listen to it on drugs.
Touché Amoré
1/5
Fuck off with this corny screamo bullshit. I could’ve been listening to fotschi tong another 10 times instead of this trash.
The Hold Steady
3/5
I didn’t realize how far reaching the Elvis Costello plague is. 2006 and it still sounds like his music.
The Sound
3/5
This is the type of British post punk I normally would’ve shit all over on the main list for being too similar to a million other albums on the list but it’s actually kinda unique to the user list. I still don’t fully enjoy listening to it but it’s been long enough since I’ve heard one of these I’m not annoyed by it.
Charli xcx
5/5
Hell fucking yeah man. Thanks to whoever put this on the list already. I will say that I highly recommend listening to this in the right situation. I first listened to this while doing dishes just to see what the hype is all about and didn’t like it that much, but then I listened to it while drunk and blasting it through my headphones and it became my album of the year instantly. It’s an album that’s meant to be danced to and used for specific moods and situations, which lists like this are bad at getting across. Like if I was listening to this just in the name of the list I’d probably have gotten annoyed by it but I actually spent some time with it and then xcx became my top artist of 2025.
Operation Ivy
2/5
I mean it’s ska punk, I’m not sure what else to say.
The Postal Service
3/5
If you’re a millennial I feel like you’ve heard this album even if you’ve never heard of the postal service. This is just the default sound I hear in my head when I think of early 2000s indie rock and I’m not even a huge fan of this.
Actually it might just be the death cab for cutie vocals, I think that voice is the defining sound of 2000s indie rock
Avicii
4/5
It takes a special kind to not choose true as the avicii album to put on here (maybe it was taken already idk) but god damn we really did have it good in the early 2010s with him. Not all of this was amazing but overall it’s really solid edm that’s just light and kinda optimistic in that 2015 way. Maybe that’s just nostalgia goggles though.
The National
4/5
Sure I’ll listen to some more National. I get tired of the deep monotonous vocals after a while but it’s still good music.
The Cure
4/5
This felt like classic cure but for some reason it hit on a completely different level for me than classic cure does. Not sure what it is but I really enjoyed this one.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
I get that a lot of the user list is just people’s preferred picks from their favorite artist instead of what actually made the list but I gotta disagree with this one. Bandwagonesque was way better than this one. This felt a lot more generic alt 90s rather than the sonic youth ish alt vibe of the other one.
First Aid Kit
3/5
Good modern folk music. Definitely didn’t have a Swedish vibe to me though. Just assumed that they’re from the same place as Haley heynderickxs
Biffy Clyro
3/5
Yet another album that I’m almost certain is from a millennial Reddit user. This felt like a mix of death cab for cutie and neutral milk hotel or something.
Pink Floyd
5/5
This is a childhood nostalgia one for me. My dad had the cd for this and I downloaded it onto my iPod touch 4 and dogs has always been one of my fav long songs ever. Everything else is also great, perfect songwriting about how oppressive capitalism and industrialization can be.
Status Quo
3/5
I’m bummed to admit I actually enjoyed this because it was a pain in the ass to listen to on YouTube. Gotta take a star off over that but otherwise it was some solid British blues.
Ian McDonald
3/5
I've generally liked King Crimson and this felt like it was in the same vein as that stuff but it definitely felt distinct. I didn't love it but there were a couple moments that were pretty cool.
Vulfpeck
2/5
This was just a phish live album but with funk instead of rock.
Transvision Vamp
4/5
Idk what it is about female led rock and punk from the 80s and 90s that I love so much but this is yet another great addition to that genre.
The Dear Hunter
4/5
I was wary of another long concept album at first, especially one that made me feel like I had to 3 albums of homework to understand. I didn’t do that but after listening to the album I’m thinking about listening to the rest of the rest of the series. It wasn’t my thing at first then found its groove and I was loving it by the end. It’s not better than hazards of love overall but there are peak songs on here that match it, namely bitter suite 4&5 and is there anybody there.
Death
1/5
I think it really says something that I still have no interest in listening to music like this even after my fiancée dumped me three months before the wedding. If I can't get in the right headspace for grating angry death metal with my current mood I don't think I ever will.
4/5
Now this is the right type of music for someone who just had their heart broken. Melancholy dream pop that’s vaguely sad but still easy to listen to.
Björk
4/5
Yeah I'm not sure why this wasn't on the list instead of some of the other bjork albums because this seems to be one of the most popular and, IMO, one of her best albums. Still has the trademark weirdness and everything but it's just catchy enough to have something to latch onto for me.
Bob Mould
3/5
I dont remember anything about husker du but I feel like this is very different from that type of music. It felt like the live music you’d hear at a local boomer lounge. Not super complex and nothing super special but it’s still sounds decent.
Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
3/5
Maybe it’s because I’m high but it’s been over 24 hours since I listened to this and I honestly couldn’t tell u a single thing about this album. I vaguely remember not liking it a ton and that’s it.
HELLYEAH
2/5
It was mildly horrifying to learn that there’s a country, hard rock, nu metal supergroup. Like the traveling wilburys but for music that’s bad. And the music is bad, like as cringe as you’d expect for something like that. Unfortunately alcohaulin ass will be a guilty pleasure for me from now on.
Harmonium
2/5
I listened to this while I was packing and while it didn’t annoy me when I was listening passively I wasn’t too impressed when I was listening actively either. Also I’m still not in the mood for music like this let me go back to my sad breakup music.
Titus Andronicus
4/5
This one started really slow but gained a ton of momentum and ended firing on all cylinders. It could also have just been that I paid more attention closer to the end but either way I ended up really enjoying this. It’s the 2010s iteration of the early 2000s indie rock and it’s one of the good parts of that genre. Not quite fitting thematically with my current major life changes tho.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
4/5
For me this album became a great example of how you sometimes just have to be in the exact right situation for any given piece of music to click. I didn’t appreciate this very much on my drive to work or while shopping at target but the end of sleep came on as I was driving down an empty street at night, leaving behind the last 3 years of my life and it really hit different. I love this list but it lives and dies by the randomized. Some days it misses but days like this it really transcends.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
3/5
Idk why I was mostly okay with this but didn’t like phish. There was some good shit on here and some weird covers that at least made it memorable.
4/5
I’m a sucker for hyper pop post modern shit like this so this one got to me especially because I don’t think brat or 100 gecs would’ve existed without shit like this. Also rip.
The Stooges
3/5
Louie Louie must be like crack to any band performing live. I feel like it’s a track on literally every live album I’ve heard on this list. As for the rest of the music on this one it felt like a standard live punk album except with a lot more interludes of eggs and bottles being thrown at iggy pop
Joe Jackson
4/5
This was good. Felt Elvis Costello inspired a little bit also had its own thing going that I’m too high to explain rn.
Les sheriff
3/5
It’s French rock/ska so not super my thing but there were moments where it shined for me.
Yeasayer
4/5
I think this album petered out in the final third but overall it was super catchy and a solid art rock album. The first 3-4 songs were great.
Nightwish
2/5
After metallicas S&M I thought I might be into orchestral metal but this album made me realize that the genre can also be pretty lame. This just felt like they slammed electric guitars and orchestral strings together so neither really got the chance to shine.
The Angelic Process
2/5
I was definitely judging a book by its cover on this one (weird cringe emo stuff) and ended up being somewhat correct (ambient emo noise rock). Honestly I got excited when I saw that it was inspired by mbv but I hear more sad ambient noise than anything overtly shoegaze. Bet this goes hard at satanic heroin raves tho.
Modest Mouse
3/5
As someone who’s only ever really listened to float on, this wasn’t completely my jam but it was good enough to at least hold my interest the whole time.
Polvo
3/5
I listened to this about 24 hours before writing this and I honestly can’t recall anything about this album anymore. I think it was good idk.
Slowdive
5/5
I tried to get into slow dive shortly after mbv finally clicked for me. I didn’t love them, didn’t hate them but I definitely didn’t listen to this album because holy shit this was so good. Apparently I just have to stick with any given shoegaze artist for like 2 hours and I’ll end up loving it. It also helps that it perfectly fit the vibe of when I listened to it.
TOOL
4/5
Honestly I’m shocked. I never thought I’d enjoy a tool album but this one was actually pretty good. Just the right mix of metal and prog rock. Honestly I’m surprised I slept on tool for this long. Every time I’ve tried to listen to them I didn’t like it but this really worked.
Karnivool
2/5
Ah yes more cringe emo music exactly what I asked for. Wasn’t as terrible as some of the other ones I guess.
Jimmy Eat World
3/5
This didn’t come close to bleed American at any point but I still mostly enjoyed it until the last song went on for 16 minutes in the most annoying and repetitive way possible and left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth. I don’t remember the last time a final song ruined so much goodwill.
Avenged Sevenfold
2/5
This falls into the theory of a deadman category of “music that’s cringe and sucks with terrible vocals but nostalgia and decent guitar work force me to be nice to it”. Bat country is the closest this gets to being actually good but even that isn’t great. Also the album art goes hard; can totally imagine it being on a cutoff of the most white trash person you’ve ever seen.
Courtney Barnett
5/5
I listened to this once high and once sober and it was completely euphoric both times. The perfect type of straightforward female led rock that I love so much. Everything on this was good from the spoken word type stuff to the slower, chiller stuff to the countryish stuff.
The Caretaker
4/5
As a survivor of listening to everywhere at the end of time, this was light work. 45 minutes of music that's easy to listen to on the surface but sad conceptually instead of 6 hours of noises that make me want to kill myself. While this is more accessible, though, I do think that the long form version is far more clear in its intent. Like by the end of that I really felt like I had gone through 6 stages of memory loss and could tease out the metaphor much easier than this. However, just as a proof of concept this was pretty good. Also didn't know that Libet's delay was what the tik tok sound came from.
Amyl and The Sniffers
4/5
Another pretty straight forward neo punk album. A bit fuller sounding but the 70s punk spirit is still there. I liked this one.
Jack Johnson
3/5
Honestly, I listened to 15 minutes of this and just turned it off. It was even that bad, I just wasn’t interested today. Not the vibe I was going for in the moment and I didn’t wanna subject myself to it when I wasn’t in the mood. I’m sure it’s okay.
CAKE
4/5
I last listened to this before I saw cake live last year and I honestly don’t feel like I need to relisten quite yet. It’s not great but the distance is just *so* good man.
Carly Rae Jepsen
5/5
I was really enjoying this until I got to when I needed you. Once that song ended, I stopped listening to the album and put the song on loop for about 2 days straight. Carly really deserved so much more than what she got. Call me maybe is still great but all of her music is just so good.
Great Big Sea
5/5
This is one of those albums that I listened to at the exactly perfect moment in my life. Or I’m just really high. It’s jovial 90s Celtic punk/alternative that’s super catchy but buying time, the song about making a big decision, hit right as I was putting down my deposits to go to law school in the fall. Then it’s nearly followed by the joyful old black rum about being intoxicated and being super happy, which is what I am right now. Wild that this random album is going to be forever associated with this moment for me.
I’m reading this back and its easily the most insane review I’ve ever written, I’m sorry.
Mylène Farmer
3/5
Decent french electro pop stuff. I'm still stuck on my last two albums, honestly.
Chris de Burgh
3/5
Didn’t love it didn’t hate it. 70s storytelling rock about as straightforward as it gets
Fontaines D.C.
4/5
Even tho fontaines has an online reputation of “bruv music” because of favorite going viral on tik tok, i was surprised by how varied this album is. It wasn’t just their normal Irish stuff but heavier and more melodic rock and electronic sounding.
Ornette Coleman
3/5
I feel like I’ve heard of this album before but I don’t know anything about it so it just sounds like normal ass jazz to me.
Backstreet Boys
4/5
Can't go wrong with this album. The defining late 90s boy band album along with NSYNC. You already know the good songs from this album.
Chloe x Halle
4/5
This is a great album but Halle’s ass being noticeably bigger than Chloe’s on the cover was very distracting.
Wishbone Ash
3/5
This felt like a mashup of basically every 70s prog, psych, and art rock album I’ve ever listened to. Either they influenced everybody or stole from literally every other rock artist.
Boards of Canada
2/5
Maybe there’s a theoretical day where I’d be in the mood to listen to this but today was certainly not that day.
Martha
5/5
This album is tons of fun. Every song is just undiluted mainline power pop punk and it hits like crack for me even if some of the lyrics might be a little eye roll worthy.
Bon Iver
5/5
The user list has been dropping some heaters recently; I’d say this is worthy for main list contention at this point. Just like that pop punk album hit the spot for just having fun, this one hits the spot for making me very very sad.
Daft Punk
5/5
This is another one that I’m shocked didn’t make the list (and took so long to get on the user list). It’s peak daft punk and is endlessly catchy and exciting what more could you want.
TOOL
3/5
This felt more mainstream than the other tool album but that could also just be because the pot is a nostalgic song for me (also a very good song).
The Tragically Hip
4/5
I liked this album well enough. Good cross between nick cave and Alice In Chains or something like that.
Unfortunately it will forever be overshadowed by sinners and it’s soundtrack which I saw basically right after I listened to this.
The 1975
2/5
I've never gotten into the 1975 so I was looking forward to listening to this. Unfortunately, I found this album to be incredibly bland and uninteresting. I can't even describe it, it just felt soooooo generic.
Daft Punk
5/5
This is the rare live album that actually enhances the listening experience by being live. It really feels like you’re at one of the best dj sets of all time where every song is club classic as soon as it starts. It’s even better when you’re high.
Arca
2/5
This has to be a troll and if it’s not I’m sorry but u just don’t understand this music at all. A couple of the songs have an ambient trip hop vibe to them but the rest of it was just annoying
I had no idea what any of this was but it was really good. Mix of death cab for cutie, shoegaze, and maybe a little beach house. Comforting sounds was my fav.
Alexisonfire
1/5
Once again, I just can't with this band. Every time I listen to one of their albums hoping it'll be different even though deep down I know it'll be the same screamo as always.
Songs: Ohia
2/5
I personally found most of this album boring but I can see why it’d be a personal favorite I suppose. Being in love stood out though
The Vaccines
3/5
A perfect example of a “so that’s where that song is from” album. Rest was alright too.
System Of A Down
4/5
I’ve never been a huge fan of System of a Down but I’ve always appreciated them. chop suey and the title song are undeniable classics plus they have a much more thoughtful approach to nu metal than a lot of their contemporaries. Plus serge is just a cool dude. Hold up forgot that the last song turns into the white lotus lmao
Sports Team
5/5
This was solidly enjoyable 4 but as it went on it took off to the moon. Camel crew and the last 4 songs are all amazing.
Times New Viking
4/5
I have a soft spot for these types of albums because they feel so earnest and scrappy. For 30 minutes I’m just imagining 3-5 friends in a garage covered with blankets and each of them has enough talent and skill to make something good despite it sounding like it was recorded on a Nintendo ds. Very dinner in America vibes (great movie btw)
David Baerwald
2/5
I appreciated the groove on some of these tracks but the Bruce Springsteen kinda vibe was not for me in this moment.
Talking Heads
5/5
I didn't relisten for this because I'd rather just watch the documentary again whenever I feel like it. I already know this is one of if not the best live album ever
Screeching Weasel
3/5
One of the less exciting pop punk entries in the user list. Nothing super unique about it to me tbh
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
I think this is my favorite sufjan album now. The other person he made it with really seemed to turn his sound into something I personally enjoy even more than his normal stuff. More Elliott smith and slightly less folk.
Olivia Rodrigo
5/5
Still not sure if this is gonna stand the test of time like I think brat will but I still love this album. So catchy, so fun and probably better than sour. I went to the concert for this album and will always remember people sitting down/leaving while Chappell roan opened lol.
Refused
2/5
0% my thing but I can respect that it has the song from the bear that they play whenever all the characters lock in.
Talk Talk
3/5
At first I thought this was gonna be some lame ambient music but then the blues hit and it got much more interesting. Didn’t stick around the whole time but it was an overall pleasant experience.
Unwound
3/5
Mix of shoegaze and sonic youth? It was alright
Emicida
4/5
I understood maybe 10% of the lyrics on this album but man it rocked. It’s like groovy spanish hip hop/r&b and it’s catchy as hell.
Portishead
4/5
I’m glad someone put this on here because even though this doesn’t beat out dummy, I think it’s better than 3. There are a couple songs on here that’re just fantastic. Humming was probs my fav. Beth gibbons is just too good.
Crystal Castles
4/5
This ended up being pretty eclectic and I think overall it was a net positive album. Stinkers here and there but quite a few good songs too, especially the ones that went into synth or shoegaze type stuff.
Manchester Orchestra
4/5
Yeah this was overblown and a little generic for this type of indie rock but sometimes that's completely fine. I had a good time listening to it even if I probably won't remember it at all in a day.
Guy Clark
3/5
Ngl I barely remember this past thinking that it was some pretty good country music and that the Wikipedia page sounded self written.
Noname
3/5
I really liked the chill dreamy bedroom beats and I think the lyrics were there but man I just don’t think this lady had any consistent flow. Features were also really good.
Spose
2/5
What an insane, fascinating album; I have so many thoughts. First, spose music that is not called I’m awesome is something I did not know existed. Second, this is one of the corniest rap albums I’ve ever listened to rivaling only tom Macdonald and hopsin. Third, it’s the most shallow and obvious “I’m gonna speak my mind on everything going on in the world” that’s more of a window into Ryan’s psyche than anything
Rather than just recount all of the dumb stuff he talks about I’m gonna try to describe spose based on this album:
He’s a recently divorced father of four who really likes tennis and smoking weed. He apparently had a rough childhood (that I thought sonically sounded straight out of illmatic right before he name dropped nas) and struggles with mental health and being a father and seeing hot women on instagram. Rather than actually engage in politics he takes the teenage redditor position of “everyone’s evil and bad” Finally, he likes to think he respects women with a song dedicated to how cool they are then undermines that with literally every single bar on the Instagram model song.
Normally, cringe like this would’ve made me turn it off right away but the beats and flow were just good enough and the lyrics just funny and ridiculous enough that it kept me going through 96!! Minutes.
Basically
R.E.M.
4/5
This feels like one that could be on the main list so I’m glad it’s here. A solid rem album.
The Breeders
4/5
I've long been outspoken about my love for female-led grunge/rock, and this certainly falls into that category with a heavy shoegaze influence. I liked it quite a bit but honestly my main issue with it is that the vocals were just too quiet. I get that that's what they were going for but i think some of these songs would've been so much more fun if they were belting out those lyrics. Regardless, cannonball and the entire middle of the album are all great.
Bon Iver
4/5
Another solid 40 minutes of bon iver music. Somewhat less sad than for Emma forever ago.
Os Mundi
3/5
What a bizarre mashup. A West Berlin early krautrock band decides to do Latin American music. Surprisingly not that memorable though, just felt like a normal krautrock album tbh.
Lo Fidelity Allstars
4/5
Against all odds, I really enjoyed this British big beat edm album. I think the mix of traditional edm and instrumental stuff really helped since most albums like this I just get tired of them so fast.