Sep 10 2024
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People
The Burning Hell
This the first user submitted album I've gotten and what a pleasant surprise! I'll be honest when this showed up I thought it was some kind of black metal something or other so I was dreading listening to to it but this is great. Like others have noted there are similarities here to Bill Callahan and the late great David Berman although what I really like about this is how it's almost whimsical. I'm not sure if that's the most accurate way to describe it but that's what I'm going with. If I was capable of making cool, animated movies, I'd make one based on "Barbarian." Someone get to work on that, please. Finally, this sort of reminds me of another Canadian band whose debut album, the Todd Rundgren produced "Love Junk" was a favorite of mine back in the day, The Pursuit Of Happiness. The music here is a little more instrumentally eclectic the TPOH's loud power pop but I feel a connection here lyrically.
4
Sep 11 2024
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Carrie & Lowell
Sufjan Stevens
I listened to this quite a bit in 2015 when it came out, I remember it being among my favorite albums that year. Since then however, I'm not sure if I've revisited it even once. This is an unfortunate result of so much music being available on demand, it's overwhelming and even the best stuff can get lost in the cracks. Anyway, this is a beautiful and terribly sad album and while I'm not a Sufjan Stevens expert or a completist, I think this is him at his best.
4
Sep 12 2024
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22, A Million
Bon Iver
It's cool when a band or artist takes a weird step forward with a new album. It can be risky but in this case it pays off.
4
Sep 13 2024
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I Am
Earth, Wind & Fire
Just jam after jam after jam
5
Sep 14 2024
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Out of the Blue
Debbie Gibson
I'm actually a little impressed that Debbie Gibson wrote and co-produced a good part of this but it's definitely not my thing and it wasn't in 1987 either.
2
Sep 15 2024
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Hammersmith Odeon, London '75
Bruce Springsteen
A legendary performance by one of the all time great rock stars and singer-songwriters relatively early in his career, backed by one of the greatest live bands ever. I don't care if Springsteen had 12 albums on the list and this was six hours long, bring it on.
5
Sep 16 2024
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"Awaken, My Love!"
Childish Gambino
I'm more familiar with Donald Glover's work as an actor and television writer/producer/creator than I am with his music. I'm not sure I've listened to this before if I did I don't remember. I enjoyed him on Community, I think his casting as Lando was genius and Atlanta was truly one of the great TV shows of this century. Maybe that's why this feels like a little bit of a disappointment to me. It's not terrible or anything, it actually sounds amazing. I was surprised to learn that he regularly works with Ludwig Göransson who has done so much wonderful soundtrack work in recent years. He and Glover make a great team but a lot of this feels like pastiche. It's well produced r&b and funk but there's something empty about it. I know this is considered a departure musically so maybe if i were more familiar with Glover's discography, pretty much all I can recall is This Is America (and of course that's memorable because of its video) so maybe that unfamiliarity is causing me to miss something here. I don't hate this, I'd add it to a mix for a road trip or a get together but it's kind of forgettable.
3
Sep 17 2024
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Weezer
Weezer
Yeah this is an all timer and so is the follow up. There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said a thousand times, just some perfect power pop that should be cranked up loud.
5
Sep 18 2024
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Kick
INXS
4
Sep 19 2024
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Misplaced Childhood
Marillion
Do hardcore Marillion fans get indignant when their favorite band is compared to Genesis/Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd? I generally like that kind of stuff I like this too, I've always meant to check this band out anyway. Maybe if I delve deeper into their discography I'll have stronger feelings their music.
3
Sep 20 2024
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Goat
The Jesus Lizard
3
Sep 21 2024
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Don't Throw Stones
THE SPORTS
4
Sep 22 2024
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Nail
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
3
Sep 23 2024
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After Hours
The Weeknd
If the rest of this album sounded more like Blinding Lights or In Your Eyes or even Save Your Tears, i.e. 80s technopop, I'd like it a lot better. So much of this is so dour though. On the other hand it's amazingly produced, it sounds great in my headphones. Overall just a little too monotonous.
3
Sep 24 2024
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King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown
King Tubby
4
Sep 25 2024
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Eye
Robyn Hitchcock
5
Sep 26 2024
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El Circo
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
3
Sep 27 2024
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Poesía Básica
Extrechinato y Tu
3
Sep 28 2024
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Join Us
They Might Be Giants
TMBG are great but this is like their 12th best album
3
Sep 29 2024
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Nonagon Infinity
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
4
Sep 30 2024
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Afraid Of Sunlight
Marillion
3
Oct 01 2024
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Watch Out!
Alexisonfire
I can't with the screaming, I think I'm too old
2
Oct 02 2024
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Currents
Tame Impala
About a quarter of the user submitted albums that have generated for me have been by Australian artists and I'm not mad about it.
4
Oct 03 2024
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Korn
Korn
1
Oct 04 2024
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Discosis
Bran Van 3000
I swear to God if you had asked me about Bran Van 3000 before today I would've told you they were a White Zombie side project. Why did I think that? Anyway I think the stuff on this album that's an eclectic mix of hip hop, club music, funk, soul and psychedelia is great, it reminds me of fun stuff like Dee-Lite, De La Soul, Gorillaz, Pizzicato 5, Cibo Mato and maybe late period Beastie Boys. The last third of the album veers into more conventional pop music; I don't hate it but it's a little jarring. I think if they left out the more pop stuff this would be a five star album but the pop stuff is pretty good so I'll still give it four.
4
Oct 05 2024
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A1A
Jimmy Buffett
3
Oct 07 2024
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McDonald and Giles
Ian McDonald
3
Oct 08 2024
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Oncle Jazz
Men I Trust
I thought about not listening to this and just giving it a one after looking at this user's project. I'm not saying everyone has to like all the same kinds of music but I genuinely don't get how someone can hate all of that. If you told me that this user thought a one was the highest rating ("We're number one!") I'd believe you. I think it's equally possible that this user just has really weird, very specific taste or that this user is a troll, which if the latter is the case, then I've played right into their hands. Also, I was under the impression that user-submitted albums were required to have a Wikipedia page. Anyway this is clearly better than anything by The Beatles, Radiohead, Miles Davis, The Pixies, Dolly Parton, Primal Scream, The Smiths, Stevie Wonder or Wilco. 3 Stars.
3
Oct 09 2024
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The Best of The Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings
Louis Armstrong
I'd give this five stars if it was just West End Blues
5
Oct 10 2024
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Enema Of The State
blink-182
I'm sure that I've mocked this band over the years and I'm a little annoyed thinking about Tom DeLong walking around the stands in San Diego wearing a Padres jersey while they were beating my beloved Dodgers in the playoffs last night (first thing I thought of when this album was generated last night.) I'm not gonna deny catching myself singing along to All The Small Things when it came on today though. There's always been a place for pop punk going back to The Buzzcocks and this is a fun poppy representation of pop punk that I totally would've been into if I was in high school when it came out.
4
Oct 11 2024
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A Live One
Phish
I love Phish and this is from the era that I discovered them. I'm not big on convincing people why something I love is good, if you don't get it, it's okay, if you hate it, that's fine too. I will say that Trey, Gordo, Page and Fishman are four of the best musicians working today and this band is tight as fuck. A lot of people feel that their studio material is vastly inferior to their live stuff but I think that's over-stating it, they actually have some pretty great studio albums (Rift, A Picture of Nectar, Hoist, Billy Breathes and The Story of the Ghost are all good) that are maybe a better starting point than this. But this is kind of like Phish's Europe '72 (if you'll excuse me for making an over used comparison to the Dead) in that it's not a recreation of the live Phish experience but a good compilation of great performances from a certain period in the band's career. When I first heard this it was soon after my first show (it literally was released a week later) which had blown my mind and I was hungry for more. Eventually, I got into tape trading (the band allowed people to record their shows and some tapers would make copies for anyone who sent them blank cassettes and postage, this is a more fair comparison to the Dead who's fans pioneered this early form of viral marketing) but for a time this was my only way to hear live music, on demand from my new favorite band and hear great versions of Harry Hood, Gumbo, Chalkdust Torture, You Enjoy Myself and The Squirming Coil.
5
Oct 12 2024
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A City Dressed In Dynamite
That Handsome Devil
You know when I first put this on I felt like it was just going to annoy the shit out of me but as I continued to listen it did kind of grow on me.
3
Oct 13 2024
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Super Ape
The Upsetters
3
Oct 14 2024
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When Smoke Rises
Mustafa
I feel like a jerk giving this such a low rating because this is one of the more heartfelt and sincere user submitted albums that has generated for me so far. I can even pick up on that as I just casually listened as I did stuff around the house so I can imagine if I payed closer attention to the lyrics and what I guess are excerpts interviews etc. but I really can't stand James Blake and his ilk or that style of folky neo soul or whatever it's called. Maybe I'd appreciate this more if it was some kind of written word situation.
2
Oct 15 2024
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Re
Café Tacvba
3
Oct 16 2024
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In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Neutral Milk Hotel
5
Oct 17 2024
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Zuckerzeit
Cluster
4
Oct 18 2024
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Home Sweet Home
Kano
2
Oct 20 2024
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Piledriver
Status Quo
1