This is the album I submitted so of course I'm going to rate it highly ;) Now as to why I submitted it: the original book has done a really poor job at representing pop music post 2000s. Seriously there is no Lady Gaga album? Katy Perry? Ed Sheeran? One Direction? Rihanna? Justin Bieber? Spice Girls? BTS? The list goes on. I get that the music isn't for everyone but in terms of reach and influence and impact, they absolutely should be listened to. You're telling me that some obscure British band from the 90s that barely has any impact on the industry or music be on the list but not Lady Gaga? Pretty pathetic. Also I found the list did a poor job at representing queer music. There are some here and there but it felt very under-represented. As a queer person, this isn't surprising so I wanted to rectify it a bit. With so many options to submit, I realised in the end that it had to be Chappell. I've been a fan since 2021 and when I saw her in a small club in 2023 I walked out knowing I would never see her again in a tiny room again. Cut to 2024 where she became a cultural phenomenon (Femininomenon) and absolutely exploded. She also is unabashedly queer and wears her influences on her sleeve (especially drag). Her music has meant a lot to me in the last 3ish years since I've been listening and I'm happy to be able to see her 3 times this upcoming year in 2025 (she's headlining so many festivals). Reading some of the other comments, I definitely agree with those who disagree with it. I think what makes the user submitted albums interesting is the wide range of viewpoints and musical tastes. I definitely haven't liked all the albums I've gotten so far. I really do believe this album will stand the test of time and will be looked back on fondly. Hell even if it's forgotten, HOT TO GO will be this generations YMCA (speaking of which... no Village People?). My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? It's my submission so yes :)

Another baffling omission from the list. Love him or hate him, John Mayer has had a massive impact on guitar music since his debut. I've seen him live numerous times and the guy knows how to play. I think he did something smart with his career which is play the super poppy stuff early on and make all the money and now just plays whatever he wants. Dude is living the guitar life. This is a fantastic album. So many big hits that have endured. I've been a fan for a long time and will continue to listen to this. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely yes.

Sorry why did we need another Korn album on this list? We already had one and I hated it. This album was more of the same. I get that some people enjoy it but I absolutely do not. At least it was 10 minutes shorter than the other one. Still 20 minutes too long. My personal rating: 1/5 My rating relative to the list: 1.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Or if you want to, use it to replace the other album on here.

Surprised I haven't heard of this group before, but they seem to be quite big in Australia but haven't quite broken through elsewhere. Looking at where they've played here they played quite a small venue two years ago so they clearly haven't broken through. I enjoyed it but still, it falls into the trap that so many albums do which is being too damn long. Like yesterday's Big Thief album, you could cut a lot and make it tighter. It just felt like it dragged on and with some good snips would be a nice and tight 45-50 minutes. Otherwise I enjoyed it. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the original list: 4/5 (too long!!) Should this has been included on the original list: Another tough one. I think it's a similar to yesterday where I'm leaning more towards no, but I wouldn't be disappointed if it were.

I found that the original list did hiphop / rap dirty and never felt like they really explored the genre. This is a great example. I've never heard of this guy before but it was fantastic. It was fun and different and had some great vibes. Plus it's just a hair under 50 minutes which is absolutely perfect (soooooo many rap albums on the list were way too long). Just sounds so fresh and interesting. Absolutely a great pick and addition. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Strong yes here. This is some great music that deserves to be listened to.

Alright here we go with the user submitted albums. Having looked at the list, I know we're in for some real treats. I've decided for this section to review albums based on personal taste (removing all context of the list), whether they should be included in the list, and rating relative to the list (which I will use as the final rating). I won't be consistent but that's what I'll try and aim for. So for this we start off with a nice punk album. Very pop punk? Not great with punk genres. Reading through the other reviews, they mention Tony Hawk and I looked it up and I heard the song You by Bad Religion a lot since I played that game a TON. Did the original list cover that pop-punk well? I remember Green Day being on there but can't remember much else? Although to my ear this was pretty straight down the line. Reading wikipedia I realise I was familiar with the lead singer since he has a PhD and that shows up on lists of musicians with PhDs I read from time to time. Always a fan of that. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the original list: 4/5 Should that has been included in the original list? Yes I think so. Reading wikipedia, they've had a big influence on punk music in the 90s and think that's worthy.

One thing I'll like about the user submitted albums (from having looked at the albums submitted) is that many are from the last 10 years and still out there putting out music so I'll have likely listened to it prior to getting it. I've seen both Big Thief and Adrianne Lenker (doing a solo show for her album Bright Future which I highly recommend) live this year of 2024 so I already like them and enjoy their music. I think Lenker is one of the best songwriters out there right now. Some other artists I love did her songwriting class which shows how influential she is in that regard. Saying that, one big complaint I have about this album is that it is long. I found so many albums on the original list to be way too long and I stand by it. I love many songs but at 80 minutes, considering their other albums have to date been all half that length... yeah could have cut it up. I know how damn prolific Lenker is, but even I think this was a bit excessive. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the original list: 4/5 (too long!!) Should this have been included on the original list? Tough one for me... I think they should have some representation on the list for their impact on the indie music scene in the last few years but that's more of a personal preference. I'm like 45-55 yes / no at this point.

Surprised I haven't heard of this group before, but they seem to be quite big in Australia but haven't quite broken through elsewhere. Looking at where they've played here they played quite a small venue two years ago so they clearly haven't broken through. I enjoyed it but still, it falls into the trap that so many albums do which is being too damn long. Like yesterday's Big Thief album, you could cut a lot and make it tighter. It just felt like it dragged on and with some good snips would be a nice and tight 45-50 minutes. Otherwise I enjoyed it. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the original list: 4/5 (too long!!) Should this has been included on the original list: Another tough one. I think it's a similar to yesterday where I'm leaning more towards no, but I wouldn't be disappointed if it were.

It does surprise me that someone would submit this... didn't you get enough 80s new wave from the original list? Like maybe if this was doing something really interesting or unique I could see but this just sounds like every other new wave album that exists. Nothing interesting or unique. Just that boring 80s sound that has aged so poorly. I wish the user submitted albums would also have a blurb submitted by the user to explain their thought process behind submitting their album. I just struggle to see why this was done. My personal rating 2.5/5 My rating relative to the original list: 2.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely not. There was more than enough generic bland 80s new wave / pop and this is just another one to add to the pile.

One of my complaints about the original list is that I found the country selections to be pretty lacking so when I saw this was country I was excited. Was this country? I guess so but it felt more like adult contemporary or something. Just very bland. I like the Dire Straits cover but otherwise I found this very tepid and uninspired and generic. Nothing sharp. I guess easy listening but I was expecting something with a little more grit. My personal rating: 2.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this has been included on the original list? Nope. Didn't feel like this was bringing something new to the table that the original list didn't already contain.

An interesting submission. I've never heard of the band and they seem not to have had much impact on music as a whole so curious to see the thoughts of the one who submitted it. The album itself sounded very typical to that 60s era psych sound and while I found it had some interesting moments never really got there. I do wish more bands would introduce themselves though, that's always a fun time. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included in the original list? No. I think there was enough 60s-era music that was adjacent to this on the original list and this doesn't really bring something new to the table.

Live albums are a really tough one. When I hear a live album I want to hear something that I couldn't hear in a studio. So many of the live albums on the og list were just mediocre studio albums that happened to have a live audience in front of them. A perfect example, in my view, of what live albums should aspire to is Alchemy: Dire Straits live, in particular Sultans of Swing. Knopfler took a 5 minute song and extended it into a 11 minute masterpiece. That's what I love about live albums! This doesn't have that. It felt like a studio album that just happened to be recorded in front of people. Also looking into the band, they sure are prolific. In the end, this didn't do much for me and I never felt they were doing anything creative or unique. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nope. Nothing about this really felt special and doubly so with a live album. Maybe something from their catalogue would have been a better choice.

Another band I've never heard of. Turns out there is a reason since they barely sold any records so no one has. They immediately gave Queen vibes (which others note) and since Queen is my favourite band of all time, I should be primed to like them. It started off strong but for me it never really gets to that next level. I read on wikipedia that a critic said this band was 15 years too late or too far ahead others haven't caught up. I'm leaning to the former, but I think here in 2024 such a band would find a niche. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included in the original list? My gut reaction says no, but I wouldn't lose sleep if they were. There is already enough 80s/90s mediocrity so this replacing something on there wouldn't be a loss.

Never heard of this guy and reading a bit about him, it's tragic he died early. When it comes to music.. yeah this was ambient bullshit. The other comments have really summarised it perfectly. This sucked. I read on wikipedia the album failed to perform commercially and he requested the album be labelled with 'unintelligible' and no shit dude, this sounds like it is meant to be played at performance art. Just because you think it's good doesn't meant others do. It's not. Also some magazine named this the best album of the 80s? Jesus fucking christ talk about pretentious. My personal rating: 1/5 My rating relative to the list: 1.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Honestly, yeah sure. I hated it but at least it was something different . Many of the 1 star / 2 star albums I at least appreciated they existed. They weren't for me but at least they tried (and failed).

A big pet peeve of mine is length. I enjoy long songs and prog rock is chock full of long wankery bullshit. This almost gets there but they have the decency to keep it on the shorter side. No song shorter than 5 minutes but at least there aren't too many of them and they keep it a tad over 50 minutes. Still it's prog rock at the end of the day and I'm not the largest fan. Reading about the band though, whose name I've heard here and there, I applaud the effort for crowd funding. That gives me respect. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included in the original list? I'm leaning towards a yes. I think the pioneering of independent funding is noteworthy and worth a listen.

Another band I've never heard of although funnily enough I saw an ad for Rough Trade doing a listening party for a new album of theirs so they still are active. Unsurprisingly this follows my common complaint of being too long. For long drawn out songs, they just weren't interesting enough for me to care. I'd say cut 20 minutes and you'd have a nice solid album. The long drawn out songs just felt tiring. My personal rating: 2/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should have this been included on the original list? Sure why not. Replace some 90s mediocrity with this and I wouldn't complain. At least this band has some impact on music.

A baffling choice and I'd love to see the reasoning. I've never heard of this band and as far as I can tell, no one outside The Netherlands has either. This is like discount bin Red Hot Chili Peppers and I dislike RHCP. This was a slog to get through. My personal rating: 2/5 My rating relative to the list: 2/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. I really struggle to see what impact this has had on music / what it brought to the table.

Well hell yeah. This is way better than the other Earth, Wind & Fire album on the list. It's so good. Just killing it on every single level. Boogie Wonderland is just such a good song that makes you get up and dance. Just go watch some soul train and enjoy. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely. A better pick than the original for sure.

Just the title alone makes me go ugh... I find funk metal to just be so... dated? Just not a fan. I guess there are people who like this but that person isn't me. My personal rating: 1.5/5 My rating relating to the list: 2/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Probably. Primus has been around quite some time and while I don't find the music all that interesting, I think they could get a nod.

Sorry why did we need another Korn album on this list? We already had one and I hated it. This album was more of the same. I get that some people enjoy it but I absolutely do not. At least it was 10 minutes shorter than the other one. Still 20 minutes too long. My personal rating: 1/5 My rating relative to the list: 1.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Or if you want to, use it to replace the other album on here.

I found that the original list did hiphop / rap dirty and never felt like they really explored the genre. This is a great example. I've never heard of this guy before but it was fantastic. It was fun and different and had some great vibes. Plus it's just a hair under 50 minutes which is absolutely perfect (soooooo many rap albums on the list were way too long). Just sounds so fresh and interesting. Absolutely a great pick and addition. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Strong yes here. This is some great music that deserves to be listened to.

This is the indie folk bullshit I love. Yet I hadn't heard of this dude and, unlike the Big Thief album from a few weeks ago, this dude seemingly has had no impact on the music industry. I know a ton of other artists that are doing the same thing as him, but better. Nothing is really standing out as unique or special about this album. Yeah its neat he works with Sufjan Stevens but beyond that seems to not have done much. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. There would be better examples of this kinda music I would go to over this.

Never hear of this group or album. I definitely enjoyed some of it but other songs not so much. I am not a Tom Waits fan (see my other reviews) and this definitely dragged on as it got longer. Honestly not much more to say it but it's quite forgettable. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. There is more than plenty of bland 90s British music. We don't need more.

Ah Donald Glover. I can't say I'm really all that familiar with the music but I definitely know of it. I'm more familiar with his comedy. Spelling Bee is a great sketch. More of this should have been on the list instead. It's still baffling they excluded anything by him. It's great beats and good vibes. My personal rating: 3.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

So my complaint about the original list is that it's really done pop music post 2000 really poorly. So many obvious missing gaps. This is a step in the right direction but there must have been a better choice. I've never heard of this artist before but I have heard of S Club 7. These are great perfectly crafted pop songs and good fun and vibes. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes and no. More of these types of albums should have been included, but maybe not this one in particular.

It's funny reading the other reviews of people who are like "I've never heard of these guys" yet they already had an album on the original list. Reading my original review tells me they didn't have much of an impact on me and I couldn't name anything about it. This time around, I liked the album a lot more. Couldn't say why in particular this one had more of an impact on me over the other one but it did. Just felt more cohesive and interesting. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? I'd replace the other Eels album on the list with this one.

Well this is an instant 5 stars from me. I've loved First Aid Kid for many years now and when I saw them live in 2023 I was right on the barricade. What's more to say? Fantastic Swedish folk music. Love this band a ton. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. I'd personally love to have it and given how much dross there is, this would be a good addition.

This is the album I submitted so of course I'm going to rate it highly ;) Now as to why I submitted it: the original book has done a really poor job at representing pop music post 2000s. Seriously there is no Lady Gaga album? Katy Perry? Ed Sheeran? One Direction? Rihanna? Justin Bieber? Spice Girls? BTS? The list goes on. I get that the music isn't for everyone but in terms of reach and influence and impact, they absolutely should be listened to. You're telling me that some obscure British band from the 90s that barely has any impact on the industry or music be on the list but not Lady Gaga? Pretty pathetic. Also I found the list did a poor job at representing queer music. There are some here and there but it felt very under-represented. As a queer person, this isn't surprising so I wanted to rectify it a bit. With so many options to submit, I realised in the end that it had to be Chappell. I've been a fan since 2021 and when I saw her in a small club in 2023 I walked out knowing I would never see her again in a tiny room again. Cut to 2024 where she became a cultural phenomenon (Femininomenon) and absolutely exploded. She also is unabashedly queer and wears her influences on her sleeve (especially drag). Her music has meant a lot to me in the last 3ish years since I've been listening and I'm happy to be able to see her 3 times this upcoming year in 2025 (she's headlining so many festivals). Reading some of the other comments, I definitely agree with those who disagree with it. I think what makes the user submitted albums interesting is the wide range of viewpoints and musical tastes. I definitely haven't liked all the albums I've gotten so far. I really do believe this album will stand the test of time and will be looked back on fondly. Hell even if it's forgotten, HOT TO GO will be this generations YMCA (speaking of which... no Village People?). My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? It's my submission so yes :)

Another baffling omission from the list. Love him or hate him, John Mayer has had a massive impact on guitar music since his debut. I've seen him live numerous times and the guy knows how to play. I think he did something smart with his career which is play the super poppy stuff early on and make all the money and now just plays whatever he wants. Dude is living the guitar life. This is a fantastic album. So many big hits that have endured. I've been a fan for a long time and will continue to listen to this. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely yes.

Ooh some French language music. Ah it's electronic. The problem I have, as mentioned many times before, is that I hear so much really good house / electronic music that my bar is set so high that this has to be flawless. It's okay. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Sure why not. Could replace some of the electric slop that was on here.

A band name I've heard for so long but never checked out. What a ride. This was fantastic. Definitely worth to be included. Hard to add much more. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes

I wanted to like this a lot more than I ended up liking it. even though it's a brisk 33 minutes it felt way longer. Possibly because I just didn't enjoy the screaming lyrics. It just did not work for me. Even a cameo from Julian Baker didn't save it. My personal rating: 2/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No

Looking into the background of this album, I realised there is no Quebecois music. Maybe there is and I forgot but something from that area should be included. Come to think of it, there is no Celine Dion? She is definitely worthy of having something on here. As for this, it again follows my complaint of electronic music for this list. It's long and never really does anything unique or interesting. It was fine and pleasant to listen to, but far from essential listening or having much impact on the music industry. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No

Ahh! A name of an artist I've been really wanting to check out for a while. I know she released an album recently at the end of 2024 which is on my to listen list. This was really fun. I loved the finger-picking style guitar. Kinda reminds me of Joni Mitchell in some ways. Just a really great folk album. It also inspired me to listen to her new album (which is also super short) and it's excellent. Definitely an artist worth checking out and following if you love folk. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? As much as I love this, probably not. She hasn't made a large impact on the industry or is really doing anything super groundbreaking that you must listen to it. You should, but it isn't essential.

Ehhh... it's okay. It's really hard to write something insightful when I heard this album numerous times on the original list. It isn't really doing anything new for me. At least it's short and inoffensive. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely not. We had a enough mediocre new wave already, don't need more to add to the pile.

Not really my type of music but enjoyable enough. I don't think there were any dub albums on the original list? If there were I've forgotten them. I know there was some reggae on the original but again it felt quite obvious and not super in depth. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Definitely. There is a clear influence on Jamaican music that has lasted.

There appears to be a bunch of music from Quebec submitted, which is great. However this felt like a compilation album of a bunch of different songs. It's neat but ehh... not super my thing. Also too long. Once again that plague of long albums. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Ah King Gizz... this is the only album of theirs that I have listened to as I was told it was a good starting point to get into their music. I know how prolific they are and how much music they put out. Personally I find it too much music but I have friends who are really into them and have seen them a bunch. I would definitely check them out if I saw them at a festival but I've never really sought them out otherwise.cWhen there exists diagrams of how to parse their discography is just too much. Now for the album, I enjoyed it but I don't find myself to returning to it. It's solid music but just not exactly what I always vibe with. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Probably some album from them should be included.

Top comment said it. We did not need more shitty 90s British electronica. Also too fucking long. My personal rating: 1/5 My rating relative to the list: 1.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely fucking no.

I got really into Vampire Weekend last year when Only God Was Above Us was released. I love that album a ton and saw them live at Primavera Sounds. Converted me into a fan. I also really love their self-titled debut. This album is great, but compared to those others, it just isn't as good for me. It's still fantastic but the bar is so high from those two. It's surprising they aren't already on the list. Vampire Weekend are the perfect indie darling type band that should be on this list. They headline major festivals and have tons of critical acclaim. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Strong yes. I'd even argue putting on Only God Was Above Us instead since that album is so fucking good.

Okay never heard of this guy or music before so didn't know what to expect. Being completely honest, releasing half-finished songs just doesn't cut it for me. Overall the music could be interesting but I don't hear anything super special. Maybe due to the unfinished nature of things? Considering this is pretty much all he has released, it's hard to be interested in this unfinished mess. My personal rating: 1/5 My rating relative to the list: 1.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Unfinished songs do not make an interesting album. Finish it and then release.

Huhhh another pretty nondescript band. Honestly, it's hard to say something about this since I'm pretty sure I heard an album identical to this on the list at some point. From reading the wikipedia article, it seems like they had success in Australia but nothing much elsewhere. Limited success and limited influence doesn't amount to much. Can be said about a lot of album on the original list. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Nothing really interesting about this that isn't already on the original list.

Never heard of this artist before and it should be up my alley... but of course it follows into the trap of being too long. Every song really overstays its welcome. Did we need a 7 minute cover of Amazing Grace? No. But that's the curse of 90s albums. They had CD lengths to fill and boy did they fill them. Cut out 15-20 minutes and this is a solid album! It really does have that 90s sound. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Indifferent. Wouldn't bother me either way.

Another band I've been meaning to check out. This feels a lot like a vibes band for me. If I'm in the mood for it it'll be great, but if I'm not, it'll feel tedious. I was very much in the mood today for this. I know I'm seeing them at a festival this summer, so I liked them enough to really given them a good listen. They also just got nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys. On their 4th album. BNA is a fucking weird award isn't it. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Ohh tough call. I am leaning towards a slight yes.

It just faded into the background as I listened to it. Nothing really special. It's neat historical curiosity and living in Germany I'm sure I could find a bunch of their records laying around, but nothing that will stick with me beyond that. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Going through the original challenge made me realise how much I appreciate the sounds of vocals. My dislike of many of the metal albums on here was the vocals just kill it. Musically, it sounds great, then you have someone screaming over it and it just kills it. It's annoying and unpleasant listening to. I read through the submitters reasoning and I get it, but at the end, this is not something I would ever listen to again or enjoy. The vocals and just too annoying and it reminds me too much of edgy teens trying and those people are fucking lame. Even though this was 44 minutes (hooray!) it felt like hours. My personal rating: 1/5 My rating relative to the list: 1/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Never heard of this band. Within seconds I was like "these are a bunch of nerdy white guys aren't they?" Yes. It gives off the quirky vibe that is just... ehh. Listening to the rest of the album it's somewhat exhausting with the rapid shifts. Very musical theatre energy. Sometimes this style of music works with me but other times not. For example, Panic! At the Disco really give me those vibes (btw why aren't they on the list?) but it works for me. Ultimately this didn't resonate with me but I can see why it would. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Sure why not. Replace one of the numerous garbage 90s acts. Even though I'm not a huge fan, at least it was interesting.

We get it, you like the word pussy. Grow up. I think I would like it a lot more but the lyrics were just so juvenile. It's overall quite nice, but just some of the immaturity got to me. It's on Secretly Canadian and I like a bunch of other artists there so musically, it hit me. But given I wasn't a fan of the lyrics, I don't think I'll be returning to it. I can't really complain about the duet with Angel Olson. She is awesome. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. He isn't doing anything really unique that isn't done by others.

I've heard the band name but never listened. This was not for me. It just reeks of the 90s and has that vibe of a type of music I just don't really enjoy. Maybe you had to be there to get it. Also, too long. Cut 20 minutes. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Sure why not. I know they've had impact on the industry with this album.

This started really strong and very Springsteenesque. But then as it went on it really lost steam and became quiet generic. Even though it was a brisk 40 minutes, it felt a lot longer. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nope. Nothing really special about it.

I've known about Snarky Puppy for a while but never really listened to them. I knew their vibe but never investigated. I get what they are doing but it's not for me. Jazz fusion is just a genre I find.. boring? Technically they are amazing musicians but it's just got that specific thing where I'm like "meh". I know the drummer is amazing and he learnt an entire album of material on a plane flight for one of their albums. Still it's okayish background music but ultimately doesn't get me going. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? I think so. I don't like it but they are doing something at least interesting

I enjoyed this. Not doing anything ground breaking, but quite a fun little listen. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nah. There is enough 90s music on here to last a lifetime. This could replace something else but it's not essential.

I thought we already had this band on the list. Oh that's Deerhunter. Well that's confusing. Oh great a prog rock album. Buckle down for songs that go on way too long. At a "brisk" 75 minutes this was exhausting. Also being thrown into the middle of a story (which I had no idea what it is about from the lyrics) is a bit strange. This really sounds like a soundtrack to a musical. Maybe in the context of a musical I'd enjoy this more but I agree with the comment that this exudes theatre kid energy. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nope.

I bet you this album was already on the list. It's just so uninteresting and boring and isn't breaking any new ground. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nope. This album is already on the list. We don't need more forgettable UK music from that era.

First off, another long ass prog rock album in so many days. I really dislike these long albums. They are just so boring. Do we need 4 songs that that are between 12 and 14 minutes? No. They aren't even that interesting. I guess this is why I hate prog rock. Long songs can be fun if they are interesting and none of these were. I also sense there was a group of finishers who are in Quebec since I've seen that there are a few albums from the province. That's nice to mix it up from the usual UK/US dreg, but still it just boring. I suppose I should support more Canadian music but this isn't it. Cut it in half and I'll be interested. My personal rating: 2/5 My rating relative to the list: 2.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes, in the sense of it's at least not from the UK or US but no in the sense of it doesn't need a boring almost 90 minute long prog rock album.

From the first song I was like "ooh this could be interesting" but it ended up sounding like so many other 80s albums. That decade really had a sound didn't it? So many of these meh bands that released a few albums in the 80s and then vanished forever. Honestly what else to say but it's been done. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nope. There are too many albums that sound identical to this already and we don't need another one.

Never heard of this band before and I'm Canadian. Can't really see what impact they've had and the music is fine. It's got that talk-singing kinda style that can work, but here was ehhh.... I mean it's cool the guy has a phd in ethnomusicology and the lyrics are quirky, but ultimately kinda bland. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

You know what we don't need? An almost 15 minute insipid cover of the Ghostbusters theme song. I'm sure this band is probably interesting live but it's so dull and uninteresting. I've been getting a few of these long albums and I just don't get it. The wikipedia article (which is super short) says they are a funk jam but I didn't hear much funk. Just a bunch of mediocre noodling on the guitars that didn't really ever get out of first gear. My personal rating: 2/5 My rating relative to the list: 2/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Not interesting at all.

Surprised INXS isn't in the book. Saying that, I didn't care for it. I've never connected with their music and it just sounds like meh 80s music to me. Maybe you had to be there to enjoy it and I wasn't alive so a huge shrug of the shoulders for me. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

Another long ass album. What's with these submissions? Anyway at least each song is short. This is the perfect album that just fades into the background. Beyond that, it's nothing super special. But it faded into the background for me while I was doing something and I enjoyed what I was hearing. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nah. Not really breaking any moulds.

I thought this was okay. Reading the comments, others love it but I don't see it. I guess I had to be there because this just sounds like tons of other stuff I've heard. Nothing super amazing for me. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nope. Already have enough meh British rock.

I was familiar with this album before and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. It's some great music from a fantastic artist. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes. Not essential but probably could have made it on.

Growing up in Canada, I heard of this band and maybe even saw a music video or two on MuchMusic but I've never really listened. It really is prototypical 90s college rock. Saying that, it doesn't do much for me. I think there was enough of this already and we don't need more meh 90s rock. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Never heard of this band. It's like a slightly more modern take on hard rock but completely forgetable and utterly bland. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Never been a huge blink-182 fan but this album was everywhere around that time period. It really nails the time period and atmosphere of the time. It's a baffling ommission from the original list. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Strong yes.

Normally I hate prog rock but Alan Parsons works for me. Maybe it's because he keeps it short? 40 minutes is perfect. There is sufficiently prog rock wankery, but it keeps it tight. That helps a ton. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

It's fine! I didn't hate it or love it but it was an okay listen. It fits with that kind of album that was prolific on the original list where they are competent but nothign super mind blowing. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Indifferent.

It's fine. It's one of those many forgettable albums that plagued the original list. It's not bad, but it's not great. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Who isn't going to say no to more of The B-52s? I do think this is a weaker album than their debut, but it's still fun. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Don't think so. I think the debut album was the correct choice.

Another indie rock type record that should be right up my alley, yet it's fine. It isn't mind blowing or anything. It exists perfectly fine and that's about it. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

This was a great. Why was there no Herb Alpert on the original list? His music has influenced culture in so many ways, even if it isn't the most cutting edge or whatever. This is easy listening for a reason and it's fun and short. A perfect little album that should be listened to since you've probably heard the songs before. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

I've known of Tool for a long time but never gave them a listen. On the original list I hated having long metal albums. This is a long metal album. It wasn't as bad as I would have thought. They seemed to get it and even though I would have shortened it, it didn't feel long which a lot of the other metal albums. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

Jazz was one of the genres that had a surface level understanding in the original list. This is a great album that should have been there. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Jazz was done poorly.

I've been familiar with Vulfpeck for a while. I've seen clips of this MSG concert as well (the full thing is available for free on youtube). I think the top comment already covers it completely. This looked really fun to be there live but listening to it far removed from the event I'm like... fine. Still it's funky at times and they are really talented musicians and that shines through. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Don't think you really need to hear this. Maybe an album from them would work?

This is a toughie. I liked the sound of the music, but I didn't like it compared to the other Childish Gambino album. It's tough to evaluate this since I wanted more hiphop music on the list but this just was fine. I guess hiphop has to have those mediocre albums right? My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. The other user submitted album is better.

Surprised there was no appearance of Seger anywhere on the list. Surely we could remove a Elvis Costello album for this? It's prototypical classic rock and just is fantastic. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Strong yes.

Oingo Boingo isn't on the list? Is Danny Elfman anywhere on the list? He should be. I'm not the hugest fan of new wave and there is certainly plenty of it on here (much to my annoyance) but the fact that Oingo Boingo wasn't one of them is somewhat confusing. It's weird and fun. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Replace some other new wave album with this.

Interesting take on modern classical music. Very nice background music but beyond that, rather run of the mill. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

I agree with the top comment: there is already a few versions of this album on the list. At some point, a lot of the punk music just sounds interchanegable. Maybe if I had a better understanding of the whole history of the genre, I could appreciate the importance of these guys, but in the end it sounded similar to other stuff I've heard. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

I should like this more than I do. It's singer-songwriter stuff and I know many musicians I like have been influcned by him. Still it feels at times a little long. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Indifferent.

Yes! This is the kinda stuff I was hoping to see. Music from people and places I've never heard of. I'm not going to actively seek out Malian music. It's a really interesting album and sound. Of course my regular complaints of being too long still stand here, some songs go on too long, but at least it's different. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. These are the kind of albums I'd love to have heard more of.

This album solved my problem with so many metal albums: the vocals! Here it was more instruments than vocals and it's immediately better. Now saying that, it's still long and dull. I didn't need multiple 10+ minute songs that are just okay. It's tiring. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Never heard of this artist and it was perfectly acceptable folk / americana. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it as much as some other folk artists on this list. The guy seems quite prolific and maybe that'll inspire me to check out some of his other discography. Seems like a veteran solid singer-songwriter. My personal rating: 3.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Ah the curse of prog rock. Why do so many people who finished this challenge just have a hard-on for prog rock? I don't get it. Do you just like songs that go on for 15 minutes? 10 minutes longer than they should? It's tiring after a while. Musically it's competent but the songs are just too damn long for me to really care. Again the problem with prog rock. Learn to edit! My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Based on the reviews I thought this was going to be worse than it actually was. It was acceptable. I don't think it's really doing anything all that unique and it's perfectly generic alt-rock music. That's not bad, it's listenable. I didn't really get the Christian vibes but maybe I didn't listen to the lyrics too closely. It's just bland. And forgettable, but not bad. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. There probably should be something to represent Christian rock but this isn't it.

Never heard of this band before so didn't have any expectations going in. It was fun. I can tell there was clearly a bunch of people from Montreal who completed the challenge since there are a bunch of Canadian indie bands represented. I have to say it's great to hear more music from Canada. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Indifferent.

Wish they had put this one on the list instead of the other album. This one is a lot better. Saying that, still could have cut a couple of songs since it falls into that 90s long album trend. Cornflake Girl is such a good song. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Prefer this one over the one already on the list.

Pretty generic sounding pop-punk music. Compared with the other blink-182 album submitted, this is a disappointment. It's not bad but it's not great. It's just generic. It reeks of that early 2000s pop-punk sound. Which, given the band, can work, but here it doesn't. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. The other user submitted one is better.

Ahh yeah The Lumineers. They have a sound and sure commit to it. I am not entirely against it but I remember them being everywhere when this came out. This, or their debut, are a good representation of that early 2010s vibe. My personal rating: 3.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Hmm... a hard one. I'd lean towards a slight yes given how prolific their sound was around the early 2010s.

The fact that this isn't on the original list is so baffling. If you wanted to list influential indie rock records, this is up near the top. It's like the protoypical indie rock record people point to. Such a mystery why it is overlooked. I say all this and I'm not even the largest fan of it. I think it's fine and others have come along and iterated immensely on the formula, but it's influence is still seen today. I don't really pick it up to listen to all that often, but relistening to it today I appreciated it more than normal. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely 100% YES.

This was fun to listen to. Wish I knew what they were saying. Sounds very dramatic at times. Trying to read about this album there isn't much to it. It seems to just be a little side project of someone who is probably famous in Spain? Nonetheless, it's certainly fun to listen to but all fluff no substance. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Another pretty middle of the road British indie rock band from the early 2000s. It's fine. It's really hard to find something to say beyond it's competently made but it isn't doing anything unique or special. It sounds like mid 2000s indie rock from Britain and that's about it. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

As a Canadian, I think I am required by law to like this band? I'll be honest, before this I'd never listened to them. Never really interested me all that much. Listening to it, it's the Canadian version of REM. I'm sure if you grew up with it, it would be great but for me it's just fine. I remember when Gord Downie died, it was big news. Every Canadian band seemed to come out of the woodwork and reference how they were impacted by his death. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. But only because they were super influential in Canada.

I didn't know this band, but the first song I was like "oh THAT song". This is just some great funky, disco-y, soul music. Besides the opening track, the rest of the album is banging music. Not much more to say other than this is just fun good music. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Strong yes.

Ahh Jimmy Buffett. Did you know he was one of the richest musicians ever and one of the richest ever celebrities? Insane to me. I'd never listened to him before but I knew of his island music. I always thought he was kind of a joke but this album was great. It was fun solid music. I don't think I'll be putting on my hawaiian shirt, sipping margaritas, and calling myself a parrothead any time soon. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. He carved out a niche in popular culture and maintained it for 40+ years.

I definitely have a type when it comes to music. This is it. I just love some etheral folk sounds. I will have to dig deeper into her discography because this is what I love. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Indifferent. Leaning more towards a yes but am fine if it isn't.

I suppose as a Canadian I should love Shania Twain and I think she is fine. The songs on here are well known and bangers but in the end, it's not really for me. It's got a specific sound that is just so 90s. That's not a bad thing, but it's not ultimately something I connect to. Now saying that, the fact it isn't included in the original list is another baffling ommission. This album has had a huge impact on country music and its sound since its release. My personal rating: 3.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Strong yes.

Another run of the mill generic indie rock band from the mid 2000s. It's competently made but just fine. Nothing special. Started a bit interesting but there are hundreds of these types of albums out there. Not essential to listen to. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Well that was an interesting addition to the list. I can't say I'd listen to it all that often or it's particularly important to listen to but it was a pleasant listen. Agreed with others saying this is a soundtrack album and reading about the band they started as one who recorded soundtracks. That makes for easy listening but it's a curosity and not really that essential. My personal rating: 3.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Another Marillion album. It's hard not to repeat what I said last time: they figured out how to make prog rock not annoying and that is by keeping it short. At 40 minutes this was fantastic. Not too much wankery but enough to be satisfying. This is how you make prog rock. I will say the album cover is absolute garbage. It looks super AI-art even though it was made in the 80s. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Leaning yes. Same view as the previous user submitted Marillion album. Don't need more than one though.

I know this album is going to be controversial. I like 100 gecs and I love this album, but it is 100% not for everyone. I listened to this album a bunch when it came out and then put it aside because it is a lot. But that's hyperpop to me. You binge listen to it and then turn it off for a while. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes. It is a prototypical example of hyperpop.