User Albums Journey
Exploring beyond the book, one album at a time
View 1001 Albums Summary240
Albums Rated
3.33
Average Rating
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2000
Favorite Decade
Post-punk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
31
5-Star Albums
6
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nail
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
|
5 | 2.42 | +2.58 |
|
Witness
Modern Life Is War
|
5 | 2.63 | +2.37 |
|
Bloody Kisses
Type O Negative
|
5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
|
Symbolic
Death
|
5 | 2.74 | +2.26 |
|
Goat
The Jesus Lizard
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Ruby Vroom
Soul Coughing
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
First Utterance
Comus
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
|
The Mantle
Agalloch
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
The Shape Of Punk To Come
Refused
|
5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
|
The Lioness
Songs: Ohia
|
5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
The 1975
|
1 | 2.67 | -1.67 |
|
Gemstones
Adam Green
|
1 | 2.56 | -1.56 |
|
Mouth Sounds
Neil Cicierega
|
1 | 2.54 | -1.54 |
|
A Live One
Phish
|
1 | 2.48 | -1.48 |
|
The Black Parade
My Chemical Romance
|
2 | 3.48 | -1.48 |
|
You & I
Rita Ora
|
1 | 2.42 | -1.42 |
|
Whipped Cream & Other Delights
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
|
2 | 3.42 | -1.42 |
|
Pulse
Pink Floyd
|
2 | 3.34 | -1.34 |
|
Erratic Cinematic
Gerry Cinnamon
|
2 | 3.19 | -1.19 |
|
HELLYEAH
HELLYEAH
|
1 | 2.17 | -1.17 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| TOOL | 3 | 4.67 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (31)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
ISIS · 4 likes
4/5
When Oceanic came out in 2002, Isis weren’t yet at the level of their clear inspirations like Neurosis, but they were already pushing into something new. Alongside a handful of other bands, this album is one of the reasons post-metal became recognized as its own thing, rather than just an offshoot of sludge or doom. It's also why I think the submitter put this on the list. Listening back now, over 20 years later, you can hear both the growing pains and the ambition.
What strikes me most is how clear the ocean theme runs through it. Tracks like “The Beginning and the End” and “Weight” are massive and atmospheric, with long stretches that rise and fall like tides. The interludes, though, don’t always hold up as well. Some of them drag and lose that intensity. Not every song is equally strong, and at nearly an hour it can feel longer than it needs to.
But context matters. In 2002, this kind of expansive, cinematic heaviness was still carving out its own space. Isis weren’t just heavy; they were moody, conceptual, and willing to stretch songs into landscapes. You can hear how this set the stage for their later, stronger records like Panopticon or In The Essence Of Truth, which refined the formula into something breathtaking.
For me, Oceanic is an album I enjoy a lot, even with its flaws. It’s not quite a 5-star masterpiece, but it’s a landmark in post-metal, and a reminder of a time when this sound was still evolving and finding its identity.
Modest Mouse · 4 likes
5/5
The Lonesome Crowded West feels like something else entirely — a sprawling, messy, emotionally raw record that grips you somewhere deeper. And every time I return to it, I find more to admire. More to feel. It's long, intense, and often abrasive, but its urgency and honesty make it unforgettable.
The sound is unpolished and tense, the guitars jittery and unpredictable, constantly shifting between jittery punk, shambling indie, and sprawling jams. Isaac Brock’s vocals aren’t traditionally beautiful. His voice is cracked and imperfect, not always in tune, but the perfect vehicle for these songs' themes: the loneliness of American sprawl, the death of authenticity, the slow decay of hope.
Take “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine.” It’s a violent opener, lashing out at the emptiness of consumerism and the flattening of individuality under strip malls and highway culture. It’s chaos, but it’s thrilling.
But there’s more here than just fury. On “Bankrupt on Selling,” Brock turns inward, dropping the sarcasm and letting the heartbreak through. It’s a quiet, devastating song about selling out, giving up, and watching something beautiful slip away. The lyrics are gut-punches:
“I come clean out of love with my lover / I still love her / Loved her more when she was sober and I was kinder.”
Then there’s “Cowboy Dan,” maybe the album’s emotional and thematic centerpiece. It tells the story of a disillusioned anti-hero, lost in a world that’s left him behind. He drives into the desert, firing a rifle at the sky, demanding that God die with him. It’s absurd, tragic, and strangely beautiful. Brock uses this surreal imagery to express something very real: the rage and despair of someone crushed by a system that never cared. The band matches the intensity perfectly, building the track into a swirling, chaotic climax.
Even in its quieter moments — like the heartbreaking “Trailer Trash” — the album never feels safe. There’s always tension, always the sense that things might fall apart at any second. And yet, they don’t. The band walks that tightrope brilliantly, keeping everything just barely together in a way that feels thrillingly alive.
The Lonesome Crowded West is an album about disillusionment, alienation, the loneliness of suburban parking lots and late-night truck stops. It’s also about personal failures, moments of honesty that cut deeper than the loudest outburst. There’s anger, yes, but also vulnerability, tenderness, confusion.
Few albums manage to be this thematically cohesive without feeling preachy, or this musically adventurous without falling into indulgence. Modest Mouse strikes that balance perfectly. This isn’t just a great indie rock record — it’s a masterpiece.
Mastodon · 4 likes
5/5
This is much rockier and less metal than I expected, but in the best way. Dreamy but loud and intense. Mastodon pushed technical boundaries on earlier albums; here they're all about mystery, depth, emotion, and atmosphere.
"Quintessence" opens epically and shifts into progressive grooves with vocals that elevate everything. "The Czar" reminds me of Opeth. "The Last Baron" goes off at 13 minutes and earns every second. "Oblivion" and "The Ghost of Karelia" also stand out.
The production is thick and full. Every layer is audible, which makes for an incredible listening experience, but also a tiring one. It demands your full attention in a way that's both a strength and a limitation. I might not always reach for this even though I have starting to really love this album, simply because it's so dense and exhausting.
The vocals took some getting used to as well. Multiple singers, none technically great, plus guest vocals. But it all works perfectly for the vibe.
Way better than I expected. A killer album that rewards the effort it demands.
4,5*
Phish · 4 likes
1/5
The kind of band where deep fandom hinges on live context, inside jokes, and patience for extended improvisation.
The crowd’s enthusiastic clapping at the start of Stash is pure “you had to be there,” and if you weren’t, it’s more alienating than inviting. Like listening to a cult. And the fretwanking goes from “interesting detour” to “where are we even going with this?” real quick.
Yo La Tengo · 3 likes
5/5
Strangely enough, a band that I've apparently left sitting on my to-listen pile for way too long. It’s eclectic in the best way. The music roughly straddles the line between noise rock and dream pop, with influences from Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth evident, but there are also hints of shoegaze and mellow sixties pop.
The first few tracks carry a subtle weight, with darker undertones both musically and emotionally. But around “Shadows,” the album shifts: it loosens up a bit. Songs like “Damage” and “Autumn Sweater” immediately stood out, and then there were songs like “Green Arrow” with a mood like sitting on a wide Queenslander porch with friends and beers as the sun goes down. “The Lie and How We Told It” carries that same quiet resonance.
“Little Honda” reimagined through a Velvet Underground lens is more fun than it has any right to be, and the feedback solo in “We’re an American Band” is gloriously chaotic.
It’s a generous album, balancing fuzzy distortion with delicate stillness. And that balance might be the real genius of it. Apparently it captures both Yo La Tengo’s noisier early edge and the mellow, atmospheric direction they’d lean into later.
This one's going into rotation. And I'm really keen to explore the rest of their catalogue.
4-Star Albums (74)
1-Star Albums (6)
All Ratings
Salif Keita
4/5
The first album on this user-generated list already surpasses almost anything that was classed World Music in the original 1001 list. Organic, deeply rooted sound that isn’t filtered through Western pop sensibilities.
Superb start.
Cluster
4/5
A highlight in the electronic Krautrock. It seems to have all the basic ingredients that would make electronic music big about 15 years later
Roky Erickson
4/5
It's a chaotic, horror-obsessed blast of psych-rock and garage energy, full of songs about zombies, vampires, the devil, and aliens.
there's definitely some psychosis at work.
John Martyn
3/5
It's not bad, but John Martyn for me is always a story of never rising above mediocrity
Porter Robinson
2/5
Didn’t seem like my thing at first—too sweet, too much autotune—but a few tracks in the second half like “Unfold” pulled me back in. Not sure yet, but there’s something here. I'll give it another go and maybe it'll grow on me.
Phish
1/5
The kind of band where deep fandom hinges on live context, inside jokes, and patience for extended improvisation.
The crowd’s enthusiastic clapping at the start of Stash is pure “you had to be there,” and if you weren’t, it’s more alienating than inviting. Like listening to a cult. And the fretwanking goes from “interesting detour” to “where are we even going with this?” real quick.
Tori Amos
5/5
I was deep into Tori Amos 30 years ago, and Under the Pink was a key part of my musical experiences. If Little Earthquakes was raw emotion, Under the Pink is its more polished, possibly more powerful sibling—helped enormously by the stunning production.
Back then, “Pretty Good Year” was the standout for me. Now, after a relisten, it’s “God” and “Past the Mission” that really hit. “God” especially—what a wild, unpredictable piece. No two notes land where you expect, yet it’s all held together by her voice and conviction. Slower tracks like “Icicle” and “Bells for Her” still shimmer too.
This one holds up—smart, emotional, strange in all the right ways. A reminder of how far-reaching and fearless she was (and still sounds).
4,5*
Marillion
2/5
I was going to write a whole thing down but thought better of it. Marillion will just never be for me.
Snarky Puppy
3/5
Listened 4–5 times over 24 hours and… still conflicted. The musicianship? Undeniable. The first two tracks—What About Me? and Shofukan—landed hard with their tight grooves and rich, layered production (at times giving off Mars Volta vibes, which I dig). But as the album went on, the endless solos started to blur together. Technically dazzling, sure, but emotionally? I'm not sure it's talking to me.
Maybe they're expressing something deeply felt—or maybe I'm just not wired to receive it. Still, I get why people love it. I just don’t know if I ever will quite love it myself.
Fontaines D.C.
4/5
I'll admit Fontaines D.C. never really made it onto my regular rotation, though I’ve always liked the singles. I've listened to all albums since Dogrel, but hadn't heard this one yet. So I went into Romance curious—would it bring that same post-punk punch?
Yes and no. The spiky post-punk sound is mostly gone (only “Here’s the Thing” and “Death Kink” echo that older style), replaced by a broader sonic palette: Britpop, shoegaze, '90s alt-rock, indie, even hints of orchestral pop. And yet, it still sounds like Fontaines D.C., largely thanks to Grian Chatten’s unmistakable vocals. Honestly, I think this shift works in their favour—great bands grow beyond the genres they started in.
There are real highlights here: “Starbuster,” “In the Modern World,” and the jangly, Smiths-like “Favourite” are standouts—each one distinct and memorable. But I don’t hear the masterpiece that some others seem to. Tracks like “Desire,” “Horseness Is the Whatness,” and “Motorcycle Boy” just don’t stick, and others like “Sundowner” or “Bug” are decent but not revelatory.
Still, Romance feels stronger than their last two albums, and maybe even on par with Dogrel. It’s a confident reinvention that might explain why Fontaines D.C. have become the post-punk flag-bearers of their era.
Gang of Youths
5/5
What an album. In retrospect, this might be the best rock record of 2017. At first, it feels like a confident blend of Springsteen’s open-hearted rock and The National’s poetic introspection. But as the album progresses, the Springsteen-esque energy gives way to slower, string-laden ballads, and that journey—from swaggering to reflective—is what helps justify its nearly 80-minute runtime.
David Le’aupepe’s voice carries it all: deep, rich, emotional, and not afraid to belt it out when needed. He’s clearly been through a lot (seriously, look him up), and this album feels like a cathartic purge—ending with titles like “Our Time Is Short” and “Say Yes to Life,” it's got soul and affirmation in equal measure.
Sure, Gang of Youths cranks the grandeur knobs, and occasionally goes overboard with strings or cinematic flourishes—but the melodies, hooks, and feel-good energy are so strong, it’s hard not to get swept up. And above all, it’s performed with passion and heart. No idea how this album passed me by for so long.
Amyl and The Sniffers
5/5
FREAKS TO THE FRONT!
An album I know inside-out and one that hits like a punk rock bolt from the blue. Comfort to Me is loud, raw, and totally unpretentious — a hurricane of fresh punk energy paired with direct, no-nonsense lyrics that don't care about literary polish. And that’s exactly the point.
Beyond the sound, this one’s personal. After 262 days of lockdown in Melbourne, they were one of the local bands to hit the stage at the Play On Victoria gig in 2021 — and the crowd needed that chaos. Amyl & the Sniffers made sure we got it. The Sidney Myer Bowl crowd of 4000 got as rowdy as possible with masked faces and aching feet — and when the band kicked off, something shifted. It wasn’t just a show; it was a city exhaling.
Every track here is tight, forceful, and urgent, and Amy Taylor is an absolute star — unfiltered, charismatic, and commanding.
Comfort to Me doesn’t try to be clever; it tries to be real. And it nails it. It's just punk as fuck.
Valerie June
3/5
This is a confident, genre-hopping debut that shows Valerie June’s range and charm, but also struggles a bit with coherence. There’s no denying the talent here: the songwriting is strong, the voice is distinct (if not for everyone), and there’s a heartfelt musical curiosity in every track.
Produced by Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys guy), the album has that retro, lo-fi 60s sound. But now, more than a decade on, it also dates the album a little. It’s the kind of nostalgic production that can slide into kitsch, and I found myself wondering on several occasions how these songs might’ve sounded with a more modern or timeless sound.
Valerie June clearly has a deep love for blues, folk, soul, country, and gospel, and she pours it all into this album. The downside is that it sometimes feels more like a tour of her influences than a fully formed style of her own.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
2/5
I’ve tried. Again. And I think it’s safe to say now: jam bands just aren’t for me.
Whether it’s Phish, the Grateful Dead, or Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, I hear the same directionless improvisation, fret-wanking, and fan-driven mystique… but I don’t feel anything. I get why these bands have such a devoted following: by relentless touring, high-energy live shows, and a communal vibe, but none of that translates to my listening experience.
As for The Great Outdoors Jam, it brings me absolutely nothing. No standout melodies, no emotional pull, not even the novelty of weirdness to hold on to. Just a long, flat blur of jamming. I endured it more than I listened to it.
Olivia Rodrigo
3/5
Pleasant surprise, this one.
A tightly produced pop-rock record that punches above its weight.
It blends energetic high school rock with sugary ballads and the album is surprisingly varied and self-assured. Lyrically, I'm not that interested in it, because it’s not aiming at the life experience of a 40-something year old man.
But my inner teenage girl? She had a good time.
"Vampire" stood out as the clear single for good reason: it’s sharp, dramatic, and catchy as hell. And while not every song reaches that same level, there’s more than enough on here to keep it interesting Olivia wears her Alanis influence proudly, and honestly, every generation needs its own cathartic, angst-filled, high school rock heroine.
Tally Hall
3/5
One of those cult-favorite, internet-loved oddities. It feels like a quirky student band, in the best and worst sense. colour-coded ties, barbershop harmonies, theatrical arrangements, and a kind of nerdy songwriting. Focusing on cleverness rather than emotion.
It's fine for what it is.
Death Cab for Cutie
4/5
This album feels like it was tailor-made for me. Gorgeous, emotionally honest lyrics about long-distance love? Been there, lived that, and married her, too. That bittersweet pull of closeness stretched by geography runs deep in these songs, and it’s written with that intimate melancholy that Death Cab does so well.
Transatlanticism finds a beautiful balance: the louder moments are never too much, and the quieter ones, especially the stunning title track, cut to the bone. That song might just be the best thing they've ever recorded.
And yet… it’s a strong 4 stars, not quite 5. Not because of anything wrong, exactly. The production, the sound, the style, I enjoy it all. Maybe it's just that ineffable something that keeps it just shy of greatness for me. But what’s here is more than enough to return to.
The Mountain Goats
4/5
This is lo-fi storytelling at its most raw and charming. The whole album plays like a series of intimate confessions sung directly into a boombox, which, of course, it literally is. John Darnielle’s trademark Panasonic RX-FT500 gives the record its unique texture... and its limitations. You can actually hear the wheel grind of the tape recorder at the start of songs, and while that adds some character, it can also be a bit too lo-fi for my taste.
Still, the songwriting shines through. The Mess Inside is easily the highlight of the album. Emotionally powerful, painfully honest, and beautifully simple.
Marillion
3/5
I approached Misplaced Childhood with a mix of curiosity and hesitation. Reading the reviews here, Marillion’s reputation sits somewhere between art rock royalty nostalgia and over-the-top theatrical indulgence, and as someone who both loves and loathes different corners of the prog-rock universe, I wasn’t sure where this would land.
First track? Rough start. The vocals come off very theatrical, almost in a forced Peter Gabriel impersonation kind of way. Combine that with thick layers of 80s synth gloss and it immediately felt like I’d landed in the soundtrack to a forgotten fantasy VHS tape.
"Kayleigh" was next — a song I already knew from every best-of list under the sun. I still don’t rate it all that highly, but the bassline does some nice work. It wasn’t until Lavender that things briefly clicked. That track had more heart, a touch of sincerity, and even if Fish still seemed to be channeling Gabriel, it worked better.
I’ll give them credit for the continuous flow of the album, songs blending into each other in classic concept record fashion. But aside from the occasional sonic curveball like Waterhole (which made me perk up), the rest felt like derivative mid-80s prog that’s too in love with its own gloss. The production is just too 80s for me — not in a nostalgic way, but in that over-sheened, emotion-flattening way that sucks the energy out of the songwriting.
Ultimately, this didn’t offend me, but it also didn’t excite me. There are flashes of potential and moments where it reaches for something deeper, but it doesn’t have the emotional weight of Genesis or the bite of Floyd. Just a bit of a pleasant, overacted meander.
Les sheriff
3/5
This is a fun one. Fast, loud, unapologetically punk from start to finish. It’s high-speed, high-energy Ramones/Misfits-style punk, delivered live and surprisingly well-recorded. The songs blur into each other in a way that works for a while — you’ll be nodding your head, maybe even grinning — but after an hour of relentless tempo and samey structure, fatigue sets in. Fittingly, the second song chants “tout le temps pareil,” which pretty much sums it up. My French is shaky, but I caught enough to get the vibe, and it seems fine. Honestly, this is a solid live punk record — nothing life-changing, but it scratches the itch and I would've 100% checked these guys out on a festival in the early 90's
Mary Chapin Carpenter
2/5
Apparently this is one of the ultimate country classics and her breakthrough record — which is surprising, because it opens with painfully by-the-numbers pop-country. For a while I thought I’d be stuck in radio-friendly line-dance hell. But when Carpenter slows it down, something interesting happens. Rhythm of the Blues is a real standout, a ballad with genuine emotion and depth. Only A Dream is another one — melancholic, textured, and easily the best thing on here. Unfortunately, those moments are islands in a sea of safe, stock-standard country-pop that blends together. Not Too Much To Ask might be one of the worst offenders — cloying, saccharine, the kind of ballad that makes your teeth hurt. I’m glad I gave the whole thing a fair listen, but this one’s just not for me. Her ballads show real talent, but the rest? Skippable.
Titus Andronicus
3/5
I’ve now listened to this four times, and like a few other reviews, I really wanted to like it more than I do. On paper, it’s got a lot going for it: a Civil War-inspired concept album wrapped in scrappy punk energy and Springsteenian ambition. There are moments that catch my ear, and I admire the scope and intent, but somehow it all washes over me without landing. It’s loud, it’s clever, it’s ambitious… but it doesn’t grab me emotionally or stick in my memory. In one ear, out the other. Maybe I’ll come back to it someday and it’ll click, but for now, it’s a respectful shrug.
Men I Trust
2/5
Listened to this twice and… I genuinely have nothing to say. It’s 70+ minutes of dreamy, lo-fi indie pop that’s all vibe and no spine. It’s pleasant enough, and I know that's the vibe they're going for, but the whole thing feels like sonic wallpaper. I get the aesthetic, but I need something to hold on to. Even the better tracks ("Tailwhip", "Show Me How") barely ripple the surface.
Nightwish
2/5
Three tracks into Once and I already couldn't believe this is considered one of the flagbearers of symphonic metal, a genre pioneered so beautifully by bands like The Gathering. This feels like a caricature: all the bombast, none of the nuance.
Nemo, the lead single, is basically hollow symphonic Top 40, bringing nothing special. Planet Hell was the first track I actually enjoyed, mostly thanks to the keyboard player: there's some real atmosphere and restraint there, which is completely absent elsewhere.
And then... Ghost Love Score happens. What a song. It’s like the band finally decided to write with purpose. The buildup is powerful, the choir and orchestra are used tastefully, and even the rhythm section feels inspired. There's tension, there's variety, transitions. It’s almost like a different band entirely. Okay, the guitar solo in the middle is kind of dreadful, but I'll forgive it.
In the end, Once feels like an entire album built around one song: Ghost Love Score, with Planet Hell as the only other real standout. The rest? Bloated and unmemorable. But those two songs just about save it.
Modest Mouse
5/5
The Lonesome Crowded West feels like something else entirely — a sprawling, messy, emotionally raw record that grips you somewhere deeper. And every time I return to it, I find more to admire. More to feel. It's long, intense, and often abrasive, but its urgency and honesty make it unforgettable.
The sound is unpolished and tense, the guitars jittery and unpredictable, constantly shifting between jittery punk, shambling indie, and sprawling jams. Isaac Brock’s vocals aren’t traditionally beautiful. His voice is cracked and imperfect, not always in tune, but the perfect vehicle for these songs' themes: the loneliness of American sprawl, the death of authenticity, the slow decay of hope.
Take “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine.” It’s a violent opener, lashing out at the emptiness of consumerism and the flattening of individuality under strip malls and highway culture. It’s chaos, but it’s thrilling.
But there’s more here than just fury. On “Bankrupt on Selling,” Brock turns inward, dropping the sarcasm and letting the heartbreak through. It’s a quiet, devastating song about selling out, giving up, and watching something beautiful slip away. The lyrics are gut-punches:
“I come clean out of love with my lover / I still love her / Loved her more when she was sober and I was kinder.”
Then there’s “Cowboy Dan,” maybe the album’s emotional and thematic centerpiece. It tells the story of a disillusioned anti-hero, lost in a world that’s left him behind. He drives into the desert, firing a rifle at the sky, demanding that God die with him. It’s absurd, tragic, and strangely beautiful. Brock uses this surreal imagery to express something very real: the rage and despair of someone crushed by a system that never cared. The band matches the intensity perfectly, building the track into a swirling, chaotic climax.
Even in its quieter moments — like the heartbreaking “Trailer Trash” — the album never feels safe. There’s always tension, always the sense that things might fall apart at any second. And yet, they don’t. The band walks that tightrope brilliantly, keeping everything just barely together in a way that feels thrillingly alive.
The Lonesome Crowded West is an album about disillusionment, alienation, the loneliness of suburban parking lots and late-night truck stops. It’s also about personal failures, moments of honesty that cut deeper than the loudest outburst. There’s anger, yes, but also vulnerability, tenderness, confusion.
Few albums manage to be this thematically cohesive without feeling preachy, or this musically adventurous without falling into indulgence. Modest Mouse strikes that balance perfectly. This isn’t just a great indie rock record — it’s a masterpiece.
Adam Green
1/5
This album mostly just made me tired. Green’s flat delivery, underwhelming melodies, and lyrics that seem to aim for clever but land somewhere between smug and pointless didn’t do much for me. Apparently, this is part of the New York anti-folk scene, where irony, lo-fi kitsch, and deadpan absurdity are the whole point.
But it just comes off as flimsy if you’re not in on the joke.
Transvision Vamp
3/5
This is brash, fuzzy pop-rock with glammy guitars and punky attitude—but underneath all that sneer, it’s actually a lot of fun. Nick Christian Sayer’s rockabilly-tinged guitar work gives the songs some swagger, even if the songwriting isn’t always memorable. It sits somewhere between Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Fuzzbox, with a splash of synthpop gloss and a whole lot of 80s attitude. You won’t find hidden depth here, but for loud, energetic house-cleaning music? It more than earns its keep.
TOOL
5/5
I grew up with a couple of Tool megafans in high school in the mid-90s, which gave me a bit of an aversion to them for a while. Something about the intensity of the fandom made it hard to approach the music on its own terms. But I got over that eventually, and I’m glad I did. Listening for myself, Lateralus quickly revealed itself as one of the most exciting, complete albums I know.
It’s heavy without being numbingly aggressive, cerebral without being cold. The drumming alone is worth the price of admission. It's complex, unpredictable, yet never self-indulgent. Guitars and bass lock in perfectly, not just to show off, but to serve the structure and mood of each track. The whole album breathes, shifts, and surges with purpose.
This is where everything Tool had been building toward came together: the raw power of Ænima, the refined intricacy of their later work, balanced perfectly. It’s loud, meditative, explosive, restrained and sometimes all at once. The lyrics dig deep into personal and philosophical territory without slipping into pretension. And it all just works.
I could say so much more, but honestly, it’s all been said. Lateralus is a masterpiece of modern progressive metal, and one that never loses its emotional core. An essential listen, and one of the most glaring omissions from the original 1001 Albums list.
They Might Be Giants
2/5
Fun once, but in one ear and out the other. Clever and cleanly produced, sure — but it never grabs me emotionally, musically, or even lyrically. Just a quirky little blip of a record. I might put it on while cleaning, but I’d never seek it out.
Café Tacvba
3/5
This is exactly the kind of album the original list was missing. Instead of just picking the most Westernised release from a major Latin American artist, the user-generated list actually brings something bold and representative to the table. Even if Re isn’t perfect — a bit uneven in places — it’s vibrant, creative, and rooted deeply in Mexican and broader Hispanic influences. It's not just a curiosity; it’s essential listening if you care about what the rest of the world has been doing outside the anglo bubble. I'm glad I heard it.
Bloc Party
4/5
One of the modern classics from the early 2000s, and it still holds up. High-energy, danceable rock with sharp edges — you can feel the urgency in every track. It's part of that last wave where albums still mattered, and you can hear the influence of bands like Gang of Four all over it. “Banquet” especially could’ve walked straight off 1979's Entertainment! with those stabbing guitars. This might not be wildly original, but it’s tight, exciting, and very well executed. Really enjoyed it.
Polvo
3/5
Cool start with the opening song with that bass swinging left to right, and “Sense Of It” held my attention later on, but the rest just didn’t live up to the promise. I like noisy, off-kilter rock, but this wandered into noodly territory without the payoff. Admirable idea, forgettable execution.
Rachel Stevens
2/5
Look, I won't knock anyone for loving catchy bubblegum pop. This starts off decently enough — bright, uptempo, and a notch above some of the soggy pop that made the original list. But submitting this as a must-hear-before-you-die pick? Bold move. After the first few songs, the quality drops like a stone. “I Said Never Again” and “Some Girls” are fun, but most of it fades into a blur of copy-paste pop. “Dumb Dumb” offers a bit of flavor, but overall? Not dying to hear it again.
Jóhann Jóhannsson
4/5
If I ever want to let someone hear how to NOT play a note and let silence between the notes do heavy emotional lifting, then this is the album I'd put on.
It's music that warrants your attention.
MF DOOM
3/5
Emicida
4/5
Even without speaking Portuguese, I could feel the weight of what Emicida was trying to say. With a little help from Google Translate, it became clear how important that message is. AmarElo is about identity, resilience, and hope, especially for Black Brazilians, but also the poor, lgbtq and more and it doesn’t shy away from hard truths.
Musically, it didn’t do much for me. The beats and production are serviceable but uninspired. Just not really that good. Yet in this case, and how hiphop and reap actually should be, it really doesn’t matter. Hip-hop is a storytelling vehicle, and AmarElo delivers a story worth hearing. Sometimes the message is more vital than the music. This is one of those times.
Joe Jackson
5/5
The fact that Look Sharp! didn’t make the original 1001 Albums list is baffling. No Joe Jackson at all? But six Elvis Costello albums? That’s just criminal.
This album has been on repeat for me for the past two days. It’s deceptively smooth and accessible, but the more you listen, the more you hear how sharp the songwriting and arrangements really are. Graham Maby’s bass work is phenomenal—propulsive, melodic, and playful—and Joe Jackson’s lyrics are clever without being smug. There’s real charm here, and I often catch myself grinning while listening.
What really sets this record apart is how versatile it feels. It's great when you're in a good mood thanks to its punchy energy, but you can just as easily sink into the lyrics when you need a bit of catharsis. ‘Sunday Papers,’ ‘Is She Really Going Out with Him?,’ ‘(Do the) Instant Mash’ and 'Got The Time' are clear standouts, but honestly, there isn’t a weak track here. It works as a cohesive whole and holds up to repeat listens without losing any of its freshness.
I don’t hand out 5-star ratings lightly, but if this one doesn’t deserve it, I don’t know what does.
Type O Negative
5/5
Storms outside, swirling guitars inside. Revisiting Bloody Kisses today, I wasn’t sure what I’d feel. This was an album I played to death in my youth — a goth metal classic soaked in atmosphere, sardonic humour, and Peter Steele’s baritone. I half expected it to feel cringe in hindsight. It doesn’t. In fact, it holds up better than I imagined.
After the bruising Slow, Deep and Hard, Bloody Kisses was a drastic pivot. The hardcore roots aren’t gone, but they’re pushed to the back as romantic, doom-laden goth takes centre stage. Christian Woman and Black No. 1 kick things off with a theatrical flourish — slow, massive riffs given space to breathe by Josh Silver’s moody, melodic keyboards. The lyrics in both tracks are tongue-in-cheek, playing with tropes of religious guilt and goth vanity. The call-and-response vocals only add to the campy fun.
And yet, Bloody Kisses (A Death in the Family) changes everything. Here the irony vanishes for 10 minutes, and you’re left with a stunningly slow, mournful, sincere doom piece. The drums drag like grief itself. The solos ache. The keys wrap the whole thing in a gothic cathedral's worth of atmosphere. It’s the emotional core of the album, and perhaps the best thing Type O ever recorded.
That emotional punch only makes the return to playful weirdness more effective. The Seals & Crofts cover Summer Breeze shows again how much 60's influence there is on this album. We Hate Everyone and Kill All the White People are lightning rods of controversy, but also tongue-in-cheek middle fingers to the people who misunderstood (or deliberately misrepresented) Steele’s politics. If Untermensch from the previous album provoked outrage, this album gleefully toys with that fallout. Steele never backed down from confrontation — I still remember Carnivore handing out communist propaganda at gigs — and he used shock just as much as sincerity to make a point (and sell records).
Even the strange interludes ("Fay Wray Come Out and Play", "Dark Side of the Womb") add to the sense of chaos. And yet through it all, the album flows, never outstaying its welcome despite the hour-plus runtime.
Listening again today, what stands out is how Bloody Kisses walks the tightrope between camp and genuine feeling. It’s dramatic, erotic, heavy, completely ridiculous, sorrowful, romantic, and tons of fun — sometimes all in the same song. That contrast is what makes the album so compelling. Steele knew when to wink, and when to cut deep.
For all its theatrics, Bloody Kisses is sincere where it counts. It’s a towering slab of goth metal that still stands tall. And damn, it’s good to have it back in rotation.
Jai Paul
2/5
Without knowing the backstory, this just sounds like a scattered collection of unfinished electronic tracks, some promising ideas, but nothing that fully lands. But once you do know the history (that this was a leaked, unpolished work that derailed Jai Paul’s career for years) it’s easier to see the intrigue. There’s a raw talent buried in here, like glimpses of what could’ve been a groundbreaking debut. As it stands, it's more myth than masterpiece. Interesting, but not essential.
INXS
4/5
Wait... Kick wasn’t on the original 1001 list? That’s wild. INXS were absolutely everywhere at the time. This album shows them at their peak, blending Aussie pub rock with late-'80s new wave in a way that still holds up today.
Most of the spotlight tends to fall on Hutchence, and sure, he’s a great frontman. But Andrew Farriss is the one who really holds this album together. As the main songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he shapes the sound—from slick synthpop to rock guitar swagger—and gives the album its drive and style.
Not every song hits quite as hard, but the overall quality is high. The best tracks are undeniable, the grooves are tight, and even the weaker moments are still fun. Solid 4 stars from me.
Roger Waters
3/5
Joan As Police Woman
2/5
Amon Düül II
3/5
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
4/5
Biffy Clyro
2/5
This one left me cold. First time listening to this band and I'd heard Biffy Clyro described it as complex, emotionally intense, and even a bit mathy.
But Puzzle delivers none of that. Instead, it’s polished, straightforward arena rock with big choruses and surprisingly shallow lyrics. Most of the songs blur together without much bite or depth. Apparently, after reading some of the reviews here I’ll be needing to check out their earlier, rougher work. Which I will be doing. This one isn't for me.
Stars
4/5
At first, this felt like well-crafted but overly polished indie pop—but as the album unfolded, it revealed more depth than expected. Lush arrangements, bittersweet lyrics, and some surprising emotional resonance crept in track by track. It’s not flashy, but it lingers. Quietly ambitious and worth a few extra listens.
Louis Armstrong
5/5
It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that this music is nearly 100 years old. Recorded between 1925 and 1929 in Chicago, these tracks don’t just mark a pivotal moment in jazz history, it's the birth of modern popular music as we know it, from rock, pop, soul, and basically any genre that values personal expression and musical conversation.
Freestylers
2/5
A very 90s breakbeat album through and through. The two tracks with Navigator, Ruffneck and Warning, I already knew. But after a couple of full listens, the rest of the album doesn’t quite deliver. Even within the genre (which I have a soft spot for for some reason) it feels more like a decent time capsule than a standout release. Fun, but not essential.
The National
5/5
There’s not much left to say about Boxer that hasn’t been said already. More than 15 years on, it remains a modern classic. Moody, beautiful, restrained yet emotionally loaded. The songwriting is sharp, the atmosphere perfectly measured, and Matt Berninger’s baritone carries a weary elegance that makes the smallest moments feel monumental.
TOOL
4/5
After Lateralus, 10,000 Days feels like a more meditative, personal, and ultimately less focused album. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. It’s still Tool, and that means enormous sound, precision drumming, weird time signatures, and Maynard’s cryptic, layered vocals weaving between it all.
The emotional core is clearly the title suite with Wings for Marie and 10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2) being a tribute to Maynard’s mother, who spent 27 years (or 10000 days) in a coma.
As a whole, though, the album can feel bloated. It doesn’t have the tight, aggressive focus of Ænima or the precision of Lateralus. Some tracks sprawl without clear direction (Rosetta Stoned), and there’s a sense of the band stretching things out just because they can.
Still, the highs are really high. “Vicarious” is classic Tool. “The Pot” grooves hard. You just have to wade through a little more to get to the gold.
10,000 Days isn’t their best, but it’s a worthy chapter: emotional, strange, and occasionally brilliant.
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
3/5
Gotcha!
3/5
This one hits a strange, nostalgic nerve. I grew up hearing Gotcha! in the background, one of those Dutch bands from the early '90s that never quite broke through, even at home. And it wasn’t because they lacked talent. While Belgium had Studio Brussels supporting alternative and underground acts, the Netherlands had 3FM, a station that mostly ignored the more interesting local scenes and focused instead on international chart material. As a result, bands like Gotcha! were pushed to the margins.
Revisiting this self-titled album now, I’m struck by how tight it sounds. It’s not as loose or funky as their debut, but the production is more refined. The album blends funk, rock, and rap in a way that still feels fun and energetic, though a bit dated in places. It’s probably not the best record from that era, and arguably not even Gotcha!’s best, but there’s plenty of charm, confidence, and groove here.
Robyn Hitchcock
3/5
First listen I thought it was terrible, second listen I was possibly in a better mental space for this, it seems an acquired taste. I'll revisit and will edit review and stars
Daft Punk
3/5
There's no denying Discovery is a landmark electronic album. Released in 2001, it's packed with hooks, French house textures, vocoder-heavy vocals, and a nostalgic love letter to 70s/80s pop, funk, and disco. It's melodic, accessible, and loaded with style. “Digital Love” and “Something About Us” show just how emotionally rich electronica can get, and the production is as precise as ever. It's playful, textured, and clearly crafted with care.
And yet... I’ve never really clicked with Daft Punk. I admire what they do more than I feel it. Discovery is widely viewed as their masterpiece. It's fun, polished, and iconic. But to me, it always felt just slightly overrated. I’ve seen them twice live and Alive 2007 was fantastic, so it's not a lack of appreciation for the performance or genre. It just doesn’t resonate emotionally like other electronic artists do for me.
Still, I can acknowledge its status as a defining post-millennial party album as someone else on here said before me. Maybe it’s one of those records I respect more than I love.
Talking Heads
4/5
4/5
I can’t believe I missed this one growing up. I was a grunge kid in the 90s, and this would’ve been right up my alley. It’s exactly the kind of guitar-driven, overdrive-soaked sound I have a weak spot for. Think Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins, but heavier on the atmosphere and less caught up in angst. Five listens in, I’m still discovering new layers.
The guitars are massive, spacey, shoegaze-adjacent, and overdriven to the point of becoming textured soundscapes rather than just riffs. But it’s not all muscle. There’s a surprising amount of beauty and subtlety hiding in the noise. Tracks like “Why I Like the Robins” and “Stars” are my standouts, but honestly, the whole album holds up as a cohesive, moody ride.
What really sticks with me is the emotional pull beneath the distortion. This one’s not just going into rotation, it’s making me want to dive into the rest of their discography.
Billy Squier
3/5
Don’t Say No might not be a groundbreaking album, but it’s widely considered the high point of Billy Squier’s career. After listening, I can see why. I went in cold, having never really heard of Squier before. Judging by the comments here, this album was formative for a lot of people growing up in the U.S., but I’m not sure it ever made much of a splash in Europe. That said, I definitely recognised a few riffs. This thing has been sampled and borrowed from a lot more than I realised.
Musically, it’s idiosyncratic stadium rock, if that makes sense: big and bombastic, but with some quirky bits too. You can really hear Queen producer Reinhold Mack’s fingerprints all over it, especially in the theatrical production. It feels a bit glam-rock strut with a bit of Zeppelin swagger.
The album veers between solid rock craftsmanship and slightly sugary or cliché moments. But the variety keeps it interesting, and for fans of REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, or Heart, this album’s a must-listen.
Sampha
3/5
There’s a lot to admire here: the clarity of production, the atmospheric layering, and Sampha’s undeniably strong voice. On paper, it’s easy to see why this album received rave reviews and why it deserves a spot on a list like this. But for me, it just doesn’t connect. The rhythms and arrangements are intricate, but I find myself drifting off. It builds an atmosphere, but not one I want to stay in for long. A technically accomplished and emotionally sincere album—I just didn’t enjoy it much.
Great Big Sea
2/5
There are really three different albums hiding in this one: some upbeat Irish-inspired folk that’s decent, a few sea shanties that lean a bit too hard into silliness, and several ballads that are overly sentimental and musically flat. Chemical Worker’s Song (Process Man) stands out a little more: solid rhythm, a working-class anthem edge, but even that feels more performative than truthful.
Arthur Russell
3/5
This is one of those albums for me where brilliance flickers in and out between deeply personal noise. In both cases, it can feel like you're eavesdropping on a private transmission not quite meant for you. That can be fascinating, or alienating, depending on your headspace.
Jimmy Eat World
3/5
This is just catchy power pop/rock with some emo influences and really early 2000s vibes. It’s catchy, melodic, and confident in its sound, but also safe.
The album hooks you quickly, but loses its grip just as fast.
The Beautiful South
2/5
Thee Oh Sees
3/5
Tosca
3/5
Strange album. Sometimes I put it on and think it’s boring or aimless, other times it clicks and feels smooth and atmospheric. It's firmly downtempo (not lounge), and while it doesn’t always hit for me, I’ve heard much worse in the genre. Tracks like “Suzuki,” “Orozco,” and “Honey” stand out, with some genuinely nice piano and string samples. Not essential, but when it works, it works.
Joe Cocker
3/5
The Best Cover Band Ever.
Angelo De Augustine
2/5
I went into this with an open mind. I was disappointed by Angelo de Augustine's first album Swim Inside the Moon, but suspected the lo-fi, bathroom-recording might’ve been part or if not most of the problem there.
So Tomb is giving Angelo a second chance. And yes, the production is noticeably better. clean, crisp, with much more clarity. You could argue that's logical; it didn't take much. The opening track “Tomb” drew me in, and “All to the Wind” feels like a real step forward in both sound and structure.
But ultimately, no matter how well-produced it is, this kind of whisper-folk just doesn’t land for me. I don’t enjoy the style, and I don’t connect with his voice. There’s nothing objectively wrong with the album, and I can hear why it would resonate with others.
I won't be revisiting this and I don't think this one is an essential.
Yo La Tengo
5/5
Strangely enough, a band that I've apparently left sitting on my to-listen pile for way too long. It’s eclectic in the best way. The music roughly straddles the line between noise rock and dream pop, with influences from Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth evident, but there are also hints of shoegaze and mellow sixties pop.
The first few tracks carry a subtle weight, with darker undertones both musically and emotionally. But around “Shadows,” the album shifts: it loosens up a bit. Songs like “Damage” and “Autumn Sweater” immediately stood out, and then there were songs like “Green Arrow” with a mood like sitting on a wide Queenslander porch with friends and beers as the sun goes down. “The Lie and How We Told It” carries that same quiet resonance.
“Little Honda” reimagined through a Velvet Underground lens is more fun than it has any right to be, and the feedback solo in “We’re an American Band” is gloriously chaotic.
It’s a generous album, balancing fuzzy distortion with delicate stillness. And that balance might be the real genius of it. Apparently it captures both Yo La Tengo’s noisier early edge and the mellow, atmospheric direction they’d lean into later.
This one's going into rotation. And I'm really keen to explore the rest of their catalogue.
Chromatics
4/5
The phonecall at the start sets the tone perfectly: this album is the soundtrack to cruising empty city streets after dark, bathed in neon and solitude.
The title track kicks things off with purpose; moody, minimal, and cinematic. “I Want Your Love” and the Kate Bush cover “Running Up That Hill” take the intensity down a notch, and for me, they break the spell a bit. But from “Killing Spree” onward, it regains its footing. “Healer” is excellent, and “Tomorrow Is So Far Away” might be my favourite track on the album—icy, melancholic, and beautifully restrained.
It all winds down with the slow 15-minute build of “Tick of the Clock,” which stretches time and lets the whole thing dissolve into atmosphere. It’s a fitting end.
It's some nice dark electro with a moody, gothy atmosphere that reminds me a bit of Kirlian Camera and while it’s not flawless, Night Drive is definitely something I’ll come back to.
My Chemical Romance
2/5
So, someone’s already deep-dived into 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - heard Pink Floyd's The Wall, heard several Queen albums, heard punk-rock, heard Franz Ferdinand, heard Muse - and then nominates The Black Parade as a missing entry on that list?
I know this album means the world to a certain generation, but musically, The Black Parade just brings nothing new. This is Queen cosplay with Offspring power chords, Boston-style layering, a Franz Ferdinand strut, and some Muse-lite drama. Just a (black) parade of overused tricks and predictable songwriting. For all the volume and ambition, I didn’t hear much originality.
I get the nostalgia, but on musical merit alone, I can’t say this belongs on the same shelf as the albums it imitates. It’s not offensive or unlistenable, it’s just not necessary. At least not outside its original moment.
The Weeknd
2/5
Either I’m not the target demographic, or this album just isn’t that good. After Hours is sleek, shiny, and completely overproduced. All glossy surfaces and little weight underneath. I knew going in to expect autotune and melodrama, but even by the standards of modern pop-R&B, this feels superficial.
Lyrically, it tries to hint at something darker, but rarely gets beyond vague clichés about loneliness and regret. Reviews seem desperate to mine depth out of thin air — one New York Times review even praised its “failed-state romantic dyspepsia.” I mean, come on.
This isn’t terrible. It’s catchy in places, and it’s got just enough retro synth and moody atmosphere to fill a coffee shop without offending anyone. But that’s kind of the problem. It’s the Coldplay of 2020: safe, omnipresent, and polished to the point of emptiness.
Not inventive. Not awful. Just… not for me.
Jeff Rosenstock
3/5
Arca
4/5
This is glitchy chaos from 2012 and thus predating Arca’s collaborations with Kanye West (Yeezus), FKA twigs (LP1), and Björk (Vulnicura). This EP shows the early DNA of that fractured, futuristic, highly textured sound that would soon shape leftfield pop and hip-hop production.
On first contact, this can feel abrasive and alienating. And I think that's actually her goal with this. I'm adoring the last two songs
Sports Team
4/5
Some of these tracks had already won me over as singles, so hearing them together on Deep Down Happy, their debut, just confirms that Sports Team are an exciting band. I like some of the work after this as well. They’ve got clever, funny lyrics full of observational references to everyday English life, delivered by a charismatic frontman with just the right amount of swagger.
Musically, they’re not breaking new ground, this is rock that unapologetically harks back to the 2000s, but it feels fresh because it’s done with such energy, joy, and authenticity. It’s rock & roll that’s unpretentious and clearly made by people who love what they do.
Nik Kershaw
2/5
Oof, talk about dated. Human Racing is absolutely steeped in early 80s synth-pop aesthetics, and not always in a good way. That said, credit where it’s due: Kershaw at least wrote his own material, unlike many of the chart-topping ‘products’ that followed later in the decade.
Back in 1984, Nik Kershaw was everywhere; I even remember seeing him at Live Aid. But like many pop figures of that era, the fame was short-lived, and listening back now, it’s easy to see why. There’s not enough depth here to make the album timeless, and while some hooks are catchy, the production and songwriting feel very much of their time.
It’s not the worst thing to come out of the 80s by any means, but it hasn’t aged well.
And ultimately, it’s just not good enough to warrant rediscovery.
The Dear Hunter
3/5
Theatrical? Absolutely. At times, it veers into full Broadway territory. But there’s also undeniably strong songwriting here, the kind that demands attention even when the style might not be your thing.
“Is There Anybody Here?” channels Pink Floyd and Steven Wilson with eerie accuracy. “King of Swords (Reversed)” is almost a direct Talking Heads track: tight, danceable, strange in just the right way. And “Bitter Suite IV & V” could easily be mistaken for a Decemberists song, right down to the dramatic vocal phrasing and lyrical storytelling.
At points, it’s hard to tell whether these moments are homage or borderline mimicry. But it’s all so recognisable that it becomes oddly fascinating. Like musical cosplay done with reverence and skill.
This is not a casual listen. It's a sprawling, intricate rock opera filled with genre nods and theatrical bombast. But if you enjoy connecting the dots between influences, and don't mind a bit of drama, there’s a lot to appreciate here.
Shudder To Think
2/5
Hombres G
2/5
It's amazing how many different songs from different artists I was humming after this one. From Dire Straits to The Police. This is an album by teen idols who played to their crowd. With pretty juvenile lyrics and riffs taken from everywhere else.
HELLYEAH
1/5
This one's loud, heavy, and simple, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but sound-wise, it is closer to Mudvayne than Pantera. Unfortunately, the band isn't nearly as good as Mudvayne. Or as Pantera. There’s groove and aggression, sure, but the songs just don’t have anything in terms of originality or staying power.
Lyrically? Blunt, sometimes dumb, and definitely lacking subtlety. The kind of album that tries to pump you up but leaves you with a shrug instead of a fist in the air. And the cover art is terrible as well.
Acceptable if you need something loud and don’t care too much about nuance. But honestly, Mudvayne, Nothingface and Pantera did this kind of thing better and with more purpose.
I was going to give this 2 stars, but as a user-submitted album for a list of must-hear records, this doesn’t just miss the mark—it actively weakens the argument for including more metal on the list. A missed opportunity and a wasted slot.
Frightened Rabbit
5/5
This hit me like a train.
I didn’t know the band, and given the 2008 indie/folk/rock label, I braced for mediocrity. Instead, I got one of the most honest, beautiful, devastating albums I’ve heard in a long time. From the first listen, it stood out. Raw and direct but musically rich, full of conviction. And then, each repeat listen pulled me deeper.
The heart of the album is Scott Hutchison's voice. Both literal and emotional. His lyrics are blunt, confessional, and occasionally profane, but never gratuitous. Lines like “It takes more than fucking someone you don’t know to keep warm” or “I think I’ll save suicide for another year” aren’t just provocative, they reach through the song and grab you by the throat.
The run of Keep Yourself Warm, Extrasupervery, and Poke is jaw-droppingly good.
This album will stay in my life for a long time. I’ve already introduced it to my wife, and she was just as floored as I was. It’s that kind of record: once you hear it, you want someone else to hear it too.
Guy Clark
3/5
It feels more "western" than "country," if such a distinction even exists. Old No. 1 feels like saloon stories told with quiet grit and a well-worn acoustic.
Guy Clark has a knack for simple, well-crafted songwriting that doesn’t ask for attention. It’s not a favourite, but it’s far more listenable than most of the country that made the original list. Respectable, even if it won’t be on repeat.
blink-182
3/5
Enema of the State is pop-punk 101: catchy hooks, juvenile lyrics, fast tempos, and a sense of bratty fun. It’s emblematic of a specific moment in late-'90s/early-2000s music culture, but it's not particularly groundbreaking or deep. Two massive singles gave it rocket fuel, but musically, there were much better bands doing this kind of thing with more bite and substance. It's fine. Just not essential. 3* for cultural impact, not musical innovation.
Susanne Sundfør
4/5
Well, isn't this just the eye-opening listen, and a rare modern example of an album that truly feels like an album. Not just a collection of songs, but a carefully structured journey; cohesive, narrative, and full of intention.
At first, it unfolds like an acoustic folk record: intimate, fragile, and quietly beautiful. But Susanne Sundfør doesn't stay in one lane. By the title track, a strange, dystopian undercurrent emerges - subtle electronica, ambient noise, radio crackle - and suddenly the ground starts to shift. From there, the album gracefully drifts between genres, pulling in jazz touches, ambient textures, and eerie sci-fi detours. The effect is unsettling and powerful, like something ancient being swallowed by the future.
The album feels tender, yet haunted. And what's truly impressive is how it balances these sonic turns without ever losing emotional coherence. It’s thoughtful and well-crafted, a slow burn that rewards patience and close listening.
In a post-album era, this feels like a rare and deliberate work of art.
4,5*
Shania Twain
2/5
I get why this album was huge. It’s slick, radio-ready, and full of hooks that practically beg for a singalong. Or a line-dance. And there’s something to be said for how confidently it embraces pop sensibilities while still nodding to its country roots.
But for me, that glossy, overproduced sound just doesn’t land. I know it was part of that intentionally wide appeal;, accessible in music, lyrics, message and production. It's more about charisma and craft than deep lyrical insight. Shania knew this and has always said her albums were supposed to be just fun. She never considered herself a strong songwriter. I can respect the impact and the craftsmanship, but it's not something I ever feel the need to hear again.
The Lumineers
2/5
Status Quo
2/5
"If you’ve heard one Status Quo song, you’ve sort of heard them all."
And Piledriver doesn’t do much to challenge that reputation. Even with a little bit of a bluesy Unspoken Words ballad and a Doors cover. This is heads-down, no-nonsense British boogie rock.
To me, this is the soundtrack of rural beer barns back home in the East of the Netherlands. The farmer’s son turns the barn into a bar, the locals pile in on Friday night, down twenty beugeltjes of Grolsch, and nod along to Quo, AC/DC, and Motörhead.
It’s not bad. It’s just very… there. Nothing here upsets. Nothing here surprises. You already know what this album sounds like before the first track ends.
Vangelis
4/5
This is one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard. A moody, atmospheric masterpiece that somehow avoids all the dated traps of early-'80s synth. Sure, there’s some of that horny sax and glossy synth you’d expect, but here it works. It evokes noir, tension, and longing, exactly what the film needs, and becomes something entirely its own.
The original album (Disc 1) is stunning, with Tears in Rain and the End Titles standing out. Maybe skip One More Kiss, Dear. That 1930s crooner moment feels like someone wandered in from another record entirely.
Disc 2 on the 3-CD version is a brilliant expansion of the Blade Runner universe: deeper cuts, ambient textures, and lost fragments that could’ve been used in the film or a cyberpunk dream. Disc 3? Not for me. The orchestral reworkings strip away the grit and replace it with polite sheen. I’ll pass.
This isn’t just a soundtrack. It’s the moodboard for sci-fi ambience. I’m hearing echoes of this in every space sim I’ve ever played (Stellaris, Endless Space, Master of Orion etc.) they seem to all owe a debt. This is Vangelis at his absolute peak, leagues above Chariots of Fire and certainly above his other works.
Essential listening, even if you’ve never seen the film. This one should've been included on the original list, and I can think of dozens that could've made space for this one.
Manchester Orchestra
5/5
I didn’t expect much, especially given that vocal style that's been haunting indie folk and rock for years now (constricted, airy, and a bit too polished). But damn, this one swept me away. From the first note to the last, it holds you in its grip.
Yes, it’s not wildly original. Yes, every song builds toward some sort of cathartic climax. But who cares when it’s executed this well? The songwriting is tight, the production expansive, and the emotional heft undeniable. It might not crack my personal top ten, but it’s still world-class.
I only wish it had a little more rawness, something their earlier albums did better. Still, I’ve played this six times in a row and counting over the last 24 hours. That says enough.
Streetlight Manifesto
3/5
Mylène Farmer
3/5
Jon Batiste
4/5
Joyful, vibrant, and bursting with life, WE ARE blends soul, R&B, gospel, and pop into a celebration of Black culture and resilience. It’s not perfect, but it’s impossible not to feel good while listening
Igorrr
4/5
This is my kind of mental
Deltron 3030
4/5
A gloriously bizarre sci-fi hip-hop concept album where the year 3030 doesn’t feel too far from our own. Del’s sharp, funny, and imaginative rhymes meet Dan the Automator’s inventive production: layering violins, trumpets, and cinematic sweeps over robot bleeps and beats, while Kid Koala’s turntablism adds wild bursts of personality. The interludes slow the pacing a bit as they do with many albums, but the creativity, worldbuilding, and sheer fun make this a must-hear for fans of hip-hop, sci-fi, or bands like Gorillaz.
R.E.M.
4/5
It’s a bit of a shock this wasn’t on the original 1001 list… until you remember R.E.M. already had four albums represented. With Green, Murmur, Document and Automatic For The People I think Robert Dimery ,for once, made the right choice in picking 4 albums that show R.E.M.'s growth over the years and are arguablyy better albums than this one.
While Losing My Religion is a song of such brilliance it almost drags the whole record up by itself, the rest isn’t quite in the same league. Belong and Near Wild Heaven are strong, but too many tracks lean toward filler.
I realised that I rarely grab this album if I want to listen to some R.E.M. And now, having gone through it a few times over the last days, I'm almost afraid to say that for me, this album would barely crack my personal R.E.M. Top 10.
Still, even an uneven R.E.M. record is better than most bands’ best.
Chappell Roan
3/5
Calibro 35
3/5
Savages
4/5
At first I wasn’t sure if Silence Yourself was a great post-punk statement, just a homage, or even kitsch. It sounds like it could have been pulled straight from 1986, with Siouxsie & the Banshees as the obvious touchstone.
A second, third, and consecutive listens revealed much more. The live-room production makes it feel like you’re standing right there in their rehearsal space, and that energy is infectious. You start hearing more PJ Harvey grit in there too.
Most of all, I realised this band is far more than a post-punk rebrand. The intensity of the playing and the bite of the lyrics turn this into a genuine powerhouse. It’s easy to see why the album earned such acclaim and landed high on so many end-of-year lists.
Great inclusion.
Hikaru Utada
2/5
Garbage
4/5
I played the debut a lot back in the day, it was gritty and uptempo with some excellent lyrics. Version 2.0 never hooked me in the same way. Listening now, I get why: the production is slicker, the edges smoothed out, and some moments (like the “daddy-daddy-daddy” chorus on You Look So Fine) make my toes curl a bit.
That said, this is still perfectly listenable, and in places really strong. The increased electronic touches don’t bother me at all, in fact, they fit. Special is a classic, and The Trick Is to Keep Breathing stands as one of their best songs.
A solid record, but for me, it doesn’t capture the raw spark of their debut.
Childish Gambino
4/5
I went in expecting a hip-hop record. What I got was a psychedelic funk odyssey. From the first moments it’s clear that Donald Glover is digging into Parliament, Funkadelic, Sly, Rick James, Prince - the whole 70s funk and soul canon - and then filtering it through a 2016 lens. Even the cover nods straight to Maggot Brain.
At first, it feels like a lot. There’s swampy guitars that sound like Hendrix, woozy Parliament grooves, smooth Marvin Gaye-style soul, and flashes of neo-soul à la D’Angelo. But on headphones, it all clicks: like someone else said in the reviews here: this is a journey record. The production is dense and layered, sometimes overwhelming, but always feels deliberate. The paranoia, love, and vulnerability running through the lyrics tie it all together, making it far more cohesive than it first appears.
It's eclectic but it works. It’s confident, clever, and full of little surprises. Redbone became the big hit, but the whole record rewards close listening.
Ani DiFranco
3/5
Nuyorican Soul
3/5
Even after 3 listens I can say that I expected more of an album studded with star musicians
The Cure
5/5
The Cure’s most exciting period ran from Three Imaginary Boys (1979) through Wish (1992) — thirteen incredibly productive years. After 4:13 Dream (2008), which I’d put among their weaker albums, the band went silent in the studio for sixteen years. In that time, they toured endlessly while Robert Smith kept promising a new album. Finally, in 2024, Songs of a Lost World arrived.
The Cure have never shied away from long, slow-building intros, and they’re all over this record. At nearly fifty minutes across just eight tracks, it’s patient and heavy. But the moment Smith’s voice breaks through, you know instantly: The Cure still sound like The Cure. The tempos are slower, the raw bursts mostly gone, but what’s here is genuinely beautiful.
The album is subdued, steeped in grief and reflection. Smith’s unmistakable voice sits against thick, weighty arrangements, creating an atmosphere that feels both oppressive and strangely luminous. Mortality, loss, and fading time run through the lyrics, and the music mirrors it — layers of melancholy that manage to be haunting and gorgeous at once.
It might be their final album, and if it is, they’ve gone out on a high. Dark, reflective, and unhurried, Songs of a Lost World feels like a closing statement from one of the greatest bands of all time.
Mull Historical Society
2/5
This album has a huge gap between perceived ambition and actual songwriting depth.
There are touches that hint at experimentation, but the bones of the songs are pretty standard. And if you don’t buy into the bells, trumpets, tape loops, odd samples, and swelling orchestrations Loss is basically just early-2000s indie with some extra decoration.
The Jesus Lizard
5/5
Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, I like him just fine...
But he is a mouth breather
Bon Iver
3/5
This album has always split people, and I get why. For me it feels more like a sketchbook of creative outbursts than a fully developed whole. There are moments of beauty (33 “GOD” or 715 – CREEKS) but most of the tracks sound like half-finished experiments. I respect Vernon for taking risks with electronics and fractured production, but much of it leaves me cold.
His falsetto fits the glitchy, anxious atmosphere he’s going for, but it’s not a voice I enjoy over a full album. In the end, 22, A Million is bold, but it feels undercooked. I know some critics call it a masterpiece, in the same breath as Radiohead’s Kid A. But just like that album, it doesn’t work for me.
GAS
3/5
It works well as background music, and I'll rate it, but I'll be honest and say that I possibly don't do the album justice enough with it. I'll give this another go listening and see where it'll take me. Might update rating later
Jimmy Buffett
3/5
This one feels incredibly American, almost entirely tied to Florida and the Gulf Coast. Over here in Europe or Australia it barely made a ripple, but in the U.S. apparently it was the foundation of a whole subculture. Musically it’s a curious mix: part country twang and steel guitar, part island escapism with cowbell and calypso touches.
The highlight is clearly A Pirate Looks at Forty, which explains perfectly why it became his fan anthem. The rest of the record is fun and balanced, never sinking into the worst of Nashville gloss, but also not breaking new ground. A good listen, a cultural curiosity outside the U.S., and easy to understand why it was big at home.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
This album kicks off brilliantly. “In the Stone” and “Can’t Let Go” set the tone with pure disco-funk energy, and “Boogie Wonderland” iwill of course make you move. Even the ballads, like “After the Love Has Gone,” work far better here than on some of their earlier records, like the one on the original list.
But the album peaks early. The last three tracks don’t hold up to the sparkle of the opening run and drift into more middle-of-the-road funk.
A strong, danceable record, even if the momentum fades toward the end.
Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
5/5
Holy Chaotic Hell and thank you to whomever submitted this. A new discovery for me.
At first, Nail feels like pure chaos, but by the second track you realise it’s brilliant chaos. “Throne of Agony” could pass for Bauhaus or early Nick Cave funneled through an industrial grinder, while “Pigswill” bangs together junk percussion, strings, and synths into something completely deranged but strangely addictive. “Descent Into the Inferno” might be the peak, a grotesque cabaret that’s equal parts hilarious and horrifying.
It’s wild to think this came from one guy in his early 20s, fresh out of Melbourne, hammering all of this together in London. You can hear Neubauten’s metal-bashing, Swans’ weight, and The Birthday Party’s chaos, but Thirlwell makes it his own with manic variety and a black sense of humor.
This isn’t background music. It’s abrasive, theatrical, and constantly on edge. But if you’re willing to go along for the ride, Nail is an underground gem that shows just how much fun industrial and noise rock could be.
I'm a convert
Death
5/5
I’ll admit it: for years I thought Death were just part of the “brutal, thrashy” side of metal that never clicked with me. I was wrong. Symbolic absolutely blew me away.
The first thing that hit me was the clarity of the production. Every riff, every melody line, every cymbal accent cuts through, which makes the music incredibly powerful. Gene Hoglan’s drumming is phenomenal here too: not the industrial precision I knew from Strapping Young Lad, but jazz-inflected, fluid, and constantly shifting. It gives the album a sense of motion and depth.
And then there’s Chuck Schuldiner. Knowing Death started out as the raw blueprint for death metal, it’s wild to hear how far he pushed his own band. The gore and shock I expected are long gone. On Symbolic the lyrics are reflective, human, even philosophical, paired with songwriting that balances brutality and beauty in a way that feels timeless.
This isn’t the pubescent metal I thought I was getting. Symbolic floored me. It’s melodic death metal done with precision, power, and intelligence. Now I understand why so many people call this not just Death’s peak, but one of the greatest metal albums ever.
I missed out in 1995. I’m glad I caught up now.
Martha
2/5
Given the group’s counterculture image, I was expecting rough edges and risk-taking. Instead, the sound leans heavily toward the safe and formulaic. It’s decent indie-pop-punk with a few catchy moments. The DIY spirit is admirable, but musically, this one felt more like background listening than something essential.
ISIS
4/5
When Oceanic came out in 2002, Isis weren’t yet at the level of their clear inspirations like Neurosis, but they were already pushing into something new. Alongside a handful of other bands, this album is one of the reasons post-metal became recognized as its own thing, rather than just an offshoot of sludge or doom. It's also why I think the submitter put this on the list. Listening back now, over 20 years later, you can hear both the growing pains and the ambition.
What strikes me most is how clear the ocean theme runs through it. Tracks like “The Beginning and the End” and “Weight” are massive and atmospheric, with long stretches that rise and fall like tides. The interludes, though, don’t always hold up as well. Some of them drag and lose that intensity. Not every song is equally strong, and at nearly an hour it can feel longer than it needs to.
But context matters. In 2002, this kind of expansive, cinematic heaviness was still carving out its own space. Isis weren’t just heavy; they were moody, conceptual, and willing to stretch songs into landscapes. You can hear how this set the stage for their later, stronger records like Panopticon or In The Essence Of Truth, which refined the formula into something breathtaking.
For me, Oceanic is an album I enjoy a lot, even with its flaws. It’s not quite a 5-star masterpiece, but it’s a landmark in post-metal, and a reminder of a time when this sound was still evolving and finding its identity.
Procol Harum
4/5
The title track is of unearthly beauty, a slow build into one of Procol Harum’s finest songs. But after that opening statement, Side A stumbles under the weight of too much democracy.
My problem isn’t with the range of styles (I actually enjoy the mix of orchestral drama, nautical balladry, and pub-blues grit) but it’s with the decision to spread the vocals around. Gary Brooker was one of the great English rock singers, instantly recognizable and able to lift even a modest tune. Letting Robin Trower and Matthew Fisher take the mic dilutes that identity.
That said, the second half of the record definitely redeems itself. All This and More is classic Procol, complete with trombone flourishes, and even Crucifiction Lane (for all its questionable vocals) has a jagged piano and Hammond organ drive that works. The orchestration throughout is rich and ambitious, hinting at what Fisher was chasing with his Phil Spector-meets-Tchaikovsky sensibility.
Wreck of the Hesperus is a gorgeous Fisher composition, but it’s hard not to imagine how much stronger it would have been with Brooker singing lead. The same goes for Pilgrim’s Progress, which could have been a grand finale instead of a hymn-like ending.
A Salty Dog may be uneven, but at its peaks it shows why so many people consider it the band’s best.
Dream Theater
3/5
Dream Theater are really conservatory players with metal hearts, and Images and Words makes that obvious from the very first note. The technical brilliance is staggering: Petrucci, Moore, Myung, Portnoy, and newcomer James LaBrie all sound like they are born for this. The production is crystal clear, every riff and run perfectly audible, and “Pull Me Under” remains a classic that deserved its unlikely MTV run.
And yet, as much as I admire the skill, I’ve never fully connected to it. Too often the songs feel more like showcases of musicianship than pieces that grab you emotionally. It’s dazzling, but also distant. And at times it feels like fretwanking.
I get why this album is revered as the blueprint for modern prog-metal, and it absolutely earns its reputation for influence. But for me, it’s a 3.5* listen: impressive, but it never resonated.
Boards of Canada
3/5
THE SPORTS
2/5
Kashmir
4/5
Very much a product of its time: mid-2000s alt-rock, in the same orbit as Interpol or Radiohead’s more guitar-driven phases. And honestly, that comparison is fair with the heavy bass in the mix, Forty-five minutes is the right length for this album; it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and the more experimental touches in the second half keep it from becoming stale. Critics at the time mostly saw it as a solid, if not spectacular, effort, and I agree. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a strong, atmospheric album that was worth revisiting, even if it isn’t rewriting the book.
Crystal Castles
4/5
An eclectic and chaotic debut that somehow works. Crystal Castles throw Atari bleeps, punky vocal bursts, and icy synth lines into a blender, and the result is a mix of abrasive energy and oddly danceable tracks. Songs like Vanished show they could craft something more accessible, but much of the record thrives on tension and noise. It’s not subtle, and it’s certainly of its time, but it’s also inventive and a lot of fun.
The Postal Service
3/5
The Postal Service's Give Up is undeniably a landmark record. It was at the start of the early 2000s indietronica movement and the backstory of this album is as charming as it was forward-thinking. The idea of Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello building these songs through mailed files perfectly captures a very specific, pre-streaming 2003 ethos. For its cultural impact and the blueprint it laid down, it absolutely belongs on the 1001 essential list.
Yet, for all its historical importance, I’ve always been a bit indifferent to the album itself. One of my main hurdle remains Gibbard’s voice; it’s just a personal taste I’ve never been able to get past. That said, Tamborello’s production is the consistent win. His drum programming, those sharp bass punches, and all the little textured details are what truly keep it interesting for me. It’s less an electro record and more a pop one, powered by an energy that’s both endearing and now feels quintessentially of its time. That early-2000s indie shimmer that is equal parts nostalgic and slightly dated.
So, while this isn't an album I'll be spinning often, I absolutely get the reverence for it. It’s not totally my alley, but its influence on the wave of indie-electronic crossovers that followed is undeniable. 3.5*
Pink Floyd
5/5
With four Pink Floyd albums already on the original 1001 list (Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall), it kinda makes sense that Animals was left out. Dimery probably thought Floyd’s arc was already covered: psychedelic beginnings, conceptual breakthrough, cultural juggernaut. Adding this one might have felt a bit redundant.
But that doesn't mean this isn't a 5* album. For one, it's their sharpest political statement, using Orwell’s Animal Farms' metaphor for modern society. The album is leaner, nastier, and a bit more more guitar-driven than much of their other work, with David Gilmour at his best.
So yes, maybe redundant in a list already heavy with Floyd. But musically, it’s indispensable. A masterpiece.
Kaizers Orchestra
4/5
Kaizers Orchestra are one of the strange bands I love, and Maestro is a perfect reminder of why I’ve always had a soft spot for them. I loved the wild debut (Ompa til du Dør), didn’t really connect with the follow-up (Evig Pint), and had only heard this one once or twice back in the day. Coming back now, it’s clear I’d been missing out.
Musically, Maestro is heavier and louder than the debut, but it hasn’t lost any of that bizarre cocktail that defines the band: Tom Waits grit, klezmer horns, Zappa eccentricity, a dash of folk-punk chaos, and even hints of Einstürzende Neubauten’s clang. There’s still plenty of oompah swagger and East-European cabaret lurking in the corners, but here it’s shot through with more distortion and aggression.
Even without speaking a word of Norwegian, it’s impossible not to shout along by the third listen. Kaizers have always made language irrelevant, it's about energy, theater, and a slight willingness to embrace madness.
I don't think this one's as good as their debut, but still immensely enjoyable.
Refused
5/5
What an incredible submission. If we’re talking about albums that belong on the 1001 Albums list, this one should be non-negotiable. Love it or hate it, it’s a landmark and hugely influential to bands across genre's, from At the Drive-In, Glassjaw, Thursday to Rise Against, Enter Shikari and even Muse.
At first pass it sounds like a hardcore record, but at following listens you really get listening to the jazz breakdowns, drum & bass glitches, spoken-word manifestos, strings, and sheer chaos stitched into hardcore punk’s backbone. Refused deliberately set out to reinvent what punk and hardcore could be.
Of course still with that political bite that more than 25 years later doesn’t sound dated. You can hear the blueprint for modern punk and post-hardcore, metalcore, experimental punk, even electronic-heavy bands that came after.
Groundbreaking, deeply influential, and still an absolute thrill.
Beyoncé
5/5
I went into Lemonade not really knowing what to expect, other than that it’s considered one of the great albums of the 2010s. Four songs in, I completely understood why. This isn’t just a pop record — it’s a full emotional journey.
I was struck by how varied it is: from the breezy defiance of “Hold Up” to the venom of “Sorry” and the sheer power of “Freedom.” Even on first listen, it felt like a carefully constructed album rather than just a set of singles. There’s a confidence and joy here I wasn’t expecting, and it's much better than Beyoncé’s self-titled album that was on the original list.
This was a genuine surprise for me. I went in curious, I came out impressed . I’m actually looking forward to watching the accompanying film if I can find it, which isn’t something I thought I’d ever say about a Beyoncé record.
Kayo Dot
4/5
John Zorn meets Opeth meets Neurosis meets Jeff Buckley meets Pink Floyd meets Grindcore meets Jazz
Sublime
3/5
A defining ’90s alt-rock/ska record with undeniable classics. Just not really for me.
The Stooges
3/5
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
5/5
Jack Johnson
2/5
Mellow, relaxed and very very safe
Chet Baker
4/5
Not the most exciting or challenging jazz, but that’s the point. Chet is all atmosphere. I can wake up to this or drift off to it—perfectly balanced, never intrusive. The band is stellar (Miles Davis’s rhythm section on board!), giving the whole album a warm, melancholic glow. Not a showstopper, but one of those records that quietly gets under your skin.
Ian McDonald
4/5
I had never listened to McDonald and Giles before and only while listening found out they were two of the original members of King Crimson. But this really wasn’t like King Crimson’s darker, heavier sound: this was a melodic, very British record. It feels almost like an alternate history for Crimson, the path they might have taken had McDonald and Giles stayed and been given more room to shape the music by Fripp.
Ian McDonald’s multi-instrumental talents are everywhere: flute, saxophone, clarinet, and more. Michael Giles’ drumming is wonderfully fluid and jazzy, and Peter Giles’ bass playing is full of character. Together they make a rhythm section that’s smooth and playful, reminding me more of Caravan, early Soft Machine, or early Genesis than of Crimson’s brooding sound.
The album’s warm, Beatles-esque vibe is both its biggest charm and, at times, its weakness. It makes the music approachable, but can feel a little lightweight. You can hear that McDonald and Giles couldn’t quite find this groove within King Crimson: this is lighter, jazzier, and more pastoral than Fripp’s vision ever allowed.
I’m glad to have listened to it and grateful to the submitter for putting it on this list.
Alexisonfire
2/5
Alexisonfire’s debut is all raw energy and youthful ambition, but it sounds like a band still figuring things out. The screamed vocals hit harder than the clean ones, which often feel out of tune and undercut the songs. The production is muddy, and while there’s plenty of intensity, there aren’t many standout tracks that stay with you. Historically interesting as the start of a major Canadian post-hardcore band, but musically it feels more like a demo with a band searching direction than an essential album.
Turnpike Troubadours
2/5
From what I can read here, this is beloved in the Red Dirt and Americana scene for its storytelling and warm, organic sound. But nothing like that stood out for me I'm afraid.
It leans heavily on genre tropes (heartbreak, small-town life, roads, etc.), and while the fiddle and guitar work are solid, the vocal delivery turns me off and keeps me at a distance. There are no standout tracks I’d return to, and it feels more like a well-executed genre exercise than an essential record.
Yeasayer
4/5
A great album with african harmonies, layered rhythms, and that mix of lighter and darker tones that pull you in. Songs like Wait for the Summer feel warm and expansive, while Wait for the Wintertime shows the band’s darker and uneasy side. The voice sometimes drifts in the mix and you can't understand a word anymore, and not every melody sticks long after hearing it, but there’s enough intrigue, atmosphere, and creativity here to make it a compelling listen.
Hamilton Leithauser
4/5
A well-crafted collaboration between Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam. Leithauser’s voice is raw, lived-in, and soulful while Rostam’s production layers crisp guitars, driving drums, and airy textures that make the record feel timeless.
The album draws from doo-wop, soul, country, and folk, yet never feels retro for its own sake. Songs like Rough Going show off Vampire Weekend–style rhythms, and In a Black Out stands out, for me, as a dreamy ballad with strummed guitar.
Even though the atmosphere stays fairly consistent, each song brings its own character, and the differences reveal themselves more with repeated listens. Not every track is as strong as the next, but as a whole this is a solid album
Everything Everything
4/5
This is a dense, energetic album that balances bright, intricate production with dark, anxious themes. “To The Blade” is a stunning opener: rapid-fire drums, sharp guitars, and a clear, busy mix that never feels cluttered. Songs like “Regret” (with its 80s-style chorus and choral backing) and “Blast Doors” (with its tempo shifts and lyric focus) are standouts that kept me engaged. “Fortune 500” provided an eerie breather and pulled me in with its hypnotic build, though tracks like “Get to Heaven” and “The Wheel (Is Turning Now)” didn't leave the same impression, not even after a few listens.
A bit like Foals meeting Muse meeting Duran Duran meeting Talking Heads. The mix of synth-wave, indie rock, and sharp rhythms works well, with a socially charged edge.
An album that thrives on its energy and its ability to make you move even while lyrically dealing with violence, media saturation, and chaos.
I knew some of the singles already, but very happy to have now discovered the full album.
Floating Points
4/5
While ambient falls just a bit outside of music I listen to regularly, this is obviously an amazing collaboration between Floating Points (Sam Shepherd), Pharoah Sanders, and the London Symphony Orchestra. The combination of jazz, electronics, and classical music is brilliant and well-executed. Pharoah Sanders’s performance is more subdued than his earlier, more energetic work, but the soulful, subtle sax is in service of the total sound.
I get why it was so widely lauded and appeared on so many end-of-year lists in 2021. The recurring theme is meditative, hypnotic, and calming.
And yet, the repetitive nature of the main motif is also its biggest drawback, making the album lose momentum after movement six.
Oingo Boingo
3/5
Dead Man’s Party is a lively, horn-driven slice of mid-80s new wave. “Just Another Day” stands out with its running synths and pumping bass, while the title track is a gleeful celebration of the macabre. “No One Lives Forever” and “Fool’s Paradise” keep the party mood going with big, catchy hooks.
It’s fun and energetic, but it carries that classic 80s urge to fill every moment with drums, horns, or loops. The result is catchy and entertaining and very much of its time, but it doesn’t quite rise above the crowded field of its peers.
Ween
4/5
Boogie-oogie-oogie-oogie-oogie-oogie-oogie-oogie
Os Mundi
3/5
5/5
Daisies of the Galaxy is, for me, one of Eels’ finest moments, right up there with Electro-Shock Blues. When it came out, it was a shock after the dark and deeply emotional Electro-Shock Blues. The opening track feels like a New Orleans funeral march, and at first, I braced for another gut-wrenching journey. However, the tone shifts and reveals an album that appears lighter and friendlier on the surface.
Digging deeper, there’s still plenty of pain, even in the playful I Like Birds with its sadness about E’s mother dying of lung cancer. This is E telling us: it’s going to be OK. Deal with the pain. Get out of bed.
That’s why the standout for me is A Daisy Through Concrete. It’s the album’s theme distilled into one song: the anthem of getting up, and moving forward even when you don’t want to. The jazzy drumming and warm organ give it an effortless groove, and it has become one of the defining songs of my life.
"Wake up the dying,
don't wake up the dead
change what you're sayin,
Don't change what you've said
Now that it's time that
I got out of bed"
And then, just when you’re ready, the album ends on the euphoric Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues, one of the best “life goes on” closers ever.
Thank you to whoever submitted this album. It’s one I could have picked myself, and I’ll always keep it close.
LaBelle
3/5
Electric Callboy
3/5
Yes, Tekkno is formulaic. Every track follows the same build-up, drop, breakdown, and hook... but that’s the point, isn't it? Songs like We Got the Moves are pure chaos and pure fun, and with the video it’s impossible not to smile. Especially with that heavy Gabber throwback in there. I’ve had that song on repeat for a while after seeing them live, which was an absolute party: loud, weird, and full of energy.
This album isn’t reinventing anything, but it doesn’t have to. It’s built for the mosh pit and the dance floor, for shouting along to the hooks, and for laughing at how ridiculous it all is. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want.
The Sound
5/5
What an incredible LP. I already knew Winning well, it's one of those songs that shows up on any “best of new wave” list, but this entire album is on that level. Tracks like Skeletons and Fatal Flaw go just as deep, and Silent Air is quietly stunning.
What I love most here is the forward bass. Michael Bailey doesn’t just underpin the songs, he often drives them, his plectrum-bright tone giving the music that unmistakable wave signature. Pair that with Adrian Borland’s lyrics. Lines like “There’s a Devil in me trying to show his face / There’s a God in me wants to put me in my place” create an ominous atmosphere that hangs over the whole record. Few albums capture personal struggle and fractured identity this powerfully. Pretty sure this guy has "voices".
A lot of people here compare The Sound to Joy Division, but I don’t hear it. Musically they remind me more of The Cure, especially in the interplay of bass and guitar, while Borland’s voice has more in common with The Gun Club than Ian Curtis. This is melodic, very British, and lyrically some of the strongest work of the post-punk era.
From the Lions Mouth is heavily underappreciated, but a class album.
Dead Boys
3/5
Yes, this was New York Punk
Modern Life Is War
5/5
I wasn’t expecting much going in since hardcore isn’t usually my genre, but this floored me. Witness avoids the standard breakdown clichés and instead goes for something slower, heavier, and more melodic. That restraint makes the brutality hit harder.
The vocals can be a grind and I can see how they’d put people off, but I got used to them quickly. What matters is how much emotion they carry. The lyrics add another dimension. Songs like Marshalltown capture small-town frustration, anger, and restraint in a way that feels raw but thoughtful. It's personal and political.
D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S. is more upbeat and immediate, showing they could step outside the gloom without losing power.
At 27 minutes it’s the perfect runtime: intense, emotional, and over before the weight of it wears off. I ended up loving this far more than I expected.
4,5*
Ween
3/5
This was the second album of the eccentric combo of Ween in a week. But for some reason, this album stuck with me a lot less than the other
Various Artists
3/5
I went into Katamari Damacy knowing nothing about the game or its music, and this turned out to be a bubbly, fun, and surprisingly cohesive album.
This style is not something I'm overly familiar with, but the overall tone is bright and playful, and it’s also well structured and musically tight.
Even with so many composers and such a mix of styles, from J-pop to samba, mambo, lounge jazz, and, apparently, something called chiptune.
Favourite track was Katamari Mambo, which blends J-pop, samba, and big-band jazz into one track without ever feeling out of place.
It’s easy to overlook this as simple game music, but the craft behind it makes it stand out.
Stray From The Path
4/5
I’ve always had a fondness for overly political albums, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The politics are front and centre. Even when the lyrics are a bit mediocre, they work because they’re delivered with conviction.
The album doesn’t open strong, but Loudest in the Room and Goodnight Alt-Right both rip. That “If you preach hate then expect hate” attitude still makes me want to punch a Nazi.
There’s a bit of Pantera-like groove in the mix, and Plead the Fifth wears its Rage Against the Machine influence openly, but I don’t mind it. The middle of the album loses momentum for me, yet the final two tracks, The House Always Wins and Death Is Real, pull it back hard.
Not every song lands, but the energy and message keep it alive. It’s angry in all the right ways, and I’ll always love a band that spits politics with purpose.
Robyn
4/5
I was skeptical going in, because the only song I knew of the album (Dancing On My Own) was not something I ever enjoyed. But that skepticism vanished quickly. Body Talk is simple, easy on the ears, and infectiously produced. I really enjoy that clear Scandinavian minimalism to the production: clean synths, precise beats, no clutter.
I'm not aware if this is seen as a pop-classic, but it might have to be?
Michael Hurley
3/5
Back-porch folk is the perfect description for this one. It’s warm, loose, and easy to listen to, but not something that really does more than that. I can see how Michael Hurley’s charm would shine on a small stage somewhere in the grass, but as an album it drifts by without leaving much behind. Nice to have on, but not something I’d come back to.
Blackalicious
3/5
Mustafa
3/5
A unique and emotional record. Singing hood tragedies in folk form is an unexpected approach, and I respect the courage behind it. For me, it’s a mixed bag. It includes plenty of things I wouldn’t normally be drawn to, yet it’s so well-crafted that I still found it enjoyable enough. Sweet and modern, even a bit too polished at times, but undeniably heartfelt. It sometimes lacks punch, but there’s real sincerity here.
Alex Cameron
2/5
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
The style shift here was the thing I liked most. I appreciate when artists take a new direction, and Arctic Monkeys certainly did that. But Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino feels more like an Alex Turner solo project than an Arctic Monkeys album.
I really tried with this album on several occasions since 2018 and I appreciate the ambition and the inventive arrangements. There are beautiful melodies and clever moments, but it never really connects for me. The charm of the opening line “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes. Now look at the mess you made me make.” starts to feel too true by the end.
It all sounds too forced. I like laid-back albums, but this style has been done better by others.
Agalloch
5/5
Even though I thought I didn’t know it, once The Mantle started playing I realised I’d already liked several of these songs before. The album already had 5 green Spotify hearts in the playlist. No surprise, really. It’s absolutely stunning. It might technically fall under “metal,” but it’s far more than that. This feels like post-rock with black metal undertones and touches of pagan folk and doom.
“In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion” shows just how much range Agalloch has. The vocals move from clean, Tiamat-like tones to black metal growls and whispers that sit deep in the mix, thus adding to the atmosphere rather than overwhelming it. The music stays calm and deliberate, building its power through mood instead of aggression.
You could call this anything (prog, folk, doom, neofolk, post-rock, whatever box you like) and it would all fit. The album’s real strength is how naturally those sounds coexist.
The Alan Parsons Project
3/5
Pedro The Lion
4/5
I didn’t know what to expect going in, but Control completely grabbed me. It’s dark and sad, yet not hopeless. The music feels to envelop the message: slow, heavy, and deliberate, with that fuzzy 90s sound that lands somewhere between Death Cab for Cutie and Pearl Jam.
The first four songs are just superb. They capture the heart of the record, guilt and small tragedies, told through distortion and restraint. The grungy guitars and minimal drumming bring a sort of hypnotic buzz while David Bazan’s lyrics cut deep. His voice sounds tired but it fits the stories on this album well. It’s sad, but not empty. I feel it's about facing failure, not surrendering to it. Even if he has to tell his partner their infidelity was 'just so unoriginal' in a song like Rehearsal.
A beautiful, heavy record that earns every word it says.
Pink Floyd
2/5
It’s hard to fault Pulse on technical grounds. The band is in perfect form, the mix pristine, and the sound among the best ever captured on a live rock album. It’s a showcase how well Pink Floyd know their legacy. The Dark Side of the Moon performed in full, “Comfortably Numb” given stadium-scale treatment, and Gilmours songwriting on full display.
And yet, that same perfection is its weakness. Pulse is immaculate to the point of sterility. Every note feels planned, every silence filled, every emotion calibrated. I've heard most of these songs in the exact same version already on the regular albums (which I really enjoy if I might add)
But even when the band finally stretches out (for the first time, after a whole hour, with “Another Brick in the Wall”) it still sounds rehearsed.
It’s less a live concert than an exhibition of Pink Floyd’s best moments, missing danger and spontaneity.
Many of these songs are among the greatest ever written, but this album doesn’t belong on a list of essential recordings.
The Angelic Process
4/5
This is not music meant to make you feel comfortable, and that’s exactly why it’s worth hearing. On the surface, or maybe at a first listen, it can sound like one unbroken wall of sound, but it’s anything but. The album is built from carefully dark and heavy layered textures that only started to reveal themselves on my second listen. I guess I was a lot more susceptible to the album today than I was yesterday.
Because despite my initial thought, it’s surprisingly accessible. The melodies are clear enough to follow, even through all the distortion, and when I gave it my full attention, it really connected.
I found this to be a majestic, challenging and adventurous record. Thanks to submitter!
1/5
I wasn't expecting to dislike this album as much as I did. I found this album close to insufferable. It tries too hard to be clever and ends up sounding fake and overworked. The mix of styles doesn’t blend; they sit awkwardly next to each other without any real connection. Everything feels calculated rather than genuine.
The endless vocal filters are unbearable. “I Like America & America Likes Me” almost made me give up on the album completely. I skipped it after a minute and a half. “Inside Your Mind” buries weak songwriting under fake violins, and “It’s Not Living” is another disaster. Even when a song like “I Couldn’t Be More in Love” shows a glimmer of soul, it’s lost in overproduction and artifice.
For fans, that curated artificiality is probably clever commentary on how digital life blurs real feelings.
But for me, the result is empty
Carly Rae Jepsen
2/5
I don’t really know what to say about this one, other than that it doesn’t belong on a list like this. It's a consistent and fun pop album for sure, full of 80s inspiration but updated with sleek modern production. You can clearly hear the influence of Cyndi Lauper, Robyn, and even 80s Madonna. It's also why it brings absolutely nothing new.
The record tries to bridge the gap between bright 80s pop, late-90s and early-00s European electropop, and contemporary chart pop. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The hooks are catchy, but the lyrics and melodies often veer into childish territory. Playing “I Really Like You” and “Gimmie Love” back-to-back starts to grate pretty quickly.
That said, Run Away With Me is a real highlight
System Of A Down
4/5
This was everywhere when it came out, and re-listening now reminds me why. It’s full of rousing rhythms, wild shifts, and songs that still hit hard. “Forest,” “Needles,” and “Toxicity” remain incredible, while tracks like “X” and “Jet Pilot” unfortunately don't.
I’ve always liked the balance between the political edge on one side and the pure madness of something like “Bounce” on the other. It’s absurd, but it works, and those Dead Kennedys-style influences still come through clearly.
After all these years it isn’t really nostalgic or emotional for me, the album is physical. The frantic pace pulls me along, and I move faster while listening. I even typed this review faster.
The slower “ATWA” and closer “Aerials” hit harder than in the 2000's.
A strong four-star album that has aged remarkably well.
BABYMETAL
4/5
This album is ridiculous, funny, and completely serious at the same time. It’s parody, but it’s also a real metal record. The balance is what makes it work.
There’s just something about Babymetal that does it for me. The J-pop sweetness on top of those heavy riffs shouldn’t make sense, but it does. The band clearly cram every metal style into one album: death metal, nu-metal, power metal, electro-metal, goth, and speed metal. It’s all here, and it’s fun, though not always evenly balanced.
Not every song hits. Do・Ki・Do・Ki☆Morning and 4 no Uta are already skippable on a second listen. The heavier, more rhythm-driven tracks are where the album shines for me. Megitsune and Ijime, Dame, Zettai absolutely deliver, and Onedari Daisakusen (straight out of the Linkin Park playbook) is way more fun than it has any right to be. Headbanger!! is the clear standout. A tongue-in-cheek rite of passage for young metalheads, about a girl getting her first neck brace from too much headbanging, it’s completely on point for this album.
I know this band started from an idol concept, but the music is professional, tight, and smartly composed. Suzuka Nakamoto’s voice is genuinely strong, full of energy, and perfect for this wild mix.
It’s a guilty pleasure for sure, but a guilty pleasure that earns its place.
Sunny Day Real Estate
4/5
I originally, in the early 90's, dismissed this in the ’90s as “grunge lite,” but now I hear it completely differently. I didn’t expect to connect this much with Diary, but revisiting it turned into a small revelation. The moment I heard the opening tones, I realised how much this sound had seeped into my own playing back in the late ’90s. My old band ended up sounding surprisingly close to this, with the same loose drumming style, the same emotional grit, and I had no idea how deep that influence had gone.
The album feels well structured. The tension between looseness and control gives the record its edge.
Vampire Weekend
4/5
This album ended up in my Top 10 of last year. Amazing to see a band only getting better by the album. I don't think we've reached the ceiling yet
Q65
4/5
An interesting surprise to see Revolution on the list, and fun to revisit. Q65 were one of the big Nederbeat bands from The Hague in the 60s, right at the heart of that scene. Listening now, it’s still a good, enjoyable album, clearly inspired by the British and American rock of the time.
It doesn’t really stand out from its international peers, but as far as 60s rock goes, it’s a solid, well-made record. Just a good, fun listen and a nice reminder of that Dutch rock era. Wondering if I'll now also will see the Golden Earring, Shocking Blue or Cuby + the Blizzards on this list.
Neutral Milk Hotel
4/5
Even before forming an opinion on this album, you have to admit that its absence from the original Dimmery list is a massive oversight. Whether you enjoy it or not, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has had an enormous impact on music and on music fans. It’s the record that made half the indie men in the world pick up a guitar (for some reason it was always the men) and it shaped how a generation thought emotional honesty should sound.
It’s lo-fi, cracked, and often out of tune, but that’s exactly why it hit so hard for many. It came out at the moment when irony was collapsing, when sincerity was starting to feel radical again. Suddenly it was fine to sing too loudly, to be weirdly intense, to write about ghosts and grief and Anne Frank. That shift opened the door for everything from Funeral-era Arcade Fire to Bright Eyes and Beirut.
Even if you can’t stand Jeff Mangum’s voice, it’s impossible to deny the influence. This album made imperfection fashionable again.
Whether you think it’s a masterpiece or a myth, it changed the conversation and that alone earns its place in the canon.
Sparks
4/5
A genuine surprise, and a genuinely fun album. This is pure European synth-pop for the dance floor, the kind of record that could only have happened when Sparks met Giorgio Moroder.
It’s fast, busy, and full of energy. “Academy Award Performance” is a gloriously over-the-top standout for me, and “Beat the Clock” is as catchy and propulsive as anything Moroder ever produced. Love the extra drums in there as well.
A Saturday-night record.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
4/5
Wishbone Ash
3/5
The Decemberists
4/5
Amadou & Mariam
4/5
A holiday record of an energetic blind couple. I almost feel like there's a movie in there somewhere
Zamilska
4/5
A darkly atmospheric album that reminded me a bit of Laibach due to the ritualistic industrial of the songs. Tracks like Hollow and Alive, hit that sweet spot between raw industrial weight and dark ambient trance for me
Tom Misch
2/5
This album is smooth, polished, and safe to the point of sterility. Tom Misch is clearly a skilled guitarist and has an ear for groove, but Geography is pure Spotify-core: hyper-produced, mid-tempo, and designed to please everyone without challenging anyone.
There’s nothing wrong with easy listening or coffee-shop funk, but I kept wishing his playing was in a rougher, more daring context. The beats are simple, the edges too clean, and the whole thing feels airbrushed. Funk, jazz, and hip-hop all make an appearance, but only in the most polite way possible.
A pleasant listen, sure, but far too safe to stick.
Haley Heynderickx
3/5
Matthew Good Band
2/5
This is likely an album that means a lot to the submitter and possibly speaks to a certain period in time, likely their mid to late teens?
But stripped of that nostalgia, it just sounds like a hundred other post-grunge bands trying to sound meaningful. Big choruses, vague angst, and polished production that feels more radio than raw.
Operation Ivy
3/5
Great energetic DIY album and one of the cornerstone records of ska punk and East Bay punk culture.
What I love about this is the idealistic feel this album still has, anti-corporate, anti-elitist, deeply community-driven. None of that cynicism. But talk about unity.
This is not the feel you afterwards got from Rancid.
Then again, this album is one of those albums that’s more important than it is great. You can hear how half the 90s punk scene grew out of it, the chord progressions, the ska upstrokes, the shouted choruses, but as a listening experience, it’s messy, rushed, and often repetitive
3,5*
Sam Fender
2/5
On first listen, I didn’t mind this one. It’s got that familiar blend of The War on Drugs atmosphere, Springsteen-style rock and ballad, and a bit of 80s nostalgia. The songs are well-built, the production is lush, and that inevitable saxophone swell at the end of each track feels both predictable and oddly satisfying.
But repeated listens made it clear: this album is beige. Safe, polished, and utterly risk-free.
If there’s such a thing as the opposite of a grower, this is it. Each listen strips away another layer of charm until all that’s left is a carefully arranged, thoroughly forgettable collection of tunes. Three listens was plenty.
Neil Cicierega
1/5
Some people here treat it like avant-garde comedy; others as a bizarre love letter to internet nostalgia. Others just think this is too... online.
Coming at it from a listener’s perspective rather than an internet historian’s: this inside-joke of early 2000's internet culture relies heavily on recognition rather than on craft. If you’ve heard inventive mashup work (like Girl Talk’s Feed the Animals or The Avalanches’ Since I Left You) this feels lazy because, musically, it is. It's honestly a lot of slapping things on top of one another.
Please appreciate it all you like with everything you recognise, but this really isn't for me. And I was there when this all came out. Didn't really appreciate it then either.
The Hold Steady
3/5
This is undoubtedly the best from The Hold Steady, a band whose albums haven't always been convincing, but on this one, everything falls into place. Are they original? Far from it. Can the singer sing? Not really, but he spits out the words and manages to give it all a certain punk edge. Okay, it's all been done before and better, but sometimes, after a hard day at work, you just want to put on an album full of cheerful music played with obvious joy.
Steven Wilson
5/5
Well then. Turns out I’ve been sleeping on one of Steven Wilson’s best albums. This thing is absolutely marvellous. The themes hit right away: growing older, the insecurity that creeps in with it, fear of being forgotten, the strange loneliness of city life. The story seems to be told from the perspective of a young woman in a huge city, surrounded by friends yet somehow invisible enough that no one notices when she’s gone. It’s unsettling because it’s believable.
Across 11 tracks and more than 65 minutes (yes, it’s long), Wilson walks through an emotional range: calm, intimate passages, heavier raw moments, and everything in between. It never tips into metal, but it definitely borders at times. Melody is the anchor throughout, and Wilson’s unmistakable voice carries the whole thing with ease.
His supporting cast is ridiculous in the best way. Ninet Tayeb’s vocals add real emotional lift. Marco Minnemann and Nick Beggs are a tight rhythm section. Adam Holzman’s keys occasionally explode into brilliant solos. And Guthrie Govan tears the roof off “Routine.”
The album even hands you a couple of radio-ready tracks: the title track and “Perfect Life.” Then it throws you back into the deep end with the 13-minute “Ancestral,” which is more for the prog-lovers, but expansive and emotional rather than show-offy.
Prog rock is very hit-and-miss for me. This is a hit. What really sold me is the emotional layer that runs through every track. Wilson isn’t reinventing anything here, but everything is executed with such care and quality that it doesn’t matter.
Bloody quality, start to finish.
David Allan Coe
2/5
65daysofstatic
4/5
The album where they got really good. It's as if Aphex Twin were noisy punks.
A little more controlled and focused than their earlier work and a little less electronic and cinematic as their later work. Really good pick to showcase the band.
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
4/5
A collision of Latin rhythms, ska, punk attitude and street-corner storytelling. It has the feel of street performance and that gives it a warm and fun energy. It does feel like they're pulling a lot from son, cumbia, danzón, perhaps even more than from early punk.
While reading up on it it seems this really was a foundational album for lots that came after it.
Highly enjoyable
Pearl Jam
3/5
I grew up in the 90s with grunge in my bloodstream. Ten was one of the great pillars of that era for almost everyone, so coming back to Vs. should have felt like home. It never really has for me.
This is a heavier and edgier record than Ten, but it doesn’t feel like a band naturally getting heavier or edgier. It feels like weight they were carrying. The anger is there, but it isn’t the wild, feral anger of the first record. It’s clenched. It’s directed inward. It’s pressure rather than release.
You can hear a band that suddenly found itself massive. A band that was all of a sudden classed as one of the official stewards of “grunge," trying to live up to everything the world expected from them.
There’s still plenty to enjoy here. WMA and Rats hold up well, and Rearviewmirror remains the best song Pearl Jam have ever recorded. But most of the album sounds like a group who lost their fun and their looseness in the rush of becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet but also not repeat Ten.
In later years, Pearl Jam learned how to relax into themselves again. Vs. is the uncomfortable moment in between: important historically, but emotionally strained.
Rita Ora
1/5
I gave this album a fair chance. I listened to it all the way through on first pass, hoping something would click, but every track felt skippable on second listen. This is everything I dislike about modern Spotify-core pop: ultra-smooth bass, plasticky rhythms, endless toplines, and production so polished it turns into emotional wallpaper.
The writing is completely generic. These songs could be sung by almost anyone. And when they are sung by Rita Ora, the vocals are so drenched in autotune they lose any sense of character. Her voice just isn’t strong enough to carry an album that relies almost entirely on personality.
It’s not that this is “bad pop.” It’s “nothing pop.” No spark, no edge, no identity. I know this came out with some hype, but within months it had already vanished from the conversation, and listening now makes it obvious why.
Possibly the weakest entry on the user generated list. I can't believe that after listening to the 1001 albums, you think this is the one missing...
3/5
Bon Iver
3/5
Cindy Lee
4/5
Canadian musician Patrick Flegel's seventh album as Cindy Lee is an ambitious, sprawling collection that overflows with brilliant ideas. Some fascinating guitar work and vocals that perfectly contrast the raw, rattling instrumentation. Drawing heavily from 1960s pop with touches of The Beach Boys, Phil Spector girl-pop, and psychedelic rock.
At over two hours and 32 tracks, Diamond Jubilee is undeniably too long. While the rambling, kitchen-sink approach has its appeal, the album's greatest strength is also its weakness. Cut this collection in half and you'd have a 45-minute masterpiece.
Portishead
4/5
This isn’t chill-out music. Portishead demands your full attention. It’s frozen melancholy in electronic hip-hop jazz, and it’s not meant to relax you. It’s meant to unsettle you.
This album is harder and sharper than Dummy. The production leans into abrasion with heavier beats and harsher scratching. Beth Gibbons sounds like she’s working through demons, her voice raw and fraying at the edges. Where Dummy had a kind of smoky sadness, this one feels claustrophobic and tense.
It isn’t bleak or nihilistic. It’s paranoid. Something feels wrong in every track, but just out of sight. The music mirrors that unease: brittle, disturbed, always slightly threatening. Even the hip-hop elements feel stripped of any swagger. What’s left is anxiety with nowhere to go.
It takes more listening effort than Dummy, but it rewards that effort. You sit down with it and let it work on you. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.
Khruangbin
3/5
Mellow Funky Psychedelic Rock. The guitar sound owes a heavy debt to the twang of Duane Eddy and the surf sound of someone like Dick Dale.
It's pleasant, but I don't feel more than that.
Songs: Ohia
5/5
The Lioness hit me harder than almost anything I’ve heard in years. Forty minutes in and it felt like this record carved out a permanent space.
The recording is so pure you can hear fingers on strings, every drum tap puts you in the room. Jason Molina sounds three feet away, working through wreckage in real time, and somehow it becomes yours too. Andy Miller's production is raw but full, stripped down but complete. Nothing is polished. Nothing is hidden. It’s intimate to the point of feeling a little dangerous.
That's what took me by surprise mostly: how un-American this album feels for an American songwriter. The last band that touched me like this was Arab Strap, and the overlap is clear. It's the same emotional directness, the same sense that someone is telling you the truth. Desolate, yes. But not hopeless. It made me want to hug someone I love, remind me that connection still matters even when everything else is gone.
I don’t really know what to do with this album yet. It left me almost in tears, and that doesn’t happen often anymore. But I know it’s one I’ll carry with me.
Pop Will Eat Itself
3/5
This is a fun album, but ultimately an unremarkable one for me. I already knew the big singles, and after a couple of full listens I feel the rest of the record sits in that “typical product of its era” zone. It’s energetic, experimental, and full of late-’80s social commentary, but not always consistent.
The highlights are obvious: “Def.Con.One,” “Can U Dig It,” and “Wise Up Sucker” still land. Those song I should really add to some of my driving playlists. Outside of those, the album loses some steam. Tracks like “Inject Me” and “Wake Up! Time to Die…” haven’t aged well. They lean too heavily on late-’80s clichés and the thinner production makes them feel a bit dated rather than charming.
It’s a decent album and it shows a band willing to take risks, but not every experiment works. For fans of alternative dance rock from that period, it’s worth hearing. For me, it has its limits. It's not an album I'll return to.
Childish Gambino
3/5
A fascinating but uneven album. The production is often incredible: thick bass, sharp beats, and a lot of creative ideas in the arrangements. At its best the music feels adventurous and charged with emotion. At its worst the constant abrupt shifts work against the songs and break the flow of the album.
The darker tracks about loneliness, depression, and trying to find meaning hit hardest. The whole Party to the Urn section is genuinely excellent. The romantic songs feel thinner and a bit simplistic in comparison, which might be deliberate, but it still weakens the record.
Overall this feels like a transitional album. There is so much ambition here, and when it comes together it sounds great, but you can also hear him reaching for something he would perfect more fully on Awaken, My Love!.
Barenaked Ladies
2/5
I get why Canadians who heard this at the right age still love it. But coming to it fresh in 2025, Gordon is a rough listen. It's cheesy, iand very safe. The band is clearly talented. They can write, they can play. But the taste in songs behind it makes my toes curl.
There are genuine moments here. "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" and "Brian Wilson" show that Barenaked Ladies can land a touching ballad when they stop clowning around. "Crazy" is a wild, melodic closer that almost makes you forgive what came before it.
The rest is hard to get through. Some songs have decent lyrics but collapse into limp white-boy ska. Other songs are completely safe 13-in-a-dozen 80's rock songs, like The Box.
For all the genre-hopping and energy, Gordon feels oddly safe. They keep switching lanes, yet the results are both obnoxious and formulaic. There’s real skill here, but it’s wrapped in a relentlessly twee sensibility. A handful of lovely moments can’t save the ordeal of sitting through the rest.
Mr. Bungle
4/5
California is easily Mr. Bungle’s most accessible album, but “accessible” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It’s still Mr. Bungle. Which means it’s a wild, colourful hodgepodge of styles that bounce in every direction at once. Surf rock, lounge pop, exotica, little explosions of chaos… and somehow it all holds together as their strongest, most cohesive record.
The strange thing is how immediately it works. Play this at a party and you get two reactions: one person begging you to turn it off right now, and another person lighting up, demanding to know what on earth this is and whether you can play more. That split makes perfect sense. This is pop music filtered through a cracked funhouse mirror, melodic and theatrical and completely unbothered by genre boundaries.
For me, California is the sweet spot where all their ideas land. It still has the band’s trademark madness, but shaped into songs that feel deliberate, catchy, and oddly beautiful.
Lady Gaga
3/5
This album is ridiculously front-loaded. The first four tracks are pure pop muscle. “Paparazzi” still hits hard. “Poker Face” remains one of the most unkillable singles of the century. You can’t sit still through it. You can’t not sing along. And thinking that Gaga was only twenty-one when she made something this polished is wild. Those opening tracks are bangers, no two ways about it.
Then “Eh Eh” arrives and it kinda goes limp after that.
I do have a soft spot for Lady Gaga. Not just the performance art and the deliberate theatricality, but her whole public self: the acting, the warmth, the work she does through Born This Way. She’s a genuinely good human who happens to also be a real singer. That matters. But it doesn’t save the back 2/3 of The Fame.
You could make a killer 6-song EP out of this and lose nothing of value.
After the opening salvo, the album sinks into the forgettable. Some tracks are fine (“Money Honey”). Some are actively bad (“Starstruck” really is awful). And for someone who later built her identity on shapeshifting, this record weirdly sounds like the same idea over and over again. As individual songs, a lot of them still work. As a full album, it gets old fast. By the final few tracks I was fighting the urge to skip. The harsh autotune on “Starstruck” and “Paper Gangsta” really grates the ears.
Still, this is the foundation everything else was built on. You can hear the blueprint for the superstar she would become, even if she hadn’t figured out how to transcend club-pop yet. It’s nowhere near her best work, but its cultural impact is undeniable. A debut this iconic belongs on a list like 1001 Albums.
CAKE
3/5
This is exactly what you thought it would be. A few standout singles and a lot of filler. "The Distance" (interestingly, the only song written by guitarist Greg Brown) is far and away the best track here, with "Frank Sinatra," "I Will Survive," and "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" also landing well.
Those couple of excellent tracks keep Fashion Nugget from mediocrity, but 50 minutes of CAKE... is a little too much CAKE
Bright Eyes
4/5
First listen felt slow. The country lean of some songs didn’t land, and the music and lyrics seemed like two separate things. But once I started paying attention to what Oberst was actually saying, everything shifted.
This album is dark, bleak, often painful, but never quite hopeless. There's frustration with life and the state of the world woven through every song. The storytelling tracks lean into sadness, while the more personal ones have defiance underneath the despair. “Road to Joy” twists Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” into something almost apocalyptic, and lines like “I will fight like hell to hide that I’m giving up” hit with real weight.
For me, Side B is where it truly comes together. “First Day of My Life,” “Poison Oak,” “Road to Joy,” “Land Locked Blues.” That’s where the emotional honesty, the writing, and the music finally lock into the same place. Oberst’s voice feels raw without tipping into theatrics.
This isn’t background music. It asks for your attention, and the more you sit with it, the more it rewards you. It's a grower, and it rewards the effort. I'll be returning to this, and it might grow into a 5* album
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
2/5
The cover is iconic. Sexy, classy, endlessly parodied ( https://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2011/12/03/cover-versions/ ).
It's held up better than the music, which is pleasant, polished, and completely forgettable. This is easy-listening instrumental pop at its most inoffensive. Nothing about it is bad, but nothing about it sticks either. It just passes through you.
Herb Alpert clearly had talent (his trumpet work on David Baerwald's "A Secret Silken World" proves he could get darker and weirder), but here he's playing it safe. Background music for cocktail parties, designed to be heard but not really listened to.
Amália Rodrigues
3/5
Weezer
4/5
R.I.P. Weezer, 1992-1997
Quicksand
4/5
This is an underrated album by an underrated band. Quicksand were compared to early Tool back in the 90s, but they're much closer to a mix of Helmet and Fugazi. Sharp, energetic, melodic post-hardcore that deserved more attention than it ever got. The riffs are tight, the rhythm section is locked in, and there's real melody underneath all the aggression.
3/5
The question going in was whether this is just "Midnight City" and filler, or if the whole double album earns its 73-minute runtime.
"Midnight City" definitely does heavy lifting, but there are other strong moments. "Reunion" and "Claudia Lewis" both stood out. The 80s influence is all over this (Mr. Mister, Tears for Fears) and I didn't mind that at all. The ambient stretches worked fine too.
The problem is double album bloat. Cut this down to 35-40 minutes, lose over half the tracks, and you'd have a genuinely great album. Maybe 4 to 4.5 stars. But as it stands, too much just washes past without sticking. It's pleasant, never annoying, but not concise enough to be essential.
The ideas are there. They're just buried under too much runtime. A solid listen that never bugs you but never fully grabs you either
Nujabes
3/5
I went into this with high expectations, mostly because “Feather” is such a great track. And while Modal Soul is undeniably pleasant, it mostly fades into the background for me. It sits almost permanently in the “incredibly relaxed” zone, but rarely reaches anything truly impressive.
“Feather” is the clear highlight. The combination of piano and rap works beautifully, as it often does. After that, the album loses momentum. Much of it feels like simple jazz tunes with a beat, enjoyable enough, but not especially memorable. It starts to feel a bit bland.
There are exceptions. “Eclipse” and “The Sign” stand out thanks to the raps and spoken word. “Flowers” and “Music Is Mine” are the strongest instrumentals here, with more interesting jazz textures and structure than the rest. Unfortunately, many of the other instrumental tracks lack substance.
Overall, it’s a calm, easy listen, but too relaxed for its own good. Pleasant rather than striking. A solid three-star album for me.
Brand New
4/5
Jesse Lacey groomed underage fans. Let's get that out of the way—he's a piece of shit. But this is about the album.
The album opens with emo screams that hit fast, then stumbles into simplistic territory with "Millstone" (saved only by the basslines). "Jesus Christ" pulls it back with a slow build and stronger lyrics. It feels like two different bands fighting for control.
Then something shifts. "Limousine" is haunting, almost reminds me of Pulp's This Is Hardcore era—sparse, sad, lyrically heavy. "You Won't Know" nails the darker indie-rock thing with eerie guitars that lean toward Modest Mouse and Nirvana. The emo screams actually fit here. Four endings, driving intensity. "Welcome To Bangkok" is just noise and sonic waves—instrumental and effective. These four tracks in a row are impressive.
Then "Not The Sun" arrives like a bad Placebo/Linkin Park rip-off and nearly derails everything. "Luca" recovers with Pink Floyd-style guitars that break wide open. Reminds me of The God Machine. "Archers" is a decent singalong, but "Handcuffs" feels like a strange closer. Not bad, just not as emotionally strong as the rest. The violin overdoes it.
Uneven, but when it works, it really works. A good listen.
Mastodon
5/5
This is much rockier and less metal than I expected, but in the best way. Dreamy but loud and intense. Mastodon pushed technical boundaries on earlier albums; here they're all about mystery, depth, emotion, and atmosphere.
"Quintessence" opens epically and shifts into progressive grooves with vocals that elevate everything. "The Czar" reminds me of Opeth. "The Last Baron" goes off at 13 minutes and earns every second. "Oblivion" and "The Ghost of Karelia" also stand out.
The production is thick and full. Every layer is audible, which makes for an incredible listening experience, but also a tiring one. It demands your full attention in a way that's both a strength and a limitation. I might not always reach for this even though I have starting to really love this album, simply because it's so dense and exhausting.
The vocals took some getting used to as well. Multiple singers, none technically great, plus guest vocals. But it all works perfectly for the vibe.
Way better than I expected. A killer album that rewards the effort it demands.
4,5*
Porcupine Tree
4/5
Porcupine Tree was one of the modern juggernauts of prog-rock. Subtle musicianship, incredibly detailed compositions, atmosphere that leans melancholic and dark. This album is inspired by Bret Easton Ellis's Lunar Park, telling the story of a kid overwhelmed by mass media and technology. Many lyrics are borrowed directly from the book.
In 2007, I thought this was superb. Then I lost interest. Not in this album specifically, but in prog-rock generally. Too much of it is fret-wanking without emotion, just musicians showing off. Revisiting this now, it's stood the test of time. The darkness and bleakness work. The theme feels even more relevant in 2025.
Steven Wilson isn't the flashiest guitarist, but the drummer (Gavin Harrison) is exceptional, and the atmosphere is what makes it work.
A strong album. Personally a 4-star experience, but objectively? This is an essential album for the style. Absolutely belongs on a 1001 albums list.
Alexisonfire
3/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I'm joining the chorus of voices here saying we don't need more Springsteen or 2-hour live albums on this list.
HOWEVER: This recording is phenomenal, so I can't give it a low score. The raw energy, the interplay of and with the E-Street Band, the sheer power of Springsteen's still-young voice. A live recording that truly surpasses the studio versions of the songs.
The Groundhogs
4/5
This started like your average British 70s blues-rock album, but it shifts. Unlike most blues-rock this is not about about flashy solos, but about setting mood: grinding riffs, distortion, repetition, proto-doom textures.
Side B is where it really clicked for me. Later in the album, it sounds more Sabbath than UK blues. The anti-war rhetoric is blunt and straightforward, and it works because the lyrics and music push each other upward. The album works as a journey. It starts on one side and slowly drags you into the darker side of music.
"Garden" is my standout, and "Eccentric Man" (covered by Queens of the Stone Age for good reason) shows the proto-stoner rock connections clearly. A solid album that might grow higher over time.
You can hear the change happening live on this record: the shift from blues-rock into what would become stoner and doom. Not essential for everyone, but absolutely essential if you want to understand where that lineage started.
Lo Fidelity Allstars
3/5
'Battleflag' and 'Vision Indicision' are marvellous,
Important band in the genre, but not strong on the whole album
Wussy
3/5
Scrappy, wobbly indie-rock from Cincinnati. Lo-fi production, dual vocals, clear influences: REM, Bettie Serveert, Pixies, Velvet Underground, Undertones. Feels like a 90s throwback.
"Funeral Dress" stands out, partly because of that Blondie-esque melody (it's "One Way Or Another" but then slowed down). "Soak It Up" has echoes of Velvet Underground and Bettie Serveert. "Yellow Cotton Dress" registers as another decent moment.
The problem for me is the songwriting. It's pleasant while it's on, but nothing sticks after it's over. The sound is fine. Lo-fi doesn't bother me at all. But the songs themselves are forgettable. They wear their influences clearly but don't carve out their own identity.
Competent but unremarkable.
Extrechinato y Tu
2/5
Daniel Bélanger
2/5
Comus
5/5
The musical equivalent of a Hieronymus Bosch painting
The Chats
3/5
This is 13 songs and 27 minutes of brash, no-nonsense pub punk. It sits squarely in Australia’s pub-punk lineage, with the Cosmic Psychos looming large.
The band is noticeably tighter than on their debut, and that helps the songs land better. The trade-off is that the surprise and freshness of the first album are mostly gone. Lyrically, it’s the same stuff: drinking, being broke, working-class frustration. “Panic Attack” is my highlight, and most tracks are catchy enough for me to shout along to without thinking too hard.
There’s no real variation here and nothing particularly new. This sound has existed since the late ’70s, and plenty of bands have done it earlier or better. By critical standards, this isn’t especially strong, but I have a weak spot for music like this, and it’s hard not to enjoy while it’s on.
A fun, solid listen, but honestly, it doesn’t belong on a 1001 Albums list.
Ornatos Violeta
3/5
Tangue is a strong opener. Bombastic, with swelling violins, and very much rooted in a 90s alternative rock sound, even if I can’t quite pin down the reference. Ouvi Dizer sits clearly above the rest though: an over-the-top rock epic, almost an anthem, and easily the album’s high point.
Not every track reaches that level. Capitao Romance leans more into a distinctly Portuguese flavour, which works well, and O.M.E.M is a standout in a different way. It reminds me of Mike Patton at his most theatrical. Not understanding the lyrics has never bothered me; the music speaks perfectly well on its own.
As a whole, the album is consistent and enjoyable, even if it constantly balances on a thin line between art, kitsch, and genuine expression. It never tips into annoyance, but it also doesn’t fully sustain its strongest moments. I can see how this could become a classic for many, but for me it lands at a solid, respectable 3 stars.
Daft Punk
2/5
This is a film score, but since it's released as an album and submitted to a 1001 albums list, let's judge it as an album.
It's typical film music with the Daft Punk name attached. The emotion is completely absent. Composers like Hans Zimmer or Giorgio Moroder can move you with film music. This doesn't. It sounds distant and cool even when it's bombastic. The short pieces and recurring themes work for a film but make the album feel repetitive.
This is for film score nerds and Daft Punk completists. Doesn't belong on a 1001 albums list.
Rodríguez
4/5
Cold Fact was a first listen for me, and it’s honestly very good. Dylan-esque in its lyrical approach, but grittier, more lived-in, and paired with a voice that’s far more listenable. “Ghetto Dylan” feels like an accurate shorthand.
“Hate Street Dialogue” is a standout for me currently. Direct, sharp, and still relevant. “Rich Folks Hoax” and “Jane S. Piddy” close the album beautifully and underline just how strong this is as a storytelling record. The production has small, quirky flourishes that keep things interesting without ever distracting from the songs.
The backstory only adds to the impact. This album flopped in the US but became enormous in South Africa, reportedly bigger than the Beatles, while Rodríguez himself worked construction in Detroit, completely unaware. The documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" apparently tells that story, and that's a documentary I'll be looking up to watch over the Christmas break.
The music justifies the legend. This is a genuinely great lost album that deserved far better the first time around.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
3/5
This sounds like 1966, not 1996. Pure 60s psychedelia worship: Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, Kinks, The Who. Shameless borrowing, but played with real energy and commitment.
There are genuine highlights scattered throughout. “Since I Was Six” channels Space Oddity. “Straight Up and Down” has that Waiting for the Man guitar feel. “B.S.A.” sounds like the Stones in a 90s jacket. “Fucker,” “Cabin Fever,” and “Monkey Puzzle” all stand out too, the latter with a very McCartney-style cowbell that I love.
The problem is the length. At nearly 70 minutes, this album should have been a tight 35 to 40-minute LP. The retro worship is committed, but it lacks the grit and danger of the originals. These feel like museum-quality reproductions rather than something with teeth. Too many songs sound like B-sides or retreads that should have been left on the cutting room floor.
The band is clearly having a good time, and that energy carries the album further than it deserves. Still, this desperately needed editing. Fun in moments, exhausting overall.
Vince Guaraldi Trio
3/5
High ratings everywhere for this album, which is surprising for a Christmas album. But attach the jazz label and suddenly it gets prestige. Strip that away and you're still left with "O Christmas Tree" and holiday standards, just with better chord voicings.
That being said, Guaraldi's playing is superb. Clear influences from Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. Fred Marshall on bass and Jerry Granelli on drums make this a pleasant listening experience.
This could belong on a 1001 albums list because of its cultural impact, not just the music. The Charlie Brown Christmas special is iconic, and this soundtrack introduced jazz to millions of kids.
Not something I listen to, even at Christmas, but I respect what it is and what it represents. 2 stars for personal enjoyment, 4.5 stars for impact and importance. Lands at 3.5 overall.
Anaïs Mitchell
3/5
This sounds like Tom Waits by theater kids. Theatrical storytelling meets indie folk, with a cast including Bon Iver and Ani DiFranco. It's a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in a post-apocalyptic Depression-era America.
"Way Down Hadestown," "When the Chips Are Down," "Wait For Me," and "Why We Build the Wall" are highlights to me, and all are found in the first half of the album. The voices are distinct enough and well picked to follow the story, and Ani DiFranco stands out. I appreciate the storytelling and the ambition behind the concept.
But the album loses steam in the second half. The last ten songs don't hold my attention the way the first ten do. Not that they're worse, they just don't sustain the momentum.
Well-crafted and ambitious, but I found it didn't fully work as a listening experience. For me, the theatrical approach works better in stretches than as a full album. 3.5*
Broken Social Scene
3/5
This hasn't clicked with me at all. None of these songs made my ears prick up, none lingered, none did anything. I don't mind it, but I also don't like or enjoy it. I don't see the quality and appeal that so many others apparently do.
The foundation is indie rock and post-rock: drums, bass, guitar. Layered on top is endless experimentation with horns, vocals, rap, percussion, hip-hop beats, organic tinkering. It's all so busy that even after three listens it exhausts me without giving much in return.
I have the feeling I'm missing something, but for me this doesn't belong on a 1001 albums list. 2.5 stars. Not offensively bad, just forgettable and tiring.
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore
5/5
"Doom jazz" is a micro-genre that barely exists outside of Bohren and a handful of others apparently. This is music for people who think regular jazz is too upbeat and doom metal is too energetic. It's aggressively niche.
And I'm all here for it.
Not sure if such a niche album should be on a 1001 album list, but this is one of the best things I've heard in a while.
Insanely slow tempos, beats landing at exactly the right moment. My Dying Bride if they made noir jazz. The rock influences have disappeared, this is all atmosphere. Everything drags, everything lingers. An atmosphere of calm with an ominous menace underneath. The dark power of the saxophone in all its glory.
Even the aesthetic of the album cover is pure film noir/neo-noir
This isn't an album with standout tracks. You put it on and let it wash over you. It sustains its 50-minute runtime completely. So delightfully moody, balanced perfectly.
The Who
4/5
There were already 5 The Who albums on the list: My Generation, The Who Sell Out, Tommy, Who's Next, and Live at Leeds. That's a lot, but I'm thinking the submitter put this one in to replace another.
The album is really good. Moon's drumming is out of this world. Fills where other drummers would just keep time, constant invention without ever losing the groove. Entwistle's bass work is incredible. Soloing in "The Real Me" but also extremely functional, like holding one note for a bar in "I've Had Enough." Townshend wrote it, but it wouldn't be anything without this band.
Melodic, clever, and still full of feel and grit. Something many prog bands that have definitely listened to this afterward didn't understand.
The album is busy, but the 81 minutes don't feel too long. It flows rather than being a collection of songs. I can hear the inspiration for prog bands like Genesis, Dream Theater, Ayreon. The rock opera narrative exists, but I'm mostly just enjoying it as exceptional musicianship and songwriting.
Solid 4 stars. Should replace Live at Leeds on the list. This is a more complete artistic statement.
Gerry Cinnamon
2/5
I know Gerry Cinnamon from being the opening act for Frank Turner, and that's kinda how this feels. Like the opening act for people like Billy Bragg and Frank Turner.
Anthemic, singalong indie-folk-rock. Stripped-down production, mostly acoustic guitar. Songs designed to be shouted back in a crowd. Direct, conversational lyrics about everyday struggles.
Massive in Scotland seems to be the new Big In Japan.
TOOL
5/5
What to say about this album that hasn't been said a thousand times before. It's Tool. It's Ænima. This style has been copied by dozens and dozens of bands, brought forth a horde of annoying fans, isn't as good as follow-up Lateralus, but 100% should've been on the original list.
Still a 5-star album.
Ozzy Osbourne
3/5
Ozzy's debut came out the same year Black Sabbath made a grand return with Heaven & Hell. While Sabbath delivered interesting song structures and a vocalist who did more than follow vocal lines, Ozzy delivers something more commercial, simpler, and perhaps radio-friendly. Though that's not inherently bad, it doesn't take away that this is all quite simple.
Randy Rhoads' presence is crucial. His riffs make "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" recognizable. He's the only reason these songs work at all. "Revelation (Mother Earth)" stands out. But beyond being recognizable, I don't think most of these songs are very good. The structures feel less interesting than what Sabbath was doing. Ozzy's voice might even be a mismatch for the musicianship.
Drummer Lee Kerslake and bassist Bob Daisley were denied gold records and income despite playing on the album. Even harsher since Daisley wrote all the lyrics.
This is the best solo work Ozzy released, but removing his name, it's really is nothing more than a pretty decent hard-rock album.
3 stars. Influential and massively popular, but not as good as its reputation suggests.
The Tragically Hip
4/5
Listened to this before and didn't get too much from it. Came back today and found a very decent pop/rock album without much pretense but with some great lyrics.
"Bobcaygeon" and "Thompson Girl" stand out. The poets lyric is beautiful: "Don't tell me what the poets are doing / don't tell me that they're talking though / don't tell me that they're anti-social / some of them are not anti-social enough."
Solid songwriting, conversational but literary. Took a second listen to reveal itself.
Descendents
4/5
This is definitely about an angry teenage boy. The lyrics are short, unsubtle, and sometimes childish. Songs like "I'm Not A Loser" don't fully stand the test of time lyrically.
Musically, this is insanely awesome. Quick, melodic nerd-core-punk that's wonderfully energetic. Kudos to the bassist for holding it all together. You can't accuse these guys of lacking passion, as good punk should have.
"I'm Not A Punk," "Suburban Home," and "Kabuki Girl" are my favorites.
I can really see how this influenced so many bands. Imagine hearing this in the early 80s. This is where so much of the popular 90s punk bands got their inspiration. Great album, all in all.
Bruce Hornsby
2/5
Harbor Lights starts incredibly strong and sets expectations the rest of the album struggles to meet. The title track is excellent: great piano and guitar work, dissonant touches near the end, and a sense of momentum that feels playful and alive. The final song "Pastures of Plenty" captures that same spirit again, and "What a Time" briefly lifts the middle of the album with a bit of swing, horns, and genuine fun.
Unfortunately, most of what sits between those highlights is far less interesting. A lot of the album suffers from stiff late-80s production, especially the drum sounds, which flatten otherwise capable songs into MOR jazz-pop. Tracks like "China Doll," "Fields of Gray," and "Rainbow's Cadillac" aren't unpleasant, but they don't say much either. The arrangements feel safe, and the energy drains away quickly.
Hornsby is clearly a strong musician, but here the polish often works against him. When he allows dissonance, groove, or looseness into the songs, the album comes alive. When he leans into smoothness, it becomes forgettable. Two excellent bookends and one bright spot don't justify the slog in between. 2.5 stars.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
I think this is the most consistent Teenage Fanclub album. The high quality is evenly distributed across all 13 tracks, more so than on their other albums, which makes for a pleasant listen.
Because the quality is so excellent and everything is tightly executed, the songs can sound a bit simple and ordinary. But that tightness also lets you hear the deepest details and nuances, which is a pleasant experience. Simply excellent songwriting.
"Sparky's Dream," "Neil Jung," "Going Places," and "Don't Look Back" are my favorites.
Billy Strings
3/5
Muse
4/5
Not an unknown album. One of the biggest records of its era. This is Muse’s second album, and the one where they properly find their own voice after a debut still wearing its Radiohead influences on its sleeve. It’s bombastic, over-the-top, and built for stadiums, which is usually not my thing at all.
But this album rocks. Hard.
The first six tracks are relentless: “New Born,” “Bliss,” “Space Dementia,” “Hyper Music,” “Plug In Baby,” “Citizen Erased.” One after another, no let-up. The sheer energy is what makes it work. Chris Wolstenholme’s bass is the backbone of the entire record, massive and melodic, holding everything together while the riffs and drama explode around it. There’s real power here, not just volume.
It does lose momentum after those opening six songs, but they’re strong enough to carry the album regardless.
Later Muse would lose me. The bombast got bigger, but the energy drained away: more strings, more synths, more stadium ambition, less raw rock power. Origins of Symmetry still has that fire.
4.5 stars. Not quite top-tier all-time, but absolutely a banger.
Soul Coughing
5/5
I heard this back in the 90s and was a big fan then. Still am now.
Incredibly addictive jazzy jams with charismatic, stream-of-consciousness lyrics that feel like poetry. Fantastic sound, great dynamics, excellent upright bass work by Sebastian Steinberg, and eccentric sample work throughout.
I see people calling this completely original and unique, but I'm not convinced that's the full story. In the 90s, there were similar bands doing this kind of genre-blending, especially in Europe. This didn't exist in a vacuum, even if it felt unusual in the American alt-rock scene at the time.
That said, what an incredible stunner of an album. I'm thoroughly enjoying this again, just like I did in my teens. 4.5 stars.
Denzel Curry
3/5
It's a good hiphop album and I can appreciate the flow and style of Denzel Curry. But honestly only the first two and last two songs I can really appreciate. On the other end songs like X-Wing and Troubles are horrible tracks in my opinion. The strings on X-Wing are just a bit too much and the beat and terrible T-Pain autotune I can't stand.
Yello
4/5
I know Yello but never really listened to full albums before. Which is strange, because I'm fond of bands like Art Of Noise, Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode, who were also experimenting with electronica around this time.
The sound is exactly as described: electronic but not synth-pop, funky but not dance music, experimental but weirdly accessible.
I'm also quite impressed by the production, which is 40 years old but sounds crystal clear. Every sound is spatially balanced and pristine: unlayered clarity with complex elements. Fantastic with good headphones.
This works as a complete album rather than just standout tracks. "Domingo" and "Ciel Ouvert" are current favorites, but the whole thing holds together.
Yello should've made the 1001 album list, if only to break through all the UK and US-centric music on it. This is distinctive, influential, and still holds up.
Spose
2/5
First half is pretty fun alternative rock/hip-hop, but very white-person versions of it. Nothing groundbreaking but enjoyable enough. Second half leans more toward hip-hop but also nothing refreshing.
Competent but forgettable. In the context of a 1001 albums list, this is a 2-star album. If I'd heard it as a new release in 2010 without those comparisons, maybe a 3. But it doesn't justify its place here.