I remember the first time I heard Wesley's Theory. I was absolutely wowed by the message and the production; I had never heard anything like it. Now that I've heard this entire album, I feel even stronger: there is nothing else quite like this album. Kendrick Lamar has a lot to say about the state of politics, inequality, and being Black in America and worldwide, and he doesn't waste a single second on these tracks talking about these topics. Even the album art makes a confronting statement, communicating a very charged, thought-provoking, detailed message, a message that makes many statements in one image. It all comes full circle with a mostly spoken world closing track explaining meaning behind the album title "To Pimp A Butterfly". As if that's not enough, Kendrick uses several Black-defined and influenced genres (funk, soul, jazz, to name just a few) and modern, fresh, audibly intriguing production across this album to create a progressive and elevated hip-hop experience. I won't say that I love every song, but damn if the production, lyrics, and style just don't keep me intrigued and curious all throughout. I wanted to keep listening, and I want to listen again. In my opinion, this is easily one of, if not THE most important hip hop albums in the past decade or more (disclaimer: I'm so incredibly white so please don't take my word for it). It's art, it's protest, it's love, it's hate, it's poetry, it's politics; it's black struggle and black power.

As someone who grew up surrounded by desert but didn't appreciate the landscape until I grew up and moved away, I connect with U2's desire to build an album around their desert inspiration. The album builds up and opens with so much excitement and energy. That energy builds and is held throughout the entire album. This album marries unique rock instrumentation with Bono's soaring, ethereal voice to make every track something interesting, unique, and a little bit mysterious. Everything about Bono's voice seems deliberate; you can feel the emotion behind the way he sings, artistic and full of emotion, but in full command of his vocals. Bono's lyrics, inspired by political and world events, are also deliberate and done incredibly artfully, as if writing a poem. This album caught my attention and didn't let go until it was finished. Every song was strongly written, sung, and performed. This has definitely inspired me to dig further into U2's discography.

It is often seen where bands go from punk to a more "radio friendly" genre, becoming polished over time and losing that "edge", but Nirvana did the exact opposite here, releasing their critically acclaimed Nevermind first and later following it up with the more edgy, unpolished In Utero. There are some songs on this album that have that similar Nevermind polish, but this is ultimately a more primal album. And as I understand it, this is exactly what Nirvana was going for. Still, the magic of Nirvana is there for those that are drawn to it in the first place. You have grating, visceral emotions from Cobain's vocals and lyrics. His words fit the grunge genre so well, as he is adept at telling his very personal stories with dirty, grimy, grungy lyrics befitting of the genre. The music, while also incredibly grungy and distorted, is masterfully edgy; you can tell you're listening to musicians who know how to do more than slam on their instruments. While I understand that Nirvana wanted to go more unpolished, I personally believe they were at their best on Nevermind. Still, this album is solid, and a very shining example of 90s grunge and punk-adjacent genres. Cobain was known for pushing hard for what he wanted, and Nirvana shows here what they wanted to be, and they were uncompromising on that. And it proved to be a success. This likely would have been the beginning of their sound moving forward, had it not been for Cobain's untimely death.

I had never heard of this band, and I was surprised to find that I really dug this album! If I had to describe it, I would say it's like an easy listening, folky new wave. In other words, it has that new wave strangeness about it, but a lot of the heaviness of new wave is tenderized with that folk sound. One thing that can happen with folky music is that everything can sort of blend into one mess of sound, but I did not feel like that was the case here; each song stood on its own and had its own unique presence. Bob Dylan seems to have been a huge influence for Lloyd Cole, and considering I am not a fan of Dylan, I was very pleased to find that Cole and the band found a way to take that inspiration and create something fresh with it. I've seen some debate about whether or not this album deserves to be on this list. Maybe, maybe not -- I can see arguments for both. But either way, I really enjoyed it, and I'm going to let my rating reflect that.

I love 90s alternative and indie, but I have gone through life without too much knowledge on The Verve's discography, so I was excited to check this out. (Almost) everyone knows Bitter Sweet Symphony, and what a great album opener it is! It really sets the stage for the album and is a good representative of the rest of the album's similar quality offerings. The symphonic motif from Bitter Sweet Symphony cascades throughout all of the songs, calling back to it. The word "symphonic" reminds me of hymns, so I can't help but wonder if there's something at play here with their album title? There is a dreamy, psychedelic sound that is woven throughout this album, making it really easy to listen to. With the exception of one track, these songs are all at least 4 minutes long, many in the 5-7 minute range. There's an air of passion in this album where these guys seem to just be jamming and feeling the music with no regard for track length. For me, all of the above points help craft this album into a cohesive experience from start to finish, making this album's whole greater than the sum of its parts. Everything except Bitter Suite Symphony was new to me; my standouts on this album were Sonnet, Space and Time, Weeping Willow, Lucky Man, and Velvet Morning.

I was REALLY into this album and band as a teenager. I think I wore myself out on AC/DC, as I have not really listened to them or this album much in the last decade or so. That said, this has reminded me that this album rocks from start to finish -- there isn't a single skip for me. I'm really excited to be listening to it again.

Another album that I was already pretty familiar with, though it had been a while since I had heard it front to back! Led Zeppelin II has has some of my all-time favorite Led Zep tracks, while others on the album are "sometimes foods". That said, this is an album that I do enjoy listening to as one whole piece. This album is truly a pioneer among a few other late 60s trailblazers, building a foundation for a musical sound that would define an entire genre.

I should preface this by saying I'm not an expert on funk music, but at least off of the top of my head, I'm not really aware of any other concept albums that play within the funk genre, but it seems like a perfect genre to play around with in this way. Further contributing to the idea that these guys don't take themselves TOO seriously, they centered their concept album around something that was already fairly corny during the 70s: space and sci-fi. That said, space-y synth lends itself so well to funk music, and these guys clearly understood that! I was surprised when "Give Up the Funk" started and I recognized the song -- so iconic! I love putting band names and track titles to iconic songs that are embedded in our cultures without us being completely aware, often due to their use in movies and television! My personal enjoyment of this album comes in at about 4/5, but the album's worthiness in this project is a definite 5/5.

I love 90s alternative and indie, but I have gone through life without too much knowledge on The Verve's discography, so I was excited to check this out. (Almost) everyone knows Bitter Sweet Symphony, and what a great album opener it is! It really sets the stage for the album and is a good representative of the rest of the album's similar quality offerings. The symphonic motif from Bitter Sweet Symphony cascades throughout all of the songs, calling back to it. The word "symphonic" reminds me of hymns, so I can't help but wonder if there's something at play here with their album title? There is a dreamy, psychedelic sound that is woven throughout this album, making it really easy to listen to. With the exception of one track, these songs are all at least 4 minutes long, many in the 5-7 minute range. There's an air of passion in this album where these guys seem to just be jamming and feeling the music with no regard for track length. For me, all of the above points help craft this album into a cohesive experience from start to finish, making this album's whole greater than the sum of its parts. Everything except Bitter Suite Symphony was new to me; my standouts on this album were Sonnet, Space and Time, Weeping Willow, Lucky Man, and Velvet Morning.

I thought the progressive aspects of this album as they pertain to hip-hop were definitely on display, making this album seem fresh in comparison to a lot of the hip-hop I've heard in the past decade or so. For hip-hop, his voice is incredibly smooth and the music was laid back. That said, this album and the tracks on it ultimately didn't resonate with me very much; it was easy to listen to, but for me, it was "just okay".

I know a tiny bit about gangsta rap, primarily from the late 90s and early 2000s, and almost all of those artists, if you dig in, were found by, launched by, or are somehow tied to Dr. Dre, an original NWA member. These guys are the definition of "O.G."; they are the reason (like it or not) that gangsta rap is so prolific in mainstream music today. Their rough life experiences in Compton are what birthed this music scene. I can see why this album is monumental, but the lyrics have not aged well. Gangsta rap is notorious for its very vivid (and sometimes over-exaggerated) descriptions of violent behaviors, but exaggeration or not, I really can't get behind the excessive misogyny and domestic violence. The "black community versus the cops" message from 1988 still feels relevant today, though.

SO many iconic Lynyrd Skynyrd songs on this album, but I had never listened to it front to back, so this was another exciting one for me. To that point, I never realized so many of their most beloved songs came from this first album! I'd rather listen to any of these Skynyrd hits than Sweet Home Alabama, so the fact that it's not on this album is, in itself, almost worth a bonus star in my rating. This album reflects a time when track order really seemed to be more of an intentional, precise art. I Ain't the One is a perfect opener, setting an exciting stage for many of the band's bigger mainstream hits, and arguably, some of the most well known jams in classic rock history. The second half of the album slumps a bit too far into swamp rock for me. Just when you think you might finally be getting bored, the album closes with its rising phoenix song, Free Bird, one song that is practically two separate tracks. The first "track" is a patient ballad, slowly building with some of the most recognized lyrics and guitar riffs in rock music history, before finally blooming into the second "track", an epic ~5 minute instrumental that stands among the best that rock music has ever witnessed.

I was not familiar with the band PJ Harvey, let alone the album, but I'm a sucker for 90s grunge women, as they typically come with sultry, gritty, smoky vocals. In that regard, this album did not disappoint. Each track is its own emotional rant wrapped in edgy guitar, raw lyrics, and powerful vocal roars. While a lot of grunge is influenced by blues, I found the bluesy tribute particularly prominent in this album. I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of tracks that even feature "cello rock", which is typically a fairly niche indie subgenre. This is another album for me where I felt like the entire album on its own was more significant than individual tracks. Overall, a fun discovery and listen for me.

I had admittedly never heard of The Mothers of Invention, but as soon as I saw the album cover, I saw and recognized Frank Zappa and knew I was in for...something. There is some interesting musical composition in this album, but god, that damn kazoo. The kazoo was enough to send me spiraling into madness. Every moment of kazoo was agonizing. Too much kazoo. I've probably said 'kazoo' more times in this brief review than I have in the past decade or more. I like weird and bizarre, but Frank Zappa lives in his own world that is within his own galaxy, and it's not a world or galaxy that I can personally handle for very long. It's a world of eldritch insanity that compels me to release myself from my mortal coil. This album was no exception. I never wondered and will never have to wonder again what doo-wop parody would sound like.

This was very easy to listen to; it was perfect for both background music and active listening! It reminds me of more upbeat elevator music, and I LOVED the latin flair. Now I am wondering, if someone is going to play "elevator music" in an actual elevator, why they would settle for anything less than this. I didn't feel like I needed to try to understand the occasional, minimal lyrics; they felt more atmospheric than anything and added a nice vibe. This album was a nice surprise!

One word I would use to describe Portishead's vocals, especially on this album, is "haunting". This album mixes a chamber music sound with what was, at the time, an electronic-forward, trip hop sound, with the occasional record scratch sound effect straddling the line between the two realms. It makes for a very interesting listen! Prior to hearing this album front to back, I was only familiar with the song "Glory Box" off of this album, and I still feel like this is the standout of this album. Ultimately, a very chill listen, and while it didn't stand out in any exceptional way to me, I enjoyed it.

The jazzy influences and the fact that this album came out squarely during the gangsta rap era probably made this album stand out at the time. It was a decent listen; there were some songs in here that I found particularly catchy. I think personal enjoyment for me would come in at around a 2.5.

This album was...distracting. There was a point where I literally had to pause this so I could concentrate on something I was trying to do. "Acid folk" is the perfect genre description for this, because this bunch was definitely taking lots of hits in order to develop this messy album. At its best, I would find some songs on this album tolerable, if only the vocals were not present. At worst, the album was a cacophony of dissonant, competing sounds among the instruments and vocals, and the cadence of the song. Honestly, they probably had to try really hard in order to make all of their music sound THIS noisy and THIS busy. I like folk music, and wanted to like this, but all of the dissonance honestly just ended up stressing me out. Overall, a big miss for me.

This was a new artist and album for me, and I was pleasantly surprised. Little Simz's rapping style had a very pleasing flow, and her vocals were interesting. This album felt very fresh, even compared to other recent hip hop albums. Sometimes on hip hop albums, I feel like all of the beats blend together and aren't distinguished enough, but that was not a problem here; each song stood well on its own and offered something to distinguish it from other songs on the album. I also found the album straight to the point as there were no interludes to be found on this album; in this case, I think that made the album stronger.

I am casually familiar with Nick Cave and his hauntingly sad vocals, but this album somehow seems even more matched for it than what I've previous heard from their discography. The song crafting on this album is undeniable; each song evokes a deep, emotional story. The ambient music techniques used on this album add to the haunting quality, but also make it a fairly peaceful listen. A very unique, moving album that almost feels as if it was intended to be religious. I admittedly wouldn't be able to listen to this often, but I'm glad for the opportunity to experience this.

I KNOW this album is iconic, but I had never heard it. In fact, my total knowledge of Simon's solo work is pretty well limited to just a handful of songs, most of which are on this album. I was eager to give it a full listen. The ways Simon and his team found to blend African and zydeco music with his more typical folk sound was not only revolutionary for its time, but nothing short of artful and masterful. In listening to this, I knew I was hearing something that was unique, and is probably still fairly unique in its execution, even today. The music and album craftsmanship at work here is undeniably top notch. On one hand, Simon did westerners a great favor by making them aware of the beauty of African music, but on the other hand, this could just as easily be interpreted as a white musician with a slumping career using an "unknown, exotic" sound to revive said career, building it on the backs of South Africans who more than likely did not get their fair share in pay and recognition in exchange for what Simon took from them. This really is an album that people should hear before they die, as there is nothing else quite like it. I really did enjoy it from an idealistic "one world" perspective, but that's not the world we live in, as much as I wish it was. Realistically, Simon knowingly did something great AND horrible in making this album.

At the time, this album was likely seen as a risk; Willie already had a very successful, very deep country career, and this project was truly a departure from all of that. Willie found a way to take every song on this album, make them his own, and make them work for him. He did this without compromising his status as an outlaw country icon and without dishonoring the sweet spirit of the original versions. Willie's voice is so easy to listen to, and in covering some of these classics, he proved the easy listening quality of his voice can stand among the best of them.

I actually had no idea that Janis fronted a band, let alone that "Piece of My Heart" and "Summertime" were recorded under said band; I always thought these were solo Janis songs! But, let's face it: even now, it's still a solo Janis song as far as I'm concerned; she is famous for it. I mistook this for a live album before reading that the live audience sounds were edited into the album. I am not really sure about the reasoning behind this decision, but I found it to be an interesting one. I am not typically a huge blues fan, but something about Janis has just always grabbed me. Her vocals always strike me as something that shouldn't work, but god, they just DO. The guitar on this album has a hazy, raw sound quality to it that just plays off of her vocals so well. The acid rock lean along with all that rasp and gravel take this album to an enjoyment level that would otherwise not be achieved for me, personally. Side A totally rocked for me, but Side B wasn't nearly as strong, save for "Ball and Chain".

A best friend (to protect her identity, we will omit her name) has been sending me Bollywood tracks for probably a decade and a half at this point, so I have developed a very subjective, certain taste and idea in my mind for what I consider "good Bollywood music". I am sad to say that this really wasn't it. However, considering this album is from the 1970s, it was fun to hear some influences from the height of funk and disco era on here. Lots of Spanish influence, too! Ultimately, this just wasn't for me.

This album definitely puts the "proto" in "proto-punk", as this really does feel like an unfinished, beginner's prototype for punk music, if that can be imagined. The spirit of punk is present though: they are making loud noise and they don't give a shit. This has very unpolished production, mediocre execution, and for my taste, is almost unlistenable. While I get that this is heralded for being the birth of punk music, I'd rather just listen to some "post-birth" punk music that has better production and execution. As stated, the spirit of punk is here in its proto state, but the majority of this album was just not very good.

As someone who grew up surrounded by desert but didn't appreciate the landscape until I grew up and moved away, I connect with U2's desire to build an album around their desert inspiration. The album builds up and opens with so much excitement and energy. That energy builds and is held throughout the entire album. This album marries unique rock instrumentation with Bono's soaring, ethereal voice to make every track something interesting, unique, and a little bit mysterious. Everything about Bono's voice seems deliberate; you can feel the emotion behind the way he sings, artistic and full of emotion, but in full command of his vocals. Bono's lyrics, inspired by political and world events, are also deliberate and done incredibly artfully, as if writing a poem. This album caught my attention and didn't let go until it was finished. Every song was strongly written, sung, and performed. This has definitely inspired me to dig further into U2's discography.

I really enjoyed the opening track for this album, but it fizzled out for me after that. Fuzzy and yet digital, retro and yet space age-y, upbeat and yet dreamy, this album merges some of the best of more modern electronic pop music with the psychedelic rock of yesteryear. Definitely not bad, but not particularly stand out, either. I would listen to this as background music, but that’s about it.

I've always appreciated The White Stripes' role in the revival of the garage rock band sound. Back in the early 2000s, they felt unique in that I can't recall anyone else doing what they were doing, at this time, quite like the them. They treaded lightly in their roots -- the blues rock space -- on this album, but never at the expense of the garage rock sound they were migrating towards. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground is a great Zeppelin-esque opener, which I am sure was the intention. The vocals are even modeled after several Robert Plant-isms. Jack White's voice and singing style in general have always intrigued me and make the band's music more fun than it would be without him. That said, while I recognize that this is the album that shaped their familiar sound and rocketed them into the mainstream, and while a few of their most signature songs are on this album, it's not the strongest of their discography. Still a decent album, though!

I still remember when this album came out, how much noise it made in the indie rock community, and the major stir it caused in the mainstream community by winning a Best Album Grammy. Back in 2010 when I listened to this, I didn't appreciate this album, nor understand the hype around it, so I was excited to listen again all these years later with ears that have expanded and developed their tastes. This time around, I enjoyed the album a lot more. This is yet another album that is best enjoyed as an album, and not as singles. It makes good use of storytelling and the songs have good ups and downs and mixed tempos to keep things from feeling stale. This time around, I'm happy to say this album resonated with me and is exactly what I have come to enjoy about indie rock.

While I understand the experimental aspect of this album, the album still felt unpolished or unfinished. I enjoyed the overall electronic additions found here. There were also several nods to Indian music, which was fun to hear. Otherwise, this was pretty forgettable for me.

Going into this album, I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Is it a new fave? No. But would I listen again? Absolutely yes. This alternative rock album straddles a space between 80s new wave and 90s grunge, and I was able to pick up influences of both genres in these songs, which I greatly enjoyed. Some of the tracks, both musically and lyrically, are just a bit experimental and weird, but in the perfect amounts. This is another album where the whole thing is better than the individual pieces. In a world where albums now so often seem written for and around some singles, I always find albums that are clearly intended to be one continuous experience to be interesting.

Somewhere in the wordy prattling that is typical of blues lyrics, Dylan had moments of genius where he wrote some truly poetic lyrical phrases that have long stood the test of time. It's nice to hear some lyrics from this time period that give permission to be poetic while still rocking and rolling. It is sometimes to his detriment though; I sometimes find him to be rambling on lyrically at the expense of the music. Still, I find it difficult, personally, to be into Bob Dylan; his nasal-y drawl that he tends to sing with has always grated on me. This very quality is one that has drawn others to follow his 60+ year career. It's all personal preference. That said, I have no reservations about Bob Dylan's deserving place in this project, but I'm still just not that into him.

Who knew reggae music could come out of Scotland? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The artist and album seem relatively unknown compared to others that have crossed this project. I am not super familiar with the reggae genre, but this album felt very light and was easy to listen to; it brightened up a cloudy, gloomy day, and I'm sure would make a sunny day feel even sunnier. For whatever reason, "Sunday Shining" was a big hit with me; I haven't stopped listening to it!

I'm not very knowledgable on the genre of "thrash metal" and many of the adjacent genres and bands, so I don't have much of a basis for comparison. That said, this album's sound is what I correlated with Pantera. It turns out, this album was more or less their first full venture into metal that was AS heavy as what is on display on this album. In the beginning of my listening experience, I felt that the vocals had more screaming than I tend to like, but then some damn amazing metal rhythms and riffs would come along to smack me with a vulgar display of power (see what I did there?). This pattern continued on many, if not most, of the tracks, progressively acclimating me. By the end of the album, I was really kind of digging the off-tempo screaming and ridiculously good metal rhythm duality. This was a fun listen, and I'm definitely interested in exploring more of Pantera's discography!

Having not heard this album front to back before, I didn't realize that the iconic song Jump essentially had an intro, thanks to the title track, 1984. This is a great synthy lead-in to Jump, and to the album as a whole. In addition, the title track made me pick up on just now synthy this album really is. I was already very familiar with Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher, and upon listening to the album, I feel like everything else pales a little bit in comparison to these three powerhouse classics. Still, there is some really rocking instrumentation and guitar work on this album.

This was my first exposure to Erykah Badhu's music. I love her voice and the way it seemed to just gracefully dance across the music. It was a smooth, easy listen, but ultimately there were no specific standout moments for me.

This album was good background music while I worked, but it all just kind of blended together into one low tempo, indie blob. It was okay, but again, another "not great" from this band. Hoping there isn't a third album of theirs in this project. With the many epic artists who I am sure did not get a spot in this project, were two Flaming Lips albums really necessary? I guess the creator and I can agree to disagree.

I liked how this album was divided in half between a "big band" jazz sound, and a more "stripped down" piano ballad sound. Between these two parts, this album clocks in as pretty short, and yet Ray commands each track, giving them his all and lending his full-bodied soulful voice to these old standards! He sounds golden and he makes it seem so effortless. In addition, despite the fact that this album's recording is such poor quality, his playing of the piano comes through so nicely and effortlessly, especially on the second half. Jazz is not a favorite of mine, but Ray makes this so easy to listen to.

What a debut album from Rage! They are sometimes credited with developing the metal-rap genre. If that's not true, they certainly were paramount in perfecting it. The fact that they already have the formula down so well on their debut album is incredibly telling. The group shows a lot of energy on this album in both the metal and rap areas, and they clearly have a handle on what it takes to make these genres successful independently and together. They also find a common ground for metal and rap in the topic of politics; the lyrics and imagery on this album are incredibly motivated by political themes. An enjoyable listen from such a unique band!

RHCP, to me, have always had such a unique, signature sound; there just isn't any mistaking them for anyone else, and this album cemented that sound for them. While some other bands do the "funk rock" sound, RHCP still stands out among them, and is probably the most known for this sound. Simultaneously, with this iconic album, the helped to usher in the 90s alternative craze, and would be solidified as powerhouses in that genre for the next two decades. This album has some of the band's greatest work on it -- the funkiest guitar riffs coupled with fun funky vocals, as well as memorable lyrics. True to the album name, I never realized just how many sexually suggestive lyrics danced throughout the songs on this album. Overall, it's just a fun, interesting, and catchy listen. Not every song is a hit single, but every song is fun to listen to and I wasn't tempted to skip anything -- a feat for an album clocking in at nearly 1 hour, 20 minutes. An album definitely worthy of this project!

This album in particular reminded me a lot of Jim Morrison's dreamy, distant, psychedelic vocals. I had either never noticed that before, or it is a sound they moved away from in later albums. The Killing Moon, a known hit of theirs, was the standout track on this album. I loved the eastern strings that permeate the track. Additionally, this track leans a little more into the goth rock and new wave space than others on the album and hits a sweet spot for me there. Otherwise, the album was okay. I liked what I heard just fine, but overall didn't personally find any other standout qualities; it was kind of a "one note" album for me.

A few other albums exist on Spotify from this artist, but strangely, this album is missing. Fortunately, I was able to track it down on YouTube. In addition to this being a perfect example of a concept album, it's certainly a protest album as well; the theme carries all throughout but if you haven't been paying attention, it is especially overt on the track Terminal Passage. Overall, the album is filled with strong poetic lyrics directed at America's treatment of Black Americans. Behind its political lyrics, this album is backed by some good, emotional vocals, and a pretty standard blues and soul flare. I am really glad for the opportunity to check this album out and hear its message, and am pleased that the author was able to find this and thought to include it in the project. Musically though, this is not really my jam.

I liked a lot of the instrumentation on this album, but the vocals almost ruined it for me on nearly every track -- just not my thing. I thought Lexicon Devil and Manimal were two of the more well-rounded songs, both musically and vocally.

I knew a couple of Zombies songs including the infamous Time of the Season from this album, but had never heard of this album. The occasional baroque pop song with psychedelic pop leanings found on 60s albums here and there are usually such easy, upbeat, and enjoyable listens for me. That said, this album does not dabble in the genre; it is absolutely immersed. It is an absolutely shining example of baroque pop with psychedelic pop leanings from start to finish. People have been listening to this genre of music for 60+ years. And yet, you have a moderately known band that has a fairly unknown album that is especially representative of that genre, and even after so long, the album has still managed to stay fairly unknown. To me, that makes it a perfect inclusion to this project. Anyone who knows and cares about bands of similar sound, such as The Beach Boys, The Kinks, or even The Beatles should be made aware of this album and should listen to it! While I wouldn't say that this album necessarily blew me away, I really just found it to be all-around pleasant and a great listen. I didn't find a single song to be a skip. It’s just simply a very well done album on every level.

I have always put Talking Heads squarely in the "new wave" genre, but one thing I noticed with this album in particular is that the band, at least at this point in time, had way more funk and disco influences in their music than I realized. I Zimbra was a very unexpected but pleasant opener; I listened to that track several times. Overall, I really dig the bizarre rhythms that are used by Talking Heads. I think the band's vocals fit the progressive take on music, but sometimes those vocals come off as more hypnotic and monotonous than anything. I found myself really enjoying the first half of the album, but was kind of bored with the second half.

This definitely takes me back to a specific period of the 2000s where a lot of indie music had this folk leaning, and I remember Fleet Foxes being a standout example of the genre at the time. This album is a pleasant enough, easy listen, but that said, it is rather monotonous. After a few songs, it all kind of fades into one (albeit, nice) noise. I particularly liked White Winter Hymnal and Your Protector, and found those to be standout among a lot of dreamy, distant, slow folk songs. I wish this album had been more songs like these.

I knew some Sam Cooke, but this album made me a Sam Cooke FAN. This is easily one of the best live albums I have EVER heard. Sam is just as magical and energetic on a live album as he is in studio recordings. If anything, he's even more so in a live environment, where he is able to have these amazing interactions with the audience. He mixes a powerful, electrifying presence and untamed, raw vocals in with all of the quintessential Sam Cooke qualities that already made him great. It's a crime that this album was shelved for 20 years before it was finally released. In a world full of questionable live albums, this album shines as a prime example of what a live album should be. It has big energy, but feels intimate; I really felt transported to the moment. It made me wish I could have physically been there!

As I was listening to this album, I kept humorously referring to its genre as "soft hip hop" in my notes; these qualities were no doubt brought on by its close soul and funk ties. For me, these qualities made it all the more enjoyable. In the last decade or so, rap music has mostly migrated away from gangsta rap to a different style of rap. This album predates most of those big names that were part of that cultural shift. Common (and credit where credit is due: his producer, Kanye) were clearly onto something with this sound. Not a big standout for me, but enjoyable to listen to!

This album is fantastic from start to finish. There is a great mix of upbeat songs and slower ballads. Aretha commands every note of every song with her one-of-a-kind voice, in a way that only Aretha can do. Her impeccable abilities are so dynamically on display here, flexing crystal clear high notes, rumbling low notes, and everything in between. A special shout-out to (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. This song sends me every time. This is easily one of the greatest songs of all time, and the way she owns every moment and every emotion of this song deserves acknowledgement. I don't even know what else to say that hasn't already been said. Aretha is a one-of-a-kind legend and the queen of soul, and this album is just one reminder among many as to how she snatched that crown.

One of my main complaints with dream pop is that it can be too, well, dreamy. It ends up coming across as monotonous, unexciting, and a bit boring. This album pretty much fell into that pit trap for me. It was pleasant enough to listen to, but I wouldn't seek it out again. That said, Zebra and Take Care (the album opener and closer) broke the mold a little bit, and did catch my attention as standout tracks.

I love this concept of a sci-fi album with minimal robotic singing, especially ahead of the new wave craze. This reminded me a lot of something you might have heard in a 70s Tron movie. In fact, I'm sure these guys influenced a lot of new wave and electronic artists that would come to the scene later in time. This was both a strange and cool listen.

I like this album...but I don't love this album, as a standalone or really as a piece of The Beatles' discography. It is fun and catchy, and an incredibly significant album in the course of Beatles history. That said, I would put most of the songs on this album in the "good" but not "great" bucket. The particular flavor of 60s pop on display on this album is always kind of hit or miss with me, and this era of Beatles just wasn't my favorite. I'm rating this a 3/5, but let the record show that I'd put it at like a 3.5/5, if I could.

This album definitely felt like a raucous free for all, which was mostly a fun, good thing. Overall though, it wasn't really my thing.

When the first track started, I figured I was in for a disaster. But, as the album progressed, I actually found myself liking this album a lot more than I thought I was going to! It is very reminiscent of some 80s alternative and new wave which I love. It's also saturated with some of the most defining sounds and effects from the 80s. That said, it still somehow defies being pinned into any genre from that time (thanks, it's the ecstasy). While I really loved the music on this album, the singing and vocalization is what I found to be lackluster. The vocals are usually incoherent and the lyrics (when understandable) are often nonsensical. While this goes along well with much of the 80s, something about the vocals just seemed worse than that. This album may be a hot mess, but damn if I can't help but find it to be an intriguing, cool mess.

All yelling, no substance. Awful lyrics, awful musicality. The band title and album name are a little try-hard, too. We get it, you're edgelords. Thanks, I hate it.

I thought the album was okay. It was easy to listen to, and had a nice kind of smooth groove to it, but ultimately I was just kind of bored, so I guess it wasn't really for me. Pyramids was a super standout track though; it caught my attention unlike anything else on this album. This album is definitely more than a 2, but less than 3 for me.

I love The Strokes' vocals -- they've always got a bit of that trademark cool distortion, but never at the expense of actually understanding the lyrics. A lot of the instrumentation of the album feels simple and muted, but the album does not suffer for it; it allows the catchy rhythms of these songs to shine and when great guitar solos crop up, they're all the more stand-out due to the lack of overcomplicated music. The songs are short and sweet and to the point. There is something to be said about music that is not unnecessarily repetitive with its bridges and chorus. Looking back at this album in 2022, the sound and style that is present on this album was clearly setting a standard, as many indie rock bands in the 2000s and even 2010s would go on to use this as their guiding light. Definitely a defining moment in rock music. Simply put, The Strokes are just effortlessly cool on this album.

Ah, the original rock opera. I think it's pretty cool how the concept was birthed out of a desire to find a way to escape the "short song format" of music that had existed up until this point. I had not heard this in full before, and was not familiar with the plot. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to completely discern the plot from the music alone; I had to rely on a little help from Wikipedia. Needless to say, the plot is very much a product of the 1960s. The album did feel a little long and bloated, but it was bizarre, which I appreciate, so it evens out. There were some great songs on this album. That said, musically, this particular album is classic Who. They aren't reinventing any wheel there; this particular album is all about the introduction of the rock opera format, which it turned out their musical style was perfect for. This album dared to try something new, and while not perfect, brought about a significant form of musical storytelling. That in and of itself makes this album a worthy addition to the project. Thanks, Who, for gifting us the rock opera!

This album had some good moments, and then it had some "meh" moments. I didn't really dig the heavy blues songs. For me, the standout tracks were Sympathy for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues, Street Fighting Man, and Salt of the Earth. I make a point to specifically call these out because I feel like they were the most interesting tracks on the album due to having some musical aspect giving them an extra "kick" out of average bluesy purgatory. I would be remiss not to dedicate some discussion to the iconic Sympathy for the Devil -- one of the most well known and regarded songs in music history. It feels like a Bob Dylan song in that the lyrics aren't afraid to tell a long story, but I admittedly find the topic and the music surrounding it is so much more interesting than most Dylan tracks, from the hand drums down to the iconic "woo woo" vocalizations.

It was okay! This isn’t particularly my jam. Glad to be exposed to some Afrobeat music in here, though!

I wasn't familiar with this album of the songs on it, aside from the infamous La Grange. It's impossible not to get hooked on that teaser intro and vocals, only to then be paid off with exceptional rhythm guitar and riffs. Blues rock can be a bit hit or miss for me, but ZZ Top's music has a unique gritty, "dirty south" rock quality to it that I can't help but dig; it perfectly complements Gibbons' iconic vocals, and that is very much on display on this album. I enjoyed this album even more than I thought I would!

It was okay; very funky! Oddly enough, I liked the didgeridoo songs the best.

I found this album to be an excellent display of 1980s heavy metal. The tracks are chock full of excellent guitar riffs, the vocals are over-the-top and perfectly theatrical. There are no duds on this album; each track has an exhilarating power of its own, and that power does not let up until the very end. That said, I still find the album to be incredibly accessible to someone who might be a little metal-shy or metal-timid. Though they are undeniably great, this album is SO much more than just the well-known Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight. I loved every minute of this album.

In a bit of research, I learned that this album was the result of Basement Jaxx being displeased with the state of dance/electronic/house music, and this album was intended to redefine the genre. I'm guessing they didn't accomplish their goal, because I fail to hear what is so genre-defying on this album. Most of the tracks seem thematically scattered and musically unpolished, like we are hearing an album full of demos. It wasn't a great listen, but it was tolerable. Honestly, I would not even find most of this music to be very danceable. The experiment to redefine the electronic space kind of fell flat and remained just that: an experiment.

So, I should start by saying I liked this album okay. For me, there is always a baseline "like" when it comes to ABBA. That said, this album just didn't quite fully hit for me. It seemed darker than their earlier stuff, which for me, kind of results in ABBA, but with the wind knocked out of their sails. On the other hand, a band that was very progressive musically and who was all over 70s dance and disco scene, it's not difficult to see this as an early lean into what would become 80s new wave. I will say that the title track, The Visitors, was really outstanding and new to me. I was hoping the rest of the album would follow the same lines. But again, there is just something about ABBA that makes this baseline enjoyable, period.

I have become pretty familiar with all of these songs individually, to some degree or another, over the years, but have never heard the album from front to back. These songs are outstanding as individual tracks and in a whole album format. I just love the vocal harmony among these four; Young adds something special here and I like the band's sound better with him (which is ironic, since I'm not a solo Young fan). While dominantly folk, this album touches several different genres and does so masterfully.

I don't think I had heard anything by this group aside from Green Onions and Mo' Onions! I didn't realize instrumental music was their entire jam! Green Onions is one of those songs that everybody knows. It's iconic, funky, and the organ solo just GOES FOR IT. Ultimately, I think the concept of instrumental funk is completely worthy of this project. As far as personal enjoyment, I thought it was just okay.

This album was okay. As someone who isn't too familiar with Iggy Pop, I was very intrigued by his vocals on this album; they often reminded me of the fairly unique stylings of Mick Jagger -- if Mick Jagger did proto-punk style music. I can't recall ever having heard anyone sound like they are emulating Mick Jagger, intentionally or otherwise. On some of the slower songs, it reminded me a bit of some stylings that would become popular under the goth/new wave 80s umbrella. Overall, it seemed pretty ahead of its time, and probably the best listen of the proto-punk genre I've heard on this project so far. I'd rank this at about a 2.5/5, but will round up to 3.

Another album where I know almost every song to some extent individually, but have never heard the album front to back. There really isn't a dull song on this album. The music stands out with its piano-forward rock sound, and the lyric writing is truly top notch -- all of these songs tell a truly memorable story; the lyrics aren't overly simple, but the storytelling is never sacrificed for the clout of sounding artistic, deep, or edgy. Billy makes it all seem so cool and effortless. This album just has an all-around major display of talent. An excellent inclusion in the project.

I have enjoyed many a Tom Petty song over the years, so I was actually pretty surprised by how average this album was. It was certainly easy enough to listen to, and a couple of the tracks are Tom Petty classics, but I personally didn't find the entire album's offering to be anything significant enough to warrant a spot in this project. A decent first album, though!

I remember the first time I heard Wesley's Theory. I was absolutely wowed by the message and the production; I had never heard anything like it. Now that I've heard this entire album, I feel even stronger: there is nothing else quite like this album. Kendrick Lamar has a lot to say about the state of politics, inequality, and being Black in America and worldwide, and he doesn't waste a single second on these tracks talking about these topics. Even the album art makes a confronting statement, communicating a very charged, thought-provoking, detailed message, a message that makes many statements in one image. It all comes full circle with a mostly spoken world closing track explaining meaning behind the album title "To Pimp A Butterfly". As if that's not enough, Kendrick uses several Black-defined and influenced genres (funk, soul, jazz, to name just a few) and modern, fresh, audibly intriguing production across this album to create a progressive and elevated hip-hop experience. I won't say that I love every song, but damn if the production, lyrics, and style just don't keep me intrigued and curious all throughout. I wanted to keep listening, and I want to listen again. In my opinion, this is easily one of, if not THE most important hip hop albums in the past decade or more (disclaimer: I'm so incredibly white so please don't take my word for it). It's art, it's protest, it's love, it's hate, it's poetry, it's politics; it's black struggle and black power.

I'm not a huge fan of jazz most of the time, but I found this to be surprisingly enjoyable to listen to. Trading in "big band" jazz sounds for a more low-key, instrumental sound made this a nice, easy listen. There was some very beautiful piano work in here, as well.

I'm already not a huge fan of country music from this era, and this album didn't sway my opinion. I don't think Ray Price did much on this album to define the country genre in the 60s as compared to many of his peers (Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard), and he himself certainly has more country-sounding music out there, so I can only assume this inclusion comes down to him going more country-crooner on this album, which is somewhat unique when compared to most country singers at the time. Not a bad listen, but still not really my thing.

This album was okay...decent for a first album from a band that was integral in shaping and defining the sound of 80s metal. I can see where this album was setting the stage for greatness to come in the form of their more renowned albums. Overall though, it didn't wow me.

This was relaxing and very easy to listen to. It was smooth and warm all throughout. I really enjoyed the tracks that had Latin vibes! Also, considering the year, I felt like the production on this album was really top notch.

I'm a sucker for new wave, so I baseline enjoyed this album. I liked the hints of punk that were sprinkled around, as well. English Rose was a surprising track on this album, and very beautifully done. Overall, this wasn't incredibly remarkable for me; I did not find it to be a particular standout.

The 2000s were a great time for indie rock/pop type music, and MGMT was leading the way during this time with a fairly unique sound in a psychedelic indie pop mashup. Not only did they pave their sound in a sea of indie pop bands, many of which sounded the same, but they hit the nail on the head on their first try with this debut album. Electric Feel, Time to Pretend, and Kids felt revolutionary at the time, and honestly, that still holds true today. The lyrics are catchy, the rhythms are catchy, the distorted composition are catchy. And though there have been attempts, there is nothing else quite like these tracks. The chorus from Kids, while so simple, has also always stuck with me: "control yourself / take only what you need from it / a family of trees wanting / to be haunted". It's a message about the planet literally giving itself over to be used by its human inhabitants, and that as a result, we have an obligation to treat it better, and teach our future generations to do the same. That all said, if you're looking for more on this album like the above mentioned well-known trio of outstanding songs, the remainder of the album could possibly be a letdown. No other tracks on the album hit quite like these. Still, this album has an experimental composition at its heart, and there are unique and interesting treats for the ears all throughout. I continue to find this album a fun experience, all these years later.

This album was really interesting. It had a lot of the typical 80s new wave qualities, but they really seemed to experiment here, playing around with the "limits" of what typically defines new wave. Particularly of note, there was a lot less synth and a lot more complex instrumentation. For whatever reason, new-to-me song Living In Another World particularly stood out; I went back to listen to it multiple times. It is just so masterfully composed with various layers of instrumentation, genres, effects, and vocals.

This immediately transported me to years and years of Mexican markets, restaurants and taquerias, from adolescence through to my adulthood. I can vividly see, hear, smell, and taste the specific food, colors, decor, and ambiance that is associated with so many places like this. It's always a good sign when you can connect to the music on a level that transports you somewhere else! If you are splitting hairs, this is more "Cuban" than "Mexican", but that doesn't stop it from being perfect and timeless in any Latin setting. Classic mambo albums and artists like Tito Puente are staples in these settings, and for good reason. It's fun to listen to, it's joyful, it's passionate, and it's exciting while also still being perfectly accessible for relaxing (again, in my case, almost always dining or shopping -- these can be forms of relaxing!). A real joy to listen to!

This album didn't prove to be a favorite, but let me just start by saying damn if The Weight isn't one of the best and most influential folk rock songs of all time. Chest Fever was another new-to-me standout. I Shall Be Released was a beautiful, memorable, hymn-like album closer, as well. Even though I immediately called this out as 'not a favorite', there is still something about this album. You can sense the band's togetherness and the organic nature of their playing and songwriting. The tracks put the musicians' playing talent front and center. They wanted this album to sound the same to the listener as when they were recording it in the basement of Big Pink, and they absolutely achieved that. It feels incredibly intimate. The album didn't seem cohesive in so much as that each song seemed very individually conceptualized and completed, rather than intended as part of a greater work, but given the band's history and the overall vibe they were going for, this jam session style compilation of songs seems to work. This debut album from The Band is a great entry on the project, as it truly exemplifies the chances, opportunities, and happenstances that can pay off in the music world, take you out of the shadows of someone famous, and leave a lasting legacy.

Jazz like this continues to definitely not be my thing, but this is sooooo smooth. Miles Davis made playing the trumpet sound like the easiest thing in the world; he was truly a master!

This album didn't really strike anything with or in me. It was okay, but I was ultimately pretty underwhelmed. The one track that piqued my interest was the instrumental track, Elegia. It was such an odd but great inclusion that really highlighted and brought to light the dark wave qualities on this album.

This album went hard and didn't stop! I'm familiar with some of the band's later stuff, which isn't quite as heavy. I really enjoyed their heavier sound! I thought all of the instrumentation on this album was done really well, from guitar to bass to drums...and the organ work was outstanding too! I really feel like each band member got his talent and instrument appropriately represented on this album! Really a great addition, and an unexpected one from Deep Purple. It demonstrates that Deep Purple, a somewhat unlikely candidate, was part of shaping the heavy metal and hard rock sound of the 70s. I really dug it!

I see now why he is called RAMBLIN' Jack Elliott. He also drawls, howls, yodels, and warbles. Definitely not my thing. It was bearable for 30 minutes, but just barely. I would argue that I could have gone without hearing this one before I die.

This album seems to have a reputation of confusing people...confusing people on why it was included, confusing people on what the genre is, confusing people to the point where they don't even know whether they like it or not. This album was definitely all over the place, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in not so good ways. I like when a band doesn't force themselves to be confined to one sound or style. But that also makes for a mixed listening experience -- you like some stuff and absolutely don't like other stuff. Ultimately, I'm not sure why this album was included, except maybe for the band's daring to be eclectic. This album didn’t hit a home run, but I was interested all throughout.

Absolute pioneers! These guys really were paramount in reshaping hip-hop, and infusing it with rock sounds, which is especially on display with the iconic track "Rock Box". I don't know the proper terms for these things, so I will just say that they make heavy use of the "call and response", "finish each other's sentences", and "you rap one word and then I rap one word" styles. The sparse rapping also gives ample opportunity for the fun beats to shine through. All are certainly products of the time, but enjoyable. This is fun and was truly groundbreaking, but it does understandably feel dated and basic by today's standards. Still, during this album's time, it's impossible to deny the effect and impact these guys had from this debut album.

I wasn't as familiar with this Doors album, save for the bigger hits. Most of the album was okay, a few of the tracks were GREAT. These bigger hits (Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman, and Riders on the Storm) are all outstanding, amazing tracks, and I was hoping for similar from the rest of the album. That said, I don't think any other song on the album quite held up to this trinity. I think these three tracks are highly reminiscent of their first album works, and maybe that's why. For me, the song that came closest to hitting the same level of greatness as the album's trinity was The Changeling. A great album from The Doors. I would say this particular album falls into "like", but not quite "love".

I have always been a sucker for what I call "Lilith Fair music" -- you know the type: 90s singer songwriters that aren't too pop but aren't too rock, either. This album fits right into that. Also typical of artists in this category, the lyrics are often sharp and thought-provoking, overlaid on generally upbeat music. Even though I liked it based on the baseline qualifications mentioned above, I do feel like other females singer songwriters in the 90s did the same thing, only better. For me, it started to drag the longer it went on. Maybe somewhat forgettable to me, but it was very easy to listen to, though!

Aside from some general knowledge of a couple of his biggest hits, I am not really educated on Van Morrison. I wasn't even aware that Moondance was originally his song. So imagine my surprise when I hear this album and it's basically some kind of weird folk-blues-jazz hybrid. On the other hand, I WAS familiar with his original Crazy Love, which in my opinion is one of the sweetest folky love songs to ever be recorded. It is quiet and intimate and highlights the most subtle vocalizations in Morrison's voice. I really enjoyed this album and found myself going back to it for more listening.

Honestly, this was okay, but it didn't do much for me. I was surprised at how hard this album went for 1968, though.

Honestly, I expected to like this more considering this is the same album that birthed Monday, Monday and California Dreamin'. The album was just kind of one-note for me, and I found most of the tracks to be forgettable. They certainly didn't come anywhere close to living up to the hype of their biggest hits. Overall, though not remarkable, it was still very listenable 60s pop.

I've never listened to much Radiohead, so I was very interested going into this. I was not disappointed! This album felt incredibly well crafted, from the production to the music to the lyrics. The album had an overall "sound" to it, but each song stood on its own and was interesting and unique. Thom Yorke's vocals on this album are nothing short of ethereal. His lyrics are not always understandable, but I didn't care; his stylings really lend something extra to the songs, and he knows just what style(s) and vocalizations to use in a given musical scenario to take the track to the next level. I found myself waiting to hear what he was going to do from track to track. Based on what I know about 90s music, I could quickly tell upon hearing this that there was not anyone else quite like Radiohead at the time. Though I was not really aware of who Radiohead had influenced in the music world, it is incredibly obvious upon hearing this album that it was setting standards for where alt rock would go for years to come following the grunge era. Bands like Muse, The Killers, and Coldplay were clearly influenced by this album in their own works, 10+ years after this album came out. This album was a definite win for me!

This is likely an unpopular opinion, but I love how The Pretenders, on their debut album, mixed punk with pop to make that punk sound more accessible to a general audience. I have long thought that Brass in Pocket was an outstanding and catchy song, but the rest of the album didn't quite grab me the same way. The album was good, but not great. Space Invader was a nice grab, though!

I really enjoyed the diversity of genres on this album. In addition, there was clearly a lot of experimentation going on that sort of defied the expectations for an album centered in the heart of the 60s. Both of these things kept things fresh and interesting on this album, during a time when bands had a tendency to stay kind of "one note". As a complete aside, I love Georges Seurat and the pointillism art movement, and I really liked how The Byrds seemed to gravitate towards what could be defined as a pointillism-inspired album cover. Ultimately, an enjoyable album!

I can appreciate what this album was going for, especially considering music had largely moved away from psychedelia by the late 80s. That said, I don't really feel like it pushed any envelopes or reshaped the psychedelia landscape. It felt like a conceptual demo rather than a complete album. Most of the tracks were numbingly repetitive, never really going anywhere, thus missing many opportunities to have some good highs and lows throughout the album. It was okay at best, but overall kind of boring and forgettable.

The title track certainly grabs your attention. It walks and talks like jazz, but something about it just hits differently and doesn't follow the typical jazz "composition". This general idea carries on throughout the album; if this isn't an example of or at least adjacent to improvisational jazz, I don't know what is. I decided to average this out at about a 3, as my personal enjoyment of this was fairly low, but my respect is high for the technical ability displayed on this album.

I am not usually big on live albums. I feel like a certain magic of the live performance tends to get lost in translation most of the time. Unfortunately, I felt like this album fell prey to that. I wasn't really able to FEEL the energy of the room and the performances. Not to mention, I'm already not really a fan of James Brown or his music, so I feel like this live album was probably an uphill battle.

Really, who knew someone could find a million different ways to growl? My favorite growl styles were what was on display on tracks such as The Earth Died Screaming and Dark Wings. I am good with gravely vocals, but I sometimes felt like he was all growling, warbling, or mumbling, and no singing. I'm coining the term growlbling™ to identify this. Either way, I wasn't a huge fan of tracks where that was on display. Honestly, I loved a lot of the music; the minimal sound with very forward drumming, percussion, and/or morose piano made for a very dark/gothy blues vibe, something almost tribal or bayou voodoo. This album was southern gothic genre before southern gothic was cool. Goin' Out West was my absolute fave on this album; if I didn't know better, you might could have convinced me that it was from some unknown Rob Zombie unplugged session (coming soon to an MTV near you). You know that one Devil archetype -- the deep southern, prohibitionist-era, bluesy, mysterious, smooth-talking dark but not particularly evil figure? Yeah, THAT Devil's soundtrack is this album. I didn't love every song; hell, I didn't even love half the songs. But this made for a super interesting listen.

I like some Beck, but despite listening to this album twice, I just couldn't get into it. Honestly, I was just kind of bored. Not sure what happened here, but this album just didn't do it for me.

I liked the homemade quality of this album. Fiona clearly has enough history in the music game to know how to stay on the good side of the line between homemade-good and homemade-bad. There was a good but cohesive mix of styles on display on this album. I really liked the darker, moodier songs on the album: for example, Newspaper, as well as Heavy Balloon, which turned out to be my favorite album on the track. This album was very percussion-forward, which is a bit experimental for an artist like Fiona, but she made it work. If Fiona ever finds herself failing as a musician, she can easily be a dolphin, because her dolphin chattering at the end of I Want You to Love Me is top notch.

What is there to say about this album that hasn't been said a million times? Black Sabbath paved a road forward for heavy metal with this 1970 album. It would become a blueprint for successful heavy metal music for decades to come. The album has some of the most amazing and memorable riffs to ever grace music, and at least THREE songs from this album (War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man) have stood the test of time and are acknowledged as among the best heavy metal songs ever, even all these decades later. Every other song on this album, while not all as commercially appealing to the general public, serve the same level of amazing quality metal and offer a blueprint of success for the genre going forward. This album is iconic. This album is the definition of legacy.

Man, this album is just as cool today as it was when it debuted over 20 (!!!) years ago. It's easy to forget that it was so long ago because megahit Clint Eastwood STILL gets played on every alt-rock station as if it were released yesterday. As a teenager at the time when this came out, they are the first "virtual band" that I can remember taking seriously. These guys knew themselves, they knew they wanted to do something different, and they knew how they wanted to do it from the beginning of their career; with their debut album, they were not only already setting a foundation for their own signature sound, but also an eclectic alternative/trip hop/lo-fi sound that many other band would embrace in the new millennium and attempt to make their own. Speaking of eclectic, this album is all over the place, but in a good way. They don't limit themselves to any specific sound or genre from track to track, and any given one track is likely to have a mishmash of genres and musical stylings. And yet, everything they do on this album sounds intentional, cohesive, and cleanly executed. All these years later, it was fun to reexamine this album, find a new appreciation for it, and find that it has really stood the test of time.

I saw someone in another review refer to this as "proto bardcore", which was a new term to me; I honestly have not been able to forget that very amusing, very appropriate description. This album has all the making of fantastical, Celtic, medieval, renaissance faire folk music, but with a slight rock edge. The combination of folk and obvious electronic instrumentation back in 1969 seems a bit ahead of its time. Not to mention when considering the medieval vibe, this album is truly an act of anachronism. This was a fun, obscure, weird listen! I can see where this wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely mine.

This was somewhere between ska and new wave? I think? Is that a thing? I wasn't familiar with Madness for anything other than Our House, but I found this album to be a good example of why they're named Madness: every song is a little bit zany and off-the-wall. This album wasn't a favorite, but the intrigue was definitely there and this album kept me interested. Madness is all in the mind!

My 100th album on this project! And what an iconic one! This double album is packed with music! Not only that, but there is so much diversity and variation of styles from song to song. This album is interesting if for no other reason than that it's on the precipice of the 60s ending and the 70s beginning. Sounds from both decades permeate this album, showing just how influential the Beatles were on both decades. Helter Skelter is also a song I personally enjoy a lot, partially for this reason -- I love how McCartney just went full force on this song, his goal to make something loud and raw and "dirty". Not only did he achieve that, but it's obvious that the song would inspire heavy metal sounds of the 70s. Other songs on this album (While My Guitar Gently Weeps) would go on to inform other definitive sounds of the 70s as well. I'll be the first to admit that I am not the biggest Beatles fan, and that a lot of what they do is lost on me. While I found this album to be great, I don't think the entire album is at the same caliber as the best songs off of the album; there was definitely some filler (thanks, Lennon). Nothing on the album is BAD, but not everything is downright great. That said, this is a good album for George Harrison, as it features his best Beatles song ever (and one of the band's best songs in general), While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Savoy Truffle is another easy standout from Harrison's side of the catalog, which also features on this album. An interesting album that, in my opinion, really challenged and pushed the state of music at the time. I would rank this album at about a 3.5, so I'm going to go ahead and round up to 4.

I could definitely hear the punk inspiration here, along with some very heavy garage rock and hints of surf rock. I thought the production was pretty poor, even by 60s standards. Everything was way more muddled than it needed to be. I didn't hate this, but I far from loved it. The sheer number of "WHOOOOOA" and "WOOOOOW" screams on this album got really old, really fast, to the point that it probably significantly contributed to my not loving it. This album was okay, I guess, but it didn't do a whole lot for me.

One thing I noticed about this album is that it is really stripped down and low key compared to most of the Bob Dylan stuff I know, save for the interspersed harmonica moments. I guess I didn't realize that some of his earliest stuff was just him and his guitar. While this was his second album, this was the first where he actually wrote the vast majority of his own lyrics. If anything, this project has shown me firsthand what a great songwriter Dylan is. I am still just not into him as a vocalist, though, and his musical style isn't usually to my liking, either.

This is an interesting one. I liked this album okay, but my review is mostly negative and/or critical. So here goes: "I Want You To Want Me" is probably one of the most famous and well loved live recordings, ever. But why? Well, because the original album version is bland as hell and this album pumps SOME life into it. While the results are not quite as dramatic as with "I Want You To Want Me", you can take that same train of thought for their entire discography up to this point in time and apply it to this album. That is basically what this album is: a compilation of their passable songs, but live and with a little bit more life breathed into some otherwise pretty dull studio recordings. There's a reason it took this album to put Cheap Trick on the map. And there's a reason why they were not on the map much AFTER this album. Again, I liked this album okay; I was rocking along throughout most of it. But looking at this as a live album, it is not anything particularly special. There's not really a "spark" on this album to make it feel like a live album. If the source material is incredibly dull, and you rehash it mostly as is but spice it up a tiny bit, does that really make it an iconic live album? You wouldn't know this was a live album if it wasn't for the fans shouting and the band telling the fans what song is coming up next. There's just no magic in terms of a live album. Not to mention, the recording and production quality is actually not great. This is still Cheap Trick's highest selling album, and is often regarded as one of the best live albums ever (and some even say one of the best albums ever, period). But when the source material is boring, and you compile your best tracks into an album and make it slightly more interesting, calling it any of these things almost feels like a bit of a grift. Let's call it what it is: this is just a passable pseudo "greatest hits" album.

I would like to acknowledge that the album itself certainly defies being slotted into any one genre. It's hard to believe that it came out in the 1970s; something about it seems a lot more current. That said, this album didn't do anything for me. The music might have been more enjoyable as an atmospheric thing, but the spoken-word lyrics sort of took away from that. And the "concept" of the album is unacceptable and disgusting. Just, why?

One thought that immediately struck me about this album and lasted throughout the entire thing: despite this being from 1971, it still, today, in 2022, sounds very contemporary and modern. At first, I found this album to be pretty interesting, but by the time it got to track 5, it seemed to take even more of an avant garde turn and I wasn't really feeling it anymore.

I love what the Beastie Boys brought to the music scene; they are undeniably among the select few pioneers of the rap rock style in the late 80s and early 90s. It's impressive how solid they sound on this debut album -- it's like they had already been doing this for decades. That is only further exemplified by the fact that several of their biggest hits come off of this debut album. One of the amusing things about Beastie Boys has always been their ability not to take themselves too seriously. Half the time, it feels like they are joking around with each other and being stupid, and they're letting you in on the joke. I will say that objectively, this album does sound pretty dated by rap rock standards. But you know what? It's still just so old school cool. It was fun to listen for the various samplings throughout this album -- my favorite among them being Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks and CCR's Down on the Corner.

I assume this is considered "avant garde jazz" due to the mixture of jazz and classical stylings. The songs themselves are even arranged in and structured like classical movements rather than modern music tracks. When listening to classical works, my ear always gravitates towards the piano, and I really enjoyed Mingus's piano playing on this album. The brief, added Latin flair that was dabbled here and there was a nice surprise that I also loved! I'm still not finding myself to be much of a jazz fan, though! I think my overall enjoyment was rooted in some of the more out-of-the-box moments and less around the jazz itself. Still, a worthy listen!

This album was folky, ambient, and dreamy, but not so much so that I was bored or lulled into sleep. Elements of indie-pop and electronica keep it from being too lo-fi and ultimately help to break up most of the monotony that can come with albums of this type. Based on what I already know about Goldfrapp, I like how they were able to blend some of their typical, more dance-oriented elecrontic style with this more ambient genre. Ultimately, I think they did a great job doing it. I don't usually review the album art unless something specifically catches me. Well, let me just say that before hearing this album, based on the album art, I thought I was going to be in for some weird swashbuckling, sea-chanty indie music. I was thankfully wrong about that. Road to Somewhere, A&E, and Cologne Cerrone Houdini were all standout tracks for me!

Marianne Faithfull was new to me, but I found her to be intriguing. Her first album was released in the 60s and was quintessential 60s pop. Then, into the 70s, Marianne went through a rough patch, which led to her heavily abusing drugs and suffering from an eating disorder. As a result, her voice was permanently damaged and changed. In 1979, after mostly a decade of musical inactivity, she released this album which was an extreme deviation from her norm and a culmination and reflection of these many rough, life changes. This album was categorized as "new wave", and while I can hear those qualities, I felt like the album had a lot of other musical genres on display that were often even more prominent. Regardless of genre, the album was pleasantly dark and edgy throughout. This was coupled with Marianne Faithfull's raspy voice, which I loved. The songs themselves were a bit hit or miss for me. That said, Broken English and Witches' Song were both faves; the latter gave me strong Stevie Nicks vibes in musical and vocal style as well as lyric style. I'd clock this at about a 2.5, so rounding it up to 3.

This album was soooo smooooth, all throughout. The laid back yacht rock vibes are just right on this album. The overall "feel" of this album is well composed and executed, with each song still being its own thing. I was not familiar with anything from this album, so it was a pleasure to check it out!

First We Take Manhattan is such a dark song and album opener, made only more bizarre by the juxtaposition of the bubbly backing vocals (which is a continuing juxtaposition throughout the album); it stuck with me the entire time I was listening to this album. It was easily my favorite song on the album and it set the precedence for me going into the rest of the album. Leonard Cohen's singing style sits almost like sultry spoken word over the musical layers of the songs. I never could quite decide if I liked that or not, but it certainly made for an interesting, engaging listen. Leonard Cohen is like no other in that regard.

Look, the impact of Miles Davis is not lost on me. But here we are: another jazz album, another "this isn't my thing" comment. Experimental jazz is somehow even worse to me, and there was a lot of that on this album. I will say: Miles Davis was KILLER on trumpet.

Since my teenage years, I've had a fascination with Shirley Manson, and Garbage by extension of that. Her look and her voice are dark, haunting, edgy, and captivating, and I'm just an absolute sucker for that, along with the expected 90s alt-rock sound. That said, I really only knew their hits going into this, so I was excited for the full listen opportunity here. I am always impressed when a debut album from a band can leave such a mark, and this self-titled debut does just that. Several 90s anthems come from this album, not the least of which is "Only Happy When It Rains", which has been featured, used, or alluded to in so many things where that signature 90s edge is required. There are aspects of industrial, dance, and trance mixed in on this album, which keep things fresh and interesting. It manages to do this while still staying true to its alternative, post-grungy core. This album is full of bangers and hits, and even the tracks that are less so drew me in and had me very interested and enjoying the experience. Either way, I didn't find a single filler track. When the album finished playing, I turned around and immediately listened to it a second time, and honestly, I can't wait to listen to it again.

I definitely heard what was likely some inspiration for Nirvana. This wasn't bad, but...meh? It really didn't do anything for me.

I'm admittedly not sure why this was included. This was fine, but I'm not sure it's a must listen. Is it supposed to be an inclusion symbolizing the modern pop boy band's split and a member having individual success? Is it supposed to be a shining example of 90s Britpop? I'm not sure, because it's not really a glowing example of either, in my opinion. I didn't get much out of this. It was fine. It was listenable. But it didn't stir me in any kind of way. This falls somewhere between a high 2 and a low 3.

This was a super interesting listen! It has a lot of the typical 90s alternative vibes that one might expect from bands like Beck or Cake, yet Eels finds a way to make the album slightly more eclectic, slightly more diverse, slightly more eerie, and at times, slightly more ambient. This album feels familiar and yet unique at the same time. I wouldn't say this album just "sucked me in", it was more like a strange new thing that makes itself known and its up to you whether you want to investigate its strange and eclectic nature. And I did want to; I found myself eager for a second listen so that I could pick up on all of the quirks that I missed the first time around. Ultimately, this genre is an absolute soft spot for me, but this album really had me feeling like I was discovering something very 90s that I had never quite put my ears on before. As a sidenote, I had always wondered why so much of Eels was in the Shrek soundtracks. Well, they're both put out by DreamWorks. I had no idea DreamWorks even produced music, so today I learned.

Prior to 1001, this was one of my lesser liked (but still liked) Led Zeppelin albums. I would say that is still the case. That said, this is still a solid album which an amazing variety of instrumentation and vocal effects, and I have a new appreciation for it after listening to it in the scope of this project. Though it may not be a favorite album, Immigrant Song is hands down a favorite song from this album, and one of the best in Led Zeppelin's entire discography. Also, though maybe "underrated" is not the right word, I have always thought Gallows Pole doesn't get enough recognition; they manage to accomplish so much build up and excitement in a song with very minimal instrumentation. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, as far as I'm concerned, is a secret sleeper agent banger on this album. Again, III is not my favorite, but Led Zeppelin makes it hard not to respect and appreciate their chemistry and inventiveness. What they do was cutting edge at the time, and it just WORKS.

Eminem entered into an arena invented and owned by Black artists. Despite his white privilege, this is one area where he truly had to work to stand out, as white rappers were historically not successful and/or were not taken seriously. By this point, Eminem had already found his celebrity status, but this is the album where Eminem became fully realized, showing that he wasn't just copying Black artists, and leaving his official mark on hip hop music. He combines catchy riffs, well written lyrics, and dexterity masterfully. The talents, styles, and quirks that are sharpened on this album changed the face of hip hop and set into motion his immense career with albums following these formulas. Eminem has an obvious snarkiness and stupidity about him that he really hones on this album, making it easy to see the irony and sarcasm in his work. These are an important component to his work; as he works through his incredibly stormy upbringing, this album is a sort of proverbial mirror held up to white people, showing said white people the ugly sides of themselves and their culture that they don't want to acknowledge or admit to. Using his newly found platform of huge success, Eminem does all of this to make a statement and commentary on white culture, on what is arguably his most provocative album. White people want to like and be a part of hip hop music? Well, be careful what you wish for, because like it or not, now the bad and ugly of white culture is in the spotlight. The price to pay for being white and wanting to enjoy an incredibly successful white rapper is acknowledging, consciously or unconsciously, that this album isn't about a third party, such as Black people in Compton -- it's about white people and the fucked up things they do right in your own town...it's about white people you know and associate with, and it's maybe even about you. From a music enjoyment perspective, I like this album okay, a couple of the songs I like quite a bit. But Eminem has always been hit or miss for me, as has a lot of hip hop music; it's a fine line to draw between commentary and glorification of the troubled things many hip hop artists rap about, and Eminem is not immune from that. But it is undeniable that, for many reasons, the cultural impact of this album is significant.

I will say upfront that this album wasn't really my thing from a musical perspective. Most of the music didn't really resonate with me, but I found it listenable. The closing track, Girl Like Me, hit the hardest for me musically, and I wish there had been more like that on the album. What I really appreciated was Jazmine Sullivan's entire concept on this album. She crafted the album around various named female "characters", with spoken word interludes introducing each one, followed by a song that tells each woman's story more in depth. The stories are socially relevant and will continue to be, talking about all manner of feminist and social justice issues. The format had me so interested and while I didn't necessarily overly enjoy the music, I was very engaged in the stories being told.

Was this listenable? Sure. Was it great? Nah. From a music history standpoint, it's cool to hear a band who is regarded as a progenitor of a genre, in this case heavy metal. But even though they had part in creating it, they definitely didn't perfect it. They definitely put the proto- in proto-metal. But hey, I guess they walked so bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Pantera could run.

I knew a couple of songs off of this album, including Layla, but ultimately I know more solo Clapton stuff, and wasn't too familiar going into this. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised. While nothing is ever going to be Layla, this album was chock full of excellent tracks. The guitar was out of this world on each song, as would be expected from a Clapton album; he and Duane Allman are on full-force display here. Nearly every song makes room to show off their combined guitar prowess and I was here for it. This was heavy on the blues, which can often get a bit boring for me, but the band navigated that incredibly well with what I felt was some good variety and incredibly catchy rhythms. Clapton's singing also establishes some variety here, ranging from gravely bluesy to loud cries meant to support the heaviest guitar moments. As far as the album's claim to being a love song album, that is the part that fell short for me. I wasn't particularly wowed with this album looking at it through that specific lens. But what this album lacks in truly heartfelt love songs, it makes up for in good old fashioned fiery guitar playing.

Radiohead is quite experimental on this album; everything has an ethereal feeling about it that is quite entrancing. The tracks on this album was incredibly cohesive; they went together and felt like one big piece of art. That is to say, even their experimental work seems very themed and works well when put together. Still, while the theme and the album cohesion seems spot on, I still found this album to be a little bit improvisational and drawn out. This album was definitely a fascinating listen, but I wouldn't call it a favorite.

Huh. I found this to be unremarkable. From an artistic standpoint, I'm intrigued by the idea of taking nothing but samples and using it to create something new, but in the case of this album, and maybe the entire genre, the final product just isn't my thing.

I looove Jack White on the guitar. He is honestly a modern day guitar genius, as far as I'm concerned. And really, it's impressive too that him and Meg do all of this themselves. Seven Nation Army is such a stellar song -- it's one of those songs that everyone knows, even if they don't know that they know it. As a whole, this album falls under "good, not great" territory for me. The dirty distortions of the guitar are outstanding, but the album is overly bluesy, and I think that falls kind of flat for my personal taste. I absolutely respect and appreciate what The White Stripes accomplish on this album, though.

So far, this project has made me a little bit leery of proto-punk from artists I have never heard of. Well, this album broke the curse; I was pleasantly surprised, because this album was pretty enjoyable! Aspects of this album definitely reminded me of psychedelic rock, and at times the singer reminded me a lot of Jim Morrison. At the same time, I hear some bits and pieces that sound like 80s and 90s alt rock genres. I wouldn't ever presume to say this is the only band to have past and future musical references spanning four decades, but for some reason it was very apparent to me here!

Honestly, I didn't have a problem with this album. George's voice was spot on on every song, there was diversity among the songs, and the music and lyrics were well written. However, it didn't really leave a strong impression on me. Definitely listenable, but not really one I will return to anytime soon.

This is a fine example of synth pop and new wave. Most of these songs were new to me, and while I wouldn't say any of them just absolutely grabbed me and took me, I really did enjoy listening to the album. I'm looking forward to more Pet Shop Boys on this project. This album is more than a 3 for me, but less than a 4...one of those times I wish we had incremental star ratings!

You know, despite the global rating on this album, I was pretty hopeful. I was really into the first few tracks and loved the pure, unapologetic 80s synth sounds. However, by about midway through the album, everything kind of blurred together and the songs became less and less distinct to me. I still liked it okay, and I'd still listen again, but it just didn't turn out to be great to me!

I couldn't quite decide whether or not I liked this album, so I listened to it a second time. I still don't really know how I feel about it. Parts of it are very interesting, experimental, and are very vibe-y, with an almost electronic new-age quality about them. Some of that new-age quality likely stems from some eastern influences I'm hearing nestled in the music. It honestly isn't half bad for some ambient music. Either way, I wasn't very wowed by it. I'd rate this at a high 2.-something, so I'm going to bump it up to 3.

After splitting from N.W.A., Ice Cube certainly had his work cut out from him trying to deliver something as hard hitting and impactful as Straight Outta Compton. That said, he probably got closer with this album than anyone else could have. This album feels like a sequel or an add-on to Compton. I'm not familiar enough with rap to know if this is typical or not, but I found it intriguing how much Ice Cube sampled his own group's work in this album, just further tying it to its predecessor, the elephant in the room. Ice Cube hits on a lot of tough topics here, but this album suffers from the same thing that Compton did: overt and excessive misogyny. It just hasn't aged well.

This album was a trip! It was interesting and felt mostly fresh, even 20 years later. To that point, it's hard to believe they got electronic music so very right with this album, back in 1995. The overall mood and vibe of this album is exciting and fun. To me, some elements of new age were even present, especially in the closing track, "Alive Alone". Overall, this album was a pleasant surprise, and it really was an absolute vibe.

Alright, look. I'm a huge Alice Cooper fan, and so I am going to make a strong attempt to be as objective as possible in this review. And it is from the perspective of that objective lens that I am here to tell you that this album 100% deserves to be on this project. Alice Cooper brought shock rock out of its prototypal obscurity and perfected it. That didn’t happen without its fair bit of experimentation. But it was on this sixth studio album that Alice Cooper's efforts reached a point of stars aligning and coming together. Billion Dollar Babies brings together the best of the band's work thus far in the areas of glam, metal, horror, and shock. The album is consistent and cohesive throughout, with interesting lyrics and vocals, dark horror-inspired topics, excellent riffs, and hard hitting rock. The band went through a significant polishing phase during this album, even down to Alice Cooper himself honing in on his signature look, a look that he is still ultimately known for today. The success of this album was a culmination that led to the also incredibly successful Billion Dollar Babies Tour, a true shock rock theatrical spectacle that included drills, guillotines, body parts, blood, whips, and thousands of other pounds of miscellaneous horror paraphernalia. (Seriously, if you care about shock rock, watch the tour recording, "Good To See You Again, Mr. Cooper" and witness history in the making.) This album and its tour undeniably shaped and changed the course of shock rock, and was undoubtedly an inspiration for other shock rock legends such as Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. The impact just can’t be overstated. Honestly, this album just slays.

As a huge fan of 80s and 90s country, I find Dwight Yoakam to be a very interesting inclusion, and honestly, a pretty informed one. At this point in time, country was taking arguably its biggest turn yet, encompassing more pop and rock sounds as made popular in the 70s and breathing a new life into the country genre (this decision is still rippling through country music today, like it or not). While Dwight Yoakam followed that musical trend to a certain extent, he still kept one foot planted firmly in that classic country "honky tonk" world, using his unique, forlorn-sounding voice to lend to his lonesome country style. Yoakam’s music was also synonymous with Mexican border town cantinas, as he never shied away from infusing his music with that noticeable “tex-mex” flair. Because of the change in the country music landscape at this time, America's country capital of Nashville was critical of Dwight Yoakam, ironically referring to him "TOO country". This resulted in him spending most of his time as a country music outsider, earning is fame the long way around, not the least of which was by playing in L.A. punk clubs. This album was accomplished as a result of Dwight Yoakam relentlessly seeking country music on his own terms and finally gaining significant popularity among listeners, despite Nashville’s backlash. While I can think of country albums from the late 80s to mid 90s that I like better, I honestly don’t know if any of them would better encapsulate this particular era’s country music past and country music future in one album, not to mention Dwight’s reputation as a “cowpunk” outsider. Dwight Yoakam has always unapologetically been his own thing, and this album is probably his most shining example of that uniqueness.

What an interesting album! There is something incredibly poetic about Leonard Cohen releasing an album talking about the heavy topic of death, mere days before his own death. It feels so deeply personal that you can't help but feel like there's some level of prophecy going on here. I'm not the biggest Cohen fan, but this album really did catch my attention. "You Want It Darker" may very well be my favorite of any Leonard Cohen song I've ever heard. There is something about him honing in on this dreadful topic, both on the song and on the album, that drew me in. I DO want it darker, indeed.

This band had historically been pretty heavily punk up until this point, but were outspoken about not wanting to do the same exact thing twice. The band found themselves gravitating toward the slightly more polished and structured sounds of alternative rock and grunge, despite protest from purist fans. This album was a result of those efforts, with the band finding some kind of balance between those punk roots and something a little bit more melodic, an outstanding offering that brought Courtney Love's charged feminist topics and harsh vocals to clash with more rhythm driven instrumentals. Love wanted to show a softer side of herself here, and she found a way to do it that worked for the band and their music. This album would inevitably lead to Hole not only becoming a figurehead of the woman-fronted grunge/alt-rock movement, but showing that they had the grit and attitude to exist among the best alt-rock grunge bands of the time. Love's vocals drip with fury and vigor and show so much range on this album, from raw screams to quiet growls. The clever lyrics mixed with that delivery and incredibly catchy melodies just send this album over the edge into greatness. I already loved Hole, and readdressing this album in its entirety only further cemented that. Really glad to see this excellent, often under-rated band on this project.

As someone who isn't really a huge punk fan, this was a punk-adjacent listen that was easier for me to digest. The music was crunchy and rioting all throughout. This band has a lot of energy, and it shows through in their music. I found it to be a fun enough listen!

Defying all likely odds, 1001 gave me this album literally two days after the last Hole album, so Hole is definitely fresh on the brain and I was ready to hear this. The title track, Celebrity Skin, is just one of the best alternative rock songs of all time, and I'll die on that hill. It comes out of the gate with immense attitude and musical energy. That opening can be recognized in a second or less. The lyrics are deliciously edgy and delivered in that burn-it-all-to-the-ground way that Love personifies, analyzing what it is to be famous from a not-so-glamorous point of view. This whole idea of fame and the California lifestyle becomes a recurring theme on this album. Hole, again being a band that doesn't like to repeat their exact style twice, takes a much more alternative rock approach on this album, shedding most of the remnants of their punk and grunge persona from previous albums. This feels like Hole's most mainstream album, which may be viewed as a negative by some, but I don't think they don't suffer from it. All of the fury of their work is still there, just in a slightly different form, and sometimes not as overt. Again, Courtney Love, to me, is just a voice of an entire movement of angsty yet justified 90s women who were seeking feminism through their music. This album is no exception to that and is another great example of that era and corner of music history.

I thought this album was good, but not great. I believe Young added a certain something to the mix that just made this band pure magic, and for me, that magic is clearly lacking on this album without him. The impact of this album however, is not to be undermined. This debut album popped up in 1969, just in time to inform and be an inspiration for many 70s soft rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter acts. They naturally had a sound and a style here that many bands would go on to covet and seek. While Crosby, Stills & Nash was not the first supergroup, they're an incredibly significant one. Before them, any group formed of members from other bands was considered a "supergroup". But Crosby, Stills & Nash all came from already pretty successful bands and created an even more successful band than any of them came from individually. Crosby, Stills & Nash, along with this album, ultimately set a strong precedent for true supergroups going forward; it's a good introduction to that 70s folk rock sound and a good foundation for things to come with this band.

This album was an excellent listen! I was familiar with a couple of the more iconic songs, but I've definitely been sleeping on Steely Dan overall, as both albums of theirs on this project have been outstanding. It was perfect for active, engaged listening as well as great music to work to. I listened through three times! Steely Dan comes out of the gate with their first album, immediately laying down iconic songs such as "Reelin' in the Years" and "Do It Again". The entire album is full of great vocal work and harmony, as well as exciting and unique guitar and instrumentation work. They do that 70s soft rock sound soooo well, and it's impressive that they got it so very right and left such a mark with their first album. An outstanding debut, for sure; really, there wasn't a bad song on the album.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to say here. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. It was just average, through and through. It wasn't offensive, but nothing was really exciting about it, either. It was just consistently just "okay". In this album, I can definitely hear where Costello is likely influenced by and trying to carry over some of the power pop and rockabilly of the 50s and 60s, such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly. You can even see it in the album cover art. But again, I think it's all a little too evenly neat and one note, nothing out of bounds or surprising like you might have gotten from the above-mentioned bands. Where they all got their fame taking risks and playing around in these genres, Costello just seems to be mostly rehashing them. Again, I always like to note when an album is someone's debut album, because I think it can say a lot. In this case, I definitely feel like Costello already had a solid idea of what he wanted to do and didn't need multiple albums to find his sound; he had it right away. As I understand it, there's a LOT of Costello on this project, so I'm definitely feeling indifferent about that, but at least my first Costello entry was this, his debut album, so I can maybe do some interesting comparisons with future albums. You know, for science. So far, I'm definitely not seeing what all the fuss is about.

"Darkness, Darkness" was an outstanding album opener. This song reminded me of indie folk of today, and The Youngbloods were doing it back in 1969. Really cool to hear! The rest of the album didn't really live up to that song, though; it was an okay mix of folk, psychedelia, and even jazz...specifically, the kind of jazz that you might hear in an elevator. Overall, the album was very middle of the road and not that exciting. But it wasn't bad, either.

This album was fun and pretty unique! "Fusion" is a strong word that comes to mind when I think of this album. There were obvious fusions of glam, punk, psychedelia, and grunge throughout this album. As shown on this album, glam and grunge make such an enjoyable juxtaposition when done correctly. While this didn't blow me away, I really did enjoy it, and would gladly listen to it again!

This album linked to the UK version, but I made the executive decision to listen to the US version instead, because who really wants to hear this album and not hear "Paint It Black"? I have heard a few of the songs from this album MANY times over the years. But, I think mostly due to this project, I REALLY picked up on the heavy psychedelia present on this album, as well as the very overt Eastern influences throughout. These were both genre qualities that I had never paid attention to or noticed in the past. Another thing I had not picked up on previously was the dark, creepy nature of the lyrics of "Under My Thumb". Whether the lyrics tell of sexual dominant/submissive roles or something more rapey, I can't confirm, but really HEARING those lyrics for the first time was interesting. Otherwise, I was mostly underwhelmed with this album; it was just okay. Some of the instrumentation (again, the eastern influences) were cool to hear when compared to the entire album, but the overall album got pretty boring after a few songs, and many of the songs leaned more bluesy than I care for.

This album was really unique! I am not typically big on jazz (this is not news to anyone who has read my reviews at this point), but the afrobeat sounds really caught my attention. This is a short album that spans over an hour of time. The music is full of passion and feels like it could go on forever (in a good way). Ginger Baker's work is also outstanding on this album. It sounded like he really took the time to understand the culture and its music in order to perform this!

Ella's voice is so incredibly warm, so incredibly smooth, and so incredibly timeless. There is something incredibly comforting, nostalgic, and transportive about this album. Ella takes these songbook classics and exudes nothing if not pure elegance. In my opinion, she is among the best of the best of what vocal jazz has to offer. On one hand, I can't believe this is the only songbook collection by Ella on this project (that I know of), but on the other, I can't imagine it getting much better than this, anyway. While I continue not to be a big jazz fan, I must say that if I am going to hear jazz and come even close to appreciating it, this album and the voice of Ella Fitzgerald sets the bar.

So I'm not super versed on Sly & the Family Stone, but I guess I was expecting something a little more like "Everyday People" and "Dance to the Music". That said, "Riot" was overall a little bit more soulful funk. While definitely baseline enjoyable, it wasn't quite in my wheelhouse. As far as soulful funk music goes, though, I can see where this is among the best. Happy to experience it and get a little more educated on this type of music, which I know almost nothing about!

THIS. This is my kind of punk. This is the punk I've been waiting for on this project. They are angsty and grimy, but their lyrics are smart and their music is actually well done. In other words, they're not just slamming on their instruments; they're actually making lyrical and musical statements. These things no doubt contributed to their success as (arguably) the first mainstream punk band (in the States, at least). And they're regarded as among the best punk acts because they simply are; they showed that punk didn't have to just be sloppy, unmitigated noise. They had the talent necessary to leave a true mark on punk music, even with this debut album. There's just no doubt in my mind why this album went down in history. If you listen to each band member's part as individually as possible, they all sound talented and they all sound like they're giving 120%, which is an important part of making impactful punk music, in my opinion. Also, props to "I'm so Bored with the USA", because honestly, same.

From a music technicality standpoint, this has some impressive composition and playing. But also, the tracks devolve into a lot of heavy improvisation; to me, that just ends up sounding like discordant noise. Even if its discordant noise, I guess there's something to be said about the agility with which it is being played. I continue to not be the best candidate for appreciating jazz music, no matter how hard I try.

I had concerns when I saw the genre of "alternative country". I grew even more concerned when I read other accounts that this was essentially a mash-up of country and punk. I'm open to the idea, but I definitely wasn't convinced this album would be a masterful example of the mash-up. My concerns were definitely valid. It's an incredibly bizarre mashup that was not well produced. It's like hearing two different tracks, one country, one punk, that were layered on top of each other and just turned loose. The way it ends up manifesting in the final "mix" on most of the tracks is in the form of punk sounds with weird fiddle overtones. It's discordant, and it's messy. The vocals on this album are annoying and often rambly, too. I've heard worse on this project, but I'm not going to let it stop me from conveying in my rating that this was far from necessary listening.

I mean, I'm always a sucker for 90s alternative rock, so they had me at that. It was fine; I enjoyed it. However, this sounds like a massive off-brand compilation of every popular sound and style of the time, minus all the bands that made these sounds and styles popular. I really don't know what makes this album a worthy contribution to this project. Then again, this came out in 1992, so maybe they were ahead of the curve on all of these sounds? Very middle of the road. Neither under- nor over-whelmed with this. It was average, but enjoyable enough.

So, I only knew the infamous "Song 2" from Blur, and was pretty much expecting something in that vein. I was pretty wrong. This is some bizarre indie, britpop, semi-ska contraption. I did like the chipper, sunshine-y nature of it all, but overall, I honestly just could not get into it.

Meh. This album was boring. I've really got no other word for it. I thought I'd be able to get into some of the dark concepts around this album, but I didn't find myself becoming interested at any point. In fact, it almost felt like it was trying too hard, and came off as pretentious. This was another album where I didn't feel like it warranted the "must hear before you die" label. This was my second PJ Harvey album on this project so far, and I know there are many, many more to come, and I'm just wondering...why? What is this author's obsession with them?

This made for the third Dylan album I've received on this project, and I was pleased to hear that this was the least nasal-y album I've heard yet.

It was okay, but kind of on the bland side. It seemed to take the typical 90s Britpop genre and infuse it with folk of yesteryear. But even then, I'm not sure what makes it a standout album of its genre and era. This is an obscure album that feels like it really doesn't have any strong reason to be brought out of obscurity.

One thing I almost immediately noticed about this album was its sound: it was an interesting and pretty balanced mix of post-punk and pre-new wave sounds. This makes perfect sense giving the release year of 1980, a time when the former genre was beginning to emerge into the latter. Additionally, I felt like the bass shined a lot on this album, which isn't something I would normally pay a lot of attention to or acknowledge. Overall, I found the album to be okay. It was not boring, but it was also not groundbreaking.

I actually dug this quite a bit. It was a nice fusion of upbeat, melodic pop punk music mixed with new wave. I felt like it was still allowed to exhibit that punk spirit but without being as messy or chaotic as some punk, which isn't typically my cup of tea. Most of the songs here were jarringly short, but it worked for The Undertones; they had something brief to say, so they said it, and then they were done. Period. While I would say this was good, I wouldn't say it is as great as other pop punk/new wave combo acts that would rise during this era.

I was surprised how fast this album went by. While part of that was due to the short and sweet album length (14 songs coming in at less than 30 minutes), part of the issue was that, frankly, this album was just incredibly repetitive. Several tracks blended together and honestly sounded like they could have been the same song. While this album was fine, I honestly just think it had been hyped up for me too much over the years, not to mention the insurmountable Blitzkrieg Bop sets a high bar. Nevertheless, I was glad to finally listen to it and experience the legacy of the Ramones.

My first thought on this album is that it was "okay". Frankly, for some reason, I was surprised to find that it deviated a lot in style from the previous Pixies album I reviewed, Bossanova. I liked Bossanova a lot and I guess I was expecting something similar. I gave it a second listen and found myself enjoying it a bit more when I removed the preconceived expectations I had about it. Surfer Rosa seems to embrace more grunge, noise, and chaos, and ultimately just has a less polished sound. The singing between the vocalists can often be characterized as discordant That said, I can fully tell where this all was intentional and was a sound they were going for here. The album's arrival was timely and obviously influenced other alternative and grunge acts that would emerge in the 1990s. Maybe not a favorite listen, but definitely an intriguing one when given a fair shake!

I didn't care for this. Due to the psychedelic nature and the vocal style, it reminded me of off-brand The Doors at several points. They failed to be as interesting as The Doors, though. The tracks are all very short, and you think you're going to escape with your life...but wait, the final track is over 18 minutes long, accounting for over half of the total album length. Honestly, this album was not the worst listen, but it was just forgettable and unremarkable.

This album is quintessential Americana heartland rock, but not for the reasons many Americans think it is. Let me explain. It is incredibly common on American Independence Day to hear the song Born in the USA blaring at every neighborhood barbecue and community fireworks show. Many folks cling to the song like some kind of badge of superior patriotism. It's just one of those songs that has become as synonymous with patriotism as the American national anthem. But here's the thing that they fail to get (which is crazy, because it's literally in the lyrics): Born in the USA (the song) is NOT about being proud of being American. It's about the STRUGGLES of being American. It's about how American soldiers were used as cannon fodder in the Vietnam War and how, when they came back, they found difficulties in adjusting to everyday life again, because of inflation, because of trauma, because of lack of support from their government. Because the government treated those who returned from Vietnam as being as good as dead. The soaring chorus lyrics "born in the USA" are intentionally antithetical to the purpose of the song; the verses are meant to make a mockery of the chorus and make the chorus feel hollow. But the real message of this album was buried by blind American patriotism. Apply this concept to Born in the USA (the album), and you have what this album is really about. Again, it is about being American, but not in the way patriotic people should be gloating about. It's about the struggles of blue collar life in America. The album cover captures it perfectly as well, with a clear blue collar type of person (white shirt, tattered jeans, faded hat) emblazoned on the front. This person isn't thriving. This person is getting by. Looking at this album for what it is, it has great, meaningful lyricism encapsulated in very catchy melodies and foot-stomping beats. It really tells a cohesive, real story of life from front to back, which is what makes it such a shining example of the heartland rock genre, and a profound piece of American rock in general. It no doubt launched and furthered the popularity of other heartland rock acts, as well. This album has a number of well known radio hits, and it was great to experience it from front to back. I only wish more Americans appreciated it for what it really is, and not for what they idealize it to be.

I was among the folks that had this album come up the day after Queen Elizabeth II's passing. I appreciate the morbidity, Alexander, but what have you done by subverting the random nature of this project? Surely this will cause a cataclysmic ripple effect across our universe with unpredictable and disastrous consequences! This album is moody and there is some dark yet catchy guitar work to be found here. For these reasons, this album really borders on something gothic, even though it and the band was never considered to be so. When it comes to post-punk alternative music like this, I always find that I enjoy listening a lot of it, but I don't often seek it out. That said, I enjoyed listening to this but probably wouldn't run back to listen to many of these songs outside of the context of the album. I think The Smiths probably have some other, more catchy individual songs. Still, a worthy inclusion!

So here's the deal: I really only know Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits. And I think that colored my view of this album. Because going into this, I was expecting something on that level. However, I found this album to contain a lot of basic filler folk songs that were okay and listenable, but not spectacular or up to the level of their greatest hits that were groundbreaking in the folk genre. But of course, the album does have some of their BIGGEST big hits such as Bridge, Cecilia, and The Boxer. So how does one review something they perceive as basic overall, yet has some of the band's best individual songs, and arguably some of the best songs of all time? Well, I don't know. But I will say that this album does have some fantastic harmonies and melodies, even among the filler songs, despite the fact that this duo was on the brink of a breakup. The album has a lot of world music sounds that work perfectly under the folk umbrella, and lends a quality to some of the songs that make them almost "renaissance" folk in nature. It is also easy to see that this was somewhat of a playground for these sounds for Simon, as much of his later work would be dedicated to world music. However, it also foretold what would be his tendency to take world music without appropriate credits, as was the case with the (albeit, beautiful) track, "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)". Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Boxer both are beautiful songs that build moment over moment until, by the end, they swell into even more beautiful music and unbelievable vocals, both showcasing Simon & Garfunkel's talent at its peak. These songs leave goosebumps EVERY time. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright was pretty boring, if I'm being honest, but I can appreciate any song that is a tribute to my favorite architect.

Any album that starts with the sound of a TIE fighter is a winner in my book. Also, 1977 was the year Star Wars: A New Hope came out. This album has previously been compared to bands like Sonic Youth, which made sense to me. There's a lot of heavy guitars with catchy melodies and dirty distortion. Many of the songs balance quiet and loud, slow and fast, which was another thing that reminded me of Sonic Youth. This album felt a little generic and not particularly groundbreaking, but again, I am generally a sucker for 90s pop/rock/alt/grunge/etc., so this album finds a nice home with me. Average, but enjoyable enough.

This was an intriguing listen! I am really not a blues fan, but the African spin put on this type of music makes it a lot more interesting! Hearing how Ali Farka Touré interprets the genre and gives it a different flair was intriguing! He still finds a way to penetrate with his vocals, reminding the listener that this is still blues music. I felt like where the album really shined was on the guitar and other string instruments. The rapid, yet precise picking often gave things an almost Arabian-sounding quality from a musical perspective. Where I would normally find blues music boring and drawling, the vocal and string qualities made this very enjoyable as well as easy to listen to. I have never heard anything quite like this, and I definitely enjoyed the experience.

What a great entry from Elton John! This album kicks off with one of Elton's greatest hits of all: Tiny Dancer. Generally speaking, this song is kind of a surprising opener, but it makes makes sense when looked at in the scope of the album. All of the songs on this album tell stories, something that Elton is well known for. The songs all have that signature Elton "flair", as well: a little pop, a little rock, some forward-facing piano, and a lot of glam. But in this era and on this album specifically, all of the songs have a bit of a piano ballad quality about them. While beautiful, I would not describe any of the songs as "fun" -- another adjective sometimes used to describe some of Elton John's later work. And so in this light, Tiny Dancer shines as an excellent album opener. The album has a very cohesive sound; one might even argue a little too cohesive, as a lot of the songs sound really similar. But honestly, for me, this doesn't take away from the enjoyment. The backing band's music is engaging and Elton is simply captivating.

Don't get me wrong, these guys have always known how to bring the energy and excellent guitar work. Both of these efforts on this album, in the 70s, laid groundwork for hard rock in decades to come. That said, aside from this album's title track, most of these tracks sound the same. The energy and guitar work is there, sure, but they really do start to sound like the same song. There is something to be said about a formula that works, though, because I still find myself toe-tapping and finger-drumming along to this album. So while this album may come off as a bit repetitive, it clearly sparked something important and long-lasting.

I didn't remember who The Lemonheads were, but I did recognize their cover of Mrs. Robinson. I'm not sure what it says about you as a band as it pertains to this challenge when you're by far most known for a cover song, but hey. This was definitely a good example of the 1990s alt rock sound. That said, it was also pretty generic and I feel like there are better examples of 90s alt rock from bands who were pioneers in this genre. Overall, though, most of the songs on this album were still fun, enjoyable listens. I'd rank this higher than a 3, but less than a 4...ultimately still closer to the 3 mark, I guess.

It is often seen where bands go from punk to a more "radio friendly" genre, becoming polished over time and losing that "edge", but Nirvana did the exact opposite here, releasing their critically acclaimed Nevermind first and later following it up with the more edgy, unpolished In Utero. There are some songs on this album that have that similar Nevermind polish, but this is ultimately a more primal album. And as I understand it, this is exactly what Nirvana was going for. Still, the magic of Nirvana is there for those that are drawn to it in the first place. You have grating, visceral emotions from Cobain's vocals and lyrics. His words fit the grunge genre so well, as he is adept at telling his very personal stories with dirty, grimy, grungy lyrics befitting of the genre. The music, while also incredibly grungy and distorted, is masterfully edgy; you can tell you're listening to musicians who know how to do more than slam on their instruments. While I understand that Nirvana wanted to go more unpolished, I personally believe they were at their best on Nevermind. Still, this album is solid, and a very shining example of 90s grunge and punk-adjacent genres. Cobain was known for pushing hard for what he wanted, and Nirvana shows here what they wanted to be, and they were uncompromising on that. And it proved to be a success. This likely would have been the beginning of their sound moving forward, had it not been for Cobain's untimely death.

This album is an interesting inclusion. While I do recognize Beyonce's immense impact on pop and R&B music as she exited Destiny's Child, this album, to me, marked a turning point where she became less of a singer and more of an experience and a production. Everything about this album was a production: the album dropped secretly and unexpectedly and toted a long list of credits and came complete with visuals. This album's work, while not bad, seems incredibly manufactured and mostly uninspired. In this case, I do think the production overshadowed the artistry. The lyrics seem disparate and disconnected from the songs. I could probably get behind this more easily if it were marketed as some kind of dark, moody, ambient electronic/R&B collaborative concept among the producers. But the need to throw Beyonce's name on this and literally market the music around her made this feel, again, overproduced. It mostly sounds like Beyonce showed up to do some vocals on songs that were never really for her to begin with. Aside from a couple of notable songs, I don't feel like she adds much to this music. If you want a more inspired experience showing Beyonce emerging from a girl group and thriving as a solid, unique solo performer with an outstanding voice, look further back in her catalog. That said, this album is the hallmark of the modern Beyonce experience, and what she has built her empire around. And beyond Beyonce, this work is a decent example of conceptual electronic R&B. Maybe that is what makes this album a notable inclusion in the project. But considering this is ultimately marketed as a Beyonce album, I would be remiss not to mention that Beyonce is not what shines on this album; it is okay for what it is, but it stifles her talent.

I found this album to be enjoyable enough, but a lot of the songs drew on a bit longer than I think they needed to. The lengths allowed each track to become a bit repetitive and boring. That aside, the music itself is creative and still holds fairly well, all this time later! If this is really a birthplace for EDM and house music, they really got things right here. I loved the various eastern and new age influences throughout the tracks. Both styles have become prolifically woven into EDM and house music over the years, and if Leftfield is also responsible for that, then they deserve even more brownie points. I do think Release the Pressure and Open Up did a lot of the heavy lifting on the album. While everything was decent; these two tracks are the only real memorable "bangers".

Upon hearing the first song, I was quick to judge and figured I was in for an album with awful lyrics and awful vocals. While I won't say every lyric is a winner on the album, I can say that things go uphill from here. While Prine does seem to have some fun on this album, most of the lyrics do tell a worthwhile, engaging story. I found it funny that on a couple of different occasions, Prine used Jesus Christ as a storytelling device, talking about what Jesus would and wouldn't be liking about the state of the world at the time. Frankly, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven Anymore was a bit jarring because this message is still 100% relevant in America, maybe now more than ever. I definitely thought of Bob Dylan when hearing this (and turns out, John Prine was definitely on Bob Dylan's radar). This was an interesting folk/country listen with some very superb first album songwriting chops!

So, I love surprises. And I was actually legitimately surprised with this album. I wasn't sure if the progressive soul and R&B was going to be something I dug, but I did. Speaking of the progressive soul and R&B genres, they are absolute perfect fits for the futurism (specifically afrofuturism!) and science-fiction concepts that make up this album. Janelle has a clear picture of her goal here, as the music and lyrics perfectly aid in building the concepts for this album. To tie it all together and enhance the concepts, the album permeates with various sci-fi sound effects. Janelle expertly derives inspiration from some of the great futurist music artists of our time and finds ways to adapt and make these sounds her own. Her work here just evokes creativity and originality, and I like her fascination with all things digital, computer, and space age.

I was not familiar with Suede, and found them to have an interesting sound. They reminded me of several bands (U2, INXS, Oasis, The Smiths) all rolled into one, and with varying intensities at different given points. I was definitely surprised at the strong presence of 80s new wave and 80s moody alt rock sounds, as those genres had been heavily put to bed at this point in favor of grunge and 90s alt rock sounds. Overall, the album was an okay listen, but it didn't resonate too much with me. I thought it touched on a lot of great sounds, but ultimately I couldn't quite escape from comparing Suede to who they SOUND like.

Very electronic, atmospheric, ambient, and lo-fi. This kind of music is very trendy in certain groups today, and I had no idea that the sound dated back to the 90s. I imagine that this has had significant impact on similar sounding music of today. This was fine, but it was starting to lull me toward the end. This was probably a really high 2.-something, so I will just not split hairs and may it an even 3.

This is more tolerable than the other Mothers of Invention album on this project. But just barely. I can at least see what the intended purpose was: to parody The Beatles and the hippie movement. This album's scope was much more specific and carried a message encouraging people to rebel against binary social and political thinking. This made it a little further from drivel and closer to making an important statement. But still. I didn't like it.

This album hits with a mix of punk, new wave, and a surprising hint of psychedelic -- something that listens as being akin to The Doors. Honestly, this was one of the more unique punk-labelled inclusions that I have received on this project thus far. This is something that is fairly obscure and niche; it is something I would otherwise not find on my own and is a perfect example of what I like to hear on this project!

This album immediately reminded me of another on this project: "You Want It Darker" by Leonard Cohen. Like Cohen, David Bowie seems to have a level of premonition about his own lingering death. The music, lyrics, and tone are all a bit eerie, even for Bowie, and possess a certain level of gloom throughout the album. Hearing a heavier than usual jazz flair from Bowie was also quite interesting. I tend to prefer Bowie more in the glam sphere, but the decision to go more jazzy was certainly intriguing, and what I believe to be an intentional decision to create some artistic contrast and dissonance. Bowie was no stranger to experimenting, and I feel like this album is no exception. This album defies falling into any one sound or genre. This album is also busy, and not necessarily in a bad way; there are many things going on in the tracks that paint a bizarrely beautiful picture. This is not my favorite iteration of Bowie, but it's certainly a captivating iteration nonetheless. Bowie went out on a high note with this album, reminding us why he was and continues to be a king of the weird.

I won't lie, I definitely groaned when I saw the "punk" and "folk" genre combination here. Something about what this project has brought to the table thus far in those realms had me feeling like this would be a mix that would drive me to drink. Essentially, after hearing the album, I can say that what I was expecting was an album full of stuff like "Honey, I'm a Big Boy Now". Fortunately, that was not the case. This album straddled a nice, palatable blend of the two genres. I found it to be a relatively pleasant listen. The socially conscious lyrics really stood out among all of this, as well.

If a friend had not told me, I wouldn't have known that David Holmes was known for his cinema soundtracks. That said, I might have still drawn some kind of parallel. Because there is something about this album that has a cinematic quality to it. I can imagine this music over an artsy film about dark, seedy city underground people and dealings. All the music is touched by a little bit of grit, distortion, or mystery. Not every soundtrack can garner these kinds of visuals, so I find it very impressive (but not surprising, knowing what I know now) that this non-soundtrack produces such images befitting a soundtrack. Overall, I liked this but didn't love it. It was interesting, but didn't blow me away. It was definitely a unique listen from this project thus far, though!

This album was a really nice surprise. I enjoyed the metal elements, but what really caught me was the blending of traditional Brazilian tribal and folk musics into the metal sound. I have no doubt that these inclusions contributed to my enjoyment of this album. At the time that this album came out, it was probably unlike anything Americans had ever heard and no doubt influenced metal music to move forward with more world music sounds. This is also the kind of metal where there's plenty of yelling but not TOO much yelling; you can still pick up on some of the lyrics. Dictatorshit went a big far into the "thrash" realm for me, but fortunately it was short and sweet. Canyon Jam was an incredibly bold finisher, leaning even more heavily into the tribal side of things and away from metal. It was a move that worked well, though, as it seals the album with a bit of mystery and intrigue. Simply put, this album is a killer celebration of heritage crafted inside of the realm of metal music, where the band shines best. It just works.

I knew it was coming, and today was the day. Elvis Presley. I am NOT a fan of Elvis by any stretch of the word, so I have kind of internally been dreading the first of what I assume is many Elvis albums on this project. Fortunately, this is not "Hound Dog" Elvis or "Blue Suede Shoes" Elvis; this is a more soulful Elvis that I personally find much more tolerable. Given that, I ultimately I found this album pretty inoffensive and enjoyable. It wasn't particularly buzzing with excitement, but it wasn't outright boring, either. The production was surprisingly good for 1969, but I didn't really get a "live" energy from this. Elvis definitely sounds great for a live album, though! Some songs that really did stand out to me, as a non-Elvis listener were Power of My Love, Any Day Now, and Suspicious Minds (which, in my uneducated opinion, is among his all time bests, even though I tend to prefer the Dwight Yoakam version).

I had never heard this album front to back, and I found it to be incredibly experimental, even for Pink Floyd. "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" is a masterwork in synth, as is the chilling "Welcome to the Machine". "Wish You Were Here" strips things down a bit more and is almost a ballad. It's wild that these two iconic songs were never singles from this album. The songs both take on new life when heard in the context of the entire album, though. Honestly, the entire album evokes interesting vibes. It's haunting, surreal, melancholy, and strange. I'm not sure if I LOVED it, but it really intrigued me, and has stuck with me and I can't get it out of my head. To me, that's worth something.

Britney is an iconic pop star, but she has mostly rode on her incredible singles career. Drilling down too far into most of her albums usually reveals a lot of forgettable fluff. This album is really no exception. However, this album, despite the overall quality, propelled bubblegum pop back into the forefront of music and ushered in a period of such for the 2000s. It pushed Britney to the forefront of music in a world that was thought to have moved to catering mostly to pop groups versus individual pop star acts. From a pop culture perspective, this is probably one of the most influential albums of all time (granted, mostly due to the title track), and it makes sense that this album would be here. This album has a few incredibly memorable, iconic tracks (Baby One More Time, Crazy, Sometimes, Born to Make You Happy) and a couple of cringy tracks (Soda Pop and E-Mail My Heart; for what it's worth, those songs were cringy back when they came out, too). The remainder of the album doesn't really stand out and kind of blends into one (albeit, listenable) mix. However, Autumn Goodbye was a very obscure bonus track only released in some markets, but I always thought it stood out among the other tracks on this album and should have been part of the main release. It pleases me that I have a platform to advocate for it now; it could have been a solid contender on the album at the time. Again, this album is mostly here on this project due to the cultural impact of one track, the title track. When you think about it, it is arguably even more impressive that one track could launch such a craze and reshape the pop landscape. But for the purpose of rating the albums as wholes, if you step back and look at the album as such, it just kind of becomes average. It's still very listenable and enjoyable if you like this era of pop, but the merit of Britney can't really be perceived in her album work.

So, this is definitely ska. Just in the 80s with Black folks, before it was a "thing" in the 90s and 2000s with white folks. This is definitely super funky and not overly reliant on copious amounts of loud offbeat trumpet, though. This was unexpected for sure, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's a pity that ska music ever strayed away from this.

These guys are mostly known only for "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", but to me, this band is among the pinnacle of new wave music. And yet, on this album, there's even a touch of progressive rock as the band clearly looks beyond new wave, at the height of new wave. The tracks on this album all feel connected, yet they are all very unique and have a flavor of their own. This is another album that has great singles, but also makes a profound impact when listened to as a whole. The album is short and to the point, not wasting any time with filler tracks. This album also straddles somewhere between bright-sounding and dark-sounding, neither word quite describing it perfectly. This album's sound would be described in a space that falls between words like 'bright' and 'dark', because it's a little bit of both...perhaps foggy or misty? The instruments and synth on this album are masterfully done and have a lot of depth on each track. Every time I listen to a track, I hear some new layer that I didn't hear before that really lends to the complexity. For a decade that is known to have music that didn't age super well, this album HAS aged well and still offers a sound that is incredibly intriguing even today, and I feel like the depth and complexity of sounds on this album definitely contributed to that. For what it's trying to accomplish, this album is practically perfect. I enjoyed every track and the album as a whole.

This album feels like something that was made by a gay man for gay men. I see some similarities between songs on this album and modern day "bops" loved by gay guys. Also, I definitely see where George Michael drew on Prince as an influence for this album, as it's full of sultry, sexy, and even funky beats and lyrics. Speaking of "bops", I thought a lot of the songs on this album fit that bill -- Faith, Father Figure, I Want Your Sex, Monkey, but most of the other songs, while baseline good, were kind of forgettable. Even the good songs don't quite live up to "Faith". In case you forgot, George Michael definitely wants your sex, and he makes it known again on the final track "A Last Request", which is kind of a boring finisher, but it is what it is. While not a perfect debut album, it has its merits and is enjoyable and just kind of sexy.

This is another prime example of the stuff I enjoy seeing pop up on this project. I have never heard of OR heard this, and the story behind it is simply amazing. In a series of mistakes, Keith Jarrett was left with an incredibly subpar rehearsal piano to perform on for a sold out audience, versus a very specifically requested grand piano befitting a piano master. What resulted was an hour of pure piano improvisation; that's right, Jarrett switched everything up and composed and played on the fly, all in a way that would fit the rehearsal piano's limited capabilities and allow for the best possible output. All the while, Jarrett can be heard occasionally stomping and vocalizing along with the work; you can tell that he feels what he's playing. This album speaks to overcoming hurdles, being present in the moment, and being open to spontaneity; a variety of chaotic events led to this and it could have resulted in a cancellation or even a performance ruined by the limitations of a specific instrument. But instead, these events occurred, Jarrett agreed to play, and his musical genius flowed, allowing for this unique masterwork to happen, something that would not be readily replicated even if one tried. I feel like the genre label of "jazz" on this album is a bit misleading. While I definitely hear aspects of jazz, this also resonates with some very classical solo piano qualities. I don't want my rating to be misconstrued with the idea that I think classical music is the best thing I've heard on this project. While I do really enjoy classical piano music, I don't regularly seek it out, and it's by no means an absolute "favorite" or "preferred" genre. Rather, my rating comes from now knowing that this album is 100% improvisation on a shoddy instrument; it is a creative breakthrough birthed from chaos. This album very clearly communicates an undeniably masterful craftsmanship and an inspiring message of spontaneous human creativity. This really is something that people could benefit from hearing before they die, and I couldn't possibly rate it any lower.

I haven't heard anything else quite like this on the project thus far. Pet Shop Boys again straddle two worlds on this album -- 80s new wave and 90s synth-pop, and you can clearly hear the influences of both here. But on this album, now in 1993, the synth-pop sounds are heavier than ever. Honestly, this album felt like one big gay club anthem, and rightly so, as one of the members used this album as a coming out of sorts. In this regard, the album is full of fun bangers very fitting of the time and the purpose. I like this Pet Shop Boys album about the same as the other PSB album on this project, just for different reasons. These guys definitely have a history of straddling 80s and 90s throughout both of these albums, and that is fun to hear!

Disraeli Gears has some very epic and timeless examples of psychedelic rock nestled within its tracks. Also included toward the end of the album is some heavier blues rock, and even what seems to amount to a sea shanty. The blues rock sound was not a surprise, as Clapton would eventually become pretty well known for this sound. That said, I'm glad this album was heavier on the psychedelia (without letting it overrun the album) and lighter on the blues, but honestly it could have been even lighter on the blues for me. Cream clearly found success in a certain sound, as the song Tales of Brave Ulysses and White Room (not on this album) have almost the exact same chord progression. Both of these would become two of their greater hits. When this album slaps for me, it REALLY slaps, so while the rating probably falls somewhere between a 3.5 to 4, I'm going to go ahead and bump it to a 4.

You know, I was aware of Joan Armtrading, and I knew a few of her songs, but had never heard one of her albums. I am here to tell you that this album in particular is outstanding and alone is worthy of her getting more recognition than she does. I would describe Joan as having a Joni Mitchell quality mixed with Tracy Chapman. Her singer-songwriter style from the lyrics and instrumentation down to the topics and vocalizations resonate just as much as theirs do, and yet, she is lesser known than both of these other artists. Joan Armtrading is full of such richness, warmth, and passion on every track; there is something incredibly tangible about her emotions. This is an album I will want to hear again and again.

This made for some good background music, but I honestly just wasn't that into it. What I liked was the dichotomy between the ambient and surreal vocals when put against the very dark trip-hoppy music. Sometimes more ambient albums like this can kind of blur into one big mass for me, and that kind of happened here.

It is an incredibly dark, rainy, and gloomy day in late October as I write this review, so this album seemed all too appropriate today. Arriving in 1980, this album very clearly was pioneering goth rock, during a time when goth rock was emerging from post-punk sounds and before goth rock was a fully formed concept; you can hear the earliness of the genre in this album, as if it's still not fully baked yet. Nonetheless, the music has the core of everything you expect out of goth music: it's moody, dark, ambient, eerie and morose. It's obvious that The Cure would grow to be even more goth from here by using this album as a blueprint, as would other bands in this genre. From a perspective of The Cure, I was kind of surprised how minimal the vocals were on this album, which again, allowed for the album to shine as somewhat of a soundscape blueprint for the goth rock genre.

This is a super funky album! I found it an interesting detail that "Everyday People", which is easily the greatest hit and most well known song on the album (if not most well known for the entire group), yet it was the shortest on the album by nearly 40 seconds. The album is full of 60s dream idealization, but came at the end of the decade, when that dream was falling apart. I can imagine that Sly and the Family Stone as well as many hippies clung to this as a final stance against the peace movement tapering out.

Honestly, I had never listened to The Wall from start to finish before. But I am always down for something that is categorized as a 'concept album' or 'rock opera'. Usually, it means that I am going to be in for something quite intriguing. I can't deny that this album is incredibly groundbreaking, artistic, and intellectual. It tells a very interesting, thought-provoking story among incredibly ambient, transcendental music. The highs really are high. Tracks like "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2", "Hey You", and "Comfortably Numb" are iconic rock songs that have helped define how transcendental Pink Floyd can be. And no doubt, they set a high bar for that atmospheric style in rock music. But here's the thing: aside from the "big hits" and a handful of others, the songs on this album aren't really something that I would want to listen to outside of this album. And even within the album, many of these tracks were just flat out boring, dragging down the parts that are good. I have no complaints about album length, because this is just how things tend to be in rock operas, but I get the impression that Pink Floyd was afforded a little bit too much time to ramble and this resulted in some level of self-indulgent filler. It's because of this that I think the album could have done with a trim. I really do think I would have liked it more if some of the fluff was trimmed out. I have immense appreciation for this album and recognize its iconic status, but it doesn't win me over quite as much as it does other people. Nonetheless, it is a very worthy inclusion on this project.

I mean...it was tolerable. Beyond that, a couple of the songs were actually okay. But this just really didn't do anything for me. I honestly don't even have anything to say about it.

I liked this okay, but I will say that Neil Young just sounds kind of odd when his vocals are put on this genre. On some tracks, it's passable, and on others, it's downright bad. His voice just tends to be more bearable when he sings folk, for whatever reason. In some ways, this album feels like jumping back in time. Some tracks sound straight out of the garage rock era of the 60s, and others sound a little bit more fresh. Either way, garage rock was definitely not a thriving sound in the 90s, so this album definitely delivers a fresh twist on something old. This album is no doubt a tribute to the genre of what came before. While labeled as garage rock, I can definitely hear the subtle hints of 90s country music in this work, as well. This would no doubt continue to feed into Young's own influences, as he would go on to explore country rock even further in following albums. The guitar work on this album is the REAL MVP here; it is forward, clear, and audible, but still manages to be as distorted and as imperfect as one would expect from a garage rock album. I would listen to this album again just for that guitar.

Musically, this album was interesting. It had some very progressive beats that all work really well together from an album perspective. I wasn't particularly captivated by the lyrics. I may be hearing this album a bit too late, though, because I feel like progressive rap artists like Kendrick Lamar have eclipsed Kanye in this realm, without being overly egotistical. Sidenote: The line in "So Appalled" dissing Donald Trump sure didn't age too well for Kanye.

I had never heard of this band, and I was surprised to find that I really dug this album! If I had to describe it, I would say it's like an easy listening, folky new wave. In other words, it has that new wave strangeness about it, but a lot of the heaviness of new wave is tenderized with that folk sound. One thing that can happen with folky music is that everything can sort of blend into one mess of sound, but I did not feel like that was the case here; each song stood on its own and had its own unique presence. Bob Dylan seems to have been a huge influence for Lloyd Cole, and considering I am not a fan of Dylan, I was very pleased to find that Cole and the band found a way to take that inspiration and create something fresh with it. I've seen some debate about whether or not this album deserves to be on this list. Maybe, maybe not -- I can see arguments for both. But either way, I really enjoyed it, and I'm going to let my rating reflect that.

The music in this left something to be desired for me, but the poetic lyrics were spot on; I definitely felt like this album succeeded in making strong political commentary. That said, I think this project has ultimately taught me that I'm not a big fan of classic hip-hop and rap, because I tend not to be too crazy about any albums that fit into that bucket. No doubt this album is impactful and important, though!

I'm a huge Alice Cooper fan, so I know this album well enough, but I imagine it might surprise or confuse more casual or new listeners. Alice is most known for his shock rock persona. The title song would become by far the most popular song off of this album, and one of Alice's all time biggest hits. While School's Out (the song) is not entirely shock rock, it's probably the closest example to that on this album. That said, this album came at a time when Alice Cooper and his band were still experimenting with their sound and deciding where exactly they intended to land. (It wouldn't be until Alice's next album, Billion Dollar Babies, that they would really cement that shock rock sound that he's so known for.) This album is an example of the band's exploration prior to breaking fully into shock rock. Alice Cooper would continue experimenting throughout much of his career, but most of that exploration would still be centered around shock rock. What you have here is an intentionally bizarre, not-quite-shock-rock, progressive hard rock album that is most certainly also a concept album (it was never declared to be so, but the songs certainly have an overarching theme) with qualities not unlike a musical. While this album is not yet manifested fully into shock rock, you can hear the hints of it; the album is fairly campy and odd. It has an almost dark cabaret/burlesque quality to it mixed in with glam rock and hard rock, a combination that could maybe even be considered proto-shock rock, thereby making it an important stepping stone in what Alice Cooper would become. While this is not my favorite Alice album, it is no doubt an incredibly important piece in the story of shock rock. This particular album lands at about a 3.5 for me, but I have no problems bumping it to a 4.

This was a unique album; haven't heard anything else like this on the project thus far! That said, this album was interesting from a music study standpoint, but I didn't really enjoy the music itself, aside from Once in a Lifetime. I definitely know and like a lot of Talking Heads' biggest hits, so maybe their other stuff just isn't for me?

This album really slaps. I was familiar with a couple of Justice songs and remixes (if you do not know the Justice remix for MGMT's Electric Feel, do yourself a huge favor and listen). This album has shown me that Justice definitely has a signature sound, and I am here for it. The music here is edgy, dark, and dramatic -- just the way I like it. As the duo has noted before, their music is derived from disco, distorted, and made electronic. This may be why I like it so much. Either way, I am able to hear some of those disco roots when I really listen. The heavy use of organ makes things seem very operatic at times, too. Regardless, this album is just full of energy and is incredibly danceable. Good, modern EDM was harder to come by in 2007 (when this album was released), so I have no doubt that this album has been among a privileged few albums that have set the tone and stage for EDM music today. I would also go as far as to say that this album, now 15 years old, is still better and more unique than so much EDM that is released today.

One thing I certainly appreciate about Tom Waits is that everything he creates sounds touched by darkness and maybe a bit of dirtiness and seediness. I make this point regardless of his voice -- his voice just adds to this! This genre continues to not really be a favorite of mine, though. I think I like Waits in a bit of a more experimental environment, but that's just me. 2.5 rounded to 3.

This may very well be the best representation of 'noise rock' that we have had on this project thus far; it very often seemed to be exactly that: noise. There were moments where I liked this, but the noise factor got old pretty quickly. I didn't even mind that the singer was kind of incoherent in that quintessential 90s alternative way; the problem was that it was SO mumbly that the music was drowning it out, anyway. And when he wasn't mumbly, he was discordant and unappealing. Overall, an interesting precursor to what would become 90s alternative rock, but I was pretty indifferent on this album. Saving the worst for last, special shout out to "Don't", the most noisy and awful song on the album. I almost gave the album a 1 for this song alone.

This album fits perfectly in with the best of post-punk that was coming along in the late 80s...it's dark, it's a bit mopey, and in that musical sweet spot that draws in goths. Also, when comparing to other post-punk acts, this album was really very inoffensive and easy to listen to. These guys are far less gimmicky than other bands in this style. This album has a very cool atmosphere about it that I don't really have words for. Compared to other post punk acts, this band is not nearly as well known or celebrated, but they should be. I think I'd put this at a 3.5, so I will go ahead and round up.

I found this to be spacey and unique! It was just exciting enough while being chill, just experimental enough while being familiar. It didn't grab me fully, but I was intrigued. I felt like the album had a very cohesive idea around it, musically; everything fit together well. Again, I won't debate whether or not this really needs to be on 1001, but I'm glad for the opportunity to check it out! I'd rate this somewhere above a 2.5, so might as well bump it up and call it good.

I wasn't familiar with The Roots' music, although I've always been impressed by their musicality on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. I was eager to hear how they sounded in their own element. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised by how diverse the album was. The rapping on this album is also very diverse. It is not always rough around the edges; these guys have voices that can sound as smooth as butter when rapping, when they want to go for that sound. There are some excellent harmonies in here, too! Ultimately, I found myself respecting their music style, but it really just didn't strongly resonate with me. I'm really just not that into rap, and this project continues to reinforce that.

Laura Nyro was completely new to me, name and all. If you told me that Tori Amos derived her influence from Nyro, I would believe it. As a Tori Amos fan, I saw a lot of striking similarities here. While Nyro is decidedly jazzier, she has this eclectic piano pop singer songwriter quality about her. You can tell that she views her singing as an art form. She allows her singing quality to carry the emotions of various musical and lyrical phrases. Even when she’s singing more “dirty” or wailing or dissonant, there is no doubting her conviction or commitment. This was an interesting and unique experience, and aside from Tori Amos, I know this woman must have paved the way for so many eclectic singer songwriters of today. It was wild and educational to hear someone doing this style back in the 1960s!

I kind of liked this? Maybe? It was pretty easy to listen to, and I enjoyed many of the indie and experimental pop sounds on this album. However, I will say in some places it seemed a little repetitive and boring. While the music could get repetitive, I felt like there were a lot of musically intriguing things to hear throughout the album. Ultimately this album wasn't a huge winner with me, but I can appreciate that Stereolab was experimenting with this kind of music back in 1996, at least a decade before this sound really took off in the USA.

I like a lot of music from this era. And I’m not sure what it is, but Buddy Holly has always been at the peak of that for me; I’m not sure what it is, but during a time when most music roughly sounded the same, Buddy Holly somehow always sounded a little bit different. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this album. I found the whole thing to just be fun, including the non-hits on the album. Buddy’s inclusion on this project is the right choice in my opinion. Few artists have made the impact he did in such a short career span. It’s really an unfortunate crime that we didn’t get decades more music from Buddy Holly.

I still remember being a pre-teen and discovering my first Offspring song. I felt like I had reached the pinnacle of rebellion. Time has obviously reshaped that opinion, but into college and and even now, I still find this music incredibly fun to listen to. It's fast, energetic, and the riffs are just downright catchy. There is something about this band's somewhat dissonant harmonies and wailing that grabs you in, too. At times, The Offspring can border on thrashing ska music, which is my least favorite Offspring "form", but at their best, I feel like The Offspring is a top tier artist in the pop punk/skate punk genres, with many well known songs. Many of said songs are off of this album, so my opinion that this album is among the best of their offerings is likely not controversial. I never knew this album was released by an independent label, but it does not surprise me that it is the best selling album from an independent label of all time.

This was a really intriguing album! I would say that the over-arching musical genres of this album are folk, rock, pop, and a bit of singer songwriter, but it is hard to reduce the album to that. Harry Nilsson is clearly very open to trying things, as there is a lot of musical diversity, creativity, and genre hopping going on here. I would say he's experimental in his own right, just not experimental in the same way someone like Pink Floyd might be. Practically everyone knows "Coconut", and may just not know it's Harry Nilsson. Well, the rest of the stuff on this album is just as entertaining, unique, and at times, just as quirky. This album was just incredibly fresh and pleasant to listen to when compared to music of the times, but all while still being very easy to listen to and accessible.

I mean...meh? It was okay, and certainly listenable! But it was pretty forgettable to me. Nothing really stood out. This fell somewhere between a 2 and 3 for me, but I don't feel inspired enough by its attempt to go for a 3.

I've been waiting for some Santana! This album is exceptional. There is a lot of great psychedelic guitar work on here, as expected of the times, but it is of course mixed with that signature Santana latin flair. Further, there's some other great world music and even jazz sounds across this album. As if latin music wasn't already cool, Santana makes it ice cold here. "Hope You're Feeling Better" was a new-to-me Santana song that I am surprised is not a bigger hit. Like "Black Magic Woman", it is a good encapsulation of the psychedelic style of the time combined with latin sounds. Simply put, this album was a great, fun, engaging listen.

So, my first thought upon finishing this album was "I really didn't like this as much as Born in the USA", and while it's unfair to compare the albums when rating this specific one, I couldn't help that thought. If "Born in the USA" is an 'uplifting' heartland rock album (which many people find it to be), this one is a little bit darker and more downcast. Bruce's voice is particularly unappealing on this album. That said, I would say this is fairly raw and gritty, so maybe I'm deriving some correlation there. This album was fine, but definitely not groundbreaking for me.

I have long associated this music with "space age". This science fiction vibes of this album have always resonated with me and while I know this album didn't pioneer that sound, it certainly perfects it. I have enjoyed imagining over the years that this is the album that aliens would be listening to if they were interested in Earth music, and not just because of the album name, either. This commentary brought to you by someone who is actually not under the influence of psychedelics, believe it or not. Like most Pink Floyds, this is a total concept album that is built to be experienced from beginning to end. It tells a specific story, has a very specific flow, with timeless songs and overtures. Every song is otherworldly and soaring. It is so easy to think of this album as one giant continuous experience piece, because it very clearly is intended to flow that way. The heartbeat opening and closing tracks just tie things together even more nicely. This album, simply put, is just an experience that really should be heard. This album is about a 4 for me, and a definite 5 for relevance to the project.

This was an incredibly modern and powerful take on the current landscape that Black people face. The lyrics are thought-provoking, and the music is fresh and diverse, spanning across multiple genres and setting a high bar for what those genres can sound like in the 21st Century. The spoken interludes are incredibly empowering and poetic, as well. While this type of music might not typically be my cup of tea, I found myself in constant intrigue over this album.

I barely enjoyed this. This is mostly just mumbling, rambling, noise. Even the experimentation just sounded like they let some wild animals slam on instruments for a bit. I can get a little bit down with noise rock, which is why I guess this isn't coming in at an absolute 1. But I really don't have much good to say about this. Another strike for me with the proto-punk genre. We get it, these bands helped establish punk...but it was not very good. We don't need this many examples.

I discovered Alice in Chains in my teenage years, during my grunge craze. They were easily one of my favorite discoveries to come out of that phase, and this album is a big reason as to why. This is grunge that maintains a metal edge, and Alice in Chains are masters at making it work. This album starts with a bang with "Them Bones", and in my opinion, does not let up. Every track is a dirty headbanger. Even the slower tracks have capturing, gritty guitar and substantial vocals and harmonies. Rooster has one of the greatest musical build-ups of all time with some of the band's most prime instrumental and vocal oddities. It's irresistible. Overall, the band deploys a lot of other unique vocal and instrumental tricks and styles that I don't have the musical knowledge to describe, but it creates a very specific Alice in Chains signature style, and that signature is in its prime and peak on this album. Suffice to say, I never have to wonder or guess who I'm hearing when Alice in Chains comes on. I wouldn't say this is a perfect 5 for me, but it's such a high 4 that I just may as well round up at this point.

This album really IS super fly. The funk and soul display on here is top notch. It's simultaneously smooth-as-butter easy listening while also maintaining a certain musical excitement about it. Curtis Mayfield's voice here is euphoric, overlaid in such a blissful way on top of the already masterfully funky music. There are so many layers to the music; it's overwhelming in a good way. Listening closely is a rewarding experience here because you pick up on different musical layers each time, all of which are part of an amazing total package. The fact that Curtis Mayfield wrote and composed ALL of this himself is an impressive feat rarely seen in today's music. Really, this album was just a nice surprise and easily the best funk/soul album I've heard on this project to date.

I wouldn't call Taylor Swift's albums "concept" albums, but many of her albums in recent years have definitely been what I would call aesthetic albums. She presents a specific aesthetic and dedicates to it. Historically, they've also been incredibly distinct, separate aesthetics, divided by time. Here, it's the opposite with her quick release succession of folklore and evermore. They're closely related, and yet not the same. To try to describe it: if folklore was an album about spring and summer, evermore would be an album about fall and winter. If folklore was an album about specific fairy tales told surrounded by clear skies, evermore is an album about experimental storytelling on a grey day at dusk. Ultimately, evermore is a little more mysterious and a little darker than her sister. evermore is a product of a specific time, as well. It speaks to a longing for soft folky music and flannel shirts and gentle campfires -- cozy things that people were looking to embrace during the times of COVID-19. I like a few songs by themselves on this album, but I find myself gravitating to the entire mood of the album. I realize that Taylor Swift is not for everyone, and her seemingly generic dreamy indie pop phase on display here may be even more polarizing. But one reason why I think her presence on this project is relevant is because Taylor Swift excels at establishing atmosphere, and this album is among her finest atmospheres. She has a poetic songwriting style that, in my opinion, shines brighter in this particular atmosphere. In the current decade, few artists are as dedicated to world-building in their music as she is.

I can't really fully explain why, but QotSA have always kind of done it for me. I love the edgy, unique instrumentals combined with the kind of lazy, soaring drawl of the vocals. Hypnotic musical qualities permeate throughout with a fair amount of dirty post-grunge metal sound. What results is some kind of weird rock sound that is just slightly off kilter from the rest of what rock has. Nearly every track hits the mark here. This is another example of a band that tuned into their sound early in their careers; QotSA continues to push this sound in their music and highly succeed with it. They continue to be fairly unique, as well; this music was alternative when it came out, and it is still alternative by today's standard, never quite getting absorbed by mainstream rock sound. This album is also incredibly impressive when you further consider that only two band members put this together, one member playing drums and the other playing every other instrument and singing.

When a live album pops up on this project, I get extra critical. I think a live album needs to pack a special punch to make it onto this project, otherwise why include it at all? You're not really able to tell that this is a live album, aside from the occasional clapping at the end of tracks. It's great that they perform so well live, but without the concert energy, again, I'm not sure what the significance of a live album inclusion is; this may as well be a greatest hits album. But on the other hand, I can't deny that this album is just a complete and total rock fest from start to finish. While it is certainly gratuitous, it is pretty impressive to hear Deep Purple just lose it on these instruments with expert musicianship and improvisation. However, without the concert energy context, the gratuitous instrumental nature does start to get a little boring after minutes and minutes of sitting and listening to it happening in multiple songs; sometimes it even slows down to a droning crawl. Overall, the whole thing does leave me a bit jealous that I couldn't be at this concert/series of concerts in order to see what it was like in person.

This was enjoyable enough, and it was incredibly ethereal and ambient. But it may have been too much so, as it just didn't do much for me. I didn't feel like anything stood out; it was just background music for me. Again, this wasn't bad. I wouldn't really seek this out again, nor did this inspire much commentary, nor do I feel like it really adds much to this project, so I'm ultimately feeling pretty indifferent while rating this.

I felt like the electronic aspects of this album were cleverly subdued and underplayed, and I really enjoyed how it was presented. I definitely heard Daft Punk elements in this, as well, which is probably no coincidence considering both groups are French duos. Unlike the last "dream pop" album I heard on this project, this album managed to stay super interesting by having a lot of dynamic tones and bizarre sounds across the tracks -- ultimately, I like it when my dream pop comes with some obscure stuff to break up the ambient monotony, and this album did just that. This was dream pop, but the dream is your life in the form of an artsy and slightly trippy French film. Very chill, very ambient, very classy, but also very uniquely cool and intriguing.

I really love the just out of punk/just entering post-punk sound of this album, combined with the touches of grunge, surf rock, and other alt rock genres. Speaking of, you can especially hear the beginnings of 90s alternative sounds here. While this band has plenty of alternative content, this particular album, released in 1989, is so apparently influential, firmly lays the soundscape for so many phenomenal 90s alt bands to come, across many different 90s alternative sub-genres. This album is a noise rock album as well, so it bears mentioning that it is a very tolerable amount of noise and that label is not being used here to avoid actually making something cohesive and melodic. At 38 minutes, this album seemed to just fly by, and each song being great only made it go by faster. This album has some of my favorite Pixies songs, including "Debaser", "Here Comes Your Man", and "Monkey Gone To Heaven". But really, I'm not disappointed with a single song on this album.

So, I can definitely hear in this album how Kanye's style was unique and part of the reshaping of hip-hop music during this timeframe. And with his debut album, he came out of the gate with innovations in the genre. But musically, I really just wasn't that interested in this.

As someone who is fairly ignorant on The Monkees except for a few songs here and there, I was interested to give this a listen. I wouldn't say it blew me away, but it was a fun, happy, easy listen. On this album, the band being influenced by The Beatles is apparent, but what I love is that they're more approachable than The Beatles. Though somewhat a product of the 60s, I really appreciate how concise and straightforward the songs on this album are. They're full of heart and "Randy Scouse Git" is my favorite Monkees song, and it was welcomed to hear this banger as the album closer. It just jolts you out of the comfort of the rest of the album and gets you moving and jamming. In mentioning what seems to be inspiration from The Beatles, it bears mentioning that this is the song that most closely captures the "weird" and "random" side of The Beatles. Another new to me song that really stood out was "You May Just Be the One". I loved the cadence of the song and the harmony going on.

"Industrial" or even "alternative" hip-hop are definitely excellent genre subcategories to describe this album. I have definitely not heard too much hip hop like this. The message here was worthwhile, but I just...didn't care that much about the music. Not mad about having to listen to this, but just not really my thing.

While this album was very 90s alternative through and through (something that I usually love), it was kind of boring. I felt like I was hearing a lot of pretty generic alternative sounds, and nothing stood out. This certainly doesn't top, add to, nor enhance the work of the Pixies...which, I guess it doesn't HAVE to, but I just kind of expect something special when a band member goes solo and makes it onto this project. Not bad, but nothing really to talk about.

I actually really liked Avalanche, the album opener, so I was kind of wondering if I would be more into this album, especially when compared to other Cohen albums I've heard from this project. But as things progressed, I kind of lost interest. It was okay, but I ultimately just don't think Leonard Cohen is much for me. His impact and place on this project is certainly undeniable, though.

Upon hearing AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, I wasn't incredibly impressed, as I felt like Ice Cube was still leaning very heavily on his N.W.A. association in his debut solo album. That said, this third solo album, is Ice Cube in high form. Ice Cube sounds brutal and gangster as hell here, and any corny aspects of late 80s and early 90s rap have been stripped clean here. It's very apparent on this album how he successfully made a name for himself. I certainly found myself enjoying this a lot more than AmeriKKKa. Still, it's early 90s gangsta rap, so the misogyny is of course still rampant, though decidedly less so than in previous Ice Cube/NWA releases. One thing is clear after three total NWA and Ice Cube albums: they were loud and unapologetic about the injustices facing Black communities, and that never gets old.

This was an easy listen, as other Bruce Springsteen albums on this project have been. I can see where the promise of some good old fashioned heartland rock from The Boss would be one of the things to bring the United States together after the tragedy of 9/11. Ultimately, Bruce does a great job on this album with sticking to his heartland rock roots but pulling everything into the modern era; the 2000s adult contemporary rock sound is alive and well on this album.

While I'm vaguely familiar with The Byrds (and liked the album by them that I heard on this project), I wasn't really familiar with Gene Clark as a person, let alone his solo music. Wow! This album was a pleasant surprise. I would go as far as to say that I was truly amazed by it. Every song was well crafted, lyrically and musically -- not a single dud on the album. Like many have noted, it has aspects of Neil Young to it, but still manages to stand uniquely on its own. It's truly baffling that this album was ever poorly received, but I'm glad that it has since been reassessed and given its proper dues. I'm definitely glad to have stumbled into this hidden gem.

I was surprised at just how jazzy-funky this album was! It's interesting to consider how unique this still sounds in 2023; I can only imagine the uniqueness of it back in 1994! I'm no Beastie Boys expert, but this album seems even a little out of the norm for them. I am more of a Beastie Boys singles kind of appreciator, but while this album was not entirely my thing, I was definitely captivated by the all around uniqueness of it. Definitely a worthy entry on this list!

Thanks, algorithm, for delivering this to me on Christmas Eve Eve! I’m definitely more likely to give it a fair shake during the actual season. I wasn’t familiar with this album as a whole, but when it got to going, I was surprised at how many of these individual renditions I knew. So many of these versions are absolutely iconic and permeate the holiday season. I had not heard of the “wall of sound” before, either, but after reading about it, I recognize this effect — it is certainly an iconic one! I love Christmas music, and I typically have a type that I gravitate towards — this album is not that typical type. But hearing all of this together on this album is most certainly like a warm holiday hug, and I loved every minute of it.

This marks the first David Bowie album I've received on this project, and I know there are many. This was a good first one to get, as I believe this is the oldest Bowie album on the project, and certainly the album that showed the first sign of the sensation and character that he would become. I have always associated Bowie with glam and art rock/pop, but on this album, in the songs I was unfamiliar with, I heard surprising Beatles and Dylan influences. While "Changes" is an amazing Bowie song, I didn't love this album. That said, I was glad to listen to it!

Again, I'm just not that huge of a blues fan, so a lot of this is lost on me! That said, the album was very engaging and had great "live" energy; there was good interaction going on, and it was evident that Muddy Waters and the crowd were feeding off of each other. Also, it was super obvious how in 1960, this sound that Muddy Waters is excelling at would become a base for many rock acts moving into the coming decades. While the album didn't particularly hit me, I thought it was an easy listen!

I really just don't think I care for early 1990s gangsta rap. It's important and it's worth including on this project, but I just continue to not be that into it. That said, this album was more palatable to me personally than most of the early 90s gangsta rap I've received thus far. Speaking of the gangsta rap albums I've been given on this project, this album, like the others, contains a lot of important social commentary but also a lot of overt misogyny. Really, this album seemed a little bulky as well and could have benefitted from some trimming. Body Count was a nice surprise on the album! I actually think I would be able to get behind an Ice T punk album. I liked how the song was prefaced by an interview in which Ice T made it clear that he does what he wants; hearing him speak about skirting expectations and then doing it was outstanding. Overall, I think I'd give this album a 2.5-ish. Body Count almost makes it a 3 for me.

What an intriguing, ambient listen! The synth work on this album is truly outstanding. Some bands were already playing with synth sounds by this time, but this album has such a prominence to it; there is no doubt in my mind that this fed into and influenced the heavy synth movements of the 1980s. Even by today's standards in a musical world that has renewed interest in synth pop, this stands out. As someone who enjoys the type of new age music that became popular in the 90s and 2000s, I also hear what I can only assume are early developments of that sound in this album. Again, no doubt that many new age artists took their cues from this! Last, there was a very obvious space age sound to this. This is maybe the most unsurprising thing about the album, as artists in the 70s seemed to treat synth and space as synonymous. Still, this feels ahead of its time in that category too -- think bordering on space age synth from movies like Tron. Part 4 was the obvious powerhouse of the album, both relaxing and incredibly engaging, but the entire album was captivating and entertaining.

The album had an excellent flow; it felt continuous and like one combined, cohesive experience. This is not my first sampledelia type album on this project, though, so if I'm being honest, I just don't think I'm particularly into sampledelia from a musical perspective. Technically, it is impressive, and it wasn't even bad to listen to, but I just wasn't really grabbed by this.

Bowie called this album his take on "rock and roll in America", and I feel like he more or less nailed that, for better or worse. The use of the Aladdin Sane/A Lad Insane persona was perfectly fit for this era. While I can't pinpoint why, this album just sounds very much like what was going on in the rock and roll scene during the early 70s in America, but still with that iconic David Bowie twist. The album is fine, but lacks any great songs or singles to glue the album together; everything is just kind of "okay". The song "The Jean Genie" was probably my favorite on the album, but still not really all that standout...I did enjoy how it tied back to the album title theme, though. "Lady Grinning Soul", the closing track, sounded the most glam to me, and the most like David Bowie as I know and appreciate him. I couldn't help but wonder if this was on purpose. What really shines about this album is the cover art: this Bowie look is absolutely iconic, and may be the look that is most associated with him, even still today. This look alone eclipses anything musical that came out of this album. While "Hunky Dory" didn't blow me away, I liked it better than this album. If "Hunky Dory" was a 3.5 for me, "Aladdin Sane" would be around a 3.

This was my first experience listening to a Grateful Dead album! I have somehow always been able to unintentionally avoid them over the course of time. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this, really, but it was okay! The tight harmonies on this album are certainly reminiscent and likely inspired by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, but in comparing the two, I didn't quite love the music as much as I typically do CSNY. I think this album probably focuses more on fusing folk and country/bluegrass. Really, this album sound felt more like a mash-up of CSNY and Bob Dylan, which is maybe why I like it a little bit less than just pure CSNY. That said, this album was nothing to frown at -- I ultimately enjoyed listening to it. As a first time Grateful Dead listener, I think my favorite song on the album was probably Sugar Magnolia!

I found this to be an odd inclusion. It wasn't bad at all, but as far as 90s R&B goes, there were probably soooo many better options that could have been included in place of this album. Ultimately, this was very smooth, but also very boring. It just faded into the background for me.

The opening track, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" was tolerable, but not great. There were some interesting melodies and sounds throughout the song, and the ending of the track hit with a surprising, completely discordant piano. This general theme would prevail throughout the entirety of the album. I remember this album from a few years after it came out. It was regarded as a prime example of indie pop and was heralded in the community. It probably did sound new and fresh at the time, but in the 20+ years since, this sound has been done and done and it leaves this album feeling pretty unoriginal and boring, despite its interesting occasional soundscapes. Songs like "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "I'm the Man Who Loves You" give the album a more exciting, engaging sound, but these tracks are unfortunately drowned out by more sleepy-sounding indie on the remainder of the album. Essentially, the sound on this album has been done and improved on since this album's release in 2001, leaving this album feeling a bit irrelevant. Though, I suppose the relevance is in their pioneering of this sound. But as previously stated in other reviews I have done, the pioneers of a certain sound are sometimes the cannon fodder; they bring the idea to the table, but someone else makes it better. And that's exactly the case here: while this album may be a significant milestone for indie pop, there are just better examples of 2000s indie pop out there. This album would probably be a 2.75 for me, if I could split hairs, so may as well just make it a weak 3.

I only knew the song "Take Me Out" from this album, which is of course absolutely iconic and has a life all its own. But I was pleased to hear that the rest of the album carries the same spirit. "Take Me Out" is still the star of the show, but the energy and sound of the other tracks really are good on their own, and the album as a whole has a cohesive, enjoyable sound. This album is rife with sounds of post-punk goodness; while punk pop bands were keeping people occupied in the current state of affairs of 2004, Franz Ferdinand was paving the way with this freshman album, setting the stage for other bands that would become popular in the years to come. Not only did Franz Ferdinand take part in pioneering this sound, but they ALSO excelled at it on this album, and it's easy to see where they'd be a major influence for other post-punk acts to follow, such as Panic at the Disco. The sound, lyrics, and delivery is just so fresh, energetic, and fun here. Again, having really only had exposure to "Take Me Out" for all these years, I was expecting the rest of this album to fizzle out. I was glad to be proven wrong by an album that, in my opinion, had steady stamina from beginning to end and clearly knew what it was trying to achieve!

I remember when this album came out, and hearing little snippets of it here and there from friends and people in the neighborhood, and realizing how different it sounded compared to rap and hip-hop that had led up to this point. For a kid who doesn't even like hip-hop very much to note and retain that information is pretty telling. And as an adult who is experiencing this album for the first time, I believe it holds true, still: with this album, in a new millennium, OutKast changed the face of rap and hip-hop music. OutKast found a winning formula with the way they mixed funk and other experimental sounds into their smart, witty lyrics and hip-hop sound. No track on this album is straightforward or predictable; everything here sounds fresh and a bit off-kilter, while still remaining incredibly accessible. The soundscape that OutKast created here would become a staple for other Black artists going into the 2000s. Songs like "So Fresh, So Clean" and "Ms. Jackson" lead a great charge on this album, but there are plenty of other songs on here that could and should have been just as popular ("B.O.B." and "We Luv Deez Hoez" to name a couple). I have commented a lot on how the 90s rap on this project is dated, if for no other reason than the misogynistic way that rappers talk about women. OutKast flipped the table on this and rather than capitalizing on the mistreatment of women, addressed misogyny as an injustice. Again, I am not a rap or hip-hop expert, but I believe this album is one of the best and most influential hip-hop albums to be released in our lifetimes.

This album is undeniably influential for so many reasons. It still remains one of the top selling debut albums of all time. It ushered in a new era of rock music by leaning into "bigger" sounds and absolutely excelled at doing so. It produced three top hits that are firmly cemented in classic rock fame that are still regarded as iconic today and ALL of the other songs on the album have received radio play on classic rock radio and are all staples of the genre. Every track has an epic, big feel to it. Vocals and instruments both soar in every song, complete with impeccable production. This music was meant to be played in big concerts and arenas; the album recording does a better job of conveying that grandiose "live" vibe than so many live recordings which are trying to achieve similar vibes. Are sooo many of these songs overplayed, thanks to the radio? Yes. Is a part of me tired of them, even a little bit, from years and years of over-exposure? Yes. Are these all still incredible, certified classic rock bangers that have influenced the face of rock as we know it today? Also yes. Really, I can't find a single thing wrong with this album. This album wrote the book on the concept of "not a single skip on this album". As far as classic rock is concerned, this album is among the best of the best. It is undoubtedly essential listening.

I had never heard of Sarah Vaughan, but I was happy to get the chance to learn a bit about her and check out her music! This live album was easy to listen to and pleasant, but again like many albums on this project, it lacked a real "spark" that I look for in live albums. Despite the lack of live energy, I did feel like the performance had a very intimate energy that the recording captured well. And again, jazz isn't really my favorite genre, so I didn't care about this as much as others might. That said, her voice was beyond smooth and made this a fun listening experience in a genre I typically don't care much about.

Honestly, this album just really wasn't my jam. I appreciated some of Solange's vocal stylings here, as well as the funk aspects that lingered in this album with the soul, but really, nearly everything about this album just faded to the background. I was bored with it. I want to stress that there were some good, overt messages in here, though. The album title alone clearly communicates what this album is going to be about: addressing black prejudices and injustices. And the album approaches the topic quite palatably. Particularly, I appreciated the very easy to grasp message behind the interlude "Tina Taught Me", followed by "Don't Touch My Hair". But the point remains: for me, the message was good, but the music was boring.

This was an incredibly fun, exciting, over-the-top, campy, dramatic album. Every song reaches heights with its own soaring level of epicness. It's one of those albums where the songs already seem like they're at 100%, and then all of a sudden the ending or outro takes off to 200%. Again, over-the-top is the word here. One thing is for sure: no song here can really be considered "dull". Really, the cohesiveness of this album makes it feel like a rock opera, and thanks to Jim Steinman's contributions here, if you didn't know better, you might could believe this to be an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, as well. Parts of this album definitely sound Springsteen-esque as well, if Springsteen took himself less seriously. Some new information for me was that this album was produced by Todd Rundgren. Ultimately, this isn't particularly relevant information, but as someone who appreciates Rundgren's music, I'm even more appreciative knowing that he helped make this album happen.

Honestly, I love this album. So many of The Doors best songs are right here on this outstanding debut album, and they are culturally known and significant songs, at that. I am not a huge psychedelic rock fan, but I have always loved The Doors' take on it. Furthermore, they mix a lot of blues into their psychedelic rock, too, which is another thing I don't typically like, but I find it works well here. This is psychedelia at its best, and every song has its own weird quirkiness to it. In my opinion, when you hear a Doors song, you just know it is them -- they immediately made a significant mark on music that has lasted over the years.

I just got done reviewing The Doors, describing it as the type of psychedelic I DO like. Well, this is the side of psychedelic I could honestly do without. Was this listenable? Yes. Was it remarkable? Hard no. Also, I'm not positive on this, but it seemed like it was intended to be somewhat of a parody album. Maybe I just get that feeling due to how ridiculously zany and manic it was.

Getting through this was not impossible, but it was definitely a chore. Everything about it felt overblown and self-indulgent. It was all over the place, and not really in a good way. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but I did not dig this at all. I am surprised how annoying I found this album to be.

I had never heard of Neneh Cherry, and honestly, that's a shame! I feel like she could have existed among the best of 80s R&B and pop. I can't imagine a better year for this album to come out than 1989, because it sounds like a complete sound mashup of the entire 80s decade with tidbits from every 80s genre that you can imagine. It was eclectic in the best way possible. The lyrics on this album were very clever and fun, as well. Buffalo Stance is officially going in my "guilty pleasures" bucket, because despite the utter 80s cheesiness of it all, I couldn't stop enjoying it. Not every song was as much of a win for me, but I honestly didn't hear any songs that I didn't at least baseline enjoy. This album was a nice surprise, and definitely a hidden gem for anyone who loves the sounds of the 80s.

This album was okay. While I generally like indie, and indie of this sort, it can sometimes kind of blend into one sort of grey "sound" -- unfortunately, this album did that, and it kept it from really standing out. That said, "No Cars Go" and "My Body is a Cage" are both superior indie songs of the 2000s and deserve recognition.

I wanted to like this more than I did, but I ultimately did not. I enjoyed the Latin flair in this, but I somehow just found myself not feeling too much about the music or the album. And part of this may just come from me not being that big of a fan of progressive rock. I'm just not sure where the disconnect here for me is, but it's somewhere between "this is interesting" and "I don't really care". That said, the lead singer's falsetto is outstanding, and it reminded me a lot of Coheed and Cambria as I listened to it. Despite this not really thrilling me, this is still very listenable.

Oh god. I saw this album come up and I knew I was in for it. I know a bit about Sufjan Stevens, but I mostly know about his song from this album, Casimir Pulaski Day, otherwise known as one of the saddest songs I have ever heard. That song struck me as profound the first time I ever heard it, and it has stuck with me for so many years through no attempts of my own. While not as sad, turns out much of the rest of the album is plenty melancholy, too. I guess that's indie folk for you. Still, this album is incredibly peaceful in parts, and without being boring; it comes with intriguing vocalizations and lyrics on Sufjan's part that make the whole thing fairly whimsical. Bizarre instrumentations also dance across the already strange sounds -- horns often stand out, which is a unique and odd decision. At times, this feels like listening to a classic poet, but in song form. The real rub for me here is that it drew on too long and started to get old.

This album had the makings of something good, hence the 'first heavy metal album' moniker. There are some interesting and downright outstanding riffs on this album, but I couldn't escape the feeling that this album really does feel kind of half-baked and not quite complete. But that can't really come as a surprise, since Black Sabbath was in the process of birthing an entirely new genre here. That said, this incompleteness is more deserving of a spot on this project than some other things that I have heard. And truly, Black Sabbath's self-titled album walked so Paranoid could run just a few months later.

This album really surprised me. There is SO much influence here not only for alternative metal bands of the 1990s, but even for nu-metal bands going into the 2000s. I could fill this review with band names, all of whom I guarantee were inspired by this band and album dating back to 1989. The album is full of booming guitar riffs and drums and funky bass lines and vocals. The album had an overall feel and "signature", but the individual tracks were diverse and unique. Being a band with such a diverse cast of characters with different musical histories, this makes total sense; I'm glad they used this to their advantage. Woodpecker from Mars, an instrumental on the album, really hit me and I listened and jammed to it multiple times. This song just SLAYS. I was leery about a cover of War Pigs, as well, but they really did it justice -- no complaints here! Really, I just appreciated the album way more than I was initially expecting. But as someone who enjoys 90s and 2000s alternative and nu-metal, it didn't end up being that surprising. I'm not sure if this is quite a 4, but I'm gonna give it to them anyway, because I really did enjoy this. Just a good listen for anyone who likes this genre.

This was a funny one. This is not the Supertramp sound I am used to, but I still found myself knowing a few of these songs, just without knowing that it was Supertramp. This was a decent album, but not a favorite. There were times when this felt a little Led Zeppelin, a little Pink Floyd, and even a little Electric Light Orchestra. But the album didn’t outdo or compare to any of the aforementioned bands. And that’s really probably why this album didn’t full take off for me: I kept comparing it to other bands and never found myself particularly impressed.

This album is definitely the birthplace of the Queen that everyone knows and loves. They're still not all the way to that "full Queen experience" point, but you can definitely hear the hints of what they would become, especially on the hit track "Killer Queen". I would say they're still playing around heavily with their sound at this point, though. Regardless, this album is definitely the jumping off point, soundwise, for their biggest and most well known songs. Speaking of the album's sound, it's really got a bit of everything: glam music and lyrics, those excellent Freddie vocal harmonies, and some slightly off kilter, fun vocalizations and instrumentations. There's a wide variety of music here, too, but it all sounds unapologetically like Queen. This isn't my favorite Queen album, but it's a great lead in to their iconic sound.

WHY is this album on here? I am sure there are albums more deserving of the slot occupied by this album. I don't normally quote Wikipedia in my reviews, but the article for this album notes it as "one of 2004's most critically acclaimed releases". Says who? I could hear some of the sounds of 2000s rock in here, specifically bands like A Perfect Circle, Chevelle, and such, which I like. But this band and album didn't hit the mark. That is to say, parts of this album were NEARLY tolerable, but this was definitely "noise rock" with an emphasis on "noise".

This funky, psychedelic offering from The Temptations was kind of interesting! I wasn't used to hearing them in quite this style. The album was certainly pleasant enough to listen to, but overall, I just wasn't that blown away by it. This probably comes in at a high 2.-something, so 3 it is!

Another album where I have to question its place on here. It does sound like a lot of things that were yet to come at this point in music history. For instance, parts of this album do a good job sounding like 2000s pop punk in both instrumentation and lyrics. Other parts sound like early 90s alternative, not unlike Stone Temple Pilots, Barenaked Ladies, or even Hootie & the Blowfish. I could see where some inspirations for these sounds may have been derived from this album. Other parts of this album just sound like a generally washed up attempt at punk, though. It was another that was okay and mostly listenable. But overall, it feels pretty unremarkable, and the longer it went on, the less patience I had for it. It just didn't need to be a double album. This is another 2.-something that I just don't feel like warrants a rounding up.

I feel like Stevie is known most for his soul and piano numbers, but his unapologetic funkiness is what really shines on this album, especially in the tracks "Maybe Your Baby", "Tuesday Heartbreak", and of course, the iconic, timeless "Superstition". Maybe Your Baby was new to me, and wow, it was SO incredibly funky. Everything about it drips with funk. I couldn't get enough. And what can I say about Superstition that hasn't been said by everyone over the years? There's a reason this is a quintessential funk song. I didn't realize that Superstition segued so perfectly into Big Brother, though; discovering things like that is a cool tidbit that I enjoy about this project! While I enjoyed the funk aspect the most, there is nothing to complain about the rest of the album, as it is balanced with smooth, pleasant soul music. Stevie makes EVERYTHING a pleasure to listen to on this album!

Man, "There She Goes" is such a great song, but the rest of the album does not live up to that song. Everything else paled in comparison. The rest of the album was just very bland.

The eccentricity of this album could have been something interesting. But it was more than that. Not only was this album eccentric, but it was absolutely grating, cloying, and irritating, if I'm being honest. This did nothing for me.

I have heard a lot about King Crimson over the years, but have never taken much of a dive into their music, so this was a good opportunity. The opening track moving slowly from a new age crystal meditation piece of sorts to an all-out guitar jam to a funky progressive "freestyling" on the guitar was absolutely a fun build and journey. That first track did become a bit of a slog, though; there were multiple times where I was thinking (and hoping that we had moved on to a new track). The problem with this "brand" of prog rock is that a lot of this never seems to go anywhere. It seems mostly freestyling in nature and lacks a lot of the cohesion and theme seen in other prog rockers' work...say, Pink Floyd or Rush, for instance. Both bands could jam and explore but it didn't typically feel aimless. This not only felt aimless at times, but also tedious and rather long-winded -- both on individual tracks and as an entire album. That said, this album has moments of instrumental intrigue that capture my attention. I can hear the interplay between typical rock instruments and other string or percussion type instruments, and find it fascinating!

Honestly, this album is the perfect intersection of post-punk, dream pop, gothic rock, and new wave; it does an outstanding job of being a shining example of all of these genres, all in one album (and oftentimes, these genres even intersect in individual songs). All of these genres were done to some extent by The Cure over the years, and this album is really a culmination and reflection of their involvement in all of them. Robert Smith's depression, which he hoped to convey in this album, is incredibly palpable, as the sound is very much dark, dreary, and cold all throughout. This album just has such a presence and a mood about it. Each song conveys that mood and the previously mentioned themes well, and the album as a whole cohesively enhances the experience. Even the song titles are aligned with this vision, each reading as melancholy in their own rights. This isn't an album I would want to listen to ALL of the time. But the artistry and darkness of it all is delicious and irresistible. The whole package is just very well executed.

This album was a lot, both in good ways and bad ways. It's definitely a maximalist sound, production, and collaboration. It had a spacey and ethereal feel all throughout, without seeming like kitschy space age or ethereal music. But at points, the songs sound like no less than about six different things being blended into one giant mess of a song. I really don't know what to think of this album. I think I probably just don't really get it and am having a hard time connecting with it. A lot of it just ended up coming off as noise to me.

Another artist that I had heard OF, but not actually HEARD. This album was beautifully sung and recorded, but ultimately a bit uninspiring for me. It was pleasant enough to listen to, but was just very middle-of-the-road. I will say, "Your Love is King" is an exception to that statement -- this song really struck me and I couldn't wait to go back and listen to it again. The album closer, "Why Can't We Live Together", also had its own very unique vibe and passion that resonated with me, leading me to look at it as a standout song from the album. Really, all of this was easy enough and unoffensive to listen to, just also not particularly remarkable. This is probably a 2.5+ for me, so rounding it up to 3.

I actually typically like ambient electronic new age-y music like this. The 90s wave of new age that was heavily influenced by Asian soundscapes (as this album is) is certainly a guilty pleasure. I'm sure that many of these Western new age bands have created with a somewhat intangible lack of respect for the Eastern source cultures that they are pulling from. But here's the thing. I was pretty turned off by the idea of this band using Asian iconography and then dubbing the album something like "Strange Cargo". It's benefitting from the use of Eastern cultures while also labeling said culture as "strange". And to me, that IS a tangible lack of respect. Regarding the music, I thought "Water From A Vine Leaf" and "Into the Paradise" were excellent beginners. I was hoping that the remainder of the album would have as strong of a sound. But as it turned out, the rest of the album seemed pretty anemic in comparison; there were brief moments of intrigue, but it just never quite piqued. Ultimately, I'm just not quite sure what this album's significance is. Again, if we are talking about the "ambient new age" wave of the 90s, then there were much better, more iconic representatives of this movement.

So my feelings on this album seem to be a recurring thing, as I read a lot of similar reviews. Yes, this album is interesting. To a North American, it even seems novel and exotic. But that's the thing: I don't feel like I have an appropriate scope or context to critique this album, or its significance on this project. Albums like this certainly deserves to be on the project, but whether or not this specific album is an appropriate or worthy inclusion, I can't say. I think a relative amount of the album is lost in cultural translation. To someone like me, this is thrown into a catch-all genre of "world", which is essentially saying "everything that isn't western music". To the people of Africa or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this is NOT something as simple or impersonal as "world" music. And maybe this is a bigger conversation, but I think music like this should be reflected with a more appropriate, specific, and culturally accurate genre than "world", especially in the context of this project where we are critiquing albums. MAYBE then, people like me would be even somewhat more in a place to be commenting on this type of music. All that said, I did enjoy what I heard. I guess just don't ask me to actually critique it, because I do not feel like I'm in any kind of position to do so.

This album exists somewhere between what I call "renaissance" folk, and then of course the pop/rock folk of that was pioneered in the 1960s and 1970s -- it straddles both worlds. Joan Baez was clearly one of such pioneers in the 60s/70s folk space, and I can appreciate that. But what can often come with this territory is a proto-sound that is great from neither perspective, in this case, a renaissance perspective OR a 60s/70s perspective, so I did find myself a little bit underwhelmed with that. But it wasn't bad to listen to. I just wasn't particularly into it or moved by it.

I really don't like most of Elvis' music. His voice grates on me, even in its early days. But I understand his impact, both from a genre perspective and a vocal perspective, and especially the impact of his debut album. So we're going to meet halfway here with a flat 3 and call it good.

Dusty has the voice of an angel on this debut solo album! She has such grit, range, drama, and vibrato. This album kind of straddles somewhere between 50s pop/soul and 60s pop/soul, which can both be hit or miss for me; it usually all comes down to the voice, and I absolute love Dusty's voice here. I recognize that this album is mostly covers, but I really do love Dusty's takes on each of the covers. And I think this album's merit on the project comes less from the songs themselves and more from Dusty's voice. During the early 60s, female-led pop/soul music was mostly still being dominated by girl groups, save for a few solo pioneers. Dusty was one such pioneer; she was no doubt setting a standard and a trend for women moving forward. Again, Dusty's voice just really resonated with me here and made every song enjoyable where it may have otherwise not been; I couldn't help but be inspired to go higher with my vote.

This is a classic example of indie rock, and no doubt a point of reference for so many indie artists going into the 2000s -- it sounds so much like many of the bands of that decade, but without sounding too depressing or morose. This was a pleasant, low-key listen that managed to stay true to the indie scene of the time without falling below the threshold into 'boring' territory. This is the kind of music that you expect to hear backing nice hipster indie movies, as well. That said, while I find music like this to be listenable and certainly even pleasant, it often doesn't leave too strong of a mark. This album wasn't an exception to that. Therefore: good, but not great.

Even though this was only the Smashing Pumpkins' second album, it immediately rings as the band in their prime and at their best. Billy Corgan's signature, unmistakable vocals are on point here; they are full of grunge and that iconic agony that only he could bring to a song. Each song sounds so uniquely and cohesively like the Smashing Pumpkins, yet each one stands out as individual hard-hitters. The instrumentation here does such a good job of elevating that grunge sound. You have certain points where the music sounds pained and tortured, and those points are also balanced with some very beautiful background string orchestration. The Smashing Pumpkins' use of that symphonic sound in grunge music is such a dichotomy, but it really just works. All around, the production here is just top notch. The album seems to end on a more obviously morose and sad note, but the lyrics, vocals, and instrumentations are not compromised here; it works quite well as a way to bring things to a close. This band is one of the most iconic grunge/alternative rock acts of the 90s, and so many of their songs are timeless examples of those genres. In fact, this album itself contains a few of those. Even among the lesser known songs on the album, there really isn't a skip to be found here. This album demonstrates why the Smashing Pumpkins are kings among the grunge and alt rock genres. There is no question in my mind as to whether or not this album should be on here. Aside from that, I just really loved every minute of this album.

If I had to rate this album with one word, it would be: "grating". I have actually known about and enjoyed Black Skinhead for quite a while now. But honestly, most of the rest of the album just didn't do it for me. The sounds are incredibly experimental, especially in the hip hop space, but I just didn't find myself particularly wowed. While I was intrigued and wanted to like it more, I just felt like I was being forced to listen to nails on a chalkboard. Not to mention, Kanye's obvious arrogance and ego pours over into his music and it just makes it really hard to look past them. Honestly, this album is probably the point where Kanye really started letting his ego show -- everything with Kanye is downhill from here. I can see why this album might be on the project for its heavy and experimental use of an industrial soundscape. But while it's an interesting experiment, it's still kind of a failed one, if you're asking me.

This entire album definitely made me think of Bob Dylan, but sooo much more tolerable. While Bob and Leonard have similar singing styles, and this album is also folk like Bob was putting out during the time, Leonard's somehow just seems more serious. Maybe it's the significant lack of harmonica and nasal voice, but the general sound here is more pleasant to my ear. If this album shows one thing, it's that Leonard Cohen's songwriting was a tour de force from this first album. He's telling folk stories with deep, passionate, masterful, and poetic lyrics. Also, Leonard wasn't as dark and gruff out of the gate, but you get that glimpse of that future dark lean nonetheless; there is a layer of melancholy across the album and his voice is not "velvety" by any means. Ultimately, The music and lyrics are just "chill" enough to invite you to slow down and listen more closely and to be actively engaged. Therein lies the Cohen darkness in its infancy. All in all, I liked this more than I though I would. It darkens the doorstep of a decade that was kind of known more for its happy counterculture music. While I'm not really what I would call a Leonard Cohen "fan", there is just something about his darkness that draws me in.

I have heard of the Wu Tang Clan, but have never heard their music, let alone the music of any of the individual members, so I was eager to dive in and give this a try. I was genuinely surprised by how easy this was to listen to. One thing that hit me about this album was the production quality; personally, based on my inexperienced hip hop ear, this genuinely sounds newer and more modern than 1994/95! Though I've not seen Shogun Assassin, I really did like how the snippets were incorporated into the album; they upped the dark, dramatic factor of the album overall.

One thing that struck me about this album was its futuristic lean. While this is a 70s punk album in the heart of the era, I definitely heard a 90s grunge lean, as well as even a 90s/2000s POST punk sound found in bands that were releasing (obviously) decades later. Coming in at 21 tracks, but only 35 minutes long, I feel like this album is only half baked; the album doesn't really seem complete. It seems like an album of ideas that weren't fully seen through. Then again, with many of the tracks clocking at around 1 minute or less, it's kind of interesting to hear something like punk rock be presented in such a minimal time frame. As a fan of 90s grunge and the other genres mentioned above, I had more of a disposition toward this album than I expected to. That said, the song length and incompleteness situation kept me from getting fully drawn in. I don't feel like the songs had enough time or substance to hook me. For me, this is more than a 2, but not quite a 3.

Apparently this is a Wu Tang week for me; first GZA, and now Raekwon. It is going to be hard for me not to compare, but I will do my best. As I understood it, this album was meant to play out like a film. I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but a lot of the background music and soundscape is what reminded me most of a movie. At times, what was going on in the background reminded me of film noir or even a Bond film. I can see where this album is regarded highly in the hip hop community. The style here is much more progressive and stands the test of time from a sound perspective than albums from other hip hop acts of the early 90s; this album sounds a lot like the kind of hip hop music that would become prominent into the 2000s. I didn't hate this, nut really, as someone who already has a very light, mostly non-existent relationship with hip hop music, this album was just too long and just not really my thing.

This was a pretty pleasant, but average listening experience. "Cinnamon Girl" and "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" make for great openers, but the rest of the album doesn't hold up to the same standard ("Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" BOTH could have been better if it were cut by a few minutes). Other than some nitpicks, I had no complaints about the album, really, but I wouldn't say that it really hit me or reached me in any meaningful way; it just made for very normal, middle-of-the-road listening. I will say, Neil's voice can sometimes get a bit hard to listen to, but it's in a pretty listenable form on this album, at least for me. Also notable is that Neil really sets a tone on this album for the next decade of folk and soft rock; this sounds akin to CSNY's work on Deja Vu, plus countless other soft and folk rockers of the 1970s. Neil Young definitely trailblazes with this sound. I want to give this more than a 3, but it's also not quite a 4. Probably a 3.5 if I could, but I'm going to round down.

The crowd's energy on this album is exactly what I look for when it comes to live albums included on this project. Blues isn't typically a genre of interest for me, but even I'm not fully immune to the voice of B.B. King, and his style of blues as heard on this album is very soulful and enjoyable. His own energy, interactions, and sheer power and emotion here all shine through, from raw gritty note to soaring high note. You can really tell that this man is feeling what he's singing, which again, is something that is so important to me in hearing these live album inclusions. This is one of those situations where I feel like attendees of this show must have witnessed something spectacular. The fact that even trace amounts of that come through on the album is amazing.

I enjoyed this well enough, but I didn't find it to be as engaging as the other Smiths album that I've reviewed as part of this project. While "The Queen is Dead" was mopey and felt pretty gothic in nature, this album just felt mopey. I did pick up on the subtle aspects of rockabilly on this album, too; fortunately those sounds were minimal, as I am most assuredly not a fan of that. Still, it had much of that 80s alt-rock and post-punk vibe and guitar rhythms that I enjoy, which was ultimately probably what kept this album going for me.

Another artist and album that I had never heard of. I wasn't sure what to expect from it. Pristeen was a weird album opener that grew more manic as the song went on, and I was hoping it wasn't setting a tone for the entire album. In reality, I don't think there was an overall "tone" to be "set" here. While there are some high overarching genres at play here, this is an incredibly eclectic album and each song kind of does its own thing. In a way, that kept things interesting and unexpected. This album felt a bit pretentious at times, and other times like it was just trying to be artful. I never did get a good "read" on it. Not exactly my cup of tea, but still a fun enough listen.

Adele has had lots of different inspirations for her albums, this one being fueled by her break up at the time. And nothing else that she has done has ever quite touched this album. Adele's previous album is fairly heavy on the sad indie sound. But on this album, Adele is channeling a righteous, upbeat fire surrounded by a simple but effective orchestral sound. What comes across is an incredibly soulful sound on this album. Her vocals are often raw, often sultry, often pained, and always approachable. The lyrics are poetic and palpable, all tugging on the heartstrings. Adele spans a few different genres across this album -- blues, pop, jazz, R&B, and more -- but somehow everything manages to feel very related and cohesive. Overall, this album is just really well done, and is undeniably powerful.

This album definitely stands as a "response" to the British Invasion sound of The Beatles and others, as that was the first thing that came to mind upon hearing this album. That said, the jangle-pop aspects, the heavier guitar, and the intricate harmonies all combine to make this album a birthplace of folk rock, and a great listening experience as well. The influence of this album is undeniable. And as someone who is not a fan of Bob Dylan's singing, I feel like the stylizations and vocalizations of his work are better done by The Byrds, personally.

I was unfamiliar with this album by David Bowie, as well as all of the songs on it. Turns out, I'm not really informed on the "Berlin era" of Bowie, so this album is the first I've heard from that era, both in and out of the scope of this project. I really enjoy artists who go through self-defined eras and phases and reinvent themselves musically, so I was eager to dive in here. You really can get a sense of the electronic inspiration that influenced this album. What normally feels glam and sparkly feels a bit more space age and moody here. Bowie is definitely one to take his inspiration and go further with it and make it his own, so what you end up with here is something that is ambient, electronic and a bit experimental, but still undeniably Bowie. Side B consists of instrumentals which I would say is where the album arguably shines the most. Removing the need for these songs to be lyrical allowed for some very creative results. The only "vocal" content found here are ambient voice sounds and the occasional incoherent word; Bowie's ethereal voice is perfect for that kind of use on these tracks. These tracks are ambient, dark, mysterious, and perfectly sci-fi in nature. Out of all of the Bowie I've heard on this project thus far, some of which I already knew, some of which I was less familiar with, this is probably leaning toward my favorite yet. Like "Hunky Dory", this is not quite a 4, but the experimentation heard here pushed it close enough for me.

Man, Jimi Hendrix just had it right. This album is psychedelic, acidic, and funky in ALL the right places. This final album from Hendrix offers a musician still VERY much in his prime, and it just goes to show how much future potential we missed out on by losing him at such a young age. Part incredible rock album, part incredible jam session, this whole thing is just a testament to amazing guitar work that has had far-reaching and long-lasting impact on guitarists for generations. A couple of these songs are over 10 minutes of jamming, and they honestly seemed like Jimi could have gone on for 10 minutes more. If I'm being critical, this album seems a little bit disjointed and lacking "clarity of vision". But you know what? It didn't matter then, and it doesn't matter now. Jimi is just THAT cool and draws people in with his unbelievable talent. Disjointed though it may be, paying audible witness to these works is a gift. Nonetheless, this album ends on such a highlight -- All Along the Watchtower. Jimi may not have wrote this song, but he put his stamp on it and made it unequivocally his. Bob Dylan who? Jimi Hendrix was destined to be nothing short of a legend and one of the greatest guitarists of all time and his impact can not be overstated. Even on this third and final, and arguably weakest, album, he makes it clear why he's a legend.

Björk is an acquired taste, and one that not everyone acquires...understandably so. Even for me, her music is only a sometimes food. This particular albums leans heavily into what sounds like lo-fi, magical, fairy and celestial music, at least to me. Her warbly voice lends an air of mystery and intrigue to some already mysterious, sleepy music. This album also sounds like standing between the old and the new; it sounds like small orchestra chamber music of the of the 1700s, mixed with a more modern electronica and trip-hop style. While some may view it as pretentious, I do find it interesting how much intentionality Björk puts into her work. This album in particular seems to have a lot of intentionality around the sound that she was trying to achieve. Every single thing seems to serve a purpose and has a reason for furthering that vision, which is intriguing to read about and discover, at least for me. Really, when "art pop" comes to mind, Björk is often one of the first that comes to mind, and in 2001 when Vespertine was released, Björk was reminding people in the new millennium that art pop is her domain.

Joni Mitchell is just something special. This entire album feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket and taken on a cozy drive. It is the epitome of sung poetry. I feel like each song is a glance into one of Joni's life experiences, each wrapped in a certain amount of mystery for the listener to unravel. Joni's voice and the way that she sings is incredibly soothing and sweet all throughout. The music gives off a folky, familiar vibe, but not TOO familiar -- it's complex and rich and different in all the right places. I am not super familiar with Joni's discography, but I'm familiar enough with her to know that she deserves spots, multiple, on this project, and this album feels right being here.

A little bit psychedelic, a little bit folky, and a lot rock-y, I thought that Mr. Soul was a great album opener. I was definitely hoping for more like this, but as the album progressed, it leaned a little heavier into psychedelic folk, heavy on the folk, and away from rock. A close second to Mr. Soul on this album for me was Bluebird, but even the last quarter of the song derailed a bit with that banjo breakdown. Overall, the album is a bit eclectic, but not in a bad way -- it's a mix of different styles and vocalists and shows a wide breadth of talent among the band members.

This album was a nice listen. I really do enjoy the raspy aspect of Rod Stewart's voice and how he uses it in his music. Aside from Maggie May, I'm not overly familiar with Rod Stewart's solo work, so I was pleased to hear that the rest of at least this album had a nice rock sound to it. There was an audible mix of blues, soul, and folk in here too; giving things a slight country-esque lean. One thing I will say about this album is that it somehow sounded newer (if only slightly newer) than 1970. If Rod Stewart played a part in the furthering of harder rock music mixed with bluesy and folksy sounds, I wouldn't be surprised.

If you've heard at least a handful of other songs from the 1950s decade, you can tell by listening to this debut album from Little Richard that he was onto something special; he was a key person leading the charge in the progression of music toward rock and roll. One rock and roll "technique" that Little Richard pioneers heavy use of here is loud, gritty, wailing vocals, complete with high-pitched "woos" and "hoos"; all of which would become signature Little Richard music traits. I was never the biggest Little Richard fan, but I would say I have grown to enjoy his music at a base level. It is fun and intoxicating in a way; it's no wonder that his pioneering ways caught on. Still, here on this debut album, everything sounds baseline the same to me. I would say Little Richard's debut album deserves a spot on this project, without a doubt, as his effect on music post-1950s is paramount. I would describe my personal enjoyment as still within the 'average' range, though.

I love the mix of pop- & post-punk, pop-rock, and new wave that all intermingles and mashes up here. While not nearly as rough around the edges as "true" punk, it is obvious that The Go-Go's were heavily influenced by the punk sounds of the 1970s. As usual, it was cool to hear such a polished and organized sound from a band on their debut album. The sound produced on this album is a sound that is so uniquely The Go-Go's, and one that I completely attribute to them. Even when I hear this sound elsewhere from other groups, The Go-Go's are who comes to mind; they no doubt were pioneers of this particular sound. Heck, "We Got the Beat" alone defines the sound and no doubt influenced others who would go on to aim for The Go-Go's sound. This probably landed at about a 3.5 or so for me, but I am going to round up, as I did really enjoy this one!

I've not ever heard anything quite like this album, in or outside of this project. The album is labeled "alternative country" and while that's as fair a label as any, it still doesn't quite pinpoint Bill Callahan's style here. I will say, the combination of the specific "alternative" approach, Callahan's voice, and the songwriter lyrics gives all of this a very dark, melancholy, almost gothic overhang. Both vocally and musically, it's almost like hearing the lovechild of Willie Nelson and someone like Leonard Cohen. It's all a very unique intersection, and I can't say that I didn't find it intriguing! This album won't go down as a favorite, but I am very glad for the unique listening opportunity. Also, this album was recorded in the suburb where I live, a nice but fairly unremarkable piece of a larger metro area, so that was a fun coincidence to discover!

I love when I get to put on my 80s/90s country hat for this project. Upon hearing this album, my initial bias was "well, this isn't nearly as good as X 80s/90s country album that I love! why was this included instead of X?" Well, I think I can somewhat answer that now. The late 80s into the 90s was a transformative time for country, as rock and pop music began to creep more into the overall sound. This album arrived during that transformative time and is probably a very early example of that sound transformation being put into heavy play. A lot of the "heavier" instrument sounds of heartland rock/pop acts were directly transferrable into country music. Bruce Springsteen was definitely among the most influential here, which is why his overall sound and voice affectations are so prominent in this era of country. Steve Earle still has a lot of classic country sounds going on here in these early days, but the Bruce Springsteen-isms are undeniable. Eventually, the Springsteen-isms would take an even heavier hold in the 90s country music scene. This project is known for paying dues to early influencers of various musical movements and sounds, and in the case of country melding with contemporary rock and pop, I think the presence of this album is again an early example of that. And while other artists that came later did this sound better and more famously, this album is in the midsts of the birthplace of the 90s country craze. So again, not a favorite album in the grand scheme of 90s country, but as an appreciator of this country music era, I did baseline enjoy this album.

Each song conveys extreme emotion, as well as vocal range and talent. Aretha sounds pristine, elegant, and crystal clear on every track. She communicates such intentionality and grace and seems to command every note she sings on this album. This album was a defining moment for women in music and continues to be absolutely timeless. Also, back in the 1960s, it was not every day that a woman could cover not one but two tracks on the same album and make those songs so dominantly their own. Aretha's version of Respect is not ONLY amazing, it changed the course of music forever and is still one of the greatest recordings of all time. But this album is among the greatest for another reason. This album is an act of persistence and perseverance. Aretha had nine albums before this that just didn't do well, due to her record label trying to silo her into jazz music. But pushing on still, "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You", her tenth album and first under her new label, finally saw success when she was allowed to create soul music. It tapped into her true talent and allowed her to showcase it. This album changed and pushed Aretha's music career, cementing her as the queen of soul once and for all, and it changed the face of music itself forever. This is a powerful album by a powerful woman.

I feel like "Right Here, Right Now" and "The Rockafeller Skank" alone are two songs that most people know from radio, commercials, or various media without even realizing it. Overall, this was a pretty fun listen. I did feel like the music was quite a bit repetitive and looped at times, but given the way this album was created (which I found to be cool), maybe that was the intention. I do like the heavy funk influence across the album. This album kind of feels locked in a small period of time. I don't know of too many artists who dabbled in this sound, and it was ultimately a short-lived time in music.

From the opening notes, I could tell this was intended as Beach Boys material. It sounds more like a Beach Boys concept in some places, and in other places seems far more experimental. Much of the music is "there" from a Beach Boys perspective, but only some parts feel like they were done to completion, while other things feel a bit more disjointed, unfinished, and pieced together, making this all a bit anemic and lacking cohesion to me. That said, I don't think I was able to disconnect it from its source and embrace it for what it is. While it is cool to see an unrealized album get new life breathed into it (and with equipment similar to what was used back in the 60s), it also just rang as a bit sad. Considering Good Vibrations was intended for the original "form" of this album back in 1967, Smile stands as a bit of a sad tribute to the music that was and what could have been. Music that lit up the 60s as sunshine pop has kind of a weird cloud overhead on this album. But I guess if you're a Brian Wilson/Beach Boys/surf and sunshine music aficionado, this might come off more as a triumph of musical restoration after years of it not getting created. All a matter of perspective, I guess. But for me: I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I am glad I heard it and read about its very bumpy history, but I also think it went over my head. I appreciated the weirdness, but I didn't connect with it.

I was not familiar with Nick Drake's music, and I'm not entirely sure I've ever even heard of him. When I put this on, I was really surprised; this is definitely not your typical folk music of the 70s! It reminds me of the singer-songwriter and indie music of the 2000s, and I'm certain that these artists have been drawing some inspiration from here. Others must have thought so at the time, as his music did not sell well during his lifetime, and this album is no exception. This album received much of its recognition after Drake's death. Ultimately, this album sounds so ahead of its time. This album is rather short and the instrumentation here is fairly simple, as are the vocals, but the beauty here is definitely in the simplicity. This album has a clear and unadulterated focus on Nick Drake's voice and his guitar work -- nothing else -- and his voice and guitar complement each other so well. His voice is soft and airy and sounds like a "chest voice", rather than a "head voice". It's a singing voice that is unique; you just don't hear a voice like his very often. His guitar work on the album is soft, intricate, engaging, and soothing. This album's credits tout only a few names besides Nick's, and those names are all on the production side, not the music side; this album is for all intents and purposes a one man effort. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by Nick Drake and by this album. It proved to be a peaceful, intimate, and engaging listen. It's a bit sad, and yet comforting. I hate that it did not receive its accolades during the time of its release and during Drake's lifetime, but its inclusion here is a testament to how greatness can be lost to time or circumstance. I looked ahead and found out that all three of his studio albums are on this project, and I really do look forward to hearing more from Nick Drake. On first listen, this was a 4. I couldn't help but listen again, and now it's so close to a 5 that I feel inspired to bump it up at this point.

I made the mistake of reading other reviews while listening, and now "over the top Neil Diamond" is just a lingering thought that I can't get out of my head. The vocal affectations and even some of the type of lyrics do very much read as Neil Diamond, but the music combined with the delivery have some kind of almost manic additional quality. Either way, I've never heard anyone else deliver things quite like Neil Diamond, but this is probably the closest I've heard. What I will say is that David Ackles definitely didn't shy away from experimenting and taking risks here. The music is dramatic and could definitely pass as a quirky 70s stage musical; I haven't ever heard anything quite like this outside of musical theater spaces. And while I like musical theater and discovering rare obscurities, and while some of the songs struck me as interesting and even a couple as strangely beautiful, this overall ended up just being kind of not my thing.

If Abba was already a hit sensation at this time, it would be this album that cemented them in gold as one of the greatest euro-pop and euro-disco acts of all time. This album has some of the group's best and most well known songs, not the least of which is Dancing Queen. These are songs that have stood for decades and are still very well recognized. This is just a really fun album that shows off the band's dynamics and harmonies. I don't know what to say about this album or group that hasn't already been said, but they make music such an unabashed joy.

I remember hearing Coldplay for the first time, around the time of this album, and thinking that they just sounded a bit different than many artists who were releasing music in this space around the same time. My assessment of that today is that they were among alternative rock artists who were taking that Verve and Oasis, softer-sounding English alt rock sound and bringing it into the new millennium. They weren't as edgy as other alt rock bands that dominated the 90s. And like Oasis and The Verve, they were bringing more ambient, orchestral, and dreamy sounds to alt rock. Chris Martin's hauntingly mysterious delivery of the vocals is at its peak here. Overall, this was a formula that seemed to work well for them, as they are still using it today plus and minus some other musical trends that have come and gone throughout the years. Not many artists since this time have done this sound and maintained their prominence, let alone find a constant spot as one of the most popular bands in the world. All that said, Coldplay is often kind of hit or miss for me. I tend to like a few songs off of each of their albums and end up being bored by other parts of the albums. That was more or less the case with this album, too, though I do feel like a certain amount of ambient flow keeps this one feeling cohesive and nice. A decent listen nonetheless, and a good example of how this band carried a sound beyond its "heyday", made it their own, and launched themselves into superstardom.

After Blood Sugar Sex Magik produced some amazing anthems in 1991 that carried across the decade, Red Hot Chili Peppers went through a big slump musically, failing to produce much noteworthy music. This album, just in time for the 2000s, revived them and brought them into prominence in the new millennium. And in the same way as BSSM, this album produced several outstanding alternative rock anthems for the new decade. The music here still has that quintessential Chili Peppers funk, but in my opinion it's dialed back on most tracks in favor of a more of-the-time alternative rock sound. In some cases, that is harder rock, and in other, it's more of a "chill" and relaxed alternative sound. Either way, this is a development that works well for them, as I believe this is the only album that rivals Blood Sugar Sex Magik, or even possibly surpasses it. I personally found the first half to be a lot better than the second half, but the whole album was enjoyable.

I had never heard of Manu Chao, but was pretty impressed! The way one track flowed into another was immaculate here. He traveled from location to location recording this album, and it really shows; this is sung in four different languages and played in a corresponding cultural genre, and Manu does it all masterfully. It all just made for a great mix of music. He isn't particularly doing anything revolutionary here from a musical perspective, but the blend of languages and genres certainly makes this a unique creative outlet. At the end of the day, it seems like Manu Chao just really enjoys making music, and he makes it fun to listen to.

Another solid Dusty Springfield album! Her voice is so sweet and so sultry in all the right places. There is a good mix of pop, soul, and jazz on this album that makes this very approachable and enjoyable from all angles. Arriving in 1969, this album sits as a perfect capstone of soulful 60s women, before music trended away toward different genres in the 70s. It is easy to see where other white female British singers of later decades who exist at the intersection of pop, soul, and jazz probably used this album and Dusty Springfield herself as a blueprint. But it's really no wonder why: the music here feels timeless, enjoyable, and easy to listen to in any decade or era.

This was a strange album. It kind of threw me for a loop, as I've never quite heard The Beach Boys in this form. I ended up having to give it a second listen because I just didn't quite know what to make of it after the first listen. The title "Surf's Up" definitely feels like a play on words, as if to say "our surf music image is over, this is who we are now". They know what they're known for, they are acknowledging it, and then asking the audience to give up those preconceived notions. Brian Wilson's relative absense here is definitely a loud silence; I had a Brian Wilson album sans-Beach Boys not too long ago, and thought it felt lacking. Well, Beach Boys that is mostly sans-Brian Wilson also feels anemic in a different way. All of them together is really the most winning formula. The title song, "Surf's Up", comes the closes to having this winning sound and formula while still pushing the newer, more progressive Beach Boys sound, and it contains a prominent Brian Wilson part, but I digress. Don't get me wrong, there are elements of what The Beach Boys are known for, but the final product is certainly more off the wall. It's psychedelic folk-y, it's progressive, and it's overall pretty esoteric and mystical. Needless to say, a genre is hard to pin down here because each song is kind of genre-defying and unique in its own right. But what this album seems to lack for me is any kind of magic. Not a bad listen, but not really one I enjoyed all that much, either.

This album was definitely an easy listen. It absolutely paints a soundscape of the time; I felt instantly transported to the 70s and while I have not seen Shaft, I understood what this album was doing and what it was conveying. There are only a couple of songs on here with vocals, and they are all sung with rich soulful ability, backed by the same rich, potent horn section that dominates so much of the rest of this album. Despite the fact that this film is no doubt part of the problematic wave of blaxploitation films that took off around this time, I feel like this album most certainly changed the way music was thought of and used as it pertains to movies, bringing in a more modern and contemporary flare to cinema.

The concept is intriguing: a soundtrack for an imaginary movie, existing somewhere in the realm between jazz club and psychological horror. This "soundtrack" is cool and smooth in places, but also creepy, atmospheric, weird, and even a bit disturbing in others. For not having actual real cinematic footage to link this to, Adamson and company do a great job of conveying cinematic vibes and projecting the general idea of certain imagined scenes. Given the alluring weirdness, I'm not surprised that David Lynch eventually went on to use a song from this album for an actual movie. Musically, the track "Achieved in the Valley in the Dolls" hit it all for me: it was atmospheric, esoteric, dark, ambient, and sexy. To me, this was the crown gem of the album. "The Sweetest Embrace" had Tom Waits-esque vocal qualities, which were perfect for the atmosphere on display on this album. This album certainly caught my attention and I am glad I got the chance to check it out. Ultimately, I'm not sure what makes it particularly significant as it pertains to this list (I usually try to understand the 'why' when it comes to these albums being included), but that didn't stop me from being fascinated.

David Bowie being a producer on this album is not surprising, I could hear the similarities from the first track. This album definitely had some dull tracks that I could have done without, but also quite a fair few good psychedelic, proto-glam songs. The good songs weren't particularly deep or thought-provoking for the most part, but they were fun listens, save for "Walk on the Wild Side"; this song was hitting on some interesting topics for 1972. All in all, everything here gives a very cabaret-esque vibe, and I am not mad about it.

This album came as somewhat of a surprise, musically. The genre here is "post-hardcore", and what I'm interpreting that as in this case is this movement from the very eclectic, heavy punk scene into a more melodic alternative and/or grunge rock sound. This album definitely exists somewhere in that in-between transitional space, neither quite one or the other. This album is another example of a breeding ground and jumping off point for the evolution of music. Unlike other "proto" type genre albums on this project where the album's presence seems to be based more on its contribution to music history and based less on its actual enjoyability, this album actually shines in both areas. As indicated above, it creates something unique and presents a good mix of two different musical worlds. And while this album no doubt fed into the alt/grunge 90s scene, this particular sound mix even seems to provide somewhat of a blueprint for the 2000s emo/screamo movement. No doubt a lot of bands have been influenced by this album in one way or another. While I wouldn't say any specific songs stood out here, I definitely found myself enjoying this album as a whole, both for its influence and its sound!

After discovering Nick Drake through this project, I was pleased to see another album of his pop up, though I knew from the beginning it was going to be tough not to compare it to "Pink Moon"; I was curious to learn if his first studio album would be as good as his last. This was really a great debut album! Even from the beginning, Nick Drake had a strong sense of self, musically. This is easy to listen to, peaceful, and folky without being too folky. While not quite as minimal as "Pink Moon", even this debut album keeps things pretty minimal from a music angle. Nick Drake also showed himself to be a great songwriter immediately out of the gate, as each song on this album feels complete and lyrically rich. Again, everything here feels advanced compared to where folk rock generally was in 1969. After having listened to my second album Nick Drake album as part of this project, I can say that he has proven to be one of my favorite 1001 project finds. A very solid 3.5 getting rounded up to a 4 here!

Such a funky, easy to listen to album! While it was easy to listen to, Mayfield does not shy away from hard topics here, seemingly unafraid to use his music as a platform to comment on the social issues of the time. I really love the statement of the album art as well -- it is this demonstration of the juxtaposition between the "American Dream" and what Black people were facing at the time. It's a statement that is still relevant today. This album, and Curtis Mayfield in general, is a great inclusion in this project because he's an example of an artist that was really quite gifted in many ways (he wrote all the tracks on this album), but who went largely unrecognized by a wider audience (namely, white people). And yet, his music is still as relevant today. There's no time like the present.

Relaxing in places and a bit more exciting in others, this still ultimately came across as a bit boring. That said, it was fairly diverse from track to track. This probably clocks at around a 2.5 or so for me, but I don't know if I liked it enough for it to be a 3. It wasn't bad, but I didn't find it engaging. I could honestly leave this album and be just fine.

Another day, another Neil Young album. One thing I will say about Neil Young, he has always been in favor of trying new things, musically. Neil has a signature sound that can usually be picked out, but all of the stuff about his music that exists "between the lines" gets played with a lot. This practice has become a more commonplace thing in today's music era, but back in the 70s, Neil Young was experimenting with different sounds during a time when it could have been a career killer. Additionally, I feel like Neil's feelings and emotions that he was trying to communicate come across exceedingly raw on this album -- something he was no doubt aiming for. All that said, I didn't particularly care for this album. There were glimpses of songs on this album that I enjoyed ("Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" and "Lookout Joe"), but oddly enough, those songs seem to be some of the lesser enjoyed songs on this album by listeners. I just wasn't knocked off my feet by this album. It may just not be my thing.

I've always said that The Police really do new wave in their own way, and this second album, which helped launch them into stardom, really shows that fact off. The ways in which they saw that white reggae could fuse with punk and new wave (and before new wave was even really a thing) was a fascinating and well-received discovery that really led them to standing out from the crowd. This probably wouldn't be my first choice album of The Police to include in this project, but it is very likely among their most influential and defining moments for them in setting their unique tone. And who can say no to immediately coming out of the gate with "Message in a Bottle" as an album opener?

Although I had heard of LCD Soundsystem, I had never listened to them. After hearing this album, I'm legitimately surprised that I hadn't listened to them before. They're a perfect mid-2000s indie rock/electronic dance sound that I really find myself typically getting into. This is a really cool sound mash-up that exists somewhere between rock acts The Strokes and the Killers and dance acts like Justice. They're not reinventing anything here, but it was just an enjoyable listen. 3.5.

This was a really solid album! I totally understand why these guys are known for "Get It On", but so much of the rest of their music falls into obscurity, which is too bad. You can tell that this album is a pioneering album among glam rock. It has all of those essential elements, and yet there's still a psychedelic crunchiness to this; it exists somewhere between David Bowie and The Beatles -- the straddling of two decades of sound. I never would have guessed T. Rex to be pioneers in this space, or that this wasn't their original sound. Super enjoyable! 3.5

Third Tom Waits album on this project, and he's still not my jam. I really liked the concept behind the album, though. The "jazz club" motif recreated in the studio was convincing and well done by everyone involved on this album. Tom Waits uses the opportunity to parody the jazz club scene, at least to a certain degree; the topics and lyrics of the songs are often funny and have intentionally ridiculous delivery. I also like the "Nighthawks" painting that this album seems to be inspired by, so it was cool to discover that! All that said, this just wasn't my thing. I really do appreciate how Tom Waits pushes the envelope, though!

I can only imagine what it was like to experience this album back in 1993. There was really just nothing else like this in music that was even remotely mainstream enough to reach American listeners. This album has a very unique and eclectic sound; it dares to be different and finds multiple ways to accomplish that. Having not heard Bjork's Debut before, I am both surprised and not surprised to find that she already had a sense of herself as a recording artist. While she has certainly tried many different things musically across time, her visceral, often raw, often penetrating vocals have been a constant. And the music itself is full of experimental qualities, each track with its own intriguing layers. Speaking of her quality for experimentation, there is a huge amount of diversity just within this album. While this is very generally a form of electronic art pop, it's tough to confine what she's doing here, as she is really all over the place (in a good way).

This was an interesting album for me. I should start by saying that for the most part, the album wasn't really my thing. I didn't really find enjoyment in listening to it, and I just don't think I'd return to it in the future. All that said and taken into consideration, I was still very moved by the beautiful and haunting music, and the equally haunting, deeply sad, very intimate lyrics. This album feels like an incredibly personal window into the complex soul of Anohni. She absolutely bears all here and conveys so much emotion in such a short amount of time. This album also features several other superstars who are part of the art pop orbit; no doubt these legends were moved by the work of Anohni, too.

I was kind of excited when I saw The National come up. They're definitely well known in the indie music scene for their moody, punk- and folky-adjacent vibes and very distinctive vocals. The lead singer, Matt Berninger, has a very rich, deep, velvety voice, and in most of what I had heard from The National, he is really good at putting it to use to give the band a somewhat melancholy, moody, morose vibe. That sound is still somewhat present on this album, but generally, this album seems to steer away from that vocal sound and to my ear, just sounds more like your typical indie music. That extra rich voice is most on display in songs like "Terrible Love" and "Bloodbuzz Ohio"; I don't think it's any coincidence that the aforementioned songs are the most popular on the album. People listening to The National clearly crave THAT aspect of The National. All things considered, I thought the album was average, but I really DO enjoy what The National brings. I would have thought an album by The National that shows more of the richer side of Berninger's vocals would have been a better choice for this project, though (see their previous album "Boxer"). Nonetheless, a good inclusion of a unique indie band among a sea of a lot of indie bands that sound the same.

I don't know what to say here that hasn't already been said; this album is really just killer. Deep Purple shaped hard rock and metal, and there's just no denying that; they were laying the groundwork in the 1970s with this and other albums. This album opens with such a bang and really just keeps the momentum for all ~40 minutes. There just isn't much at all that this album gets wrong, in my opinion, and there isn't much to say either, except for reiterating that this is a birthing ground for metal music and a fantastic example of a genius band not only pioneering the sound, but doing it so very right. This is about a 4.5 for me, but I see no reason not to round it up.

I found this to be well produced and Bonnie Raitt's voice is certainly fantastic all throughout, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I found the album to be pretty bland. Most of the songs just seemed to drag, even the more upbeat ones. I will say, as someone who appreciates 90s country, I do appreciate the groundwork Raitt is laying here for that particular sound. I didn't love this by any means, but it was listenable and okay. It was just average all around. Again, Bonnie Raitt's voice is fantastic here and should have been done more of a service. Probably a high 2.-something, so rounding it up.

Me before this album: huh, a synth-punk album from the 1970s?! Sounds fascinating! "Fascinating" is...A word for it. It just got worse as it went on. I don't have much to say, because there just wasn't much here. It wasn't great. Not everything that is groundbreaking is good. If we're splitting hairs, 1.5, I guess?

So glad to finally get Tracy Chapman on this project! Her voice is incredibly unique, stunning, and a bit forlorn, and she knows exactly how to use it. This is a beautiful album from vocals to instrumentation. Tracy has always done a great job of communicating meaningful, impactful, socially conscious, and often downright heartbreaking lyrics through song. This album is a shining example of that. The album has a fair bit of diverse sound while still sticking to that contemporary folk rock sound that Chapman is well known for. Arriving in 1988, this album was a bit trendsetting and ahead of its time, as this a few of the singles off of this album not only permeated the radio throughout the 90s but certainly influenced other singer-songwriter women in the Lilith Fair circle.

After listening to this album, I need to make an amendment to something I said before. In a previous review, I stated that 'Electric Ladyland' was still an amazing album, but probably the weakest Hendrix studio album due to it being a bit "disorganized". Well, after revisiting 'Axis: Bold as Love', I feel like album organization is not everything. This album certainly feels more organized and tidy than 'Electric Ladyland', but I actually didn't find the music to be QUITE as good. Sometimes, a jam session like 'Electric Ladyland' really can just be THAT good. Still though, this is Jimi Hendrix we are talking about. Everything in his realm is kind of a jam session, and you just kind of accept that as part of getting to hear his phenomenal musicianship. Any Jimi Hendrix is better than no Jimi Hendrix.

It's interesting to me that this album's main goal was to deviate itself from a perception that was established on their previous album, "License to Ill", when probably most casual fans would agree that "License" is the Beastie Boys at their best. This album was a bit more Beastie Boys than I typically go for. Most of the tracks didn't really resonate me. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the album was the B-Boy Bouillabaisse suite at the end of the album. On an album where the band was attempting to differentiate themselves from their previous work, this was the portion that felt like it had the most derivation. I will say, most sampledelia usually bores me, but these guys at least kept me baseline entertained. Not my favorite of theirs, but not bad.

I realize that The Byrds always kind of dabbled in country sounds in their previous albums, but I don't know why The Byrds agreed to go full country here. From the producer perspective, I guess if they wanted to get country music in front of more people, duping them into listening to it by baiting and switching with a psychedelic band is one way to do it. Honestly, this album brings out my least favorite aspects of country music. And the Christian overtones were too much. This just really wasn't my thing.

Jerry Lee Lewis puts on a hell of a performance from start to finish for over 20 minutes solid here. And for all my scrutiny over the inclusion of certain live albums on this project, this one at least seemed to serve a purpose. But once again, I'm just really not that into this era of 60s rock and roll, so while I can appreciate the musicianship, I didn't really enjoy the music all that much. Not to mention, Jerry Lee Lewis was a piece of shit. All that said, a high-2, but I'm not going to round up after all.

I'm glad to see System of a Down make this list! They hands-down have always been known for doing their own thing in the metal space. They also never shy away from social and political commentary in their work, while still finding opportunity to be humorous and a little bit purposefully bizarre and chaotic. They somehow have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to setting all of these kinds of trends, too. These are all things that they have consistently brought to the table, even on this first album. From a nu-metal perspective, these guys definitely were part of the movement that spearheaded this sound in the late 90s, as it didn't really take wider hold until a few years later, further into the 2000s (closer to around when the band released their second album, Toxicity). Speaking of Toxicity, I think many millennial fans probably discovered that album first and then went back and tapped into this self-titled album, and rightfully so. Again, this is another band that had a strong sense of self from the beginning, so what listeners find here is fully realized, enjoyable metal content from a band that already knew who they were, even on their first album. Really, this is an example of an incredibly talented metal band bringing their best and establishing their sphere of influence on their first album!

I had never really heard anything by Living Colour aside from the infamous Cult of Personality (which is an absolute jam!), so was definitely not sure what to expect. I enjoyed this album! The first half of the album seemed to go pretty hard, sounding more like general hard rock of the time, whereas the second half was a little bit more experimental, mixing in a lot of rock, hip hop, and funk. This second half ended up reminding me of something like Phil Collins. Their sound permeates the entire album, but I definitely feel like the second half has more of it. The song “What’s Your Favorite Color?” towards the end of the album is a fun way to draw things to a close. What’s your favorite color? Living color! These guys definitely touch on a lot of sounds and do their own fusion of sound uniquely and with skill. It was impressive that this band did all of this on their first album, too, but lightning didn’t really quite strike twice for them; none of their subsequent albums were nearly as successful as this one. This was seemingly a moment in time, but a successful and fun one!

This double album from Elton is certainly an interesting one! The contents of this album definitely feel all over the place. Some aspects are a bit progressive, some a bit glam, some a bit piano pop, some a bit bluesy, and some are just good old fashioned rock and roll. But you know what? It works! This album is just peak showcasing of Elton John style, and if you're not convinced of that, just observe that a good handful of his most adored songs from a huge discography come from this one album. Again, despite this album being all over the place, it's just impossible not to enjoy this display of talent from Elton. I loved listening to this, and while I usually feel like double albums draw on too long, this album's length was fine by me!

So, here's the thing. I didn't LOVE this album. But I am absolutely not the target audience here; it is 100% not intended for me, let alone intended for me to be reviewing it. This is an example of deeply cultural music that is likely NOT going to be appeal to a westerner who is used to western world music. I will say, one thing that did come across regardless of cultural barriers was the energy; this music has a very palpable energy. So again, this made for okay background music, but wasn't a favorite, or even a "love". But I also don't think my vote should count for much here. 2.5, rounding up to 3.

This was honestly just pretty boring and bland, and it felt like they were trying to make it that way on purpose. All the music was very lo-fi and low energy, and the vocals were monotonous and effortless (not effortless in a good way). All of it has a slight lazy, kicked back country "flavor" to it, which I don't really felt like did the music any favors in this case. This album felt like drinking something and not necessarily finding it unpleasant, but finding it incredibly flavorless and unquenching. It just didn't seem to have any life in it. I truly have no idea why this album would be included in this project. But I guess I'm rounding it up to a 2.

Either this project is breaking me down with the excessive amount of Neil Young, or I actually liked this one. At the very least, this is probably the Neil Young album I have liked most out of what I have received thus far (this is the fourth). This album had some folk aspects, but definitely seemed to implement a lot more psychedelic and rock aspects than I remember hearing from previous albums of his. Either way, the folk rock presence on this album was somehow less grating. Another thing that resonated with me from this album was the darker vibe of the music, obviously a result of this being part of Neil's "Ditch Trilogy". Again, this album somehow resonated more than the other Neil Young entry on this project from the "Ditch Trilogy". I liked "Walk On" enough to want to listen to it multiple times. And for some reason, "Vampire Blues" really stuck with me as well. For me, any level of sticking hasn't happened with Young since "Cinnamon Girl" and "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere". Again, I can't quite put a finger on it, but I liked this Neil Young album more than the others I have heard so far. Leave it to me to me drawn not only to a darker album on the "Ditch Trilogy", but also the album from Young's discography with notoriety for being a lost album and cult favorite. In any case, on a project that is going to force me to listen to a LOT of Neil Young, I'll consider liking this album at all to be a win.

This was hypnotic and easy to listen to! It had a very intimate feel to it. Either way, "Funeral" is an apt name for this album; it feels very burdened and sad. While I definitely feel like this album spawned something within the indie movement, and certainly pushed Arcade Fire into stardom, I only averagely enjoyed this.

Considering "Brown Sugar" is one of my favorite Stones songs, if not my absolute favorite, I expected to love this album more. I find the A-Side/B-Side single pairing of "Brown Sugar" and "Bitch" to be fitting and fun, but the rest of the album doesn't really do it for me as much. The rest of the album is very heavy on roots rock and even bluesy rock. Still a decent entry from the Stones, just not my fave.

As far as electronic ambient albums go, this was better than most I've encountered on this project. It was well-produced and very easy to listen to. Sonically, there was a lot of diversity and variation. This was all just very tight and enjoyable. It goes to show why Moby has stood the test of time in this field unlike some of the other ambient electronic acts that have been featured on this project.

You know, not only do I hear the birth of new wave in this music, which Elvis Costello and this album are definitely known for, but I hear what was no doubt a huge influence to the early 2000s singer-songwriter and indie rock movements. In parts, this sounds not unlike listening to something like Vampire Weekend. This was definitely better than the previous Costello album I had. In just one year and one album's time, he took a huge leap in style. But I'm still not a firm Costello believer; ultimately, I thought this was just okay-good. There are many more albums of his to go, though, so we will see.

So, k.d. lang's voice is undeniably angelic. Her soaring voice is matched with beautiful instrumentation. That said, it's honestly just one big, sad, sleepy album; it was just a constant musical valley that never reached any kind of peak of excitement. Singer songwriter music can tend to lean this way, but this album was definitely exceedingly so. The previously mentioned instrumentation is probably the biggest variation to be found here, as there are mixes of pop, folk, country, and even Latin sounds among these tracks. One outlier and exception to all of my judgment of this album is the song "Constant Craving". This closing track is the crown jewel of the album; while it is still true to the tone of the album, it really shows a more upbeat track that is not present anywhere else on this album. I'm curious about the decision to hold this until the end, but hey. This song is one of lang's best for sure. While I was ultimately lulled by this album and not particularly into it, it was still a nice listen and definitely reminded me of the gorgeous voice of k.d. lang, a voice that played heavily into influencing the female singer songwriter movement of the 90s. Probably somewhere between a 2.5 and 3 on enjoyability, so I'll just round up. It's probably fitting to round up, anyway; while it may not have amazed, I've always been a sucker for "Lilith Fair music".

I'm in no way a hip-hop expert, but I hadn't heard of Jurassic 5 before. Further digging showed that this group has enjoyed relatively little success, stateside or otherwise. Some of the more "unheard of" acts on this project have been big misses, so I was nervous about this one. Well, I was actually really surprised to find that I enjoyed this album! Arriving in 2002, this album does a really nice job of straddling the sound of 90s hip-hop and embracing something more modern in the new millennium. Even from the "modern" angle alone, this album definitely has a different hip-hop sound even when compared to other albums that were coming out around the same time. This album does not have a "hardcore" feel to it either; there is something rather laid back and at-ease about the hip-hop here. Again, I'm not a big hip-hop listener, but I would definitely recommend this album, especially to anyone who IS a hip-hop fan. It seems like it has been widely slept on, and it deserves more attention! A pleasant surprise, for sure. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could.

I will be the first to admit that the genius of improvisational jazz is lost on me; I just don't appreciate it. I will say that Miles Davis makes jazz not only ambient on this album, but incredibly ethereal. He also shows off an incredible technical talent that is undeniable. My personal enjoyment of the style and music itself is just rather low.

I didn't know this album existed, but considering I like Metallica and actually really love symphonic metal, my interest was a bit piqued by this. As far as my listening of this album went, my intention was to hone in on the symphonic part. I assume the reason this album is on here is for the symphonic aspect, after all. What I was hoping for was a true conversion of Metallica's metal to symphonic metal. Turns out, this was just okay. It ended up being more like normal Metallica with a bit of a symphony overlay, rather than having the sound "baked in" symphonic metal. There is something to be said about symphonic metal that is WRITTEN to be symphonic. Because of this, this album fell a bit flat for me. As far as additional notes, I have a couple. First, "No Leaf Clover" was the one song on the entire 2 hour album that actually had a decent symphonic treatment. Both the Metallica aspect and the symphony aspect have opportunity to shine. It was definitely the best song on the album as far as the album purpose goes. And second, having never heard a live Metallica album, I was definitely surprised for some reason that James Hetfield sounds decent live, at least on this album. But all in all, when you boil this down, what you're basically left with (from my review perspective) is a live album where Metallica is doing their music and the San Francisco Orchestra is simultaneously doing Metallica's music. Both are fine on their own, but I didn't really feel like much was added by both happening at the same time. Average, at best.