Journey in Progress
Discovering music one album at a time
932
Albums Rated
3.76
Avg Rating
262
5-Star Albums
86%
Complete
157 albums remaining
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4.9
Per Week
1326
Days Active
Reviews
931
Written
100%
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vs Global
0.56
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3.76
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1950s
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Generous
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1-Star Albums
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Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter | 5 | 2.15 | +2.85 |
| Third | 5 | 2.43 | +2.57 |
| Devotional Songs | 5 | 2.58 | +2.42 |
| Space Ritual | 5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
| Jack Takes the Floor | 5 | 2.71 | +2.29 |
| Medúlla | 5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
| Lam Toro | 5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
| Histoire De Melody Nelson | 5 | 2.76 | +2.24 |
| Tarkus | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kid A | 2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
| Dummy | 2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
| Tea for the Tillerman | 2 | 3.69 | -1.69 |
| Moving Pictures | 2 | 3.59 | -1.59 |
| The Number Of The Beast | 2 | 3.59 | -1.59 |
| The Suburbs | 2 | 3.51 | -1.51 |
| Dirt | 2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
| Different Class | 2 | 3.42 | -1.42 |
| The Fat Of The Land | 2 | 3.4 | -1.4 |
| 2112 | 2 | 3.39 | -1.39 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.86 | 4.3 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 4.6 | 4 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| David Bowie | 8 | 4.25 | 3.91 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4.4 | 3.88 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.5 | 3.86 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 4 | 4.5 | 3.86 |
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Michael Jackson | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Dolly Parton | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Curtis Mayfield | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| ABBA | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Air | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Amy Winehouse | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Prince | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Ali Farka Touré | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Kraftwerk | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Rod Stewart | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Baaba Maal | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Elvis Presley | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Traffic | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 4.2 | 3.75 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 4.2 | 3.75 |
| Yes | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 5 | 4 | 3.63 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4 | 3.63 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently - higher variance means more mixed feelings
| Artist | Albums | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| Depeche Mode | 2 | 1.5 |
| Megadeth | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pulp | 2 | 1.5 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 1.3 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 1.25 |
5-Star Albums (262)
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Popular Reviews
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
This album lands squarely in the “I feel like I should like this” camp. However, for reasons I can’t articulate, I just don’t find it that compelling
12 likes
Portishead
2/5
This album was boring. I like ambient beeps and boops, but these beeps and boops bored me
8 likes
The Sonics
5/5
This is a really fun album. It’s definitely pre-punk which makes it an interesting cultural artifact. The lofi sound is perfectly done, and overall I have nothing bad to say.
3 likes
Beck
5/5
Modern production with nick drake melancholia, great.
There’s no way the song Sunday sun isn’t a reference to nick drakes Saturday sun
3 likes
Morrissey
3/5
It’s a decent album, but it suffers without Johnny Marr and Morissey is just too melodramatic for anything more than a three
2 likes
4-Star Albums (297)
All Ratings
Nick Drake
5/5
Really great B side. The jazz elements and cello work together really well with his folksy style
Burning Spear
4/5
Pretty good. Not a ton to see, nice to see reggae roots
Love
2/5
I did not really like this album. Some of the guitar work was good, but the vocals and lack of substantive lyrical content was tough for me
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Last song is great. I never realized how operatic Buckley’s voice is. First side was a little slow for me
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Pretty good! Not a huge Joni Mitchell fan, but nothing bad to say about the album
Badly Drawn Boy
5/5
A bit disorienting times, but a really great listen. A bit of neutral milk hotel, a bit of nick drake, and a lot of fun!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Easy listening punk,
Yes
4/5
Easy listening punk,
5/5
Those bass lines! Little kitschy lyrics at times but the synth instrumentation and use of reprise more than makes up for it
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
Not my style a little too dark and dreary
Adele
4/5
Some really great tracks on the b side I liked it way more than I expected to
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Some catchy tunes but I just didn’t find it that memorable overall. Maybe biased against my idea of contemporary country tho
Japan
2/5
I didn’t really like it. The songs felt kinda similar and didn’t really move me
Fairport Convention
3/5
Pretty good guitar work at points but on the whole didn’t speak to me too much
Turbonegro
2/5
Good start but the end got a bit redundant
The Replacements
4/5
Really great garage band vibe. Unpretentious
Queen
3/5
Yeah idk I couldn’t find myself engaged
Nirvana
4/5
Pretty great album. Lots of spirit and the unplugged versions wer an interesting change of pace, I still prefer the electrified version of their hits though
Culture Club
2/5
Karma chameleon delivers but all of the other songs feel a bit empty
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Didn’t strike the right balance of engaging and ambient. May not have been in the right headspace though
Q-Tip
3/5
I really wanted to like this album bc I love quest but I found myself waiting for it to end
Public Enemy
5/5
The bside is especially fantastic but overall great
The Only Ones
4/5
Nice pink vibes. Overall pleasant to listen to but missing an x factor
Minutemen
2/5
Couldn’t fully get into this album. I like the generally direction of the stripped down punk but I didn’t really identify with it. Also there were just a lot of songs
New York Dolls
2/5
A few good tracks but I’m a bit burnt out on punk
Moby
3/5
Overall a pleasant album to listen to but not super engaging like I’d go back and listen to it
Tina Turner
2/5
I didn’t love it. The covers felt a bit uninspired and the whole album just didn’t feel like it was pushing any boundaries. Tina turner does have a great voice though. Maybe it’s just the instrumentation that felt a bit dated
Public Enemy
5/5
Great album. I liked this one more than the prior good blend of rap hip hop and other instrumentation
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
It’s one of my favorite albums. The waves of dissonance with the monotone vocals. The immersive wall of sound is so perfectly mirrored in the album art. It’s really a treat every time I hear it
Ice T
5/5
I was really surprised by how much I liked this album it was a bit long but overall really witty and selfaware
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
I was in a bit of a bad mood, so that didn’t help but I couldn’t get into it and it felt a bit repetitive
Frank Zappa
3/5
I’d give it a 3.5 if a could my feelings towards this album are better than neutral but only marginally so
Fiona Apple
4/5
I actually quite liked this album. Definitely some bob dylan elements but I liked the piano and lyrics
Elliott Smith
3/5
There were some good folksy moments but I wasn’t compelled by the lyrics
Lou Reed
4/5
I liked this album. A slightly jazzier velvet underground. I suspect this album grows on you, but for now only four
PJ Harvey
2/5
Sheela-na-gig is a banger but otherwise not really my style
Ray Charles
3/5
Some good songs but a little one note. I like the other styles of music that mr Charles dabbled with
Herbie Hancock
5/5
It’s a five after that first bass line. This album really taught me that dissonance in jazz isn’t just meant to be pretentious and gatekeepy. The funk can’t be contained
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
Not sure what happened to my previous rating but I really enjoyed this just a little lomg
Sade
4/5
Solid album. Very well mixed and mastered. Smooth operator is a banger.
Gorillaz
5/5
I initially was not excited for this album but it really grew on me.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Fantastic. Immersive in the way that Loveless or Sgt Peppers is and with beautiful restrained production and guitar work.
Steve Earle
3/5
A bit bland I really don’t have good or bad things to say about it
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Pretty good. Emmylou has a great voice and the instrumentation is fantastic. The album was a but samey though
Billy Joel
5/5
I’ve always liked billy Joel but this album so far surpasses my expectations. He’s really like an Elliot Erwitt with his compelling narratives and playful barbs at the American condition.
And then on top of that the sax rocks and there’s a random boss’s nova background band for get it right the first time. Just fantastic
The Verve
2/5
I was really bored by this album. I really didn’t like any songs and it all just kinda dragged
Lou Reed
3/5
I wanted to like it but the production was a little rough around the edges and I didn’t think the lyrics were as compelling as other Lou reed songs
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
There were some okay songs but on the whole I didn’t find it as intriguing as some of their other work
Silver Jews
2/5
Kinda like Leonard cohen but without the emotional impact
Pavement
3/5
Okay. Nothing really jumped out at me as being super memorable
Deerhunter
3/5
Also just kinda bland. I think we need a palate cleanser
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
Definitely some interesting ideas with the industrial vibe. The depiction of sex was a bit off putting to me and I was really bugged by how hard the vocals were to depict in the mix
Red Snapper
3/5
Nice instrumentation and blending with the electronics. But the Album is a bit too long and I found myself bored
Bad Company
3/5
Another 3. It’s like not bad but just palpably samey to the other rock of the day
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Pretty good. Dragged at times but neat to see Proto-shoegaze
The Rolling Stones
4/5
It’s basically a greatest hits album, and there are definitely some great songs. Wild, Wild horses is always great. Brown sugar is beyond problematic but at least they’ve retired that song concerts??
4/5
A good album. I didn’t love it enough to give it 5 stars but it definitely deepened my appreciation for me Bowie
Tim Buckley
4/5
I liked this album. Tim is a hard guy to judge. Not certain how much of the music is being playing straight and how much is pointed satire.
Absent thinking about the lyrics though it’s a great album
B.B. King
5/5
Bb king is a legend. This is such a great album and it’s so benefitted from being recorded live. I haven’t listened to the blues in a while but this will always serve as an excellent reintroduction
Frank Ocean
4/5
It’s a cool album but I didn’t feel it leaving a lingering impact
Coldplay
3/5
Eh. I had a hard time getting into this. The instrumentation is fine but the lyrics seemed a bit needlessly pretentious
Meat Loaf
4/5
Some phenomenal tracks. Meatloaf’s mixture of sincerity and sarcasm is really nice. Some songs are just a bit long and repetitive
The Prodigy
2/5
I’m certain this is good for the right kind of person but I was not feeling grimy electronic music so I struggled with this
Scott Walker
4/5
Some good tracks. At times redundant but overall an interesting listen
Kanye West
3/5
Truly a masterclass in modern production, but it’s Kanye so the best I can do is a three
Patti Smith
4/5
Definitely some interesting and important ideas that are communicated concisely and intelligently but the musical stylings didn’t totally do it for me
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
I really didn’t like everything except the last three songs, those were pretty good, but I just couldn’t get into the rest of it
Dire Straits
4/5
I liked this album. Does it appeal to my white boy sensibilities, absolutely, but I’m not complaining. Money for nothing is so good and there are some other fun songs on the album
Mariah Carey
3/5
Of course Mariah Carey has a good voice. The production seems a bit dated though and some of the songs read as very shallow (esp that one about growing up too soon)
Overall it’s not an unpleasant experience, it could just be so much more
Björk
3/5
I liked everything about the album except for Björk’s voice. I really just can’t with the operatic warbling. I’ll give it three because I believe it’s a taste that could be acquired
Depeche Mode
2/5
I like Depeche Mode but this album was just quite boring. I never realized the importance of a “single” on an album, but here I noticed that there’s no one song tie the others together
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Making consent sexy since 1973.
Definitely a solid album and this is more like a 4.49 for me but I guess I felt it was missing something extra to push it to a five
Little Richard
4/5
An important and interesting album for sure, but I struggle to really rate old school rock and roll too highly because all of the songs are so similar
The Kinks
4/5
Waterloo sunset comes out of nowhere as a five star song but the rest of the album is just so 60s and so British that it feels a bit too of its time
Neu!
5/5
I’m a little embarrassed by how much I enjoyed this album. But a bunch of German dudes making space sounds was a great time
Oasis
3/5
It just feels like an inferior version of the revolver album by the Beatles, just 30 years later
The Byrds
3/5
It’s pretty good. The songs are a bit samey but the overall vibe is fun
Pixies
5/5
A really foundational album. It’s everything I love about grunge especially the way it doesn’t take itself too seriously. You can totally hear their influence on much later bands like grouplove. It’s very easy to listen to & fun all the while
The Cure
4/5
Some great tracks but the album drags a little due to its length. I now like the Cure more than I thought I did which is neat
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Soooooo looooong. Definitely some great tracks that have aged well, but the album is just so long without much justification and that holds it back for me
Louis Prima
5/5
I honestly loved this album. Such a fun blend of Louis’s Italian heritage with his jazz/blues upbringing in NEW Orleans. The songs/lyrics are good, but the instrumentation and vocals and their mixing and mastering are phenomenal
Fugees
5/5
A really witty album with lots of great tracks and great instrumentation
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
This has been a really important album to me that I’ve listened to be fore and I’ll listen to again, but on this listen through I didn’t find it as engaging as a I have in the past
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
I used to really love this album, and it’s got some good tracks but Neil young and CSN is somehow less than the individual parts combined. Good, but neither of their best work
The Smiths
4/5
Pretty good album. I definitely understood the smiths in my mind. I don’t have too much negative to say, it was just missing that secret sauce
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
I feel like this track is missing a single to tie it together. The production is great but otherwise the songs are a little bland
Aerosmith
2/5
It’s really misogynistic so it’s hard to hear it for anything beyond that. The musicians are obviously good and the folksy moments are fun, but the lyrics are so trite and problematic that it’s a 2 for me
Motörhead
4/5
I had really low expectations after the last album, but this album is actually really fun! I was head banging a little bit on the train and some of the guitar solos are really novel and interesting. It’s not totally my vibe so I can’t give it a five though
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
5/5
A very fun early prog album that packs a lot of depth into its short runtime ((the opposite of many other prog works). I like space jazz
Pink Floyd
5/5
How can you not love the wall. Such a landmark piece of music that has such wide appeal. The guitar is great, the lyrics are great, Pink Floyd is just pretty great
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Two good songs on the album but otherwise a bit bland
Green Day
3/5
The well known songs are bangers, but The lyrics feel pretty dated and empty. The slurs used don’t add anything while really ruining my immersion
Wilco
3/5
It’s pretty good, but I was expecting so much more. And tbh a lot of the songs reminded me of Jan from the office singing about her assistant. Smth about the whiny tone
Wire
2/5
Idk I just found this album to be really boring. There’s basically nothing remarkable that I can remember from it. It didn’t help that I never understood any of the lyrics
Deep Purple
3/5
There are some fun moments but I don’t want to be tied to deep purple for 2 hours
Radiohead
2/5
I like Radiohead but this album was quite boring. There were no memorable songs and i just found myself wanting it to end
The B-52's
3/5
For sure a fun album just missing something I can’t put my finger on to push it to a five
Michael Jackson
5/5
I think this album is really fantastic. The production is spot on, Michael Jackson really brings unmatched energy to any track he touched
Portishead
2/5
This album was boring. I like ambient beeps and boops, but these beeps and boops bored me
The Prodigy
2/5
I don’t like prodigy really. This album is just not that great, I don’t have strong feelings about it
3/5
Maybe a 3 is a bit unfair, but I know this is not an album I’ll return to. The famous songs are good but the rest just don’t really hit for me
De La Soul
5/5
It’s definitely a fun album that still feels modern even today. Too bad their music doesn’t stream so I can listen to it without YouTube audio compression
David Holmes
3/5
We’ve had a lot of this early electronic music and it’s pretty good, just not very remarkable
David Bowie
4/5
This is a fun album! My favorite Bowie so far, still missing a special something that I can’t put my finger on. I dig the American though
The Undertones
4/5
Definitely one of the better punkish albums we’ve had. Not too self serious. Short, which is important. And well produced. Better than neutral, but not a 5 for me
Hugh Masekela
5/5
This is a fantastic album. Really great synergy with the band. Super fun and nothing negative to say
Eminem
3/5
2/5
2 I didn’t hate it as much as I expected to. But it’s too long to be as repetitive as it is and the nine minutes of laughing for an outro isn’t the best thing in the world
The Charlatans
3/5
It’s fine. I’m a bit over britpop tho. I don’t have a whole lot to say
Kate Bush
4/5
Lots of interesting ideas. Not all of them resonated with me, but you can tell this was put together with a lot of thought. Not the kind of thing I’ll relisten to, but glad I heard it
The Smiths
4/5
Pretty solid. I’m still not all in on the smiths but you can definitely see a lot of good ideas here
Dolly Parton
5/5
Good solid fun country music. Nothing to complain about here
The Pretty Things
4/5
Pretty good album. The through line is not as definite, but it’s basically the first concept album so I can’t ask too much of it. Also the hard left right pan is a just a bit distracting
Beastie Boys
4/5
Pretty solid album. I’ve definitely unfairly written off the beastie boys in the past, but this album is pretty good old school hiphop/rock. My only gripe is that the album is a little long for the number of ideas it’s bringing
Soft Cell
3/5
Tainted love is fire of course but that’s the only thing saving this album from being a two. It’s boring, needlessly sexual, and not something I’ll return to
CHIC
4/5
Nile rogers on guitar is always great but this is not my favorite of chic’s work
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I found this album to be so boring but I think I was just in the wrong headspace. It’s probably worth another listen but it’s not the kinda album I’d crave listening to, the tracks are a bit all over the place in terms of style
Coldplay
5/5
Way better the previous Coldplay album we had, does this appeal to my white boy indie loving sensibilities, ye. Do I mind? No. Loved the guitar tone and the lyrics weren’t as prominent so I didn’t have to dislike them
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Fantastic. It’s hard to go wrong with Sinatra but there are no duds on this album. The master is great (not always a given for these older albums) and it’s really a joy to listen to
Metallica
4/5
Really solid album. It’s totally my style so I can’t go all the way to a five but really enjoyed the guitar work and the drums. I’d never listened to a Metallica album and was pleasantly surprised
The National
3/5
When this album started I thought I might really enjoy it, but then it just went further and further downhill. It’s just a bit boring and the songs aren’t well differentiated
Talking Heads
4/5
Definitely some good songs, and I think I could give 5 stars to a different talking heads album. Just something about this falls a little flatter than I might like
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Pretty good. The representation of women and gay folks is a little problematic, but the flow is good and there are definitely some good lines. Nothing super catchy and single-able
SZA
5/5
I’m a sucker for neosoul, so of course I like this. SZA is great, she’s not my favorite in the genre, but the album is well produced, the lyrics are right, and SZA certainly brings a lot of emotion and energy to all of the tracks
Metallica
4/5
If you like Metallica I’m sure this album is monumental. For someone less interested in metal, it’s still pretty cool. It’s not exactly my style, but it does feel slightly better in terms of variety than the previous album we listened to
Radiohead
3/5
This album felt super boring. I don’t really have much positive to say, but it also wasn’t bad I guess
Bon Jovi
4/5
There are some indisputably fun songs on here (although I don’t know if Jon was going for “fun”). There are some stinkers. On the whole a decent album, and that intro organ riff pushes it up to a four for me
Bob Dylan
5/5
Iconic Dylan. Definitely incoherent at times, but in the pleasantly dissociative sense. This album is great for reasons that aren’t easily put into words. The instrumentation and mastering is great, but that’s not it. Dylan’s voice and lyrics are great (if you’re into that), but that’s not it either. It’s tough to say, but easy to say it’s a five
Judas Priest
3/5
The guitar tones are great but I kinda hate the lyrics. It’s a tough one for me, if we hadn’t had so much metal recently I might feel differently
SAULT
5/5
Some really great tracks here. I enjoyed this album and that feels pretty unusual coming from a modern band Id never heard of
Radiohead
5/5
I was starting to think I didn’t like radio head with the past two albums. However this album really reoriented my thinking. It’s great and quirky in all the right way
Rush
2/5
I really was not in the mood for 70s rock, and I really was provided with 70s rock. Just arrived at the second song, and 76 is way too late for this hideous exoticism and colonial smoke show.
The guitar playing is good, but not very inspired—living in an uncanny valley between 80s greats like Van Halen but after the more direct and unpretentious styles of earlier 70s.
Overall it’s very self serious without good reason. It feels like it wants to be a concept album but just isn’t hitting it. I wanted to like rush but I didn’t
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Really solid album. Not the kind of album I seek out for a relisten but glad I heard it. A fun blend of blues jazz and that 60s instrumental avant garde
Queen Latifah
4/5
I’ve been woefully uninitiated to Queen Latifah’s work. She’s definitely great but it loses one star just because I don’t think there’s a single to tie the album together, the production feels a little dated (especially the mix is a bit weird), and finally the album is just a bit too long to not have a nice arc between the songs
Very witty lyrics with great delivery, both of which definitely hold up
The Flaming Lips
4/5
This is a neat album. The band had existed for 19 years when this album came out, and it shows in the production which is pretty great. However the album doesn’t seem stale for such a seasoned band.
That being said, I can’t give it 5 because it’s missing something I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s a high 4, but a 4
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
This is a really fun album. I like the blend of traditional acoustic instrumentation with the electric guitars. I have t really been exposed to Brazilian music outside of bossa nova and a taste of samba, so I’m a bit out of my depth here. I’m glad I got the additional exposure.
I’m giving it a 4 because to me, a non-Portuguese-speaking person, the album felt a bit like a cluster of decent songs that didn’t feel all that unified. Id happily be disproven or get a better explanation for why the album format doesn’t work the same way in this cultural milieu
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Head empty a bit here. It’s kinda interesting and he’s definitely a talented producer. I feel like he tantalizes us a bit with a whiff of cool production techniques but doesn’t fully develop them. The songs don’t feel dated Per se, but they don’t exactly hold up either.
I’m pretty neutral overall
Primal Scream
4/5
I don’t love the lead vocalist. The rest of the instrumentation is pretty cool
Medication is a pretty standout song.
This is one of those albums where I could see myself giving other albums by them a 5 but this just slightly missed that mark
The Pogues
4/5
The pogues are definitely the pogues. They’re pretty hit or meh for me. I’ll never hate a bit of shanty punk. This album’s direction as more ballad-centric is not particularly to my taste, but still a solid album overall
Madonna
3/5
I didn’t know this phase of Madonna existed, so definitely an interesting listens.
The lyrics feel like a bit of a step backwards away from the witty and sometimes incisive exploitations of cultural mores of her 80s hits (like a virgin, material girl) Even her more basic
The vibe is interesting, and the album is definitely well produced, I’m just not certain that I jive with the 90s dance music production. It’s very Moby to me with the drum beats, it’s just missing the fun samples. Maybe this was ahead of its timed, but it feels a bit dated now
I don’t really like madonna’s vocal performance, it feels a bit strained at times despite being technically fine.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Fantastic album. It’s part concept album and part list of mega singles. I’ve always loved this album but I never gave it enough credit for how meaningful it was. It’s so personal and raw while also applying those feelings to larger societal issues (alcoholism, police brutality, etc). fantastic production and really tasteful non musical interludes. A five for sure
Jimmy Smith
4/5
I don’t have a whole lot to say here. It’s very competent jazz but it didn’t feel super distinctive (maybe it was at the time), but absent a more informed prior, it’s gotta be a 4
Beastie Boys
4/5
That opening Rhodes tone with that bass, killer. Give me an album of that.
This album is kinda the height of that 80s sample-based hip hop, and it’s fantastically produced—great use of soundstage.
the lyrics of the beastie boys are not great, both inscrutable and simplistic. a bit juvenile as well. Id like to see a post-superstar beastie boys when their artistry remains but their pomp wanes a bit.
A year and a day slaps
If it was just the bboy tracks it would definitely be getting a 4 and I will round up to a 4 but it’s more like a 3.6
4/5
When you learn to play wonderwall on guitar you completely ignore the lush orchestration and tasteful drum palette. Re-listening to wondewall with a more critical ear really deepens my appreciation for that track.
On the whole, you can hear the strong influence of classic rock (don’t look back in anger is so John Lennon it borders on pastiche)
The general mastering is pretty great, the clean drums and vocals punch through the heavier guitars with ease
Megadeth
5/5
Great guitar tone and really tight drumming. The lyrics are interesting, and I’d probably need another listen to have a full picture. However they’re definitely clever, the phallic imagery on the “rust in piece… Polaris” is a well-executed satire of Cold War one-upmanship .
I really enjoy the enjoy the guitar playing. (Knowing nothing of the genre) it has all the elements that I like from both math rock and classic rock.
Honestly, I think this is as good as it gets for metal and me
Nas
4/5
I wish I had more to say about this album but for some reason I really just didn’t connect with it. I think it was probably really influential in shaping the post-2000 rap sound.
The lyrics are good, a mix of vulnerability and wit. The production is okay, but I won’t hold that against Nas too much. Maybe on a different day this is rated higher, but it’s a 4 if I’m true to myself
Def Leppard
2/5
To me, Def Leppard has always lived in an uncanny valley between Peter Gabriel and Metallica. That 80s sonic palette just doesn’t totally gel with the hard rock sound they’re striving for. The lyrics are bad, or at least boring.
Nothing about the album is poorly executed, solid vocals and 80s pinch harmonics guitar.
Of course, pour some sugar on me rocks. but the album feels like the record label described their median consumer and the Def Leppard created a normal distribution around that median—pour some sugar is the outlier in that distribution.
I think pour some sugar goes so hard because they leverage the background singers much better—it feels like a song by a band and not market research made manifest.
Strong words for an album I don’t really have strong feelings for. Sorry, Mr. Leppard you don’t really deserve the hate I’m giving.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
You can really hear Thelonious’s deep understanding of the rules of jazz and the blues in his playing. He bends the rules in all the right places making for a wonderful bit of piano playing.
Sonny Rollins kills on sax. The mix on the bass is a little low, but the bass player still holds it down. The drum tone is great, so classic and restrained.
It’s amazing how just a title and Monk’s playing unlocks a rich lyricism in “I Surrender, Dear”. That slow swung section is amazing.
But I just didn’t connect with this album as much as I have other 5s, so it has to be a 4
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
I almost wish I didn’t see the R Crumb album cover before listening to the album itself. The racial caricatures aren’t cool.
Janis’s vocals are superb, a surprise to no one, and the band highlights her voice well.
The guitars are fantastic, it’s the early days of the fuzz pedal and you just don’t hear tone like that anymore. You can feel that they’re pushing the boundaries of the music that’s currently available to them.
I could do without the tanbura (or super sparse sitar?) on “Oh, Sweet Mary,” but I can’t fault them too much for wanting to experiment.
Overall I’m super glad I listened to this, no complaints about the music.
Haircut 100
5/5
I had never heard of this band, so I was really struggling to justify why this album is on the list.
My preconception was totally misguided; this album rocks.
The band is so locked in. Their use of the funk palette works way better than it should for a bunch of young effeminate British white dudes from the 80s. The lyrics are fine, but the bass, percussion, and guitar more than make up for it. And a little clarinet in a pop album? bring it on!
Pink Floyd
3/5
I really hated listening to this album but I was not in a good mood for Zappa-esque weird rock.
I suspect that this album is actually pretty good, but I can’t give it any more than a 3
Queen
5/5
I’ve been off queen for a little while, and this album proved to be an excellent return to form.
The band has a lot of cohesion and Freddie’s vocals and arrangement really shine. I don’t really have anything negative to say
R.E.M.
3/5
This album is quite bland to me. Even everybody hurts, a song I thought I liked, read as a little dry.
I can see why people love REM, but this hasn’t aged well to me. Maybe the lyrics are good, but I kinda hate them? I think that the album conjures Neil Young vibes in an uncanny way.
I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt with a 3 but to me it’s barely eking out a 2.6
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
The triplet flow on those initial bongos are amazing.
Mayfield assembled a really tight band for this album. No pieces are out of place.
This album is great, there’s nothing at all to complain about.
Ice Cube
5/5
Another long overdue introduction to a hip hop legend.
This album has aged beautifully. Ice Cube is not trying to be cute or too clever with the lyrics. It’s straight ahead hip hop that’s well produced with good lyrics. It’s really a wonderful album to listen to.
It’s a man’s world is an interesting subversion and dismissal of the misogyny trope, I’m here for it.
Garbage
5/5
Shoegaze and grunge guitar with trip hop beats leaning on the darker synth textures of 80s British alternative (Depeche Mode, new order) . A wonderful synthesis of the nineties. Totally holds up.
It pulls on the attributes from contemporary and past music while clearly delineating a path to 2000s alternative, a really great album to hear.
Beck
5/5
Modern production with nick drake melancholia, great.
There’s no way the song Sunday sun isn’t a reference to nick drakes Saturday sun
MC Solaar
5/5
This album cover is amazing. Listening to this is a little strange because I can tell that Solaar is doing some French plays on words, but I have no idea what they mean.
The flow is superb, the samples and beats are equally superb.
k.d. lang
4/5
this album is solid. k.d. has a great voice with a really authentic patsy cline vibe. The album feels a little safe, but the what’s there is well-executed. The bass tone on “down to my last cigarette” is super corny
Bauhaus
4/5
This is Tuesday 11 pm WPRB music. It definitely has a crowd, I’m just not in it. In a purely neutral way, it has a timeless quality, it’s hard to assess when it came out without checking.
This band feels very influential, “Hollow Hills” feels like the intro to a nirvana song, so clearly the band is pulling on the right strings.
Kick In the Eye is a really tight song, and a much better use of that plunky 80s bass sound than yesterday’s album
The Isley Brothers
3/5
This is a solid album. The production is top notch but the actual songs are just a little bland. They feel almost too crisp to me
Supergrass
3/5
Oasis automatically played after the album ended, and I was like “oh this song is pretty good!” I think that says enough about the rest of the album
The Black Crowes
4/5
Definitely colors within the lines of southern rock, but I’ll never sneeze at some good Americana.
Cypress Hill
2/5
I’ve never really connected with gangsta rap or stoner rap so I’m not surprised I don’t connect with this.
Dion
3/5
If Father John Misty and Steely Dan had a baby and raised him in a loving Christian household, this is the music I think he’d make.
Nick Drake
5/5
My favorite piece of melancholia to ever be released. Nick drake perfectly captures the emotional milieu of wistfulness, lethargy, and yearning. Truly transporting and one of its kind. I’m only sad there’s not more nick drake to listen to.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
It’s tough to describe why I liked this album. It felt very raw and vulnerable which is cool. You want it darker is super weird and absolutely rocks. Overall a great listen
George Michael
3/5
The mix/master lacks a bit of oomph which is distracting. Im not totally sure what George Michaels was going for with this album. It’s never bad, but it feels a bit all over the place.
The Killers
5/5
It’s hard to disentangle nostalgia from merit on this album, but I definitely enjoyed listening to it. The songs do a good job of feeling distinct but tied together
Tom Waits
5/5
Any good faith review of this album needs to buy into the Tom Waits grovelly-voiced musical ecosystem. With that predicate, this album rocks. It’s a great mix of hopelessness, wit, vulnerability, and inscrutability. Overall very Tom Waits.
Nice production too, the sandpapery mostly acoustic (and sometimes non-instrumental) sounds really add to the tangible roughness of Tom’s voice.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Ordinarily, I feel like I should really dig this album, but it didn’t live up to what it could have been for me. I think I just don’t love this kind of early rock and roll stuff, but it’s a solid album for sure
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Without casting a value judgment here, this album feels way ahead of its time, in humor, master, instrumentation. I didn’t really like it that much, but a very strange time capsule to behold
TV On The Radio
3/5
I really do not have any feelings towards this album.
Brian Eno
4/5
I love Brian Eno, but I’ve never loved his vocals. That’s how I feel about most of this album.the one standout is “By this River” which is quite beautiful and suits Eno’s voice perfectly.
Talking Heads
4/5
I really want to like the talking heads, but I still haven’t totally come around to them. This album is definitely solid though I still struggle with David byrne’s whimper shouts
T. Rex
4/5
This album was fighting an uphill battle against my grumpiness, and it actually won. I really enjoyed the weirdness of the songs because the weirdness is balanced by convincing instrumentation and musicianship
Little Simz
5/5
Really solid album. Cool flow and fantastic instrumentation. I’m here for all of her creative choices
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
This album is too long and by the end you realize that it’s really not that good. Some of the samples are kinda fresh, but the album is mostly lacking.
Morrissey
3/5
It’s a decent album, but it suffers without Johnny Marr and Morissey is just too melodramatic for anything more than a three
Radiohead
3/5
I’m a bit over Radiohead. It’s one of those albums where the algorithmically generated album started automatically playing and I didn’t notice. It’s good but it’s nothing special
John Prine
5/5
I will always love John Prine. His lyrics are so balanced in profundity and unpretention. So wonderful. And oh boy is “your flag decal won’t get you into heaven” still relevant today
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
There were some songs I liked and some I didn’t. It’s a little long
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
This album is pretty generic. Definitely not bad but also definitely not something I’m gonna hurry back to.
Janet Jackson
2/5
I struggle with 80s songs that say “Bad thing bad” in upbeat pop songs (Looking at you, “Do they know it’s Christmas?”). The first half of this album falls under a similar umbrella for me.
“Illiteracy, No!” Is quite possibly the worst lyric I’ve ever heard. Maybe that rhetoric is poignant for a certain demographic, but it reads as trite for me. I acknowledge that Janet did not make this album to appeal to my then-unborn white boy sensibilities.
The album takes a decent upturn with “miss you much” but disappoints in the later songs.
The one piece of praise I’ll give is for the flow of album which is very well sequenced.
John Martyn
4/5
To me, there are few more perfect songs than “Over the Hill,” so I was disappointed to learn that the rest of the album is not equally great. It’s still a solid album, I just wanted a little bit more
Various Artists
4/5
Fairly solid album. It's a Christmas Album, so I think it would be near impossible for any non-Vince Guaraldi artists to get a 5
Tom Waits
4/5
Really evocative vignettes. I wasn’t 100% in a Waits-y mood, but always an interesting listening
Green Day
3/5
I’m not a Green Day hater, in fact I think good Green Day can be really great, I just didn’t think that this album was all that special
The Band
4/5
I like the band, so I liked this. It’s not as spectacular as big pink but still good
Jane's Addiction
2/5
I wanted to enjoy this album, but the rock was a bit too intense for me to really get into the instrumentation and lyrics are kinda nonsense, very forgettable
Massive Attack
2/5
The first song is pretty good but the rest is either boring or a little cringe. Definitely personal bias speaking, but I feel trip-hop is a bit over-represented in the sample here
The Saints
2/5
This album feels like a bit of a boring misappropriation of the punk musical vocabulary. Maybe it’s an interesting transition between the more straight-ahead rock of the 70s and the glam rock of the 80s, but I just don’t find it that compelling.
James Taylor
5/5
Great guitar tone, great voice, reverent to the Americana tradition without feeling derivative. If you like James Taylor, it’s a winner.
Digital Underground
2/5
This album feels very MTV. I’m always scared of an album with a big hit as its first song (is the rest just padding?). But I don’t think this album is deliberately padded.
I’ve just never been into the jocular vibe in hip-hop especially when that’s intermingled with misogyny. The best songs are their most direct, like “Freaks of the Industry” etc.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Fantastic playing throughout. The slide guitars on “You Ask Me To” is a further standout.
It loses a star for some bad takes, but solid old school country through and through.
Nirvana
4/5
This is a tough one to rate (and to listen to). You can really tell that Kurt put his heart and soul into every track. However, he must have been in such a dark place that it’s hard to hear this album without being constantly reminded of Kurt’s impending mortality.
Tito Puente
5/5
Of course I love it. Usually with world music I’m willing to be lenient with some production weirdness, but this whole album is super tight. The percussion is especially wonderful.
M.I.A.
5/5
I initially didn’t understand why MIA was included on this list but, my preconceptions were quickly dispelled when I actually listened to the album.
The album should get a five just for its novelty, I’ve never heard anything that sounds like it. But the album is more than just a cool sound, it’s solid all around.
3/5
I always feel like I’m not schooled enough in what makes good punk good, but this just felt a bit unremarkable to me.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
I love 90s R&B/neosoul so this album was destined for a high rating from me. While I don’t think it’s quite as good as my favorites of the genre, it still deserves a five, and it’s an album I could see myself revisiting
The Sonics
5/5
This is a really fun album. It’s definitely pre-punk which makes it an interesting cultural artifact. The lofi sound is perfectly done, and overall I have nothing bad to say.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
I love a Tribe Called Quest and this album is no different. Super old school vibe that suits their flow well
N.W.A.
5/5
Obviously a hugely important album that will get a 5 from me. There’s a lot of misogyny and some homophobia which is not super cool, but I’m going to set that aside for the purposes of this rating
Joni Mitchell
3/5
This album is like a 3.49-3.51 to me and I’m not quite sure how to round it. No parts of it are bad but it feels very plain for a Joni Mitchell album
Common
4/5
I really love neosoul and I’ve always liked common’s vibes. This album isn’t perfect, there’s some slightly jarring language and it’s a little long. A solid album overall, but I wanted just a little more
Sex Pistols
5/5
No frills punk. Crazy that such an influential band only really released one album. However, the album does make up for that outsized influence.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
I feel like I could really enjoy this album if I was in a different mood, but as it stands this album fell a bit flat to me.
Their sound is way ahead of their time, but it almost so perfectly predicts the 2000s singer-songwriter vibe that the music feels a bit played out (definitely not their fault).
Neil Young
5/5
Some positively insane guitar tone. Classic Neil Young songwriting. As always, the Canadian songwriter makes me relish in Americana.
Sparks
3/5
I didn’t love this album. I can easily believe that it was hugely influential, but this vibe has never really gelled with me. It kinda falls into that zone of the Talking Heads where I feel like I should like it
Screaming Trees
2/5
I really have no feelings about this album. It feels like generic 90s rock
Radiohead
5/5
Every time I think I’m off of Radiohead I get pulled back. I think this is my favorite Radiohead album. Some of the same eccentricities of their later work balanced with a bit more overt vulnerability. It’s a wonderful album that’s wonderfully produced
The Stooges
4/5
I little bit of punk, a little bit of prog, and a whole lot of fun.
Jefferson Airplane
5/5
Big 60s energy without feeling too cliche. A fun listen for sure.
Janis Joplin
4/5
No strong feelings for this one. I don’t think this was the best use of Janis’s undeniable talent.
U2
3/5
This barely squeaks out a 3 for me. I’ve never been a U2 fan and this album is no different. I speak of uncanny valleys a lot, but I think U2 is uniquely uncannily between rock and pop.
PJ Harvey
2/5
I had a pretty visceral negative reaction to this album. Maybe this is someone’s jam, but it is definitely not mine.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Fantastic guitar playing but just a little too long and generically classic rock to grab a 5 from me
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
This is a solid album but lacks some extra pizzazz that would bump it up to five for me. I bet if you’re a CCR fan this is gold, but I’m a little too ambivalent to go above a 4
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
I’m usually not too picky about the mastering of an album, but those jangly guitar tones were just too piercing for me. Each of the tracks were a bit generic. Cool to see early psych-garage, but not really my jam.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Wow! This was genuinely one of my favorite albums we’ve had to date. Maybe it just struck the right nerve, but something about the amazing mastering with the equally amazing playing just made this pretty magical. I just only wish I could have heard this in 1970 when this would feel even more groundbreaking
Milton Nascimento
5/5
This was a cool album! I wasn't 100% jamming on it, but i suspect that if i had any degree of Portuguese fluency it'd be 5 stars for me, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Living Colour
2/5
I really tried to give this album a fair shot. And I think maybe I’m still not doing that, but I really didn’t like this album. The b side in particular is not my vibe. It falls neatly into the the preachy 80s music that I’ve lamented previously. Coupled with that glam rock style, it’s a lose-lose for me.
The Offspring
3/5
Very unremarkable 90s alternative.
Mike Ladd
4/5
Pretty good. A little long, but the core is solid. His other work might be interesting to check out.
Heaven 17
4/5
I’ve definitely given worse albums 4s and better album 5s. It’s on the fence for me, but I think it falls on the low side
The Doors
4/5
Solid overall but lacking the tinge of psychedelica that would make this a 5 for me
The Kinks
4/5
Some interesting ideas that probably laid the groundwork for later styles of rock (punk etc). But it’s interspersed with too much of what John Lennon would call “Granny Music”.
Boston
5/5
Great playing, great vocals, great fun!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Very listenable. Concise without feeling incomplete much better showing for CCR than their previous album
Simple Minds
3/5
The most notable thing about this album is its horrible album cover. Otherwise the music is unremarkable.
Elton John
5/5
This album is so packed with monumental hits that I’m a little desensitized. But I think if I was listening to candle in the wind or Benny and and jets for the first time, this album would be an instant five, so that’s what I’ll give it
The La's
2/5
I struggle to justify the inclusion here. The single “There She Goes”, isn’t even that great. The songs either feel like music that the Beatles did better 25 years prior or that Oasis would do better 5 years later.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Great musicianship across the board, and some fun songs. Not every album has to have a catchy tune, but I think this album would have more staying power (for me) if I could latch onto one song.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Nick Cave is not totally my jam, but this album obviously has a lot of effort put into it. For me, this is as good as it gets for nick cave
Liz Phair
4/5
I like this album. Not super relistenable, but I’ve tried to get into this album before but it was nice to finally have the incentive to finish it. Solid all around
Rush
2/5
Unfortunately, I think I hate Rush.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
It would be misleading to call this album ahead of its time. This album is so integral that the face of rock music would be unrecognizable without it. You can’t be ahead of your time if you bend the times to your whim.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal. Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Nothing wrong with this album, but not anything that knocked my socks off
Aretha Franklin
5/5
An album that can be appreciated on every level. No filler, the band is super tight, and Aretha kills. A no surprise 5.
Beck
4/5
I absolutely adore Beck, but this is not my favorite by him. Some good songs, and not an unpleasant listen, but squarely in 4 territory for me.
4/5
I always feel like I should like New Wave more than I actually do. The A side is a little generic but the B side is wonderfully weird and very Devo
James Brown
5/5
This is a pretty cool album. I love that you can hear the last pieces of big band still hanging on while hearing the emergence of the instrumental palette of funk and soul. James Brown gives a great performance and the audience adds to the experience. Some production quirks, but I won’t hold that against anyone.
Spacemen 3
4/5
This album punches above its weight for me. I’d definitely throw this album on in the background of the imaginary parties I throw.
It’s missing just a little something that would push it to a 5, but a strong showing to be sure.
The Temptations
4/5
The more psychedelic tracks are really cool! I could take a whole album of that funk prog psych rock thing but I feel like they were a bit afraid to really lean in
Miles Davis
4/5
I wish I was better able to appreciate jazz. I didn’t personally connect with this album, but if I try to be objective about my ratings, it’s a 5.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
I love shoe gaze and dream pop, so you can’t ask for much more.
Venom
3/5
This album didn’t speak to me personally but it does have merit as a jumping off point for many later bands.
The Mars Volta
3/5
There’s nothing wrong with this album, but it’s not really my style. Some of the extended solos are pretty cool, but I didn’t like the vocals or the subject matter thereof.
5/5
Man, I love bob dylan. The sound of that shrill harmonica in that gigantic concert hall really hits different.
“She belongs to me” and “just like a woman” were especially captivating.
Loved it
ABBA
5/5
ABBA rocks. Both infinitely nostalgic and infinitely fresh. Their production is always unparalleled and their band cohesion is top notch, a great album on all fronts
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Obvious five. When the deeper cuts are better than some monumentally famous songs, you know the album is good
The Stooges
4/5
This album is a very strong four for me. If we hadn’t been listening to such great albums recently, I might give it a five.
The proto punk is cool to see and the album still feels pretty fresh
The Clash
5/5
Very simple and very good. Political without being naggy.
Underworld
2/5
I don’t like techno
Carpenters
5/5
Fun album! Little Bit of baroque pop, little bit of folk rock. Great harmonies. That last song is bizarre but not unwelcome!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I’m not sure how I’ve never crossed paths with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but this album is pretty good! It definitely hits that alt rock vibe while still feeling fresh.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
Not surprised to hear that this was produced by a velvet underground alum. Simple, but still fresh. Doesn’t totally feel like it’s pushing any envelopes, but still very solid
Nick Drake
5/5
I’m always gonna love nick drake. That intro is one of the most beautiful orchestrations in the history of pop. This album is an easy five no matter how many times I’ve heard it
Mekons
2/5
I like old school country, and I certainly don’t dislike punk and its derivatives, but, this album fell flat for me. I’m reaching for the Pogues, the Cure, or most anything else before this.
I can imagine a later stage in my life where I wonder how I ever gave this album such short shrift. But for now, it remains worse than neutral
4/5
It may be that I’m just growing into my appreciation of PJ Harvey, but this album was pretty good! Not a whole lot of analysis I can give, it just struck me better than our previous PJ album.
Deep Purple
4/5
It’s nothing to write home about, but it gets bumped to a four for having some fantastic guitar and keyboard tone and for being so concise.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
I’m vehemently neutral on this album. Some decent songs, but largely not very memorable
Funkadelic
5/5
Fonky!
The Cramps
5/5
I really enjoyed this album which kind of surprised me! Without the bonus tracks it’s a perfect length to enjoy the vibe without getting saturated.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Very good album. No frills, just good tracks.
The Zombies
5/5
This album is very nostalgic to me, so I can’t be impartial. But I can be amazed by just how much I still love these British dorks.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
This album lands squarely in the “I feel like I should like this” camp. However, for reasons I can’t articulate, I just don’t find it that compelling
Sepultura
3/5
This is someone’s jam, but not really mine.
David Bowie
4/5
This album is a little unmoored, but the tracks individually are solid. David’s voice sounds great, and some of the melodic choices are fantastic.
Grateful Dead
4/5
Some great songs, and I’m particularly fond of “Friend of the Devil”. But this album feels longer than it is. I need to go deeper on their back catalogue, but for now I don’t feel super connected to the Dead’s music
David Bowie
5/5
Strong album, teetering between a low five and a high four. I’ll bump it up for the adventurous ambient sax and Eno collaboration.
4/5
The kinks are always solid, and this album is no different. Really good production for 1969. All in all, nothing earth shattering, but nothing to complain about either.
Beyoncé
5/5
Great at every turn. I was expecting this an album to feel a bit dated (it is already ten years old). But it doesn’t at all. “Rocket” is now far and away my favorite Beyoncé song.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
Solid. Better and more thoughtful than generic aughts indie, but still not knocking my socks off.
Blondie
4/5
Some standouts, of course, but not everything I was hoping for. Some slightly weird production at points, but a good listen all in all
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This album is too long, but it’s also too Stevie to be anything less than a five.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
You’ve gotta respect this album for pushing the boundaries of modern music. However it remains remarkably musical despite its innovativeness.
Brian Wilson
2/5
I don’t know if it’s possible to be derivative of your past self. If you can, this would be the first album I’d add to that list.
It’s so disappointing because Brian Wilson can be pure magic, but this just feels like flaccid covers of a past life.
I’d have preferred 52 minutes of chorale arrangements like that first song. That song was beautiful.
Joe Ely
3/5
This album is noticeably stifled by its outdated, and now cheesy, instrumentation.
The vocals are a little shaky, and the lyrics are a bit uncomplicated.
There’s an endearing earnestness to all of the aforementioned. However, not endearing enough to push it above a 3.
Roxy Music
5/5
Really cool album. I dig the proto new wave. Not afraid to get weird but still being very listenable. Always nice to be exposed to an album you probably would have never found otherwise
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I used to think of Led Zeppelin as these untouchably cool figures. Now I know that they’re actually huge nerds. Their devotion to the folk music canon with the flavors of hard rock makes for really interesting and timeless music. There’s a lot packed into this relatively short album
Led Zeppelin
5/5
One of the best debut albums i have ever encountered. The band is unbelievably tight and the album flows like water. The production and mastering (or remastering?) is flawless.
The line between appropriation and inspiration is fine, especially with Zeppelin. But regardless of who should get the true credit, this albums rocks.
Beth Orton
4/5
Better than much of the 90s singer songwriter music out there, but still not music I really connect with.
Barry Adamson
3/5
I can see the merit of this album as a film soundtrack, and maybe in one of my more avant-garde moods, I can appreciate a soundtrack for a nonexistent movie.
For now, it basically just reintroduced the city noise my headphones were actively trying to cancel out.
Jethro Tull
4/5
Pretty solid album. The flute is refreshing and tastefully done, but the whole package just can’t be a five for me.
David Bowie
4/5
As I read more and listened more to this album, I appreciated it more. It’s still a little eerie to me that this was released two days before his death.
I do think this is a really good album, but it’s still not an album I really enjoyed.
Britney Spears
3/5
One verse of “…Baby One More Time,” is euphoric pop bliss, but quickly becomes trite. Unfortunately, the album lacks anything else with similar pull.
The ballads are bad, all of the outdatedness with none of the emotional sincerity. It’s a 2.5 for me with a round up.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Simple yet deep. Definitely the kind of album that benefits from additional listens. Nothing to complain about. It’s my favorite album that prominent incorporates a jaw harp.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Truly a magical hour of music. There are certain musicians who cannot make a mistake while improvising. The connection between their feelings and the music they play is direct. Jacob Collier and Herbie Hancock immediately come to mind as other examples. Jarrett obviously also possesses this skill.
Listening to music like that will always be a treat. There’s a reason why this became the best selling solo piano album to date.
Sarah Vaughan
5/5
One of the best “fly on the wall” live albums I’ve ever heard. The perfect mix of clean and professional with loose and intimate. Sarah has an amazing voice and the band sounds great.
Also huge shoutout to the recording team for making a live 1957 recording sound better than a lot of studio albums 10 years later.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
This album is a little dorky at times, but so am I. Something about tors album speaks to me and it’s an album I can see myself growing with. And “In Your Eyes“ is a no surprise standout.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Music from this era is feeling a bit passé. I’m sure the pendulum will swing back, but for now I’m not a huge fan of this style. It feels way more sterile than the Neo soul of a few years prior which I don’t love. It’s not bad, just not good.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
I just can’t help but love the 60s. This album is definitely good and i’d love to give it a 4.5. But since there are so many amazing 60s albums, I’ll leave it at a 4
Dire Straits
5/5
Dylanesque lyrics with some fantastic guitar playing. I’m always happy to be pandered to. “Wild West End” stands out as my favorite.
New Order
3/5
Some of the synths are really good. And I have a lot of respect for the direction that this album pushed music in. That being said the main vocalist is so wildly off key that the album is tough to listen to. It makes you wish auto tune was invented earlier to prop this album up.
Eagles
5/5
I can’t help but love this album. Yes I’ve probably listened to 5 hours of Hotel California in my lifetime, but the title track still somehow feels fresh, and the other songs don’t feel like filler. I’m a sucker for music that feels palpably American though.
George Michael
2/5
This is not really my style. Even “Faith” is worse than I remembered because of the bad mastering. It sounds like “Faith” is being played on a small speaker in another room.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
The first half of the album is pretty tough. The second half of the album is a little better, but not enough to bump it up. The hits hold up, but they’re drowned out by way too many other tracks
Laibach
2/5
This album is really not my thing. Maybe if I understood German I’d like it more, but this was really a slog for me
Santana
5/5
This would be an easy 5 if it came out in 2023. The fact that it came out in 1970 makes it even more impressive.
Santana’s guitar playing is obviously great, but upon revisiting these songs the percussion stands out as another tasty feature
Queen
5/5
Really fun album. Freddie gives an amazing performance and the rest of the band is equally tight. Good all around
Goldfrapp
2/5
I don’t feel like I have the right mental frame to understand why this album was included. Maybe I should go back over the lyrics with a finer tooth comb, but I won’t, because I didn’t like it
Black Flag
3/5
It’s definitely punk. I’m not too deep into punk so this won’t get highs marks from me. There’s nothing especially wrong though
Bebel Gilberto
5/5
No doubt that this is a musical family. I’m huge bossa nova fan, but if you would have described a “bossa nova, drum machine, new age” album, I would have been skeptical.
All of the elements blend together in a really tasteful way that shows considerable restraint for the time.
A treat to listen to.
Blur
2/5
I had a pretty negative reaction to this album. It’s too long, I’m a bit burnt out on this genre, and the lyrics didn’t do enough to hold my attention. That long song at the end felt especially brutal.
Air
5/5
Effortlessly cool without feeling shallow. A nice blend of acoustics and electronics. Definitely an album I can see myself throwing back on
Finley Quaye
3/5
There’s nothing bad about this album. There’s nothing that great either. The lyrics lack depth, but not every album should be deep. I’m not a reggae connoisseur, so maybe this broke major ground, but I don’t connect with it.
Beatles
5/5
One of my least favorite Beatles albums. You can really feel their looming breakup.
That said, it’s still amazing. The guitar tones are tasty, and the production and instrumentation are a beautiful microcosm of where rock came from and where it where it was going.
OutKast
5/5
This album still feels fresh more than 20 years later. It leverages the sonic palette of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, while setting the tone for the rest of the 00s.
Some problematic lyrics (looking at you “So Fresh and So Clean”). But no album I’ve heard so seamlessly blends earnest philosophical musings (“Humble Mumble”) with an epicurean embrace of sexuality (“Stankonia”).
Arcade Fire
2/5
Maybe with additional listens, I’d appreciate this album more, but on first listen it reads as whiny suburbanization apologia. The instrumentation is solid, but everything else is not really to my taste.
Paul Simon
5/5
Whimsical, witty, vivid and heartfelt vignettes about the idiosyncrasies of life. Set to a compelling blend of 80s pop and (a small slice of) African music.
I wouldn’t want to live in a world where this album was never made. Indie music of today would be a lot less interesting and a lot more Western.
Moby Grape
3/5
It’s definitely 60s rock music. Some cool guitar solos, but the band doesn’t feel cohesive enough for me to call this jammy like the Dead.
I accidentally listened to the bonus track acoustic version of “If you can’t Learn from my Mistakes” which is intensely beautiful.
I might take another listen if there was a good remastered version, but for now I don’t get that much from it.
UB40
5/5
Surprisingly fantastic. Jammy in a satisfying way. It’s one of those albums where it’s hard to describe what exactly makes it great. It’s both nothing and everything.
It held my attention for an hour and 6 minutes, I can’t give a much more ringing endorsement than that.
AC/DC
4/5
If you like AC/DC this album is perfect. I like AC/DC well enough, but not enough to give this album a 5. All of the songs sound pretty similar.
T. Rex
5/5
Honestly this album is really fun. Nothing earth shattering about it, but just fun proto-glam fuzz guitar blues.
Some super catchy songs too that still totally hold up.
R.E.M.
3/5
R.E.M. is one of those bands that are only a few standard deviations away from me loving them. It’s a little bit of Dylan, a little bit of alt rock, but the package just never comes together for me. Not bad, just not something I really enjoyed.
Syd Barrett
3/5
I’m really empathetic to the troubled genius that Syd was, but this album isn’t that great. It feels like a collection of unreleased demos that stayed as demos for a reason. It’s honestly getting a sympathy star to get it up to a 3
Adam & The Ants
4/5
Refreshing new wave album. Satisfying rhythmic and instrumental choices. The album drags a little with some repetitive motifs, but isn’t so long where it’s insufferable
Fred Neil
4/5
This album is pretty good. My favorite song was that pseudo-indian jam at the end. Nothing else really felt particularly compelling though.
John Coltrane
5/5
Can’t say no to little Coltrane.
Van Morrison
5/5
If you like Van Morrison, and I do, this is sublime.
When a band is really working, you can forget that there’s individual musicians. This is a great example where the band coalesces into something more than the sun of its parts.
Slipknot
4/5
This genre isn’t my thing. That said, this feels like an absolutely flawless execution of all of its ideas. I can’t earnestly give it a five, but this is as close as an album like this could be.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Honestly, a little underwhelming. I love Neil Young, but a lot of this felt very generic. That last song was great, and bumped it up a star, but there’s much better Neil to be had.
Happy Mondays
3/5
This album doesn’t really hold up that well. Maybe it was fun in the 80s rave scene, but now it feels pretty generic. No strong feelings one way or another
The Jam
5/5
Surprisingly strong album. Really compelling and listenable melodies without betraying its punk routes. One I would not have found by myself, so thanks 1001!
The Specials
4/5
I’m not a huge ska-head but this album is a really good. I was familiar with “Rudy” but I honestly thought this album was from the 90s. Ska is timeless I suppose!
Maybe with another listen I’d see more variety in the songs, but on first pass it feels a little repetitive.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
4 stars for the quality of the music, -3 stars for Marilyn Manson sucking in every way, +1 star for the musicians he underpaid who deserve more credit, the band is tight.
God I hate hearing abusers talking about sex.
Shuggie Otis
5/5
I’m not sure if I believe in divine inspiration, but this album is making me believe in extraterrestrial inspiration. This album stands out with no clear predecessors or successors. Funky!
Hawkwind
5/5
Transcendent guitar playing interspersed with poetry about the multitudinousness of the universe. All of that with an unbelievably tight band for a live album. Great listen.
Depeche Mode
5/5
I’m totally biased, but I love this album. Enjoy the silence is an all-timer for me.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Unbelievably sick. Stevie is the king.
Willie Nelson
4/5
The are no off notes about this album, Booker T’s arrangements are really strong. A great vibe to throw on for a dinner party, but not something I’d choose to listen to as art unto itself.
Good covers to be sure, but this album is not why Willie is a legend.
Björk
5/5
I can’t think of another album that has made me feel so humbly human. This serves as such a great testament to the breadth of beauty possible with the human voice.
Björk has a great ear for the way that vocal dissonance can electrify every fiber of a listener’s being. Björk presents some very challenging sonic palettes, but the structure of the album does a remarkable job of holding the listener’s hand.
An étude and a symphony. One of a kind.
2Pac
5/5
2pac is awesome. Really tender while remaining cool. 2pac has a great sense of melody, 66 minutes just vibes on by.
Aerosmith
2/5
Aerosmith is lame.
Jack White
4/5
Very strong melodies and instrumentation. Lyrics are a little pretentious and goofy at times, but nothing too damning.
Orange Juice
5/5
Very 80s and yet very modern. Really interesting percussion and guitars that don’t fit together at all, but it works.
Deliciously collegiate and wholly unique.
Magazine
3/5
Historically interesting as an a link between punk and new wave. but I didn’t find the music very compelling. Fine but not outstanding.
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
I lack the mental model to adequately appreciate industrial music like this.
Really good music can give you chills. The use of feedback, dissonance, and strange timbre also gives me chills. It’s more similar to chills from nails on a chalkboard though, but not in a bad way?
I doubt that this is the level that Einstürzende Neubauten wanted me to appreciate the music on. But in terms of magnitude of physiological response, it’s way up there. A little long though.
ZZ Top
3/5
I really wanted to like this album. It’s not as generic as some of the boring rock we’ve had, but still leaves me wanting more.
Neil Young
4/5
Not a bad album, but also definitely not his best. I could see myself rediscovering this album later in life and loving it. Until then, it’s just pretty good.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
A tragically perfect embodiment of both rhythm and blues. The Instrumentation sounds like it was pulled right from the grooves of an old Ray Charles vinyl. The vocals have so much soul and are so earnestly delivered that it’s impossible to avoid feeling the dourness that Amy so clearly felt.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
A lot of really interesting, underdeveloped ideas. Obviously a product of the minimal music of its time. Some moments of real beauty. I’m on the fence about this one.
Beastie Boys
4/5
The B side rocks. I think the beastie boys are cool? But I still haven’t made up my mind.
Academically, I understand that the Beastie Boys are largely satire, but I still have a hard time emotionally feeling the jest of the album. Maybe really good satire reads as sincerity?
Elliott Smith
3/5
I feel like I should like Elliott Smith more than I do. I think if I was 10 years older he’d be super formative for me. However for me, the style reads as a little whiny and derivative. It’s a tough one, but I can’t earnestly rate it highly.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Very close to being a 5 for me. I think if there were vocals it’d be a 5 for me. I totally recognize the significance of this album, but something about it just misses what it’d need for a 5.
TLC
5/5
Very cool. A masterclass in 90s production. Easy listening without falling into tired themes.
George Jones
5/5
Good lyrics can make you think, but really good lyrics can make you feel. It’s remarkable how these lyrics percolate directly into your heart, with no impedance from understanding.
Beautiful in its simplicity, beautiful in its execution.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
Really strong album for 1981. It sets the tone for 80s alternative without feeling dated.
“Monitor” is pretty sick and surprisingly proto grunge. The EBow on “Sin In My Heart” is rad. Great tone across the board. The lyrics are the only thing I don’t love.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
This album is good but not great. Kind of a 3.5. The overall sound is pretty cool, but it doesn’t come together for me.
Jurassic 5
5/5
Good synergy, good beats, good production. Good album!
Neil Young
5/5
Fantastic. All of the wit and soul of every Neal Young album, but that mid 70s production makes for silky renderings of Young’s great melodies.
“Vampire Blues” is one of the most compelling environmentalist songs I’ve ever heard.
Roxy Music
3/5
Pretty mid. I understand that it was influential for other influential bands, but this didn’t do a whole lot for me.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I’m biased, but I love this album. It’s kinda wild to think that this album is 25 years old and that when Bob finished this album, the sixties were 25 years behind him. This is, by some measures, middle period Dylan.
This album shows that behind his inscrutable poetry there is a man who feels sadness, humility, anger, and love.
I would never introduce anyone to Dylan with this album, but it 100% deserves all the praise it gets.
I know this review is already long, but I just have to shout out “Make You Feel My Love” as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
I wanted to like this a little more than I actually did. I don’t think anything here is bad per se, but I didn’t really connect with the musical style
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I think part of what makes this album magical is its place on the precipice between acoustic and electric. It retains much of the acoustic soul of the 60s and 70s while obviously pointing towards the glitz and synths of the 80s.
The production is second to none. Harmonies are tight. Lyrics are emphatically and effectively delivered. Instrumentation is even better than it needs to be. Not a piece out of perfect place.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
A bit pretentious, even for me. I struggle with new wave music because it always reads as self righteous to me. I’m certain if I was coming of age while this was coming out, this would be a my lifeblood.
For what it’s worth, they do have a good feel for catchy riffs.
The Verve
4/5
The textures of these guitars make you feel like you’re in a float tank of tone. Reminds me of the tone of “Let It Be” era Beatles (obviously not a coincidence).
Good to throw on for its vibes, but not music I feel emotionally connected to.
Morrissey
4/5
More emotionally vulnerable than the other Morrissey albums we’ve had. Dialing down the preachiness makes this a much easier listen.
Really nothing to hate here.
The Darkness
2/5
Solid guitar, somewhat insufferable vocals, dated production. Very strange and not in an endearing way.
Funkadelic
4/5
Definitely solid, but this felt a little distracted and scattered. Lots of great ideas, just lacking the cohesion and directness I would have liked.
Prince
5/5
Fantastic. One of the things that Prince does best is making music really sharp and well produced without losing any of the soul and energy of a demo.
Little red corvette is amazing.
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
I’ve always loved this album. Glad to see it included on this list. It’s a great album to throw on and vibe with. It’s so effortlessly cool.
Ride
4/5
Better than a lot of the 90s British rock we’ve had, but still not perfect. Nothing remarkable to say one way one way or another.
Violent Femmes
5/5
Very collegiate and unpolished but not in a bad way.
The xylophone solo on “Gone Daddy Gone” is sick and the production on the percussion is great overall. Honestly a really pleasant surprise.
Beach House
4/5
Solid album, I like all of the related artists more than I like this album, but a fun spacey vibe nonetheless. Don’t love the vocals.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
This is about as good as an album like this can be. Problem is I still don’t really really like this style. Zappa is cool and I’m glad he pushed the boundaries of music in the way he did, it’s just a bit of a tough listen.
Slipknot
2/5
Was I a bit grumpy going into this, yes. Did this help, no. Really not my thing.
Fishbone
3/5
I don’t think I get it, but I also don’t think I like it.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Obviously solid, but not perfect. I think I’d take a real blues or folk album 100/100 times over this.
Pearl Jam
3/5
I absolutely l loved that last song, everything else was pretty mid though. This wouldn’t preclude me from seeing PJ live, but this album wasn’t really for me.
Adele
5/5
Obviously Adele is a generational talent, both as a vocalist and a songwriter. The punchy pop production really suits this album. Not sure what more you could want.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
It’s mediocre psychedelia—which this list has an excess of. It’s worse than its influences (old school rock and roll, folk, Hindustani classical music)—all of which this list has a lack of.
There are solid moments, and their use of synths feels a little fresh.
“It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a man insane, it’s my president LBJ” is a hilariously bad line.
Solange
5/5
Really strong album. Doesn’t try to do too much. I’m always gonna be biased towards neo soul, but I really enjoyed this album.
Duran Duran
4/5
“Rio” (the song) is pop perfection. I think when the frenetic intro and verse opens up to the harmonious and jubilant chorus, you really feel like you have trekked through the desert and finally found your oasis. I wonder if that was intentional.
Either way, as far as these new wave albums go, this is as good as it gets for me. Of its time without feeling dated.
Al Green
4/5
This should be a 5 star album for me, but I left wanting a little more. Not sure what exactly, definitely something.
The Pogues
4/5
Unmistakably the pogues, in the best and worst ways. Some strong songs, but I didn’t connect enough to rate it more than a four.
Steely Dan
4/5
Trash lyrics, good vibes.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Outstanding. My only complaint is that I wasn’t around in 1974 to have my mind blown even more than it is 49 years later.
Neil Young
5/5
I’ve listened to this many times, and I’ll listen to it many more. Each time as magical as the first.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Really great. Beautiful at times without losing its funky core. Curtis Mayfield has a knack for making cool music.
Frank Black
3/5
I don’t totally get the ideas here, but it’s not bad. A weird one for sure.
Brian Eno
5/5
This has always been one of my favorite albums of all time. The beauty packed into such brevity is unparalleled.
And to think this is start of the genre, no exemplar to follow—outstanding.
Guided By Voices
4/5
In an alternate universe, where indie is mainstream, this is what flipping through radio stations might sound like.
Kanye West
4/5
Problematic treatment of women. Kanye’s a pretty good rapper. And a fantastic producer.
Solomon Burke
5/5
Straight ahead soul with nothing to complain about.
Coldcut
3/5
It has its moments, but I found myself waiting for it to end.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
More than the sum of its parts. And when the parts are great, the album will be fantastic.
Shoutout to the band and orchestration which really shine.
The Auteurs
3/5
I can see how this may have felt important in the 90s. It’s definitely different; I’m just not sure it holds up. The electrified acoustic on “junk shop clothes” sounds particularly dated.
I am a hater of this general geoperiod in music, so take my review with some salt.
Black Sabbath
4/5
The first song is legendary. The other songs are pretty good but not nearly as good as the first.
Kate Bush
4/5
Obviously a visionary musician and producer. There are some really great, unique textures, it’s just not quite catchy enough for it to get a five from me.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I love Neil young, and this list loves Neil Young. This album didn’t quite do it for me, but still really solid.
Mudhoney
4/5
I’m glad to have listened to this. This definitely expanded my conception of Grunge outside of just Nirvana. This album definitely holds up, and earns its spot on this list. Not perfect, but good!
ABBA
5/5
I’m gonna pretend we live in the alternate reality where this album opens with that iconic “Dancing Queen” piano roll—not the bizarre teacher simping.
ABBA are obviously better musicians than I will ever be. But what’s incredible (and incredibly frustrating) is that their songwriting in their non-native English is still better than I will ever do.
Pulp
2/5
Horny and heteronormative with a splash of incel. Not really my thing. It does get a bonus stat for being a 90s British album that doesn’t sound exactly like oasis.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I love everything Dylan does. While this isn’t my favorite, the rawness of “I want you” and “Just like a woman” and the cooky lyrics of “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” make this an easy 5 for me.
AC/DC
4/5
Strong album. I don’t love AC/DC, but there’s nothing to complain about here.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Another strong Black Sabbath album. Surprisingly tender at times, surprisingly experimental at times, all without losing its iconic hard/heavy rock feel.
Mudhoney
4/5
Strong album, but not so remarkable that I can give it anything more than a 4.
Van Morrison
5/5
Iconic perfection. I’ve been going deep on Van’s later work (which is amazing) but this album still totally holds up.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Very weird. Not entirely good and not entirely bad. Just weird.
The Black Keys
5/5
As a white guy who likes the blues, I like these white guys who like the blues.
Rod Stewart
5/5
Delightfully jammy and informal without losing the polished production of a mainstream artists.
That tone on “My Way of Giving” is tasty.
Gil Scott-Heron
5/5
Deeply moving, raw, and intelligent with slick music to boot. A great album I definitely wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
Bad. Makes 1 hour feel like 5. Really didn’t like its preachy lyrics. It somehow manages to be repetitive and really all over the place.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Vapid songwriting with instrumentation that isn’t innovative enough to drag the album up.
4/5
Really strong production, and some fantastic songs. They’re not all gems, but a solid album.
Alice Cooper
2/5
When I’ve heard of the title track, but can’t name any other songs by that artist, I begin to worry. I am especially skeptical when that title track comes first.
This album confirms those fears, the title track doesn’t hold up, and the remainder of the songs are incredibly thin.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Could be a lot better, could be a lot worse. 90s Britpop really is a genre.
Machito
5/5
It’s interesting to hear these Afrocuban compositions in the frame of midcentury big band.
Great playing, very timeless.
Bill Callahan
4/5
Someone’s been listening to Nick Drake. Solid album, very daintily beautiful.
The Libertines
4/5
I like the vibes, but the album didn’t hold my attention the whole time.
Lightning Bolt
4/5
Interesting use of dissonance, not 100% my thing, but a cool listen.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
There’s something I don’t like about Sufjan Stevens. Maybe he lies a little too close to my own sensibilities. So I didn’t really like this album, but maybe that’s not his fault.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
I try to trust music dorks when they like an album, but this really didn’t do it for me. The vocals are whiny, and the production makes it sound like you’re listening to an ill-fated college punk band through three layers of concrete dorm walls.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
Some great moments, some not so great moments. On the whole, glad I heard this, but something I’m unlikely to return to.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
There’s a depth to Cyndi’s music that I wasn’t aware of coming into this album. She manages to make all of the 80s tropes sound fresh (in some way because it feels like she’s doing them more earnestly).
That said, not totally my thing, but a strong album for sure.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
As the kids say, they had me in the first half. The A side is a little too drum and bassy for my liking. But as the B side delves into more melodies and an almost prog rock vibe, I think the albums becomes much more interesting.
Not a hard enough pivot for anything above a four, but enough to bump it above neutral.
The Fall
3/5
Unremarkable, some cool ideas, but didn’t really hold my interest.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Very weird. I don’t get it, but I also don’t like it.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
This totally warrants a relisten, but I already know it’s a 5. The Dylanesque lyrics embedded in the jazz/folk/rock texture is a treat. Also that straight-ahead blues number in “Harry’s House / Centerpiece” is outstanding.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Unremarkable. Felt a little long to be as similar as the songs are. The Pet Shop Boys are great at their best, but I don’t think this is that.
Animal Collective
3/5
Kinda weird. Somewhat like if the Beatles were less good and tried to make Sgt Peppers in the post-synthesizer world
Eagles
4/5
As a white boy with parents who were coming of age in the 70s, I’m basically genetically forced to like the Eagles.
Donning a more objective cap, the deep cuts here aren’t great. They grew a lot as songwriters, and their later albums don’t have a song out of place.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
Glam rock isn’t my favorite genre, and the unsubstantial lyrics make this a miss for me.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Great songwriting. Strong lyrics with relatable characters. Almost Prine-esque. The instrumentation isn’t totally my thing, but nothing too damming.
The White Stripes
3/5
Not really my thing. The instrumentation is cool and bluesy but the lyrics are bad. A mixed bag.
Alice In Chains
2/5
I understand why this album exists, and it’s well executed for what it is. Unfortunately not my thing. Drumming is especially tight.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Some very strong songs but a little long. Excellent production.
The Damned
5/5
This checks a lot of boxes for me. Punk stylings without being too antiestablishment or simplistic. Great playing (especially the percussion), and concise while still developing its ideas.
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
I don’t like it, but I think that’s the point. So I hope they don’t mind the 2 stars.
Madonna
3/5
Cringe at times, visionary at others. The deep exploration of the early 2000s pop textures makes this read more like hyperpop than pop.
Eric Clapton
5/5
Textbook Clapton. Very suave without feeling impersonal. This definitely inspired a lot of soulless yacht rock to follow
Jacques Brel
3/5
I know enough French to know that this would be way better if I understood French. Unfortunately, without more fluency, the musical style isn’t my thing, so I can’t give it too high a score.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
A little too long. The beats are cool, but not so cool I can see myself revisiting it.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
5/5
Honestly this album is great. Not quite sure what it is about it, but it’s firing on all cylinders for me.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
Iconic and still making waves today. Unabashedly silly at times, but that only works in its favor.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
There are few albums that feel so aesthetically American. I’m certain of I did a deeper listen to the lyrics of appreciate the writing more.
Ash
4/5
Not bad. Not great either. Any album with a song like “Kung Fu” is going to get knocked down a star.
Paul Simon
4/5
I love Paul Simon, but I didn’t love this album. Better than neutral, but a bit too goofy at times for my liking.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Very strong. Easy to listen to (for Nick Cave). There’s a lucidity to the lyrics and delivery that make this album compelling.
Serge Gainsbourg
5/5
I don’t like the concept for this concept album, but this is by far the best concept album I’ve heard. Maybe if I was French and understood the nuance of the lyrics I could take a better stance. But musically it’s phenomenal.
Slade
3/5
Generic. Holds up unbearably neutrally.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
I feel like any praise for this album should be redirected to the Neptunes. The production is perfect, the lyrics are a little lacking, and Justin is fine. It’s also a bit long.
John Lennon
5/5
Not my favorite of the post-Beatles solo albums (looking at you George), but still totally earns itself a five.
Talking Heads
3/5
Fine, albeit somewhat unremarkable. Still not a Talking Heads convert.
Aerosmith
3/5
This is good by Aerosmith standards, but still not my thing. Always trite feeling.
John Lee Hooker
5/5
Slick without losing its grit. Really great. Good features too.
4/5
Interesting, lyrics are a little flat, but the style is interesting.
Big Star
4/5
Better than neutral, but feels a bit derivative.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
A little weird, even for me, (that’s Björk for you), but well executed for what it is.
The Blue Nile
3/5
It’s fine I suppose, albeit a little goofy.
Crowded House
3/5
Goofy, and not my thing.
David Bowie
4/5
Very well executed, but not totally to my taste. That piano on Aladdin Sane is fantastic.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Not bad. I continue to not really like New Wave, but this is okay.
Prince
5/5
Fantastic. No surprise there. You hear a lot of these songs on the radio which really don’t do the fantastic production justice.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
This is a cool piece of musical archaeology. You can hear MBV’s DNA, but it’s not completely developed in this album. I think that makes this album notably worse than Loveless, but it was cool to hear the path that lead them to shoegaze perfection.
Femi Kuti
5/5
Great! You can hear the influence of his dad, but it doesn’t feel derivative.
The Avalanches
5/5
I liked this album much more than I expected to. The sampled and recut vibe works here. Not something I’d throw on to listen to intently, but excellent background vibes.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Surprisingly great, the instrumentation is to my liking, and feels unique.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Every Dylan album will get a 5 from me. This isn’t one of my favorites, but it has a youthful flippancy that’s appealing to me. This feels like uncut Dylan, which has pluses and minuses.
King Crimson
4/5
Interesting and atmospheric at times, but leaves a little to be desired enough. Not weird enough to be eclectic, but not normal enough to fly under the radar.
David Ackles
3/5
Good songwriting in a style I don’t love. This feels part pastiche and part confessional. It’s an interesting listen, but not something I’d rush back to.
Sonic Youth
5/5
I was surprised by how much I liked this. This feels like a really important bridge between 20th century rock and modern day alternative.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
This was the album that helped me realize that rock music could be art. It borders on avant garde without being unlistenable. Good stuff.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
A little lethargic but not unbearably so. I like Emmylou, but the 2000s production doesn’t really suit her.
Metallica
3/5
You know what you’re going to get when you listen to Metallica, and this does not undershoot or overshoot those expectations.
Fugazi
3/5
I like Fugazi in theory, but less so in practice. Their music isn't really my style, but it's not overtly objectionable.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
It's definitely bongos. It's definitely influential. It's definitely not something I'll frequently come back to.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Michael Jackson has an unparalleled voice, and Quincy Jones is an unparalleled producer. It’s a 5.
Brian Eno
4/5
Brian Eno is on this list a lot, both directly and indirectly. I think this album merits inclusion but isn’t prefect. There are some songs that are pure bliss, but the album drags just enough to hold it back from a five.
Tears For Fears
5/5
Surprisingly great! Deliciously eighties without feeling dated. The production is solid as well.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
The Arctic Monkeys have always been on the outskirts of my musicals taste. I like some of their songs, but this left me a little wanting as all of the songs kind of bleed together.
Randy Newman
4/5
Strong songwriting that’s well delivered. The level of satire is just a little too high for me, but definitely a worthy inclusion.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
I doubt I would have found this album on my own, and I’m glad I did. Everything about this album is great.
No frills soul, good stuff.
Fats Domino
5/5
Bummer this album isn’t on the major streamers. It’s a great introduction to Fats.
This should be required listening homework for anyone who likes rock.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
I don’t like Elvis Costello, and this feels like derivative, inferior Elvis Costello.
Come on Eileen slaps though.
Snoop Dogg
5/5
Basically perfectly executed. 90s west coast hiphop at its smoothest.
The Zutons
2/5
Utterly baffled by this inclusion on the list. The music is fine, but, boy, are there so many better albums that could have taken this album’s place.
The Jam
4/5
There’s something satisfying about The Jam. Highlights the cool elements of New Wave without with feeling stuffy or pretentious.
There’s also just a fun pop-punk undercurrent to a lot of the tracks.
Orbital
4/5
Too long, but the vibes are pretty cool. These albums can feel kinda boring, but this mostly avoids that.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
This is a weird Radiohead album.
Despite the vocal similarities between Thom Yorke and Rufus Wainwright, this album is pretty solid. The lurching, emotive ballads aren’t my thing, but what’s here is well done.
Blue Cheer
3/5
This is begging for a 21st century remaster. As it stands there’s not enough here to be anything more than loud blues hard panned into each ear.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
I generally don’t go for music of this era. But this is sufficiently creative to make me interested in Janelle’s other (more recent) work.
I dig the reference to “Crimson and Clover” in “Mushrooms & Roses” (that song is really great). But overall, the songs aren’t 100% to my style.
Björk
4/5
Björk always walks that line of being so weird that I want to stop listening, but also so weird that I can’t stop listening.
This album in particular has some beautiful production decisions, but it’s not the kind of album I’d throw on again for casual listening.
Ryan Adams
3/5
The bones are good here. If this album was from the 70s it might get higher marks, but it being so recent makes it feel a bit derivative.
The Beta Band
2/5
I feel like this album nosedives a bit on the B side. The A side isn’t that great either. Kind of a weird inclusion.
Morrissey
5/5
There’s a lot of Morrissey on this list, but this one feels like a fair inclusion.
Good production, distinct from the Smiths, and lyrics that don’t make me hate everything.
Missy Elliott
5/5
Doesn’t feel dated. Missy definitely doesn’t get enough credit.
Elton John
3/5
The first two songs are so good, but the rest of the songs are so similar yet so bland that it almost makes the good songs bad.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Strong at every point but way tooooooo loooooong.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Love Stevie, but didn’t love this. Still perfectly executed, just not to my taste.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Kendrick is the man. No notes.
Kraftwerk
5/5
I like it! Poppy without losing its silly robot DNA.
Laura Nyro
3/5
Don’t love her vocal style. It has a up-and-down downstop and start nature that makes me feel like I’m stuck in musical traffic. It’s a quality that sometimes put me off of Joni Mitchell. Other than that there’s nothing objectionable.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
This is my least favorite complaint to leverage, but I don’t understand why this was included on the list. It’s fine, but so unremarkable and so long.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Great A side. The B side feels a little long and all over the place. But the A side is so good it stills merits a 4.
Bobby Womack
5/5
This album is the perfect balance of nuanced instrumentation with straightforward “songs” that each stand alone.
Richard Thompson
3/5
Interesting instrumentation at points, but mostly unremarkable folk rock.
Gillian Welch
4/5
I like the style, but don’t love the lyrics. Overall solid though.
The Who
4/5
Concept albums can be good albums but rarely have good songs.
I think this is one of the best concept albums ever, but still doesn’t have enough strong songs for anything above a 4.
Joy Division
3/5
I really liked this album until Ian Curtis started singing.
I’m not really in a position to talk, but the goofy nerds who sung for these alternative bands of the 80s really don’t do it for me.
The Beach Boys
3/5
The A side of this album makes its successor, Pet Sounds, seem like divine revelation.
The B side begins to bring out what makes The Beach Boys special.
All in all, it’s a bit of a wash.
Calexico
3/5
Deeply unremarkable.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
A bit dour, but that’s by design. The songs definitely bleed together, but it’s a vibe.
Madness
2/5
There are interesting moments, and “Our House” holds up. But the foundation is shaky, and it gets a demerit for that New Delhi song and for not being available on major streamers.
a-ha
5/5
There’s something about the slightly stilted Norwegian accents and silky synths that make this album magic.
Pretenders
4/5
Cooler people than me probably love this album. To me, it’s better than neutral, but nothing to write home about.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Transcendent. Genre, time, mood. Name a characteristic, and Amy will reinvent it.
The The
3/5
One of the most mixed bags we’ve seen. Some very high highs. But those highs are mere seconds long, an instrumentation choice, or a quick melody. But the total package is a bit too variable.
M.I.A.
3/5
Surprisingly disappointing. I loved MIA’s other album on this list, and I have a lot of respect for the themes and energy she brings. But this album just doesn’t hit. This album is much less accessible than her other album.
Rod Stewart
5/5
I’m a sucker for mandolin representation, but this album rocks! Evocative stories that are polished with slick instrumentation. Rod’s rasp exhibits great range of tone and mood. Good stuff across the board.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
It’s definitely Zappa! “What’s the ugliest part of your body” has been stuck in my brain ever since.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
I’d guess this gets a lot of hate.
Sure, it’s dated feeling. But I'm not gonna tell Christina how to express herself and her sexuality. Get that bread!
Dolly Parton
5/5
Three legends. I love the old school country motifs in the slick Nashville sound.
Paul Weller
5/5
Really cool in a way that’s not easy to articulate. Tasteful instrumentation, feels timeless.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Some quick math. If an average album has 10 songs, that means we’re listening to 10010 songs. I would put the song “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” on the list of 10010 songs to hear before you die. However, as an album, it doesn’t merit the list.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Disappointingly generic. American Girl is an all timer, but the rest of the album is forgettable. Still fine to listen to, but I expected more.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Love the tones here. It’s a cool album to throw on when you’re in the mood for grimy overdriven guitars. It doesn’t overdo it.
PJ Harvey
5/5
Fantastic. Complex without feeling pretentious. A total mood.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
Meh. This isn’t a great live album. It’s missing that sense of continuity and earnestness. The songs are fine but nothing more.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Pretty unremarkable. Nothing bad here, but nothing to revisit.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Leonard Cohen is always cool, but I don’t think the 80s synth palette really brings out his best characteristics. Still not bad, but there’s better Cohen out there.
Peter Frampton
5/5
This album is too long. But it’s really good. Really tasteful guitar licks. I love a little talk box. Usually anything over an hour loses a star from me, but this manages to escape that fate.
Iron Maiden
2/5
Really bad. Too glammy to be metal, too metal to be rock. The vocals are annoying and the lyrics are bad. Some cool guitar tones, but not redeeming.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
That last song is pretty sick, but otherwise it’s kind of a wash.
The Byrds
3/5
A lot of psychedelia doesn’t really hold up. This is a great example of that. Looking back it doesn’t feel innovative, but it’s not bad.
Slayer
3/5
Eh. Not my thing, but i definitely get what I paid for
Justice
4/5
A very refreshing change of pace after what feels like an infinity of guitar-driven rock. The production is a bit harsh at times, but cool nonetheless.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Fantastic, no surprise when you’ve got Fela and Ginger.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Massively meh.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Boring but not bad.
k.d. lang
3/5
Solid album. Not punchy enough to get above a four. But what’s here is strong.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Neil’s voice sounds horrible, the songs aren’t interesting, and the album is too long.
Contrasted against how good Neil can be, this album feels even worse. Compare this to “Harvest” for example (good vocals, interesting songs, 38 minutes), there’s not a lot to like.
Abdullah Ibrahim
5/5
Really good! I’d be happy to throw this on anytime.
Soundgarden
3/5
Any merit this album has is diluted by its hour and ten minute runtime.
Taylor Swift
5/5
I really love this album. It appeals to a lot of my sensibilities. “Closure” sucks but overall good stuff.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Biggie is a legend, but I didn’t love this album. To be honest, I’m probably just not cool enough to connect with this.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Cool idea, but too long.
Foo Fighters
4/5
Solid. Good instrumentation and to the point.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Fine but nothing to really write home about.
Method Man
2/5
I really hated this for reasons I can’t quite articulate.
The Cure
3/5
Mixed bag. Not too remarkable.
Suicide
3/5
Frankie Teardrop is interesting. I like the idea of what they’re doing, but it doesn’t quite do it for me.
David Crosby
4/5
Tasteful palette of the 70s
Linkin Park
3/5
Don’t emotionally connect with this. But if you do, I’m sure it’s cool.
FKA twigs
3/5
Weird, and I feel like there’s better executions of the same ideas (see Blood Orange)
Brian Eno
5/5
Wonderfully weird. I continue to be impressed by the breadth of Eno’s work.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Pretty good. There are some better Marley songs out there, but nothing wrong with this.
Baaba Maal
5/5
Fantastic. Great to just throw on and vibe. I only wish I could speak Pulaar so I could appreciate that gawlo storytelling.
Sheryl Crow
5/5
I expected this to be 11 “All I Wanna Do”s. I was both wrong and right.
I was wrong in that these songs are interesting and Dylanesque.
But I was right in that even the hit “All I Wanna do” is weird and complex.
So yeah, it is 11 “All I Wanna Do”s, but that’s a good thing.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
All over the place. There are moments of greatness like “War In Peace” but the ideas are too disjoint and opaque even for me.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Needlessly profane, faux academic, and overall unpleasant. Sometimes the beats are okay.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
I love bluegrass, but this was too much bluegrass. I liked the interspersal of talking bits. That really amps up the realism (especially since bluegrass is such a community-driven genre).
But yeah too long.
Simply Red
4/5
Some good moments. But a bit bland for anything more than a 4.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
Fantastic. Brimming with the angst of someone who reached adulthood and realized that it is just as complicated, confusing, and unsatisfying as it feels when you’re a teenager.
I love the way she does different variations of the same chorus like swapping out one line. She’s articulate, emotive, and that Smashing Pumpkins-esque guitar tone is killer!
Iggy Pop
3/5
Relatively unremarkable. Not my kind of thing
Happy Mondays
2/5
Bad. The vapid parody feels unnecessary and the musicality doesn’t save it.
Bert Jansch
4/5
I love the idea of Bert Jansch. And I love folk music. But the pieces don’t totally come together here.
Talking Heads
5/5
This is definitely my favorite Talking Heads album. The production is stellar (no surprise), and it’s just pretentious enough to make me happy without overdoing it.
Pavement
5/5
I’ve listened to enough Time Crisis to be receptive to Pavement, but this is the album that finally clicked for me.
There’s a dry emotion that meshes with the guitar tone and really lets you swim in the banal. I love it.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Surprisingly bad. This feels like the a direct-to-video album. It’s cashing in on Girl From Ipanema without much real backbone of its home. It’s not outright horrible (though the parade song and the song with the kid are), but it could be so much more.
Tom Waits
4/5
I like Tom Waits, and there’s a lot of great moments here. But I’d be lying if I gave it anything above a 4. It’s just a little too tough to listen to.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
I didn’t enjoy listening to this album, but I think it has merit.
Travis
3/5
Extraordinarily ordinary.
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
A little lacking in lyrical content, but not an unpleasant listen. I could’ve done without the last song which felt like a spiritual left turn that changed the whole vibe of the album.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Very strong. Not the kind of thing I’ll quickly return to. But it’s beautiful without losing it’s Nick Cave-ness.
The xx
3/5
A little disappointing. Some compelling elements, but the package doesn’t come together for me.
Koffi Olomide
4/5
This album is fun. I don’t love the production, but that’s not too damning.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
A bit too dour for my morning commute, but the musicianship is there, and the storytelling is compelling.
Marty Robbins
2/5
Super not my thing. I find westerns to be painfully trite and the music here is equally repetitive. It’s someone’s thing, but it’s not mine.
Genesis
3/5
I’ve gone on record with my disdain for this kind of record. It falls into the Rush bucket for me. Maybe I’ve met too many dads in my life who would say “you kids these days don’t even listen to music with guitars”. The playing on the album is tight, but I just can’t get behind the music.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
This isn’t my favorite S&G album, but it still rocks.
Pink Floyd
5/5
This album is sick. Go read someone else’s better review.
Mylo
3/5
Bland but not bad.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Inoffensive but uninspiring.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Pretty good. A little disjointed, but some cool ideas.
John Lennon
4/5
Solid. I think John is best when tempered by the rest of the Beatles, but this is still strong.
The Adverts
5/5
Cool vibes, I dig it.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Unpretentious without lacking nuance. Definitely punk but still super catchy.
I never understood the overlap of punk and new wave, but this is a good exemplar.
Korn
2/5
Hateful in every sense of the word.
Baaba Maal
5/5
All over the place stylistically, but I’m loving everywhere it goes.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Pretty cool. Not really my thing, but it’s classic.
Ray Price
4/5
Definitely not as terrible as I was anticipating. I dig it.
Stan Getz
5/5
It was a 5 the first time I heard it, it’s a 5 this time, and it will be 5 every time in the future.
Billie Holiday
5/5
Fantastic, no surprise there.
Arrested Development
5/5
I’m so down for the musical choices, and the flow and lyricism are fantastic. I’m not down for all of the “current culture bad” takes, but I respect that the lyrics are actually about something.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
I could have gone my whole life without hearing this, but alas.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
Really great. Loved the jammy-ness and the playing is unreal.
The The
3/5
Feels very long for how little happens
Kelela
4/5
R&B is good, and this is R&B. But as an album unto itself, it’s not noteworthy
Les Rythmes Digitales
3/5
Not exactly high art, but not offensive.
5/5
Obviously wonderful. In many ways this feels the initial blending of rock and pop that would be so prevalent across the industry for the next few decades.
Napalm Death
3/5
Yeah… not my thing… but I got what I expected
Portishead
2/5
Bad. Rambly and simplistic.
Killing Joke
3/5
Unremarkable
Sepultura
4/5
I respect the atypical rhythmic choices. While definitively metal, this doesn’t feel at all derivative. The B-side’s non metal tracks are sick.
Love
3/5
Forgettable 60s rock.
New Order
3/5
I feel like I could get into New Order, but this makes me less interested. Not bad, just unremarkable.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Could use a remaster, but nothing to complain about with Aretha!
Roni Size
2/5
Boring drum and bass
The War On Drugs
4/5
Derivative Dylanesque dad rock. But I’m in the target demographic.
Carole King
5/5
Iconic cat. Even more iconic album.
I thought it was a bunch of covers, but then I realized she wrote all of the originals…
Lorde
4/5
Solid pop songs, but nothing worth rushing back to.
Billy Bragg
5/5
Something about this album speaks to me. I think his attitude about becoming an adult really works for me. The music is also a quite beautiful at times.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
So good. The production on the remaster of this album is perfection. All of the individual pieces come together into something so much more than the sum of its parts.
3/5
Odd. Not bad. But odd.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Pretty cool. A little grating at times, but overall a worthy listen.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Even though I’m mostly down with the politics, it’s just way too preachy.
Os Mutantes
5/5
A little rough around the edges but really fun. Could totally see myself throwing this on again for some good vibes.
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
So good. Easy 5. The playing is unreal.
Weather Report
4/5
This is a fun album, probably won’t rush back, but nothing to hate.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
You know what you’re gonna get with Leonard Cohen. This isn’t my favorite but still quite strong.
Minor Threat
3/5
I’m not too deep into punk, but if you are I’m sure this is great. It’s not my thing, but not bad either.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Classic. Love the use of soul music for protest songs.
The Soft Boys
5/5
Honestly this album is sick. Something about it just really speaks to me.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
It's hard for me to interpret this as anything but a whitewashing of soul and R&B music. The music feels flat, and the vocals lack substance.
Barry Adamson
3/5
A bit odd. Fine but unremarkable.
Pulp
5/5
the lyrics are bad at times, but overall I’m drawn to the dry humor and grandiose instrumentation of indie rock.
Sister Sledge
5/5
Unreal. To be a fly on the wall in these sessions would be amazing. Great vocals, timeless playing, and perfect production/remaster. I dig it.
Elvis Presley
5/5
I think I need to reappraise Elvis. I’ve written him off for a few years for being derivative. This album really reopened my eyes to what Elvis can be. Beautiful, emotive music gospel/soul really fits Elvis. And when you’re the world’s most famous musician of the time, you can afford to hire unbelievable musicians and engineers. Good stuff.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
I dig it. Jammy but grounded.
Gang Of Four
5/5
The good kind of weird. Probably a 4.5, but I’m feeling generous.
The Coral
3/5
This probably merits another listen, but the first listen didn’t really hook me.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Honestly, a 3 is generous. That B side is rough.
Ministry
4/5
I respect what they’re doing here. The music is solid and funny at times. Not 100% my thing, but definitely a worthy listen
The Band
5/5
“I shall be released” alone is enough for a 5, but this album delivers on all fronts. It’s so loose yet somehow so polished. Great stuff.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
This was the album that showed me rap could be a more than Kanye and Drake. The musical style is still distinctive, but I find myself no longer drawn to the lyrics (they’re much more grotesque than I remember)
2/5
I don’t think I get it, but I know I don’t like it.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
Weird. Kinda like an inferior “Midnite Vultures” but not bad.
Primal Scream
4/5
A little long, but overall pretty good.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Not my favorite Bob Marley album but still strong.
The Triffids
2/5
Too long, too boring, two stars.
Nirvana
5/5
Iconic. Still feels new. Somehow even more dissonant than I remembered, but I’m not complaining.
Erykah Badu
5/5
I just love neo soul. I’m biased, but happy to be. Erykah Badu is so sick.
Aimee Mann
4/5
I’ve always loved Jon Brion’s production, and I think it works really well with this witty polished sounding rock. It’s not 100% my bag, but still good.
Ramones
5/5
When you’ve done 600+ albums, you really come to appreciate a 29 minute album. To be 29 minutes while also basically inventing a genre and making catchy music, that’s really something.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
If I wasn’t familiar with their self titled album, I think I’d be quite tough on this album. Definitely interesting ideas here, but not my favorite of theirs.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
This is a mid Beck album.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Unremarkable.
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
An edifying example for the importance of curation. Were this a tight 45 minutes with only the best material from this album, it would be a 5. There are moments, but the bloat is unbearable.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Some really cool sounds, but too long.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
A bit dorky at times, but so am I. Overall it’s a beautfiul, concise album, that’s always gonna be a 5 for me.
4/5
Pretty cool. Didn’t capture my attention really, but everything is well executed.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
Something about this really grated on me. It doesn’t feel inspired.
Dr. Dre
5/5
G-funky!
Ray Charles
5/5
Ray Charles is the man.
Beatles
5/5
There’s a certain lofi charm to this album. This feels smack in the middle between their rockabilly influences and their genre-defining future. A cool cultural artifact.
The Birthday Party
3/5
Not my thing, but not bad. Nick Cave is cool.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Competent melodies and lush orchestrations, what’s not to like to like? Oh yeah, it’s an hour and eleven minutes…
Sugar
3/5
Boring but not bad. Also the R.E.M. affectation of the vocalist really grates on me.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Too much Nick Cave in my life recently, but I maintain that he’s a good musician. I just don’t really like him.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
So cool. An obvious visionary.
The Byrds
5/5
Reverent without being derivative. Pretty neat.
Django Django
3/5
A bit boring, but offensive upbeat daft punk inspired indie.
Yes
5/5
So sick. Such obvious talent.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
It’s Zeppelin, so it’s great. But I don’t think this is as great as they can be.
Randy Newman
4/5
I like but don’t love Randy Newman. I feel the same about this album.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Really not feeling this. Millennial blues seems to retain all of the misogyny of midcentury blues with none of the soul.
William Orbit
3/5
I expected to like this more. A little too drum and bass-ish though. And it’s too long.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
It has its moments, as all Cohen does. But this one feels a little stiff to me. Still a cromulent listen.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Utterly bizarre. I can see why the U.S. market wasn’t feeling this in 1971. I’m not feeling it either.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Strong flow, production is solid. Not my favorite of Missy, but nothing here to whine about.
Goldie
2/5
This album is so long and so inaccessible to a non-D&B head like me. I’m wary of saying it all sounds the same, but to my untrained ear it sure feels that way.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This is a bit of a stumper. Apple Music’s album summary likens Aftermath to Revolver, Pet Sounds, and Blonde on Blonde. It’s not as good as any of those. “Paint it Black” is sick, and so is that last track, but still a bit of a wash.
Deep Purple
3/5
Super okay. No notes.
Iggy Pop
5/5
Hate the album cover, but love the album. The B side really won me over.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
The lyrics are a bit unremarkable, but sometimes they’ll unleash the tastiest guitar tone ever. Overall it’s a bit of a wash, but I want the info on their rig.
Traffic
5/5
Great instrumentation. Really tight band. I dig it.
Faith No More
2/5
Not my thing. Kind of the worst of all worlds. Whiny country-metal vocals, uninteresting glam rock instrumentation, and boring lyrics.
Miles Davis
5/5
The best for a reason. So freakin good.
The Dictators
2/5
Maybe the politics are good, but they feel super bad.
Megadeth
2/5
I was not in a sympathetic headspace for music outside of my comfort zone. This album, however, did nothing to garner my attention nor sympathy. Most of it bored me, and the parts that did catch my attention only did so for their trite lyrics or flaccid instrumentation.
Stephen Stills
5/5
Delightfully jammy. It’s got that classic CSN palette, but applied in a looser way. I dig it.
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
Not exactly my thing, but not objectionable. I like it when a new band has a concise 40 minute statement of their ideas.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
A tough listen, but not a bad one. I respect what’s happening here, but it’s not my thing.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Muddy Waters is so effortlessly cool. This album rocks.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
This is pretty cool. The lyrics aren’t amazing, but the playing holds up.
U2
5/5
I’m not a huge U2 fan, but I have to admit that parts of this album are sick. An album like this could easily sound dated, but it doesn’t.
The politics are woven in seamlessly in a way that makes the songs sound like songs and not like musical manifestos. I dig it.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
Not exactly my thing, but not bad. A little bland.
The Thrills
3/5
Cool idea, moderate execution.
The Yardbirds
4/5
Pretty good. A little all over the place, but pretty good.
Pentangle
4/5
Cool, not quite rock-y enough for me personally to give it a five.
Duke Ellington
5/5
He’s the best for a reason. This album totally holds up. Production is still on point.
Sonic Youth
4/5
This album has some classic tracks. I'm particularly fond of "Sugar Kane". But the album is a bit long, and some of the songs are tough listens. I gave Siamese Dream a 4, so this should also get a 4.
TV On The Radio
2/5
I hate this. It’s like a strictly inferior version of Midnite Vultures.
I have to admit the last few songs have a bit more room to breathe which is an improvement
Johnny Cash
4/5
Kind of an odd concept that would never fly today. There’s definitely an energy to this that’s unique. That said, some of the songs aren’t great.
The Monkees
3/5
A bit disorganized. Some interesting ideas, and I’m sympathetic to their story, but I don’t really think this holds up.
Paul Simon
4/5
I dig it. A little goofy at times, but tasteful overall.
Steely Dan
4/5
As I enter full adulthood as a white man, universal law dictates I must like Steely Dan. This album is solid. The production and the guitar playing are especially great.
Slint
3/5
Definitely interesting, but not really my thing. A little too sparse for my liking.
Talvin Singh
4/5
My pretentious tastes are perfectly pandered.
LL Cool J
3/5
Not really my thing. The instrumentation, sampling, and production holds up, but the lyrics are rough.
10cc
2/5
If I was making music in the mid-seventies, I’m sure it would sound like this. That said, I hate it.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
I could have gone without hearing this.
The Who
3/5
I feel like I’m missing something, but The Who have always felt super mid to me. This album is no exception.
Elastica
3/5
Decent. Some interesting ideas, but the songs just are t that catchy.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Not really my thing. This is the side of new wave I don’t really jive with.
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
I dig this. Not overdone in any direction.
3/5
Not quite as compelling as some of the other fusion trip hop we’ve had. Still an easy listen though. It’d be a 3.5 if fractions were allowed. Sad story about the artist though.
Public Enemy
3/5
Not really my thing, but it’s cool.
Röyksopp
2/5
Boring.
fIREHOSE
3/5
This has its moments, but on the whole it’s a bit scattered.
Bad Brains
2/5
The guitar is good. Everything else is bad.
Incubus
3/5
I like melodrama, but this is too much for me. Some of the guitar is cool.
Grateful Dead
3/5
I’m sure this rocked in person, but it’s a little too meandering to be a coherent album.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
This totally holds up. The production and instrumentation are unmistakably Paul, but still sound fresh. The songs are varied but gel together.
Tom Tom Club
5/5
Why is this kind of the coolest thing I’ve ever heard?
It’s brimming with earnestness and enthusiasm. It’s delightfully, unapologetically weird. Good stuff.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
This one is really rough. I’m down for music in a language I don’t understand, but the style, lack of availability on streamers, and length make this truly intolerable.
Bee Gees
3/5
Post Beatles pre disco Bee Gees is not what I wanna hear. It’s not bad, just so unremarkable.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Not my favorite Sonic Yiuth album, but still solid.
The Fall
4/5
This is an interesting one. The instrumental choices are quirky in a good way. I like it.
50 Cent
3/5
The lyrical content is not interesting to me, especially when he’s discussing his personal beef with other rappers. The production is strong at times, but it’s a low 3 at best.
Eminem
2/5
I don’t get what this is trying to do, but I definitely don’t want to. I just find this to be insufferably violent, misogynistic, wrapped up in a drawn-out turn-of-the-millennium style. It’s bad.
Pixies
4/5
I dig this. it’s not my favorite, but it’s better than neutral.
Pere Ubu
3/5
This is super fine.
Madonna
4/5
The hits rock and everything is solid.
Basement Jaxx
3/5
I have no strong thoughts about this. It’s better than the median album from this genre and time, but still not my thing.
The Gun Club
4/5
I dig this. Definitely some really emotion coming through here.
Hole
3/5
I don’t love this, but it’s not made for me.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Less transgressive than I expected given the title. That makes it more appealing but less interesting.
Jane Weaver
4/5
This is cool, especially the instrumentation. The use of synths feels distinctive without being distracting. Altogether it is a well-composed, coherent album. That said, it doesn’t really move me, but it’s highly competent.
Talk Talk
3/5
Super bland. Won’t relisten.
The Style Council
5/5
This is pretty cool, easy to listen to, but still engaging.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Pretty cool, a little rambly, but not bad.
The Slits
3/5
I was hoping for a little more from this album, but it didn’t quite click with me.
Youssou N'Dour
5/5
This is so sick. The production is fantastic but not distracting, it really lets the musicians shine.
The Monks
4/5
A bit goofy, but pretty good. It’s definitely got heart.
Shivkumar Sharma
5/5
This rocks. This checks almost every box for me: concise, good instrumentation, good flow, etc. Love it.
Richard Hawley
5/5
My expectations were looooow, but boy was I proven wrong. This rocks. You can totally tell this guy’s a seasoned session musician who has had to slide into multiple different contexts throughout his career.
He perfectly highlights the instrumentation (which rocks), but the album gels together with his singing.
An absolute treat.
Alice Cooper
2/5
There’s so much good guitar music from this era, this is not that.
Spiritualized
3/5
This has its moments, but it’a bit of slog for its length.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Some of the guitar playing in here is stellar. The production holds up, but the whole package isn’t totally my thing. No strong minuses though.
Anthrax
4/5
This is technically excellent, but not my thing.
Beatles
5/5
This was the album that cemented my love for the Beatles, so I’m biased. And sure, sometimes the production choices feel a little cheesy, but overall the song structures are unparalleled pop perfection. I love it.
Pantera
3/5
Something about this makes my brain freeze over. I have no thoughts.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Boooooring.
Beatles
4/5
Definitely not my favorite Beatles album, but also still really good. The mixing is a little tough and the number of covers isn’t great.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
This has some beautiful and interesting moments, but is a bit too scattered.
The Hives
4/5
This is fine. It’s short, well produced, and stylistically coherent. Not gonna revisit this, but it’s good for what it’s trying to be.
The Cult
2/5
Rick Rubin can’t save bad lyrics.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
This is cool and definitely important, but the instrumentation is a little sparse for my tastes.
Air
5/5
I was skeptical of how much I’d like a score for a movie I’d never seen. But I love Air and this album did not disappoint.
The subject matter is a bit dark, but the music captures that without making it a heavy listen. Overall a great listen.
Traffic
5/5
Solid album. It's more like a 4.5 for me, but I bet if I re-listened I would get even more out of it, so I'll round up.
Parliament
5/5
So unbelievably cool. The band is so tight, the album flows perfectly. The songs are long and evolving without the album feeling drawn-out. So funky, I dig it.
Tom Waits
5/5
This was surprisingly good. It's so palpably Tom Waits, but also funny, earnest, and endearing at times. It's long, but it's a worthwhile listen. Shout out to the production crew for really capturing the ambiance.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Very chill and occasionally beautiful, a bit long and meandering though.
Ian Dury
3/5
Not my thing. It's hard for me to express exactly what I don't like, but it might be that it's a little too literal for me.
David Bowie
5/5
This is so good. New-wavy but still beautiful. Complex without feeling inaccessible. The album does so much in its 39 minutes. This is my kind of Bowie.
Muddy Waters
4/5
This is cool, but it doesn’t totally click for me. I can’t articulate what it’s missing though.
Manu Chao
4/5
This is interesting, and a worthy inclusion, but not well-enough aligned with my taste for anything above a 4.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
I don’t like this. The politics are fine, but the music just feels a little flat to me.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
I love My Bloody Valentine, and while this isn’t quite Loveless quality, it’s still strong.
Buck Owens
5/5
This rocks. The production totally holds up and the lyrics aren’t too cancelable which really lets you focus on how great the playing is. The song structures are also great.
The Clash
5/5
I was surprised by how accessible this album is. The songs are catchy and kept me engaged through its slightly longer runtime.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Another entry in the forgettable 90s British alternative bin.
That said, “The Frog Princess” has a fantastic chorus, and this album has some other redeeming moments.
Beatles
5/5
I have to admit, I don’t often listen to enough of this album to get to disc 2. However, this is a double album that merits its length.
It’s hard to imagine the following 50 years of rock/pop music without both discs. Good stuff.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This was the album that turned me into a Dylan-head, so I have nothing but good things to say.
In an increasingly difficult to rationalize world, Dylan’s ability to make the strange sound simple provides some solace.
Suede
4/5
Some stand out moments mixed with some generic ones. Were there fewer 90s British alternative albums, this might get a 5.
Buzzcocks
3/5
I understand that this is an important album, but it doesn't totally connect with me.
Miles Davis
4/5
I'm a total Jazz poser, but this album is definitely cool. If I understood Jazz better, it might get a 5.
Elis Regina
4/5
This is cool, especially that first song. The energy is a bit all over, but a worthy inclusion.
Can
3/5
The second half of this album is a slog, but the first half has some solid material.
Van Halen
3/5
I don’t think the tone has aged well (or at least it’s not presently in vogue). The lyrics are so bad. Its stars really only come from the technical prowess.
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
I dig this. I think some of the ideas could have been a bit more fleshed out, but what's here is working.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
I think this warrants a more careful relisten. There are some beautiful moments but also some tough ones. Not quite a wash, but not totally my thing.
Van Morrison
5/5
This is so good. The band is amazing. Van is amazing. The production is a amazing. Well deserving of its 93 minute runtime.
Cornershop
3/5
This has a lot of same DNA as bands I like: Rostam, TV Girl, etc. But it also has some DNA that I don't like. Namely 90s trip-hop which already inundates this list.
4/5
This is better than many of its contemporaries, but still lacks enough distinctiveness for anything above a 4.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I've never been a massive RHCP fan. This album is solid, but I don't click with it.
The Cure
3/5
Not quite as dour as I was anticipating for the Cure. Still not my vibe, but still not something i'm going to go back to.
Ice Cube
3/5
I may not have been in the right headspace for this, but i didn't really like it. There's nothing I can pinpoint, but it wasn't clicking.
Deee-Lite
3/5
I can't imagine anyone cool dancing to this music in the club. But the 90s were weird, and I've never been cool, so what do I know.
The music doesn't really hold up to me, but it's not offensive.
The White Stripes
4/5
This is a textbook 4 for me. I liked it, but i won't be returning anytime soon.
The Smiths
4/5
The Smiths are always pretty good, but this isn't exceptional.
Dr. John
3/5
Not my thing. I think if I understood 60s New Orleans culture I might like it more, but I don't.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Pretty solid. There’s some interesting proto Beatles elements, but I’m unlikely to return to this.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
This is nice. As with the other album from him, there are some deeply beautiful moments mixed into a somewhat scattered whole.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
5/5
I’ve always loved Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. This a great collection of his work. Yes, it’s long, but it merits its length. Especially since this list has so few non-Western albums, an extra hour is manageable.
Can
4/5
Very similar to their other album on this list. Unremarkable, but the palette is tasteful, so there's nothing to complain about.
Tom Waits
4/5
This is pretty solid, especially the B side. It's Tom Waits, so i'm never going to /love/ it, but it's solid.
David Gray
4/5
Good album, great album cover. The music feels a bit derivative of 60s folk rock, but nothing to hate here.
Tim Buckley
4/5
This is a bit dated feeling. Some beautiful moments, but forgettable.
Beatles
5/5
Every time I listen to this album it creeps closer to being my favorite Beatles album. Everything about it works for me.
David Bowie
4/5
It’s hard to imagine bands like the Talking Heads existing without David Bowie. I think this album serves as an excellent bridge to New Wave. That said, I don’t love it enough to give it more than a four.
Kate Bush
4/5
I love Kate Bush. This album is good but not great. It’s a bit too normal to be really captivating but a bit too weird to be easy to listen to.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
A bit boring, but not bad
Doves
3/5
This is like if Radiohead made longer, less interesting albums.
Death In Vegas
4/5
This album is more interesting to me than many of its contemporaries in the genre. The incorporation of acoustic instruments really adds depth.
The Who
3/5
This is fine. If I was a Who-head, maybe this would be amazing, but to me it’s just a live rock concert.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This has always been my favorite Zeppelin album, and it totally holds up. I think it's my ideal blend of folk and rock elements while maintaining an identity that doesn't feel derivative.
The Incredible String Band
5/5
This album gets a lot of hate, and I admit it's not for everyone. But there's an earnestness to all of the ISB's music that I find compelling. It's definitely weird, but if it weren't, there's no way we'd still be listening to it 50 years later.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Preachy, trite, and unpleasant. Lenny has chops, but this late 80s style does not hold up.
"Blues For Sister Someone" is particularly heinous.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
This album is great. It’s interesting how late into his career this came out because it brims with energy. The instrumentation is obviously great.
Joy Division
4/5
I think almost any music would not live up to this iconic album cover. This album is inoffensive, but does not compel me to return, so alas, I will stay a poser who likes the cover more than the music.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Something about the sleepy distorted guitar tones with the delicate vocal delivery really works for me. This feels like proto shoegaze.
The pieces don’t quite come together for me, but there’s lot of good material here.
The Pharcyde
3/5
Not bad but not great either. A bit long to be as one-note as it is.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I think this is better than live at Folsom in almost every way. The concept is still a bit questionable, but the songs are solid.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
It’s a little long with insufficient variety to keep me fully hooked, but there are some undeniably iconic moments. It’s like a 4.6 for me.
Raekwon
2/5
I like Wu Tangs’s hits, but I’ve never gone deep on their material, let alone their solo work. After this, I don’t think I’m changing my ways.
Gene Clark
4/5
Inoffensive and occasionally beautiful.
D'Angelo
5/5
I’m not an impartial judge of this album. But that’s kinda the point. I love this album, I love D’Angelo, and I love neosoul.
This album has an improvisational life to it while still feeling incredibly tight. This synthesizes so many of my favorite aspects of Prince, Herbie Hancock, and Wes Montgomery. It’s so good.
Shack
3/5
More boring pre-millennial British alt rock.
John Cale
3/5
This is fine. A worthy inclusion, but not something I’ll likely be back to.
Willie Nelson
4/5
A little sparse, but the bones are good.
The Go-Go's
3/5
The hits are great; the rest is fine.
Hookworms
4/5
This list has so much old music that it’s easy to forget the effect of modern music production technology on the landscape of music. This band (which I’d never heard of) is able to create an exceptionally produced blend of prog, krautrock, and more modern indie.
Faust
4/5
Surprisingly cohesive given its stylistic diversity. It’s occasionally beautiful and often interesting, but I don’t find myself drawn to the songs.
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
Despite what this list leads you to believe, there is 90s music outside of Britton. This album is refreshing stylistically, but not something I’ll be back to.
Scritti Politti
2/5
I hate this. It sounds like a soulless, painfully self-serious version of Bill Wurtz.
The Bees
3/5
Not bad but not memorable at all.
Blur
3/5
I usually complain about britpop being too derivative, but here I wish it was a bit more down the middle. It was surprisingly frenetic, and not in a good way.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
If Jimmy Buffet made an ill-advised punk album, I think it would sound something like this.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
This Is cool. I’m not sure I have enough context to give it a totally accurate review, but I like what’s here.
Saint Etienne
3/5
I really the band TV Girl, and I feel like they wouldn’t exist without this album. That doesn’t mean I like this album though.
The Beach Boys
5/5
This album is a perfect encapsulation of youthful exuberance, naivety, and yearning. In this way, Brian Wilson will be young forever.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
I think if I was 20 years older this would be my jam. But to me it sounds like a strange blend of Kate Bush, Amy Winehouse, and Joni Mitchell.
American Music Club
4/5
Tasteful instrumentation. The singing isn’t my thing, but it’s a worthy listen.
Orbital
3/5
Yet another dip into the endless well of mediocre 90s British electronic music.
Holger Czukay
4/5
Interesting, not quite as coherent as some its krautrock contemporaries.
The KLF
3/5
This is fine, but this list is still inundated with music of this type.
CHIC
5/5
Nile Rodgers is the man, and Chic totally holds up.
The Stranglers
3/5
Forgettable blend of punk rock, the Doors, and the Who.
The Doors
3/5
I prefer their early work a bit more. And even still I’m not a huge Doors fan.
OutKast
4/5
I fully expected to like the André 3000 half more, but that turned out not to be the case. There’s a lot of good material here, but it’s a bit too long, especially “The Love Below” half.
Small Faces
3/5
Forgettable late 60s guitar music. Maybe if I liked concept albums, this would be good, but I’m not convinced.
John Grant
4/5
Not really my thing, but not bad either. It’s distinctive.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
I'm not a huge rap fan, and I have very little experience with British rap, so I'm not exactly a credible source. That said, I didn't love the lyrical content, but I think the flow, beats, and instrumentation hold up.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I like indie from this era, so this was a recipe for success. I think the instrumentation holds up. It's not exactly to my taste, but it's a solid album.
Eurythmics
3/5
The A side is pretty bad, the title track is iconic, and the B side is pretty good. All in all, it's a wash.
Big Black
4/5
Surprisingly listenable for an avant-garde industrial punk album. I like it.
Anita Baker
4/5
Exceptional vocals and great instrumentation. The lyrics are a bit trite at times, but it's nothing egregious.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Every time I think I can set aside the problematicness of the Stones, I hear a song that reminds me of just how bad they can be. The album is too long, there are some great tracks, but some that should really be left in annals of history
Klaxons
2/5
I think the album cover is a good representation of this album. It's an odd collage of disparate pieces that don't form a cohesive whole (at least to me). It might be someone's jam, but it's not mine.
Big Star
3/5
This is definitely rock music. Beyond that, I don’t have much to say.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
This is fine. Reviews online promised a lot more from this band than the album actually delivers.
Something about this really works for me. It's a little corny, sure. But I like the instrumentation, sincerity, and song structures.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
I’m totally down for some newer music on this list, but this doesn’t totally do it for me. I think there are better examples of the genre on this list, but there’s nothing here to dislike.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
The music isn’t really my thing, but it gets major points for how cohesive the whole album sounds. Despite how many disparate vignettes it has, they all come together into a unified concept.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Entirely too long, but the music is pretty good.
The Vines
3/5
Unremarkable guitar rock.
Soul II Soul
3/5
Kind of interesting, but feels a bit too long for the substance.
Wild Beasts
4/5
I don't love the vocals, but I like the instrumentation.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Nice to throw on for either active or passive listening. The ambience is great, and the mastering really sells it.
Tim Buckley
4/5
This is my third Tim Buckley album on the list, and I think that 2.5 albums of his would have been ideal. I lost interest about halfway through, especially with that "Gypsy Woman" song. The music isn't bad, just too much of it.
The Human League
3/5
"Don't You Want Me" is an obvious classic. The rest of the album is less memorable, and some of the palette doesn't hold up.
Stereolab
5/5
Much like Daft Punk or Air, Stereolab feels both timeless and futuristic. I dig it. I also dig any band that commits so hard to a consistent graphic design motif in its album covers.
R.E.M.
3/5
I just can't get into R.E.M. I liked this more than usual, but still it's not for me.
The Police
3/5
I was hoping to like this a bit more than I actually did. It's fine, but none of the songs (not even "Message In A Bottle") stood out to me.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
This definitely merits another listen. Some of the harmonic choices are beautiful, and it's quite listenable for how lyrically dense it is.
Morrissey
3/5
Musically, this is fine. But the book reveals its British origins with its excess of solo Morrissey.
The Icarus Line
4/5
I wasn't feeling this at first, but by minute 35 I began to understand the vibe of this album. Still not my thing, but not bad.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
Some interesting Jammy elements, but overall a bit lacking in depth.
Lambchop
3/5
I feel like this is what Neutral Milk Hotel sounds like to people who don't like them.
The Temptations
5/5
This is so sick. I love The Temptations psychedelic era.
Skepta
3/5
This isn't a genre I really connect with, but it's well executed.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Star studded band, but the music isn’t that memorable.
The xx
5/5
I think this sounds so good mostly because it’s so distinctive from everything else on this list. That said, the instrumentation, production, and vocals really cohere to create the intended vibe.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
I have no doubt that this album forever changed the course of Hiphop, but he seems like a bad dude and the music doesn’t really hold up for me.
Gene Clark
3/5
Tasteful palette, but the songwriting of the originals is a little lacking, and the covers aren’t that great.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
I don’t like the music. I also don’t like her use of the line “two sixths Chinese” in “The Next Generation.” 2/6 is neither a properly reduced fraction nor a possible ancestry fraction with a finite number of parents. Only fractions of the form 2^(-m/n) are possible.
Obviously that’s a nitpick and is not the point of the line, but I got distracted researching genomics, and the album never recaptured my attention.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
I think I listened to this wrong. I think I was just supposed to listen to the one hour song entitled “Logical Progression” which is a mashup of the proceeding songs. Even if it were only an hour, that’s still more D&B than I want.
XTC
3/5
This started out good. I really connected with that song “Grass”. But I think the album is 3 or 4 songs too long and it starts to rely too heavily on its inspirations.
Fiona Apple
2/5
This is a little too much for me. There’s merit to it, of course, but it’s not for me.
Suede
2/5
Unending melodrama. A really tough listen.
Roxy Music
3/5
I like Brian Eno, but I don’t really dig this. “In Every Dream Home a Heartache” rocks though.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
I’m not sure if it’s Jane’s addiction or just this album, but either way this album distills everything I hate about the Red Hot Chili Peppers into its most concentrated form. So by definition, I hate it.
Lana Del Rey
5/5
Her storytelling is so vivid that it almost reads as cultural criticism. It’s precise in its imagery but hard to pin down to a genre, geography, or time period.
It’s the kind of music that evokes a strange patriotism in me. Not a political patriotism, but a patriotism rooted in an appreciation for the aesthetic minutiae endemic to American society. Fonts on road signs, vocal harmonies in the jingles of extinct department stores, that kind of thing.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
I can’t imagine a better album in this genre. The instrumentation is phenomenal. Stevie’s vocals are impeccable. The whole album is even better than I remembered.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
This is a perfect folk-rock album. No further notes.
Supertramp
4/5
This is pretty strong, though a bit scattered. The instrumentation is great, but it lacks the cohesion that Breakfast in America has.
Nina Simone
5/5
Her unrivaled vocals are so well complemented by her piano playing. She makes great use of dynamic range to create an intimate yet powerful album.
Brian Eno
5/5
There are some albums that people say are influential and that seems like they’re trying to justify why you’re listening to bad music. That is not the case here. Its influence is obvious and still important. And for how strange the tracks are, they’re remarkably listenable.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
This feels like a rambly new age preacher’s unending sermon set to a trip-hop beat. Not my thing.
Cheap Trick
3/5
Not really that memorable. Even the hits aren't that memorable.
Le Tigre
4/5
Feminist, turn-of-the-millennium, and B52s-esque. Count me in.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
This is fine. The instrumentation choices make this feel a bit fresh. But otherwise it’s a very forgettable album.
KISS
3/5
I’m certain this was creating a lot of genre tropes and not copying them. But even still this feels like a deeply commercial venture that lacks artistic substance. It’s not bad to listen to, but it’s also not good.
The Associates
2/5
This is rough. This seems to congeal all of the problems of this genre into one difficult package.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
This is really strong 60s blues rock. Something about it didn’t 100% click with me, but it’s strong.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I like Sonic Youth, and this a good album.
Beck
3/5
I like Beck, but I don’t really like his early stuff. This is on the cusp of being “early” to me. There’s some things I really like and some things I don’t
The United States Of America
3/5
Interesting, but almost not interesting enough. I’m sure this was mind blowing in the 60s, but the intrigue doesn’t hold up for me.
Cat Stevens
2/5
There’s something about the sincerity and simplicity of the lyrical content that I find to be a bit juvenile. That’s not really fair, and I think it’s actually just representative of his self actualization.
The instrumentation, if applied to different subject matter, would be a perfect recipe for me.
The Residents
2/5
Not feeling this. I was in the wrong mood for a goofy album like this, but I’m not sure I could ever be in the right mood.
3/5
Extremely okay. This list has so much britpop and this an unremarkable example.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
This is fun. At times I find his music to be a bit pretentious (takes one to know one) and inaccessible. But this is fun.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Solid but not that interesting to me.
Tricky
3/5
This is someone’s thing, but it’s not mine.
Bonnie Raitt
4/5
The title track is great, everything else is pretty good. Music in this genre from this era can easily sound corny in retrospect but this mostly stands the test of time.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
This is fine but kind of a strange selection from what was an extremely prolific era of rap music.
Soft Machine
5/5
An interesting meander through the sonic experiments that this band could think up. It eminently listenable and totally stands the test of time.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
I like the bands that Apple Music says they were inspired by, but not loving this.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I like the music, but the lyrics aren’t for me.
Boards of Canada
3/5
I think this is pretty visionary for its time, but now it just sounds like “lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to”. It’s not bad, but not remarkable either.
Scott Walker
3/5
This is fine, but there’s better examples in the genre.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Singer songwriter can be really hit or miss for me. This was a miss.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
It’s tough to understand why this artist appears twice on the list. There’s nothing here that’s memorable.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
If Terry Riley made indie music, I think it would sound like this.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
This is pretty good. I liked “Agnus Dei” and “The Art Teacher”
Arcade Fire
3/5
I like this in theory, but it doesn’t work in execution.
John Martyn
3/5
I like some of John Martyn’s stuff, but this isn’t my thing. It’s fine, but it feels like he avoided all of the things I like most about him on this album.
Elvis Presley
5/5
Pretty strong stuff. I’m a bigger fan of his gospel material, but it’s clear to see why this took off.
Sebadoh
3/5
There’s not a lot here for me. It’s not that bad, but also I didn’t like any of the songs.
Jamiroquai
4/5
I’d rather listen to Herbie Hancock or Stevie Wonder, but this is a very suitable stand-in.
The Young Rascals
4/5
This is fine. There’s a lot in this genre, and this is a middling example
Björk
3/5
I don’t love Björk, and I don’t love this album, but this album makes real choices and forms a cohesive whole. It doesn’t feel deliberately obtuse, but is complicated and challenging, just like life I suppose.
Arcade Fire
4/5
This is pretty good. It drags a bit, but the instrumentation is good.
Doves
4/5
This is nice. The almost minimalist compositions show a lot of welcome restraint. Not extremely memorable, but I could see myself listening again.
The Specials
3/5
This is okay. Some of the songs are quite straight-ahead and uninteresting. Some of the songs are a bit more interesting, but not enough to redeem the whole.
Gotan Project
2/5
This is pretty boring. It’s fine for background music, but I can’t really imagine another context.
Throwing Muses
5/5
An album like this is exactly what this list is for. This is great and unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Shame it’s not available to stream.
The Doors
3/5
As I’ve grown older, I find myself liking the Doors less. All of their non-Blues songs just aren’t that interesting to me.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
I don’t like this genre, but I think this is a good example of it. The band is super tight, and the hits hold up. But the deeper cuts don’t.
Ozomatli
4/5
There's some things to like here, but it also shows its age, so it's a bit of a wash. Mostly positive, but a wash.
The Roots
4/5
This is good, but I don't really connect with it. It's also a bit too long. My favorite parts were the more Neo-soul moments.
The Strokes
5/5
It’s hard to imagine my life or modern indie without this album. I’ve listened a ton, and I will continue to listen a ton.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
There’s something about this album that makes me feel wistfully nostalgic for a united version of America that no longer exists or maybe never did. It’s beautiful, culturally distinct, and delightfully earnest. Fantastic.
The Who
4/5
For the same reasons I find early Beatles cringy at times, this is cringy at times. While the Beatles worked through those growing pains into something I universally like, I never quite lost that feeling with The Who.
I don’t dislike this, and I know it’s their early work, but I’m always left wanting a bit more.
Otis Redding
5/5
This is a great example of less being more. More complicated arrangements would distract from the excellent pieces that are here.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
5/5
Cosmic Americana at its finest.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
I dig it
Television
3/5
Extremely unremarkable. Totally fine, but not going to be rushing back.
Radiohead
3/5
I struggle to immerse myself in Radiohead’s music. Every time I think “that was a nice melody” or “I like that synthesizer tone” they do something extremely on-brand and it just snaps me out of listening to the music and instead think “yep, I’m listening to radio head right now”
King Crimson
4/5
I like this more in theory than in practice. I like the elements that it’s blending, but it don’t think it’s in the right proportions.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
This makes me want to listen to Caroline Polachek. I might like this more if I remembered more from my French classes.
Norah Jones
4/5
While I think “Don’t know why” is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, the rest of the album fails to capture that same magic for me. It’s a good album, just downhill after the first song.
ZZ Top
3/5
I don’t think this holds up. The playing is fine, and it’s not abjectly offensive, but not my thing
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
5/5
I love folk music, so I love this.
The Shamen
2/5
There’s so much of this style on this list. This is one of the worst examples.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I accidentally listened to this twice, and the second time around was way better. I kinda dig it.