My User Albums Journey

User Albums Journey

Exploring beyond the book, one album at a time

View 1001 Albums Summary

Albums Rated

3.44

Average Rating

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

2010

Favorite Decade

Funk

Favorite Genre

other

Top Origin

Cheerleader

Rater Style ?

5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

Top Styles

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Yeti Amon Düül II	5	2.94	+2.06
Pushin' Against a Stone Valerie June	5	3.17	+1.83
Souvlaki Slowdive	5	3.26	+1.74
Boxer The National	5	3.33	+1.67
Last Splash The Breeders	5	3.46	+1.54
"Awaken, My Love!" Childish Gambino	5	3.48	+1.52
Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) Jai Paul	4	2.73	+1.27
Once Nightwish	4	2.77	+1.23
L'Heptade Harmonium	4	2.82	+1.18
Control Pedro The Lion	4	2.84	+1.16

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Korn Korn	1	2.62	-1.62
Mouth Sounds Neil Cicierega	1	2.54	-1.54
Millennium Backstreet Boys	1	2.42	-1.42
Continuum John Mayer	2	3.11	-1.11

5-Star Albums (6)

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Popular Reviews

Homogenic

Björk · 2 likes

4/5

Despite having heard several of her albums, I still don’t feel overly familiar with her as an artist. That said, this is a really strong album and I respect that she was not conforming to the musical trends at the time.

Repetition

Unwound · 2 likes

4/5

I don’t know how this flew under my radar for so long as it checks a lot of boxes for me. Challenging and discordant in just the right amounts, and if you give it a chance you’ll find some fantastic melodies under the fuzz.

Korn

Korn · 1 likes

1/5

With all respect and appreciation for the person who submitted this one… no way. There are about 90 seconds of decent music on here, the bagpipes at the beginning of “Shoots and Ladders,” and the breakdown in the middle of “Predictable.” That’s it. Not even enough good ideas to put together a whole good song, let alone a hour+ album. For those who enjoy the overall theme here but want something more, check out Ministry’s The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste.

Chocolate & Cheese

Ween · 1 likes

4/5

Ranges all over in terms of style, but still sounds cohesive as an album. A bit weird, but creative.

AmarElo

Emicida · 1 likes

3/5

It’s pretty good for what it is, but it’s really not for me.

1-Star Albums (3)

All Ratings

Homogenic

Björk

4/5

Frengers: Not Quite Friends But Not Quite Strangers

Mew

4/5

It’s pretty good and I’m not sure how it’s flown under my radar for so long. Definitely has “Ben Gibbard” starts a Prog band feel to it.

Korn

1/5

Currents

Tame Impala

4/5

Not my favorite Tame Impala album but it’s still great.

Millennium

Backstreet Boys

1/5

The cover of this album is the perfect illustration of the music: monochromatic, synthetic, and joyless.

Not Animal

Margot & The Nuclear So And So's

3/5

Pretty decent indie rock that sounds like when it’s from.

Ænima

TOOL

4/5

Too many bangers to not be on the main list.

Bon Iver

4/5

Most of it is pretty good, except for the yacht rock nonsense…

City Of Evil

Avenged Sevenfold

3/5

Polished, mathy prog metal with frankly underwhelming vocals. Not bad, but not my type of metal.

Boxer

The National

5/5

Not a bad song on here… ok besides “Brainy” there’s not a bad song on here.

AmarElo

Emicida

3/5

It’s pretty good for what it is, but it’s really not for me.

Once

Nightwish

4/5

An enjoyable and well executed album even if symphonic metal isn’t my thing.

Djarimirri

Gurrumul

4/5

I most Americans, including me, have had next to zero exposure to indigenous Australian music, and for that alone this belongs on the main list. But, it’s also just good.

A1A

Jimmy Buffett

2/5

It’s not terrible, but if I’m in that mood I’d rather just listen to Kenny Rogers.

Recipe for Hate

Bad Religion

4/5

Good solid West coast punk rock, just as you’d expect from Bad Religion.

Squeezing Out Sparks

Graham Parker

3/5

Started off pretty strong, but quickly devolved into a “we’ve got Elvis Costello at home” situation.

Stories

Avicii

2/5

To whoever submitted this one, I’m sorry. I know his music means a great deal to a lot of people, but it just sounds super generic to me.

Continuum

John Mayer

2/5

Soft Rock for people who think Jack Johnson is too edgy.

World Of Echo

Arthur Russell

3/5

Somewhere between Nick Drake and Throbbing Gristle.

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Arctic Monkeys

4/5

Lots of loungey atmosphere but it retains that trademark Arctic Monkeys swagger. Good times.

Souvlaki

Slowdive

5/5

Absolutely fantastic album and near the top of the shoegaze canon, but also has broad appeal from the psyche through the goth communities. Worth 5 stars for “When the Sun Hits” alone, but there’s not a bad song on it. Absolutely criminal that this isn’t on the main list.

Romance

Fontaines D.C.

4/5

Really good modern indie rock album that at times recalls classic Depeche Mode or The Cure. “In the Modern World” is a masterpiece.

Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Steven Wilson

4/5

I’m not normally a fan of progrock as it often seems soulless and just an excuse to noodle around on your guitar/keyboard/zither etc, but I actually liked this because it was emotive without being melodramatic.

Englabörn

Jóhann Jóhannsson

4/5

It took me a bit, but I got into it. Would be great for hiking through a dark forest in winter.

Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)

Jai Paul

4/5

I like it. I’d love to hear what some of these tracks sound like fully fleshed out.

Triage

David Baerwald

3/5

The first half of it sounds like something from Miami Vice. The last half is like Wilco meets The Traveling Wilburys. It’s not bad but not my thing.

Sing To God

Cardiacs

2/5

There are some good tracks on here (“Fairy Mary Mag,” “Dirty Boy”) but, when you’re throwing everything against the wall for 88 minutes, you’re bound to have some decent moments. Edit this down to 30ish minutes and it would probably be pretty good.

How to Operate With a Blown Mind

Lo Fidelity Allstars

3/5

Not terrible, but I’m not suitably educated in these 90s-2000s electronica albums to discern anything special.

Enema Of The State

blink-182

3/5

This style of punk has never been my thing, but they do it well enough here and come away with some legitimately good songs.

After Hours

The Weeknd

4/5

He’s really good at making dark synthpop, but I’m not a fan of the more generic pop stuff.

Repetition

Unwound

4/5

Diary

Sunny Day Real Estate

3/5

Classic post- sound.

Dilate

Ani DiFranco

3/5

She goes through several gears on here, from angry punk to coffee shop ambience. There are a couple of really good songs, especially “Done Wrong,” but much it isn’t really for me.

The Lion's Roar

First Aid Kit

4/5

First, realizing this album was released over 13 years ago makes me feel old as hell. Second, this holds up as one of the best Folk/Americana albums of the 2010s. So many great songs.

Control

Pedro The Lion

4/5

Good indie rock/slowcore stuff. Something I’ll return to in the future.

Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha!

Gotcha!

2/5

It seems disjointed and underproduced.

L'Heptade

Harmonium

4/5

The first half is pretty generic prog, but the second half is less proggy but better as an atmospheric pop album.

Blink-182

blink-182

3/5

The first half is a bit meh… but the second half is pretty good, especially the song with Robert Smith.

A Beginner's Mind

Sufjan Stevens

3/5

Stevens has a tendency for self-indulgence which can make his albums a bit of a chore, but it seems having a collaborator helped quite a bit.

Moffou

Salif Keita

4/5

It’s too bad that this is largely unavailable as what I heard of it was quite good.

Great Big Sea

3/5

It’s alright… a bit of a Waterboys vibe. I get the feeling they’re much better live.

Old No. 1

Guy Clark

4/5

I feel like I’m in an old Hill Country bbq joint. This one has as much right to be on the main list as anything by Gram.

Spanish Train And Other Stories

Chris de Burgh

2/5

It’s at times glammy, and often proggy, theatrical 70s pop. It is well executed but it suffers from being melodramatic and a more than a bit writerly.

Before These Crowded Streets

Dave Matthews Band

3/5

If you weren't around in the 90s you might think Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins were ubiquitous back then, but mostly it was DMB along with Collective Soul everywhere. Dave Matthews has never been my thing, but I can recognize he has some talent.

Boys And Girls in America

The Hold Steady

4/5

I always liked The Hold Steady. Kind of like a more snide Elvis Costello with a good helping of Springsteen thrown in. They do have better albums though.

Pushin' Against a Stone

Valerie June

5/5

I don't know how this flew under my radar for so long as it checks so many boxes for me: Americana, soul, psychedelic- and indie-folk. Thank you to whoever submitted this… it’s phenomenal.

MOMENTUM

Calibro 35

4/5

A nice, chill, mostly instrumental album.

Shack-man

Medeski, Martin & Wood

3/5

Pretty decent instrumental jazz.

From The Lions Mouth

The Sound

4/5

Really good bass driven post-punk album, not unlike The Chameleons. I’ll be returning to this one.

Puzzle

Biffy Clyro

3/5

Not bad… a bit like Muse. Not my thing though.

Chet

Chet Baker

4/5

I love a good jazz trumpet, and this definitely qualifies, but I could use some more bop.

"Awaken, My Love!"

Childish Gambino

5/5

Glover successfully channels the spirit of his influences (especially Prince) without sounding derivative. Hopefully this will be on the official list once the next book edition comes out.

Cleopatra

The Lumineers

4/5

Really solid indie-folk, Americana album.

Stretch 2

Arca

3/5

I really appreciate musical experimentation, but I don’t generally enjoy it unless it coalesces into an actual song. Unfortunately, these tracks consist of largely disconnected rhythms and melodic ideas which don’t build to anything. The last track is quite good, though. From what I heard of the artist’s other material, it maintains much of the same sound but seems much more developed.

Mouth Sounds

Neil Cicierega

1/5

I tried…

Maestro

Kaizers Orchestra

3/5

Not bad, but it’s all a bit “samey” despite the variety of arrangements.

Weezer

4/5

90s alt-pop that has stood the test of time better than most of the rest from the era.

John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman

John Coltrane

4/5

I really love Coltrane, but I just can’t get into this type of vocal jazz.

You & I

Rita Ora

2/5

Largely cliched lyrics over pretty generic pop tunes.

The Universe Smiles Upon You

Khruangbin

4/5

Being from Southeast Texas and living in the Houston area when this came out I can tell you this was inescapable at the time, which means it’s impossible to come at it with fresh ears. That said, it was welcome and well executed.

Silent Alarm

Bloc Party

4/5

Really good indie pop from the golden age of indie pop. I forgot how much I liked this album.

Yeti

Amon Düül II

5/5

I was really happy to see tgst this was added to the user list; if it hadn’t been I was considering adding it myself. Such an under appreciated classic.

Geogaddi

Boards of Canada

4/5

Really pleasant electronic soundscapes.

Has A Good Home

Final Fantasy

4/5

Reminds me quite a bit of Sufjan Stevens, only a good bit less self-indulgent. Good find.

Tomb

Angelo De Augustine

3/5

Another Sufjan-adjacent album with the soft, falsetto vocals and the delicate melodies. Not bad, but I was past ready for it to be over when it was over.

Year of the Cat

Al Stewart

3/5

Not bad for what it is, which is mid-70s singer/songwriter soft rock. Just not my thing.

Give Up

The Postal Service

4/5

This album certainly takes me back. Really good "indietronica" album that should probably be on the main list. Just a tad too sparse for my taste.

Daisies Of The Galaxy

Eels

4/5

Pretty solid indie rock that I had not hear before. Thanks!

The Lioness

Songs: Ohia

4/5

Slow, doom-folk. Very similar to Bonnie Prince Billy.

All Hail West Texas

The Mountain Goats

4/5

I quite like it, though the subjects deal much more with the cursed Dallas area than with West Texas.

The Beautiful Letdown

Switchfoot

2/5

It’s like all that mid-90s post-grunge stuff, but with the tempo dropped about 10% and any edge buffed off.

Vs.

Pearl Jam

3/5

I kinda forgot this album existed, and when I listened to it I could see why. Pretty dull, almost like outtakes from the Ten sessions.

Frosting On The Beater

The Posies

4/5

Pretty decent 90s alt-pop.

Last Splash

The Breeders

5/5

Great early 90s alt-rock album, and one that ranges over several styles from alt-country to shoegaze. This was the first album I remember being described as “indie.”

Foxes in the Snow

Jason Isbell

4/5

Quite good, but a tad monochromatic for an album length release.

Ocean Avenue

Yellowcard

2/5

Technically proficient yet dull pop-punk.

Watch Out!

Alexisonfire

3/5

It’s pretty good, but unfortunately not my thing.