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Thu Jun 23 2022
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Up-close vocals and laid back instrumentation make this effortlessly cool in the way Roxy Music could never pull off. The tracks that don't sound like Bowie are better than the Bowie-esque ones and the album as a whole is yet to be thoroughly mined for 21st Century Hipster Cinema soundtracks.
3
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Fri Jun 24 2022
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
Music for a blue collar bar in a suburban strip mall. Hot, Blue and Righteous stands out as a sweet song to end side A on an otherwise greasy collection.
2
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Mon Jun 27 2022
B-52's
The B-52's
Listening to this album feels like I am consuming all of what became "alternative rock" in the decades that follow its release. I hope that if I was a teenager in 1979 I would have been cool enough to like The B-52's. The kitsch dial is turned up near maximum on this recording but the songs and performances are just too fun to ignore. If the vocal harmonies don't make your spine tingle, do you even like music?
5
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Tue Jun 28 2022
Metallica
Metallica
You can't deny these riffs. The songs and sounds on this album share a lot more in common with the grunge bands I believed were far superior as a teen. As timeless as the music may be at times the lyrics get a little too "on the nose". The earnestness of grunge is its legacy rather than the fashion or even the sound.
The production on the remastered version sounds great but Side B is hiding some real clunkers. For one reason or another I think I prefer Megadeth. Ye-yeah!
3
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Wed Jun 29 2022
In Utero
Nirvana
The songs are loud, poppy, urgent, timeless. The collection is as artistic as it is consumable making it the pinnacle of the bands career. You could even argue this was the pinnacle of punk rock.
Listen to the Albini version unless you're a Radio Friendly Unit Shifter.
5
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Thu Jun 30 2022
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
It's jazz, I guess? Many of the tracks are film noir sketches between lush piano, bass, and drum numbers that highlight Waits' voice which sounds great on this live recording. The lyrics are poetic and very clever. "Purina checkerboard slacks" from Nighthawk Postcards (From Easy Street) recalls the funny parts of Alice's Restaurant but in a much hipper presentation.
Evocative stories taking place in the gritty parts of LA. Cars, tough personalities, drugs and booze. This should have been a hip-hop album.
3
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Fri Jul 01 2022
The Contino Sessions
Death In Vegas
Whatever this album is, it's one aspect of Cool Britannia that never made it across the Atlantic. And it's for a good reason. The duo are not The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Orbital, or even Sneaker Pimps. I guess you had to be there.
1
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Mon Jul 04 2022
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
What can be said that Yasi Salek hasn't already explored? The episode of Bandsplain about RHCP really did change my view of the Peppers but this album is a solid work from a band that has evolved so much over the decades.
3
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Tue Jul 05 2022
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
Cringe-worthy pop rap. The Slim Shady persona is that disruptive kid you knew in eighth grade who tried to come off edgy by telling tall tales on the bus. He was annoying and nobody's friend but unexpectedly shined in the one class he cared about.
This record might be a victim of the aggressive posture that popular performers took in the late 90s. I wonder what persona Eminem would have created had he come up in the Soundcloud/emo rap era. Maybe he could have painted with colors other than "Fred Durst backward red baseball hat" red.
1
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Wed Jul 06 2022
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Fats has a great voice and his creations provided enough material for groups to mine well into the next decade or more. The songs are not corny like Elvis and more danceable than Buddy Holly. All in all there isn't enough to grab the attention of modern listeners but it's still a cool nostalgia trip.
3
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Thu Jul 07 2022
Your New Favourite Band
The Hives
When this album came out, rock music was in a bad place. Groups like The Hives emerged to bring rock 'n' roll back to its roots by mining early garage rock and punk sounds while adding better songwriting and cleaner dirty production.
This is a compilation album which gives me mixed feelings but if Singles Going Steady and Hatful of Hollow can get away with it, so can Your New Favourite Band.
3
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Fri Jul 08 2022
KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)
Ministry
Aggressive. Sounds like video game music. Very danceable grooves. Must have been a genre-defining album upon its release.
4
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Mon Jul 11 2022
Sound Affects
The Jam
I have so many questions. Where does this album fit between punk and The Kinks? Is this New Wave? Are these guys working class (Oasis) or not quite (Blur)?
The album exhibits top notch production; the recording sounds great and highlights how tight the band is. Set the House Ablaze is a standout track.
The album verges on earning a 5-star mark but the lyrics leave me wanting just a little more.
4
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Tue Jul 12 2022
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Instrumentation and production adds a filmy 1970s residue that obscures the songs and performances a bit but not in a delicious Stevie Wonder kind of way. On subsequent listens it may fade away but hearing this recording for the first time, I can't help but get distracted by it. Fortunately that is the only criticism I have.
4
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Wed Jul 13 2022
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
I LOL'd.
Then I tried to give myself a chance to "get" it and never did. When Jazz Police came on, I LOL'd again.
The backing tracks are certainly stylized but they are interesting in the way Ween's tracks are interesting. I don't find the lyrics particularly poetic or deep, however. I must be missing something but I won't be back to find it.
2
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Thu Jul 14 2022
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Flying Burrito Brothers
cowboy music. longing vocals. twanging guitars. I much prefer Willie Nelson.
2
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Fri Jul 15 2022
Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
I love The Beach Boys. At least three of the songs on this album sound like The Eagles. I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man. "Thoughts of You" kind of reminds me of Eels which was interesting at least.
2
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Mon Jul 18 2022
...And Justice For All
Metallica
When I first picked up the guitar, I didn't know anything about technique. Early on I stumbled my way into palm muting and said to myself, "that's the Metallica chug-chug thing!" The riffs on this album have a harmony and beauty that isn't found as much on The Black Album. The production hides the lyrics a little better on this release, too, which is an overall benefit. (For what it's worth, I listened to the remastered version.)
3
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Tue Jul 19 2022
My Generation
The Who
The most punk of the British Invasion bands (except for maybe The Kinks) though you can't really hear it on this album of mostly R&B inspired songs. Not the strongest collection of tunes.
3
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Wed Jul 20 2022
Fever Ray
Fever Ray
This was the sound of the times in which is was released. Alarmingly quotidian lyrics delivered with a highly-stylized affect create a contrast with the futuristic electronic track reminiscent of Kraftwerk.
See also/instead: Grimes, Santigold, Karen O.
3
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Thu Jul 21 2022
Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Upon hearing the first song, I thought maybe this was the missing link between VU and Devo! I should love this, right? The rest of the songs kind of sound like Sparks.
I like the use of synthesizer and Mellotron. There are interesting sounds and a pleasant variation of tunes but nothing here quite sticks to my palate for longer than the length of each song. On occasion it veers into Rocky Horror Picture Show territory and that's where I begin to lose my appetite.
3
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Fri Jul 22 2022
Rising Above Bedlam
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
I'm going to tell my kids this was The Police.
I really wanted to give it 4 stars. The diversity of styles is simultaneously a strength and a weakness. The quality of tunes is steady across the album but the sounds are disjointed in a way that keeps me from getting fully absorbed.
3
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Mon Jul 25 2022
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
Quincy Jones production. Absolutely stacked with hits. I have to give it top marks even if it is a disco record.
5
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Tue Jul 26 2022
21
Adele
"Vocal" albums are at the bottom of my list of popular music interests. The production on the vocals is over the top for my taste but she sounds great. Because she is great.
The tracks take old sounds and make them sound modern. I didn't care for the cover song.
4
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Wed Jul 27 2022
Post Orgasmic Chill
Skunk Anansie
This is an album for people who adopted Fight Club as their whole personality. The songs and performances give off the "international band opening for the group you actually came to see" vibe. It's not bad but nothing really sticks on a first shallow listen.
I have to give it two stars because -- while I didn't hate it -- I did find myself hoping the set would end soon so they could get their crap off the stage already.
2
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Thu Jul 28 2022
Slipknot
Slipknot
The production is pretty bad. The record-scratching noises are totally unnecessary and the album is missing the art of other heavy bands like System of a Down and Deftones. Also missing: Korn's grooves or Nine Inch Nails' lyricism.
I believe these guys do have something to say and came up with a new sound. There are fragments of songs that wander -- maybe accidentally -- into interesting territory.
3
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Fri Jul 29 2022
Nowhere
Ride
It's "medium loud" shoegaze. Great sixties-inspired vox, muscular bass, jangly guitar. There's a little bit of The Smiths in here and possibly some Stone Roses. Very pretty arrangements and some really catchy moments in as well.
The sounds on the record are great but the cover of this album put it over the top. Incredible!
4
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Mon Aug 01 2022
Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
A couple of massive singles among a collection of genre-defining dance numbers.
4
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Tue Aug 02 2022
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
Dreamy but not dream-pop. Orchestral but it doesn't sound like an orchestra.
Ágætis Byrjun is easier to describe in terms of what it isn't than to describe what it is. I can say that it is a wonderful piece of art but as an album -- a listenable collection of tunes that you want to hear on repeat -- I'm left looking for something to grab onto. Perhaps this is better consumed as a score than a pop music album.
3
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Wed Aug 03 2022
Heartbreaker
Ryan Adams
Funny that the album opens with some banter about Morrissey. Heartbreaker shares some jangly-Americana influences with Mozza's early solo albums. In addition, both vocalists have exhibited some behaviors that force fans to separate the tunes from the performers' personalities offstage.
It's an alright album if you like Bruce Springsteen. The quiet songs are OK when they sound like Sufjan Stevens or Elliott Smith.
3
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Thu Aug 04 2022
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Remember the first Kings of Leon album? That was like a modern reboot of the original Creedence universe.
This album isn't the strongest collection of songs which makes me wonder why it's included in the book. The production, however, is incredible. It really sounds great and keeps me chooglin'.
4
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Fri Aug 05 2022
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
3
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Mon Aug 08 2022
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
I don't know if this album defined metal but it certainly took metal to the masses. The 2012 remastered version sounds great and highlights the album's tunes and performances.
I find that I have a lot of similar opinions as Robert Christgau but I don't get his distaste for Black Sabbath. Sure, some of the lyrics are a little naff, but they don't deserve the roasting he gave them.
3
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Tue Aug 09 2022
Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
Her voice sounds weak - almost to a point of distraction. The songs sound old fashioned and sleepy -- like the songs that we only listen to during Christmas. This music isn't really my thing.
2
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Wed Aug 10 2022
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
So many great Lennon vocals on this album! I love two minute long songs as well. The 2009 remaster sounds so good.
5
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Thu Aug 11 2022
New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
This isn't a three star review. It's a blended four star / two star review.
The two stars come from the weird sex songs. I'll admit to being slightly prudish about this kind of stuff but they stand out to me as an unpleasant listen.
On the other hand I enjoyed the rockers and especially the "slice of life" numbers that sound like a barely-literate Billy Bragg or working class Kinks.
3
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Fri Aug 12 2022
Raw Power
The Stooges
5
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Tue Aug 16 2022
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
I liked it. It sounds really new.
4
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Wed Aug 17 2022
Bad Company
Bad Company
sucks
1
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Thu Aug 18 2022
The Doors
The Doors
This album still sounds cool more than a half-century after its release. Like a west coast Velvet Underground.
4
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Fri Aug 19 2022
Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
Practically flawless. A solid collection of songs with some real standouts.
5
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Mon Aug 22 2022
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
More songs about cars and working.
Overly emotive vocals usually turn me off. So do incessant honking horn sections and dorky glockenspiel parts.
2
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Tue Aug 23 2022
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
Awesome performances; great production; varied songs that kept me interested throughout the whole album. But I'm left wishing for something more.
"You Said Something" is my favorite track.
4
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Wed Aug 24 2022
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
Beatle-based mid-70s soft rock. This album sounds like a Time Warner "AM Radio Gold" collection.
2
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Thu Aug 25 2022
The Real Thing
Faith No More
I have a theory that Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Fishbone are actually the same band but they originated in different dimensions than ours.
4
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Fri Aug 26 2022
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
The lyrics are not great. The oboe is a welcome contribution on the second track and the Mellotron sounds divine.
I ended up liking this more than I thought I would. Robert Christgau called it "ersatz shit" which I love but don't really agree with.
3
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Mon Aug 29 2022
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
I was not familiar with this album before today though I have listened to newer Belle & Sebastian albums a lot. I don't think this is their best material but if this is the record named in the book then we'll just go with it. 5 stars for the album because it is representing an amazing band.
5
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Tue Aug 30 2022
The Stranger
Billy Joel
It's OK. The title track gives me Steely Dan vibes. I also get some McCartney-esque pastiche vibes. Nothing here is as offensive as Springsteen but I'm not really inspired by the characters Joel creates.
3
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Wed Aug 31 2022
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
This album made no sense when it came out but the singles were huge hits. I listened to this when it was first released and but didn't dig much deeper than the singles. There are some good tunes here but its a little too long.
Typical Billy Corgan production that seems to be improved on the 2012 remaster.
4
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Thu Sep 01 2022
Kimono My House
Sparks
Absolute madness. Sounds like Art Rock that actually kind of rocks. "Amateur Hour" is a great tune and the whole album has aged remarkably well for something that came out in the mid 70s.
4
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Fri Sep 02 2022
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
Great recording. The novelty songs are kinda weird (what the hell is "Jamaica Jerk-Off"?) and the sappy songs ("Candle in the Wind") aren't my thing at all.
More mid-70s pastiche. What was happening with pop music during this time? More than a few of the filler songs on this double record sound way older than the release date suggest. Billy Joel did it. Paul McCartney did it. But why?
3
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Mon Sep 05 2022
Tidal
Fiona Apple
Fiona has a great voice that never waivers through the whole album. The backing tracks are lush with great keyboard arrangements (piano, mellotron, etc.) The production on the whole record is top-notch though I don't like whatever effect is on the vocal track for Criminal.
The singles from this album are amazing. If the whole album had tunes that good, it's an easy five star record. The lower tier cuts are still solid three-star material. I was debating between a three star review and four stars. Considering this was her debut and recorded when she was a teenager, I'll give it the edge toward the higher score.
4
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Tue Sep 06 2022
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
I don't like crooners. It's not that I don't like modern music that sounds like old music. I really dig lots of bands that do new tunes that sound like music from my parents and grandparents generation. But there's something about crooners that turns me off -- even if they sound a little bit like Mark Lanegan.
Hotel Room stands out a decent track. Born Under a Bad Sign is a sweet tune reminiscent of Petula Clark swinging 60s pop.
2
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Wed Sep 07 2022
xx
The xx
Super cool hipster music with dual vocalists. I'm not a fan of Croft's stilted cursive singing style and not a single lyric stands out enough for me to know what they are singing about. The spartan, atmospheric tracks are begging for a more evocative vocal performance but we never get a chance to hear one. I'm begging to hear Kele Okereke's voice and words here.
All of the songs sound the same.
2
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Thu Sep 08 2022
Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
WTF is this? Lush, orchestral pop songs about sexual violence? It's certainly a unique concept and the performances are solid. It's exactly what I expect to be included in a list of 1001 Albums. There are a variety of songwriters on the album and Ute's skill as an actress is put to good use. She fits her voice to styles of Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and others.
If this album was meant to have a single, "Split" might be it. Ute's voice sounds great and it's upbeat.
4
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Fri Sep 09 2022
Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Dexys Midnight Runners
Does working class New Wave exist? If so, this might be the album that defines the genre. A temporary stop on the evolutionary timeline between The Specials and Fun Boy Three.
The production isn't great. I find the lyrics hard to make out and Rowland's vocal delivery doesn't help. The record has its moments with a few good tunes that are held back by the rough sound and a dodgy singer.
3
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Mon Sep 12 2022
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
Smiths records always sounded bad to me but the 2011 remaster goes a long way to improve that.
In my mind The Smiths are a singles band to the detriment of their albums. The Queen is Dead is a good enough album with about half of it being singles-worthy cuts.
5
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Tue Sep 13 2022
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
Combination of the Two: great groove
I Need a Man to Love: blues, I guess
Summertime: more blues - bad vocal
Piece of My Heart: the single
Turtle Blues: oof. blues.
Oh, Sweet Mary: some psychedelia
Ball and Chain: BLUES
2
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Wed Sep 14 2022
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix recordings have always sounded otherworldly and chaotic - much like the tunes themselves.
5
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Thu Sep 15 2022
american dream
LCD Soundsystem
"It's got a good beat and you can dance to it"
Do you love a massive synth bass sound? I fucking do and this album starts with one a great one. However... the rest of the album sounds like LCD Soundsystem. "i used to" has some more cool synth sounds that remind me of the artists and albums that the band seems to draw inspiration from: British character-driven-post-human rock from Bowie and Numan and German robot bands like Can and Kraftwerk. What I find missing in this album -- and other work by LCD Soundsystem -- is a compelling narrator for the trip we are taken on throughout the course of the record. Maybe I'm distracted by the music and the way all of the instrumentation is mixed so carefully to create lush tracks that demand attention. The final song is the exception to this rule and fits well as an album closer.
3
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Fri Sep 16 2022
Closer
Joy Division
Still haunting after so many listens. A chilling work of art for the ages. Can I give this one six stars?
5
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Mon Sep 19 2022
Maxinquaye
Tricky
sexy vocals - genre-defining. perhaps multiple genres. talented songwriter with a unique vision and lyrics that have something to say. does something absolutely post-modern before anyone was ready.
4
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Tue Sep 20 2022
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
Sounds like Sonic Youth but more pop. Another foundation of alternative rock. How many albums would not exist if these songs weren't recorded? A lot, probably.
5
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Wed Sep 21 2022
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
I liked it more than I thought I would. The lyrics are pretty bad throughout and the whole production sounds like the 1970s. There are moments that make me really excited but nothing here is edited in a way that keeps the album moving forward.
Seven minutes of tuneless guitar noise is perhaps excessive but I prefer it over a blues jam of the same length so there's that.
2
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Thu Sep 22 2022
Take Me Apart
Kelela
Sounds kinda old and kinda new at the same time. Kelela has a great voice which sounds mercifully natural for an album recorded in the last decade.
Stylistically the album doesn't fit well in any category. You can imagine these songs getting remixed into any number of electronic genres. For my tastes I think I would like to see the material contorted even further into rougher electronic versions but I understand why the choices were made to let Kelela's songs retain their origins in R&B.
4
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Fri Sep 23 2022
Another Music In A Different Kitchen
Buzzcocks
It's Buzzcocks. What else can you ask for?!
5
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Mon Sep 26 2022
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
"Been It" fucking slaps. The vocal and the lead guitar sound so good together. There's also a bouncy, melodic bass which I fall for so easily. This could be a Jellyfish song. "Losers" is another strong tune. The tumbling vocal and drums in the chorus contrast with the dreamy verses. The "Iron Man" cover is weird.
I bought this album when it was first released after becoming enchanted by the song "Carnival" from their previous record. I never gave this album too deep of a listen back then and I'm surprised to see it on this list.
All in all, it's a solid alternative rock/pop album that captures where popular music went after grunge yielded to other sounds.
4
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Tue Sep 27 2022
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
Major Elliott Smith vibes and really bad cover art. Even the sounds of the instrumentation makes it sound like he sat down in the room where an Elliott Smith recording had just taken place to put down a few of his own tunes.
That being said, I still like it.
4
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Wed Sep 28 2022
The Man Who
Travis
It's hard to have a strong opinion about this one. There are a lot of really pretty songs on this one and its hard to get mad about that but some tunes do lack a little bit of substance. They can't all be singles but you also don't expect filler on a record with ten tracks.
3
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Thu Sep 29 2022
Orbital 2
Orbital
5
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Fri Sep 30 2022
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
I just really like it.
5
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Mon Oct 03 2022
Van Halen
Van Halen
Cringe vox and songs. Sounds like Kiss without the disco.
The guitar brings amazing melody, harmony, and rhythm to some otherwise lame toolbox rock tunes.
2
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Tue Oct 04 2022
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
So cool. The coolest. 😎
The recording is crappy, the performances aren't super tight and Nico's voice is hard to listen to but does that really matter?
5
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Wed Oct 05 2022
Darklands
The Jesus And Mary Chain
I like the aesthetic a lot but nothing here stands out as a classic. If only it was just a little more... something. Anything. Louder, quieter, sadder, prouder.
4
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Thu Oct 06 2022
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
Hippie music generally gets a "pass" from me, but this is just too poppy to for me to ignore. It's really, really good.
5
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Fri Oct 07 2022
All Directions
The Temptations
The rhythm section on the opening track is next level. The rest of the songs didn't spark much interest.
3
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Mon Oct 10 2022
1989
Taylor Swift
An album following the Big Swedish Pop Tunes (tm) formula.
Listen to the highly processed vocals. Each song employs a melange of trendy and modern sounds. Lyrics engineered to engage listeners in the target demographic.
3
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Tue Oct 11 2022
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Name a better lyricist than Elvis Costello. Pro-tip: you can't. The way he blends interpersonal strife with world politics is on great display here as evidenced by the title of the record.
New wave music brought new sounds but this album does not depart from The Attractions sound: chirpy keyboard, muscular bass, and tight, anxious drums.
5
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Wed Oct 12 2022
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
Sounds like 1968. Bluesy acoustic guitar and flute. It's OK, I guess. I file this under "Sunday morning household chores" music. There are a lot of stories here - not unlike a Bruce Springsteen album I was forced to endure earlier in this project.
3
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Thu Oct 13 2022
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
The recording sounds great and the vocal harmonies are as good as they get but I find the lyricism and songcraft lacking.
3
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Fri Oct 14 2022
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Peter Tosh's songs stand out along with "High Tide Or Low Tide" on the expanded version.
5
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Mon Oct 17 2022
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
Sounds like Limp Bizkit.
2
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Tue Oct 18 2022
With The Beatles
Beatles
Never gets old. OK - the covers are actually a little tiresome.
4
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Wed Oct 19 2022
Locust Abortion Technician
Butthole Surfers
Is this really an album? Definitely.
Are these songs? More or less.
Is it art? For sure, but not really pop/rock in the usual form. There are some catchy moments and the noise experiments are interesting.
3
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Thu Oct 20 2022
Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
Sounds like a hip-hop record without rhymes. The only MCs on this tape are in the form of recordings of conversation which set a mood of real street level humanity.
The sounds are all over the place but cohesive enough to make a good album. At first I thought this might be a house album but I was pleasantly treated with some synth tunes, jazzy beats, etc.
More Moby than Aphex Twin but still an enjoyable listen.
3
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Fri Oct 21 2022
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
This might be the first "alternative" album I ever heard. I thought it was the weirdest thing I had ever heard. Was this guy serious? Is he actually angry or not? I hadn't heard punk before so the attitudes and forthright emotion confused my 12 year old brain.
I thought a lot about the lyrics in a way that I had never analyzed the records I liked from C+C Music Factory and Culture Club. When I was exposed to this record I also heard Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The vocals on those records were hard to make out at times but the vocals on Violent Femmes are so clear.
5
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Mon Oct 24 2022
Virgin Suicides
Air
Cool sounds. Evocative in a way that fulfills the mission to be both a film score and a standalone album.
3
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Tue Oct 25 2022
Play
Moby
Downtempo electronica with blues and gospel samples. It was a pretty novel idea in the 90s - especially to mainstream American audience who didn't listen to any of these genres much.
The way Moby as producer puts his own vocals on tracks between the gospel ones keeps the collection interesting throughout the hour-plus runtime.
I thought the Mission of Burma cover was going to be on this one.
3
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Wed Oct 26 2022
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
There was mega hype when this came out and to me it signaled the end of the "first wave of indie rock." I wasn't too thrilled with the songs back then but I closer listen two decades later and I get the attraction. There is something about the vocal performances that turn me off still but the instrumentation and songs are solid.
4
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Thu Oct 27 2022
Mothership Connection
Parliament
Terrific production. Especially the drums.
What can you say about the grooves on this record? Anything but the highest praise is short shrift to what the P-Funk collaboration created for these songs.
5
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Fri Oct 28 2022
evermore
Taylor Swift
I don't know what these songs are about. I cannot identify with them at all. Is there some Taylor Swift lore that I need some background on or are they purposely obtuse? The lyrics remind me of those AI-generated bro-country anthems from the radio.
The duets sound artificial. This album is just bad.
2
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Mon Oct 31 2022
Music For The Jilted Generation
The Prodigy
Frenetic breakbeats. Samples from metal songs and TV shows.
The first side is a little bit monotonous for my tastes. The second side has some great variety.
4
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Tue Nov 01 2022
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
Beach Boys tunes recorded to sound like The Velvet Underground.
3
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Wed Nov 02 2022
Jack Takes the Floor
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
This must have been a pretty wild recording back in 1958. I really like the guitar.
4
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Thu Nov 03 2022
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
The recording quality is more than listenable for a live album from the early 80s. Solid performances and a good selection of songs.
4
View Album
Fri Nov 04 2022
Go Girl Crazy
The Dictators
Some of the tunes border on novelty song territory and that turns me off. Other songs are tuneful punk singalongs that I can totally get down with.
4
View Album
Mon Nov 07 2022
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
1/5. There's very little on this record that I can enjoy.
All of the songs have the same plodding, druggy tempo with a somniferous vocal delivery to match. Synthesizers are used in a basic way: neither mixed low enough to just add depth to the sound or distinctive enough to make the arrangements richer. Guitars are bluesy and noodle across many of the numbers - even giving some parts a west coast desert vibe that reminds me of The Eagles. The lyrics are pretty crappy which is surprising since your average boomer will call modern hip-hop a trash medium and then defend their position with Pink Floyd... a band who rhymes "school" with "fool" or "guitar", "steak bar" and "Jaguar".
1
View Album
Tue Nov 08 2022
Like A Prayer
Madonna
Madonna's voice has never been the main attraction but the top tier production on the album brings out the best of it.
The singles are all massive songs. Pop perfection. The rest of the album is a mix of solid synth pop and softer ballads.
All in all its a great collection at an important junction in Madonna's career.
4
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Wed Nov 09 2022
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
The Incredible String Band
This album could benefit from some tighter focus. The medieval or renaissance-sounding instrumentation is really cool but there is some folky Dylan-esque guitar as well. The lyrics also switch time and place with references to Christian themes as well as pagan and Hinduism.
It's an interesting melange and it kept my interest throughout but nothing stood out as amazing. Other artists have taken influences from early music and done more with it.
The Wicker Man album art is 5/5. For the tunes, it's a solid 3/5.
3
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Thu Nov 10 2022
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
This is one of the albums ever made. There's a song about a motorcycle.
3
View Album
Fri Nov 11 2022
Sincere
Mj Cole
3
View Album
Mon Nov 14 2022
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
Great beats and the MCs put on a rhyme clinic throughout. The mix of tempos, sounds, and flows keep the album moving and interesting for the whole hour.
4
View Album
Tue Nov 15 2022
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Pink Floyd
Sounds like a 60s rock album with vocal harmonies, plenty of production effects, and mystical lyrics.
3
View Album
Wed Nov 16 2022
Beautiful Freak
Eels
sad songs. Some of the lyrics come off a tad overemotional. Even The Smiths threw us a fun one every once in a while.
There is something about the effects on the instruments -- guitar and organ I guess -- that creates really harmonious, beautiful, emotional sounds.
4
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Thu Nov 17 2022
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
My second favorite Bowie record. The arrangement on Life on Mars sounds like a Beach Boys song. The words to Kooks are so sweet. Queen Bitch might be the crunchiest three-chord tune ever recorded.
Songs 5/5.
Performances 5/5.
Recording 5/5.
5
View Album
Fri Nov 18 2022
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
Vocal pop isn't my thing. I imagine this is similar to Barbra Streisand? The production on the remastered version sounds very crisp and expensive like a modern Christmas song.
Freedom 90 is funny. It's one of those songs that plastic pop superstars eventually deliver as fan service to tell the adoring crowds that their new persona is finally the "real" person.
There are some parallels between this album and the Taylor Swift albums on this list. There is some skillful songwriting on the record but the lyrics just do not offer me anything I can identify or empathize with.
Final thought: Wouldn't an acoustic cover of Heal the Pain by Alice in Chains sound amazing?
2
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Mon Nov 21 2022
Ten
Pearl Jam
Before there was post-grunge, there was grunge.
5
View Album
Tue Nov 22 2022
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Slim Shady does not give a shit. So edgy.
Is it supposed to be funny? If it is, then maybe it’s not just my kind of jokes. If it’s real then it’s super cringy for an adult to stick with the same character for a second record and keep up with the same childish, angry verses. The beats sound pretty childish too.
This is a time capsule of the MTV TRL era and it sucks.
1
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Wed Nov 23 2022
Pearl
Janis Joplin
3
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Thu Nov 24 2022
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
I used to ask my parents what the Sixties were like but I never got a satisfying answer. This album is what I was looking for.
5
View Album
Fri Nov 25 2022
Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
This must have been a seriously groundbreaking sound in 1978. At this point there were still 15 years or more of solid punk records to make but PiL were ready to move on. Lydon is so pissed off and I love it.
“Theme” could be an unfinished Nirvana song. “Public Enemy” sounds a little like the Pixies. This album must have been a big post-rock influence of the alternative bands who would make it big decades later.
3
View Album
Mon Nov 28 2022
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
The keyboards on this record sound great and Stevie's distinctive voice does as well. Top-tier songcraft is supported by lush arrangements that keep revealing more complexity after repeated listens.
5
View Album
Tue Nov 29 2022
Woodface
Crowded House
I'm so annoyed. This is not for me at all.
I actually like music so this album was a chore to get through. Everything about it is absolutely "mid" except for the lyrics which are awful. Like Squeeze awful. Like Chicago awful.
Note to self: when you need to reset your rating gauge, consider returning to this album as it is the ultimate two star clunker.
2
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Wed Nov 30 2022
Scott 2
Scott Walker
60s orchestral vocal pop with naughty lyrics. I still don't like crooners.
2
View Album
Thu Dec 01 2022
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
I didn't know Bob Dylan had a sense of humor.
4
View Album
Fri Dec 02 2022
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
4
View Album
Mon Dec 05 2022
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
Crisp production and catchy, tight songs. Castles Made of Sand, Wait Until Tomorrow and Little Wing are almost pop songs.
5
View Album
Tue Dec 06 2022
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
Achingly poetic lyrics and totally original song structure and arrangements... are not what you will find on this album. What you will find are the vibes that will make you believe that Cool Britannia was a real thing.
4
View Album
Wed Dec 07 2022
Warehouse: Songs And Stories
Hüsker Dü
This album is from an era -- that might only exist in my head -- where American bands competed with each other to see who could create the most EARNEST songs. Earnestness is a feeling that I get a lot when I listen to Husker Du and it's what attracts me the most to their tunes. Maybe it's Bob's plain voice or his first-person lyrics. I'm not sure but I know that I'll never not like anything that sounds like this record.
There's a lot of Husker Du songs I love but they aren't on this one.
3
View Album
Thu Dec 08 2022
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
Great songs and blistering performances highlighted by Steve Albini's engineering.
5
View Album
Fri Dec 09 2022
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
I heard this album a decade before I'd ever heard a Led Zeppelin song so it was surprising to discover the original cuts when I get around to Led Zep's catalog.
I really like hip hop and The Beasties but this one is just OK. While it was a landmark release at the time, the beats and rhymes don't hold up.
3
View Album
Mon Dec 12 2022
Celebrity Skin
Hole
Solid lyrics. The production is lush and buries Love's vocals in some cases. (We're talking ELO level of production on this one.) These are her songs and I would have preferred to hear more of her performances. Auf der Maur's bass sounds great.
All in all, as good as the singles are the rest of the album is pretty generic.
3
View Album
Tue Dec 13 2022
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
The song selection sounds like its a B-Sides compilation instead of a proper album. We get one inventive, artistic song in Sympathy for the Devil and then some odds n sods blues/country rock tunes. I guess at the time of its release, this album would stand out because of its straight-forward acoustic guitar and piano sounds.
I kind of like Jigsaw Puzzle but Salt of the Earth is truly shit.
2
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Wed Dec 14 2022
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Mudhoney
Great production that balances the fuzz with clear vocals and punchy drums. "Good Enough" is my favorite track. The songs are average. There is some variation in instrumentation which is cool but I find the collection as a whole to be somewhat monotonous.
3
View Album
Thu Dec 15 2022
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
The sounds are all here but the songs are not quite developed to the heights that The Cure would eventually achieve. "A Forest" is really the only standout track from Seventeen Seconds. The album that came out a year later is the real masterpiece of early Cure.
4
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Fri Dec 16 2022
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
Great rhymes and the classic Beastie flow with three MCs trading lines like they have been doing this since they were teenagers. Musically, Ill Communication fits so well between Check Your Head and Hello Nasty in the continuing evolution of the group's sound. At the time, this record sounded like the end game for the Beastie's style - especially because it would be four years until they released a follow up album.
When this record first came out I thought the noisy/scratchy beat samples sounded so cool. In 2022 they still sound cool. Ill Communication also mixes in jazz instrumentals and hardcore tracks which would be completely out of place on a hip hop record but somehow they work.
5
View Album
Mon Dec 19 2022
Mama's Gun
Erykah Badu
There are a handful of five star songs and a couple of two or three star numbers. The production balances a lush full band with Badu’s vocal performances to make a great sounding headphone record.
4
View Album
Tue Dec 20 2022
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
One massive single with some solid synth-pop after. I don’t particularly like the dramatic parts. I might listen to the record again but synth pop isn’t really about albums, is it?
3
View Album
Wed Dec 21 2022
Fire Of Love
The Gun Club
Pretty good. I liked the parts that sounded like The Angry Samoans and The Velvet Underground.
3
View Album
Thu Dec 22 2022
3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
The beats are very typical of the time but aren’t as abrasive as what the Bomb Squad did on the Public Enemy albums. The lyrics are still evocative of Afro-centric cultural revolution. There are a couple of notable songs on here and the rest of the album is worth a listen.
4
View Album
Fri Dec 23 2022
Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
Call me emo but this whole record fucking slaps. Now My Heart Is Full is one of a very few songs that can give me a lump in my throat. The production on the solo Morrissey albums outshines anything he recorded with The Smiths too.
4
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Mon Dec 26 2022
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
4
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Tue Dec 27 2022
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
This ain’t it.
2
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Wed Dec 28 2022
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
I like the parts that sound like Van Morrison. I don’t like the parts that sound like Kiss.
This whole record is pretty standard toolbox rock but Lynott’s voice stands out as something unique among the standard 70s hard rock sounds.
3
View Album
Thu Dec 29 2022
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
Top talent, too songs.
5
View Album
Fri Dec 30 2022
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
Pirate rock 🏴☠️
3
View Album
Mon Jan 02 2023
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
Like Elvis Costello meets The Damned. Great bass tone on the whole record.
4
View Album
Tue Jan 03 2023
Clandestino
Manu Chao
4
View Album
Wed Jan 04 2023
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
SFA would reach heights beyond this record later in their career but this is still a 5 star from me. Ffa Coffi Pawb am byth.
5
View Album
Thu Jan 05 2023
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Paul McCartney really lost his shit in the 80s. The duet here is lame but when Thriller starts it is all forgotten.
5
View Album
Fri Jan 06 2023
Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
Kinda cute. Like in a Belle and Sebastian way.
4
View Album
Mon Jan 09 2023
2112
Rush
2112 is not for everyone. Listen to the last 30 seconds of the opening track as that tells you everything you need to know.
5
View Album
Tue Jan 10 2023
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I'm a big reggae fan so this album gets a 5 from me. I do wish the genre could be represented by acts that are not Bob Marley. Confidentially, I'm not that much of a Marley fan.
5
View Album
Wed Jan 11 2023
Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
Limp Bizkit
Cheap sounding production. Cheap references to other music acts -- and Macromedia Shockwave (wtf). Cheap dick jokes. If I was a wrestler looking for a new entrance song for an upcoming heel turn, this is the album I would start with.
I like when the vocalist goes into his weird falsetto whine raps -- especially on the hokey-pokey sections of "Rollin'."
There's a part of "The One" where the bass kind of sounds like The Cure. That's my favorite part of this record which I will never listen to again.
"Boiler" gives some Deftones vibes but the vocals, again, are just really not good.
A pile of crap at the intersection of Eminem and Linkin Park.
1
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Thu Jan 12 2023
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2
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Fri Jan 13 2023
Seventh Tree
Goldfrapp
I like the vocal and instrumentation but the songs are not interesting.
3
View Album
Mon Jan 16 2023
Graceland
Paul Simon
I love the Zulu-style tracks. Since these songs are written or co-written by Paul Simon, they are as perfect as a pop song can get.
5
View Album
Tue Jan 17 2023
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
Performances are good, especially the vocals. Recording is solid. If only the Led Zeppelin albums were engineered this well.
It's a great collection of songs with a couple of standout singles. After all, though, it's pastiche.
3
View Album
Wed Jan 18 2023
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
A little Simon and Garfunkel, a little bit of The Bee-Gees, too. I bet Elliott Smith was really into this record.
The music is OK and the vocal performance is a lot better than I was expecting. I don't take too much away from the lyrics at all.
In summary, I regard this record in the way I take that one cottage-core Taylor Swift album.
2
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Thu Jan 19 2023
A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
I was a big fan of this record when it first came out.
5
View Album
Fri Jan 20 2023
Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart
coffee shop
2
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Mon Jan 23 2023
Melodrama
Lorde
A dance pop album with solid production that sounds great in headphones.
There are a couple of major points that prevent the album from keeping my interest. The otherwise solid vocal performance suffers from trendy cursive singing style. Further, there is not much to distinguish the music from Billie Eilish or Lady Gaga.
3
View Album
Tue Jan 24 2023
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
The performances are honestly not great. Not that it matters. This duo were on a mission to save rock music from the dire condition it was left in at the turn of the millennium.
5
View Album
Wed Jan 25 2023
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
As a smooth-brained popular music enthusiast, I don't know how to listen to this. I've watched a lot of Adam Neely videos, too, and I still can't crack the code.
3
View Album
Thu Jan 26 2023
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
An incredible concept and brilliantly executed. "Written on the Forehead" is a bop and the whole record is flawless. This is a 5+/5.
5
View Album
Fri Jan 27 2023
The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
Hip hop music can mean a lot of different things but at its core its beats and lyrics. This album is just that.
4
View Album
Mon Jan 30 2023
Live Through This
Hole
This record really holds up.
5
View Album
Tue Jan 31 2023
Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
The album sounds like a product of its time but the beats and rhymes are 5/5.
5
View Album
Wed Feb 01 2023
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
Beautiful opening track. Very lush instrumentation that supports Rufus' intriguing vocal melodies. (I almost called them unique but they do remind me of Thom Yorke's and Thom Yorke wanna-be Matt Bellamy.) Evocative lyrics tell personal stories.
I feel the album wanders a little in the second half. More focus on the particular sounds on some of the earlier songs would make this one perfect.
4
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Thu Feb 02 2023
Purple Rain
Prince
There's a couple of good songs and a bunch of weird ones. It sounds like a Prince album. It's a bummer that the best song on the record is the shortest one.
3
View Album
Fri Feb 03 2023
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
The band sounds great and the album captures what must have been a very exciting night for those who attended.
3
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Mon Feb 06 2023
All Things Must Pass
George Harrison
you: "Mom, can we get The Beatles?"
mom: "No. We have The Beatles at home."
The Beatles at home:
2
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Tue Feb 07 2023
The Visitors
ABBA
I can take an ABBA single every now and then but omfg this is rough.
Every instrumental part and vocal part is engineered to be overly corny. I don't know how a high hat can sound corny as fuck but, damn, they achieved it here. I had to disassociate to get through the middle of this record.
I will say that for 1981, the instrumentation does sound pretty forward-thinking. Synthpop was still pretty early then and this album sounds pretty mature for being a forerunner.
2
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Wed Feb 08 2023
Something Else By The Kinks
The Kinks
As an Anglophile, the music of The Kinks lets me live out my lad fantasies. These songs are little sketches of life that are not particularly evocative. I do like the pop style of the backing tracks quite a bit.
3
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Thu Feb 09 2023
Floodland
Sisters Of Mercy
Am I crazy to call this a fun record? I'm not the type to go out to dance but this is something that would get me on the floor.
The instrumentation and production is very 80s but it holds up. Solid songs, too. Everything is accented by the vocal performances of a 400 year old vampire.
4
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Fri Feb 10 2023
Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
kinda creepy
3
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Mon Feb 13 2023
Be
Common
Backpack rap. I love it. It sounds like early Kanye West and is a successor to the first Talib Kweli solo record.
5
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Tue Feb 14 2023
Rocks
Aerosmith
Back in the Saddle: A middle-of-the-road blues rocker with horse sound effects at the end.
Last Child: "sweet sassafrassy" The near-funk rhythm almost saves this one
Rats in the Cellar: I would prefer the Judas Priest version (if there was one)
Combination: More riffs. The bass part is pretty rocking.
Sick As A Dog: Sorta poppy in a Spinal Tap way
Nobody's Fault: The Led Zeppelin one
Get the Lead Out: Possibly the worst riff on the album
Lick and a Promise: The Motley Crue one
Home Tonight: of course it ends with a ballad
Not really that bad but not good at all. It's safely a two-star record but its only saved because it has fewer references to carnal knowledge of teenagers than a Kiss album.
2
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Wed Feb 15 2023
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
major Sleater-Kinney vibes but weirder songs and lyrics and a decade ahead of time
3
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Thu Feb 16 2023
Murmur
R.E.M.
"The singer, he had long hair
And the drummer, he knew restraint
And the bass man had all the right moves
And the guitar player was no saint"
(portions of the review are originally found in Unseen Power of the Picket Fence. © 1993 Pavement)
5
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Fri Feb 17 2023
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
The songs are kind of all over the place on this album. Supernaut rules. I've always liked Sabbath's extremely plain and matter of fact lyricism which shines on Changes. Further, I appreciate a Mellotron in any capacity so the songs that feature this instrument stand out.
Beyond those three sparsely related highlights, this album is OK. The cover art is awesome as well. For me, this is a 3.99 rounded down to a 3.
3
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Mon Feb 20 2023
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
Boring. In fact its so inoffensive that I have to deduct one star for being so close to Ed Sheeran on the boring scale. Also the lyrics to Sunlight are gross. There are some parts where the electric piano sounds kind of cool I guess.
2
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Tue Feb 21 2023
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
FLAWLESS VICTORY. This is a six star record for me along with In Utero, Hunky Dory, and Closer.
5
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Wed Feb 22 2023
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
This is more sophisti-pop than I was expecting. I need to give this album low marks for those tracks. Take On Me is an incredible single that I never tire of. The instrumentation and overall feel of these songs are a great representation of 1980s synth pop but other than the lead single nothing stands out. This could have been replaced by a Culture Club or Cyndi Lauper album that both had much more impact.
3
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Thu Feb 23 2023
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
I wish I knew what this music meant. "Waltz for Debby" was my favorite on this record.
3
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Fri Feb 24 2023
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
🌼 ✌️ 🙂
I like the folky vocal melodies a lot -- the guitar noodling not so much. Leaning a little bit more into the folk thing or more into the crunchy, raw rock thing would have made the album more intriguing.
3
View Album
Mon Feb 27 2023
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
This record ushered in a new sound and aesthetic so it gets an extra star for that.
4
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Tue Feb 28 2023
Queen II
Queen
Brian's side sounds like Black Sabbath. Freddie's side is really, really fun.
3
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Wed Mar 01 2023
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Mudhoney
Spotify only has the Deluxe Edition so I'm listening to that release.
Nailing down what grunge bands sound like isn't easy but this album sounds more grunge than most. The guitars sound so good!
4
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Thu Mar 02 2023
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
"Oh, Yoshimi, they don't believe me." No? Its the previous record? In any case, its a record by The Flaming Lips. The lyrics are naff and the tracks are sleepy. After the first four songs, they all start to sound the same.
3
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Fri Mar 03 2023
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
3
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Mon Mar 06 2023
Bossanova
Pixies
My first trip through Bossanova had me thinking: "This sounds like Pixies but its not weird enough! Two stars." I had to listen to the album twice before I understood how weird it is and I like it very much.
5
View Album
Tue Mar 07 2023
Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
Theatrical.
4
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Wed Mar 08 2023
Foxbase Alpha
Saint Etienne
Question: Is this sixties lounge/pop revival or nineties house?
Answer: Yes.
I had to listen to this album twice before I decided if I liked it. I do like it but its hard to decide if its a three or a four bagger.
4
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Thu Mar 09 2023
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
Wow! Venus De Milo. I think I'm starting to get this jazz thing.
5
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Fri Mar 10 2023
Remedy
Basement Jaxx
annoying
2
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Mon Mar 13 2023
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Kind of a weird pastiche record. It's especially for 1976 -- the year that punk happened. In any case, the tunes are fine and the performances are tasteful. The closing track is a gem.
3
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Tue Mar 14 2023
Close To You
Carpenters
The songs are good but the arrangements are schmaltzy. The performances from Karen and Richard are solid. I don't know why I like this. I really shouldn't.
4
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Wed Mar 15 2023
Liquid Swords
GZA
another easy five star album
5
View Album
Thu Mar 16 2023
Konnichiwa
Skepta
4
View Album
Fri Mar 17 2023
Hotel California
Eagles
I fail to find what anyone enjoys on this record. I have to be thankful that this shitty arena rock inspired early punks to tear it all down.
1
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Mon Mar 20 2023
Eagles
Eagles
I believe we can chug all night
I believe we could hug all night
The band is loose and the groove is right
You're so much woman
Believe we could chug all night
oof - the finger-picky guitars and vocal harmonies are just on the wrong side of whatever sound this record is trying for. Absolutely shitty lyrics throughout. The production does sound great for what its worth.
I don't know what I did to deserve two Eagles records in a row followed by Dire Straits of all things. I'm pretty sure my dad owns multiple copies of all of these albums.
1
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Tue Mar 21 2023
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
Great performances and top-tier production longing for better material.
2
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Wed Mar 22 2023
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
Because I have the time, I'll do another track-by-track review:
1. Run, Baby, Run: pretty generic radio blues rock. OK vocal. Nothing else of note.
2. Leaving Las Vegas: Painfully 90s production but the song is good.
3. Strong Enough: The track is sweet but I get "Midnight Train to Georgia" vibes which bums me out.
4. Can't Cry Anymore: This one feels really manufactured for the Adult Contemporary radio format.
5. Solidify: 😐 what
6. The Na-Na Song: OK side two is taking on a totally different flavor. I can't say I hate this one actually.
7. No One Said It Would Be Easy: my favorite number so far - despite my trashing of those two Eagles records I had last week.
8. What I Can Do for You: Kind of a pulled punch when Courtney Love and Alanis Morrisette were making angrier and better songs at the same time. The vocal refrain is bad.
9. All I Wanna Do: This is the big one. This song was everywhere back then. For good reason, too. The lyric and vocal performance are 5/5. The track really does sound like that one Stealers Wheel jam from Reservoir Dogs though!
10. We Do What We Can: the muted trumpet sounds cool? idk I'm kind of getting tired already.
11. I Shall Believe: Another adult contemporary one.
3
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Thu Mar 23 2023
Tommy
The Who
So good. It's a long record that sounds much shorter due to the short songs, varied characters and themes. I was surprised to find out that Tommy came so early in The Who's career.
5
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Fri Mar 24 2023
Moon Safari
Air
Middle of the road electronic mood music. Not as weird as Stereolab and not even approaching the bombast of Daft Punk, this record is more like a serious Moog Cookbook. Enjoyable enough sounds but nothing you'll go back to again and again.
3
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Mon Mar 27 2023
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple makes good records. This is one is endlessly unique -- challenging and catchy at the same time.
5
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Tue Mar 28 2023
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
This is kind of a rough listen. It comes off as a dying man singing songs about dying. "Sam Hall", placed right in the middle of the record, comes in like the first breath of fresh air after being bedridden with the flu.
2
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Wed Mar 29 2023
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
Shitty record. I was looking forward to the Ray Charles cover but its mostly a dumb ass drum solo. Eric Clapton Sucks
1
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Thu Mar 30 2023
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
Puff Daddy is too corny. Before I listened to this album I was prepared to give it a low score. All of the Puffy produced hits in the 90s were super corny. After the first few tracks of Ready to Die I was prepared to change my opinion but the album detours into some corny territory near the middle. Juicy stands out but Combs has to put his dumb vocal all over it.
The beats are enjoyable enough, if a little bit predictable. There isn't much production on them -- rather many songs are instrumental tracks from 60s and 70s soul records.
3
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Fri Mar 31 2023
...Baby One More Time
Britney Spears
This is music for kids. The producers did a good job making the best of Britney's vocal but the backing tracks are absolutely mental if you listen hard enough. The guitar solo and the unnecessary record scratching on "(You Drive Me) Crazy" is almost too much. And the reggae one? I'm dead. The Euro-House "Deep In My Heart" probably spawned a million remixes that never made it to the US.
The whole thing is super plastic and manufactured. There's nothing I can really fault since this kind of record is a bridge between Kidz Bop and grownup music.
[post-script: On "Thinkin' About You" there are a couple of lines where Britney harmonizes with herself. Not sure what the interval is (Beato) but it sounds like the same effect used on more than a few Sublime songs.]
2
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Mon Apr 03 2023
Sweet Baby James
James Taylor
The blues songs don't do a lot for me -- no surprise there -- but his folky and jazz numbers do.
4
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Tue Apr 04 2023
Django Django
Django Django
I went in totally ignorant of this record and artist. At first I was getting Kraftwerk vibes but then the harmonized vocals kicked in which remind me of some sixties groups like The Hollies, The Association, or The Byrds.
All said, I find myself drawn to records that successfully fuse cold/mechanical machine noises with warm/human musicality. Django Django certainly scratches that itch but when it veers into the longer, jammier songs I admit to getting bored. I love Stereolab but they are guilty of the same tendency. I think some editing of the longer tunes would be an improvement.
3
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Wed Apr 05 2023
Country Life
Roxy Music
The album is pretty rockin and the production sounds great. However, I don't find anything here that stands out in the way other art rock groups do. Both Sparks and Of Montreal come to mind. The songs and performances are solid so I can't call myself a detractor. It's almost a four but just not enough.
3
View Album
Thu Apr 06 2023
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
I've read the wikipedia article for tumbao. I've watched a dozen videos about clave rhythms. My limited musical experience means that I only barely understand the basic structure of salsa but the more I listen and study the more I appreciate it.
5
View Album
Fri Apr 07 2023
Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby
Terence Trent D'Arby
Wikipedia categorizes this record as "funk rock." In my opinion its not funk if it hasn't been sampled on any hip hop record in the last forty years. Also, TTd'A refers to himself as a genius which throws some red flags.
He has a great voice. That's undeniable. However the songs and instrumentation are a little too serious. All in all its not a bad record. Ultimately its a couple of Top 40 sounding singles with some filler and a Miracles cover.
2
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Mon Apr 10 2023
Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
What a trio these guys were. Blue collar thinking man's punk that couldn't be constrained by the typical LA punk sound.
5
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Tue Apr 11 2023
All Mod Cons
The Jam
It's great but there are groups who did it better: The Who, Elvis Costello, The Kinks. The final track sounds like The Clash.
3
View Album
Wed Apr 12 2023
O.G. Original Gangster
Ice T
O.G. is a listenable rap record with all of the hallmarks from this era of hip-hop. The beats are not as hard as the Public Enemy records and the flow isn't as smooth as other contemporary MCs but the album has some solid features and great samples.
4
View Album
Thu Apr 13 2023
Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs
British Sea Power meets Bruce Springsteen
3
View Album
Fri Apr 14 2023
Funeral
Arcade Fire
Sounds like an indie album from the early 2000s. To be fair, this album probably popularized the sound. Big production, emotional vocals, varied instrumentation. There are some strong singles but the rest of the album feels a little same-y.
3
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Mon Apr 17 2023
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
OK, look. I can barely keep common time. I don't know what the fuck a mode is or why a song becomes a standard. What I do know is that these guys sound damn cool on this recording. The melodies are pretty and the compositions are vaguely classical to my ear. It's nice. I like it.
4
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Tue Apr 18 2023
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
The waviness of the grooves on Loveless give me a seasick feeling. In a good way. Great tunes that defined a new genre that continues to evolve even into the 2020's.
4
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Wed Apr 19 2023
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
What is this? Some kind of concept album? It sounds like Dire Straits on dope.
The sounds are too much at once -- like a kitschy disco record or some Dave Matthews type shit. Tell me you like that soul vocal on The Great Gig in the Sky with a straight face.
This one isn't as bad as Wish You Were Here (1 star) but its dorkier than The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (3 stars) so the rating I'm giving it nestles it rightfully between the two. And hopefully this is the last Pink Floyd record I have to listen to for a while.
2
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Thu Apr 20 2023
Like Water For Chocolate
Common
Great production makes the band sound great. Common's flow and verses sound as good as ever but I think I'd like the featured artists to have a bigger impact on this album.
The grooves are exemplar of the "turn of the millennium conscious rap" sound that was just emerging. For that reason it deserves its spot on the list but there are other albums that did it better -- including albums by Common himself.
3
View Album
Fri Apr 21 2023
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
A couple of earworms on the big singles but a lot of filler.
2
View Album
Mon Apr 24 2023
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
The Smiths were a singles band. I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. That being said, this is as good an album as they ever made. The 2011 remaster cleans up a lot of the gunk from the original release.
4
View Album
Tue Apr 25 2023
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
Can’t Truss It, By the Time I Get to Arizona, 1 Million Bottlebags. These might not be the biggest singles from PE but they are as good as anything they released. The production on this album isn’t as hard as the other albums but it flows really well track to track.
4
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Wed Apr 26 2023
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
4
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Thu Apr 27 2023
A Wizard, A True Star
Todd Rundgren
Psychedelia without the burden of trying to be cool. The keyboards sound good and I liked "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel" which reminded me of a plainspoken, angsty Brian Wilson song like I Just Wasn't Made for These Times.
The tone of the whole album had me wondering if this guy is trying to be serious or not but there was a single lyric that made everything clear: "My voice goes so high you would think I was gay /
But I play my guitar in such a man-cock way" Amazing.
3
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Fri Apr 28 2023
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
If the drum breaks, bass lines, and in-your-face horn sections couldn't push the revolution to victory, nothing was going to do it.
5
View Album
Mon May 01 2023
Hot Fuss
The Killers
Trying hard to be cool is fine if you achieve it but this album misses. The production is great and the instrumental performances are good but everything else is mediocre or worse. The lyrics are bad and the vocal performance is Simon-LeBon-tweaked-to-sound-good-on-early-millennium-pop-radio. The corny moments happen too frequently to ignore. Any band committing these sins can be absolved by creating terrific songs but they just aren't here.
2
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Tue May 02 2023
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
This is a "rock" record in the same way Rod Stewart made "rock" records. To me this is a soul album that is overproduced, overwrought, overthought, and dated. She's giving it her all with the vocal performances but they don't do enough to save this one.
2
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Wed May 03 2023
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
Tunde's vocals sound great on this record. Top production, performances, tunes.
5
View Album
Thu May 04 2023
Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
Lovely performances and enjoyable songs.
The Bottle felt like the first chapter of a trilogy including 1 Million Bottle Bags (Public Enemy) and Swimming Pools (Kendrick Lamar).
3
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Fri May 05 2023
Kenya
Machito
As exciting as the percussion is, the rest is some instrumental big band jazz. I would have appreciated some vocals to break up the horns.
3
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Wed May 10 2023
Truth
Jeff Beck
I liked it more than I thought I would. At least it’s not Eric Clapton. And Rod Stewart isn’t especially annoying here either.
3
View Album
Thu May 11 2023
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
Tasteful eighties synth production. Great vocal performance and solid songs.
3
View Album
Fri May 12 2023
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
“All operators are busy. We appreciate your call so please remain on the line and we will speak with you shortly.”
2
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Mon May 15 2023
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
flawless
5
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Tue May 16 2023
Superunknown
Soundgarden
Emblematic of popular rock at the time: blending sludgy production with addictive hooks and melodies. "The Day I Tried To Live" is my personal anthem.
5
View Album
Wed May 17 2023
Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
In an effort to keep my reviews consistent, I keep these attributes in mind when I choose an album's rating: recording, performances, and songs. The performances and recording of this album are fine but the songs are not good. Say what you want about Motley Crue and Poison, they had song craft figured out.
3
View Album
Thu May 18 2023
Shaft
Isaac Hayes
Interesting jams, pleasant instrumentals but it's not P-Funk by a long shot.
3
View Album
Fri May 19 2023
Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
Top performances and production on this album. There are a few fantastic songs and quite a bit of middling tunes.
3
View Album
Mon May 22 2023
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
Wow!
4
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Tue May 23 2023
Guero
Beck
5/5 songs and 5/5 production. The performances are fine but like much of Beck's work there isn't much here to provide an emotional attachment that a 5/5 album has.
4
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Wed May 24 2023
Another Green World
Brian Eno
Too much fretless bass and the singing reminds me of Pink Floyd. It's a shame. I really wanted to love this one. I don't consider these songs to be minimal or even really ambient, either. Perhaps at the time of the album's release they were? For me the songs with vocals sound too druggy and the instrumentals veer into new age whale sounds territory.
2
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Thu May 25 2023
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray's voice sounds great.
3
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Fri May 26 2023
Harvest
Neil Young
Obvious influence on Doug Martsch from Built to Spill lyrically and stylistically. Neil's guitar playing also had an effect on Elliott Smith.
On Harvest, Neil portrays a lonely character full of yearning for something real and permanent. The themes on the album remind me of James Taylor a little but something about the lyrics or delivery on this record seem a less genuine that Taylor's albums. Chock it up to Canadian aloofness?
Old Man is the best song on the album.
4
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Mon May 29 2023
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
There's only one album whose title is tattooed on my body and its this one. 5/5 obvs
5
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Tue May 30 2023
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
Hipster anthems from the mid-aughts. It's a fine collection of songs. No more and no less.
3
View Album
Wed May 31 2023
The Wall
Pink Floyd
I went into this album wanting to hate it. By the end of the nearly hour and a half running time I still hated it.
Was Another Brick In The Wall ghost-written by The Bee Gees because it's a disco song. Young Lust sounds like The Eagles.
Like the other Pink Floyd records this one has druggy vocals and squealing guitars. It's a concept album with a lame concept but it does have some tolerable parts so I can't give this a total failing grade in good faith. We'll put this in the two-star pile next to Dark Side of the Moon and the Terence Trent D'Arby album.
2
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Thu Jun 01 2023
Faith
George Michael
I can't believe I find myself analyzing this album so deeply. George Michael really tried to combine the sounds on big pop records of the time by Michael Jackson and Prince. It sounds cheap to my ears. There are monkey noises at the end of "Monkey."
The songs themselves are fuckin weird. Is he singing about being naked with his dad?? Maybe I'm a prude -- OK, I am for sure -- but these songs give me the ick like a Tim & Eric sketch.
2
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Fri Jun 02 2023
The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
Background noise. A dial tone.
It's the same thing as other Springsteen albums. The performances can't be faulted but the songs are all the same. The guy never met a road he didn't write a song about.
2
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Mon Jun 05 2023
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
RIP Phife
The moments where the MCs take a chance to boast up the other members of the group is the most wholesome thing ever.
5
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Tue Jun 06 2023
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
I love this album. I hate this album.
Appetite for Destruction came into my life at a crucial point. I was probably 11 years old and just starting to discover my own masculinity. Being an overtly masculine group Guns n' Roses had an immediate appeal to me along with Motley Crue and Def Leppard. This was a drastic shift from my early pop obsessions like Boy George, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Paula Abdul, and Michael Jackson reflecting my newfound identity. For a whole summer loud, macho bands were all I wanted to hear.
It was only another year or so before the hair metal era ended and my tastes changed again. Nirvana, The B-52s, Pearl Jam, and The Violent Femmes challenged notions of portrayals of masculinity in popular music. This was a deeper thing and I moved on from GnR's overt butchness. I cringed at how cool I thought Def Leppard looked and strutted. But isn't that what adolescence is? Cringing at the person you were only six months ago?
Revisiting this album now I am able to reconcile all of this art that I liked. Appetite For Destruction is over the top with masculinity but it also has everything that makes a great record: well-crafted songs, brilliant performances, listenable production. I hate this album. I love this album.
5
View Album
Wed Jun 07 2023
Eliminator
ZZ Top
What if Devo rocked out to the Texas blues?
"Elements of the past and the future combining to make something not quite as good as either..." Finally, the drums sound bad on this album.
2
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Thu Jun 08 2023
A Northern Soul
The Verve
Really pretty songs. Huge production on the remastered version.
3
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Fri Jun 09 2023
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Devo
5
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Mon Jun 12 2023
OK Computer
Radiohead
5
View Album
Tue Jun 13 2023
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
Sex jams. It's OK. I didn't think I would like it but it's not bad. There isn't much here, honestly.
3
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Wed Jun 14 2023
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
I am finally ready to admit that this is a grunge album.
4
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Thu Jun 15 2023
1984
Van Halen
ChatGPT prompt: "Generate a hard rock album that sounds like the early Reagan Years."
Production: 5/5 (2015 Remaster)
Performances: 5/5
Songs: 1/5
The songs are so corny. I was hoping maybe the deep cuts would have been interesting but they're just like the single without good hooks.
Album art: 10/5
3
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Fri Jun 16 2023
Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies
It's a guitar band and I like guitar bands so this is fine. If I didn't like rock music then this is nothing special. The Sonics were better.
3
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Mon Jun 19 2023
On The Beach
Neil Young
I like the melancholy hippy folk ones. I don't care for the blues ones. The production on the 2016 Remaster I found on YouTube sounds great.
3
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Tue Jun 20 2023
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
If the organ part on What Goes On doesn't give you chills then you need to seek professional help.
The choice of songs and their order on this album is so hopeful it is a joy to listen to as a complete record.
5
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Wed Jun 21 2023
Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye
"It's me against the world"-era Kanye but also disco.
3
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Thu Jun 22 2023
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
Very engaging lyrics and powerful, varied musical accompaniment.
4
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Fri Jun 23 2023
The Undertones
The Undertones
5
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Mon Jun 26 2023
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
Experimental for sure and always interesting. Occasionally the band stumbles into a groove. If that was the intent of the recording then the mission was achieved.
3
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Tue Jun 27 2023
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
They don't make them like they used to.
5
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Wed Jun 28 2023
Low
David Bowie
My favorite David Bowie album.
5
View Album
Thu Jun 29 2023
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell
this album is more about vibes than songs
3
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Fri Jun 30 2023
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
Three stellar tracks and some rather good synth pop in between.
4
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Mon Jul 03 2023
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Terrific production and compact songs make this collection more palatable than other Steely records.
3
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Tue Jul 04 2023
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
These recordings sound great and the performances capture what must have been absolutely mental energy of Richard and his band.
5
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Wed Jul 05 2023
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
4
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Thu Jul 06 2023
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Do you ever encounter rock music fans who say they don't really like The Beatles? I have and it's weird. But... I am a reggae fan who isn't really a fan of Bob Marley. The title track and Bend Down Low stand out on this album but the rest of the songs don't really do it for me.
5
View Album
Fri Jul 07 2023
The Bends
Radiohead
The Bends aged remarkably well over 25 years. Six out of five stars.
5
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Mon Jul 10 2023
The Clash
The Clash
It's not the most amazing collection of songs but it's The Clash, so...
5
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Tue Jul 11 2023
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
This album must have been a big influence on some favorites of mine: Devo and They Might Be Giants. David Byrne has a unique voice that I find very appealing. Talking Heads is punk for clean cut kids.
4
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Wed Jul 12 2023
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
This music feels really inauthentic. The type of person who listens to Eric Clapton doesn't really care about authenticity but I do.
Vocals are bad all over the album. Please Be With Me is sweet. Let It Grow is some awful hippie shit.
2
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Thu Jul 13 2023
The Score
Fugees
Massive singles and some solid features. The beats are from the sample-heavy 90s but the references are on point. The rhymes are real hip hop and the three MCs voices sound great together.
5
View Album
Fri Jul 14 2023
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
The song choices for this performance are incredible. Krist plays the accordion. Kurt solos Pennyroyal Tea and his voice sounds amazing throughout the whole record.
5
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Mon Jul 17 2023
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Lovely melodies, engaging instrumentation, compact songs
4
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Tue Jul 18 2023
25
Adele
The production is like an email where the entire contents are in bold, italics, and underlined. It's a well-crafted cocktail that's a little too bitter, too sour, too sweet, too fizzy, and too strong. Compared to 21, Adele's vocal sounds powerful and clear but the music is a bit forward on 25. Some tracks are worse than others and the B-side does sound better.
Besides the complaints about the shiny backing tracks, the songs are great and the lyrics are emotional but not overwrought. The album closer is a banger.
5
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Wed Jul 19 2023
Slanted And Enchanted
Pavement
5
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Thu Jul 20 2023
The Poet
Bobby Womack
This was released in 1981??
3
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Fri Jul 21 2023
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
Are you allowed to make punk songs in waltz time?
3
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Mon Jul 24 2023
The Age Of The Understatement
The Last Shadow Puppets
Glad to have heard it. The music and performances are not mind-blowing but I appreciate the bands restraint in not trying to sound too cool while making really cool music. Owen Pallet rules.
3
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Tue Jul 25 2023
So
Peter Gabriel
As you would expect from a Peter Gabriel project this album features aloof vocals, songs, and performances. The backing tracks are interesting but they sound like the test track that your Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 would play when you finish installing the drivers.
In Your Eyes isn't bad.
2
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Wed Jul 26 2023
Marquee Moon
Television
5
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Thu Jul 27 2023
Quiet Life
Japan
Duran Duran with bad vocals. This must have been unique in 1979 - before the whole New Romantic thing went mainstream.
And maybe it's just because of the band name, I can't help but draw a dotted line between this record and Japanese visual kei.
3
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Fri Jul 28 2023
Parachutes
Coldplay
You have to understand the state of popular music when this was released. American alternative/indie had already peaked and that tiresome macho, aggro thing was at its height. Music production had fallen victim to the loudness war which made listening to a whole album in one sitting a fairly unpleasant experience. It was time for the pendulum to swing back toward the opposite pole. It was time for sad British guys to make their return.
The production on Parachutes sounds great. It's clean and clear with plenty of breathing room for the performances to shine. Maybe the lyrics are a little bit obvious but that's not what this is about.
4
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Mon Jul 31 2023
Doolittle
Pixies
Frank Black's vocals are absolutely unhinged while Kim Deal's are as sweet as ever. This album is another part of the foundation of alternative rock.
5
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Tue Aug 01 2023
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
Another track by track review:
1. Awful lyric with an especially annoying chorus.
2. The instrumental is kind of a hippie version of 70s soft rock. Stevie's vocal and lyrics are the only enjoyable thing here.
3. Another Lindsey Buckingham song. This guy is trying to be Paul Simon but he sounds like a shitty backup singer for The Eagles. And the words are really trash. He's got nothing to say.
4. The radio hit. It's not bad except it has that "honky-tonk" 1970s thing that turns me off.
5. Yecch. The rhythm section does sound good here despite the rest.
6. And a ballad to close out the first side. Perfect. It's OK I guess. I like it the way I like The Carpenters.
7. Kinda bluesy like a softer Led Zeppelin or Heart but without any edge whatsoever.
8. On a very white album this might be the only number with any kind of soul. Unfortunately it has that gross 70s way of writing about romance and sex that gives me the ick. Is this what set the mood for the conception of millions of people my age? I can't let myself even entertain the thought.
9. I really like Nicks' voice. I really do not like Buckingham's voice. I know this band was basically a polycule before that even existed but Stevie and Christine should have started their own thing.
10. The fuck? OK I take it back. Stevie Nicks is the only good thing in this group.
11. I could have sworn Kiss had a song by this same name.
2
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Wed Aug 02 2023
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
File under: Toolbox Rock.
It's like KISS but slightly less gross. But only slightly.
2
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Thu Aug 03 2023
Skylarking
XTC
I listened to it twice. I want to have an opinion but I just can't make myself form one.
2
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Fri Aug 04 2023
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Musicals are very not my thing. Stuffing weird narrative dialog into a song feels false.
With that out of the way, the songs on this album are tolerable enough. I like the slower, crooning ones best. Regardless of the naff lyrics Ella seems to posses several difference voices across all of these tunes. Artists like Elvis Costello have tried to pull this off but I've never heard anyone do it as well as she does on this recording. Also, the band sounds great and the recording does both the vocals and backing tracks justice.
4
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Mon Aug 07 2023
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
It's OK, I guess. To me it's kind of like that Ray Charles record only a decade newer. It's a foundation of later work but it's not as interesting as what came after.
3
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Tue Aug 08 2023
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
I don't know what this is.
There is something about it that is deeply appealing in the same way that other experimental artists like Battles, Silver Apples, and Can are. But this has soul in a way that those groups do not. The live, acoustic nature of this recording makes it so human.
4
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Wed Aug 09 2023
Porcupine
Echo And The Bunnymen
Is this goth-rock or rock that goths like? Anyway, it's solid 80s dark, atmospheric guitar music.
3
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Thu Aug 10 2023
Dog Man Star
Suede
I think I understand what they are going for and I do find it interesting. (Let's call it "Nineties T-Rex" for short.) The songs are also good. Beyond that I can't find myself latching on to anything in particular. It's fine. There was better alternative rock in the 90s and nobody out T's the Rex.
3
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Fri Aug 11 2023
The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk
Mid. Not sure why it's on the list.
3
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Mon Aug 14 2023
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
"Camel Cigarettes: The Album"
Sweet Emotion is Aerosmith's only good song.
2
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Tue Aug 15 2023
Ace of Spades
Motörhead
heavy but melodic, fast but under control, plodding but groovy
3
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Wed Aug 16 2023
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
4
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Thu Aug 17 2023
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
I'm not sure the diarrhea noises add much to the record but overall its great.
4
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Fri Aug 18 2023
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
Not bad. Definitely a specimen of the indie rock sound from this time. The production and instrumentation sound great. I didn’t listen close enough to get a feel for the song quality but it does make me want to listen more.
4
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Mon Aug 21 2023
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
No other record sounds like this. To me it's hard to categorize but it somehow fits with some of the other post-grunge-power-pop-rock albums that came out around the same time.
These songs have always been mysterious to me. It's probably the muffled vocals. What could have become if the group maintained some of the mystery instead of going for all out rock radio fame?
4
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Tue Aug 22 2023
Abbey Road
Beatles
Remember when you were in the Beatles and you did that album Abbey Road and at the very end of the song, it went: 'And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make'. You remember that?
5
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Wed Aug 23 2023
Bright Flight
Silver Jews
kinda sad, kinda pretty
3
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Thu Aug 24 2023
Vincebus Eruptum
Blue Cheer
The riffs aren't great and it all comes off like a Hendrix ripoff. I don't see how this album birthed heavy metal when Black Sabbath (and even Steppenwolf!) exists.
2
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Fri Aug 25 2023
Songs The Lord Taught Us
The Cramps
Pretty rockin' and I appreciated The Sonics cover
3
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Mon Aug 28 2023
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
4
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Tue Aug 29 2023
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
The sentiments in Brian Wilson's lyrics are plain and juvenile and epitomize pop music. For some reason they hit me in a deep way that other pop lyrics are not able to.
The production, instrumentation, performances, vocal harmonies are all first rate. This is another 6 out of 5.
5
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Wed Aug 30 2023
Pump
Aerosmith
A is for Anachronism. This band keeps revisiting the same sound that was exciting in the 70s.
E is for Easy. Lyrics about chasing girls and rockin hard.
R is for Repetitive. Same beat, same solo, same dumb album art.
O is for Oafish. Aerosmith is the first band listed under "toolbox rock" for a reason.
S is for Sleaze. Ten songs about flesh and drugs.
M is for MTV. Remember those videos with Alicia Silverstone? It was all too much.
I is for Innuendo. These guys are geniuses when it comes to writing dirty songs but keeping them PG-rated.
T is for TOO MUCH. This is third Aerosmith album I've had to suffer as I progress through this project.
H is for Hits. Some how these guys had hits for multiple decades.
2
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Thu Aug 31 2023
Trio
Dolly Parton
This is the kind of country music that is meant to break your heart. I suppose if I allowed myself to get caught up in it, it may be effective even on me. Parton, Ronstadt, and Harris have great voices and are amazing performances but I'm not sure about the song choices. My general unfamiliarity with country music may be limiting my appreciation of the songs but I have a suspicion that this album's late 80s release date has something to do with it. I compare these tunes with the original songs on Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose from 2004.
I do like The Pain of Loving You, Wildflowers, and Those Memories of You. I don't like the dead hobo one.
3
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Fri Sep 01 2023
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
"Easy Money" dips dangerously close to Pink Floyd territory but the rest of the album is compelling.
4
View Album
Mon Sep 04 2023
Blackstar
David Bowie
David Bowie never lost his touch. What an amazing body of work he left us with. I don't know if I would regard this album the way I do if it was by an unknown performer.
4
View Album
Tue Sep 05 2023
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
The rockers sound great and there are some really pretty moments. The blues and gospel stuff I am not really into. Having to sit through a whole Stones double album made me realize that it's Mick that bums me out about the band.
3
View Album
Wed Sep 06 2023
GI
Germs
classic
5
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Thu Sep 07 2023
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
You can't say the sounds or songs are particularly original. You can say that Norah Jones' voice sounds great on the recording and the tunes are pleasant.
3
View Album
Fri Sep 08 2023
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
got my mojo workin
3
View Album
Mon Sep 11 2023
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Some records come up in this project that you can rate right away and this is one of them. Stevie Wonder is a genius.
5
View Album
Tue Sep 12 2023
Henry's Dream
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
The term Southern gothic comes to mind. This is a theatrical album with big songs that have pop hooks. It's OK. The band sounds good but I don't care for Cave's vocal performances.
2
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Wed Sep 13 2023
Signing Off
UB40
4
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Thu Sep 14 2023
Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
This Bob's "Jakob Dylan's dad" era and it is the Bob Dylan sound that I was most familiar with before I started the 1001 Albums project.
Can't say I enjoyed much on this one. "Standing In the Doorway" was a good sad song but the rest of the album is sad songs that aren't so good. Also the production is very... noticeable? and seemed out of place for Dylan's style.
Gotta give it two stars. That is the rating I give albums that have me calculating how much time I have to listen before I can put another album on.
2
View Album
Fri Sep 15 2023
What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
Introspective sounds of the revolution. A totally different energy from Sly's Stand! album. It's a compact statement with amazing songs, production, and performances.
5
View Album
Mon Sep 18 2023
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
The Doors sound is distinctive but nothing else on Morrison Hotel stands out.
3
View Album
Tue Sep 19 2023
Abraxas
Santana
se acabo
4
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Wed Sep 20 2023
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
MCs have been biting rhymes from this record for decades. "Party for Your Right to Fight" is the perfect phrase and track to summarize this album.
The Bomb Squad's production found its balance between abrasive sampling and listenable tracks on this recording.
5
View Album
Thu Sep 21 2023
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
Great vocal performance. Song choice is solid. The band sounds great.
5
View Album
Fri Sep 22 2023
Disintegration
The Cure
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
5
View Album
Mon Sep 25 2023
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
5
View Album
Tue Sep 26 2023
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
Classic G-Funk beats. The guest MCs add a lot as far as the rhymes go. Not every song is great but I have to give The Chronic its due for its place in history. This album is the archetype for Southern California rap and the sounds live on today in the works of artists like Kendrick Lamar.
5
View Album
Wed Sep 27 2023
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
Wacky like a Danny Elfman score with storytelling like Sufjan Stevens. This record has a lot of acclaim but I'm missing something because I find it interesting but not appealing.
3
View Album
Thu Sep 28 2023
Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
As lovely as anything he did in the groups he belonged to in the sixties.
4
View Album
Fri Sep 29 2023
L.A. Woman
The Doors
Way too much blues. Two stars for being Clapton-adjacent. The songs are unpleasant and don't build on the unique sound that the Doors established on the five previous records.
2
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Mon Oct 02 2023
Fragile
Yes
I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.
3
View Album
Tue Oct 03 2023
Made In Japan
Deep Purple
Worse than Aerosmith.
The first track is pretty rockin but "Child In Time" has too much guitar noodling, bad vocals, and the lyric "I want to be inside of you." Dumb lyrics continue on Smoke On The Water which also includes some Clapton-esque guitar chugging. Once that ends you are treated to a dull drum solo. This is the closest I have come to skipping a track in the over 300 albums I've listened to in this project so far.
There is a part in the middle of "Strange Kind of Woman" where a guitar is trading licks with someone making dumb mouth noises. That is the exact moment I decided to give this record one star. "Lazy" includes some harp that gives me major "Honkin On Bobo" douche chills. This sucks.
1
View Album
Wed Oct 04 2023
Reign In Blood
Slayer
I'm a metal neophyte but I can see how this is an archetype for so much of what came after.
3
View Album
Thu Oct 05 2023
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Quite exotic to my ears. Veloso's voice is perfect for this style. Alegria, Alegria is a masterpiece.
5
View Album
Fri Oct 06 2023
Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
The Residents
The Residents walked so Ween and Primus could run.
3
View Album
Mon Oct 09 2023
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
Finding this album in my college days would have fucked me up. Back then I was really into contemporary sad-boy artists like Elliott Smith, Galaxie 500, and Pedro the Lion. Even if this album was unknown to those guys it certainly touches the same parts of the psyche as the best of their work. The spartan, clear production and concise confessional songs make the whole album feel very near and honest. The rare hooks highlight engaging melodies that are just enough to hang Drake's bedroom vocals on.
5
View Album
Tue Oct 10 2023
American Idiot
Green Day
The production is too much. It sounds hot, bright, and overly sweet. The songs are decent. These Bush-era protest songs are not nearly as good as the Thatcher-era produced but the rock opera format is honored by this album -- for whatever that's worth.
2
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Wed Oct 11 2023
Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
The production is so bad its good - like a Velvet Underground album. The tunes are bouncy and raw like ? and the Mysterians. There's a little Motown soul in here, too. It's weird but I like weird.
4
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Thu Oct 12 2023
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
5
View Album
Fri Oct 13 2023
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
Backing tracks are interesting: math rock guitar shreds, super odd drum beats, weird squeaks... I'm into it. The lyrics and vocal performances throw me. It is also unfortunate that this album is 14 years old, putting it squarely in that trough between nostalgia and novelty. The whole presentation and sound of this record is very "Anthropologie-core".
2
View Album
Mon Oct 16 2023
One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
The title track has it all: sing-along vocals, banging rhythm track, funky synth. Even though its seven and a half minutes long it feels as compact as a pop song.
The rest of the album is varied in song quality and feel.
3
View Album
Tue Oct 17 2023
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
The production is really late 70s/early 80s but it still sounds good on the 2015 Remaster. (btw... curse Spotify and/or the labels for replacing the original mixes with endless remasters)
As usual, I like the Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks numbers and loathe anything by Buckingham. All in all, for a Fleetwood Mac album I find this one more tolerable than the others. I might even say I liked it.
3
View Album
Wed Oct 18 2023
Idlewild
Everything But The Girl
The lyrics are echoes of The Smiths who had a way of expressing quotidian British maudlinism. The sophistipop backing tracks would have chased me off but I almost appreciate how carefully they are crafted. I listened through the album almost twice and the tunes started to blend together to form what sounds like an hour long ending credits song for an ITV-produced family drama series from 1988 taking place in a town with a name like Grimsby or Sowerby Bridge.
I can't find much to love or hate here. Three stars, I guess.
3
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Thu Oct 19 2023
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
The title track is a 6 out of 5 for lyrics, production, and performance.
The rest of the album is similar sixties pop/folk. The sound of this record really speaks to me and I feel sixties pop could still be mined for inspiration for new music.
4
View Album
Fri Oct 20 2023
Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Some enjoyable tunes -- especially on the B side -- that regrettably lack what makes Elvis' lyrics special. "I Want You" is totally unhinged and is the standout song on this collection.
4
View Album
Mon Oct 23 2023
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
sounds like some Pink Floyd shit but with harmonica
2
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Tue Oct 24 2023
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
Mrs-Maisel-core
4
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Wed Oct 25 2023
Kala
M.I.A.
Like an updated version of The Clash's Combat Rock, Kala addresses an ever-shrinking globe and the tension between the rich nations and rest of the world. The sounds are bombastic and modern. The rhymes are a great example of grime in the early 2000s.
5
View Album
Thu Oct 26 2023
Untitled (Black Is)
SAULT
Fantastic sounds and performances. I enjoyed every track. Lyrically the album doesn't say much that hasn't been said before but every word on this record needed to be spoken in 2020.
4
View Album
Fri Oct 27 2023
Third
Soft Machine
The production on the remastered version is fun. The stereo separation and sub-bass sounded great on my bookshelf speaker system.
Overall there are some interesting parts but it is long and I found myself losing interest by the middle of the third track. Better editing could have made this a four-star record for me.
3
View Album
Mon Oct 30 2023
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
It sounds exactly like the 90s and it sounds exactly like today. RIP Phife Dawg
5
View Album
Tue Oct 31 2023
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
The White Stripes album with the big production. Terrific tunes as usual.
4
View Album
Wed Nov 01 2023
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
Not as good as Mr. Tambo/Urine Man but still terrific.
4
View Album
Thu Nov 02 2023
Faust IV
Faust
This is what it would sound like if the Velvets did a year of study abroad in Germany and lived in the same dorm as Kraftwerk.
4
View Album
Fri Nov 10 2023
The Predator
Ice Cube
Cube has great flow and rhymes as usual. The thing that stuck out to me is how race relations are discussed on this record versus the discourse that we hear today. Today's language around racism and equality issues is so academic compared to the real talk on The Predator.
The beats don't stand out too much here.
3
View Album
Mon Nov 13 2023
Live!
Fela Kuti
3
View Album
Tue Nov 14 2023
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
The performances are great and the production on the 2011 remaster sounds great. But the tunes. Meat is Murder doesn't have the quality of other releases from the band. If you want to be a purest and exclude "How Soon Is Now?" then you're only really left with "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" and maybe "Barbarism Begins at Home". RIP Andy
4
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Wed Nov 15 2023
This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
file under: Your Favorite Band's Favorite Band.
file under: One of the Groups Created After Seeing Sex Pistols in Manchester
3
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Thu Nov 16 2023
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
Performances: solid.
Songs: kinda OK; kinda not.
Concept: 90s radio rock with 60s nostalgia.
Question: Why is this on the list?
Rating: a very soft three stars
3
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Fri Nov 17 2023
Hot Shots II
The Beta Band
I'll agree that it doesn't sound like anything else. What it does sound like is a little bit dated. It's OK.
3
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Mon Nov 20 2023
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
Proto-disco-soul-funk-trip. This album doesn't hit me like some of its predecessors. I miss Sly's world weariness and anguish. I miss Eddie Hazel's and Bootsie Collins' shredding. The edge of those records are worn down and polished smooth on "That's The Way Of The World". It's not necessarily bad but it doesn't grab me and thrust me back in time the way I was by Sly and P-Funk.
3
View Album
Tue Nov 21 2023
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
A seven minute long ballad about a fuckin car. CHECK.
Lots of groaning. CHECK.
Glockenspiel. CHECK.
A song about going to work. CHECK.
Yep... it's another Springsteen album.
2
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Wed Nov 22 2023
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
I found a stack of my dad's old 45s in an old bowling ball bag left up in the attic. That is when I heard The Sonics for the first time. The raw power and excitement sticks with me today. Five stars for almost inventing punk a decade before it happened.
5
View Album
Thu Nov 23 2023
Live At Leeds
The Who
It's fine. The songs are great, of course, and the performances are solid. The stage banter is a little out of place and upsets the excitement of a live recording.
3
View Album
Fri Nov 24 2023
Arular
M.I.A.
I love this album. More than Kala. I don't know why but it just bumps so hard from start to finish. Sunshowers, Bucky Done Gun, Galang... all classics.
5
View Album
Tue Nov 28 2023
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
At ten years old this album the sounds on this album are not as common today as they were in 2012. Channel Orange is a solid representative of the new soul sound: kinda druggy, kinda sad, kinda horny. Frank's voice sounds good and the songs -- though numerous -- keep my interest through the whole record.
4
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Wed Nov 29 2023
Pelican West
Haircut 100
Mostly throwaway songs - especially the ones that sound like XTC. This album would be totally uninteresting if not for what other groups did and continue to do with the sound.
2
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Thu Nov 30 2023
Mott
Mott The Hoople
High concept and self-referential. I do like the 70s production and appreciate the restraint in "fixing" it for the digital age. The songs are kinda dumb.
2
View Album
Fri Dec 01 2023
Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
Mellotron-heavy songs that sound like a film score. This record must have influenced many artists I admire but this one doesn't do much for me. It gets too noodley for my taste and does not evoke much more than "futuristic robot space music" vibes.
I'm giving this one a soft three because I do love electronic music.
3
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Mon Dec 04 2023
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
I listened to this one twice. On the second trip through I found myself listening to more of the pretty parts. Ramble Tamble could be a mid 90s indie rock song. Some of the other songs are a little weak. Travelin' Band is some kind of 50s boogie woogie pastiche that makes me think of Sha-Na-Na. Between songs like this there are some real bangers. The handclaps on Up Around The Bend highlight the strong sing-along melody and steady rhythm groove. CCR's version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine moves the song's origins much further south than Detroit re-imagining it as a Delta Blues song. (The additional white guy noodly jamming doesn't improve it. Perhaps its too Clapton adjacent for my tastes.) The album closer - Long As I Can See The Light - is as solid of a final track as any album I've heard.
All in all this is a genre-defining record with some solid singles. And there's a guy on a bike on the cover.
4
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Tue Dec 05 2023
Grace
Jeff Buckley
Possibly the most 90s record I have ever heard. More than Alanis, more than Stone Temple Pilots, more than the Singles soundtrack.
Jeff's got a great voice. Many of the songs don't exactly stand out and the production is a little sappy for my taste -- especially here where the singer has more than enough emotion to deliver what's required.
All said, this is a grunge record however its influences differ from the big grunge records of the day. I found the songs that showed those difference influences more interesting than the others.
2
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Wed Dec 06 2023
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
When I first started the record I thought to myself, "this isn't jazz. This is a hardcore album". Upon reading the wikipedia article, it became clear that it's not an accident. In fact it's the whole concept of Spy vs Spy. The production is exciting throughout. The drums sound killer!
I have no familiarity with the originals so my enjoyment of the versions on this album are not what they could be, but I still loved the thrash and frenetic energy of the recording.
3
View Album
Thu Dec 07 2023
The Libertines
The Libertines
The songs are not as good as they are on Up The Bracket (a six-star album in my opinion) but everything you love about The Libertines is here on the S/T record.
5
View Album
Fri Dec 08 2023
Pornography
The Cure
4
View Album
Mon Dec 11 2023
Cross
Justice
too much disco
2
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Tue Dec 12 2023
Music From Big Pink
The Band
Not bad for hippie music. Some songs are real gems; some songs are just songs.
3
View Album
Wed Dec 13 2023
Me Against The World
2Pac
Me Against The World is a solid example of rap in the mid-90s. At the time Tupac was a phenomenon. He was on MTV constantly in his own videos and featuring in other artists videos. His movies were crazy popular, too. Media loved to talk about his life and he relished the attention.
On this album I find his flow to be monotonous but unique. Other rappers bit his style at the end of the 90s. His rhymes are his signature: the sensitive side of a thug. I like the beats on the album. It's G-Funk but not as bumpin as other albums from the time.
3
View Album
Thu Dec 14 2023
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
My review echoes what the Boys probably heard from every record executive ever:
"Have you got more songs like West End Girls?"
3
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Fri Dec 15 2023
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
Blues rock. Mostly boring but occasionally sounds like The Kinks.
3
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Mon Dec 18 2023
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Production is bad. Songs are OK as are the performances.
What listeners should realize is that this album is where the band became its own genre. Previous Red Hot Chili Peppers records represented the bands unique mix of its influences: hip hop, funk, jazz, blues-rock. Californication is dad rock for guys born in the 1980s.
The last song sounds like Elliott Smith.
3
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Tue Dec 19 2023
Teen Dream
Beach House
Pretty songs. The words would probably break my heart if I could make any of them out from the reverb.
3
View Album
Wed Dec 20 2023
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Real punk
3
View Album
Thu Dec 21 2023
Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
3
View Album
Fri Dec 22 2023
Goo
Sonic Youth
4
View Album
Mon Dec 25 2023
London Calling
The Clash
5
View Album
Tue Dec 26 2023
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
Great songs, performances, and production. I can't fault this one even though it isn't something I would normally listen to. There are some solid Nashville country tunes between gospel numbers and even some almost-rock-n-roll hippie bops.
4
View Album
Wed Dec 27 2023
Tago Mago
Can
Upon starting Tago Mago my first thought was that this sounds like it could veer into some musical territory that is dangerously close to Pink Floyd. Thankfully it never does.
My second thought was that this record isn’t especially interesting in a world with bands like Tame Impala, Kraftwerk, Deerhoof, Aphex Twin and Public Image Ltd. Obviously those bands would not sound like they do if Can hadn’t made this record so for that I give them credit.
3
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Thu Dec 28 2023
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
This is an album in line with the direction some English punks rockers went after punk blew up: Jah Wobble, PiL, Big Audio Dynamite. It's an awful mess of genres but I like it and I think its fun.
3
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Mon Jan 01 2024
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
Lame. Zero edge or energy.
This record makes me thankful that the year it was released is the same year that rock 'n' roll came along.
2
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Tue Jan 02 2024
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Very pretty songs. It’s obvious to me how much Neil Young had an influence on the musicians of the early 90s who brought his approach to songwriting and performance into their styles.
4
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Wed Jan 03 2024
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
Blues isn't my jam usually but Music in Exile is something fresh. I find the production a little bit elaborate but the 11 songs on the album are all interesting enough to keep me engaged.
3
View Album
Thu Jan 04 2024
Here Come The Warm Jets
Brian Eno
Sounds like Roxy Music but a little bit weirder. I like it. There are some really beautiful moments on the record.
4
View Album
Fri Jan 05 2024
Second Toughest In The Infants
Underworld
This is one of a few albums that required me to listen twice before I felt confident giving it a rating. I appreciate it more on a second listen now that I'm settling in to the vibe. The listening mode is more Boards of Canada than Kraftwerk. I'm listening as if it's a live DJ set and not an album as a collection of pop tunes. That approach gives a look into a time and place and a scene. Second Toughest In The Infants is not timeless but a touchstone to its era of electronic music.
3
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Mon Jan 08 2024
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
I was ready to call this album a 5+ but I will agree with the other critics who said that The Love Below does take some odd turns. It's a double album so its bound to have some filler but do we really need a free jazz/breakcore version of a song from The Sound of Music? I know I don't. That inclusion of that track and some of the other clunkers knock this down to a solid five.
5
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Tue Jan 09 2024
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
I do enjoy avant-garde music but I believe context is required to get the most out of records like this. Unfortunately I don't understand the world this record comes from.
3
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Wed Jan 10 2024
Fred Neil
Fred Neil
What a record! Like Dylan meets Lou Reed but they get a baritone to sing it.
5
View Album
Thu Jan 11 2024
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
Pretty songs. I love sixties pop. Beautiful vocal harmonies and absolute classic Wrecking Crew backing tracks.
5
View Album
Fri Jan 12 2024
Odessa
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees really know how to turn tragedy into song and it's obvious how much they put into songcraft. (Also low-key this album art is 10/10.)
As a whole I find the album kind of odd but I like it. The overwrought emotion of some numbers get to me a little and bum me out but the gall of the Brothers Gibb to make an album like this in a world where Jimi Hendrix was still fucking shit up is respectable.
3
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Mon Jan 15 2024
Rio
Duran Duran
One of the many things I have learned doing the 1001 Albums project is that 80s synth pop didn't just come out of nowhere. Duran Duran was not a result of spontaneous generation but is proof of intelligent design. Listening to these songs again with that context makes Rio that much more interesting.
(Another 10/10 album art score for this masterpiece.)
5
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Tue Jan 16 2024
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
This is the kind of music I think of when I hear the word "jazz". I don't know a damn thing about jazz but I like this record. I'm giving it a 5 because I think that's what music nerds are supposed to do and I'm a music nerd.
5
View Album
Wed Jan 17 2024
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Pavement
A perfect example of post-grunge indie/alternative rock.
5
View Album
Thu Jan 18 2024
Nixon
Lambchop
Halfway through the first song I had convinced myself that the vocalist was Gibby Haynes and that Lambchop was a side project he had started. It made me excited because I assumed the album would start getting REAL WEIRD soon. After the fourth track no weirdness had revealed itself. At this point I started to settle in and my mind wandered into the territory of those Scott Walker records. The music on them was OK but they also got weird.
Now we come to Nixon. It's not a Butthole Surfers off-shoot. The songs are not meant to shock uptight 60s music consumers. Instead this was probably a hallmark of the alternative country or New Weird America or whatever scene was popping at the time. It's OK. Not really my thing, honestly. I wasn't into Wilco 20 years ago. Maybe if I was then Nixon would be a revelation.
3
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Fri Jan 19 2024
Rubber Soul
Beatles
Let's do another track-by-track review of The Beatles lamest long player:
1. Rubber Soul starts off with a typical Paul pop ditty. The rhythm section sounds great but the guitar solo is really weak. It's OK.
2. Norwegian Wood is one of John's best songs. A masterpiece.
3. I've obviously heard this song before but I have no recollection of "You Won't See Me". It's a wonder John Cena never used this one.
4. John mope. Plenty of la-la-las but it's a bit more mature than the love songs the group had been making previously.
5. George complains about the government. Like "You Won't See Me" I must have heard this song before but I've got no memory of it. The fuzzy guitar is fun.
6. Hippie stuff. Dig that organ, though!
7. Michelle is a pretty song. I bet a lot of girls named Michelle had suitors dedicate this one to them in the sixties. The backing track is terrific. The acoustic plucking sounds great.
8. The Ringo One
9. Is this the horniest Beatles song?? Like Norwegian Wood the instrumentation has a slight Eastern thing going on.
10. Great track - especially the percussion and organ. Shout out to Ringo.
11. In My Life is probably the best song the Beatles ever recorded. What a track!
12. Wait is filler.
13. The other George one. It's OK.
14. Produced like an older Beatles song and the lyrics are wack.
4
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Mon Jan 22 2024
It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
I'm a sucker for these early 90s alternative rock albums.
The vocal on Confetti sounds like it could have been on one of Elvis Costello's first two records. And the Mrs. Robinson cover is iconic now.
4
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Tue Jan 23 2024
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
5
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Wed Jan 24 2024
S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
All of the songs sound like Paperback Writer.
S.F. Sorrow can be filed under "first of its kind but later eclipsed by albums with better songs, production, and performances".
3
View Album
Thu Jan 25 2024
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
Some moments are a little too Bryan Adams. I like the story though it is told in a rather obvious, on-the-nose way. I bet these songs rip at a live show, however.
3
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
Hail To The Thief doesn't hit in 2024 the way it did when it was first released. We Suck Young Blood still haunts me just as much. Wow - what a performance.
10/10 album art
3
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Mon Jan 29 2024
The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
The vibes are cool. The songs are very minimal. I can't decide if its a punk dance album or a dance album with punk sounds. The second half really picks up the dance groove which I think is the best part.
3
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Tue Jan 30 2024
G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
Unique sounds and some real head bopping grooves.
3
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Wed Jan 31 2024
Sea Change
Beck
Pretty mopey. Or occasionally pretty and completely mopey. The arrangement on "It's All In Your Mind" is a treat but the rest of the record is too moody for my taste.
2
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Thu Feb 01 2024
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
I don't know if I'm allowed to say this but The Number of the Beast has all of the melody and songwriting of a Queen record. The songs aren't all just riffs and verse / chorus / verse. Some songs are actually surprisingly melodic and are more Iommi than Mustaine.
4
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
White soul. Terrific songs and performances.
4
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Mon Feb 05 2024
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
Songs from the primordial ooze of modern popular music. A little sleepy for my taste honestly but Ray is a great performer.
3
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
R&B brought back the album after streaming threatened to make it irrelevant. I don't know if the sounds on Heaux Tales will age well but the concept is unique.
3
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Wed Feb 07 2024
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
Sounds like seven remixes of Superfly but I'm OK with that.
3
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Thu Feb 08 2024
Dirty
Sonic Youth
Alternative rock as art. I like it.
4
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Fri Feb 09 2024
Zombie
Fela Kuti
As a jazz album, I really have no context for this. If this was pop I would probably love it.
3
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Mon Feb 12 2024
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
"Chicken Bones" is perfect.
Songs: The music is beautiful and the lyrics are odd. Personal and aloof at the same time. There is something engaging about the vocal melodies on this album that remind me of songs from the classic rock era.
Production: The flange/chorus effect on the vocals make everything sound like John Lennon's vocal on Across the Universe. The backing tracks sound authentic and are absent of whatever ugliness was happening with recording in 2010.
Performances: Solid.
4
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Tue Feb 13 2024
The Only Ones
The Only Ones
Cousins of Buzzcocks, strung out neighbors of Elvis Costello, and the uncles of The Libertines. I found this album to be instantly engaging. Great pop songs and shambolic performances.
5
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Wed Feb 14 2024
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
Aggressive and melodic.
4
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
Why?
It's a cute presentation and the songs are fine I guess but they sound very sappy and overwrought like a sad movie.
2
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Fri Feb 16 2024
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
I think this is great.
Fuck it -- five stars.
5
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Mon Feb 19 2024
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
5 / 5 songs. 5 / 5 album art.
5
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Tue Feb 20 2024
I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail
Buck Owens
This kind of music used to make me cringe but "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" demonstrates how much country music contributed to rock 'n' roll.
Thankfully rock vocals evolved away from this vocal style that is still present in modern country music. I have to say that the instrumental was my favorite track from this album. Act Naturally goes hard, too, of course.
3
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Wed Feb 21 2024
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
This album is way more punk than I remember. It's closer to Mudhoney and Gas Huffer than I gave it credit for.
3
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Thu Feb 22 2024
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
It's a disservice to the songs on Countdown To Ecstasy to call it a rock recording. Rock has guts. "The Boston Rag" has a guitar solo and a driving drum beat which makes it rock adjacent but the rest of the album is... mild? "1970s mellow gold AM radio background noise" is what I would call it. Put this next to your Bread and Looking Glass records so you can put them on when your lame neighbors come over for mayonnaise sandwiches.
Pearl Of The Quarter is the best song on the record.
2
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Fri Feb 23 2024
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
4
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Mon Feb 26 2024
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
Songs: 5, Performances: 5, Production: 5.
This one is all-killer, no-filler. I listened to it twice in a row.
5
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Tue Feb 27 2024
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
The Downward Spiral is possibly the most unlikely commercial success of 1994. It's not metal or dance or industrial.
This album was my whole personality in ninth grade. The lyrics might tend toward "edgelord" but as a kid in his early teens they really spoke to me. Thirty years later I still appreciate the themes though the words are maybe too obvious.
As with all of the NIN albums the production and songcraft is top notch. As with many other albums from this era (the mass adoption of the compact disc) the length is too long. Trimming some of the tracks from the tail end would make this absolutely killer.
5
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
4
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Thu Feb 29 2024
Ramones
Ramones
All of the albums on this list are significant but this is the only one that matters.
5
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
I really wanted to love this one but its sterility does not leave me enough to latch onto. The experience of listening to Music For Airports through headphones while I sit at a desk feels like only half of what could be. What would this sound like at high volume? Or in a totally black room? Maybe in a sensory deprivation float tank... or an airport?
4
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Mon Mar 04 2024
Butterfly
Mariah Carey
The hip-hop tracks are solid late 90s singles. The Top 40 vocal pop songs are rough. The vocal performances are great, of course, but suffer because they are accompanied by middle of the road instrumentals.
3
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Tue Mar 05 2024
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
Another sixties pop record with a couple of standout singles. The remainder of the collection is pretty good. Not Byrds good, but it passes the vibe check.
4
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Wed Mar 06 2024
Violator
Depeche Mode
Two and a half good songs and the balance of the record is bad songs.
2
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Thu Mar 07 2024
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Pretty voice and pretty songs.
4
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Fri Mar 08 2024
Aja
Steely Dan
sounds like Steely Dan... ?
They used to play that De La Soul song that samples Peg during timeouts at Sonics games in the 90s.
3
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
Did Prince invent Bedroom Soul?
Listen... I get it. There is no other artist in popular music who has a more singular style than Prince. Its so singular that I find myself needing to re-tune my ear to it any time I listen to his albums. And Sign 'O' The Times is a good album. To me its more mature in content and style than his other records but I'm not blown away by the tunes... there's no I Would Die 4 U and no 7 here but as an album its fine.
10/10 album art
3
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Tue Mar 12 2024
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Hook-laden post-grunge Britpop displaying its influences obviously. The production is massive and the tunes are instantly infectious.
I was too cool to like this in 1994 but looking back I think it's great.
5
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Horses
Patti Smith
Horses is cool. Horses is unique. Horses is groundbreaking.
4
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Thu Mar 14 2024
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
Tasteful disco with rock solid performances and engaging songs.
3
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Fri Mar 15 2024
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
Mom, can we have David Bowie?
No. We have David Bowie at home.
David Bowie at home:
-----
Memes aside, there are some really good rock songs on Billion Dollar Babies. The concept is executed well and must have been a huge influence on many groups for decades after its release.
3
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Mon Mar 18 2024
Drunk
Thundercat
Is it hyperbole to call this a modern masterpiece? Probably. But I really like it a lot. To my ear the music is challenging and unexpected but the songs are engaging throughout. The performances are next level without any virtuoso wankery.
5
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Tue Mar 19 2024
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
Decent sixties psychedelia even if its over the top.
3
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
MC Solaar
Flow: 5/5. Beats: 3/5. Rhymes: no idea/5.
3
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Thu Mar 21 2024
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
Coldplay-core. Pretty generic record that sounds like 2008.
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
Incredible recording and super tight performances by the band and B.B. especially.
3
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Sex Packets
Digital Underground
I would have loved this back in sixth grade but I'm not sure it has the staying power of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, etc.
3
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Tue Mar 26 2024
The White Album
Beatles
Terrific collection of songs from The Beatles Maharishi era. Superfans will enjoy the album knowing the stories behind the songs but casual listeners can appreciate the tunes all the same.
5
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Wed Mar 27 2024
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
5