This. This right here might be the most glaring omission from the original list. Not Hand. Cannot. Erase. necessarily, but Steven Wilson himself. Easily one of the most important figures in rock in the 21st century and not a single album. Ridiculous. Hand. Cannot. Erase. is a beatiful example of what Wilson can achieve on his own. Majestic, tragic and, as always, brilliant.
Zevon is a great personal storyteller with his own very distinct twist to his songs. Even a few minor missteps don’t keep this from being, if not excitable, then very enjoyable.
Not including Yo La Tengo is another obvious miss from the editors. There are way too many bands with a handful of albums on the original list, which means that stuff like this is overlooked - it becomes very apparent due to the user list… And I’m only 9 albums in. A few of Yo La Tengo’s albums could’ve fitted in; including this one. Great variations between lovely, short ballads and longer, more intricate compositions. Great band, great record.
I don’t know how I’ve been totally oblivious to this. It’s absolutely incredible. Almost didn’t notice that 77 minutes went by. It’s ridiculously grand to the point of almost reaching megalomania - it never does though. “Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane” ended up being the highlight for me.
Public service announcement. If you’re currently listening to Elvis Costello, stop immediately and listen to Joe Jackson instead.
The first user album on the list, and it’s an obscure, Spanish rock album from a super group playing songs based on the lyrics of a poet? Count me in!!
Better than a lot of the country albums on the actual list. It’s very decent with a few songs being great even - e.g. “That Old Time Feeling” and “Desperados Waiting For A Train”.
Mylène Farmer is not a particularly interesting singer - and the compositions are even worse. There’s absolutely no progression in any of the songs and still someone somehow decided that every song should exceed the 5 minute mark.
It only dawned on me as this album appeared, that Bon Iver had not been included on the original list. One of the most influential indie bands of the 2000’s? What a weird and wrong decision that is. “Perth” is one of my favorite album openers of the last 20 years and while Bon Iver don’t keep that level of intensity throughout, this is an obvious miss from the editors. Thank you, person who submitted this.
Daft Punk laid the groundwork with Homework, but they changed the game with Discovery. This would have been the obvious inclusion on the original list.
Public service announcement. If you’re currently listening to Elvis Costello, stop immediately and listen to Joe Jackson instead.
Another fine, middle of the road country album. Starts if strong only to take a dive from “I Feel Lucky” through “Not Too Much To Ask” until a Lucinda Williams cover saves the day. It should be noted that this really isn’t my genre - but Come On Come On is worth a listen.
A live album is probably the right way to get acquainted with the work of John Dwyer - it’s chaotic, noisy and wild. I could have done without the lengthy ending track though. It’s ultimately the thing that makes this a solid 3 instead of a 4 for me.
Not including Yo La Tengo is another obvious miss from the editors. There are way too many bands with a handful of albums on the original list, which means that stuff like this is overlooked - it becomes very apparent due to the user list… And I’m only 9 albums in. A few of Yo La Tengo’s albums could’ve fitted in; including this one. Great variations between lovely, short ballads and longer, more intricate compositions. Great band, great record.
Surprised to find Bob Seger here. On Stranger In Town he uses two different backing bands - and it’s very noticeable. When he’s backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section he sounds like any other blues rock singer-songwriter. It lacks nerve and authenticity. It’s a different story when The Silver Bullet Band is present. Suddenly everything sounds organic and full of life. Had he stuck to the band, whose name is on the cover, this would probably have received another star.
14 punk songs in about 30 minutes? Please and yes. Fun, energetic and fast.
I remember Susanne Sundfør being very popular when I was in high school. I didn’t get it back then, and I really haven’t been thinking about her since then. Turns out I still don’t get the hype. It’s pretty, but also pretty boring.
This. This right here might be the most glaring omission from the original list. Not Hand. Cannot. Erase. necessarily, but Steven Wilson himself. Easily one of the most important figures in rock in the 21st century and not a single album. Ridiculous. Hand. Cannot. Erase. is a beatiful example of what Wilson can achieve on his own. Majestic, tragic and, as always, brilliant.
I normally don’t care that much for language barriers in music - but there’s always artists, that are much better if you know the language. You probably wouldn’t be a Dylan fan if you didn’t know any English? Hombres G sound quite fun at times, but my Spanish is, unfortunately, insufficient. "Él es... Rita la cantaora" was a highlight, but most of the album lacked something for me to hold on to.
I like the story behind this and the production choices are borderline insane. I really like a lot about this, but it is really necessary to include what is essentially more than a decade old demos from a guy who hasn’t released anything since?
I thought being done with the original list meant being done with long and shitty electronic albums. I appear to be wrong on that one. This is one of the shittiest ones yet.
It’s basically a concept album about a man waking up and going about his day. It’s as fun as it sounds.
Exotic punk! Way heavier than I thought this would be. It’s a blast and incredibly fun from start to finish.
Not nearly as catchy and memorable as I expected a solo album with Bob Mould playing every instrument would be. It was fine, but I don’t remember much of it half a day later.
I really enjoyed Underwater Moonlight, but this solo effort just doesn’t cut it for me. The sparse instrumentation never develops into a unique and engaging sound and while there are a few great tracks, I won’t be revisiting Eye as a whole.
One of the most danceable interpretations of pain and sadness in recent history.
You’re a pretty cool guy, Mr. Cameron. I don’t think I fully get the concept behind his solo stuff yet - if I did this might have been a 5? Extremely catchy!
There’s really no need for more music like music like this on the list - but there is a need for some Nik Kershaw. Human Racing is a great choice. Really fun and catchy with some extremely memorable songs in “Wouldn’t It Be Good” and “Cloak And Dagger” just to name a few.
I don’t know how I’ve been totally oblivious to this. It’s absolutely incredible. Almost didn’t notice that 77 minutes went by. It’s ridiculously grand to the point of almost reaching megalomania - it never does though. “Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane” ended up being the highlight for me.
Great choice including some Bad Religion on the list. Catchy, accessible and on point with their highly critical world view. Greg Graffin’s legendary voice is easily recognizable and fully deserves a spot here. Great pick.
What just happened? Café Tacvba takes you in all directions possible - and they do it with confidently. I’m not always sure what is going on, but I know that I like it. More Spanish language albums please.
The name, the title, the cover art - everything tells me, that I should like it. I just never really got the point of Death Cab for Cutie. I’m quite bored throughout most of the album and even the promising build up of the lengthy title track barely leads to anything. There’s a few good songs along the way and “We Look Like Giants” is really great even! In the end I just don’t get the hype.
Easiest 5 in a while and an insane miss from the original list. Images and Words is a classic and should be cherished as such. It’s not my personal favorite of their albums, but if I had to pick one of their album to show to others this would be it every single time.
Normally not a musical person, but I absolutely love Hadestown. The original idea and recordings by Anaïs Mitchell is great with an exceptional cast - but I still prefer the Broadway Cast Recording. It’s just hard to compete with André de Shields and Patrick Page. “Wait For Me” and “Why We Build the Wall” are some of the greatest musical numbers ever written and I fully think either this of the Broadway version deserves a spot here.
The new wave of British rock is crazy. Sports Team wouldn’t be my own first pick to showcase the overflow creativity from within the scene, but they’re a great choice nonetheless.
The first 5 songs are just perfect. It’s essential Tool and contains some of their most iconic tracks. I fully get why it’s more of a question of preference and taste thereafter. It dives into the weirder parts of the band, but especially the duo of “Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)” and “Rosetta Stoned” is mesmerizingly great. I still almost don’t believe that Danny Carey plays what he does with just four limbs. Thank you for bringing some much needed Tool to this list.
With the amount of Talking Heads already on the list, there’s no need for this. It’s great and they were an absurd live band at this point - but you should watch the film instead.
I don’t really get much of what he’s saying, but I’m loving the vibe. Great production, stellar beats and an impeccable flow.
Please stop being this talented Mr. Glover. “Redbone” is the unmistakable centerpiece of the album, and even though the rest of the songs never reach the same height, there’s no denying the quality of the album.
Just listened to Death Cab For Cutie and I, to my own surprise, found this way more enjoyable! It sounds a bit dated today, and I unfortunately wasn’t riding this way back when it was released - but if I had been, this would easily have been a 4.
I've heard about Manchester Orchestra, but I wasn't that familiar with their work. Extremely well-written concept album from a group with a clear vision of where they're heading. Especially the closing track is pure brilliance.
I don’t know what Stars are trying to achieve here. I only know that the end result is rather boring and forgettable.
I only knew the classic title track, but I really enjoyed the first half of the album - it felt kind of nostalgic. I’m not really a fan of pop-punk in general, but something clicked with me. Was it the violin? Was it the great chorus on “Only One”? Hard to pinpoint. It began falling apart in the second half and from “Inside Out” I was officially out. I still understand the inclusion of something like this.
A little too on the nose? A little too stupid? Gemstones always seem to be one of the two - at times it’s even both at once!
This ended up not being as bad as I thought it would be after when I was two songs in. It belongs in another era and the band is not nearly good enough to pull of the weird ideas they come up with. There were a few highlights along the way, but I wouldn’t explore their discography further unless I really had to.
Excellent. Hooked from start to finish. Definitely didn’t get the chance to immerse myself enough in the lyrics, so I will be revisiting this rather soon. Also, contender for least fitting artist name.
Not as Welsh as some Welsh albums come, but still quite Welsh indeed. It was quick, rather fun and at times quite clever. Most of the times it was just a nice background album while I was doing other stuff. Liked it, didn’t love it.
Nostalgia might play in, but I enjoyed listening to The Black Parade again immensely. I probably can’t count the number of times it’s been blasted through the speakers of my teenage room. It seems like way too ambitious of a project for MCR to pull through, but they somehow manage. The title track is the obvious main event, but the rest of the album (especially the opening half and “Famous Last Words”) is strong. Nostalgia might be the factor that ends up making this a clear 5 for me. Obvious mistake for this not to be included originally.
A bit too long, but incredibly fun through and through.
“Ah yes, finally some Italian instrumental funk”, said no one ever.
I too almost threw an egg at my stereo listening to this. It’s most meaningless inclusion on the user list as of yet. There’s no shortage of The Stooges albums on the original list and even if you wanted to include another one, Metallic K.O. sounds like dog shit. It’s probably meant to, being released like it was, but it’s still a pain getting through.
Don’t take Babymetal too serious - it’s just fun and kawaii all day long. You should take the music rather serious, though. There’s a stellar cast of guest appearances and it’s hard to not move around as it’s playing. The idol scene itself might not be problem free but I won’t dive further into that for now - that’s for another time and place.
I never got the hype for Vampire Weekend and I still don’t. They are a fine indie band, but that’s it? Nothing really stuck to me while Contra was on, but I didn’t hate anything either. It’s fine - but chill out everyone.
I don’t really get Enter Shikari. I have nothing against them, but their heavy trance/electronic crossover just isn’t my thing. Sure, they do it better than almost every single one of the horrible bands that followed - there’s just every few tracks that truly grabs my attention. Also, why isn’t Take to the Skies ending in “Adieu”, the title and fading outro taken into consideration?
A German classic. Yeti lives in the weird space between krautrock, psych and avant-garde without ever fully settling within one of the genres. It's a captivating listen with especially the improvisations at the end standing out.
I only listened to a couple of Type O Negative records - Bloody Kisses is one of them. It's too long, so let's get that out of the way to start with. It's a weird combination of romantic, menacing and dark. I like all that. At other times it's too punky and edgy. I don't like that. Type O Negative is best when they're droning and doomy. Luckily they are just that on most of Bloody Kisses.
I was expecting that I really wouldn’t care about DMB. I primarily know them from the many, many jokes and stereotypes. But - if the rest of the discography is as progressive as Before These Crowded Streets, count me in! It might be too long, but I really enjoyed everything. I have a feeling that the rest of the discography might not be as good as this, but I will give it a try. Thank you for forcing me to listen to Dave Matthews Band.
Today I have reviewed Amon Düül II, Type O Negative and now The Angelic Process - might be time for something a bit lighter soon. Contender for heaviest inclusion on this list so far. Droning, experimental and heavily influenced by shoegazing - it’s a massive album (both in sound and scale) that’s definitely not for everyone.
Great reminder to watch Searching for Sugar Man again very soon. Cold Fact is a great album that deserves its spot in the limelight.
It hasn't been long since I had the other Babymetal album on this list. While I really enjoyed it, I think we can all agree, that 2 is simply too many? And while I enjoyed Metal Forth more than their debut, this is probably the album that should be featured here - it's the defining Babymetal record. There's no need for the opening track, but after that it starts of incredibly strong with the great "Megitsune" and even though the entire record doesn't hold up to that, it's still fun, heavy and weird. The record is more unfocused and on this debut kawaii metal is still a genre trying to find its legs ... And might still be to this day, actually. I gave Metal Forth 4 starts and for the sake of this being the Babymetal record most deserving of this spot, I will give it the same score.
It’s incredibly stupid, but I liked it more than I initially anticipated. Unfortunately Discosis is all over the place, as if it was written and performed by several bands with no common denominator. The “rock songs” are horrible, but the electronic cuts and acoustic songs do their best to try and save Discosis. They don’t though and “Stepchild” ends up being the final blow.
I know it’s Chuck Berry and all, but I’m really glad rock starting heading in a new direction at this point in time. Released in ‘64, but the sound is rooted well within the 1950’s. Just ain’t for me.
I never really felt the blues myself, but I was quite intrigued by the concept of 10 Days Out. There are some mighty legends on this record, and I’m sure that I would have enjoyed the film even more - it must have been a thrilling ride producing this. The record? Just another blues record - albeit with some crazy features throughout.
I’ve been stuck in dry land for too long to actually appreciate this.
Man, Lee “Scratch” Perry is cool. Super Ape is excellent for having some rumbling bass rhythms in the background, but I would still prefer a great reggae album over dub any day of the week.
Stellar cast of guest appearances and great songwriting by Hornsby. He balances the jazz, rock, pop and world influences wonderfully, leaning heavier into the jazzier sides of things - hard to complain.
22, A Million feels more like a collection of experiments than an actual album, but if you do it as well as Justin Vernon, who cares?
Phew, this list was in dire need of some post-punk. Well spotted! The Sound delivers a fine album with a few highs and even fewer lows. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, though.
Yet another proof that most albums would be better, were they to be sung in a Scottish accent. Frightened Rabbit is at times rather grand but also manages to capture the fragile nature of the lyrics and mind between the songs. Great album, great addition to the list.
Some people will literally pretend to like the music of Yoko Ono rather than go to therapy. I get it, you hated going through the original list - but why take it out on us?
I got Ram the day after Yoko Ono’s horrible Fly, and you’re telling me we don’t live in a simulation? Ram is not the perfect album some retrospectively make it out to be - but it’s a great look into Paul McCartney, the solo artist, and the direction in which he went post-Beatles. Should have absolutely been on the original list; in such a degree that I actually thought it was.
Go ahead and replace one of the MANY mediocre post-punk records on the original list with this, please and thank you. I could easily see this finding its way into my vinyl collection in the near future.
You can actually hear the idea of remixes evolve on records like these. King Tubby was a pioneer for sure. Unfortunately I’m not a fan of remixes in general - and dub is also not my usual cup of tea. There’s absolutely nothing wrong here and it’s always a pleasure listening to the Barrett brothers, I just don’t see that this wouldn’t be even better with some vocals on top?
This is an Alex Turner solo album and should never have been released under the Arctic Monkeys name. It feels very long (even at only 40 minutes) and the songs all have the exact same sound and tempo… But the worst part of it all? The fact that Matt Helders, one of his generation’s most underrated drummers, is being held hostage on this bore of an album. Hell, he isn’t even the drummer on every track! It’s not quite a 1 in itself, but it’s a disgrace that this is a Monkeys-album.
Is this release too recent to be eligible for inclusion on a list like this? Possibly, but I don’t care. Masterful comeback album and perfect in every way. Immediately one of the best The Cure records - and there’s plenty to choose from.
Slowdive is MBV’s dreamier cousin. This and Loveless are the epitome of shoegaze and are equally deserving of a spot on the list.
Probably the best 19-piece band on this list and living proof that jazz is all but dead. Snarky Puppy is a creative force to be reckoned with and while not every decision on We Like It Here is perfect (“Tio Macaco” being the prime example), it’s an excellent record.
It’s easy to dismiss Weezer, but please name another rock star as capable of pulling off a knitted sweater as Rivers Cuomo? I’ll wait. Also, “Say It Ain’t So” is just so damn good. Great pick, that should have been on the original list, no doubt.
Obscure, original German krautrock with Latin chanting? Yes please.
Great hidden gem from a band I had absolutely no idea existed. Really enjoyed this one.
Zevon is a great personal storyteller with his own very distinct twist to his songs. Even a few minor missteps don’t keep this from being, if not excitable, then very enjoyable.