My first album on the user submitted list is a admittedly a dud. Sure this is super polished modern pop music, and I can say that it is that. But beyond that I can't say much, there is nothing here that catches me the way pop music should. I think Harry is obviously very talented but I have always felt like he plays it safe and holds back when it comes to his songs. This is all pretty forgettable.
I am only familiar with earlier Teenage Fanclub and this had an unexpected different feel to it. Not as noisy and rough around the edges as the earlier stuff, but a much brighter and janglier power pop. Not to say one is better than the other as Teenage Fanclub just crafts excellent songs. Really enjoyed hearing a different side of them, and really enjoyed this record.
Firmly in the guitar driven indie rock of the early 90s. I have always heard Polvo was worth listening to so was intrigued to see this pop up. Sounds exactly out of the time and place it came from. Inventive and interesting, but also a bit more brittle and artful than the heavy hitting guitar driven indie rock bands from the same time. Regardless, I enjoyed this enough, Polvo seems cool.
I had never heard of this band which is not surprising given that they seem like a pretty niche regional 90s funk band. I am not a good judge of what is good and what isn't when it comes to funk, as it's never really spoke to me. I'm sure this is good as far as 90s funk, but it's not for me.
I think in the 2010 post punk genre, this stands out as super solid. A great representation of that time and style for sure. Really enjoyed this.
Probably one of the quintessential dub albums out there. Feels like it's just cooked in to everything that's come since. Excellent record.
Had never heard of this artist at all. More fun and moved a bit more than I was expecting when I saw the "Dream Pop" genre affixed with it. I enjoyed this for sure.
This album is pure dreamy bedroom indie pop, and it's also super long. It's good for sure, but not really my thing, and it drags on a bit too long.
I saw Billy Squier open for Styx and Bad Company when I was in high school probably 25 years ago now. Styx was incredible and at this point I don't remember much else from that show. This album at the same time seems to be entirely familiar and entirely ordinary. I feel like I have heard of all of these songs so many times, but they all sound kind of the same, and just kind of sound like ubiquitous inoffensive rock music from the late 70s/early 80s.
I first heard this band on the original list, and this album did nothing to change my understanding of them, but just further enhanced it. I liked this album even less because of that. I get why people love this stuff, it sounds like an amalgamation of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen to me, with some Paul Simon thrown in there. Just straight boring heartland rock tropes. Not for me at all, but it's pleasant and very safe and non-confrontational.
Definitely have been aware of Fontaines D.C. for a bit but hadn't checked them out yet. Decent and fun enough. Kind of some more poppy shoegaze. I enjoyed this quite a bit.
This felt like a pretty middle of the road forgettable catchy indie album from the 2010s. A dime a dozen for sure.
With this shitty art work I assumed this was the debut album from blink-182. Was surprised to learn that wasn't the case. This is definitely a bit different than what I know them for, but different does not equate to better. This was a slog and entirely forgettable.
I used to be very in to Bad Religion when I was teenager, and it's been forever since I've listened to them. That melodic 90s punk hits so right. Really enjoyed this. A classic album for sure.
I always assumed this group was like a bluegrass jam band. I don't know why, maybe just a generalization based on the type of people that I thought were in to them. This is definitely some crunchy fusion jazz though. Not my cup of tea by any means, but they are obviously talented and great at what they do.
I have never listened to Bon Iver before and this is more or less what I expected, but man is it so much worse than I would expected. This type of music just brings up so many negative connotations with that time and scene. Even trying to contextualize it is difficult, I understand he may have been early on with this before it became more ubiquitous, but it just feels so pretentious and empty to me. I just can't.
Everything about this just evokes such a specific time and place that I want nothing to do with. This whole vibe is just so empty and vapid. I can't take this seriously.
I had always assumed I would not like The Avett Brothers, no real reason why. Figured this would come up on this user list, since people seem to like them. I see this was produced with the guiding hand of Rick Rubin which already makes me skeptical. This was fine I guess, felt pretty hallow and empty and forgettable, but pleasant.
This has been in my backlog for a bit, and I had been holding out since it seems very much not for me and I figured it'd be a slog. All of that proved to be true. This was rough, long, and a slog to get through. Not great at all.
This was a hard album to find, but it was truly a gem. Beautiful music and a beautiful voice. Thanks for the introduction.
Very ridiculous and over the top Heavy Metal. Did not know anything about this group. Funny they are connected with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This was about what I expected, fun and inconsequential.
I was a college kid in the early 2000s, so obviously I have a lot of experience with Blackalicious just being played in the background a lot. It seems fairly ubiquitous in that time and place. That being said, Blackalicious has always been sweet and always been something I enjoyed. It was nice listening to an album separate from that context. Good stuff for sure.
It's obvious immediately that this is a concept album. It's has an ambition and maturity that extends beyond being great pop music. A great listen for listen, if I was going to like a Beyoncé album it would probably be this one.
I had it set in my head that my submission to this list would be Super æ. The day I finished this was among the 5 most recently added albums to the user list, so I abandoned that.
I definitely prefer more the spacey trance vibe of Super æ and Vision Creation Newsun, but this album rules so much. Stoked Boredoms are on this list regardless.
Midwest hardcore from the 2000s. This was about what I was expecting it would be. It was fine.
An easy 5 stars. Probably the most universally agreed upon omission from the original list. Egregious to say the least.
This album is nearly perfect, it was huge, had a massive effect on a generation of music afterwards. It's kind of impossible to overstate how important this album. And on top of that it's long been one of my favorite albums. There were so many second and third albums from artists that were questionable to be on the list to begin with. This album's omission kind of undermines any legitimacy of the original list to begin with.
Anyway, I listened to this on vinyl and listened to it loud, like I have done countless times in the last 30 years.
Emo isn't really my thing. It wears on me a bit. This was fine, definitely not my jam, but it was okay to listen to.
This is certainly a modern dance pop album, which means it certainly did not hit for me.
Scottish indie pop band from the early 2000s I have never heard. This was enjoyable enough, felt like they so many songs were on the verge of being great, but not quite there. Overly long record as well.
Definitely not what I was expecting. Much more eclectic and interesting than I assumed it would be.
A very chill and dreamy shoegaze record from the 90s. Good enough for sure.
British hip hop. Surprised this wasn't on the original list since seemingly getting shortlisted for the Mercury Prize seems to guarantee inclusion. This was fine.
Never cared to try to get in to this band. I enjoyed this more than the album of theirs that is on the list proper, but this type of indie folk rock revival is not for me.
Surprised that this wasn't on the original list. A classic album anyway you slice it. Roky was the best.
This seems like it's maybe a decade too late. Some chamber sounding indie pop for sure. Not really my thing, but interesting enough I guess.
Had never heard of this, and both this artist and album do not have Wikipedia pages, so I wasn't expecting much. But this was excellent. Great flow, sounded like something from early 1990s rather than early 2000s. Really enjoyed this. Great selection!
Thrilled that someone added Arthur Russell to this list. A singular and phenomenal talent. Love this album and everything he did.
I have never checked out Childish Gambino before. This was more interesting than I expected it would be. Very eclectic and genre blending. Really enjoyed it.
This is pop music and is pretty inconsequential. The mix on this feels so buried. Some catchy songs for sure. But this isn't it.
This dude just seems like a poor man's Elvis Costello, which is definitely not a good thing.
Nothing all that interesting here aside from it being in Swedish.
This was a great album, really enjoyed this on a lazy morning with my coffee.
Another Boards of Canada album was on the original list, and I didn't know anything about them previous to hearing that. I enjoyed that record enough as being something that was not offensive and not all that great, and serves as a great thing to put on as background music. I feel about the same with this one. Nothing all that interesting.
Undeniably a great album from a great talent. I think this is probably one of the better additions to the user list.
I am not super familiar with They Might Be Giants, though I did have tickets to see their cancelled show a couple days after 9/11. I was skeptical because it was more recent, but this was awesome in all the right ways. Great record and I enjoyed it a ton.
Super classic outlaw country. A wonderful listen on a lazy weekend morning.
I am not sure if the user list will have anything that’s more of a sure fire 5 stars for me than this album. I had it on my shortlist to submit once I finished, but was beaten to it. One of my all time favorites.
The melodic post hardcore screamo stuff is definitely not for me, but I always appreciate the energy and conviction behind it, and also always appreciate how short it is. No complaints about this.
This was a truly ridiculous inclusion. Progressive metal at its most over the top. Fun for a bit for sure, but so ridiculous.
Had never heard of this, and was not particularly looking forward to it after looking into it and also seeing how long it was. This was honestly great. Spose is obviously super talented and super eclectic, this album just grooved pretty hard and I really enjoyed it. I wouldn't call it essential and it is too long, but with a lot more obscure inclusions on the user generated list, so far this is one the better albums I've listened to.
Post hardcore is not really for me, and I wasn't thrilled with the long runtime on this, but I ended up enjoying this quite a bit. Settled in nicely.
A truly beautiful recording. An excellent and essential jazz record.
I have heard the Vampire Weekend name forever but don't think I had ever (knowingly) heard them or could explain what they sounded like. This was very bad, and I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't have just maintained not being exposed to this band, but here we are. I guess at the very least, at least this album was short?
Every aspect of this was painful and grating to get through. It sounds like some shitty early 2000s pop punk band trying to be a metal band. At least it was well over an hour long.
I guess kudos for selecting an obscure band from an overlooked time frame within an underrepresented genre of music. Aside from that, there is not much else that is redeeming about this.
An excellent example of early electronic music. It reminds me of Giorgio Moroder. I was unfamiliar with this, but this is an excellent release. An EP worthy of inclusion on a list of albums.
Absolutely loved this, so dreamy, what a vibe.
Very much sounds like a watered down Pink Floyd, lacking the urgency the full band was able to create. I lean more towards the David Gilmour contributions to that band than Roger Waters. This was interesting enough I guess. I guess I've just never cared to explore what any of those guys have done outside of Pink Floyd.
Super solid and enjoyable Argentinian rock from the 80s. Better than I was expecting, and kudos for something outside the box.
I guess this was fine. It was a long live album, and I'm not sure anyone ever needs another one of those in their life. Joe Cocker is sweet enough though.
This had a good groove for sure. Different and interesting enough and not too long. Nice album to listen to on a weekend morning.
Sounds like a generic overproduced commercial R&B music. Which I know that hits the spot for some people. This is not for me.
As far as 60s British music that hasn't had a lasting impact, this is an album that enjoyed more than others. Obscure 60s psych that contains all the best elements of The Kinks and the The Zombies. This album was great.
We do not need so many prog metal albums on this list.
Definitely do not need this.
Completely unfamiliar with this artist, but man what an incredible record. This is the type of thing that makes this list and exercise worthwhile. Easy 5 stars.
Just an absolutely beautiful jazz record.
Absolutely no interest in Metalcore.
About as middle of the road as you can get.
Very middle of the road. Sounds like tons of stuff already on this list.
About as good as I could have expected. Blends a lot of genres and the massive wall of sound is so calming. Exceeded my expectations for sure.
I mean an incredible "debut" solo album from one of the all timers, with some of his most iconic songs. Great album all around.
For how much Pink Floyd was on the original list, it's absolutely to ridiculous to consider this to have been missed. 90s era Pink Floyd just isn't it. This is too perfect and calculated and empty and incomplete, and far too long. I guess I'm happy to say I was able to slog through this thing, but this is a hard no.
This is the exact brand of 2010s indie rock that I find uninteresting and boring.
I caught the first 10 minutes of this band at a fest in 2019 without knowing them, and my friend and I decided they'd be a great band to skip to get some food from the food carts. They've blown up a lot since then, and I don't really get it. This is the first time I have listened to one of their records. It's fine for sure, but man it just seems so mellow and boring--nothing wrong with it being mellow and quiet, it's just surprising to me that they've blown up as much as they have. Did not enjoy at this all.
I do not need this melodic hardcore music.
I have a lot of respect for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. I saw them play in a small venue in 2013 before they started to explode and the show was incredible. I definitely cannot keep up with their albums, a bit too proggy (and frequent) for me, but love what they do. This was enjoyable enough to listen to.
I can see how this would be a great album for it's genre but it doesn't do anything for me.
I was not expecting to love this album as much as I do. What a debut. Brilliant songwriting with a resonate energy that feels right at home in the long storied history of Irish troubadours. It feels very working class and very tender and articulate at the same time.
Psychedelic trance for sure. As far as EDM goes there is plenty worse to listen to than this. So within that genre this was great, but in general, definitely not.
I have never had any interest in listening to this record. It was fine I guess, but certainly feels like the rest of the band sans David Byrne trying to keep something alive that wasn't anymore. These songs feel out of place and out of time, and feel more like a compilation than a fully formed album. Not great at all.
A fun proggy art pop album from a band I have never heard of. Some of this was a lot of fun and I was left with some parts stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Enjoyed it for sure.
Man this was so bad and so tough to get through. Seems like music perfect for shopping while in a Target or some bullshit like that.
This was fine, certainly occupies it's own space. Slightly off kilter from what we usually get on this list which is a plus.
If this wasn't on this list I would have never known how much I don't need this.
Obviously Dolly Parton is incredible. I don't have all the context for different periods of her career or anything, and I'm not super familiar with her records, but this was just so enjoyable and lovely on a weekend morning.
This firmly fits in that boring and uninteresting world where EDM and pop music intersect. Too long as well.
This is very much my alley and very early in to this I was shocked I had never heard of this band before. That hyper literate lyrical approach and delivery remind me so much of Dave Berman. Absolutely loved this, what a treat.
A rare record on this list that at least makes sense. A highly influential band out of the mainstream produced by one of the best to do it. Raw a noisy and sounds great. Albini really capturing the best sound in the early 90s alt/noise rock scene. Thrilled this came up and was stoked to listen to it today.
Certainly an interesting and eclectic sound.
90s pop country is really not for me.
The second Bon Iver album that has come up on this User Album list, which is wild. I certainly liked this way more than this band's debut. It still has such a distinct attachment to a specific time and place and scene that I just don't have the best associations with, but it isn't as anchored to it as that debut. I enjoyed this a bit, but certainly not for me.
This was enjoyable enough, but just really not for me.
I was the demographic of the target audience when this was released in 1994, so I definitely listened to this but quickly shed any interest in this genre of music pretty immediately. That being said, this is a lot better than I was expecting.
This was so much better than I was expecting. Wide ranging super catchy layered pop songs. Super well done and super enjoyable.
I guess this is an acclaimed death metal album. It was fine, not my thing by any means.
One of the truly legendary video games and associated soundtracks. I thought the combined experience was wild when it came out. Crazy to listen to this again years later.
Love seeing a Primus album pop up. I have not listened to a full Primus album for so many years. Back when I got in to Primus almost 30 years ago, this was one of my go-to albums, for obvious reasons. So many great songs. Had a lot of fun listening to this.
This was fine, seems a bit before it's time for sure. When I was listening to it, I assumed that it was from the early 2010s. It being late stage Britpop I'm sure was a thing. Because I'm guessing Britpop people don't like more progressive things like this. Anyway, this was an okay listen, too long for sure, nothing super remarkable.
It is easy to laugh and discount this when it comes up. Certainly a very specific sound of a very specific time, but this was not an unpleasant listen at all. For never listening to CAKE I was surprised with how many of these songs felt wholly familiar to me. They must be more ubiquitous culturally than I give them credit for.
Heavy post metal record. Not for me but obviously a good record.
An interesting record. It feels like it's from someone who lives on the fringes, and it doesn't really fit into anything neatly. I enjoyed this enough.
This is the second Vampire Weekend album on the User list after there were none on the critic list. I think that after listening to two Vampire Weekend albums I am firmly in the same camp as the critics and believe their omission was correct. The music this band makes just feels so empty and uninspired. Generally I can understand why people would like something, but with this band, I just don't get it. Not for me at all.
Pretty straightforward alt rock, which is too say it's nothing special.
I had not listened to this for decades. And it totally rocks which is not surprising at all.
A classic that I haven't listened to for a while now. I forget how much this first album rocks--a sound she's unfortunately (to me) moved away from a bit. I miss this kind of wild abandon from her. Had a blast revisiting this.
One of the more recent pop stars of the moment. Catchy and well produced for sure, but at the end of the day, it is a pop album.
I don't think it's hyperbole to call this a groundbreaking release. Something that hadn't been done before that brought this stylized approach to music to the forefront and kickstarted a sensation. Have not listened to a full Weird Al record since I was a teenager. I forget how this was more front loaded with the parodies and the most of the second side is originals. Weird Al rules, one of the best.
To me this is pretty middle of the road and uninteresting.
A good ambient album which is a great change of pace from what this user list leans hard towards.
I am slightly surprised that this album wasn't on the original list, and totally thought it was, but on another inspection it looks like their first S/T album is on the list, so I'm happy to know they are at least represented. I am not a prog metal or nu metal fan by any means, but something about System of a Down hits the nostalgia just right. This album kicks ass and I had a blast revisiting it.
This comes with all the preconceived trappings of the specific time and place of late 2000s indie rock/folk. Unfortunately it doesn't offer much to rise out of that. Pretty meh for sure.
I don't care for holiday music in the slightest, but there is something timeless about Peanuts and this record that hits all the best nostalgic points, while at the same time being incredible on it's own merits rather than just measuring up to other holiday music. This album is a classic and I love it so.
Submitting this is an all-time top tier goof.
At it's surface this is pretty boiler plate 90s rock, however there is slightly more to it than that, and there were definitely some interesting and very catchy parts in there. This was fine.
A stark and beautifully dreamy work of art pop folk. Loved this album.
Totally unfamiliar with this and it felt a bit gimmicky at first, but this was a great album. Feels very much like he's in his own lane doing his own thing. Really enjoyed this.
Shocked this is not on the original list because this fits squarely into the severely overrepresented British post-punk from the 80s. Which is to say, I don't think this list needs any more of that.
I wasn't thrilled to get this, and am honestly slightly surprised INXS is not on the original list. This was fine, some songs I recognize, but just doesn't do it for me at all.
A long loud droney ambient shoegaze metal album. About sums it up.
A plenty decent British folk revival record. These are always great listens, but I certainly don't need to delve deeper into that movement.
Based on their name, I did not expect this to be so straightforward blues based roots rock. It was fine I guess, but wholly uninteresting.
Just an all around excellent early punk record. It's title is apt.
I initially kind of rolled my eyes when I saw this pop up. I love Wilco but I think what was included on the original list was appropriate for them. That being said I obviously love this album, and while listening to it for the thousandth time today, I couldn't bring myself to justify giving it anything less than a 5.
When I was a teenager I was very much into Catch 22 but kind of grew out of it, and never listened to Streetlight Manifesto. From what I understand they re-recorded Keasbey Nights years after the original Catch 22 release which I loved. I would have been pumped if that came up, I haven't listened to it in over 20 years. I guess this is the album that came out after that re-recording. It's fine, sounds just like Catch 22. Third wave ska rules.
A decent number of people somewhat regularly tell me that QOTSA rock and kick ass. When I listen to QOTSA I find myself absolutely loving the guitar tone and riffs, the production, etc. I don't really love much else. Sometimes I wish these guitar riffs would go on forever, I don't care much for the vocals of their supposed "sense of humor" or whatever. That being said this album rocked and I really enjoyed it.
The energy on this album is over the top too much. It combines all the worst elements of metal, electronic, synth pop into something that is pretty unbearable. At least it clocks in with a short runtime.
This is an incredible album. Excellent inclusion on this list.
This was better than I was expecting it to be. Sad boy music, much less pretentious than something like Sufjan Stevens. This was a gem.
Aesop Rock is objectively good. Great production and great lyrics as always. Kind of just used to him being on in the background from my college days. Enjoyed putting this on.
Surprised this was not on the original list. I assumed everything that gets a Mercury Prize gets added to that list. This was forgettable. Nothing that sets is apart from everything else in this genre.
Zappa's most commercially successful album. I bought this as a used CD for $2 back when I was 19 after people had told me I should check out Zappa. I bought it without having any concept of how many albums he had, what his best ones were, etc. it just was in the used CD bins I was browsing. Never really connected with it. I respect Zappa's game for sure, couldn't ever get in to this one specifically.
Certainly always skeptical of 1980s British albums when they pop up on this list--the whole list was just so oversaturated with them. Not only did this seem unique from that bloc of albums that sounds all too similar but it was good on it's own terms and not just because it was unique.
This album is available to listen to on Bandcamp: https://cindylee.bandcamp.com/album/diamond-jubilee
One of my favorite albums of the last 10 years. I ordered a copy of it before I was 10 minutes into listening to it on Bandcamp when it was released. Very cool that this is on this list.
I was unfamiliar with Joe Jackson, but was very keen on the album artwork and title of this album. And obviously I instantly recognized "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" This was fun enough for sure, a bit ridiculous, and we have plenty of stuff that aligns squarely with this genre.
