Are You Shpongled?
ShpongleNo, no I am not.
No, no I am not.
Far more entertaining than I could've ever expected from the nearly hour-and-a-half Spanish pop rock album. I thought I was in for a beating, but this album's energy is balanced very well, with a lot of variation on what pop rock can be. Sure, it's never intensive or a challenging listen, but the vocals are nice, the instrumentation is solid, and it surely works as a cool insight into other cultures' takes on music eras I know all too well. Good add, user, don't let the naysayers get you down!
Hey, quick note 1001 Generator users. Remember when you'd all complain about how long some of the albums were? Why have I gotten five albums in a row that go over an hour? I know I have to attack Springsteen and Phish live at some point, isn't that long enough? Ten minute albums from here on out, okay? Thanks. In all seriousness, what a trip of an album. I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing, but man did the longer this album went on did I feel the joke of it all start to land more and more. It isn't the most melodic album, and I don't think I'd come back to a particular track if I could, but I respect this album enough sonically to boost it into the 3's area. Just... maybe ease some people in with Vision Creation Newsun first? Then again, that's not a ten minute album. Hmm... tricky.
Everything I read about this album made it sound worse than it is. It's an album that obviously loves Rage Against the Machine, but misses the nuances that make that band so special, which causes this to mostly boring. Lyrically it's blunt and of it's time, but I suppose it's still apt for now, at least. I understand wanting to put this here, but I feel like this album and its messages were exactly covered on the exact album it pays homage to, all sans Tom Morello guitar.
I think my favorite part of this album were all the oddities hidden within. I mean, obviously, as it is abstract hip hop but the combination of memorable and futuristic lyrics in an "Alien" sort of way, that meaning retro futurism, and beats that sound like no one could rap over them, yet Del pulls it off with flying colors, never leaving a moment to let the listener pause, as even the interludes are so intriguing with these light sprinkles of lore that only add to this plot that starts to become more and more opaque. This album ran so that so many other rappers could sprint alongside it. I have to give it 100x credit for that alone. I think some of the songs are noticeably lesser compared to others, and I could see that leading to "skips," but I was constantly entertained in some fashion, and look forward to diving into most of these songs even deeper.
It's nice to get a sound completely absent from the main 1001 list, it really shows the benefits to user submission. Album was very pretty, and I loved the overall theme, it was always satisfying to come back to.
Always love me some Polvo, althought I'll admit I like their later on, more math rock-y stuff, but this is still a great addition.
I think my favorite part of this album were all the oddities hidden within. I mean, obviously, as it is abstract hip hop but the combination of memorable and futuristic lyrics in an "Alien" sort of way, that meaning retro futurism, and beats that sound like no one could rap over them, yet Del pulls it off with flying colors, never leaving a moment to let the listener pause, as even the interludes are so intriguing with these light sprinkles of lore that only add to this plot that starts to become more and more opaque. This album ran so that so many other rappers could sprint alongside it. I have to give it 100x credit for that alone. I think some of the songs are noticeably lesser compared to others, and I could see that leading to "skips," but I was constantly entertained in some fashion, and look forward to diving into most of these songs even deeper.
This is inoffensive, I guess? The length isn't as much of an issue as it seems, as plenty of albums on the generator extend past this album's length, so I'm used to it. The playing is also quality, dare I say GOOD at some moments, but the album as a whole just doesn't do much for me. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but the person who added this has to be a member of this band, right? Friends with them, at least? They obviously have a small following, but this feels too niché to be the album I just had to listen to at the end of the 1001 rainbow. I'm all for small acts getting represented, but this feels a bit suspicious, is all. Again, though, it's fine. Not as bad as some other reviews are treating it.
I suppose I respect this to some extent, and some of it works for me, but by the end I wanted off the trip.
Far more entertaining than I could've ever expected from the nearly hour-and-a-half Spanish pop rock album. I thought I was in for a beating, but this album's energy is balanced very well, with a lot of variation on what pop rock can be. Sure, it's never intensive or a challenging listen, but the vocals are nice, the instrumentation is solid, and it surely works as a cool insight into other cultures' takes on music eras I know all too well. Good add, user, don't let the naysayers get you down!
Love getting the genres missed on the main generator, and while this is technically a comp, it may as well count with how limited this band's discography is. Not a huge skate/ska punk fan, but with this many quick tracks some are bound to appeal.
I like the middle part, it's just wacky enough to stand out, but the rest of the album does feel like it's chasing other sounds, especially Stevie Wonder. Still, solid enough, and certainly better than I thought it'd be.
I understand including this, it's better than you'd expect, and you can find it in every record store and Goodwill in America, so it certainly left its mark. I just feel like this sort of album was done better with other acts on the original list, and something about Old Time Rock & Roll rubs me the wrong way, feels like Bob Seger is an old man yelling at a cloud, when he was barely thirty. Fine album. Still the Same doing A LOT of heavy lifting.
Oddly unique and predictable at the same time? Listening to pretty much anything by Mr. Bungle will have you set for this record, but there are far worse things to take inspiration from, and this album does have enough of its own identity to keep it fresh. Nothing spectacular, but a good hint of something new to my palate. Palette? Pallet? Fuck off, English.
Sorry person who added this, but this visually made me cringe up the moment the instrumentals started, and every time I started to ease into it a bit, it would do something to toss me right back into the Hellfire that is this album. The sound is that of an album that could be realistically played anywhere and nowhere at the same time. I could imagine hearing this blaring out of a stranger's car and not batting an eye and being concerned simultaneously. Post-hardcore just has so much great product in the world, I don't know why you'd try to drag it down with dated 2000s synths, and I say that as someone who added a 70s disco album. I could see the appeal, I guess, but if an acquaintance puts this on, I'm laughing at them, and they know they deserve it just a tiny bit.
My main takeaway here is I could of wish the main vocalist would chill it on the screeching more often. I don't mind a strained vocalist, but it just sounds uncomfortable here, and not in the good way. Plus, he has a pretty decent voice when he is singing sans strain. The album for me was in one ear and out the other otherwise. Metalcore isn't really my thing, but this album feels especially safe, and while that means this is more digestible than you'd expect, it's still a rough listen to get through. I mean I can at least admit this is better than whatever Killswitch Engage submitted for Guitar Hero III.
Hooked me very quickly, but unfortunately it didn't really stick for very long, as I realized a lot of the tracks follow the same general structure and sound. That, plus the length of the whole album led to me being ready for it to be over by the end, even if there wasn't any part I strictly disliked. It's very pretty, I give it a lot of credit, I just don't think I could sit through it all again.
I really like the guitar in this, its space-y, its fuzzy, and it has this other-wordly feel that can really put you in a certain mood. However, I get pulled out of all of that instantly by most of the singer's choices vocally, with it all sounding a bit too whiney at points, like he's about to break out into singing like one of those nasally mainstream emo voices, and it is a really unsatisfying listen because of this. Sometimes it works, like the biggest track, Stars, but otherwise I feel it just is a record with a lot of wasted potential, with a good atmosphere, but not enough holding it up with the other shoegaze, post-hardcore greats.
Knew Untrust Us from... uh... I actually don't know, but I was excited for the rest of the album, and I'd say it mostly delivered? I think by the end of the album a lot of the songs were coming off relatively meaningless and repetitive, but I'd say the front half of the album is good enough to make up for it. Just may need some more manic energy to thoroughly enjoy this one, but still, of course, very good.
Really like these kinds of monotone vocals, and I was actually kind of sad when he would go for something more akin to the Darkness of all things. The punkier stuff was way better than the rock heavy stuff, but the whole album was objectively just okay, but I personally quite enjoyed my time. Nice to have a shorter album, and there are some bangers on here.
Talking Heads is one of my favorite bands of all time, but I try to avoid their personal lives when it comes to their band because it really sours the reputation of all involved. They are certainly not the worst rock stars out there personality wise, but it can be rough. Luckily, their fantastic music and eccentric personalities always shined first and foremost. Not here, though. This album puts their inner turmoil front and center, making it known to the listener that David Byrne is NOT here, and they don't need him. But frankly, after listening to the whole, nearly hour long experience, it is pretty obvious that the group still needs their talker. There are slight bits of funk, but the whole album screams 90s identity crisis, and while some features make the band their own, looking at you Andy, others sound so off here you question how the connection even came to be. The whole album is needlessly angsty, and while there are some great moments (hi again, Andy) there is enough here to definitively say this isn't Talking Heads showing they don't need Byrne, but instead exactly showing why they had him in the first place. Without the context the album is okay, but with it this album is just a spiral of emotions in one mixed bag of a record. 2.5, rounding up to a 3 star.
This sure is.
I don't think I like Tool? Or at the very least, this album. Which is weird, because most of my life I've thought "yeah, Tool is good," but I've never listened to much outside of Schism, and I never really wanted to. But today marks a start into another controversial opinion of mine, because I find this album to be overly long, somewhat full of itself, and rarely kind of gross. I get what it's going for, and I can see the start of that more progressive metal sound leaking through, but this album shares more DNA with acts I couldn't care less about than anything interesting. I already know almost the rest of their discography is in the user albums, so that'll be fun, but maybe it'll make me see something in them as we go on. But this one is a bit of a stinker.
It truly is disturbing to me that this album has such a low average rating when it is the absolute pinnacle of death metal as a genre, with just enough hints of thrash and progressive metal to create a truly fantastic piece of musicianship, and while I'm sure vocally it is challenging at first for the unprepared, Chuck Schuldiner truly put his all into making each part of his performance on this album feel unwavering. It is one of THE metal albums, and to see that 2.7 is saddening, but I suppose vaguely expected from the group of people that have Metallica's black album a whole point above.
I bet this album would be really great performed in its entirety at a club or festival. Instead, it's just okay as an album, with a lot of great ideas, but suffers from the whole "early 2010s" of it all.
Hey, that was a good bit of blues rock! Was expecting boring and was pleasantly surprised by some interesting chord progressions and an overall more adventurous aesthetic than I'm used to with the genre. Neat!
This is a lot to take in, but at the same time I can ground this album a lot by saying All Things Must Pass has a rival in "last few songs really weren't needed on the main release, dudes." Rest of the album was okay, but the main 1001 had a better showcase for Krautrock. Just need someone to add Ege Bamyası, thanks.
This was, okay? It's not as good as the original, but it also isn't that different? It's a re-tread more than anything, making that 2.0 feel more like a stability update more than anything, and if there's one thing I think Garbage needs, it's variety, not stability. Still, Garbage is decent, and so is this album.
It is a shame how synthpop went from such a lively and lush genre in the disco era into the 80s new wave, to something rather stripped down in the 2000s. Obviously it works sometimes, and this album isn't bad, but I like my ice cold synthpop to be more meaningful than a simple long drive through the night. When things pick up, though, the album shows hints at something more that I really do like, and I'll give it credit for that.
I really want to like this album, I like what I've heard of them, and they seem like solid songwriters. But this album felt long and repetitive. I appreciated when the musicianship switched about halfway through, but nothing really stuck out, and the album seemed to drag on. I want to try more from this style of music, and I appreciate a modern rock opera, but this wasn't my cup of tea.
Has fantastic moments, great moments, and I'd even say it doesn't have bad moments. However, I would say it lacks a little bit of proper pacing, and with an album this long, that is pretty important. But, all the right beats are there, and this album's dire cry for help is as relatable as ever, and the fantastic blend of indie rock and alt-country, with a pinch of post-hardcore, leads to one of the best of the late 90s rock scene. It just needs some of the filler chopped off to make it one of the greatest of all time.
Just taken off of streaming, but I don't mind, I bought the album on Bandcamp the moment I found out, and you should, too. Support artists directly if you can! That being said, listening to that very version on Bandcamp, as the LP, vinyl version, while the original, is not exactly quite as accessible. Anyway, the album itself is mystifying. There are plenty of moments on this record that you could argue aren't even fully "music," but the overall tone of the album is such a foreboding, heavy feeling that feels like the world could rip itself apart at any moment, and when it all comes to a climax, you find yourself swept up in all the right emotions. It can be a long wait, and if you're impatient like me you may start to doubt the album, but it always pays off; just let it cook.
Hey, quick note 1001 Generator users. Remember when you'd all complain about how long some of the albums were? Why have I gotten five albums in a row that go over an hour? I know I have to attack Springsteen and Phish live at some point, isn't that long enough? Ten minute albums from here on out, okay? Thanks. In all seriousness, what a trip of an album. I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing, but man did the longer this album went on did I feel the joke of it all start to land more and more. It isn't the most melodic album, and I don't think I'd come back to a particular track if I could, but I respect this album enough sonically to boost it into the 3's area. Just... maybe ease some people in with Vision Creation Newsun first? Then again, that's not a ten minute album. Hmm... tricky.
Was kind of hoping for more here, but it was mostly just inoffensive? Lots of songs feeling like they were on the verge of a religious montage backing track, but there was softer moments I enjoyed a bit more. The whole album kind of just exists, though.
The Avett Brothers are such a strange band in my life. They are my parents' favorite band of all time. Have been for nearly two decades. That means when I was younger this album had just been released I heard each song probably literally 100s of times. You'd think that'd make me despise these songs, especially when my music taste doesn't match theirs all too exactly. Yet, call it some form of Stockholm Syndrome, but I don't hate, dislike, or even think any of these are boring. Too safe? Maybe... but I still liked this little trip down memory lane, and while they certainly have better albums, I think this album has charm, and far exceeds similar music from the era. The biggest crime this album commits is no "Pretty Girl from..." songs like the other albums had. Those were always the best.
Just regular ol' blues rock. Not offensive, not interesting. Found in every bargain bin record box in America.
Everything I read about this album made it sound worse than it is. It's an album that obviously loves Rage Against the Machine, but misses the nuances that make that band so special, which causes this to mostly boring. Lyrically it's blunt and of it's time, but I suppose it's still apt for now, at least. I understand wanting to put this here, but I feel like this album and its messages were exactly covered on the exact album it pays homage to, all sans Tom Morello guitar.
The children yearn for the days of 2000s Arctic Monkeys, but that is probably discrediting this album far too much. There's a lot of great and good stuff on here, just have to wait long pauses to get to it.
Hey, I think I talked to the person who added this on the Subreddit when they got done with the generator. Hi!!! Unfortunately, album wasn't really my cup on tea. Felt a little too on the nose for the kind of music here, and the vocals just flashed me into a Hot Topic in 2004. Instrumentally, it was solid but probably not enough so to lift this up. Liked the ideas, and I may like their debut more, who knows!
I respect the energy of this album, and I certainly appreciate it scratching that itch that a lot of power pop seems to miss for me. This is what Weezer should be up to now. It is constantly moving and shifting and as a whole album it is one solid art piece that I quite appreciate. Just hard to wrap my head around sometimes to give it too high of praise, but it is undoubtably good.
I was so, so, SO close to enjoying this in the same way I'd enjoy Fleet Foxes are even Sufjan Stevens, but instead it felt pretty middle of the road. Nice and brief, with some stand out moments, but nothing so incredible that I came to see why Bon Iver is nearly a household name.
No, no I am not.
I've seen this band's album covers, but I knew nothing about them otherwise. It was fun, though! I love the energy Australians seem to bring to punk, and the guitar playing was nesrly sludge metal at points, which I quite enjoyed. Just wish it was less repetitive and a tiny bit more melodic at points, but this is punk we're talking about, so that seems unfair of an ask, huh?
I'll give you this, I wouldn't have blinked twice were this on the main list.
Devastating.
That sure was Earth, Wind & Fire.
I may not be able to understand most of the album, but I am a sucker for when hip hop is paired with a genre you don't see too often and MPB is a great pairing. Just wish it kept that pairing the whole time and I think this would be something truly special.
Suprisingly solid for a two hour, Bruce Springsteen live album. That is to say, a two star.
Kind of just incredibly plain. It never feels like it's going for anything, and when it does "pick up" it still is far behind the competition. I suppose it feels a couple years ahead sound wise, but still far too safe, and therefore, boring.
Some of you are acting like this is naptime-worthy, but compared to the likes of Belle & Sebastian, Nick Drake, etc, etc, this is metal. Pretty nice, I like a lot of parts of this, I just think some of the tracks got too long for the contents within. I can jam with a long track, but not these, for some reason. Still, pleasant enough.
Kind of funny considering their first album in twenty-six years just released a couple weeks ago. Cardiacs certainly has some good songs, some of them are on this very album, but man if they are not too much for me. After a while of their music my eyes start glazing over and I just get bored. Talented musically, and always creative, but only sometimes my cup of tea.
Shockingly pleasant and perfectly epic in its execution and production. Just a couple more tracks like the opener to replace the less exciting stuff and this could truly be an all time great, but it's still very good and explains why I see it in every record store in America.
Weener
This is one of the only times I think I've ever said "this isn't what I expected" and meant it negatively. The album cover screams 90s, but the genres and general vibes told me this may be something fun to dive in to, despite its length. However, after the first few tracks the rock influences started to wear on me, just being cheesy, and by the end, despite a couple tracks almost grabbing me, I was ready to be done with the singer's frankly annoying voice and the general repetitiveness of the whole project, despite the small variations between tracks. Maybe if it was a shorter album I would be nicer, but I come away from this just feeling like I wasted my time, but maybe I should've expected that would happen the whole time.
Very pleasant slice of 80s pop, although I can't shake the feeling the whole album is overly... familiar? You'll catch samples of other song's melodies, and just the general tones of a lot of these tracks feel like already established big artists. Now, I'm not saying they copied those artists, the chances of that are unlikely, but it makes it so this album doesn't really have its own identity, y'know? It's 80s pop rock, and that could've been a lot worse than this was, so I'll take this experience away as a net positive.
I'm so happy that this album makes so many people out there happy and uplifted. I've been familiar with Robinson's work for a bit now, and I remember liking it, so I was hopeful for this album, but... this kinda not good? I mean, instrumentation can be solid at times, but the whole thing comes off like Owl City but louder and more daring, and starting from Owl City and working your way up only gets you so far. This isn't an album I can really hate on, I just actively disliked listening to parts of it, and too many of those parts (because the album should have ended three different times) makes the whole experience sour. I think this album is something really special for lots of folks, but I'm not one of them.
I only know Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) by name because of the soundtrack for the movie Her, which he did with Arcade Fire. Because of that, I was worried this would sound like Arcade Fire, a band I don't really get the hype for. However, this is really simple but pleasant chamber pop, and has some really fantastic pop tunes near the end to keep the energy going throughout. I think if that variation was more consistently woven into this album this could be really great, but it is still very good nonetheless.
Pleasant with bits that are pretty good, but too long winded and a bit meandering at points.
Always found this album disappointing compared to Awaken, My Love, but it still has its moments and charm. I suppose it's not really fair to compare them, any way.
Proto-Twenty One Pilots (Derogatory and complimentary)
Probably deserves to be something I listened to before I died, but I still don't really care...
Very Gen X, very R.E.M. inspired, but there are certainly worse things to be. Just fails to have its own identity. Like, at all.
Not as bad as I expected, dare I say it's good at parts. But making me listen to this is arguably criminal, especially when there was already "better" jam band represented on the list. Phish is fine, but not in one large dose like this. It's not even one of the ones with a neat Talking Heads cover.
Had nearly zero expectations going into this, and have little thoughts coming out of it, but it is certainly one of those albums you can tell I could've pulled more from if I could understand more than a small pledge to the drummer Mike Clark.
Suprisingly good when it wanted to be, it just had some downtime that made it feel a little weaker than it could've been, but I can certainly see why this was a missing link between hard rock and progressive rock on the main list.
This is very generic power pop/pop punk that's about a decade too late. I'm glad you can love this, OP, but this was not an album I needed to listen to before I died.
Not even MF DOOM's best project and it's STILL a five star. Madlib creates some utterly insane beats that seem like they'd be impossible to rap over, and yet DOOM handles them with eaze. Fantastic wordplay, great storytelling, and just plain intoxicating, this album isn't even DOOM's best project (IMO) but it deserves all the praise in the world.
Oh, thank God, I was worried The Tragically Hip always copie- I mean, was influenced by R.E.M, but luckily, they instead were big fans of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, one of the worst "famous" bands of the 80s. What joy! Bleh, this album was almost fine enough, but as it just kept going I was just more and more annoyed, to the point where I'd call this actively bad. Is the Tragically Hip gonna be the Costello of the user list? I really hope not, or at the very least that third (and final?) album better be fantastic, to make it all even. Sorry, OP, I'm sure this band means a lot to you, but this is far from for me.
I'm sorry, but I found a lot of this to be incredibly safe and sometimes dull. There were moments near the start that had me hopeful, but this plus the album on the main list tells me that I don't especially care about this band. Offensively inoffensive.
This album is utterly batshit. It's no wonder why Retrovertigo and Pink Cigarette are the two biggest songs off this album, as they are perhaps the only two tracks on this album with some semblance of normality. That factor both works for me and irks me, as sometimes the insanity is a nice refresher when it comes to music in general, because it makes you look at music in general even deeper than you would otherwise, albeit only for a little bit. But also, I found myself missing the status quo by the end of this album because while every single track had a part I loved, or better yet, a whole song I enjoyed, but often times that joy would require a little bit of sifting around in the pits of silly little guy Hell. The music is goofy, but almost frighteningly so, not dissimilar to Frank Zappa or the Residents. It works for me at times, while other parts I start to find myself output, or even worse, bored and ready for the song to wrap up. I'm all for a wild time, but I feel like the pacing of each individual song brings down the whole experience, if just a tad. Mike Patton is an insane vocal powerhouse, and the instrumentation is also very impressive, but do not go in seeking Pink Cigarette ten times. Not that I mind, just was a lot... wilder than I was expecting, and I have to mull over if I appreciate that a little longer.
Eh. There were moments that feel like the pop-ier cuts from the Mars Volta, but I think something like this really gets lost in translation (literally) when you can't understand it almost at all. The instrumentation is pleasant but very stereotypical for the time, and while I can see why this would be important to someone who bonded with it, I can't see past it just being another rock album of the 2000s. Albeit, in (I assume) Norwegian.
Pleasant enough, but too long like most 2000s albums, and I think the magic of the first song was really all I needed, not a whole album. Always appreciate more of this stuff, though! Many of the African albums on the original generator always felt like an afterthought, and they feel it even more now when compared to this.
Better than expected, but I don't think that's saying much for an overly long, stereotypical 90s adventure with Tom Petty. The softer moments really show some maturity from the singer far later than you'd expect in his career, but then you'll get a track like Honey Bee or Cabin Down Below and realize it's all just checking boxes so that everyone listening (in the 90s) walks away happy. Shout out to Ringo Starr on the drums for that one track, that's really my biggest take away from the whole album.
Chuck Berry is one I see who a lot of people say should've made the original list, but I personally didn't see a specific album that should've been chosen. I suppose this is the best choice, though. Ironically, despite Berry's guitar picking being out of this world (not to mention influential) for 1964, it's the piano led You Never Can Tell that is the highlight here, with the the bluesy B-side never really coming close to that high.
Very much not for me. I'm one of the few that gave AC/DC's albums both one stars on the main list, there was no world where I'd be giving this anything higher. I don't even really understand the add, with plenty of other artists having generic hard rock covered thirty years before this album existed. I mean, look at the user who submitted this and you'll probably find I don't think the user exactly listens to anything BUT this kind of music, so... good for them? Do what you enjoy, but don't make everyone else listen to fifty minutes of nothingness.
Not quite as much shoegaze perfection as the works of My Bloody Valentine, but still a monumental release in the genre that deserves a listen. Although, I'll admit I'm more partial to their debut.
Everyone seems to be saying this was an "obvious" absentee on the original list, and that it was a shock it wasn't there before, but... I don't see it? Sure, Lady Marmalade is iconic in some sense, but frankly it isn't so amazing the rest of the album is carried by it, and the rest of the album is pretty regular ol' soul music, and when we're missing albums like Love Deluxe, Pastel Blues, Hell, even Igor on the original list, I don't know if we need another album that is just here for one song's iconic status.
Very neat, albeit a bit predictable and doesn't have a whole lot of it's own ideas, but I do really like what's here. Just don't use this as an excuse to brush off any other modern rap, okay?
I think it says more about my character that I liked this more than Violator, rather than acting like this album is good, per se.
Part of me wanted to like this, especially as it went on and I understood what it was trying to do more clearly, but it seems the curse of Springsteen lives on in the bands he inspired. It's just missing... something for me. It could be a little angrier, a bit more melodic, have clearer production, less predictable lyrics, but I really don't think any one of those is the main issue. I think it just is embedded in a project like this at It's core. And when you don't care for the core, it's hard to want to listen to an hour of it. I can tell this means a lot to millennials especially, but I like my punk with a bit less Heartland put into it, I suppose.
It seems on modern releases this is a mash of two albums. It has the cover of one and the title of the other. Guess my album today is two albums. Oh well, at least they're both short, and have some. These were pretty basic occult rock tracks, but there were some decent stand outs, and I agree with the general sentiment that this is far better than the 13th Floor Elevators, but I also feel like this album cover is better than the album inside it. Roky Erickson and the Aliens (5 Symbols) - 2.5 Stars The Evil One - 3 Stars
Dolly Parton may be a national treasure, but this album is nothing all that special. Bluegrass is a genre that probably would need more covering on the list, if it weren't for the one on the list being nearly two hours long. This is decent, but we're still missing Parton's Jolene (the album) and that seems like a more obvious pick.
It's interesting: if this album didn't have the distortion, tape hiss, and overall static-y sound, it would probably have a lower score on websites like RateYourMusic and Album of the Year, but a higher score on here. Either way it seems no one truly loves this record, and while I generally agree it doesn't blow really anything away, there is a definitive mood this album brings, and if you're able to put up with the harsher sounds this album presents, I think you'll find a pretty solid noise rock release underneath. If the whole idea got a little more fleshed out, I think you'd truly have something special. Then again, probably goes against the general idealogy of this release, huh?
"Just because a record has a groove don't make it in the groove."
Man, this was not good. This was bad, even. Sorry, person who added this, but this is as stereotypical as it comes for alternative rock in the 2010s, and the Michael Bay movie trailer soundtrack going on as the backing track the whole time just makes it more groan worthy. Add in a ham-fisted space theme and you've got yourself an album your 12 year old brother is sure to love, and that should probably concern you. Is he okay? Getting enough love and/or attention? Go check on the little guy. And show him the Beatles or something while you do.
Even if I don't absolutely adore this album, it's so nice to hear something with some actual grit and emotion after the last couple albums I've gotten. Sophie was one of the best producers out there, and her sudden passing is still heartbreaking. I can understand this being a lot for those not too keen on this sort of production, but this truly was a new wave of music that opened the door for artists like 100 gecs, and really put Charli XCX on the map. And this album gives you a nice sampler package of all of that. And when it hits, it HITS.
An 80s Second British Folk Revival is bound to be a bit off, and there's this feeling I can't shake this whole album where it just feels... goofy? I mean, it just starts to feel like a parody of itself at this point, and decent instrumentation even wears thin after so long. Maybe singing this with some mates in a bar would make it much better, but this just feels off, and I can't do much in my mind to understand why, but I don't think I really care enough to figure it out, either.
Kind of peaks of Sweetness then drags from there, but I'll admit this was better than I would expect, considering before this I kind of despised The Middle. Now I think it's pretty solid. Probably would like one of their earlier albums more, though.
Y'know those metal covers on YouTube where they cover a rock song and make it more "hardcore," and in turn miss the entire vibe of the song, and just in general aren't very good covers? Now I know where they got their ideas from. Only started to perk up at the end with the shoegaze-y final run of tracks, but those vocals are still too goofy to ever want to dig into this again.
Marillion dares to ask the question: "What if Phil Collins lead Genesis was good?" The answer may shock you...
Very obviously missing off the original list, to the point where this was a no-brainer addition. I may like to say Pinkerton is better, but at the end of the day this is one of the greatest power pop albums of all time without a doubt, and Only In Dreams may be in my top ten favorite rock songs of the 90s. May be a bit sick of some of the tracks here, but I cannot deny its brilliance.
Hell yes, dude. More of that exact itch that Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom scratched for me. This stuff is awesome with great, powerful acoustics and vocals that are just meek enough to seem devastating at every push, every falsetto. Ogre is especially beautiful, but the whole album really feels like a cozy yet heartbreaking story to be told for ages.
You'd think with me playing piano most of my life I'd like piano rock more. But, you'd be wrong. I think? Jury may or may not still be out. Schrödinger's Jury. If I don't listen to more piano rock, I'll never truly know, and it's better that way.
Teetering on the edge of a one, I've never heard an album be so unsure of what sound it wants to being to the table, while still sounding absolutely generic the whole time. It's just a late 90s rock album. Nothing less, and certainly nothing more.
Sure, dude, I can go for some of this every now and then. Weird genre combinations are usually sick, and this is no different.
I really enjoy the lo-fi vibe of this. It reminds me a lot of Daniel Johnston, but with a 2000s indie approach. I feel this does kind of all blend into one homogeneous blob after a while, however I suppose that is what an album is at the end of the day.
I appreciate that you won't give any album a one or a two out of respect for the process, OP, but unfortunately, if I don't care about an album, then I can't act like it's better than it truly is. This type of music can be solid, but only really when playing Crazy Taxi, and, unfortunately, Offspring has that game covered, for better or (more likely) worse.
The originator of lo-fi hip hop beats is still some of the best out there, with vocal features that has a cheesiness to it, but comes off more earnest because of it. I think if this was just slightly tighter pacing wise, this would be absolutely amazing, but it's still great as is.
I didn't get this album fully when I first listened to it a couple years ago. I do now.
When I saw new wave and synthpop as main genre descriptors, I was not expecting new wave in the "The Killers sing like Bruce Springsteen" sense, but if they were a lot more obsessed with the word pussy.
I am not absolutely head over heels for this album or anything, but if any mainstream album from the 2020s deserves to be on the 1001 list, it's this album. It was quite literally the soundtrack to the COVID-19 pandemic (nothing else was sure coming out), and while that makes a few of the hits a bit monotonous at this point, the foreboding synths and high register vocals lead to a unique and daring change up in the pop scene that perfectly captured the feelings at the time. Certainly a bloated album, but far better than I would've ever expected back in 2015 hearing Can't Feel My Face.
I don't know if I find this better then the one on the generator, or if I just like this style of music more, but this is great nonetheless. Just mysterious and off putting enough to be engaging without trying to bait an uncomfortable response, and it's surprisingly catchy for how low profile it can be. It just needs to cut off some of the fat near the end, even if it was just going for that sixty-six minutes and six seconds thing.