My User Albums Journey

User Albums Journey

Exploring beyond the book, one album at a time

View 1001 Albums Summary

Albums Rated

3.31

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1990

Favorite Decade

Rock

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Top Origin

Wordsmith

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5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Stage Four Touché Amoré	5	2.89	+2.11
Sailing The Seas Of Cheese Primus	5	3.04	+1.96
Recipe for Hate Bad Religion	5	3.26	+1.74
I Am Earth, Wind & Fire	5	3.66	+1.34
AmarElo Emicida	4	2.77	+1.23
Loss Mull Historical Society	4	2.92	+1.08
Uncovered Zamilska	4	2.93	+1.07

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Wildflowers Tom Petty	2	3.58	-1.58
Modern Vampires of the City Vampire Weekend	2	3.41	-1.41
The Fame Lady Gaga	2	3.39	-1.39
News at 11 Cat System Corp.	1	2.36	-1.36
I And Love And You The Avett Brothers	2	3.05	-1.05
"Weird Al" Yankovic "Weird Al" Yankovic	2	3.04	-1.04

5-Star Albums (4)

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Popular Reviews

Uncovered

Zamilska · 2 likes

4/5

Pleasant surprise. I would have never heard this if it wasn't for this project. Not my genre, but it's pretty good.

Autobiografia

Duncan Dhu · 1 likes

2/5

It would have been better if it was a lot shorter. Some of the songs are pretty good, some aren't, none of them are groundbreaking. His voice is not that special. The album sounds very 80s.

Excitable Boy

Warren Zevon · 1 likes

3/5

It's not bad, just not very exciting to me. Sounds very of its time.

Spinvis

Spinvis · 1 likes

3/5

To the people who don't understand the lyrics: they are poetic, but they seem very random to me. He sets the scene for a story by describing lots of unrelated details, but there is no actually story. I'm from the same area as this guy. Nieuwegein is 20 minutes by bike. If I recall correctly, this album is in the Dutch edition of the book. It should be. He was one of the main Dutch indie artists of the 00s. Music wise it sounds somewhat like Eels and Beck, but different enough. I think I understand what people like about it, but I don't like it very much myself. It sounds as if he didn't want to wake up the baby sleeping in the next room or he didn't want the neighbors to find out what he was doing.

One Time for All Time

65daysofstatic · 1 likes

4/5

I only new them by name. I'm not sure what I expected, but not this. Apparently post-rock, but that's a big umbrella. It's quite intense. I like it.

4-Star Albums (26)

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

1-Star Albums (1)

All Ratings

John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman

John Coltrane

4/5

I will probably never play it again, but it's beautiful. Great voice.

Black Devil Disco Club

3/5

I'm glad I heard this. It's not like anything in the book. Would have been a good addition. It was fascinating at first, but even though it's only 30 minutes, it's still too long for me.

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

of Montreal

4/5

Sounds like an American take on brit pop. They do it well. Some of the songs are entrancing. Those are the best. Weird. I usually don't like that at all. Favorite song: the past is a grotesque animal.

Deep Down Happy

Sports Team

3/5

They sound like a more energetic version of the Kaiser Chiefs, who are named after a sports team. The irony. The album is alright, but not essential. It falls in between a lot of stuff that's already in the book.

"Weird Al" Yankovic

2/5

One of my issues with the original list was that there wasn’t enough fun or party music. This album belongs in that category. It made me chuckle a couple of times, but there’s too much room for improvement to give it a high rating.

Whipped Cream & Other Delights

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

4/5

This album sounds very mid sixties. It is. And it sounds like it. This great at times, cheesy at others. I recognize a few of these tunes from background music on TV. Never knew who it was. Herb Albert apparently. Turns out I do like trumpets. I thought I didn't because I didn't like Miles Davis very much. Turns out I just don't like the way he plays it.

I And Love And You

The Avett Brothers

2/5

I don't blame people for liking this album. There's not much to hate. It all sounds very safe and unsurprising. It's not for me.

Sailing The Seas Of Cheese

Primus

5/5

In the early days of mp3 you could only select predefined genres. Primus were the only band who had their own genre named after them. That's how iconic they are. This should have been in the book. One of the biggest mistakes.

Circles

Mac Miller

3/5

First impression: different enough, easy on the ear. But it's about twice as long as it should have been.

Brand New Eyes

Paramore

3/5

Pretty good pop punk. Good singer. The arrangements are not entirely a dime a dozen. The mix is fatiguing. Especially the drums sound too processed, but that was the sound of the 00s.

Weighing Souls With Sand

The Angelic Process

2/5

If entrancing music doesn’t click, it’s just boring. I’m not very susceptible to entrancing music. It's not that I don't like noise. I have a background in death metal and punk. My favorite album is by Sonic Youth. To me this sounds uninteresting and low-effort. A wall of noise with very little going on behind it.

Spinvis

3/5

A Complicated Woman

Self Esteem

3/5

It's not bad, but I wonder how much staying power this has. I think it's too new for lists like this.

Blade Runner

Vangelis

3/5

It sounds very cinematic. Perfect for the movie soundtrack that it is, but not as interesting as stand-alone music to me.

The Simple Plan

August is Falling

3/5

Pop punk. Slightly better than the band Simple Plan.

Pinkerton

Weezer

4/5

Great. Maybe even better than the blue album. More variety.

The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me

Brand New

3/5

Is post-pop-punk a thing? This is like My Chemical Romance's depressed brother. The first half is underwhelming and doesn't sound entirely sincere, but it improves around the midpoint. Moody like The Cure, noisy like Girls vs Boys, you can still hear traces of their pop-punk background (I heard Deja Entendu before). Does it belong in the book? It would make more sense than some albums that made it in, but it doesn't quite feel essential to me.

Barton Hollow

The Civil Wars

3/5

Some songs are pretty good, some are just OK. It's not really my style, but I know plenty of people who would love this.

Nearer My God

Foxing

3/5

It's not bad, but it didn't grab me.

Loss

Mull Historical Society

4/5

I don't remember this band at all. Nerdy britpop. I like it.

Out of the Blue

Debbie Gibson

2/5

This is classic late-80s teen-pop: catchy and polished. Some songs stick, but a lot are forgettable. Foolish Beat was her only big hit here, and honestly, it’s one of the more forgettable tracks. In Europe, Stock, Aitken & Waterman artists like Kylie Minogue dominated this segment of the market. And of course Madonna, but Madonna was a rebel and Debbie is anything but. She didn't stand a chance.

Autobiografia

Duncan Dhu

2/5

It would have been better if it was a lot shorter. Some of the songs are pretty good, some aren't, none of them are groundbreaking. His voice is not that special. The album sounds very 80s.

Silent Alarm

Bloc Party

4/5

I'm not a dancer. This almost made want to dance.

Ultra Blue

Hikaru Utada

3/5

It sounds like it came from a book and not from the heart. Not terrible, but I will probably never play this again. Kind of reminds me of what Madonna sounded like 5-10 years earlier.

Diorama

Silverchair

3/5

I remember them as a Nirvana type band. This is more Panic At The Disco or My Chemical Romance. These guys did it first, though. It's not bad, but it doesn't really speak to me. I like the album with the frog better.

Set Yourself On Fire

Stars

4/5

Not really my style, but I can't think of anything about this record that I dislike.

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Big Thief

4/5

Some songs sound very traditional and some sound very modern. Somehow it makes sense to put them on an album together. It works. I don't like the singing very much. The baby voice.

One Time for All Time

65daysofstatic

4/5

I only new them by name. I'm not sure what I expected, but not this. Apparently post-rock, but that's a big umbrella. It's quite intense. I like it.

Has A Good Home

Final Fantasy

3/5

It's made well, but I can't stand the singing.

Stage Four

Touché Amoré

5/5

I like them. One of their riffs was my ringtone for a while. I went to see them a couple of times. Always great. I like their older records better. This has a more indie rock feel to it. The older records sound more hardcore. This is probably easier to get into for casual listeners, both the sound and the lyrics.

HEY WHAT

Low

3/5

It sounds pro and different enough to be on lists like this. It's probably exactly how they wanted to sound, but I don't have the patience. I liked the first song and then I got bored.

News at 11

Cat System Corp.

1/5

He's from my small country. Never heard of him. This is very niche music. To be fair, it doesn't sound good. Sounds like a muffled mixtape of songs he didn't play himself. Not songs I would pick. Cat System Corp's contribution to the sound is not very clear to me, besides making it sound bad.

No.1 In Heaven

Sparks

3/5

Not nearly as annoying as their album from the book, but it doesn't sound as special. I don't hate it.

The Mantle

Agalloch

4/5

Based on the description I expected something heavier, but it's great as it is. I don't hear much of the black metal influence. They sound more like the '90s doom/goth of Anathema, My Dying Bride, Tiamat, etc. to me.

London 0 Hull 4

The Housemartins

4/5

I heard it once or twice before, a long time ago. I remembered quite a few songs, even some that were not singles. If the Smiths had allowed themselves to have some fun once in a while, they could have made a record like this. Some songs also reminded me of the Jam. It's good, but is it essential?

Damien Rice

3/5

Quality music, just not something I would ever put on. I can't remember the last time I was in the mood for music like this.

Night Drive

Chromatics

3/5

It took me a couple of songs to get into it, but it's good. Not that good for a night drive if you want to stay focused.

Psychic Warfare

Clutch

3/5

It's alright, but not very memorable.

El Circo

Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio

4/5

I had this on tape. I didn't remember all the songs, but quite a few.

All Hail West Texas

The Mountain Goats

2/5

Reminds me of Bob Dylan. I hate Bob Dylan.

Nonagon Infinity

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

4/5

Great. I only knew they by name.

Excitable Boy

Warren Zevon

3/5

It's not bad, just not very exciting to me. Sounds very of its time.

Carolina Confessions

The Marcus King Band

3/5

Well made, but they don't bring anything new to the table. They're cosplaying as a seventies band. To be fair, they do it better than a lot of actual seventies bands.

Modern Vampires of the City

Vampire Weekend

2/5

This album has none of the sparkle that made their older albums good.

Turn On The Bright Lights

Interpol

3/5

They were the leaders of the '00s post-punk revival, so it should have been in the book. It has some great songs, but overall it's too samey for an entire album.

Real Life

Joan As Police Woman

3/5

I can imagine people like this album. I have mixed feelings.

I Am

Earth, Wind & Fire

5/5

Should have been in the book. Better than their other album that they did include.

Uncovered

Zamilska

4/5

Pleasant surprise. I would have never heard this if it wasn't for this project. Not my genre, but it's pretty good.

Super Ape

The Upsetters

4/5

It's good, but some songs are too long. There is some reggae in the book, but this is different and good enough. It could have been included.

Piledriver

Status Quo

2/5

Not as bad as I expected, but if you released an album like this today, people would laugh in your face.

Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Steven Wilson

3/5

The man is a very competent musician. The album has great parts, but also parts that sound different for the sake of being different. For example, he has the urge to add unnecessary extra beats to a bar when it would have sounded better without the extra beat. Overall the music sounds constructed rather than composed. The style reminds me most of old Genesis, but with more modern production. The album is too good to be anything below 3, but I didn't enjoy it very much.

The Fame

Lady Gaga

2/5

Not my style. Not terrible, but it should have been a lot shorter. It reminds me of late '80s / early '90s synth pop from continental Europe, a style that didn't catch on in the US until 20 years later with Katy Perry and this album. I don't think the music was all that influential, but Lady Gaga had a huge impact on pop culture in general. If Christina Aguilera has 2 albums on the list (she does), this should have been there as well.

Chet

Chet Baker

4/5

Nothing wrong with it. It's good, but not something I will play regularly.

Café Tacvba

4/5

I never heard of them before. Eclectic and upbeat. Like an updated version of Mano Negra. I like it.

St. Jude

Courteeners

3/5

I was reading the reviews and it made me wonder if I was listening to the same album. Turns out the Youtube Music link is to the rewired version, which is a tame acoustic re-recording. So I dug a little deeper and found the normal version. It's a less annoying version of the Arctic Monkeys. It also reminds me of the Killers. It's alright, but it's not one of the classics. They were followers, not leaders. I gave the Arctic Monkeys 3 stars. I like this better, but I can't justify a higher rating.

Wildflowers

Tom Petty

2/5

It's not bad enough to hate it, but I find this album almost completely uninteresting.

Recipe for Hate

Bad Religion

5/5

Of course their albums Suffer and No Control were more influential, but this album is more diverse. And it has Eddie Vedder on a couple of songs. I think more people will like this one.

Flower Boy

Tyler, The Creator

4/5

It's good, but I don't think I'll play it very often.

Demon Days

Gorillaz

4/5

Great. Not much more to say about it.

The Lonesome Crowded West

Modest Mouse

4/5

I only knew them by name. The people I know who were into them were also into Weezer and the Get Up Kids, so I expected something more in that direction. But they're wilder. More like Pavement with some Fugazi influence or something. I like it, but it's too long.

The Italian Flag

Prolapse

3/5

It has some great parts, but overall it's too repetitive for me.

Mezzanine

Massive Attack

4/5

Starts absolutely great, but towards the end I lost interest.

Word Gets Around

Stereophonics

3/5

It's very Oasis-like. Very. And just as good. I think I even like them slightly better. This album could have been in the book, but it doesn't need to be. While it's good, it's not unique enough and not very influential.

AmarElo

Emicida

4/5

On the first note I knew it was from Brazil. It's good. I wouldn't have heard this album without this list.

Things We Lost In The Fire

Low

4/5

I can totally understand what people love about this album. It wouldn't be out of place in the book at all. I generally prefer more upbeat music, though.

Currents

Tame Impala

4/5

I hate the singing, but this album should have been in the book.

How To Be A Human Being

Glass Animals

3/5

It's not bad, I just don't like it very much.

Singles

Future Islands

3/5

Third indie-synth album I got in a row. It's not bad, but I don't feel any emotional connection with this.

Espaloian

Itoiz

3/5

The songs are OK, but I don't like the voice.

Young, Loud And Snotty

Dead Boys

4/5

This was released a couple of weeks before the Sex Pistols. I knew more songs than I expected. Sonic Reducer is obviously a classic of the genre, but I heard cover versions of a lot of these songs. I just didn't know they were covers.

Out Of Time

R.E.M.

4/5

Weird how this was not in the book. It's one of their best albums and their big break through.