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Wed Jan 25 2023
Pearl
Janis Joplin
What a start to my new project. Is there a better voice in rock? Love how frequently piano makes an appearance.
5
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Thu Jan 26 2023
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Surprisingly precise and regular in its rhythms. Feels like mellowed-down poppy punk - not just the jacket that seems related to the Ramones. Tom Petty is great, if not yet height of his powers.
4
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Fri Jan 27 2023
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Before listening to this album I thought that Pink Floyd wasn’t my thing. I thought their music was bloated and sounded like a 14 year old trying to be deep with their first attempts with effects at their disposal. Turns out I was right. This entire thing feels insanely self-indulgent. From the screechy synth to the constant use of the second person voice in the lyrics it all makes me cringe and roll my eyes. Pieces are great - Roger Waters’ bass line and David Gilmour’s guitar on Have A Cigar are pretty fun until they get buried, and Wish You Were Here benefits from being stripped down but starts to get drowned by the end as well. Basically - it’s not for me.
2
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Mon Jan 30 2023
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
This album reminded me of my Grandpa who died 15 years ago. On its own merits I'd probably give it 3 stars but my Grandpa was the coolest person I know so 5 stars for making me think about him.
5
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Tue Jan 31 2023
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5
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Wed Feb 01 2023
Smash
The Offspring
Makes me feel like an angry 90s teenager again. Fun, with some bangers, but gets a bit repetitive. Still boggles my mind that the screaming lead singer now has a PhD in molecular biology. Some people have layers I guess.
4
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Thu Feb 02 2023
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
Took a few songs to get going but then was fun. Wikipedia article calls them the "British Jefferson Airplane" and it does sound very Grace Slick, but the parts that sounded more like Allman Brothers were my favourite.
4
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Fri Feb 03 2023
Parachutes
Coldplay
Blech. Not for me. It seems like Chris Martin is responding to late-90s brainless aggression with pablum. But it just ends up pouring terrible music on top of bad.
2
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Tue Feb 07 2023
Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
An example of low expectations being blown out of the water. What a bop.
5
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Wed Feb 08 2023
The Bends
Radiohead
Why did we all have so much angst in the 90s? I’m not super fond of this - all pretentious sadness. Also not fond of when bands mix the vocals in under the instrumentals to make you lean in. But at least it’s better than Coldplay.
3
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Thu Feb 09 2023
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Man this album was absolutely everywhere for awhile, but it just didn’t penetrate my lily-white suburban neighbourhood. Our loss. Glad for this chance to catch up.
4
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Fri Feb 10 2023
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
This album is so great that it can name one of its tracks “Splanky” and make it sound cool.
5
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Mon Feb 13 2023
Something Else By The Kinks
The Kinks
Sounds mostly like the most dated aspects of the Beatles music. Every so often some of the harder elements of their future bleed through, but mostly it just feels quaint. Not a hard listen, just a bit dry.
3
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Tue Feb 14 2023
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
I waffled a lot between 3 stars and 4. There’s a lot to like about this album. Each song has a piece that makes me think I’d really like the music Stuart Murdoch listens to. But then in so many songs they add something like a harmonica or a triangle or a weird vocal harmony that distracts from the rest. Better than I expected, it got better further into the album, nearly but not quite a 4.
3
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Wed Feb 15 2023
The Yes Album
Yes
I don’t get prog. It’s irritating how they cram four songs together and try to say it’s one track. And I bet they’re doing inventive things with rhythms and chord progressions, but it makes it a real slog to listen to. Having said all that - still better than Pink Floyd.
3
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Thu Feb 16 2023
Central Reservation
Beth Orton
Great voice. No expectations, very pleasant listening. I don't know anything about her EDM roots but this made me curious for more.
4
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Fri Feb 17 2023
Your New Favourite Band
The Hives
Man I wish I had better musical taste when this album came out. I could have saved a lot of money on bad CDs. This is great from top to bottom. I really missed the post-punk boat.
5
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Mon Feb 20 2023
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
I used to think the title was some kind of marketing ploy aimed at Elton John himself. Now I think maybe it refers to longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, whose lyrics are completely bananas. Is there a luckier man to ever exist, who responded to the same newspaper ad the same time as the only person alive with enough talent and charisma to turn his words into magic? Anyway, Elton John is incredible despite whatever nonsense Taupin makes him sing about.
5
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Tue Feb 21 2023
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
I expected to hate this but turns out it's pretty perfect pop music - fun to listen to but immediately forgettable. Feels like McDonald's for your ears.
4
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Wed Feb 22 2023
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
I guess all recordings are a type of time capsule, but this one feels especially so. Seems like a good example of both the good and the bad of what rock thought sounded cool in the early 80s. I wanted to give this five stars but there was just a little too much cringe. Mark Knopfler sure plays a soothing guitar though.
4
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Thu Feb 23 2023
Moving Pictures
Rush
Maybe I don’t hate prog after all! Or maybe CanCon rules have made this music part of my life for years. Whatever it is, between the incredible Neal Peart drumming and Geddy Lee’s bizarre voice and fantastic bass playing this works for me from beginning to end.
5
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Fri Feb 24 2023
Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3.5 if possible. Enjoyable, really can see how they've filtered early 50s rock through 70s and 80s hard fuzz. Probably won't feel the need to revisit.
3
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Sat Feb 25 2023
Inspiration Information
Shuggie Otis
A lot closer to timeless than I expected it to be - a lot of it sounds current. Sweet Thang is a 7* out of 5, and the rest of the album is very good.
4
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Sun Feb 26 2023
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
Track 1 is a perfect pop song. The rest of the album has tracks that have questionable beginnings but by the end you’re nodding along and getting it. Well done.
5
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Mon Feb 27 2023
Maxinquaye
Tricky
A lot of layers here. Hard to describe. Impressive even if I don't really understand it. Worth a listen. I can see why it got such high ratings upon its release.
4
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Tue Feb 28 2023
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
More musical than I expected. I get how important it is in concept, but loses points for being so long.
3
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Wed Mar 01 2023
Goo
Sonic Youth
The cool kids I went to school when listened to Sonic Youth. Now I just feel bad for them. Yuck.
2
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Thu Mar 02 2023
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
3
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Fri Mar 03 2023
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
4
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Sat Mar 04 2023
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
Is it cultural appropriation if the guy who invented the style is singing with the white man who's just visiting? Either way, this album slides down as smooth as silk. Never been to Brazil but this feels like an all-inclusive resort - a tourist's version of what Brazilian bossa nova is like.
3
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Sun Mar 05 2023
The Clash
The Clash
Enjoyed more than anticipated. Punk is fun!
4
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Mon Mar 06 2023
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
Part of the Wikipedia article describes this as among the best-recorded albums of all time. This seems like such a backhanded compliment - like saying your ugly house is made of great materials, or that your new partner has a "fantastic personality." It all feels slightly like what Patrick Bateman would play after Huey Lewis & the News. Nothing to complain about but not much for me to sink my teeth into.
3
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Tue Mar 07 2023
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
This might have been the best album yet from this project. I will be revisiting this many times in the future, which I can't say for most of this. Pretty close to perfect.
5
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Wed Mar 08 2023
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
Seems like the parent of the Sonic Youth album I rated a few days ago but slightly easier to take.
3
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Thu Mar 09 2023
The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
“Pink Floyd guitarist auditions to be part of the more irritating songs in the Beatles catalogue.”
2
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Fri Mar 10 2023
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
Piano AND trumpet, with sax in an appropriate supporting role? Yes please. What a pleasant surprise. Never heard of this band but this album is them throwing every genre at the wall to see what sticks, with not 100% success but enough to have fun with.
4
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Sat Mar 11 2023
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
Such a cool surprise that the only song I knew from this album was not even close to the best one.
4
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Sun Mar 12 2023
Eternally Yours
The Saints
Again, punk is fun. Especially with a brass section.
4
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Mon Mar 13 2023
Close To You
Carpenters
I did not know how much I’d enjoy this. Karen Carpenter is incredible and I never knew that or anything about the tragedy that was her early death.
5
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Tue Mar 14 2023
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Love Dave Grohl as a great guy but never been a big Foo Fighters fan. Still an interesting album. Not hard to see the Nirvana influence on this music-as-therapy recording. Everyone should read his book, he’s also an enjoyable storyteller.
4
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Wed Mar 15 2023
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
She seems talented and some interesting stuff musically but her voice is not for me.
3
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Thu Mar 16 2023
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
The third early to mid nineties album I’ve gotten in a row is probably my favourite of the lot. Yes, this might be because all the cool music sounded like this when I was 12. Kinda sounds like if Phil Spector did a grunge album. But it seems like if Spector and Corgan made an album, not everyone would make it out alive.
4
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Fri Mar 17 2023
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
I mean it’s easy enough to tell that this album is packed with a truly insane amount of talent and innovation. It’s just more difficult for this ignorant brain to grasp it all. Easy and enjoyable even if it didn’t grip me.
3
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Sat Mar 18 2023
Van Halen
Van Halen
Perfection
5
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Sun Mar 19 2023
LP1
FKA twigs
This is a vibe. This is what music is supposed to sound like in our flying cars or on the holodeck.
4
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Fri Mar 24 2023
Killing Joke
Killing Joke
I’m worried that I’m only 5% through this list and I feel so strongly that I would have been ok dying without ever hearing this album. It’s fine, but I think there probably are better options.
3
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Sat Mar 25 2023
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4
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Sun Mar 26 2023
Boston
Boston
After reading about how this album was basically made by Tom Sholz in his basement, and basically passed off to executives as a professional job, I'm far less embarrassed to say this is exactly up my street. I should have been born 20 years earlier so I could have experienced the 70s.
5
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Mon Mar 27 2023
Mott
Mott The Hoople
Not a shock to learn that Bowie produced their album before this one. Sounds like Ziggy Stardust Goes To the Farm. But I did enjoy it more than I predicted.
3
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Tue Mar 28 2023
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
She blew me away in the Summer of Soul doc, and while losing the visuals does take away some of her charisma there's still a ton of power in that voice.
4
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Wed Apr 05 2023
Nowhere
Ride
This did not work for me. Apparently this is a seminal work in the Shoegaze genre. No thanks.
3
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Thu Apr 06 2023
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
Great voice, weird music. A bit too weird for that fourth star.
3
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Fri Apr 07 2023
Hypnotised
The Undertones
More punk that I enjoyed. I missed my calling. The "Under the Boardwalk" cover very nearly pushed it to 5 star territory.
4
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Sat Apr 08 2023
Brothers
The Black Keys
The first album that I've listened to in entirety before this project! I still like it, but not as much as I remember.
4
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Sun Apr 09 2023
Haunted Dancehall
The Sabres Of Paradise
Surprisingly enjoyable. Did not expect to like it but slid down smooth as silk. I appreciate wordless music that allows me to get some work done while listening to it. Creates a soundscape and just lets you sit in it for the whole album.
4
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Mon Apr 10 2023
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse
Faces
Took an embarrassingly long time to figure out why this sounded so much like Rod Stewart at times. Of course he sounds better when backed by one of the Rolling Stones.
3
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Tue Apr 11 2023
The Stooges
The Stooges
As this project shows me that I have an appreciation for punk, it's interesting to listen to one of the OGs. It really wasn't what I expected - it sounds a lot more like the Doors or Hendrix than I would have anticipated. Makes sense for the time. But has less of a crushing impact than their live shows must have had with Iggy up there bleeding on people.
4
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Wed Apr 12 2023
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
Do all of the songs sound alike? Maybe, but when that sound is "greatness" who cares?
4
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Thu Apr 13 2023
Post Orgasmic Chill
Skunk Anansie
Completely unexpected from the name and album photo. A trip back to the 90s when things were LOUD and busy. And what an incredible vocalist.
5
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Fri Apr 14 2023
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
Two Tom Waits albums in about a week is a lot. As cool as it is that he recorded it in the basement of the studio, it seems deliberately challenging to whoever is trying to listen to it, and I wasn't feeling it.
2
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Sat Apr 15 2023
Celebrity Skin
Hole
Courtney is cool but this album is less fun than I'd like it to be
3
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Sun Apr 16 2023
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
This really wasn't my favourite, but it was weirdly cool, and I'm glad she made it.
3
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Mon Apr 17 2023
The Stranger
Billy Joel
The piano is pretty, but so few of these songs hook me in. It's hard to avoid comparing one piano-based rocker to another, but somehow Elton John takes way cheesier material and makes it awesome, where Billy Joel's lyrics are way better yet his songs lack the same wow-factor. Talent all over the place but barely ever amounts to more than sounding like elevator muzak.
3
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Tue Apr 18 2023
Raw Power
The Stooges
First thing - shockingly different from The Stooges album of 4 years previous. This is better.
4
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Wed Apr 19 2023
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
HATE
1
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Thu Apr 20 2023
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
Real trip down memory lane, but now that my kid is the age I was when it came out it really made me cringe a bit to listen to together. He really does have a way with words and I still respect his flow, but sometimes even biting satire can go a little far.
3
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Fri Apr 21 2023
Floodland
Sisters Of Mercy
This is a banger. Very enjoyable. Just misses 5 stars because it needed a little more variety. But it does what it does very well.
4
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Sat Apr 22 2023
Tommy
The Who
So self-indulgent. Feels like it took the entire weekend to listen to. Rock peaked in the 70s but its decline started right when the rockers thought they were this important.
2
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Sun Apr 23 2023
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
I comment on vocalists a lot, but this has to be close to the top of the pile. So good he got Berry Gordy to change his formula at Motown. Reading the background of the album makes it seem like this is yet another album as therapy for a complicated sexual history - funny how sincerity and introspection can make something great.
4
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Mon Apr 24 2023
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
I mean it's a perfect sounding album, but you have to take away a star for the lyrics on "Brown Sugar." Even the band is embarrassed enough to no longer play it live. It's unfortunate because musically it's a joy, but it's foolish to ignore what is being celebrated in the lyrics. Best to consign that one to the past.
4
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Tue Apr 25 2023
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
Not sure why this album felt disjointed to me. I guess it's hard to avoid comparing albums against each other when you get the same artist back to back, but it never felt like the whole package of Sticky Fingers. C'mon, that's a great joke - look at the album cover.
3
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Wed Apr 26 2023
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
I love the Doors
5
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Thu Apr 27 2023
Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
6 albums in a row from between 1968-1974. Help me. This one was quite fun and maybe the most 70s one yet, in concept - a band based around the bongos? But whooo boy an album from the last 50 years would be nice.
3
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Fri Apr 28 2023
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
I know nothing about rap, but this feels different. In a good way.
4
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Sat Apr 29 2023
american dream
LCD Soundsystem
It's fine. That's about all I can say.
3
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Sun Apr 30 2023
Transformer
Lou Reed
I hate to rate everything 3*, because there were good songs on this album, but overall it was a bit too weird for me to rate it higher.
3
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Mon May 01 2023
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
4
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Sun May 07 2023
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
Not really much to add. Deserving in its place as one of the greatest of all time.
5
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Mon May 08 2023
Fly Or Die
N.E.R.D
One of the worst albums I’ve ever heard
1
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Tue May 09 2023
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
This album really makes me think I'd never want to get stuck in a conversation with Paul Simon. These are lyrics from a man who thinks he is extremely important. Some of these songs are way too over the top folk-y, some of them are pretty good. Was familiar with most of them but pleasantly surprised by the one where they pretend to be Dylan.
3
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Wed May 10 2023
Myths Of The Near Future
Klaxons
Another Mercury Prize winner that is kinda dull.
3
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Thu May 11 2023
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Yes please.
5
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Fri May 12 2023
Nevermind
Nirvana
No real mystery here, this album came out when I was about 8 years old and basically every album I've ever experienced was shaped by it.
5
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Sat May 13 2023
Vivid
Living Colour
2
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Sun May 14 2023
Chris
Christine and the Queens
2
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Mon May 15 2023
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3
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Tue May 16 2023
Rio
Duran Duran
3
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Wed May 17 2023
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Considering it still is the best-selling album of all time it is surprisingly sappy. And I expected there'd be another catchy tune beyond the ones I've already heard a billion times - there is not.
4
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Thu May 18 2023
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
Feels like a bunch of vignettes of pretty pastoral landscapes. Beautiful layers, kind of drifting here & there. As much as I may be a fan, sometimes his voice is jarring.
4
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Fri May 19 2023
The College Dropout
Kanye West
I did not want to like this, because of what Kanye has become. But man, he really had some talent. This was great.
4
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Sat May 20 2023
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
2
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Mon May 22 2023
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
Sounds mostly like generic late 60s music but gets a bump up because the most famous song on here, a 17 minute monstrosity, is shockingly fun
4