My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Chore of Enchantment	5	2.64	+2.36
E.V.O.L.	5	2.89	+2.11
Dig Me Out	5	3.08	+1.92
Billion Dollar Babies	5	3.11	+1.89
New York Dolls	5	3.12	+1.88
Vespertine	5	3.16	+1.84
Rain Dogs	5	3.2	+1.8
Songs Of Love And Hate	5	3.21	+1.79
Ocean Rain	5	3.22	+1.78
The Blueprint	5	3.22	+1.78

Album	You	Global	Diff
Ace of Spades	1	3.29	-2.29
Tubular Bells	1	3.1	-2.1
Reign In Blood	1	2.96	-1.96
Out of Step	1	2.92	-1.92
Fly Or Die	1	2.86	-1.86
Strange Cargo III	1	2.77	-1.77
Arise	1	2.72	-1.72
All Hope Is Gone	1	2.7	-1.7
Dr. Octagonecologyst	1	2.69	-1.69
Remedy	1	2.68	-1.68

Artist	Albums	Average
Beatles	4	4.75
Nirvana	3	4.67
Simon & Garfunkel	2	5
The Velvet Underground	2	5
Queen	3	4.33
Prince	3	4.33

Artist	Albums	Average
Slipknot	2	1

Artist	Ratings
Tom Waits	2, 5

Jeff Buckley

3/5

Generally fine, but not exceptional. Hallalejuah is great and is perfect for his style. Many other songs feel a little dated now. His death has probably impacted the legacy of this album.

evermore

Taylor Swift

4/5

Most TSwift music feels a bit overly polished to me, and this isn't an exception. It is generally still really good though, and this is much more folk-y than most of her other music. Collabs with HAIM, The National, and Bon Iver all make it much stronger than it otherwise might be. Strong influences from The National and Jack Antonoff come through throughout. Favorite song: champagne problems Honorable mentions: 'tis the damn season; no body, no crime, coney island, closure

Low-Life

New Order

2/5

The album is so obviously from the 80s. Heavy synth use on top of more standard rock elements. I don't have major issues with it, but it doesn't hold up particularly well to me and this isn't my favorite era of music generally. At best most songs don't really stand out, and at worst the singer's voice is a bit annoying (like on Sub-culture). Maybe it just says more about my tastes, but Elegia (a 5 minute long instrumental) was the only song that really stood out to me on the album. Favorite song: Elegia

Rust In Peace

Megadeth

2/5

This is not at all my type of music and I wasn't really looking forward to listening to it. Honestly though, it was better than I expected. It's still not really my music and I don't see myself listening to it again, but the band is clearly super talented and the guitars and drums are pretty impressive throughout. Just not really aligned with what I like, but I respect it. Favorite song: Rust in Peace...Polaris (Honestly they all kind of sound pretty similar to me, this is the last song on the album and it closed things out strong)

Dire Straits

4/5

I really like the vibes on this album. Fairly classic rock sounds on most songs, but mixes in a lot of twangy guitar and folksy elements too (and even some funk occasionally). It's simple in a really enjoyable way throughout. Sultans of Swing is the single that made Dire Straights famous, and it holds up. Side note but I love the cover art on this album, it gives strong Edward Hopper vibes Favorite song: Sultans of Swing Honorable mentions: Water of Love, Six Blade Knife, Wild West End

Parallel Lines

Blondie

5/5

I really enjoyed this a lot. High energy throughout and really unique sounds. Debbie Harry’s voice is awesome, impressive range. Songs are bouncy at times, alt heavy at times, just really unique and interesting. One Way or Another is the famous song (and it’s good) but lots of other strong songs too. Favorite song: Heart of Glass Others: One Way or Another, Picture This, Fade Away and Radiate, Pretty Baby, Sunday Girl

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

4/5

This is possibly the most chaotic thing I've ever listened to. It's very early rock n' roll which is already a little chaotic, and this live album is just fast-paced piano and clashing drums and Jerry Lee Lewis yelling a lot. It does kind of work though, it would have definitely been fun to be there. This is also recorded like 6 years after Lewis fell out of the spotlight after marrying his teenage cousin, so there's a lot to unpack with this one. I'm rating this given the context of its time (though really hard to believe that The Velvet Underground & Nico came out only 3 years after this, this feels ancient compared to that) and it being a live recording. (Note: the Spotify version only includes 8 of the 13 tracks, full version available on Youtube). Favorite song: Money (That's All I Want) Others: Great Balls of Fire, Hound Dog, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Bone Machine

Tom Waits

2/5

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't really what I got. Waits has a very deep voice and a lot of the songs have a sort of spooky underworld vibe. It occasionally moves away from this (e.g., Jesus Gonna Be Here is more of a blues rock song, A Little Rain is a folksy piano ballad), but that mostly makes it feel more disjointed to me. There's a few redeeming qualities here, but it generally is just not really working for me. Favorite song: Who Are You Others: A Little Rain, That Feel

The Specials

3/5

I can't really explain it, but I have a weird soft spot for ska music. It's not cool at all and it kind of surprises me that it was ever popular, but it's light and fun and it always brings my mood up a bit. This album basically aligns with my general feelings about ska (though occasionally it's a little more alt-rock-y than just ska (Concrete Jungle), and sometimes more heavily reggae (Too Hot)). Good vibes throughout, a few interesting songs, generally a pleasant listen, though I would still probably not choose to listen to this over other things. The genre caps the rating a bit, but it's perfectly good for what it is. Favorite song: You're Wondering Now Other: A Message to You Rudy, Doesn't Make It Alright, Concrete Jungle, Too Much Too Young

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

3/5

This is a perfectly fine but unexceptional alt-rock album. I actually think it holds up reasonably well and doesn't sound overly dated, I just don't think any of the songs really stand out. I wouldn't turn it off if it came on again, but I also wouldn't pick it out to listen to. It's also pretty long (62 minutes) which doesn't really help its case. Favorite song: Calistan Others: (I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain, Speedy Marie, Superabound, White Noise Maker

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

3/5

It's funky. Definitely a reasonably good album with a few great songs. That Lady is a "cover" of their own song, but this is the version that got more famous (and it's better than the original). Summer Breeze and Listen to the Music are also covers of other bands' songs. A couple of the songs are titled Parts 1 & 2 and Part 2 is typically a funky instrumental that goes on a little longer than is necessary. It's a good funk album with a few high highs and the rest perfectly ok. Favorite song: Listen to the Music Others: That Lady, Summer Breeze, The Highways of My Life

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

3/5

I have no idea what to think about this. After like a quarter of the album I wrote this: "This is my intro to Genesis and Peter Gabriel, and I’m thinking it might not be the greatest place to start. There’s definitely some good here, particularly lots of unique instruments and sounds behind the vocals. Overall though, this just is not working for me. I don’t love the concept album, it feels like it should be the soundtrack for a movie or something instead of a standalone album. Everything just sounds a little over dramatic to me. This also might be heresy, but Peter Gabriel’s voice kind of rubs me the wrong way on a lot of the songs. I’m very open to being wrong about this one after listening to more of their stuff, but right now it’s not doing it for me." Then I don't know if the album took a turn for the better or I just started to get it or what, but I really liked a lot of it. There were a few stretches where I would give it a 4-5 rating and a few stretches where I would give it a 1-2 rating. Some of my criticisms from the beginning still definitely hold. It's a bit overly theatrical for my liking and it's way too long (especially given some weak stretches). I also do like the uniqueness of the background noises, but it's a bit synth-heavy on the back half which isn't really my thing. But still, a few places where this totally shined too, like Carpet Crawlers is buried in the middle of this 94 minute album and it's just incredible. I've never written so many words in a review and I still have no clue what to rate this. Usually a 3 for me means I'm mostly indifferent, but that's not the case at all here. What a ride. I think I need to listen to more Genesis and come back to this. Favorite song: Carpet Crawlers Others: Counting Out Time, The Waiting Room, It

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

4/5

This album is very good to great, and it’s really cool that it exists as a live recording from the time. It’s recorded at Folsom Prison and you can hear the crowd and there’s various announcements and things throughout. It’s definitely a cool historical document. Cash’s voice is incredible throughout and the performance is relatively tight given that it’s live. I just have to knock it slightly for the sound quality (though it’s decent given the circumstances) and some of the long asides that take away from the music a bit. Favorite song: Folsom Prison Blues Others: I Still Miss Someone, 25 Minutes to Go, The Long Black Veil, Jackson, Give My Love to Rose

Run-D.M.C.

3/5

I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I just couldn't quite get there. There's some cool stuff for sure, It's Like That is a gem and Rock Box is a cool rock crossover song that seems to have been ahead of its time. That said, while I'm sure there's a lot of historical significance for what this did for the genre, it sounds really dated now. The thing where the two guys go back and forth like one line at a time and then sing some lines together just gets old quickly. One other nice/funny thing, the lyrics are almost hilariously wholesome throughout the album. Wake Up might be the most wholesome song I've ever heard, and they're also rapping about like going to school and not being prejudiced. It's a nice album overall with a couple of great parts, but altogether is not overly special to me. Favorite song: It's Like That Other: Rock Box, Sucker M.C.s (Krush-Groove 1)

Copper Blue

Sugar

2/5

This is not really doing anything for me. It sounds like generic background 90s alt/punk rock. The lead singer’s voice is really whiny sounding on a lot of the songs. It’s just consistently mediocre, there’s basically nothing interesting happening except If I Can’t Change Your Mind (which is unique and actually good). Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today, I don't know. I don’t actively hate this, but am struggling to understand why it made this list. Favorite song: If I Can’t Change Your Mind Other: The Act We Act

On The Beach

Neil Young

4/5

This is a really strong album start to finish. It's sad and mostly slow folk/rock music, but still manages to be unique and interesting. The only thing holding it back for me is a lack of standout great songs. Lots of really good songs though and I'm excited to listen to more of his music. (Note: Neil Young removed all of his music from Spotify, so have to listen to this on Youtube). Favorite song: For the Turnstiles Others: Walk On, See the Sky About To Rain, On the Beach, Motion Pictures (for Carrie), Ambulance Blues

If I Could Only Remember My Name

David Crosby

4/5

I feel like this album might be a bit polarizing. It's a rock/folk/psych album with lots of variety and interesting stuff going on in the background. It generally works for me and there's a few spots where it's great (Traction in the Rain is beautiful, Orleans is super short but really interesting). The biggest weakness to me is that it's pretty sparse lyrically. In some places this works (e.g., Music is Love has like 5 unique words but it's great). In some places this doesn't work so much (e.g., there's a few songs with no words at all and a few others with like half the song without words and I'm a bit mixed on them generally since I don't love songs with non-lyric filler noises). Overall I'm favorable on the album and enjoyed it a lot, but do see some negatives. Favorite song: Traction in the Rain Others: Music Is Love, Laughing, What Are Their Names, Orleans

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

4/5

Reggae. Bob Marley. It’s nice and exactly what I expected it to be. I feel like I should be drinking a piña colada on the beach not walking around lower Manhattan. I totally get why this got popular (relaxing, good vibes, progressive lyric themes) but also cannot imagine anything like this getting popular today. It really feels like a unique product of the moment, but one that I’m glad happened. Favorite song: No Woman No Cry Others: Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), So Jah S’eh, Talkin’ Blues

Reign In Blood

Slayer

1/5

I was ready for it to be over by the second song. It just got more intense as it went on though. The best part is that it’s only 35 minutes long. The guitar player and drummer are clearly talented, but this just isn’t it for me. I picked Raining Blood as my favorite song because the rain sounds at the beginning and end are nice (even though I guess they’re supposed to be blood which is not so nice). Favorite song: Raining Blood

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

5/5

Awesome album. Rehab was big when I was about 10 years old, so while I knew Amy Winehouse it was just a bit ahead of my time and I hadn’t really heard much other stuff from her. This made me go down a rabbit hole about her life, and the album is really pretty heartbreaking in hindsight. She directly confronts her addiction problems and relationship difficulties which never really seemed to let up for her. What really stands out to me is how timeless sounding the album is. Someone could have told me that this was released basically anytime between 1950 and now and I probably could have believed them. She is clearly influenced by early female jazz/blues/pop groups but does it in a way that feels both old and modern at the same time (Just Friends sounds like it could be a cover of The Specials or something). I was afraid I would get tired of her unique voice after a full album but that didn’t happen at all (though it’s only 35 minutes and I did think the first half was stronger than the second). The original release of the album is good enough for a 5 rating from me, but the deluxe version also includes a live (slower) BBC Radio recording of Valerie which might be might favorite song of hers (it’s a cover that she made famous). Favorite song: You Know I’m No Good Other: Rehab, Back To Black, Love Is a Losing Game, Wake Up Alone, Valerie

The Renaissance

Q-Tip

3/5

I liked the first two songs a lot and then it kind of just settled into a fine but unexceptional album to me. I didn’t dislike anything on it, but also didn’t think anything was exceptional or would make me really want to listen again. Kind of random but I did kind of like the Norah Jones cameo near the end too. I’m generally interested to get some more rap albums here. It’s a genre that I’ve previously listened to lots of songs but very few full albums, so it’ll help me calibrate a bit once I start listening to more full albums. Favorite song: Won’t Trade Other: Johnny Is Dead, Life Is Better

Timeless

Goldie

2/5

I don’t have a clue how to rate this. I’m listening to this on the train to New York and it’s the first time that I’ve felt like I had to do something else (e.g., reading) while listening. I didn’t not like it though, it’s just music that to me is typically background noise and not a standalone thing to listen to. It also clocks in at 113 minutes which is really really long. The first song alone is 21 minutes. It seems like this was pretty critical for early electronic drums & bass type music. It’s just a little too up tempo and intense at a lot of points for it to be really strong to me for background music purposes, and it’s not interesting enough to stand out otherwise. Favorite song: Sea of Tears Other: Adrift

Moon Safari

Air

4/5

Two electronic albums in a row which is a bit out of my comfort zone. I tend to be overly critical I think so going to try not to do that today. Not sure what exactly it is that I like about this album, but I do like it a lot. It’s a downtempo electronic album with a pretty slow pace, which is a little more my speed generally. This type of music can get repetitive sounding sometimes, but this album was able to keep things interesting throughout. My only real negative is a few of the songs had lyrics in a strange autotuned male voice that was a little annoying to me. Otherwise really enjoyed it though, would listen again. Favorite song: La femme d’argent Other: Sexy Boy, All I Need, Talisman, Ce matin-là, Le voyage de Pènèlope

A Night At The Opera

Queen

5/5

I knew I liked Bohemian Rhapsody and You're My Best Friend (because why wouldn't you). I didn't realize how much I'd love the rest of the album. The whole thing is just a great journey start to finish. There's a few places where things didn't quite work for me (I'll have to give The Prophet's Song another shot) but it's still so interesting and great throughout. I really love when bands try unique things even if they don't always work, so hard to even knock them given how well it works overall. An awesome rock album with just so many different instruments and styles to keep every song fresh. Freddie Mercury's voice is obviously incredible. I'm disappointed that I hadn't listened to the full album before, but glad I know it's there now. Favorite song: Bohemian Rhapsody Other: Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To…), Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon, You’re My Best Friend, ‘39, Seaside Rendezvous, Love of My Life, Good Company

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

5/5

This probably says as much about my music preferences as it does about this specific album, but I really enjoyed it. It’s simple folk rock, the whole album is short, and it just is consistently good. Includes a couple of top tier songs too, so hard to find any major complaints. Cat Stevens seems like a bit of an odd dude and he oversings a little occasionally, but neither of these things really impacts my thoughts on the album as a whole. This will make its way into the rotation for me. Favorite song: Wild World Other: Miles From Nowhere, But I Might Die Tonight, Into White, On The Road To Find Out, Father and Son

Machine Head

Deep Purple

3/5

This is the second album I’ve listened to recently that had a weird car song. Less weird car songs please. The guitarist is jamming throughout (that’s like half the album) but not really feeling any strong feelings about this one overall, generally pretty neutral on this old school heavy rock. Talked myself into a 3 because Smoke on the Water is iconic at least. Also I really like When A Blind Man Cries as the last song on the album, much slower and more ballad-like than the rest of the album, which was more guitar-shredding (Note: I learned this after finishing listening; When A Blind Man Cries was not on the original album, it was a B-side to the Never Before single. It was recorded when the album was first recorded but got added to the end of the album for the 25th anniversary release. I'm keeping it as my favorite song anyway because there's no rules here). Favorite song: When A Blind Man Cries Other: Never Before, Smoke On The Water

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

4/5

These old albums are a bit hard to rate. It’s very doo-wop sounding, but I honestly enjoyed it and it’s still pretty impressive given it was released in 1957 (compared to what else was getting recorded around then). You can definitely hear the influence on like early Beatles sounds in here. I did legitimately enjoy listening to it and I really respect that Holly wrote the songs here (lots of covers from other albums around this time). It comes in with 12 songs at only 26 minutes, so it’s compact and to the point. It would have been interesting to see how his sound would have evolved if not for his tragic death. Favorite song: Oh Boy! Other: Not Fade Away, You’ve Got Love, Maybe Baby, I’m Looking For Someone To Love, Send Me Some Lovin’

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

4/5

I ended up liking this a lot more than I expected to. I listened to the first few songs and didn't love them the first time around, then didn't end up listening to the full album for awhile after, and really enjoyed it a lot. It's unique sounding and interesting throughout; she really is pretty experimental in a way that I wasn't really expecting. I got strong Weyes Blood vibes at various points in the album. There things that I don't love (Waking the Witch is a bit too out there for me, and then there's an odd Irish jig song near the end). She also oversings a bit at times in a really 80s sounding way. On the whole though, the highs are plenty good enough to overcome these downsides. Really strong across the board, and Cloudbusting is a new favorite for me. Favorite song: Cloudbusting Other: Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God), Hounds of Love, Mother Stands for Comfort, And Dream Of Sheep, Watching You Without Me

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

3/5

Fine album, but nothing blowing me away. Strong 2000s electronicky-rock sound. Pretty fast tempo throughout. Generally enjoyable, and I get a feeling that if I discovered this 10 years ago I might've been more into it, but right now I think it's perfectly ok but not outstanding. Favorite song: Golden Skans Other: Atlantis to Interzone

Henry's Dream

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

2/5

I have never heard of Nick Cave before, but apparently he’s pretty popular and has been around forever. Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry is the opener and it’s a trip, but for some reason it gave me strong “the bones are their money” vibes (and picturing Tim Robinson singing the song is hard to come back from). “Straight to You” sounded like generic Bruce Springsteen to me. “Christina the Astonishing” had some Father John Misty vibes. “John Finn’s Wife” was mediocre but I kind of liked the end, so that’s something. It seems like his discography is all over the board, so I’m a bit curious to listen to more of his stuff. This one is not really doing it for me though. It just feels like someone doing a country western bit, I’m struggling to take it seriously. I’m hearing some similarities in the vibe with Tom Waits (who I also discovered through this, have only listened to one album, and did not like). Willing to give them both more of a chance though, maybe I’ll come around. Favorite song: Loom of the Land Other: Papa Won’t Leave You Henry, Christina the Astonishing, John Finn’s Wife

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

4/5

Old hip hop is definitely not my area of expertise, but I generally just really enjoyed this one. It was fun throughout and I liked the short little mini-songs in between a lot of the tracks (Transmitting Live from Mars had great vibes, De La Orgee was totally ridiculous). This still isn't like my top genre or anything, but I respect it and found this one fun to listen to (though a little longer than I might have preferred at 63 minutes). Probably closer to a 3.5 score overall, but will round up since it was good vibes. Favorite song: Me Myself and I Other: The Magic Number, Transmitting Live From Mars, Eye Know, Tread Water, Plug Tunin’ (Last Chance to Comprehend), Buddy

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

5/5

This is the biggest surprise album I’ve had yet I think. I was not at all interested in this, did not expect to like it at all, and ended up loving it. Multiple times I was listening to a song that felt “generic old rock”, but then just totally changed and got way more interesting (the end of “Raped and Freezin”, the horns in “Elected”, the harmonica on “Generation Landslide”). I could clearly hear The Velvet Underground influence, and at other times I got Queen vibes. It’s gritty, and in more of a horror movie way than a sex and drugs way like most of TVU stuff. Something about it works for me though. The sounds are unique, Cooper’s voice is great (though he oversings in a real ‘70s rock way at times, but it is what it is), and it stays interesting throughout. I could have had infinite guesses about who sings Mary Ann and I don’t think I ever would have guessed Alice Cooper. My biggest downside here is that there’s not that song or two that’s totally iconic. No More Mister Nice Guy is the closest one on here (and it’s probably the most tame and polished song too). Really feels like the whole is better than the sum of the parts overall though. Favorite song: Mary Ann Other: Raped and Freezin, Elected, Unfinished Sweet, No More Mister Nice Guy, I Love the Dead

Marquee Moon

Television

4/5

This one came together a bit more for me on the second listen. I also think the second half of the album is stronger than the first half (Guiding Light and Prove It are my favorite songs), which made me come around to it more after letting it settle in. A few things I don’t love. For some reason I find the singers voice to be a little annoying over the course of the full album, even though he’s clearly great. The first half of the album also felt a bit generic to me, though it came together nicely eventually. Lastly, the songs are also all on the long side (including the 10 minute Marquee Moon track), which generally isn’t my favorite album structure. That said, I did really end up enjoying this, particularly on the second listen. This is considered to be a pretty pivotal album for early punk rock, and I get the appeal. I get strong Modest Mouse vibes at times (I think largely the vocals sound similar on Marquee Moon). It’s unique enough to keep things interesting, and is generally a strong 70s rock album. I’m not as into this as some of the reviews I’ve seen online, but it’s largely enjoyable. Probably a 3.5 for me, but enough good here that I’ll round up. Favorite song: Guiding Light Other: Venus, Marquee Moon, Prove It

Odessa

Bee Gees

4/5

I really only knew the Bee Gees from Stayin’ Alive, so I kind of assumed that’s what they were. Turns out that’s not the case. This is fairly early-ish Bee Gees (though still their 6th album), and has more of a Beatles early rock sound. It’s a longer concept album, which generally isn’t my favorite. The album gets off to a bit of a slow start, but hits its stride with Marley Purt Drive, which is more of a country sound and is great. This album is really hit or miss for me. A lot of songs I like a lot, and a lot that just sound old and boring (Lamplight is on while I’m writing this old and boring comment). There’s also a weird stretch of two symphonies about 2/3 of the way through, interesting choice. Generally though I’ve enjoyed this. Definitely has its ups and downs and is too long, but the vocals are solid and there’s enough interesting stuff going on to keep me engaged. This is probably another 3.5 for me, but there’s enough good to round up. Favorite song: Marley Purt Drive Other: Black Diamond, Melody Fair, Whisper Whisper, Sound of Love, I Laugh in Your Face, Never Say Never Again

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

3/5

This was perfectly fine, which is high praise from me on a heavy metal album. I get the appeal of this type of music, especially for a live performance. It just doesn’t typically land well with me in practice, and I can’t imagine actively turning something like this on to listen to. My favorite songs on this album were honestly the ones that sounded least metal. Changes was great, and then it’s followed up by FX which is an avante garde-y noise track that I liked a lot. I’m a sucker for these kinds of avante grade things, and this delivered. Most of the rest of the album though is more or less what I’d expect from 70s heavy metal. I generally felt neutral on most of it, which frankly exceeds expectations. Not much else to say here, it more or less was what I thought it would be (Changes and FX aside). Minor point, but I felt like the vocals were washed out a bit by the instruments on a lot of the songs. Not sure if that’s just on the 2021 remaster I listened to (or if that’s typical for them) but I found that a little annoying. Favorite song: Changes Other: FX, Supernaut

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

2/5

This is the first jazz album I've gotten, and while I do listen to some jazz (mostly in the background while reading) I'll be the first to admit that I am not at all well-informed to review jazz albums. So my review here is mostly going to be vibes-based. And the vibes were not good on this one. It mostly sounded like elevator music, but with chaotic other sounds that were mostly just grating. There were points here and there where it was alright, but I quickly got tired of listening to this and felt that it was actually hard to listen to a few times. I don't have a lot more insight, I just really didn't like this very much. The musicians are clearly talented so credit for that, but not much else worked for me. I would be remiss to not mention the best part of this album though. This has to be the funniest album cover that I've ever seen before. A giant fedora. Various weather phenomena crudely photoshopped together with the best technology that 1977 had to offer. Is the lightning coming from the fedora? Does the fedora have flaps (is it Brian's hat)? What is this city that's experiencing this hell? The world may never know, but I can't imagine I'm going to come across a more hilarious album cover in these 1,001 albums. Favorite song: Birdland Other: The Juggler

The Next Day

David Bowie

4/5

This is a bit of a weird Bowie album to be my first to review (second from his last one). It’s not the greatest thing I’ve ever listened to, but it’s unequivocally a Bowie album and it’s generally good. He sounds old when singing (which is fair, he was old at the time) and it’s a little plain sounding to me at times, but overall is quite good for a star’s late career album, especially since there was a long hiatus before this one. My biggest gripe is that it’s a bit too long (and there was a stretch in the middle that was pretty average), but that’s a pretty minor complaint. There were a few stretches that I liked a lot too, and the album finished really strong. My overall thought is that this album isn’t perfect, but it’s nice that it exists. It’s very possible this would be a lower rating if another name was on it, but hard to say for sure. Regardless, I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the Bowie discography soon. Favorite song: Where Are We Now Other: The Next Day, Love is Lost, (You Will) Set The World On Fire, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die, Heat

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

This album is wonderful, I enjoyed it a lot. It’s just pure folk rock and is consistently solid. It has 12 songs and is only 28 minutes long, so it went fast and was over so quickly. I finished feeling like I wanted more, but maybe that’s ok sometimes. Homeward Bound is probably the most well known song and it’s great, but there’s a lot more here too. Any song that sincerely tells me it’s “feeling groovy” works for me, and I loved the vibes on 59th Street Bridge Song. For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her sounded like a Bon Iver song before its time. And I was familiar from the Phoebe Bridgers cover/update already, but I also love 7 O’clock News / Silent Night. I think it’s a brilliant song and somehow works outside of a Christmas album. Great album and I know this won’t be the last Simon and Garfunkel to look forward to. Favorite song: 7 O’clock News / Silent Night Other: Cloudy, Homeward Bound, The 59th Street Bridge Song, The Dangling Conversation, For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her

Hotel California

Eagles

5/5

This is definitely the most famous album that I've been given yet, which adds its own challenges. The quick answer here is that this album is great, and I very much see why it's considered a classic. Hotel California (the song) kicks it off, and it's obviously iconic and great. I don't think I had listened to the full album before, and I was surprised by the country twang that comes through on a number of the songs. I thought this worked well to complement the more typical rock vibes on songs like "Life in the Fast Lane". I also liked the slower tempo songs, and thought The Last Resort was a great way to wrap up the album. The hard part about something like this is that its pretty much the poster child for what's considered "classic rock" to a 2023 listener (at least to me). Because of this, there are moments that feel dated or even a bit hokey today (e.g., the guitar riffs on Wasted Time gave me this feeling), and as great as this is, this makes it feel somewhat uncool which makes me second-guess whether it's actually good or not. So clearly I'm overthinking things. It's great and there's a reason it's popular. Not everything has to hold up perfectly over time, but this manages to mostly do so anyway. Hotel California (the song again) probably gets a 5 rating on its own, but there's plenty more going on here too that's worth a listen and relisten. Favorite song: Hotel California Other: New Kid in Town, Life in the Fast Lane, Pretty Maids All in a Row, Try and Love Again, The Last Resort

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Byrds

3/5

So apparently The Byrds had a country rock moment. I actually really liked how this album started, the first two songs both sounded interesting and somewhat modern. They're country, but in a fairly low-key nice way (I could have imagined The Avett Brothers or Jason Isbell or someone singing). And then it took the hardest turn that I absolutely did not see coming. Song #3 is "The Christian Life" and it's something. If I'm supposed to take it at face value, its possibly the worst song I've ever heard. If I'm not supposed to take it at face value (and it's like a parody of old conservative country fans) then it totally misses the mark for me and throws off the whole vibe of the album. I like to think its the latter (the Southern drawl was particularly over the top strong on this song, so maybe...), but it still just does not work. After that, the album settles into a perfectly fine but generally uninteresting country album. I guess this album kind of took country rock somewhat mainstream so maybe I should be giving it more credit, but I just really didn't think there was much interesting happening after the first two songs. The original album does end with "Nothing Was Delivered," which was written by Bob Dylan. I did like this one too, so this at least was bookended by good songs. The Spotify version has some additional songs that were added later, they're ok and are generally less "country" than the rest. There's also a few rehearsal takes on the Spotify version that are skippable. Apparently this album totally flopped back in the day, but is now considered to be pretty important for country rock. I think its largely just fine, occasionally quite good, and at one moment truly awful. A bit all over the board, but I'm glad I heard a few songs on this at least. Favorite song: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere Other: I Am a Pilgrim, Hickory Wind, Nothing Was Delivered

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Aretha Franklin

5/5

I kind of feel like Aretha is a bit of a one-trick pony, but that one trick is an incredibly good one that doesn't really get old. Her voice is just phenomenal, and it hits right from the beginning with Respect as the opener. I think there's a few spots where the album lulls a bit, but even in these spots her voice just carries the song. I don't have much else to say on this one, just an incredible singer with a really solid album top to bottom. I learned that this was her first breakthrough album commercially, but was actually her 10th studio album. Hard to believe it took so long, but it makes sense that it eventually happened. Favorite song: Respect Other: Drown In My Own Tears, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You), Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream, Good Times, Do Right Woman Do Right Man, Save Me, A Change Is Gonna Come

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

3/5

I don't think I've ever listened to a full Elvis album before, but this is definitely one of them. He has a style and doesn't stray too far from it. It was generally fine and I liked a few of the songs, but I just don't think I'm a huge Elvis person. The voice flutter thing that he does is iconic, but it just kind of annoys me. In the Ghetto was an interesting surprise at the (original) end of the album (there's a few extra songs on this version). It sounds a bit in your face or cheesy hearing it now, but it seems like the first time he ever sang a song with any sort of social theme, so I respect him going for it. Favorite song: Wearin' That Loved On Look Other: Long Black Limousine, Power of My Love, In the Ghetto, Suspicious Minds

High Violet

The National

5/5

This is the first album that I’ve gotten from an artist that I’ve seen live. I really enjoy all the new music that I’ve heard by doing this, but it’s also nice to get something familiar sometimes. I’m hugely biased here, The National is probably my favorite modern rock band and this might be their best album top-to-bottom. I often find one singer hard to listen to for a full album, but I never have that issue with Matt Berninger. His voice is just great, I feel like it comes across as soothing despite a lot of songs that are a bit chaotic overall. A review I saw described the guitars on Terrible Love (the first song) as “buzzy and atmospheric”, and I feel like that actually describes the sound of the album more broadly. The sound is full and grand, but there’s this buzzy undertone that I love. I get the sense that the Dessners are brilliant musicians too. There’s so many great songs on this album, I’m adding basically the whole thing to my playlist. Terrible Love is a powerful opener, Bloodbuzz Ohio might be my favorite song of theirs overall, Runaway is more understated but fantastic. If I had to be picky about one thing I’ll say that the closing song could’ve been better chosen, but I’m getting really picky about an incredible album. An album that’s already in my rotation and will definitely continue to be. Favorite song: Bloodbuzz Ohio Other: Terrible Love, Sorrow, Anyone’s Ghost, Afraid of Everyone, Runaway, Conversation 16, England

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

2/5

This album is basically 77 minutes of Peter Frampton just jamming on guitar. In his defense, he shreds. The downside is that it’s not particularly interesting to me, and is excruciatingly long. I can see the appeal, just not really for me. It’s interesting that this is basically the key piece of output from his career, and it’s a live album. The energy is pretty good on it, but live albums are tough. There’s a couple of great songs on here. Baby, I Love Your Way is iconic. As a whole it’s just fine though, I was ready for something else pretty quickly. The last song was a bit of a banger, I’ll give it that. Favorite song: Baby, I love Your Way Other: Show Me The Way, Penny For Your Thoughts, Jumping Jack Flash, Do You Feel Like We Do

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

3/5

Muse is another modern rock band that I've seen live (Osheaga 2017). I actually am not super familiar with their work though, and the two songs of theirs that I do know are not on this album (Uprising and Madness). I thought this album started really strong, I liked the first two songs a lot and the third song (Supermassive Black Hole) is one of their more popular songs (though I'm not quite so high on it). Starlight is song #2 and is my favorite one on the album. It's a great example of a piano/keyboard carrying a rock song (also the case on Hoodoo). We also know by now that I love the slow song in the middle of a rock album, and Soldier's Poem delivers (it sounds a lot like a Queen song to me). Overall though, I thought the album was good but something about it just doesn't blow me away. After the strong stretch at the beginning not as much stood out to me, and I think they have a bit of a sound which makes a lot of the songs sound the same. Perfectly good modern rock with a few plus moments. Favorite song: Starlight Other: Take a Bow, Supermassive Black Hole, Soldier’s Poem, Hoodoo

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

3/5

This is certainly an interesting album. It's not my favorite thing I've ever heard, but I'm really glad I heard it. It's generally a folk rock album that drifts into traditional Irish music. The bagpipes and string instruments are actually a nice change of pace from the more traditional rock that's more common on here, but I don't think I have a super strong desire to just listen to that on more of an everyday basis. There are definitely interesting pieces too. "Sweet Thing" is a Van Morrison cover that's actually quite good. "Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?" leans country and is a lot of fun. "The Stolen Child has Yeats" poetry spoken on top of the song. And then it ends with a Euro take on "This Land Is Your Land." My initial reaction was actually kind of negative on this, but it really started to grow on me more with a second listen. The Spotify version is also a Collector's Edition that has a ton of other content beyond the original album, and I think the length of that overwhelmed me a bit. I'm sticking with a three since it didn't blow me away, but I'd like to come back to this one later on and give it another go. Favorite song: Strange Boat Other: Fisherman’s Blues, Sweet Thing, Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?, When Ye Go Away

Here Are the Sonics

The Sonics

3/5

I've listened to enough 50s and 60s albums now, and this one feels like a turning point to me. There's a lot of the rockabilly sound still in here (Roll Over Beethoven, Dirty Robber, etc.). At times it sounded similar to the Jerry Lee Lewis album that I've gotten before (including a common cover). There's a few covers on here too and it's very short (29 minutes), both things typical in earlier rock albums. But I think this is when you can start to hear some of what's to come too. The rockabilly sound gives way to a bit harder of a rock sound at times, with strong guitar and drums. It's simple, but high energy, and frantic, and generally fun. There's also a lot of yelling (probably overdone a bit to be honest). Overall I didn't love the album, it was just ok to me. The sound quality is pretty rough, the yelling became a bit much, and there wasn't much that stood out as particularly groundbreaking or interesting. But I get the sense that this was a critical step to what came shortly after. I know "Have Love Will Travel" (the best song on here) was mentioned in The Velvet Underground podcast I listened to, and you can see how this bridges the gap to what's coming. Maybe The Sonics walked so others could run. Favorite song: Have Love Will Travel Other: The Witch, Psycho, Strychnine

Bummed

Happy Mondays

1/5

This is the first time in awhile that I actively disliked an album. No real interesting hooks at all, the singer's voice is annoying and mumbly, and he has this distinctively 80s sound that I don't like. I guess this was a big album for some sub-sub-genre or another, but I'm not getting it. I'll be passing on listening to the full 2 hour collector's edition on Spotify. Lazyitis (the last song) is somewhat decent, and I like the cover art. That's the pros. Favorite song: Lazyitis

Close To The Edge

Yes

2/5

I’m generally feeling kind of meh about this. It’s 70s prog rock, lots of guitar shredding and synth sounds together. It’s just not really hitting much for me beyond a few moments here and there. Not super critical, but the album is stylized in a weird way that wasn’t super clear from the Spotify version. I was listening to the first song (15 minutes long) and I thought “this sounds like multiple totally different songs”. Turns out on the original version each side was one song with sub-songs (plus one more main song on the B side). Spotify doesn’t make this clear though, so it makes the 15 minute song feel a bit odd altogether. The Spotify version also has a few other tracks that weren’t on the original, including an “America” cover (significantly worse than the original). Favorite song: And You and I Other: Total Mass Retain

Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival

5/5

This was great, I really enjoyed it overall. Generally upbeat musically, though the lyrics are not always so positive. The first half plus of the album were pretty much all great (the second half was good too but not as many standouts for me). No real notes here, just a strong album top to bottom. The songs are pretty short, the production is tight, it sounds unique compared to other rock from the time. A bit of a rootsy/country sound throughout too, I got Caamp vibes frequently. There's also a few very famous songs here, most notably "Bad Moon Rising". I also really enjoyed Lodi as something a bit more melancholy. Favorite song: Bad Moon Rising Other: Green River, Tombstone Shadow, Wrote A Song For Everyone, Lodi

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

3/5

This is an ok album carried by Janis Joplin as the lead singer. Her voice is obviously super unique, and there's moments where it's great, though I don't know that I'm a massive Janis Joplin fan overall. I think I appreciate what's going on here, while also being somewhat indifferent for the most part. Sound-wise, it was much more bluesy than I expected. They also did this thing where a few of the songs have added background noise to sound like they're live recordings, this was a bad choice. The cover art is kind of fun though. Favorite song: Piece of My Heart Other: I Need a Man to Love, Summertime

The La's

4/5

Big time one hit wonder here (on their one album). There She Goes is the hit, it’s a banger. I really liked the rest of the album too though, I was pleasantly surprised. Really good 90s British alt rock vibes, and they keep it interesting throughout. The lyrics are a bit cheesy at times but it is what it is. Fun album, good vibes, an iconic song, no major complaints here. Favorite song: There She Goes Other: I Can’t Sleep, Timeless Melody, Liberty Ship, Doledrum, Feelin’, Freedom Song, Looking Glass

The Velvet Underground

5/5

This album is so good. In some way it's also kind of the reason I started this album thing in the first place. I saw a Twitter thread about "After Hours" about 7 months ago, then went down a Velvet Underground rabbit hole, then listened to a podcast about the Velvet Underground that mentioned a bunch of other bands from the time, then realized I should listen to more older music, which led me to this. This album has already been part of the rotation for a bit now and it will continue to be. "Candy Says" is an incredibly powerful opener, especially given the time it came out. "Pale Blue Eyes" is one of my favorite Velvet Underground songs, it's understated and beautiful and heartbreaking. While this album is great overall, I also think the stretch of songs from "Pale Blue Eyes" to "I'm Set Free" is one of the most thematically strong stretches of songs that I can think of. He's wrestling with his past, he struggles with religion, and it ends with the lyric "I'm set free to find a new illusion." "I'm Set Free" also just has such a grand sound that builds over the course of the song that pulls it together. It's such a narratively strong run, and they're all great musically too. Then there's "After Hours," which got me into them in the first place. It's an interesting song to be the first song of theirs that I ever listened to, since it's so different from basically everything else of theirs. With no other knowledge I would've guessed this was a early 2000s indie song, but they were doing it 40 years earlier. Apparently Lou Reed just kind of decided on a whim that Moe Tucker should sing this one, she had no interest in doing so, and only agreed when Reed kicked the rest of the band out of the studio for her to record it. The song is brilliant, everything about it works perfectly. It's very clear that I love this album, and it's so close to perfect to me. I do have to mention the one blemish though, which is "The Murder Mystery." One of the things I love about the Velvet Underground is their willingness to be bold and try things that are a bit out there. This worked perfectly on "After Hours" for example, but "The Murder Mystery" is a big miss for me. I won't comment on it too much, but it's 9 minutes long, has a lot of mumbling background noises, and definitely hurts the album flow a bit at the end. They tried something, I respect that, it didn't quite work, it is what it is. This is already a super long review, but I just love this album. I'm not sure how I'd rate it vs. The Velvet Underground and Nico, but it's at least close for me. I think the overall narrative and production might be a bit tighter on this one, but they're both great in their own right. Easy 5 stars here, I've been waiting for my first Velvet Underground album and am looking forward to the rest. The whole album (except "The Murder Mystery") is getting added to my playlist. Favorite song: After Hours Other: Candy Says, What Goes On, Some Kinda Love, Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus, Beginning To See The Light, I’m Set Free, That’s The Story Of My Life

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

4/5

I wasn't quite sure what to expect here, but I liked this a lot. It's incredibly stripped down country. Very simple song structures, mostly slow paced songs, vocals standing alone. Nelson's voice is really great though, and it just generally works super well even though there's not a ton to it. It's a short album at 34 minutes, and just is a nice, easy listen start to finish. It lacks any real attention-catching moments (Red Headed Stranger is close though), but is consistently strong. Favorite song: Red Headed Stranger Other: Time of the Preacher, Medley: Blue Rock Montana / Red Headed Stranger, Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain, Red Headed Stranger, Denver, Can I Sleep In Your Arms, Hands on the Wheel

Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

1/5

This album has it all: Richard Branson funding, a teenage instrumental musician, a horror movie soundtrack, and the Olympics opening ceremony. I really am not sure how this thing got so popular, something about it feels super British to me. It's fine instrumental rock that is occasionally interesting and more frequently mediocre. It seems like this blew up after it was used in "The Exorcist", which I guess I get but it still surprises me. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I just don't quite get this one. There's two 25 minute songs which also doesn't help. I'm adding the "single" version to my playlist because I know I'll probably just skip the full version otherwise. Favorite song: Mike Oldfield's Single - Theme From Tubular Bells

Make Yourself

Incubus

4/5

This album has such a distinct late-90s / early-2000s rock sound. I think if I'm going to honestly assess this album, I would say that it's not from the best genre of music out there, and no one should confuse the lyrics here for Dylan. But there's something about this that is just hits a super nostalgic part of my brain that makes me like it more than I probably should. This particular album is just slightly before my time, but the sound is similar to a lot of bands from the era, and "Drive" was big enough still when I was younger that it made an impression. So many of the songs have this deep trailing off guitar at the end that I think was popular at the time. I don't know, my brain is telling me this album is just ok, but my heart is saying it's good. "Drive" is definitely a banger though, no denying that. To say something nice beyond "nostalgia," I do like their incorporation of a DJ/turntablist on quite a few of the songs here. It's actually pretty a pretty nice addition, so I like that. I've talked myself into a 4; this is supposed to be fun and I had fun listening to this. Favorite song: Drive Other: Nowhere Fast, Consequence, Stellar, Clean, Battlestar Scralatchitica, I Miss You, Pardon Me

Live At The Witch Trials

The Fall

2/5

I've struggled a bit with the 70s punk albums on here so far. Marquee Moon (Television) started to work more for me on a second listen, so maybe this is something that needs to settle in a bit more for me (but Marquee Moon is also a lot more polished than this). I generally didn't love this right now though. I actually liked the first song ("Frightened"), but then it didn't quite come together for me after that. It's super loose and unstructured, very garage-jam sounds. The singer is ok, but his voice is pretty whiny and somehow yelling at the same time. It just wasn't generally working, though there were a few spots here and there that I liked. But then there's also songs like "No Xmas for John Quays," where I just am not tracking it. I do think I get the appeal of this music. It's certainly a lot more raw and outside the box than the mainstream 70s rock. I just think there's a bit higher variability, and this one didn't quite do it for me on the whole. Favorite song: Frightened Other: Rebellious Juxebox, Futures and Pasts 10/19/23

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

4/5

This was fun, the "King of Soul" doing just that. The album is pretty short (37 minutes) and the energy is good throughout. As always, a bit hard to rate the very old music (particularly the stuff that sounds old), but I generally enjoyed this. Cooke's voice is awesome, good stuff here. Favorite song: Cupid Other: Feel It (Don't Fight It), Twistin' The Night Away, Bring It on Home to Me, Having a Party 10/22/23

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

5/5

"2009, 2010 wanna make a record how I felt then" -Month of May They crushed it. This album was already in the rotation for me, but reiterating here that it's an incredibly good one. I think this is basically peak 00s-10s indie/alt rock. The album is just so effective at capturing the feelings associated with a former suburban life (and it's not always positive or negative; there's despair or sorrow in there for sure, but also a sense of nostalgia as well). Musically it's also awesome, varied and consistently interesting, with very few misses. A number of classic songs too; The Suburbs is one of their most popular songs and Sprawl II is my personal favorite. Sprawl II also highlights the female vocals that are used on a few songs (and highly underutilized in my opinion). This is just a really great album where things just totally came together on one record. The topic might be a bit on the tame side for some, but that's ok. It's relatable for me and I'm really glad it exists. Favorite song: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Other: The Suburbs, Ready To Start, Modern Man, Rococo, Empty Room, Half Light I, Suburban War, Wasted Hours, Deep Blue 10/23/23

Rio

Duran Duran

3/5

I've kept going back and forth about what to say about this one. I'll admit that my thoughts about this album are possibly taking too much into account my overall thoughts about this 80s pop rock (or New Wave or whatever you want to call it) genre. Basically I think this musical style is just super mediocre. There's this like goofy sounding synth that's really overused, the singer's voice is so overdone throughout, and basically all the songs sound the same except for the chorus. I really don't love it, and a lot of 80s pop rock has this sound. But as much as it pains me to say it, this album has one (pretty critical) redeeming quality. The hooks are honestly pretty catchy. I don't like that I feel this way, but I do. Rio is super catchy, Hungry Like The Wolf too, Hold Back the Rain had a decent chorus, quite of few do work. They manage to hit something deep in the pop psyche that just sticks in your head. So I don't love the music, but credit where it's due. I'm giving them a 3, I'm tempted to go lower but I can't get the Rio chorus out of my head. Favorite song: Rio Other: Hungry Like The Wolf, The Chauffeur 10/24/23

Post Orgasmic Chill

Skunk Anansie

3/5

I'm pretty convinced that I willed the second half of this album into existence. I really did not like the first few songs at all. They're pretty hard rock and feel really rough around the edges, it was not working for me. But the singer's voice is clearly really good, and I must've thought to myself 10 times that if they just took it down a couple of notches and let her actually sing (instead of the hard rock yelling / Janis Joplin knock-off thing that was going on) that she would shine. And then that exact thing literally happened just how I hoped. The band pulled back the intensity quite a bit after the first few songs, and the singer actually got to show off her voice, which is really quite great. "Lately" and "Secretly" were both really good songs, and a number of other songs on here were similarly restrained in a way that let the singer (whose name apparently is Skin) to stand out. They certainly weren't all winners on this one, and they did go back to the heavier rock a few times later, but I ended up liking this more than expected. This is an album that I have absolutely no desire to listen to again in full, but I found a couple of songs that are really quite good, and I almost definitely would never have stumbled on them if not for this project. Sticking with a 3 rating since a good bit of this didn't work at all for me, but it was worth the listen. Favorite song: Lately Other: Tracy’s Flaw, Secretly, You’ll Follow Me Down, I’m Not Afraid 10/25/23

Ys

Joanna Newsom

4/5

Sometimes the line between genius and bad is pretty thin. I really didn't know what to make of this at first (and am still not sure I know exactly what to make of it to be honest). I think I really like it though? The album is very orchestral. There's lots of twinkling chimes and harps and things, so definitely a bit unconventional. It almost sounds like it should be the soundtrack for some sort of medieval period piece or something. The songwriting might be my favorite part of the album. The songs are beautiful and emotional and clever. In another era she might've been a great poet, but we got this instead. Newsom's voice is also really interesting. I'm reminded by the discussion of Nico's voice in a Velvet Underground podcast that I listened to, where they spent quite a long time discussing whether she's actually a good singer or not. I think Newsom's voice is probably great, but honestly I'm not 100% convinced it's even good. Newsom's voice is a bit squeaky almost, and it seems like she gets criticized for sounding child-like at times. I think it works though, she has great range and expresses incredible emotion in her singing. Anyway, I think it's really good, and I'm enjoying it even more on a second listen. Annoyingly it's not on Spotify (she REALLY doesn't like Spotify), but something about making me dig a bit harder for this seems on brand. I also think it's funny that she's married to Andy Samberg, they seem like they'd be a fun couple. Favorite song: Sawdust & Diamonds Other: Emily, Only Skin, Cosmia 10/26/23

Either Or

Elliott Smith

5/5

Possibly my favorite album yet, this is perfect top to bottom. I had listened to a bit of Elliott Smith before since I knew that he was a pretty big influence on Phoebe Bridgers, but for some reason I hadn't really given much thought to this album as a whole. That was a mistake, this is incredibly good. First, I get the Phoebe Bridgers connection. Part of why I like her so much is how she writes incredibly powerful lyrics that are about highly specific, often mundane parts of day to day life. Smith does this really effectively too, and I can totally see how this album influenced her later work. "You're sitting around at home now waiting for your brother to call. I saw him down in the alley having had enough of it all." He just captures these little specific life moments so well. The album is definitely sad. Spotify's artist description says that Smith has a "distinctively melancholic sound", and that's probably a pretty apt description. But it has these small moments throughout that bring in bits and pieces of beauty or optimism that makes this all come together. And then "Say Yes" just totally brings it home at the end. It's definitely not a "happy" song, but it's upbeat sounding and romantic and real. The guitar has this poppy sound. It's a distinctively Elliott Smith song, even though it sounds pretty different from the rest of the album. "I'm in love with the world through the eyes of a girl...I'm damaged bad at best, she'll decide what she wants, I'll probably be the last to know". The album is a bit short (37 minutes for 12 songs), and Smith consistently ends songs a little before where you might expect other artists to end them. It works, there's no extra fluff, he gets across what he needs to. Say Yes is a great example at the end, it finishes a bit abruptly but it's perfect. Truly great album, one that I knew of but never gave enough attention to before this. I'm glad I finally did. "You can do what you want to whenever you want to. You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you." Favorite song: Say Yes Other: Speed Trials, Alameda, Ballad of Big Nothing, Between The Bars, Pictures Of Me, No Name No. 5, Rose Parade, Punch And Judy, Angeles, Cupids Trick, 2:45 a.m.

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

4/5

I've never quite known what to make of Sigur Ros. I had listened to them previously when getting into a few other Icelandic musicians so more or less knew their deal already, though I wasn't super familiar with this album specifically. This is the first album on here that wasn't in English, so that obviously makes it pretty unique off the bat. This one is mostly in Icelandic I believe, but they also apparently sing in made up words that kind of sound like Icelandic sometimes? I don't quite get that. That said, they are obviously incredibly talented musicians. I do frequently like their sound, and the ambient noise style (or as Spotify says, "cosmic post-rock creations", whatever that means) can make for good listening (even just as background noise). I don't think I'm quite as big on them as some others are, but I think where I land is that it's generally interesting stuff, very unique, and mostly enjoyable. This is another one that's probably a 3.5 for me, but it's unique and interesting enough that I'll round up. Favorite song: Svefn-g-englar Other: Ny batterí, Vidrar Vel til Loftárása, Olsen Olsen, Avalon 10/30/23

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

2/5

So the headline here is that I didn't really like this, but I spent a decent amount of time reading about it after listening and I'm intrigued by the band. This seems to generally be considered a transition album for Talk Talk. They're arguably a one-hit wonder (It's My Life in 1984), and their early albums are a heavily sythn-pop sound. This is their next album after It's My Life (so it doesn't include the one-hit) and to me it still has quite a bit of the synth-pop that I don't really like. It just sounds really dated to me, and the singer also has kind of an annoying 80s oversinging thing going on. My issue with this album is that it still sounds very synth-pop-80s, but doesn't have the catchy hooks that a lot of this type of music has (that's typically the one saving grace of this style in my opinion). There are a few spots where it moves away from it though, and you can kind of tell that they're trying to not just be a synth band. I really enjoyed Give It Up for instance, I think it showcases the band's talent a lot better. After reading about them, this transition hypothesis seems to be the case. Apparently the singer had no real interest in being a pop star and also really didn't like the synthesizer as an instrument. It's My Life blew up, so they probably didn't want to completely move away from it on their next record (this one), but after The Colour of Spring they seem to completely move away from this type of music. The Colour of Spring had more commercial success than what came later, but it seems like the later stuff had a lot more critical success. Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm going to get another Talk Talk album on this or not. This one still doesn't really work for me, but I can see how this represents a shift for them away from the musical style that made them big. That's got to be a hard transition to make, so I respect them for giving it a go. Two other minor notes. I really hated the first song (Happiness is Easy), which is never a good way to start. The call-and-response thing with a children's choir just never works for me, bad decision on that one. On a more positive note though, I really like the album cover. Favorite song: Give It Up Other: Life’s What You Make It 10/31/23

Nevermind

Nirvana

5/5

They don't waste any time getting to it on this one. It opens with Smells Like Teen Spirit, which is probably the most iconic song of the '90s (I just looked up what Rolling Stone has to say, and they agree). I had heard a few other songs previously, but I was really impressed (but not surprised) by how good this is start to finish. It's raw and emotionally charged, but still comes across as really polished at the same time. Cobain is obviously an incredibly talented and troubled artist, and he just brings so much emotion and desperation throughout. I was probably listening to the drummer a bit more than I normally do too since it's the rare case where I know who it is, but obviously incredible talent as well. I don't have a lot to say about this one that hasn't been said. Some albums just seem to capture a moment in time, and this one feels like the best stand-in for the early 90s grunge era overall. It holds up really well though, and I think still comes across as powerfully as it would have 32 years ago. Favorite song: Smells Like Teen Spirit Other: In Bloom, Come As You Are, Breed, Lithium, Polly, Drain You, Stay Away, On A Plain, Something In The Way, Endless Nameless 11/2/23

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

5/5

First time I've gotten to listen to one of these albums on vinyl, so that was fun. I wrote a lot about my feelings about The Velvet Underground as a band when I got The Velvet Underground album on here two weeks ago, so I won't rehash that here. It's hard to believe that it's only been about 8 months since now, but I listened to this full album for the first time on a bus in Cancun and it's become a staple for me since then. The album is obviously awesome. It's definitely dark, mostly in a sex and drugs way. It feels real though, you definitely get the sense that Reed is capturing his lived experience. I love the casual NYC references throughout as well. Two lineup differences on this album vs. The Velvet Underground from a few weeks ago (I guess three if you count Andy Warhol, but that's another thing). First, this one has John Cale as a bandmember. I was fortunate to see Cale perform live a few months ago, and at 81 he's still got it (he played "I'm Waiting For The Man"). He brings a lot of the avant-garde/art-rock sound that really makes this album stand out from others from the time. For example, something like the constant drone underneath on "Heroin" really makes it stand out in an unsettling way that just perfectly complements the song. The band's later work was still great, but in a different way. I would've loved to see what came later if Reed let him stick around. Then there's Nico. She's definitely an interesting character, and I enjoyed learning more about her dynamic with the band. I think it's probably good that she didn't end up becoming a long-term member of the band, but I really do have a soft spot for the Nico-sung songs on this album (Femme Fatale, All Tomorrow's Parties, I'll Be Your Mirror). I've heard this whole album before a number of times now, but "I'll Be Your Mirror" really stood out to me on this listen in a way that it hasn't before. It's almost strangely upbeat in the context of the rest of the album, but is just a really beautiful short little love song. A close read might sense some sadness in "please put down your hands" line, but I still think it's really touching and is just a really great song. So much good stuff on here, I won't write too much more. It was hard to pick a favorite, but Heroin is just so epic-sounding and builds up in such an unsettling way. Sunday Morning is apparently their most streamed song on Spotify and is definitely a classic too (and a bit more of a tame start to the album). I'm Waiting For The Man certainly paints a picture of Lou Reed's life, and European Son brings it all home with some classic Velvet Underground chaos. This is just a masterpiece top to bottom. This lineup didn't last long, but it produced something great, so thanks Andy Warhol. Favorite song: Heroin Other: Sunday Morning, I'm Waiting For The Man, Femme Fatale, Venus In Furs, Run Run Run, All Tomorrow's Parties, There She Goes Again, I'll Be Your Mirror, The Black Angel's Death Song, European Son 11/2/23

Disintegration

The Cure

5/5

This kind of blew me away, I loved it. I don’t really know what I thought this would be, but it was awesome. Most of the songs have really long instrumental intros that just build the sound and anticipation. Early on you get a little taste of the 80s new wave sound, but they manage to do it in a way that captures the best of the style. The synthesizer doesn’t dominate but effectively complements the rest of the instruments, and Smith’s voice is just awesome and doesn’t fall into the over-exaggeration trap that a lot of music from the era does. This has just such a strong top few songs. Plainsong kicks it off with a bang, first with subtle chimes and then it just hits. And then Pictures of You is awesome to follow. Lovesong is a bit poppy and has great energy. And then after a bit it turns a bit more dark and gothy (for lack of a better word) and it just totally works. It’s a long album (72 minutes) and many of the songs are on the longer side from the intros. But it’s great start to finish. A band that managed to pull together a full album of songs that are interesting and unique and it’s all cohesive. This is the reason I love this 1001 albums experience, I hit play again as soon as it finished. Favorite song: Pictures Of You Other: Plainsong, Closedown, Lovesong, Lullaby, Fascination Street, The Same Deep Water As You, Disintegration, Homesick, Untitled

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

2/5

42 songs later... This thing is long (130 minutes to be exact). Like really long. I couldn't listen to it all in one day. The deal here is a 70s country rock band wanted to make a record with some of the most famous country artists from the prior few decades. All the old guys thought the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was a bunch of long-haired hippies, but they eventually convinced a few of them to do it anyway. So what you ended up with is a bit of a mixed sound across a few decades of country, with kind of an all-star lineup from that era. They're all clearly talented artists, but I rate these on the quality of the album overall, and this one was just overwhelming. I think it would be perfect as like an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame that just loops repeatedly with some video and you can sit and watch it for however long you like until you get bored and then move on. There's clearly a lot of historical value, but it's not a cohesive album (I don't know that any triple album can be). There's also a lot of talking and whatnot between songs, which again is cool for historical significance but hurts album flow a lot. Anyway, the actual music was fine, but not much really stood out to me either. I do think if I'm picking out any of the old guys, I like Merle Travis the best. Dark As A Dungeon was my favorite song overall and his voice and songwriting are both great. There's also a cover from The Byrds country album on here which was good. Favorite song: Dark As A Dungeon Other: Grand Ole Opry Song, Nine Pound Hammer, Way Downtown, I Am A Pilgrim 11/4/23

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

1/5

This is just like exactly what comes to mind when I think about classic 80s hard rock. Long guitar solos, a gruff singer, mostly ridiculous hardcore lyrics. Like Ace of Spades is their most famous song, is probably the best one on the album, and the lyrics are pretty hilarious. I guess I can see what people could like about it, but this isn't for me. Favorite song: Ace of Spades 11/5/23

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

4/5

I probably did too much reading on this one while I was listening to it to write an unbiased review. I guess Coltrane had a whole religious awakening around this time, kicked his drug habit cold turkey, and then took his music up a notch. Good for him. This is generally considered to be a masterpiece and seems to be one of the more famous jazz albums. I am in no way qualified to rate jazz albums, but here goes nothing. I think I like it, and I'm not sure that I can articulate why. It's just a little fast paced and chaotic to keep it interesting. The songs are titled "Acknowledgement', "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm", and I think the idea is that this more or less traces his religious awakening. I didn't quite get it on the first two tracks (it felt a little generic to me), but it does start to come together a bit on the second two. The pace on "Pursuance" is rapid and feels almost desperate (right from the drums at the beginning), and then it all kind of unwinds and hits its peak at the end of that song and then on "Psalm". It's really good, and probably great. I like jazz but I struggle to rate it against other genres since it almost feels like it's own thing to me. I'm giving it a 4, maybe it should be a 5, who's to say really. Favorite song: A Love Supreme, Pt. III - Pursuance Other: A Love Supreme, Pt. IV - Psalm 11/6/23

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé

4/5

It seems like the commercial impact of this album might be even bigger than the musical impact. I guess Beyonce released this with no promotion and it was pretty much out of nowhere. She also released music videos with each song all at once, so it was a full production that no one was expecting. This is also the same year she performed in the Super Bowl, so she really was clicking at this time. I'm a casual Beyonce fan at very most, and this album actually doesn't have a lot of her more recognizable songs. Drunk In Love was the only one I think I really knew before. She tackles a lot of big topics on this one in a very blunt way. I think this is pretty clearly a strong feminist stance, and she does not shy away from explicitly sexual themes. Like that's a good bit of the album. There is a song called Blow. It's about exactly what you'd expect it to be about. I'm probably never going to be a huge Beyonce fan, it's a bit overproduced pop music for me, but honestly I liked it more than I expected. It's at least real and there's a few softer songs that show off her talent. Jealous was a winner for me, I liked this one a lot, and the Frank Ocean song ("Superpower") is also great. Not my favorite thing ever, but I'm confident saying that it's a very good album from one of the few true modern stars at her peak. Favorite song: Jealous Other: Pretty Hurts, Drunk in Love, Partition, XO, Superpower, Heaven 11/7/23

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

3/5

Ok so this is one of those cases where I had heard of Fatboy Slim but didn't know what songs were his, and it turns out I knew a few of his songs but didn't know they were his. This starts out incredibly strong, the first two songs are both certified bangers. Right Here Right Now just instantly takes me back to Steelers warmups at Heinz Field in like the 2008 Super Bowl run, it's just an iconic sports song now in my mind. Overall I think this album was just fine. There's 3 great songs, 1 good one, and the rest was a bit run of the mill to me. It's a fun album with some good moments, but it just drags on a bit at times. Generally upbeat and good vibes, but also not something I'd choose to listen to in full often. Definitely feels like a 90s album. Truly high praise for Right Here Right Now, The Rockafeller Stank, and Praise You though, all great songs that I'm glad I know who they're by now. Favorite song: Praise You Other: Right Here Right Now, The Rockafeller Skank, Soul Surfing 11/8/23

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

5/5

This is really my intro to The Rolling Stones (beyond of a few of the singles that everyone knows). This album is a bit of a slow burn, and it's not really what I expected, but I really enjoyed it a lot. "Rocks Off" starts off as a pretty strong rock song, and then from there it's musically a bit all over the place. They're obviously a classic rock band, but there's some folk here, some blues, some country sounds, the horns on "Happy" and "Let It Loose". It's varied and interesting and honestly just good start to finish. There's not really any song on here that's a clear standout (though I'm pretty partial to "Sweet Virginia" if I had to pick one, the harmonica at the beginning of the song just slaps, love it), but there's no real duds either. Strong from top to bottom, which frankly is hard to do on a 67 minute album (I even listened to it twice to make sure). Favorite song: Sweet Virginia Other: Rocks Off, Shake Your Hips, Casino Boogie, Tumbling Dice, Torn And Frayed, Sweet Black Angel, Loving Cup, Happy, Ventilator Blues, I Just Want To See His Face, Let It Loose, All Down The Line, Shine A Light 11/9/23

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

3/5

"The King of Blues" in a very famous live album. It's generally solid, and he's clearly a talented performer and guitarist. I'm not super into the blues, but it was an enjoyable listen. He definitely gets the crowd going throughout, and I liked how he transitioned between songs a few times. Solid album that was a fun listen, but not a major standout to me (though I'm sure I'm missing some of the historical context here). Favorite song: Sweet Little Angel Other: How Blue Can You Get?, Woke Up This Mornin’, Help The Poor 11/10/23

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

3/5

Another 50s jazz record that I'm not quite sure how to rate. It's solid and I legitimately enjoyed listening to it. There's also no vocals though, so it really feels like background music to me rather than something I'd choose to actively listen to. This guy recorded with Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett though, so he must be legit. Favorite song: Splanky Other: The Kid from Red Bank, Flight of the Foo Birds, Whirly-Bird, Midnite Blue 11/11/23

Parklife

Blur

3/5

This might be the most British thing that I've ever listened to. It has the line, "I put my trousers on, have a cup of tea." There's a different song called "Bank Holiday". I can picture some 90s kid sitting in a pub in Leeds just loving this. It's generally not bad. Also not amazing, but it's got some pretty good songs on here and is generally enjoyable. I guess they were rivals with Oasis and this is considered to be peak Britpop era. Checks out to me, I'll roll with it. I'm not sure this singer is as good as Liam Gallagher though. Favorite song: This Is a Low Other: Girls & Boys, End of a Century, Parklife, Far Out, To the End, Magic America 11/12/23

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

I really just love how funny 80s and early 90s rap is. These guys are out here rapping things like "I don’t eat no ham n eggs cuz they’re high in cholesterol", and it's hilarious. I think this album was pretty influential and it does sound a good bit more modern than Run DMC's debut (which is only from like 6 years before this), but I found it to be a bit repetitive (a pretty laid back vibe overall) without a ton of standouts. Generally an enjoyable listen, but this early rap just all sounds a bit dated now. The vibe is consistently good throughout, so it's a fairly easy one to press play and listen to passively. The one real standout is definitely "Can I Kick It?" I'd heard this before of course, but I never paid that close attention I guess since I missed that it samples "Walk On The Wild Side". This is a really great song and it definitely elevates the album a bit, and this sample works great. Favorite song: Can I Kick It? Other: Footprints, I Left My Wallet in El Segundo, Mr. Muhammed, Ham ‘N’ Eggs 11/13/23

Southern Rock Opera

Drive-By Truckers

2/5

So this is definitely not my favorite thing, but it did grow on a me a little bit over the course of the album. I think the biggest issue here is that I'm clearly just not the target audience. The overarching theme is about growing up in the South and the experiences and misconceptions that come with that (fed though a Lynyrd Skynyrd lens). I found it at times to be an interesting perspective, but not one that I could relate with very well. I also just don't think I love the singer's voice (it's a bit raspy) and I found the non-lyric part of most of the songs to be a bit generic twangy rock. It's certainly ambitious though, and I appreciate the storytelling throughout. I found the back-to-back tracks "Three Great Alabama Icons" and "Wallace" pretty interesting. The former is barely a song, and more like a documentary overview of George Wallace, Bear Bryant, and Ronnie Van Zant and their impact on Alabama. Then it leads into the latter, which is about Wallace and how he's in hell (but a fairly nuanced perspective on him). Then the second half mirrors the plane crash that killed a lot of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band members. The closing song "Angels And Fuselage" is particularly striking and has a much more somber tone than what led up to it. There's definitely a lot going on here, it's ambitious. It's long (93 minutes), and long concept albums (which this definitely is) can be a bit hit or miss. This one isn't really for me, but I get why it makes the list and am glad I listened. Two interesting side notes about this album. First is that Jason Isbell was not involved in the production of this album, but he joined the band for the live touring and then was part of the band for their next few albums before launching his solo career. The other one is that this was set to be released on 9/11/01, but ended up getting pushed back a day after the attacks. Favorite song: Zip City Other: Dead Drunk And Naked, Wallace, Angels And Fuselage 11/14/23

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

4/5

This is in the same realm as Incubus' "Make Yourself" for me. If I'm trying to be super objective, I'd probably say that it's not the greatest thing. It's definitely a bit harder than most of the stuff I typically like, and some of the record-scratchy noises in the background sound a bit dated now. But this hits something nostalgic that really brings me back to like the early-mid 2000s. This particular album was just a bit before my time, but Linkin Park was huge when I was growing up and "In the End" is particularly iconic. They did crush the rock-rap hybrid thing, which is worth mentioning. This is probably a 3.5 for me overall and there's some songs that I really don't like, but rounding up. Favorite song: In the End Other: Papercut, One Step Closer, With You, Crawling, Runaway, Forgotten, Pushing Me Away 11/15/23

Horses

Patti Smith

5/5

This was really great, I really loved it start to finish. Possibly my favorite opening line yet; it opens with "Gloria" and starts off "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine." Just totally sets the tone for what's to come. "Gloria" is raw and chaotic and awesome, and then it leads into "Redondo Beach" which is totally different but also beautiful and heartbreaking. It's basically a reggae song but the lyrics are just devastating. This is just great from top to bottom. Smith has a really unique voice that just captures the emotion of the album so well. The lyrics are pointed and real and honestly poetic throughout. "Kimberly" is a bit more poppy in the middle (almost sounds like a Blondie song or something), and then "Elegie" is just a beautiful conclusion. And then the unsung start is John Cale pulling it all together, this guy is incredible. He produced this (and a bunch of other stuff) after leaving The Velvet Underground and his fingerprints are all over this one. I guess Smith downplayed his influence on the album, but I don't think I buy it. Favorite song: Kimberly Other: Gloria In Excelsis Deo, Redondo Beach, Birdland, Free Money, Break It Up, Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer(de), Elegie 11/16/23

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

4/5

This is one where I think the whole is better than the sum of the parts. There's two songs that really stand out to me on their own, "All My Friends" and "New York I Love You...". They're both awesome songs, and the latter really brings the album home, I love how it builds throughout the song. This has been a favorite of mine for awhile now and I enjoyed hearing it here in the context of the full album. "All My Friends" is awesome too, the pace is just a bit frantic in a great way. Outside of these two I don't think there's as many standouts, but the album is really consistent top to bottom. It's a fun listen, upbeat and dance-y and consistently interesting. Good stuff here, they would be a fun live show too I think. Favorite song: New York I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down Other: Time to Get Away, Someone Great, All My Friends 11/17/23

The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets

3/5

This is the side project for the lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys. There's moments where this sounds like the Arctic Monkeys, and then times when it sounds like a James Bond movie, and then times where it sounds like a '70s horror movie. It's not bad at all, and I liked it well enough. I don't feel like this stood out to me a ton, but it was generally enjoyable. Favorite song: The Chamber Other: Standing Next To Me, Calm Like You, My Mistakes Were Made For You, The Meeting Place

Remedy

Basement Jaxx

1/5

This is definitively not a Sunday morning album (unless you're still awake at 4am from the previous night). I'm listening to this on a Sunday morning (at 10am with my coffee). It's not quite matching the vibe unfortunately. I certainly was never in a Brixton nightclub in the late '90s, but I imagine it probably sounded something like this. It's not my thing, but there's probably a time and place where it would work. For a positive, I liked the little interludes between some of the songs. Update: I listened to the second half while going for a run, it was a little better that way. Not much though. Favorite song: Stop 4 Love Other: Red Alert 11/19/23

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

4/5

I liked this a lot, really interesting psychedelic pop rock thing going on here. I do think I liked this a bit more on the strength of the singles than I did as a cohesive album, but the highs were really great. In particular, "A Rose for Emily", "This Will Be Our Year", and "Time of the Season" all stand out as timeless hits that still work great today. I listened to this a second time as I cooked dinner, and I think I liked it even more. A couple other songs that didn't stand out as much stood out this time, really strong album top to bottom. This is a fascinating band too. They had a few songs on their previous (first) album that got them a bit of a following in the UK mostly. Then they recorded this album but barely had enough money to even finish it, and immediately disbanded. One US musician convinced a label to market it in the US and then they kind of blew up. They decided not to regroup to play it live though, so the band never really got back together again except for a few random live shows and recordings many years later. Fake bands tried to capitalize on the hype for a tour, and there were multiple "The Zombies" touring that were not the real band. Also when they picked their name some of band members didn't know what a zombie was, it's funny how that just wasn't a thing in pop culture at the time. And "Odyssey" is spelled wrong on the album cover. Their friend made it and just spelled it wrong, but they tried to play it off as intentional for awhile before admitting it. With all this, this album feels like it really had no business making a lasting impression, but it did and I'm glad for that. This was a fun listen. Favorite song: This Will Be Our Year Other: Care Of Cell 44, A Rose for Emily, Beechwood Park, Hung Up On A Dream, I Want Her She Wants Me, Time of the Season 11/20/23

Rock Bottom

Robert Wyatt

2/5

I am certainly open to albums that skew a bit more "art", but this one was a bit much for me. The real story for this album seems to be what happened leading up to it. Wyatt apparently had written the album, but then he fell off a balcony while drinking one night and permanently paralyzed himself from the waist down. He then finished making and recording this album in the months after the accident. He claims it was mostly done beforehand, but it's hard to believe that the accident didn't have a significant impact on how this turned out. While I struggle a bit with the content here (two of the songs have nonsense lyrics), there's definitely a lot of emotion in the album, particularly in the instrumentation. This is one that I'm probably not going to listen to again, but I respect what Wyatt was going for and can't imagine what he went through to get this made. Favorite song: Sea Song 11/21/23

Van Halen

4/5

They definitely have a bit of a formula on this one, and about half the songs just seem like excuses for Eddie Van Halen to shred on the guitar. But in his defense, he does. I was impressed by how many of the songs are still pretty catchy even with the focus on the guitar. This style of rock is probably never going to be my favorite thing, but I did legitimately enjoy this one. It's fun and the guitar skills really do stand out. There's a few great songs on here too, so I get the hype. I do think the first half of the album was a lot stronger than the back half, and I feel like I'd tire of this pretty quickly, but this album is pretty tight at 35 minutes so it works well. Favorite song: Jamie's Cryin' Other: Runnin' with the Devil, Eruption, You Really Got Me, Feel Your Love Tonight 11/22/23

E.V.O.L.

Sonic Youth

5/5

This is awesome, I like this a lot. Sonic Youth is one of those bands that I've heard a lot about and never really listened to much, so I'm excited to get a bit deeper into their work. From my light reading it seems like this album is considered to be a transition point for them where they rounded out the lineup going forward and solidified their sound a bit. It also just sounds very different from a lot of the other '80s stuff from the time and I'm into it. The sound on here is just really great. There's a bit of the avant garde-y noise in the back on a lot of the songs, and it invokes this somewhat dark and uncomfortable feeling. But like in a way that totally works and makes for an awesome sound. The ping-pong-y sounds and whispers on "Shadow of a Doubt" are just perfect. I like the split male/female vocals as well, and really like the songs that Kim Gordon sings. Awesome album, a real bright spot on a turkey-less Thanksgiving. Favorite song: Shadow Of A Doubt Other: Tom Violence, Starpower, Death To Our Friends, Secret Girl, Marilyn Moore, Madonna Sean And Me 11/23/23

Dookie

Green Day

4/5

Really solid album overall. It's generally pretty simple musically and the lyrics are relatable in an "I'm 22 and hanging out" way, but I think that's part of what makes it work. It's upbeat and fun and has good vibes. A few standout songs ("Basket Case" and "When I Come Around") pull it together. It's not the most interesting thing I've every listened to, but it's really solid and launched Green Day to incredible success. 7 months after this was released was the infamous Green Day Boston riot, so clearly some other people got into this too. Favorite song: Basket Case Other: Chump, Longview, Welcome to Paradise, She, When I Come Around, F.O.D. 11/26/23

Celebrity Skin

Hole

3/5

Courtney Love's peak was a bit before my time, but I was vaguely aware of her from her marriage to Kurt Cobain and as an actress. I honestly had no idea she had a band of her own. This album was a fine 90s alt rock album, but nothing stood out as particularly exceptional. Perfectly good to listen to, but not a ton making me want to come back for more beyond a few songs here and there. Favorite song: Malibu Other: Celebrity Skin, Reasons To Be Beautiful, Northern Lights, Boys On The Radio, Pedals 11/27/23

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

3/5

This is the second album from The Byrds that I've listened to, and it's definitely very different than their country album (this one came first). I feel like I should like The Byrds a little more than I do for some reason. 60s alt/psych rock plus David Crosby seems like a winning formula, but this one is just a bit inconsistent for me. There are a few songs that are really solid; "Eight Miles High" is awesome and "What's Happening?" has really good vibes as well. There's some down moments here too though, with a few more traditional covers and an instrumental on a fairly short album overall (only 30 minutes on the original release). I enjoyed listening to it enough, but it's definitely a bit all over the place. I'll keep waiting for The Byrds to fully click with me, hopefully it's coming. Favorite song: Eight Miles High Other: 5D (Fifth Dimension), Mr. Spaceman, What's Happening? 11/28/23

Another Green World

Brian Eno

4/5

I listened to this a second time and talked myself into a 4 (it's probably like a 3.5 to me). It's honestly just a nice listen. It's a bit experimental for sure, but in a way that doesn't feel overly art-y or complicated. Only like 5 of the songs have lyrics so there are a few times where it's a bit easy to zone out in a bit of a trance, but every few songs something catches my attention and pulls me back in. Favorite song: Golden Hours Other: St. Elmo's Fire, The Big Ship, I'll Come Running, Becalmed 11/29/23

Come Find Yourself

Fun Lovin' Criminals

2/5

I found this album to be pretty frustrating. I actually really liked a lot of the beats here. At times it's a bit rap-rock in a slightly cheesy way, but a lot of the songs have really good catchy beats. Lots of rock sounds, but it gets pretty jazzy at times too. But man, the lyrics were rough. It's not just that they're bad (they often are a little weak but not horrible), but so many of the songs have just so much repetition of short snippets of lines that it was grating to listen to. I don't think I can hear \"La-di da-di, free John Gotti, 'The King of New York'\" one more time. There's also one song in the middle of this ridiculousness (\"We Have All The Time In The World\") that's just beautiful and earnest, and of course I now learn it's a Louis Armstrong cover. It didn't quite fit, but it was still pretty nice. There were a few interesting songs on here, but overall this didn't work much for me. Favorite song: We Have All The Time In The World Other: The Fun Lovin' Criminal, Scooby Snacks 11/30/23

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

4/5

A British Invasion concept album about a very British everyman. Our protagonist loves being British, goes to war for a bit, thinks about moving to Australia, opines on home ownership and the empire, and copies a princess's style. Do you get that it's all very British? This is the rare album where I actually liked the back half better than the front half. "Victoria" is a good start, but I struggled a bit with the war songs at the beginning. "Drivin'" is one of the singles from the album and it's a bit chaotic musically. Once we get to "Australia" though things start to turn a bit and it gets pretty fun. The juxtaposition of "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" and "Young and Innocent Days" is really striking. The former playing up these goofy horns and then it launches right into a beautiful song reflecting on time passed. I can't quite decide how I feel about this. It's a bit all over the place (and almost painfully British), but the narrative is tight and the varied sound works as a metaphor for what a life is like. "Arthur" finishes strong too; "Somebody loves you, don't ya know it". Favorite song: Shangri-La Other: Victoria, Drivin', Australia, She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina, Young and Innocent Days, Nothing to Say, Arthur 12/1/23

Kimono My House

Sparks

3/5

This is a pretty high-paced, upbeat pop-rock album, and I thought it started out really strong. Both of the first two songs are fun and interesting. I'm not sure if things started to trend down after that or I just got used to their formula, but not a ton stood out to me later in the album. It's definitely not bad and I enjoyed listening to it enough, but there wasn't much that I grasped onto as really standing out. They sound a lot like Queen to me, but without the big moments that wow you on a Queen album. Perfectly good, but nothing more for me. Favorite song: Amateur Hour Other: This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us, Thank God It's Not Christmas, Hasta Manana Monsieur 12/2/23

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

4/5

96 albums in and this is the first one I've gotten from a Beatle. It's generally really strong, the sound is varied and fun. The opening part of "Band On The Run" is like a fully different song from the chorus that I was familiar with, but then it gets there eventually. The "ho-hey-ho" on "Mrs. Vanderbilt" was enjoyable, and "Let Me Roll It" was a favorite of mine mid-album. The lyrics are a bit simple and I think it lacks something really stand-out, but it's definitely strong across the board. Random historical note, but I guess McCartney wanted to record this somewhere unique so they flew to Lagos and recorded most of it there. This was right after a civil war though and there were all kind of disease issues. Things didn't go great (they got robbed at least once) but managed to get it recorded (mostly). Favorite song: Band On The Run Other: Jet, Bluebird, Mrs. Vanderbilt, Let Me Roll It, Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five 12/3/23

With The Beatles

Beatles

4/5

And one day later, my first actual Beatles album here. This is very early Beatles, it's their second album release and their first that made it to the US. It's old and frankly it sounds old, more reminiscent of the rockabilly / rock & roll albums of the late '50s and early 60s. Similar to those albums, this one is also a mix of originals and covers. I wasn't disappointed, but I also wasn't particularly blown away by it. It's definitely enjoyable and there's moments where you can start to see what's to come, but the later Beatles sound isn't fully there yet. It's still a bit formulaic at this point (but if you like 2-3 minute songs about woo-ing some woman, this is the album for you). It's good, possibly very good, but I don't think this one is the transcendent Beatles yet. That's to come. Favorite song: Till There Was You Other: It Won't Be Long, All I've Got To Do, All My Loving, Please Mr. Postman, I Wanna Be Your Man 12/4/23

Dear Science

TV On The Radio

4/5

This was a really interesting one. This feels like a band that I should have been aware of (late '00s - 10s high tempo indie rock vibes), but I had never heard of these guys before. I generally enjoyed this, though there were some ups and downs. It starts off really strong with "Halfway Home" which has this persistent drone sound underneath that I just love, great start. It hits a bit of a lull for a few songs (and then another lull near the end), but the sound is good overall. I get some LCD Soundsystem vibes here with the electronic-y rock sound. It is somewhat varied though, and I felt like "Family Tree" actually sounded like it could've been an early Coldplay song. This one is more about the sound than the songwriting or anything else. It's generally good and I'm glad that I know it exists since there's definitely a few songs on here that I'll listen to again. As a full album though I thought it was a bit long and disjointed, probably another one that's a 3.5 to me, I saved over half the songs though so I'll be nice and round up. Favorite song: Halfway Home Other: Stork & Owl, Golden Age, Family Tree, Love Dog, DLZ 12/5/23

Double Nickels On The Dime

Minutemen

2/5

Where to start with this one? 80s punk, and like very punk-y punk. This thing was 81 minutes and 43 songs, so crunch the numbers and you get a very long album with an average song length under 2 minutes. And they're all a bit chaotic. I'm realizing that I struggle a bit with the more raw, unstructured punk bands, which this felt like to me. I do get the appeal, it's simple and \"real\". They're saying screw the establishment, we're going to have three dudes playing whatever we want and singing about bad shit that's happening. And honestly I appreciate someone doing something different at this time, there was a lot of crap getting made then too. One of the songs on here is literally called \"Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth?\", I take it they didn't love New Wave, I'm mostly with them). But man, it's hard to listen to an over an hour of this. The singer is really raw, there's not a ton going on musically that's super interesting, it's just a bit tough. I get the appeal, but it's not super \"enjoyable\" to just sit down and listen to, I think you need to be in a real specific headspace for this. It does seem to have had an impact on future punk though, this is still the fairly early-ish days of punk rock so I can see it being influential for what came later. The singer also died a very tragic death in a car accident which led to the band disbanding not long after this, which is a real shame. Favorite song: Corona Other: Viet Nam, Cohesion, Maybe Partying Will Help, The Glory of Man, History Lesson Part 2, No Exchange 12/6/23

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

3/5

Album #100, we're making progress! This one has a distinctly '90s alt rock sound. It's generally solid, though maybe a bit unexceptional. The song that blew up on this is actually their "Mrs. Robinson" cover which wasn't on the original release. It's great, and the title track is also awesome. There's a few more solid songs too, but a few stretches where things cool down a bit. Not my favorite thing ever, but the sound is good and it's got some strong tracks, no major complaints here. Favorite song: Mrs. Robinson Other: It's A Shame About Ray, Rudderless, My Drug Buddy, Hannah & Gabi, Frank Mills 12/8/23

Bringing It All Back Home

Bob Dylan

5/5

My first Bob Dylan album on here, and it's really strong. I guess this is where Dylan started to shift from the more folky protest music he had been making to more of an electric rock sound. A bunch of people got really pissed off at him at Newport Folk Festival in 1965, allegedly because they didn't think he was doing folk music anymore (though possible also because his sound quality was awful). He's not known to be the best live performer. Regardless, this is really great. The first half is definitely more \"rock\" sounding (with quite a heavy blues influence too), and the back half reverts a little more to the folk sound. The sound is generally great across the board though, it's somewhat simple but not boring at any point. It's Dylan, so I need to comment on the lyrics too. I don't have much to say about any specific song on here, but it was striking listening to this after recently listening to \"With the Beatles\", which came out one year earlier. That album was great too, but if we're calling Dylan's songwriting a college reading level than the Beatles was like a third grade level in comparison. He definitely was doing a lot more lyrically at the time. I imagine both groups probably took a lot away from one another though, so it's just interesting to have that comparison here. Favorite song: Mr. Tambourine Man Other: Subterranean Homesick Blues, She Belongs to Me, Maggie's Farm, Love Minus Zero, On the Road Again, Gates of Eden, It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), It's All Over Now Baby Blue 12/9/23

Da Capo

Love

3/5

This is honestly just a pretty weird album, I didn't hate it, I also didn't really love it. It's definitely psychadelic rock, lots of flutes and chime-y drums throughout. There's some jingle bells at the end of "Que Vida". "Seven and Seven Is" is a bit more classic rock sounding, but I wasn't quite as into this one as some of the others. The first half of the album is definitely a bit stronger than the second half. The structure is also a bit odd, with six songs all in the ~3 minute range, and then the last song is a 19 minute jazz song effectively. The whole thing isn't bad, but as a whole just isn't something that totally worked for me. These guys do seem to have a pretty unique sound for the time though, so I appreciate that. Favorite song: Que Vida Other: Orange Skies, The Castle 12/10/23

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

3/5

Super funky soul music. It's the type of thing that is definitely a product of the time. It's generally pretty good vibes and uplifting, though \"Don't Call Me N*, Whitey\" definitely stands out a bit. The pacing is interesting on this one too, with 7 3-5ish minute songs, and then 14-minute \"Sex Machine\" that's an instrumental jam session. Solid album, nothing that really blows me away today, but I can see the appeal and the significance at the time. Favorite song: Everyday People Other: Stand!, I Want to Take You Higher 12/11/23

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

3/5

As a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, I think I'm contractually obligated to like "We are Family". The good news is that it's by far the best song on this album, Willie Stargell was onto something. Honestly I think this is kind of a mediocre album with a few decent songs and one great one. The R&B/disco thing is kind of fun, but it gets old pretty fast. I generally like slower songs on most albums, but the ones on here were a bit of a miss for me. When you take away the up-tempo disco vibes it falls pretty flat. "We are Family" is fire though, just straight good vibes. Favorite song: We are Family Other: He's the Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music, Thinking of You 12/12/23

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

5/5

This was incredible, just really great from start to finish. It's generally at a pretty slow tempo and a lot of the songs are a bit emotional and somber, but it just consistently works. They manage to create really emotional sounds throughout that build so well even when the song is slower. For instance, on the opener \"Drive\" it has this fairly simple guitar riff but then it builds into this full orchestral sound, it's beautiful. Even the instrumental song (\"New Orleans Instrumental No.1\") manages to evoke this like melancholic feeling, I would listen to a full instrumental album just like this one. I also really like Michael Stipe's vocals. I'm getting this real familiar feeling from his voice, but I can't quite place it. I'm not sure if it's because people have imitated his style since then or what, but it's really great. He's really understated, but it comes across powerfully. "Everybody Hurts" is the famous song on this album, so it's worth mentioning. It really is great, it drives home a lot of the things I noted above in one song. It's just raw and emotional and really relatable, beautiful song. "Man On The Moon" seems pretty famous too, and this one stands out because it's actually a bit less somber and a bit more witty. It's an Andy Kaufmann tribute with a bunch of pop culture references. My Pittsburgh is showing here, but the style made me think of "Born Too Late" by The Clarks (though "Man On The Moon" came 8 years earlier and is way more famous). I loved this overall, the only minor downside was I thought the stretch from tracks 7-9 was a bit weak in comparison to the rest, but I'm splitting hairs a bit here. I definitely didn't realize what R.E.M.'s deal was. They're one of those bands that I had heard of but couldn't name any of their songs (though I obviously had heard a few of them before). Honestly in my head they were like an '80s new wave band, clearly I was off here, not sure why I thought this. Really strong album, I'm excited to dig into them a bit more. Favorite song: Everybody Hurts Other: Drive, Try Not To Breathe, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, New Orleans Instrumental No.1, Sweetness Follows, Star Me Kitten, Man On The Moon, Nightswimming, Find The River 12/13/23

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

4/5

This was a really interesting one. Another artist that I feel like I should have been at least familiar with, but PJ Harvey is totally new to me. She's been around awhile though, and a few of her albums seem to be very critically acclaimed (including this one). The album is about England and it's about war (anti-war to be precise). That should sum up that part pretty well. It is very thoughtful, and she seems to be both trying to cover a lot of ground and capture the feelings of people in these situations. I was more interested in the album musically, I found that to be the more compelling part. It's a bit alt-rock, it's a bit folk, it's often somewhat unsettling. About halfway through I found myself struggling with the album a bit, but also realizing that I had saved basically all the songs since there was something in each one that I liked. I'm struggling a lot with an overall rating here, this feels like one that's hard to fully wrap my head around on one listen. It's definitely a bit art-y album, and the war theme makes it a not very light listen. But there's a lot that's clearly really good in here, both thematically and musically. I'm in the 3- 4 range, but this is definitely less of an everyday listen type of album for me. This is my first PJ Harvey album, and this seems to be a pretty significant departure from her earlier work, so I'm curious to hear a bit more of her music. Update, I gave it a second listen the next morning, I felt like it needed that. I really enjoyed it a lot when I stepped back and just listened without thinking about the lyrics too much. All of the songs I had noted the night before still stood out to me, and I added "England" to the list the second time around. It's still a bit of a tricky listen, but I think I like this. Favorite song: On Battleship Hill Other: Let England Shake, The Last Living Rose, The Words That Maketh Murder, All And Everyone, England, In The Dark Places, Written On The Forehead 12/14/23

The White Album

Beatles

5/5

What to say about this that hasn't been said? It's a masterpiece from top to bottom. This is the first double album that I've listened to on here that I haven't been bored at any point, it's just consistently high quality. Now it's certainly weird at times, and there are a few songs here and there that didn't quite work for me. I feel like the fun of something like this though is to see what resonates, and often the weird ones are standouts (I know this isn't a hot take or anything, but "Ob-La Di, Ob-La-Da" is such a banger). I will say that "Revolution 9" (second to last song) was an interesting artistic choice, you have to take some chances sometimes though. This is just really polished, consistently good across a long album, and has multiple standouts (Blackbird, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Helter Skelter, Birthday, I Will...). While it's diverse as a whole, each song is fairly consistent on this one (unlike some other Beatles songs that are like 4 songs in one). This is really great, one of the better albums I've listened to. It's very famous, and very rightfully so. Favorite song: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Other: Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Bungalow Bill, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Don't Pass Me By, I Will, Julia, Birthday, Mother Nature's Son, Helter Skelter, Long Long Long, Revolution 1, Honey Pie, Cry Baby Cry, Good Night 12/15/23

Superunknown

Soundgarden

3/5

This was ok, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It's definitely gotten a lot of critical acclaim, and is one of the big grunge albums from the time. I didn't think it was nearly as good as "Nevermind" though (although this might be way too high of a bar). The sound is alright, but I was honestly kind of bored a few times. Perfectly good album but in a genre that I don't think has aged particularly well, and has a few slow spots. Favorite song: Black Hole Sun Other: My Wave, Fell On Black Days, Spoonman, The Day I Tried To Live 12/16/23

My Generation

The Who

3/5

This is a pretty solid album overall, but probably not absolute top tier for them or for the time. There's a few classics ("My Generation" and "The Kids Are Alright" for instance) and it's enjoyable overall, but it lacks anything really stellar. This does rock a bit harder than most of what else was going on at the time, so they were definitely starting to stand out a bit. Favorite song: The Kids Are Alright Other: I Don't Mind, La-La-La-Lies, My Generation, A Legal Matter 12/17/23

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

3/5

This starts off on a high note with "Tiny Dancer", but it fell a bit flat to me after that. It has this prog rock / piano ballad thing going on that honestly just kind of makes one song blend into another after a bit musically. He's obviously a really talented singer, but I was a bit underwhelmed by this given the high expectations. They lyrics are also all over the board, it's a bit hard to follow over the course of the album. Perfectly good, but that's it. Favorite song: Tiny Dancer Other: Levon, Holiday Inn, Rotten Peaches, Goodbye 12/18/23

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective

3/5

I've been dragging my feet on writing this review for like a week now, time to get this over with. I truly have no idea what to make of this. I've listened to it like three times now to try to wrap my head around it, but not sure if I've made any progress. Lyrics-wise, this is honestly pretty straightforward and frankly almost a bit boring. It's generally fairly simple stuff about what's going on in the singer's life. "My Girls" is their most famous song, and it's pretty much just about how he doesn't want fancy things and just wants to buy a house for his wife and daughter. "Bluish" is about thinking his wife is hot. It's perfectly nice, but a bit simplistic. The lyrics aren't what's interesting here though, it's the sound that stands out. The album has this really layered electronic-y sound. The depth of the sound is fairly impressive and on some songs I think it works really well. That said, I found myself actively disliking a few songs and kind of zoning out on others. It's interesting, but just doesn't work for me consistently. I think I read too much about this while listening. The critical reviews are wildly positive for this one and I'm feeling like I'm just missing something. It's perfectly good, and I guess I can see how musically it might be a step above what else was getting made at the time, but I just didn't love it. I feel like I should love it given my musical tastes, but I just don't. I could see this being one that I come back to in a year and it just clicks, but it is what it is for now. Struggling to talk myself into a 4, so 3 it is. Favorite song: My Girls Other: In The Flowers, Summertime Clothes, Bluish, No More Runnin 12/19/23

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

2/5

This one did not do it for me. I'm typically pretty generous on the 60s rock, there was a lot going on at the time and I respect the bands that were paving the way for what was to come. This one did not stand out though. I think it had three good songs, a bunch of mediocre songs, and two of the worst songs I've heard on here yet. Like what were they thinking with "Little Girl in the 4th Row" and "Melody for an Unknown Girl"? The former has just aged horribly, and the latter has a fine melody but the whispering about being for someone he loves but doesn't know yet was just weird. What saves this a bit for me is "Get It On", which doesn't seem to be a particularly popular song of theirs but I think is an incredibly fun one in the middle of the album. "Kicks" and "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" are both solid too. It's not enough to save the album rating, but at least I came away with a few songs that I'll listen to again. Favorite song: Get It On Other: Kicks, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone 12/20/23

Be

Common

4/5

I liked this a lot, it's tight lyrically (about his life in Chicago) and has lots of interesting stuff going on musically. Kanye produced this, and is featured on a few of the tracks. Generally strong, I enjoyed listening to it (though maybe lacking any real big standout moments). Favorite song: The Food Other: Be (Intro), The Corner, GO!, Testify, They Say 12/23/23

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

4/5

You know what, this was pretty good. I really didn't expect to like this all that much, but it was solid. I'm not convinced they did anything truly groundbreaking here, and I'm definitely not the target audience for the "southern rock" thing, but they still manage to pull off some really solid songs. The first half is definitely stronger than the second half, but then it ends with "Free Bird". "Free Bird" wasn't my favorite song on the album, and it's a bit of a meme at this point, but it's still pretty good. "Tuesday's Gone" and "Simple Man" are both great too, just a generally solid listen here. Favorite song: Tuesday’s Gone Other: Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, Things Goin’ On, Free Bird 12/25/23

Queen II

Queen

4/5

We're starting to get into second albums of bands I've heard on here once. Stepping back in time for Queen II (1974). A Night at the Opera (1975) is a phenomenal album, so this was going to be tough to live up to. While it isn't as good as ANATO, this was still an enjoyable listen. This rocks a little harder than ANATO (and harder than most Queen albums from what I'm reading). There are less standout songs, but I feel like this is a pretty solid and consistent Queen sound. "Nevermore" is great but super short, and "Seven Seas of Rhye" was a catchy way to end it. The critics seem to be all over the place on this one, but I thought it was a reasonably strong album. Even when not at their very best, Queen is a fun listen. Favorite song: Nevermore Other: Father To Son, White Queen (As It Began), Some Day One Day, Ogre Battle, The March Of The Black Queen, Seven Seas of Rhye 12/26/23

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

It's just a bit funny to me that these guys were the biggest rockstars in the country for a while, but I get it, this is great. It's really short at just 29 minutes and does not waste any time in there (one might argue that "Voices of Old People" does, but I think it's an interesting choice as an interlude). This is the album after Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme, and I think it's a bit more uneven but has a tighter narrative and higher highs. There are a few songs I don't love on here, but the best moments on here are truly great ("America", "Mrs. Robinson"). I could possibly see this coming across as a bit uninteresting or pretentious even. I like a more positive spin, and think it works as a beautiful, simple reflection on living and aging. Fun fact I learned here is that "Mrs. Robinson" was the first rock song to win Record of the Year at the Grammys (1969). Favorite song: America Other: Overs, Old Friends, Bookends Theme - Reprise, Fakin' It, Mrs. Robinson, A Hazy Shade of Winter, At the Zoo 12/27/23

Mott

Mott The Hoople

4/5

This is exactly why I like this album a day thing. I never would have come across this on my own, and I was judging the cover a bit when I saw it, but this was really great. I'm realizing that I'm kind of into glam rock, and this is just consistently enjoyable and fun. These guys seem to have almost completely fallen off the radar, but I'm glad they made the list here. Bowie was apparently a fan and seems to be a big part of the reason why they didn't break up before this album. Queen also opened for them at one point. Fun vibes, good rock sounds, generally good stuff. Favorite song: I Wish I Was Your Mother Other: All the Way from Memphis, Whizz Kid, Hymn for the Dudes, Honaloochie Boogie, Ballad of Mott The Hoople, Rose 12/28/23

The Predator

Ice Cube

3/5

Q-Tip described this as a "voice for the angry and unheard during the 90s", which feels like a pretty apt description to me. Let's get one thing out of the way to start. This album has "It Was A Good Day" on it, which is definitely one of the most iconic rap songs of all time. It's great, full stop. It's also a pretty big thematic departure from the rest of the album. Two songs before this Ice Cube has "gotta wet 'cha" and then he's just describing this nice day getting a triple double on the court. It's a bit of thematic whiplash. The rest of the album is a bit less accessible to me. This came out not long after the '92 LA riots, and "We Had To Tear This Mothafucka Up" confronts this directly. It's a bit hard to place my current version of Ice Cube (in like comedy movies and TV commercials) back in this time. I'm struggling to rate this one. It has one iconic song, a handful of pretty strong songs that I think capture the moment in time pretty well, and then a bunch that are fine but don't stand out much to me. A few other random notes. Apparently "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha" is where the phrase "it's on like Donkey Kong" came from. Similarly, "check yourself before you wreck yourself" came from "Check Yo Self". It's interesting how little phrases like this can work their way into culture. Favorite song: It Was A Good Day Other: When Will They Shoot?, Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha, We Had To Tear This Mothafucka Up, Gangsta's Fairytale 2, Check Yo Self 12/29/23

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

4/5

This one does a pretty good job of being very direct in its social message, while also being fairly accessible and interesting. Musically it's strong, there's some really nice moments like the beginning of "Louder Than A Bomb" which is fairly subdued, or the newscaster overlaid at the beginning of "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos", or the jazzy start to "Show 'Em Whatcha Got". And then "Rebel Without A Pause" is pretty iconic near the end. Flavor Flav is kind of a ridiculous hype man, but I found myself enjoying him more as it went on. Also Chuck D likes to wear a Pirates hat because he's a big Clemente fan, so I can get on board with that. Favorite song: Show 'Em Whatcha Got Other: Bring The Noise, Don't Believe The Hype, Louder Than A Bomb, Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos, Rebel Without A Pause 12/30/23

3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...

Arrested Development

4/5

This is three days in a row of 80s-90s rap, but this one was quite a bit different than Ice Cube and Public Enemy. Those two albums were definitely a lot harder and I think a lot of the value was in the social commentary. This one was thematically much softer, with themes more about love and spirituality. Musically it was also more upbeat sounding and more of a light and fun listen. There's obviously a place for both of these styles, but I found this one to be a nice change of pace after the last two days, and given the harder rap that was dominating the charts mostly at the time (this came out 8 months before The Predator) I think it might have been perceived as a nice change of pace then too (though it definitely does not completely shy away from more difficult themes). \"People Everyday\" is one of the songs that does have racial themes at the forefront, and it's a really interesting update on Sly and the Family Stone's \"Everyday People\". \"Tennessee\" is also a really catchy song near the end of the album. I definitely struggle a bit with early-ish rap, but I really enjoyed listening to this one. It feels more timeless to me (both musically and thematically) than a lot of other rap I've heard from this time period. Favorite song: People Everyday Other: Mr. Wendal, Raining Revolution, U, Eve of Reality, Natural, Tennessee 12/31/23

Different Class

Pulp

5/5

First album of 2024, and we're off to a great start. This was honestly just really strong across the board. I wasn't familiar with these guys at all, and didn't have super high expectations since the last Britpop album I got was a bit of a dud for me, but I loved pretty much everything on this. The sound is really smooth and fun. It's kind of giving me like Saint Motel vibes, but significantly more British. "Common People" might be a dark horse contender for my favorite song I've gotten on here yet, just builds throughout in such a compelling way, and has this like subtle frustration in the lyrics that you can just get. There's also this cool little synth thing on "Sorted for E's & Wizz", and then the last line ("what if you never come down") is just delivered perfectly. "Disco 2000" is great ,"Something Changed" is slower but really nice, "Bar Italia" closes it strong. It's just solid top to bottom (with like a couple exceptions, but they were still ok at least), with a few top tier songs. Favorite song: Common People Other: Mis-Shapes, I Spy, Disco 2000, Something Changed, Sorted for E's & Wizz, Underwear, Bar Italia 1/1/24

The Only Ones

2/5

The good news is this actually started reasonably decently. The intro of "The Whole of the Law" has this great jazzy trumpet intro (which does not happen again on the rest of the album), and then "Another Girl, Another Planet" (their biggest song by far) is pretty fun. The bad news is it just totally collapses after that, very little redeeming qualities, with two exceptions: "No Peace For The Wicked" was kind of interesting, and "Peter And The Pets" (which was not on the original release) has this quick guitar succession thing that's kind of cool. If you squint really hard the singer sounds just a bit like Lou Reed, but if Lou Reed was British and a bad singer. He has this very mopey British voice, I'm not really into it, "Breaking Down" is a pretty tough listen. Like three times they were jamming with no vocals and I was like "this is ok," then he started singing again and I was like "oh, right". I'm throwing this a 2 because it had a few songs worth listening to, but outside of them I could've been ok missing out on this one. Favorite song: Another Girl, Another Planet Other: The Whole Of The Law, No Peace For The Wicked, Peter And The Pets 1/2/24

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde

2/5

One full song is a big mom joke, and that pretty much sums up the vibe on this one. Honestly it's fine, it's very light and mostly fun 90's rap, which is a pretty big change of pace from the harder rap that was more popular at this time. It is a bit long though (57 minutes). It also sounds pretty dated and while it's a more or less humorous listen, I don't think there's much that's really going to stick with me or be required listening in the future. Favorite song: Passin' Me By Other: Oh Shit, Ya Mama, Otha Fish 1/3/24

The Downward Spiral

Nine Inch Nails

2/5

I listened to this near the end of my 11 hour flight to Honolulu when I kind of had a headache, and that was probably not the right decision. My note from the flight was that this is "Heavy metal meets alien invasion meets video game soundtrack. The sound only parts can actually be pretty interesting though". It has moments where I get it. "Hurt" is actually a really strong closer, it's legit a great song (though it drones on a bit long at the end). It's generally pretty abrasive though, and it's a bit of a tough full listen without really being in a bit of a angsty mood. "Closer" is the most famous song on the album, and I've added it to my playlist because I feel like I have to, but frankly it's a bit much. Apparently the music video is in the permanent collection at MoMA, will have to look for it next time I'm there. On partial re-listen I also just can't quite shake the "video-game-ness" of the sound. I don't know if it's necessarily a bad thing, but something just feels a little off to me. My rating on the plane was a 2, and while I'm tempted to bump it to a 3 I think I'm going to stick with my initial reaction. I can see the appeal, and it has some strong moments, but 65 minutes of this is a bit much overall for me. I do like it more than a lot of the very hard rock that I've gotten so far though. I'm also very glad I heard "Hurt", so there's definitely a positive from this one still. Favorite song: Hurt Other: Piggy, Heresy, Closer, A Warm Place 1/4/24

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

4/5

Here's what I wrote on the plane: Checking in from somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. This is my first "third" album from an artist, and while I'm a big Queen fan overall this is coming in 3rd place of what I've gotten so far (A Night At The Opera is by far #1, and Queen II is a bit ahead of this). It's not bad, but is just a bit generic throughout. It's starting to sound a bit more like later Queen (Queen II rocked a bit harder, this is more glam-y), but there's not a ton that stands out to me. It's a perfectly good '70s glam rock album with a lot of songs that sound distinctly "Queen", but lacking much that brings it to the next level. I added a decent number of songs to my playlist, but I have no idea which one to pick as a favorite. Additional notes on a partial re-listen: I generally am still on board with what I wrote, but I think I was a bit overly harsh. There's definitely some good stuff on here. "Killer Queen" is pretty iconic Queen sound, "Brighton Rock" is better than I originally gave it credit for, same with "Stone Cold Crazy". "Dear Friends" is 67 seconds long, but a beautiful little break near the end, leading into also-short "Misfire" which is a lot of fun. This is solid, I was too negative. It's still not as good as ANATO but that's a really high bar, and it's probably in the ballpark with Queen II for me, and I liked Queen II a lot. It's solid work from a band that generally hits for me. Favorite song: Killer Queen Other: Brighton Rock, Flick Of The Wrist, Lily Of The Valley, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy, Dear Friends, Misfire, She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettos) 1/6/24 (or maybe 1/7 depending on when we crossed the date line, don't think we have yet though)

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

This is similar to the Eagles for me, in that they're both firmly in the "dad rock" category in my mind (Spotify is recommending I listen to a "Dad Rock" playlist with Springsteen's face on the cover). It does not feel particularly cool today as a result, but screw that. It's good. It's popular for a reason, it's fun and relatable and interesting enough. It's definitely a bit generic at times, but so what. "Born To Run" (the song) still kind of slaps even if you're hearing it for the thousandth time. I'm curious to see how I like his other albums. This is his first one that got big and it's actually fairly short and tight (39 minutes). This feels about right to me, with really not that many low points (only 8 tracks). I feel like I might tire of his stuff, but this was solid (though a slight bit weaker on the back half). As expected, it's piano-heavy with the horns on a lot of songs. It works, and it's not overly formulaic at this point in his career. A few high points with "Born to Run", "Thunder Road", "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out". Random thought, but he almost sounds a bit Elvis-like on "She's the One". Probably just the deep voice, but this is the first time I'm hearing it. Favorite song: Born to Run Other: Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Night, Backstreets, She's the One, Jungleland 1/7/24 (we've probably crossed the date line by now, so it's not breaking my one album per day rule)

Maxinquaye

Tricky

2/5

Notes from the plane: Back for a second after some time off in Sydney, on the way to Cairns while I listen to this. Not really what I was expecting here. It's kind of got this lo-fi vibey rock thing going on. It's kind of dark and moody sounding. The pace is pretty slow throughout, there's this consistent crackle thing going on, and the vocals almost fade to the background at times. I can't really decide how I feel. I think it's reasonably fine, but more of a thing that I'd like put on in the background than choose to play. Very few songs stand out too, it's more of this overall atmospheric vibe that works ok collectively ("Atmosphere" captures the vibe pretty well, it's long though). It also got noticeably worse in the second half (or maybe I was just getting tired of it). Notes on a partial re-listen: I feel very justified on my initial impression. I picked out the three most popular songs as the three I added to my playlist, and the second half has much fewer plays on Spotify than the first half. I'm also learning that Tricky is the music guy, and the singer is Martina Toply-Bird. Makes sense why the vocals feel in the background frequently, she has a pretty nice voice though. I kind of feel like I'm being overly negative lately, but I just don't like this that much. The good stuff is fine, and the not good stuff is uninspiring. Favorite song: Overcome Other: Hell Is Round The Corner, Aftermath 1/19/24

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

2/5

Notes from the plane: On the way to Melbourne from Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef was cool but I haven't showered in two days. Did I hear some Aussies at the end of "If You Only Knew"? I think if I had guessed the year this came out without knowing I would've guessed like 1988. It actually came out in 2002. It has a lot of elements of earlier rap though. Smooth non-controversial (mostly) lyrics, multiple rappers playing off of one another, that type of thing. Nelly Furtado shows up at one point though (to sing about being in the friend zone), I kind of forgot about her. It's alright, but I was starting to get bored before it was even halfway over. It's just not something I really want to listen to again, and very little stood out to break the monotony. I also HATE when there are children singing, which they did on "After School Special". "Remember His Name" is actually kind of good, but "his name is death" is a hilarious plot twist line to end it, incredibly cheesy. Just pretty "meh" to me overall, not much here I felt like I needed to hear. On a partial re-listen: Yeah basically nothing has changed, I added a couple of their more famous songs that I overlooked a bit but still "meh". Favorite song: Hey Other: If You Only Knew, Break, Remember His Name, What's Golden 1/23/24

Strange Cargo III

William Orbit

1/5

Robot sounds and noises that you might hear during a spooky movie scene in like a forest (63 minutes). Favorite song: Water From A Vine Leaf 2/2/24

Marcus Garvey

Burning Spear

3/5

I don't have a clue how to rate this. Marcus Garvey (the person) was only barely on my radar before this, but his Wikipedia page is quite a ride. I guess he was controversial (seems right from what I read), but is generally pretty universally loved in Jamaica. Somehow he also became a prophet for the Rastafarians? I don't quite get it, but here we are. The album lyrics are highly political thematically it's pretty clearly Jamaican. It's somewhat surprising to me that this became a thing in the US, but it seems like it at least kind of did. It's reggae through and through, and I am in no way qualified to rate the quality of this genre. It generally seemed fine to me, had a few songs that had pretty good beats, generally had a message that I could get behind, so it was fine. It is also only 34 minutes so it's quick. I'm giving the album a 3 and moving on, it was reasonably fine (though Marcus Garvey himself is another story). Favorite song: Marcus Garvey Other: Slavery Days, Live Good, Tradition 2/4/24

Street Signs

Ozomatli

3/5

This feels distinctly early-2000s to me and I'm not sure exactly what it is about it. It's got this like latin boy band thing going on, with a rap verse or two on some of the songs. It's a mix of English and Spanish lyrics throughout. It's solid but somewhat unremarkable overall. A few songs that are decent, a few that I really didn't like very much. I don't really remember it, but apparently "Saturday Night" was on the Madden 2005 soundtrack, so I'm sure I had heard it before. I generally liked the non-rap songs a bit better, and think they're at their best when they lean into the some of the more latin-sounding instrumentals, otherwise they can come across a bit generic boy-band. There's a few points where it gets a bit funky too which were cool ("Nadie Te Tira" in particular). The random 1-minute piano song near the end was an interesting choice. Overall this is perfectly fine and generally pretty fun sounding (though the lyrics are fairly political at times), but doesn't hit any major highs for me. Favorite song: (Who Discovered) America? Other: Saturday Night, Ya Viene El Sol, Nadie Te Tira, Cuando Canto 2/5/24

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

I'm not the biggest reggae fan in the world, and my first reaction to this was significant disappointment that I got two reggae albums in three days. This started ok, "Natural Mystic" is a decent first song and then it has a few fine songs after. I was somewhat favorable to the album at the halfway point, but no strong feelings. The first half is a little more "religion" themed, which is fine but not as much my thing. The back half of this album is just pretty much perfect though. It's basically song after song of what reggae is at it's best. It's laid back and mellow with relatable lyrics, it's just good to vibe to. I highly doubt that I'm going to like another reggae album as much as this, this is getting a 5 and I don't think that will happen again. It's mostly "love" songs on the back half, and just consistently hits. "Three Little Birds", "Jamming", "One Love", just hit after hit. I don't have much to say, but this was really great. It's not my genre at all, but it's awesome and I get why people are into it. Favorite song: Three Little Birds Other: Natural Mystic, Exodus, Jamming, Waiting In Vain, Turn Your Lights Down Low, One Love / People Get Ready 2/6/24

New York Dolls

5/5

I like to think that at least sometimes I have fairly intellectual takes about albums on here. I try to do some research to get the context and see what they might've been getting at. Sometimes though something just hits in a way that I can't really explain. This is that. This album is super gritty, fairly simple, not particularly impressive musically, and I loved it. Basically every song just worked for me, and now I'm listening to it again and it's still working. I don't quite get it, I don't expect the community rating to be all that high, but it's just great. The band gives strong Velvet Underground vibes, which is probably at least partly what I like about it. This came a little later than peak Velvets, so it seems like they were pretty influenced by them, and it's very obviously coming from the same NYC base that the Velvets are. I'm not really convinced any of these guys are great musicians, but somehow put them together and it works. A few major thoughts. It seems like one could reasonably tie the New York Dolls to the beginning of both punk rock and glam rock. It's hard to pin genre beginnings to any band, but this feels reasonable to me (it came out like 4 years before "Marquee Moon", which is another album that's considered to be foundational punk). Musically it definitely has some glam rock elements too though, and certainly that's what they were going for with their look (which seemed to be big hair and makeup and whatnot). This album is just also an awesome portrait of New York City in the '70s. It feels gritty, and the city was definitely gritty at that time. This feels like a pretty good encapsulation of what I imagine things were like in the city in the '70s. This is an aside, but the urbanist in me can't help it. There's so many cliche rock songs about cars, everyone can't stop singing about cars. The Dolls sang a whole song about the "Subway Train" on this album though, and while it's not the most beautiful portrait, I salute them for their support of public transit. I've seen some reviews saying these guys were just a bad version of the Rolling Stones or whatever. I don't know, I think sometimes it's bad to overanalyze things. I liked this a lot. I'm glad it exists, no notes. Favorite song: Lonely Planet Boy Other: Personality Crisis, Looking For A Kiss, Frankenstein, Trash, Bad Girl, Subway Train, Private World, Jet Boy 2/7/24

Hot Shots II

The Beta Band

3/5

So this is some Scottish guys in the early 2000s doing something that's been dubbed "folktronica", which honestly is a pretty apt description. It's definitely unique. I was actually pretty high on the first few songs, it's got this really unique, layered sound that's fairly captivating. Based on this, I actually expected to like it more than I ended up liking it. I think the uniqueness wears off a bit as it goes on, though it's certainly not a bad listen. This is one that's probably a 3.5 for me. I actually ended up adding quite a few songs to my playlist, but I just don't feel overly positive about it as a whole. I tend to round up in these cases, but this feels more like one that I'm going to completely forget about until I randomly hear a song one day and think "that was a nice album", and then promptly forget about it again. Also, I don't give ratings based on album art, but I need to comment on it in this case. It's just horrible. What were they thinking here. Favorite song: Squares Other: Al Sharp, Human Being, Gone, Quiet, Alleged, Eclipse 2/8/24

Ten

Pearl Jam

4/5

This was really great overall. It's a little bit before my time, but it apparently was one of the top selling albums of the '90s and it has most of Pearl Jam's most famous songs ("Even Flow", "Alive", "Black", "Jeremy"). I really enjoyed it overall, and it's earned it's place as an iconic album. It is extra impressive as their debut album, not a lot of bands come out swinging like this right from the start. Pearl Jam is one of the iconic grunge bands, and from what I've heard so far I think I'm higher on them than Soundgarden, but not quite to Nirvana level. I guess Kurt Cobain was not a Pearl Jam fan, and felt like they sold out. I can see it a bit, this definitely has a bit more of a polished sound. It's a little more alt rock than some of the other grunge albums I've heard (I almost hear some R.E.M.-type sounds in here, where I don't feel that way for Nirvana). It's still great though, the highs are really high on this one. I'm really tempted to give this a 5, but I don't think it quite gets there for me. The front half of the album is incredibly strong, but the back half fell a bit flat for me (though I did like "Oceans" a lot). It's very good and in the 4.5 territory, but just a bit lacking on the back side. Favorite song: Even Flow Other: Alive, Black, Jeremy, Oceans, Porch, Release 2/9/24

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

3/5

This is some nice mellow soul/R&B music. A bit funky, a bit jazzy, overall pretty solid. Slightly uninspiring perhaps (despite the name), but perfectly enjoyable. Also the 2001 re-release tacked on four songs from another album of his to the end of this one, and they're on the Spotify version. I didn't include them in my playlist since they really are from his album "Freedom Flight", not this one (it has a pretty different sound). Favorite song: Inspiration Information Other: Aht Uh Mi Hed 2/10/24

Sheet Music

10cc

3/5

This was kind of fun in a bit of a ridiculous way. The first song is a fairly detailed look into life on Wall Street, and the second song is about how they're the worst band in the world but still sell a ton of records. The whole album is just a bit kitschy, but I can get on board in a somewhat ironic way. It falls off a bit after the beginning for me, but there's a few decent songs buried in here. There's not much on this that's going to have much staying power for me, but they're definitely a bit more outside-the-box than some of the other '70s rock, so credit for taking some chances on this. Favorite song: The Wall Street Shuffle Other: The Worst Band In The World, Hotel, Clockwork Creep 2/11/24

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

4/5

I think this is the first time that I've gotten a jazz album on here and I've actually recognized a song. "Take Five" is famous enough that I recognized it from one of the jazz playlists that I listen to in the background sometimes. I'm no jazz expert, but I enjoyed this a lot. It sounds fairly unique, and I couldn't quite place it on my own but after reading a bit about it I think it's probably that most of the songs were written in some non-standard time signatures ("Take Five" is in 5/4 time). It also just has this nice fairly calming vibe throughout (even when the pace is a little more frantic like the first song). This seems to be considered "cool" jazz from what I'm reading, so that checks out. A few more fun things I learned about this one. "Take Five" was the first jazz single to sell a million copies, and is the biggest selling jazz song of all time. Brubeck originally wanted to be a veterinarian, got told by a professor that he wasn't into it enough and should switch to music (his whole family was basically musicians), and then he almost got kicked out of music school for not being able to sight-read music. Then he got drafted into the Army during WWII, got out of combat service after volunteering to play piano at a Red Cross show, and then formed the first racially integrated armed forces band. He was a strong proponent of racial integration throughout his life, and often cancelled shows when they weren't going going to allow black musicians to perform. He also became a Catholic later in his life, and won Notre Dame's Laetare Medal in 2006. Favorite song: Take Five Other: Blue Rondo a la Turk, Strange Meadow Lark, Three to Get Ready, Kathy's Waltz 2/12/14

Street Life

The Crusaders

3/5

This opens with "Street Life" (the song) which is an 11-minute jazzy / disco / soul song with Randy Crawford guest singing. She's got a nice voice, and it's pretty fun overall if you're into the groovy '70s type of thing. These guys put out A LOT of music (49 albums by Wikipedia's count) and this seems to be their most popular song by quite a bit. After this, the album has 5 more songs that I would probably describe as elevator music. It's perfectly ok, but nothing stands out to me in the way that say Dave Brubeck did (when I listened to it yesterday). It's this saxophone-y smooth jazz sound that's consistently fine, and generally not much more than that in my (very unprofessional) opinion. Favorite song: Street Life Other: My Lady 2/13/24

Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman

John Zorn

1/5

This is, without a doubt, the most chaotic thing that I've ever heard. Imagine like two different artists just being told to do whatever the hell they want but as loud and fast as they can with no relation to one another, that's this. I feel stress just sitting on my couch listening to it. He could be the most technically talented saxophonist in the world for all I know, but why would anyone want to listen to this? The only reasonable thing is the cover art which seems to depict various violent scenes, that makes sense to me after listening to this. To top it all off, it's not even on Spotify. Do not recommend. Favorite song: Feet Music Other: Good Old Days 2/14/24

There's A Riot Goin' On

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

This was a really interesting one, and a huge departure from their previous album "Stand!", which came out only two years earlier. "Stand!" was super funky and generally pretty positive and upbeat, which "Everyday People" kind of captures well. This one is still pretty funky, but it's a lot darker and moodier. Sly seems to have developed a bit of a drug habit at this point and this also seems to be picking up the changing political landscape as the civil rights movement peak was wearing off a bit. I generally try to ignore critics' reviews of albums, but I liked this one a lot, "Christgau wrote in 2007 that the "temptations and contradictions" of commercial stardom consumed Sly Stone and resulted in "the prophetic 1971" album, "its taped-over murk presaging Exile on Main St., its drum-machine beats throwing knuckleballs at [Miles Davis] and [James Brown], it was darker than the Velvet Underground and Nico and funkier than shit, yet somehow it produced two smash hits, including the stark, deep 'Family Affair'." It's a really solid album overall. It's not one that I see myself coming back to frequently, but there's a lot of good stuff in here and it seems to capture a moment in time well. Favorite song: Family Affair Other: Just Like a Baby, Poet, (You Caught Me) Smilin', Time, Runnin' Away, Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa 2/15/24

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

3/5

Lots of wild things on this one, starting with the biggest one which is that this is apparently like the 6th highest selling album of all time. This is really pretty wild to me, I know my old music knowledge isn't the best (which is why I'm doing this album thing), but this album seems to have basically no staying power compared to the other stuff on the best selling list. I really had no idea what I was getting into here. I'm going to fully admit that my perception of Meatloaf (knowing nothing about his music) was not particularly positive. I remember him from some lame commercials and had read some things about him being a right-wing nut in his old age. Then apparently he said people wearing masks on planes were Nazis or something, and then he (probably) died of Covid in 2022. I kind of assumed this was just going to be some hard metal thing from a bad dude that I would hate, especially given the album art. We try to separate the art from the artist here though, so I tried to keep an open mind. Turns out this is a whole theatrical rock-opera production. Half of this could be a Broadway production, it's totally over-the-top. The lyrics are pretty cheesy (honestly the whole production is pretty cheesy), but it's definitely a dramatic. I generally am into the glam-rock type music, but this one just wasn't generally working for me. It felt like Queen at times, Elton John at times, others at times, and in every case it just seemed like a worse version. It's not bad, and the drama of it makes it a fairly enjoyable listen at least, but I just can't believe this sold as well as it did. "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" is like four different songs smashed together (plus a baseball announcer in the middle) and it's probably the most interesting song on here. Honestly one gripe I have is that all the songs are so long, they just never end (47 minutes for 7 songs). It's fine as a full album together, but I just don't see myself listening to this much on a one-off basis. I will say something nice about Meatloaf, he can definitely sing and keep the energy up. He was probably fun to see live in his prime. I'm probably still over-indexing on my initial perception of him, but my overall take of this is just "fine". I think the popularity of this one might be a bit of a moment in time thing that I can't quite capture today. Maybe I'll come back to this sometime and feel differently though. Favorite song: Paradise By the Dashboard Light Other: Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, Bat Out of Hell 2/16/24

The Stooges

4/5

The Stooges came up quiet a bit on the Velvet Underground podcast that got me into this whole thing, so I'm a bit familiar but haven't actually listened to much of them. Like the Velvets, a good bit of their appeal at the time was their live shows. Iggy Pop was wild on stage (huge understatement), so obviously that doesn't quite come through in the recorded albums. This is still super raw though in a great way. It's also produced by John Cale (after he got kicked out of the Velvets), and his involvement is clear from the sound (though his mix was actually rejected by the band). I guess they had been playing live shows in NYC for a bit with 7 songs, and they originally intended to just record those 7 songs for this album. Elektra didn't like this though so they had to scramble to write and record a few other songs pretty last minute. They got it done, but it's interesting how sometimes things just get thrown together. This starts super strong with "1969" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog", both awesome songs that are straightforward but raw and great. Then there's the 10-minute "We Will Fall", which is not my favorite on it's own, but it creates this really dark brooding type mood. The drone sounds in the background of "We Will Fall" are so clearly John Cale inspired, he has his fingerprints all over this one. A 10-minute chant song is also a great way to kill some time if Elektra wants more music (the whole album is under 35 minutes). The B-side starts with "No Fun", and then there's 4 shorter songs to round it out. "No Fun" is back to the formula, simple, raw, building intensity through the song, strong guitar on the second half. "Real Cool Time" is a bit of a miss for me, but "Ann" (which I think was the last song they added to the album) is awesome, it's got this really understated, slow-burn intensity. "Not Right" and "Little Doll" are both solid to wrap things up. This is a really strong album top to bottom that just falls a little short of perfection to me. I think the album format doesn't quite fully capture what they were about, and while "1969" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog" are both great, it's not the most deep album. "We Will Fall" is fine for the mood, but if you take that out it's only 25 minutes long. Still, a really great album and a pretty notable departure from a lot of what was getting made at this time. I think Iggy is going to continue to grow on me too, so I'm excited to get more of their music. Favorite song: 1969 Other: I Wanna Be Your Dog, No Fun, Ann, Not Right, Little Doll 2/17/24

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

4/5

Prince is one of the most famous artists of all time, and beyond a few songs here and there I really haven't listened to much of his music. And he made A LOT of it in his life. This seems to be a bit of a weird place to start with Prince (my Rolling Stones starting point on here was similar). This is a magnum opus-type release that came out a few years after "Purple Rain". It's a double album coming in at 80 minutes, and it's really all over the board musically, kind of just showcasing everything that Prince could do. It's a hard introduction, but here we are. Here's what I like about it. It's one of those albums that you can just tell the artist is on top of the world. There's like this confidence that just comes through in the sound, it feels like he's swinging for the fences on this one. The Revolution was out at this point, so Prince also does all the instruments and vocals which is impressive. It's also just wildly varied. There's some funky stuff, some smooth R&B, lots of catchy pop hooks, a few slow vocal-driven songs. It's almost a bit chaotic since everything is just really different. Here's what I don't like so much. First, it sounds notably dated. I won't knock it much since part of the reason it sounds this way is everyone that tried to copy him after, but it definitely sounds like an '80s album. "Strange Relationship" is a great example of a song that is good and also sounds really dated. Rarely does a double album work for me, and this isn't really an exception. I think he's got about 1.5 albums worth of good content here (which admittedly is more than a lot of double albums have), but there's a few clear weak points. Some of the individual songs drag on a bit too. Also for how famous this is, there really isn't that one song that just totally crushes it for me. I liked "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" best (and it's really good), and others like "Sign O' The Times" and "Starfish And Coffee" are really solid, but there's not that one song that just really sticks. I've been dragging my feet for a few days now on what to rate this. It's really good, it also didn't quite blow me away as much as I thought it might given the aura around Prince, and the million things online about how this is his greatest album. I'm giving it a 4, I might regret this after I hear more Prince but it is what it is, we move forward. Favorite song: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man Other: Sign O' The Times, The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker, It, Starfish And Coffee, Slow Love, U Got The Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship, The Cross, Adore 2/18/24

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division

5/5

I wasn't familiar with Joy Division before this, but I had seen the album cover before. This is a really sad story honestly, the lead singer had a lot of health issues and committed suicide right before their first North American tour. The rest of the band later regrouped as New Order (which was the third album I listened to on this). I wasn't really a fan of the New Order album I listened to so my expectations weren't super high, but this was awesome. It's dark and moody and has this like feeling of desperation underneath it. I'm not totally convinced that Ian Curtis is a great singer, but his delivery just feels super emotional. This is one that I liked on first listen and it's growing on me even more as I've re-listened to it a bit too. "Disorder" is worth mentioning too, it's just such a strong opener. The bass is so unique but so freaking catchy. Great stuff all around here. Favorite song: Disorder Other: Day of the Lords, Candidate, Insight, New Dawn Fades, She's Lost Control, Shadowplay, Interzone, I Remember Nothing 2/19/24

Vespertine

Björk

5/5

This album is stunningly beautiful. Bjork barely rises above a whisper throughout, but it's just a mesmerizing sound. It's layered, a bit fuzzy at times, there's this awesome harp on a lot of the songs. Honestly I'm generally not a huge fan of music where the electronic bit is a big part of it, but this just works so well, and her vocals tie everything together so perfectly. It's builds to such a big sound at various points and just left me wanting more. It's like an awesome mashup of Kate Bush and Joanna Newsome and Mitski and something even better maybe. Her singing style is super unique, it's like it's slightly off-beat, but somehow in a good way. The lyrics are really strong on this one too. A lot about love (and it's pretty sexually explicit at times, but it feels really understated somehow with her singing style). This one kind of blew me away a little bit, I didn't see this coming. I'm definitely a sucker for music that's a bit odd at times, but this was just a perfect combination of a little weird but really gorgeous at the same time. My one complaint is that the sound on "Heirloom" (3rd to last song) just felt a little out of place to me. It's not a huge deal to me, but something about it felt just a little off. The album finishes really strong though, so you forget about it quickly. I'm not sure that I've resonated with the lyrics of a love song quite like I'm feeling for "Unison". It's hard to pick a favorite song since it all comes together so well as a full album. Favorite song: Unison Other: Hidden Place, Cocoon, It's Not Up to You, Undo, Pagan Poetry, Frosti, Aurora, An Echo a Stain, Sun in My Mouth, Harm of Will 2/20/24

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

3/5

First things first, "Work It" is an absolute top-tier early-2000s banger. Iconic song. Outside of that, this is pretty fine but maybe a bit unexceptional to me. It's generally a pretty smooth sound, rap but definitely a bit of an R&B type feel to a good bit of it. There's a lot of A-list appearances on this too (Jay-Z, Ludacris, Beyonce). Maybe not a shocker, but they lyrics are very explicit. "Pussycat" is definitely not beating around the bush much. There's a few funny spoken word asides too (one on the end of "Pussycat" and then another on the intro song where at one point she says "You don't see Bill Gates and Donald Trump arguin' with each other / 'Cause both of 'em got paper and they got better shit to do / Get more paper"; that's quite the 2002 statement). Also she dedicated this to Aaliyah and the 9/11 victims, so there's that. Generally a fine album, about what I was expecting. I don't see any real reason to listen to the full thing again, but there's some solid song on here. Favorite song: Work It Other: Bring the Pain, Back in the Day, Funky Fresh Dressed, Nothing out There for Me, Slide 2/22/24

D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle

1/5

This album is just super grimy, I don't really know how to describe it better. It's got this harsh industrial sound, lots of like jarring background noises and vocals and things. I feel like more experimental stuff like this either really works for me or really doesn't. I had a few moments where I felt like I could hear some good stuff underneath, but overall it just was too much for me. The sound is just too abrasive, it's got an unsettling sound in a not good way. The cover art is also highly questionable. This sounds like something that was meant for a small modern art museum, or maybe a haunted house. It's not one of the 1000 best albums of all time though. Favorite song: AB/7A Other: Hamburger Lady 2/23/24

Second Toughest In The Infants

Underworld

2/5

Pretty fast-paced electronic music. It is what it is, not really my thing but I get there could be a place for this. It's not quite as annoying to me as a lot of other electronic music, that's the high praise I'm willing to write. It's really long too (73 minutes for 8 songs, so they're all pretty long). Favorite song: Blueski Other: Pearl's Girl 2/24/24

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

3/5

This is a late-career Muddy Waters blues album, recorded when he was in his early 60s. At this point he was already a legend, but it seems like he was in a bit of a lull in his career before this. Then he recorded this (plus three other albums in the next few years) that all were highly acclaimed and got him a bit of a resurgence. It seems like a lot of critics consider this to be a big comeback album for him. It's a bit of a tough place to start for someone that's this famous in a genre that I don't know super well. It's generally really enjoyable, and he sounds really good for his age when this was recorded. "Mannish Boy" is definitely famous enough that I knew it already, but he also first recorded it in the '50s and rerecorded it a bunch of times during his career, including as the opener on this. The album is perfectly good, probably a 3.5 really, and I know with this genre I'm missing a whole textbook's worth of historical context, but I don't think much is going to stick with me. I'm curious to hear a bit more of his earlier work, I'm sure I'll get the chance to here at some point. Favorite song: Mannish Boy Other: I Want to Be Loved #2, I Can't Be Satisfied, The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll, Crosseyed Cat 2/25/24

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

5/5

This was incredibly good. I had high expectations and it still cleared them easily. I generally don't love live albums, I find it a little annoying to listen to them usually. This is obviously a little different since it's live in-studio (but was recorded in one take), but this is where the live recording can shine. I didn't even watch the video version, but the emotion just comes through so well. Kurt Cobain's voice is just so good with the stripped back sound here. It almost has this folk-y sound throughout, and I think he could have gone this direction with his career too and still crushed it. The Bowie cover is awesome, and the last song is just a perfect conclusion. Also an interesting choice to not include "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on this, I think I kind of like the decision. I don't have a ton else to say about it. He died 5 months after this (which probably contributed to its popularity quite a bit), and it's a little more striking listening to it with that context. It's beautiful nonetheless, and I'm glad it exists. Favorite song: The Man Who Sold The World Other: About A Girl, Come As You Are, Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam, Pennyroyal Tea, Dumb, Polly, On A Plain, Something In The Way, Plateau, Oh Me, Lake Of Fire, All Apologies, Where Did You Sleep Last Night 2/26/24

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

1/5

This is a Congolese album from the '90s that is not in English, so I have no clue what he's singing about. I tried to keep an open mind, but I finished this just thinking it was pretty bad. I feel like he tried to pull in some western music sounds throughout, but everything he pulled in was like the worst parts of music at the time, so now it just sounds tacky and dated. There is very little written on this album that I could find, but Koffi seems to be one of the big names in Congolese music so I get wanting to include him on the list. From the little I found though it seems like this particular album isn't really considered his best, so I'm not sure why this is what got picked. His voice is perfectly good, but this left a lot to be desired for me. Also, the album cover is hilariously bad. Ugly grey background, three wildly different fonts that are all terrible, him off to the side goofily just pointing at the camera, and for some reason white pants that look 100% photoshopped. It's rough. Favorite song: Papa bonheur 2/27/24

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

4/5

I had pretty low expectations since I had never heard of this group and this list can be a bit overkill on old British rock sometimes, but this was really good. It manages to have both a pretty dark sound, while also being highly listenable too. I usually like the moodier rock but can get where it goes off the rails for some people (with like Sonic Youth's "Evol" for instance). This feels like it manages to walk the line nicely between being moody and approachable though. This reminded me of The Cure a good bit, and it turns out Robert Smith both liked this band a lot and also played guitar for them for a few years after this came out. It seems like this band was a lot bigger in the UK than the US, but had quite a bit of influence for a bunch of bands that came later. This isn't quite as strong to me as something like "Disintegration", but it generally was a great listen. The singer has an awesome voice, the pace is pretty good, the guitar is pretty unique sounding at times, generally really strong. Favorite song: Spellbound Other: Into The Light, Arabian Knights, Halloween, Monitor, Night Shift, Sin In My Heart, Head Cut, Voodoo Dolly 2/28/24

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

This is Neil Young's second solo album after Buffalo Springfield (5 years before On The Beach, which was album #16 on this for me). It's really solid overall, and this seems to be the album that really established him. It's a bit twangy (like on "The Losing End"), the guitar work is great from Crazy Horse ("Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" are mostly 9-10 minute guitar riffs), "Cinnamon Girl" is a catchy start. Just pretty enjoyable overall. There are a few tracks that are misses for me, and it's a bit somber-sounding at times, but not overly so, and it's just generally strong. He has a great voice and it's an enjoyable listen with a few notable high points. Favorite song: Down by the River Other: Cinnamon Girl, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, The Losing End, Cowgirl in the Sand 2/29/24

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

4/5

This is really unique, super interesting album. It seems like it's generally classified as progressive rock (and I haven't been a big prog rock fan so far), but it's very early prog rock and pretty different from what came in the '70s. It's definitely a rock album, but it's also really jazzy and classical music influences too. The original release is 44 minutes but only five songs, so they're each pretty long. There's long stretches on most of the songs that are like jazzy and symphonic, it's really unique. This is also partially famous in more modern times for Kanye sampling "21st Century Schizoid Man" on "Power" (I had no idea where it was from until listening to this). The part that he sampled has this super like fuzzy electric sound that seems way ahead of its time on here. Beyond that, "I Talk To the Wind" has this really simple beautiful sound that's really enjoyable, "Epitaph" is great too, and "The Court Of The Crimson King" is really big and grand sounding to finish. "Moonchild" loses the plot a bit for me (it's long and a bit more meandering than the others), and there are times where the long songs lose my attention a bit, but overall I really enjoyed this a lot. This is one that was great to listen to closely and I can also see playing in the background and enjoying too. Favorite song: 21st Century Schizoid Man Other: I Talk To The Wind, Epitaph, The Court Of The Crimson King 3/1/24

90

808 State

2/5

This sounds like what you would get if you asked an electronic music person in 1989 to make an album of what they think music will sound like in like 2020. It sounds "futuristic" in a way that is distinctly '80s. It's generally not really my thing, but there are some moments that are reasonably nice. I like the bird noises on "Pacific 202." Favorite song: Pacific 202 3/2/24

Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg

4/5

This is a really interesting one, it's a collab between Billy Bragg (a British folk singer that I was not familiar with) and Wilco (an American alt rock band that I'm only somewhat familiar with), singing songs (or lyrics really) written by Woody Guthrie mostly in the '40s to '60s. I guess Guthrie's daughter had a bunch of lyrics that he had written (but no music to go with them), she asked Bragg to make an album with them, and he pulled in Wilco. Honestly, it was a really nice album. Wilco is one of those bands that has been on the periphery of my musical knowledge for a long time; they're in the wheelhouse of music I tend to like, but I've never really listened to them much. It's a bit of an odd place to start with them (and with Bragg for that matter) since it's hard to really attribute this fully to anyone, but it was a really enjoyable listen. No major surprise, but it's mostly fairly low key folk-y music (right up my alley). It does pick up the pace a bit here and there though and there's enough variation (partly driven by the multiple singers) that it stays interesting. "California Stars" is a major highlight, it's a really beautiful song and is definitely going to make its way into my rotation. There's a few songs that didn't really land ("Hoodoo Voodoo", "Christ For President") but they're few and far between and don't overly hurt the flow. It's really solid top to bottom. It seems like most of the reason Guthrie's daughter wanted something like this to happen was to try to make his music relevant to a new generation, and honestly it worked on me. This is making me want to listen to Woody Guthrie music. I don't think this album is quite as political as some of his recorded work, but a bit of it does come through at times. "She Came Along To Me" is an example of one of the more political songs on here, and honestly it lands just as well today as it probably would have when he wrote it. I'll wrap up with a lyric: "And all creeds and kinds and colors / Of us are blending/ Till I suppose ten million years from now / We'll all be just alike / Same color, same size, working together / And maybe we'll have all of the fascists / Out of the way by then / Maybe so" Favorite song: California Stars Other: Walt Whitman's Niece, Way over Yonder in the Minor Key, Birds and Ships, She Came Along to Me, At My Window Sad and Lonely, Ingrid Bergman, I Guess I Planted, One by One, Hesitating Beauty 3/3/24

Document

R.E.M.

3/5

I have a feeling that if this was the first R.E.M. album that I had heard I might have liked it a bit more than I did. Unfortunately I listened to Automatic For The People only 53 albums ago, and this does not live up to it. AFTP is an absolute masterpiece in my opinion, getting this after was a bit of a letdown. I actually re-listened to AFTP tonight because I was afraid I was over-rating it in my head compared to this, but no, that album is absolute fire. I think this album is perfectly fine overall, maybe even good. It's a bit less polished than AFTP, a little harder of a sound, maybe a bit more political thematically. My biggest gripe is that the sound is pretty consistent throughout to me, and very little stands out. The songs are mostly about the same pace, there isn't a whole lot that is really attention-catching overall. The one exception is the middle of the album. Song #6 is "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and then #7 is "The One I Love". These are two of R.E.M.'s better-known songs, and for good reason. They're both great, and they carry the album quite a bit for me. I think this is a classic 3.5 star rating album from me, I'm like mildly positive on it, so I'm going to make a gut call on which way to go. I do really like Michael Stipe's voice, and he's really great when he's either letting it loose a bit or doing something a bit softer like "Everybody Hurts". This album was a bit more middle of the road on average and I don't think showcased him as well. One thing I will give them is that this sounds a bit ahead of its time, so I'll give them credit for that. There was still a lot of synth nonsense going on at this time, and they managed to pull off a pretty approachable (early) alt rock album in '87 without falling into that trap, so good on them. Favorite song: It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) Other: Finest Worksong, Welcome To The Occupation, The One I Love, King Of Birds 3/4/24

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

3/5

If I had a nickel for every album that I've gotten on here that involved Johnny Cash performing at a prison I would have 10 cents, which isn't a lot but it's kind of weird that it's happened twice. At Folsom Prison was album #13 for me, so back at it 146 albums later. This one came out a year after At Folsom Prison. A brief sidebar to note how odd it is that he decided to do a whole series of prison performances. And then write songs about how much it would suck to be a prisoner there. I can't even imagine the social media firestorm that would happen if Taylor Swift or someone decided to do a prison concert series today, the internet would explode. Like At Folsom Prison, I think there's a ton of value in this as a cool piece of history. Hearing him interact with the crowd in the live setting is a pretty interesting historical record to have. I think I like this quite a bit less than At Folsom Prison though. For starters, it's only 34 minutes total and I didn't count but probably 40% of that is random crowd noise or him talking. He also performs the song "San Quentin" twice, so there's only 9 unique songs on here. It comes across as really disjointed from a musical perspective. They also censored some of the songs on here with really annoying loud beeps, which I get probably wasn't his decision but is still jarring. On the positive side, it does have a few a couple of iconic Cash songs like "Walk the Line" and "A Boy Named Sue". He generally sounds good, though I read somewhere that he sounds "tired" on this record, and I think I agree with that. It feels a little less engaging than At Folsom Prison. I find these prison albums really hard to rate, since I think they're a little annoying musically but really interesting from a music history perspective. I tend to lean towards rating is as an album not a history piece, and I like this less than At Folsom Prison, so my rating reflects this. Favorite song: I Walk the Line Other: Wanted Man, San Quentin, A Boy Named Sue 3/5/24

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

4/5

This was actually pretty solid. It's an interesting mix of rock, some folk sounds, a bit of country, a little blues. Stewart's voice is a bit raspy, but it works for this. This has "Maggie May", which is one of his most famous songs (and it's really great). "Mandolin Wind" is a nice way to follow it, and "(Find A) Reason To Believe" is a really solid finish to the album. "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" is a Dylan cover, and it's a nice addition too. It's definitely a bit on the soft rock side and there are moments where it's a bit dull (there's a lull after the opener which makes it a bit harder to get into early on), but it's generally enjoyable. I'm not super familiar with Rod Stewart's work, but I think his sound changed quite a bit later in his career. This early career version works pretty well though. Favorite song: Maggie May Other: Every Picture Tells A Story, Tomorrow Is A Long Time, Mandolin Wind, (I Know) I'm Losing You, (Find A) Reason To Believe 3/6/24

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Adam & The Ants

2/5

It's 1980. Everyone has been making moody little punk songs about how sad they are. You try that but it doesn't work so well. So you pivot and start dressing up as a pirate and singing about ants. You end up with this. That might be a bit of a simplification, but seems more or less what happened. Interestingly this feels in the ballpark of the glam rock of the day (which I typically like), but this just didn't work for me at all. The first half of the album has a few songs that are decent enough, but nothing really stands out much, and then the second half is pretty much a disaster. I guess it's fine as a bit of a silly album that doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's not really my thing. I think this just has a lot of the '80s new wave sound that feels overly ridiculous to me now. Not my favorite. Favorite song: Antmusic Other: Dog Eat Dog, Ants Invasion, Killer in the Home, Kings of the Wild Frontier, Jolly Roger 3/7/24

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

4/5

One week later and I get the next album in Neil Young's discography. I've dragged my feet on writing this review, and I think it's because after 3 albums now I think I really like Neil Young but don't love him. He's clearly super talented, his albums are consistently solid for me, the music style is right up my alley, but I feel like there's something missing that holds it back from really hitting for me. I think this was probably my favorite album of the 3 of his that I've listened to, but I can't push myself to give it a 5. It's really good, pretty much the entire album is consistently solid, something just is holding me back. I feel like this review is overly negative for an album that I really enjoyed. The first three songs are all really strong, "Southern Man" comes out of nowhere with a heavy-hitter about racism, "Till the Morning Comes" follows it up with a really short light song to pick things back up. The back half is a little weaker but it's pretty consistent quality top to bottom. I really did like this, I promise. Also apparently the cover image was shot in front of the NYU Law School (and then they did the weird solarizing the image thing since it was blurry). Favorite song: Only Love Can Break Your Heart Other: Tell Me Why, After the Gold Rush, Southern Man, Till the Morning Comes, Don't Let It Bring You Down, Birds, When You Dance You Can Really Love, I Believe in You 3/8/24

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

3/5

"1984 English synth-pop band" does not create a whole lot of excitement from me. Honestly this was perfectly fine, it's not my favorite but I had low expectations and I liked it a bit more than anticipated. It's super' 80s sounding, heavy synth use throughout. The pace is pretty high though, they keep it interesting enough, and there's a couple of strong songs and decent covers to keep me invested. My biggest issue is that this is way too long (64 minutes), there's a ton of filler in here. It actually starts reasonably ok (though the second song doesn't need to be 14 minutes long). But then "Relax" is solid, and there's two anti-war songs that are both interesting enough (including a cover of "War"). The Springsteen "Born To Run" cover in the middle is nice, I liked "San Jose", and then it's mostly very uninspiring synth-pop until "The Power Of Love" near the end. It's perfectly ok with a few good moments, and that's praise enough for this genre. Favorite song: Relax Other: War, Two Tribes, Born To Run, San Jose, The Power Of Love 3/9/24

Gasoline Alley

Rod Stewart

3/5

Only a week after getting "Every Picture Tells A Story" we're back to Rod Stewart with the album that came right before it. To get right to the point, I didn't think this one was as good. This is basically a cover album, 6 of the 9 songs here are covers (including Bob Dylan and Elton John covers). It starts out ok, "Gasoline Alley" is a pretty strong start, it's upbeat and has a strong guitar running through it. After that though most of the album was just pretty "meh" to me. EPTAS had a few stretches like this, but had a lot more standout songs. This was just fairly unremarkable throughout. I think Rod Stewart's raspy voice is pretty interesting and he still brings a bit of musical style variety here, but this just fell a bit flat to me. Perfectly ok, but not a real standout. Favorite song: Gasoline Alley Other: Country Comfort 3/10/24

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

3/5

"The Boys Are Back in Town", certified banger. What I didn't know is that the lead singer (Phil Lynott) is a black Irishman, the more you know. This album is a bit weird since it's a live double album. This is my first Thin Lizzy album on here, but the live album is basically just a compilation of their popular stuff at the time so it feels like it's kind of cheating to me. Allegedly there's also a dispute about how much of this is actually "live". I guess they were originally supposed to record an album this year but their producer was busy so they just decided to pull live recordings and slap a cover on that instead. The producer claims that 75% of the sound actually was overdubbed in the studio, but the manager says that's wrong and 75% of the sound is live and they only overdubbed some background vocals and things. If it's actually significantly dubbed, that makes it even a little more dicey for this list. Anyway, it's generally alright. It's definitely a hard rock album through and through, but there are enough solid songs. Obviously "The Boys Are Back in Town" is iconic, but "Jailbreak" is a great opener, "Dancing in the Moonlight" was really nice (I hadn't heard this one before), and "Cowboy Song" led into TBABIT nicely. The downside is that it's long (77 minutes) and there are a few stretches that feel like somewhat generic hard rock. They probably could have cut this thing after TBABIT and been just fine with it. Favorite song: The Boys Are Back in Town Other: Jailbreak, Dancing in the Moonlight, Still in Love with You, Cowboy Song 3/11/24

Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized

4/5

This was a pleasant surprise, I enjoyed this a lot. It's one of those where I think the whole is better than the sum of the parts. Only a few songs really stood out, but the whole thing just had a really nice vibe to it. I don't know if it's dream pop or shoegaze or whatever genre the internet says it is, but it's got a really nice sound. It's very layered and textural, a wall of sound that somehow never is overwhelming. It sounds ahead of its time to me too, I probably would have guessed 2000s. It's a bit front-heavy and some of the songs drag on a bit, but no major complaints, this was really nice. Favorite song: You Know It's True Other: If I Were With Her Now, I Want You, Run, Shine a Light 3/12/24

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

2/5

This was definitely unique. I'm not sure that it was good, but it was unique. It's got this like bluesy, hip hop, rock combination thing going on. It's very slow and loose musically, it's mostly just vibing throughout. A number of times while listening to this I thought to myself that I would like it more if the singer wasn't singing, I liked the music part better than him. There are a handful of songs on here that are pretty catchy ("Baby's Got Sauce" was pretty solid), but a lot of it was just a bit grating to me. It's pretty long too at 58 minutes, so it keeps going on for awhile. Favorite song: Baby's Got Sauce Other: Blues Music, Garbage Man, Cold Beverage, This Ain't Living, I Love You 3/14/24

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

My first Michael Jackson album on here, so for the record we try to separate the art from the artist around here. It's honestly pretty impressive just how strong this is from top to bottom. It's really pop-y, I'm not even particularly a big fan of this era of music, and somehow it just pretty much all works. He's an incredibly talented musician. I don't think there's a whole lot for me to say about this that's additive, it's the highest selling album of all time for a reason. It also has probably the most famous three-song stretch on any album ever, with "Thriller", "Beat It", and "Billie Jean" all back-to-back-to-back on here. Add in a casual Paul McCartney appearance too, and this is very obviously a heavy-hitter. Favorite song: Billie Jean Other: Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Baby Be Mine, The Girl Is Mine, Thriller, Beat It, Human Nature, P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), The Lady in My Life 3/15/24

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

5/5

This was so good, I didn't see this coming. It sounds 10 years ahead of it's time, like a precursor to the alt rock of the '90s (I'm hearing an early R.E.M. sound at times, but that's probably underselling it, I also got The National at times). The sound is big and orchestral, but the singer isn't overwhelmed by the background instruments. They manage to pull off this ambience that's slightly unsettling or haunting, while still being incredibly enjoyable to listen to. Ian McCulloch's voice is awesome, dramatic and powerful. The biggest knock on this is that there's a bit of a weak stretch on songs 3-5. It starts off great with "Silver" and the really uneasy sounding "Nocturnal Me", but then the next three songs are a bit weaker in comparison ("Crystal Days" is ok, I don't actually like "The Yo Yo Man" all that much but the plinking sounds in the middle are weird and interesting enough to hear again, similarly the guitar riff on "Thorn of Crowns" is pretty cool). Although I'm listening a second time and they're still pretty decent, weaker than the rest but there's still something interesting happening on each song. The B-side is absolutely top tier though. It starts with their best-known song "The Killing Moon" which is iconic (fateeeee....up against your willllll). "Seven Seas" is almost just as good though to follow, and "My Kingdom" and "Ocean Rain" are beautiful to finish. I also really like the album cover, the purple background is cool. This was really awesome, a perfect example of what I've loved about this album thing. This is making its way into the rotation for sure, I hit play again as soon as it ended. Favorite song: The Killing Moon Other: Silver, Nocturnal Me, Crystal Days, The Yo Yo Man, Thorn of Crowns, Seven Seas, My Kingdom, Ocean Rain 3/16/24

Orbital 2

Orbital

2/5

Another '90s British electronic album, meh. It's reasonably fine, but this is just nothing more than background music to me. Probably ok in a '90s London nightclub, probably more or less fine as focus music, absolutely not interesting to me as anything else. Favorite song: Halcyon and On and On 3/17/24

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

3/5

I had heard of Depeche Mode before, but I wasn't really sure what their deal was. This is a late '80s synth-pop / new wave album that's a bit more on the electronic side. As we know by now, synth-heavy is not my favorite music style at all. While I didn't love this, I did think this was better than a lot of the other music that's similar to this. It's still super synth-heavy, but it's a bit less pop, a bit darker and moodier. I liked this way less than Disintegration, but I get a bit of The Cure vibes here and there on this. I think this approaches that type of sound at its very best, but falls into electronic synth-overdrive at its worst. I just took a look at Depeche Mode's "fans also like" section on Spotify and the 4th band is The Cure (like) and the 5th is Duran Duran (meh), which pretty much describes exactly how I'm feeling (somewhere in the middle of the two, though probably a bit closer to meh overall). This is probably another 3.5 to me, but I think I'm more out than in so rounding down. Favorite song: Never Let Me Down Again Other: The Things You Said, Strangelove, Behind The Wheel, To Have And To Hold 3/18/24

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

3/5

I was a bit surprised to see Cee-Lo on here at all, and was especially surprised when this wasn't his one-hit wonder album (two if you count his Gnarls Barkley days). "Crazy" and "Fuck You" were inescapable in my childhood, but I hadn't heard anything on here before. This thing was a rollercoaster. First, I do not think I like Cee-Lo Green's voice. It has moments where it kind of works, but it's pretty grating on the whole. On the plus side, there are actually a handful of songs on here that are really good. His annoying voice aside, this has some really smooth R&B sounds, it's a bit funky at times, some of the rap verses are pretty solid (especially when it's not him, it was nice to remember that TI existed). I loved the saxophone or whatever it was on "All Day Love Affair". On the negative side, this thing was a bit all over the place. It would go from a song that had great vibes to like some awful nonsense. This didn't feel particularly cohesive to me, it's long, and the back half is really weak compared to the front half. I don't really know what to make of this. I think I had a negative bias toward Cee-Lo coming in and I didn't really like this all that much on the whole, but there was enough good to keep me interested. Cee-Lo seems like a bit of a piece of work but whatever, closer to a 2 than a 4, but it was fine enough I guess. Favorite song: All Day Love Affair Other: The Art of Noise, I'll Be Around, The One, My Kind Of People, Let's Stay Together 3/19/24

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

2/5

This is a very silly little album that also happens to be about fascism and war mostly. An odd one for sure. It's another synth-heavy '80s album. I might be slightly getting used to the new wave stuff a bit because I actually didn't hate the first few songs on this. But it started to get old really fast though, and by the end I was just so ready for it to be over (and it's only 38 minutes). Favorite song: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing Other: Penthouse And Pavement, Play To Win 3/20/24

Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)

Bob Dylan

4/5

So there's A LOT going on with this one, I'm going to give a brief summary so I remember. This is around the time when Dylan decided to go electric and move from a folk artist to a rock artist. People were not happy about this (understatement). So Dylan is touring in the UK and he does some shows there where the first half of the set is just him alone doing folk songs. Then the second half he brings out his band and they rock. Strong applause in the first half, lots of upset people in the second half. So these concerts aren't officially recorded, but some bootleg copies start getting circulated and eventually become a big deal (this gets a real release in the late '90s). It's called The Royal Albert Hall Concert, but it's pretty widely agreed now that this is actually from a concert at Manchester Free Trade Hall. This is at least partly known because a famous incident is caught on the recording, where a fan yells "Judas" at Dylan near the end of the show, and then he tells his band to "play it fuckin' loud" as they start "Like a Rolling Stone". I think that's the key history, but was slightly more confusing for me since the Spotify version cuts out quite a bit of the crowd interaction, and then there's another release on Spotify that seems to be (confusingly) the ACTUAL Royal Albert Hall show. It's all very confusing. It's also a 95 minute album so hard to fully follow. I think I eventually got a grasp of it though. I generally struggle a bit with live albums and I think this one is at least partly on the list for the "Judas" incident, but I have to say this is pretty cool. It's obviously partly cool as a history piece (it's wild how upset people were about him using an electric guitar). But beyond that I have to give him credit on this. Dylan is kind of a notoriously mediocre live performer, but he was really good on this. He sounds really great on the first half, and there's a real passion on the second half. It's striking listening to the two halves back-to-back like this. The song selection on this is also great, which isn't always the case on live albums. I don't know how to reasonably rate this against more normal studio albums, it's a whole different thing to me. It's definitely very good though, I won't get caught up in the numbers any longer. Favorite song: Like a Rolling Stone Other: She Belongs to Me, Fourth Time Around, Visions of Johanna, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Just Like a Woman, Mr. Tambourine Man, Tell Me Momma, I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met), Baby Let Me Follow You Down, Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, One Too Many Mornings, Ballad of a Thin Man 3/21/24

Amnesiac

Radiohead

4/5

Finally some Radiohead, I've been waiting awhile. I actually wasn't really familiar with this album at all, so this is new for me. I think this is generally really good but is also somewhat hit-and-miss. The album comes off a bit disjointed to me. The first song is pretty electronic-heavy, then "Pyramid Song" comes second and it's awesome, then "Pulk/Pull" is a bit on the experimental side. Then there's a really great three song stretch with "You And Whose Army", "I Might Be Wrong", and "Knives Out". I also loved the last song "Life In a Glasshouse", it pulls it all together super well and the trumpet is a nice touch. This is their fifth album and it's after The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A, so they were a huge deal at this point already. I guess this came out the year after Kid A and mostly was recorded at the same time. It seems like a lot of the people who don't like this seem to knock it as the "b-sides from Kid A". That seems a bit overly harsh, but I also haven't listened to the full Kid A yet. I really enjoyed this overall and there were a number of awesome songs on here, but it also felt a bit all over the board and left me wanting a bit. I do think this is one that's a bit hard to fully get on one listen, so my feelings might change a bit. Overall a really strong album though, and I'm excited for more Radiohead. Favorite song: Pyramid Song Other: Packt Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box, You And Whose Army, I Might Be Wrong, Knives Out, Dollars and Cents, Life In a Glasshouse 3/22/24

Caetano Veloso

3/5

The vibes on this remind me a lot of Love's album Da Capo. It has this somewhat interesting psych rock thing going with a bit of a bouncy feel and lots of different instruments and things. It's a bit all over the board, but I don't hate it. This is the self-titled debut from a Brazilian artist. The genre is apparently considered to be "tropicália", which I guess is a Brazilian artistic movement that combined some traditional Brazilian sounds with the the psych rock from the US and UK at the time, plus some African influences too. It seems like it has a bit of an artsy avante-garde reputation compared to traditional Brazilian music. There also seems to be a lot of political stuff going on around this musical movement which I am not even going to attempt to understand. The album is in Portuguese so I have no idea what he's saying, but the vibes are actually reasonably good here. It's a bit hit-or-miss, but a good number of the songs are pretty interesting musically, I like the Brazilian twist on the type of rock that was coming out in the US and UK at the time. The singer has a nice voice too. The first two songs are like normal song length, and then the whole middle is like ~2 minute songs, so it ends up going pretty fast (35 minutes total). I can't say I'm likely to come back to this often, but it was pretty enjoyable. I'm glad I listened to it and expanded my horizons a bit. Favorite song: Tropicália Other: Clarice, Alegria Alegria, Anunciação, Soy Loco Por Ti América 3/23/24

A Walk Across The Rooftops

The Blue Nile

3/5

Interesting album, not my favorite thing ever but it does sound pretty unique. This is an '80s Scottish band and apparently this was basically unknown when it was released. There's a rumor (that allegedly is a myth) that this album was created to test some new hi-fi sound equipment and then the company liked it so much they formed a record label to release this. While I guess that's not true, I can kind of see where the myth came from. The sound is really rich and there's a lot of interesting background sounds. It's a bit synth-y at times, but less in-your-face than a lot of what else was coming out at the time, they seem more thoughtful about it all. Despite this, while I did like the album enough I feel like it didn't blow me away. While reasonably interesting, the songs dragged on a bit and left me a bit bored at times. The singer is fine but nothing particularly exceptional to me. This is a solid but slightly boring album, borderline 3.5. Favorite song: Tinseltown In The Rain Other: A Walk Across The Rooftops, From Rags To Riches, Stay, Easter Parade 3/24/24

Urban Hymns

The Verve

4/5

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" kicks this off, and it's probably one of the best songs of the '90s, absolutely top tier song. This album is actually pretty deep though, and "The Drugs Don't Work", "Lucky Man", and "Sonnet" are all really great. I like Richard Ashcroft's voice a lot. They manage to rock pretty hard one some songs and hit on the softer songs as well. I was really close to giving this a 5, but there's just a bit too much filler here. While I liked a lot of this, it has no business being 75 minutes long. There's a few stretches that are ok, but relatively unremarkable which just breaks up the flow a bit. I also was unfamiliar with the legal issues surrounding "Bittersweet Symphony" and The Rolling Stones, but that seems to be settled now which is good. Favorite song: Bitter Sweet Symphony Other: Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Catching The Butterfly, Space and Time, Lucky Man, One Day, Velvet Morning 3/25/24

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

4/5

This is like classic early '70s soft rock vibes, but honestly there's some bangers on here. "Do It Again", "Dirty Work", and "Reelin' In The Years" are all classics that are all pretty catchy. I didn't know much about Steely Dan, but I guess the two main guys (Becker and Fagen) originally had a full band, and the singer on this one is David Palmer. This album was a hit, and the two main guys basically decided to take the band name and start doing there own thing that was a lot more experimental and jazzy. So it seems like big Steely Dan fans have mixed feelings about this album, despite it including a lot of their bigger hits. I'm curious to hear more Steely Dan going forward. While this isn't the most groundbreaking thing in the world, it's generally very enjoyable with lots of catchy songs. It's nice low key listening, albeit maybe a bit boring after awhile. Favorite song: Dirty Work Other: Do It Again, Midnite Cruiser, Only A Fool Would Say That, Reelin' In The Years, Fire In The Hole, Change Of The Guard 3/26/24

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

5/5

I should have been expecting this album at some point, but it totally caught me off guard when I saw it. I really love Sufjan's music, and this has long been my favorite album of his (though Carrie & Lowell is fantastic too). Of course I listened to it in full again, and it's as beautiful as it's always been. The Sufjan 50 states project (this is the second and last part of it) was a pretty hilarious gimmick, but the depth of the Illinois-related songwriting here is honestly so impressive. He manages to take this incredibly niche concept (Illinois history) and create some absolutely devastating songs. I first came across Sufjan around 2013 when I was a senior in high school and I stumbled on a mashup of "Chicago" and Coldplay's "Clocks". This was fairly early in the days of my expanding musical taste (Coldplay was probably the first band that I really dove deep into the discography) and I really liked this mashup. I probably listened to this album around that time, and was just blown away by this weird concept album with the long song titles. It's as great today as it was 11 years ago. I've already touched on the lyrics, but I'm just always so impressed that he managed to create such incredible lyrics within the confines of the Illinois concept. I love so much of this album, but "Come On! Feel the Illinoise" is probably the most reference-dense song on here, "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." is so haunting (especially with the narrative turn at the end), and "Casimir Pulaski Day" is just a devastating story of a cancer death and questioning religion (which is something Sufjan explores a lot, and has been a big topic in contemporary Sufjan discourse). Beyond the lyrics though, this album is also just so good musically. It's one that I often just put on in the background while I'm doing other things, which is pretty impressive for an album that also has the lyrical strength that it does. There's just such a wide variety of instrumentation and the sound is so dense, and my understanding is that Sufjan pretty much records all the instruments himself. It also manages to stay consistently interesting over the course of a 74 minute album, which is rare. I obviously love this album, so I'll wrap up. Sufjan is such a unique voice in modern music, and I'm so glad this exists. An incredible work (the album cover is super iconic too) from an incredible modern talent. Favorite song: Chicago Other: Concerning the UFO sighting..., The Black Hawk War..., Come On! Feel the Illinoise!..., John Wayne Gacy Jr., Jacksonville, Decatur..., Casimir Pulaski Day, The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts, Prairie Fire That Wanders About, The Predatory Wasp..., They Are Night Zombies!!..., The Seer's Tower, The Tallest Man... 3/27/24

Crocodiles

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

I gave Echo And The Bunnymen's Ocean Rain (their fourth album) 5 stars just 12 days ago, so that's front of mind still as I listen to this. This is their debut album which came 4 years earlier than Ocean Rain. This one feels a little darker and grittier to me. It's hard to compare against a top tier album, but Ocean Rain pulled off this much more atmospheric moody sound, while this one is a bit more of a post-punk sound. I don't dislike this, but not a whole lot is really standing out to me. It's giving me a bit of a Joy Division sound, but with less powerful lyrics and less hooks that really keep you interested. I'm probably being a little overly critical, it was a decent album. Quite a bit short of Ocean Rain though, and it's hard not to compare since I listened to it so recently. Favorite song: Rescue Other: Going Up, Do It Clean, Villiers Terrace, All That Jazz 3/28/24

Sea Change

Beck

4/5

I am notoriously into sad music, but oh my this was a lot even for me. I guess he broke up with his long term girlfriend right before he wrote this, and this man is clearly not ok. "Guess I'm Doing Fine", "Lonesome Tears", "Lost Cause", "Already Dead", it's a lot. But potentially on brand for me, it's very good. You definitely want to be in a certain mood for this (which I'm really not right now), but he's clearly very talented, the lyrics are crushing, and it's musically interesting despite being a bit of a slow burn. I haven't really listened to any Beck at all (other than "Loser" of course), but I guess this album is quite different from the rest of his music. Professional reviews for this seem to be a little all over the place, which kind of makes sense if it's a lot different than his usual stuff (and probably because it's so sad too). I thought it was good, and I hope I don't feel like I need to listen to it anytime soon. Favorite song: Lost Cause Other: The Golden Age, Paper Tiger, Guess I'm Doing Fine, Lonesome Tears, Round The Bend 3/29/24

Connected

Stereo MC's

2/5

Some reasonably catchy beats at times, but overall pretty unremarkable ‘90s British jazzy hip hop. “Connected” is the strongest song on the album (and their most popular song by quite a bit). There’s a few other decent tracks, but it drags quite a bit at 53 minutes. I don’t have a ton to say about this, it wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t really my thing at all. Favorite song: Connected Other: Ground Level, Step It Up 3/30/24

Honky Tonk Masquerade

Joe Ely

3/5

I thought this was about to be a nice country honky-tonk thing, but "Boxcars" kind of rocks a little bit. This isn't particularly my genre, and I think this has to have the least amount of Spotify plays of any album I've listened to on here, but it's not terrible. It's very Texas-sounding overall. It's got a reasonably good mix of low-key country ballady-stuff, and some songs that rock more. I wouldn't listen to this all the time, but it's a fairly nice change-of-pace album. Favorite song: Boxcars Other: Because Of The Wind, Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown, I'll Be Your Fool, West Texas Waltz 3/31/24

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar

5/5

I don't listen to a ton of rap, especially not full albums, but this is one that I actually listened to quite a bit back in the day. This came out my senior year of high school and was pretty huge for a few years after that. I think I like this a lot because the sound is pretty understated through most of it. There's not a ton of gimmicks or anything, it's just really strong lyrics and good beats across the board. Lyrically, you really get a snapshot into Kendrick's life growing up, and the snippets of people talking between songs are both funny and pull together the album nicely. I don't have a ton to say about this, but it's about as strong of a rap album as I've come across. It does get a bit weaker at the end (it's drags on just a little bit), but it's good enough otherwise that it's not a real issue. Kendrick is obviously super talented, and it was nice to revisit this one. This is 12 years old now (which is hard to believe), but it doesn't really sound dated at all to me. Favorite song: Money Trees Other: Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle, The Art of Peer Pressure, Poetic Justice, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Swimming Pools (Drank), 4/1/24

Modern Life Is Rubbish

Blur

3/5

I've been fairly positive towards Britpop so far, but for some reason Blur is just not really working for me. Parklife was album #77 for me, and I thought it was just ok. Unfortunately I'm having pretty similar feelings about this one. It seems like a lot of people think either this or Parklife is their best album, and neither of them are really working for me, so maybe I'm just not a big Blur person. I feel like I should like this more than I do, but something about it is just a bit of a letdown for me. It's just like a little too British and I don't love the singer's voice. Perfectly ok '90s rock, but relatively unexceptional to me. To be clear, I don't totally hate this or anything. There's a few reasonably catchy songs, and you can kind of see how this is laying the foundation for a lot of the Britpop to come (this is Blur's second album and I guess they kind of revamped their sound and image after their first album, Parklife came a year later). Just very middle of the road to me, and it sounds a bit dated to me now. Favorite song: Chemical World Other: For Tomorrow, Colin Zeal, Sunday Sunday, Miss America 4/2/24

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

4/5

What a strange album this is. So these guys are most famous for being on Nirvana's MTV Unplugged, where Nirvana covered three songs from this album with Meat Puppets band members supporting ("Plateau", "Oh Me", and "Lake of Fire"). Apparently these guys were pretty obscure before the MTV show, but Kurt Cobain was a huge fan. The MTV show was recorded in 1993 and this came out in 1984, so it wasn't new at the time or anything. This thing is truly all over the board though. It definitely gives punk vibes, but the lyrics are a lot more thoughtful (nice?) than a lot of what you get in punk. This was released by the same label that released "Double Nickels on the Dime" by Minutemen, and that one also came out in 1984. While you can see some similarities if you squint a bit (a bit chaotic, questionably talented singer, short songs), this felt a lot more polished and thoughtful to me. It rocks pretty hard at times, it has this country thing going on, there's a number of acoustic-only songs (some of which are pretty slow, others that vibe nicely), a bit folk-y, it's got it all really. Wikipedia calls the genre cowpunk, and I have no idea what that means but I'll believe it because this is a bit of everything. Speaking of the singer, is he good? Honestly I have no idea. Some songs he sounds kind of awful, some songs it works ("We're Here", "What To Do"). This is one that I feel like is going to have bad reviews on here and I can't really explain what I like about it, but I think I like it. Peak example of the line between genius and the terrible is thin. It's far from perfect but it's really unique sounding and feels somewhat timeless to me. There's some really great songs on here, I like the instrumentals, it's a good vibe. Probably a 3.5, but there's enough good on here I'm rounding up, it's unique. Favorite song: We're Here Other: Split Myself in Two, Lost, Plateau, Aurora Borealis, Oh Me, Lake of Fire, I'm a Mindless Idiot, Lost, What To Do, 100% of Nothing, Aura Borealis 4/3/24

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Lupe Fiasco

4/5

This album was pretty solid, I like Lupe. For some reason I really liked his album "Lasers" when I was in high school, and looking into it now I'm learning that it's pretty widely considered to be his worst album. Oh well, what do I know. This one is much better reviewed though, and I liked it a lot too. I thought it was strong lyrically, lots of memorable hooks and whatnot, and I was surprised that I actually recognized a few songs. "Kick, Push" is iconic, "Daydreamin'" is super catchy, "Hurt Me Soul" is great. The last few songs are a bit weak in comparison, and we definitely did not need a 12 minute "Outro" thanking everyone that Lupe's ever talked to before, but generally a solid album. Favorite song: Daydreamin' Other: Kick Push, I Gotcha, The Instrumental, He Say She Say, Sunshine, Hurt Me Soul 4/4/24

Live!

Fela Kuti

2/5

This is like a big-band jazz thing with an African twist. The singer is Nigerian and there's a bunch of context about his life that I'm sure I'm missing, and then Ginger Baker is a British drummer from the band Cream. I guess Kuti is known as the king of afrobeat, which is a mix of West African music with American funk and jazz. It's ok, but not really my thing. I got pretty bored pretty quickly. It's also a "live" album, but it's really an "in-studio live" album which barely counts to me. Just not a bunch that's memorable on here to me. Favorite song: Let's Start 4/5/24

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

3/5

Frank Zappa! This one is pretty weird (and in the goofy-weird category for the most part). It's generally pretty fun, though is fairly uneven. It's a double album (though a 1966 double, so only 60 minutes total), and there's pretty big variability throughout. Some of the songs are fairly standard '60s rock (a little doo-woppy, a little Beatles-y) with a relatively decent amount of earnestness. Others are quite a bit more avant-garde and experimental. I didn't dislike it at all, but it's definitely a bit outside the box ("Susie Creamcheese, this is voice of your conscience baby"). I think this is considered to be fairly mainstream for Zappa, so I'm curious to listen to more as I go. I think I'm a bit less into it than a lot of the other '60s rock, but I do appreciate the uniqueness of it. Approaching a 3.5 for me, but not quite enough to round up I don't think. Favorite song: Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder Other: Hungry Freaks Daddy, Who Are The Brain Police?, Anyway The Wind Blows, Trouble Every Day, Help I'm A Rock 4/6/24

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

5/5

Anyway, here's Wonderwall. This album has 3 of the most iconic songs of the '90s (or ever?) on it. You get "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back In Anger" back-to-back on the front half, and then "Champagne Supernova" to close it out. All of these have been played to death in the last 29 years ("Wonderwall" in particular), but honestly they're all still phenomenal songs. I'm particularly fond of "Don't Look Back In Anger", but that two-song stretch has to be one of the most famous stretches on any album (the only one I can think of off the top of my head that might beat it is the three-song stretch on Thriller, but even that is probably close). I was really impressed by the depth of this album though. I've had a few Britpop albums on here where the well-known songs were great, but the rest fell a bit flat. That wasn't the case here at all for me. There's two short transition songs and one other song that was just ok, but other than that I really enjoyed everything on here. On the surface this album doesn't really feel like it should work as well as it does, it's a bit plain at times really. But the Gallaghers are able to capture this like melancholic feeling that runs through the album. It's beautiful and slightly sad feeling. The sound just really seems to capture an era well. This 1001 albums list might be a bit heavy-handed on Britpop, but this one certainly deserves its place. Favorite song: Don't Look Back In Anger Other: Hello, Roll With It, Wonderwall, Some Might Say, Cast No Shadow, She's Electric, Morning Glory, Champagne Supernova 4/7/24

Crosby, Stills & Nash

4/5

Lots of nice sounding harmonies on this one mostly. It's a really strong album that generally sounds really nice and well produced. There were definitely a few spots where it felt a bit slow and my attention faded a bit, but it kept pulling me back in fairly quickly. These guys were all in popular bands before this, so it's probably fair to call this a supergroup even at the time of the debut. Neil Young joined for the next album to complete the group not long after. There's a ton of talent here, and while it's not something I'd choose to listen to all the time, this is a nice listen overall with a few standout songs ("Helplessly Hoping"). Favorite song: Helplessly Hoping Other: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Marrakesh Express, Guinnevere, You Don't Have To Cry, Wooden Ships, Lady of the Island, Long Time Gone, Everybody's Talkin', Teach Your Children 4/8/24

Rhythm Nation 1814

Janet Jackson

2/5

I learned a new genre today: new jack swing. I also learned that this genre sounds incredibly dated to me. Honestly, I'm a little stunned at how good of critical reviews this has (and incredibly strong commercial performance). This thing has a bunch of top hits from the time and I honestly thought it was incredibly mediocre. Here's my issues. First, she went with the "social commentary" route on quite a few songs here, and seems to have gotten a lot of acclaim for this. These songs all sound so insincere to me at best though, and incredibly cringy and cheesy at worst ("We've gotta teach our kids to read and write / That's the only way to win this fight for life"). I'm fine with a social commentary album, but this felt half-baked to me. And the "love" songs were more fine to me, but nothing crazy inspiring lyrically. And then the beats. While there are some reasonably catchy moments here and there, on this whole this is dated-sounding at best and grating at worst. I also thought the interludes were a bit distracting and unnecessary. I just really don't get this one. Some music just doesn't age well and I think this is in that category for me. I'm willing to concede that I'm not the target audience for this at all (R&B-pop social issue concept album) and it probably hit different 35 years ago than it does today, but I really didn't like it very much. One positive I'll say is that I actually think Janet Jackson seems really talented. She's an interesting one generally, since it seems like she was massively popular for awhile but has almost completely fallen off the map in modern times. The Super Bowl incident played a role I'm sure, but she has had basically no staying power compared to other major artists from the time. I'm tempted to give this a 3 based on the critical reviews, but I'm sticking with my guns here. This one wasn't for me, but I'm glad I heard it and I'm glad it resonated more with other people. Favorite song: Escapade Other: Miss You Much, Love Will Never Do (Without You), Come Back To Me 4/9/24

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Raekwon

3/5

This is the first solo album from Raekwon, who is in the Wu Tang Clan (this came about 2 years after the Wu Tang debut album). This is one of those things where I can tell the guys are super talented, but it's just not really my thing. It seems to be considered as an early "mafioso rap" album, and that pretty accurately describes the subject matter. It's a pretty harsh sound and frankly just not very relatable to me (like, obviously). Plenty of stuff on here that's perfectly good, and very little I feel like I need to hear again. One positive, Ice Cream is a pretty hilarious song though (and it's pretty catchy compared to the rest of the album). Favorite song: Ice Cream Other: Knowledge God, Criminology, Incarcerated Scarfaces, Rainy Dayz, Guillotine (Swordz), Wisdom Body, Heaven & Hell 4/10/24

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The Residents

1/5

As we often see on here, the line between genius and insane can be thin. I feel like I am pretty open to weird music, but this one was too much for me. This is a late '70s American art rock album. It's really weird, no way around that really. There's very little structure, lots of weird drones and whatnot (which is actually one thing I do like on here), odd lyrics. It's a lot. The Spotify version is almost 2 hours long, and I cannot imagine listening to that much of this. The original release was only 34 minutes though (which is what I listened to), and that was plenty. They tried something, someone clearly likes it so that's good. Favorite song: Constantinople Other: Hello Skinny 4/15/24

Bad Company

3/5

This album is peak unoffensive mid-'70s "hard" rock. It is consistently fine, and pretty much never more than that. I guess Bad Company is a "supergroup" of guys from the bands Free, Mott the Hoople, and King Crimson. I don't know any Free, but I find this less interesting than the Mott the Hoople and King Crimson albums that I've gotten on here so far. "Ready For Love" is actually a Mott the Hoople cover. Perfectly fine sound, well-produced, I like the singer's voice, and yet something is just missing for me. It's ok but hard to get to excited for this. I'm also pretty convinced the best song on here isn't one of their popular ones, "Seagull" slaps to finish the album. "Bad Company" the song is mid. Favorite song: Seagull Other: Can't Get Enough, Ready For Love, Bad Company, The Way I Choose 4/16/24

Brothers

The Black Keys

5/5

This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers. The Black Keys went on quite the run in the early 2010s, with this (2010) and El Camino (2011) in back-to-back years. My understanding is that they weren't particularly well-known before Brothers and it's their sixth album, so this was a real breakthrough. Credit where it's due, this album is awesome. It has a truly iconic start, with "Everlasting Light", "Tighten Up", and "Howlin' For You" as three of the first four songs (and "Next Girl" is no slouch either). I knew the hits already, but I was impressed by how deep the rest of the album is. It's certainly top-heavy (how could it not be), but there's plenty of good stuff throughout. They manage to do the bluesy / garage-rock / Jack White / Alabama Shakes vibe while keeping the sound fairly fresh and interesting throughout (speaking of Jack White, apparently he hates them and thinks they ripped off his sound). It might've benefitted from being a few songs shorter (15 songs at 55 minutes on the original release, with a few misses), but hard to knock it too much. This is about as good of a 2010s rock album as I know of, both from a "hits" perspective and a "top-to-bottom" depth perspective. I'd probably give it a 4.5 if I could, but there's plenty here to round up. Favorite song: Everlasting Light Other: Next Girl, Tighten Up, Howlin' For You, She's Long Gone, The Only One, Too Afraid To Love You, Ten Cent Pistol, Sinister Kid, I'm Not The One, These Days 4/17/24

Night Life

Ray Price

2/5

This is an early '60s country album and apparently is the "last grasp of true honky tonk". I still don't quite know what honky tonk means exactly. Wikipedia says it might be an onomatopoeic reference to the sound of the music, and I like that answer so I'm going with it. This thing starts off with Ray Price thanking me for listening to all his music and talking about how hard he worked on this one. Strange, but nice enough I guess. Then he sings "Night Life" the song which honestly is awesome. It's actually a very light country sound, I almost got some Sinatra-esque sound on this. I legitimately liked this song a lot, which made the rest of the album a bit of a letdown. A fairly positive spin on this album is that this is an early concept album about love (or more accurately, getting rejected by women in bars). A more negative spin is that it's a bit too thematically consistent, and some of the lyrics haven't held up particularly well. They're not awful (it's 1963, it could have been a lot worse), but the vibe I kept getting was "these women should want to be with me, they don't, why are they so dumb, they really should be with me". It's a bit exhausting, like maybe it's your personality dude. All of the songs also sound pretty much identical too. I started scrolling through songs on my phone and like every one starts with a nearly identical guitar riff. I know it's early but still, come on now. Anyway, this album is ok but not really for me. He has a nice enough voice, but one song really blends into another here and by the end I feel like I heard the intro, "Night Life" (banger), and a mish-mash of him being mad that women aren't into him. While I'm tempted to round up for "Night Life", the mish-mash has to win out here. Not much for me. Favorite song: Night Life Other: Sittin' and Thinkin', Pride 4/22/24

Fleet Foxes

5/5

Another album that I know well (and a band that I saw live at Boston Calling in 2018). This album is really great, it's definitely top-tier in the indie folk world for me. The sound is just really enjoyable, it's soft and thoughtful with such rich instrumentation throughout. Robin Pecknold has an incredible voice too with great range ("Meadowlarks" is gorgeous). And it's their debut album too, so even more impressive. This is definitely firmly within "my typical genre", but even I'll admit that some music from this era sounds dated now. This one doesn't at all to me though, it's got a very timeless sound that could've fit in just about any era. A masterpiece from Fleet Foxes. A few other minor notes on this one. First, I love the album cover. Apparently it's a 16th century Dutch painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder that they saw in a book. There's just so much going on which makes it visually interesting, and somehow it feels like the perfect fit for the sound of this album (again, timeless sound). Second, I really thought "Mykonos" was on this album, but it was actually on their EP that came out before this, and has not been part of any of their studio releases. A great song that falls through the 1,001 albums cracks. Third, I forgot that Josh Tillman / Father John Misty was their drummer for a bit. I guess he joined for the tour for this album (though he wasn't involved in the recording of it) and then left after recording their second album. So he wasn't super involved in the band really (and seems to have been a pretty terrible bandmate) but interesting that he was in the mix here. Lastly, it's interesting how little music Fleet Foxes have released since this. They have 4 studio albums total (2008, 2011, 2017, 2020) and they've all been critically acclaimed, but that's some huge breaks in between albums. Some artists definitely overdo it though, so I don't think anyone will say that about them. I hope there's some more Fleet Foxes to come on here. Favorite song: White Winter Hymnal Other: Sun It Rises, Ragged Wood, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, Quiet Houses, He Doesn't Know Why, Heard Them Stirring, Your Protector, Meadowlarks, Blue Ridge Mountains, Oliver James 4/23/24

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

4/5

Album #200, and out of left field we get a '50s swing jazz album. I have no clue what to think about this really. This review is straight vibes-based, but I enjoyed this a lot. Louis Prima is talented, it's fun and upbeat, he's pretty funny throughout in a ridiculous way, Keely Smith has a nice voice. I don't know, it just works for me. Will I come back to it often? Probably not. But it was fun and that's something. Favorite song: Buona Sera Other: Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody, (Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby, Oh Marie, Basin Street Blues / When It's Sleepy Time Down South, Jump Jive An' Wail, I'll Be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal You), Five Months Two Weeks Two Days, Banana Split For My Baby 4/24/24

Purple Rain

Prince

5/5

I'm starting this review by saying that, despite what I'm about to write, I'm giving this 5 stars. It's an iconic album, full stop. After listening to this and Sign o' the Times (which are frequently considered Prince's two best albums), I think my issue with Prince is that he has some real duds on his albums. The highs are incredibly high, but there's always at least a few songs that have me scratching my head. Maybe Prince is more of a singles artist than an album artist for me, and that's probably ok. If these are his two best albums (of the like 50 he released) this is probably the case. Anyway, I'm willing to overlook some duds and give this a 5 anyway on the strength of the highs. "Let's Go Crazy" is an iconic opener so hot start here. "Take Me With U" is decent, but a little uninteresting. "The Beautiful Ones" and "Computer Blue" are both a miss for me, and then you get "Darling Nikki" which was so vulgar that Al Gore's wife went and made a whole album rating system so her kids wouldn't hear Prince sing about having sex with a "sex fiend" named Nikki. Honestly I don't really like the song that much, but adding it to the playlist for its historic value. Things are a bit mediocre to this point honestly, but it turns around sharply. "When Doves Cry" is iconic, "I Would Die 4 U" is great, we can ignore "Baby I'm a Star", and then it ends with "Purple Rain" which needs no description. I learned that "Purple Rain" was originally supposed to be a country song collaboration with Stevie Nicks, and then she turned it down when Prince sent her a 10-minute instrumental and asked her to write the lyrics. Anyway, this is probably the least songs I've saved for a 5-star album, and I'm probably at least partially doing it because I feel like I have to, but there are some bangers on here. I did like this better than Sign o' the Times (which felt way too long and disjointed, this was much tighter as a unified piece of work). I'm clearly not the biggest Prince fan in the world, but I'll recognize a major achievement when I see (hear) it. Favorite song: Let's Go Crazy Other: Take Me With U, Darling Nikki, When Doves Cry, I Would Die 4 U, Purple Rain 4/25/24

I Should Coco

Supergrass

4/5

This one was nice, I enjoyed it a lot. It's a mid-90's British alt rock album. It's kind of Britpop-y, but a little more of a punk sound than Blur or Oasis or the more well-trodden Britpop bands. "Alright" is the very famous song on here, and it's super catchy. I found myself enjoying a lot of the other stuff on here too though, it was an interesting listen throughout. Only 40 minutes total with 13 songs, so most of them were fairly short and varied enough to stay interesting. This is probably a classic 3.5 star album for me, but I saved most of the songs and "Alright" is a top-tier song, so we're rounding up. Side note, but when listening to this I thought about how I used to not really be able to tell if bands were American or British. After listening to 202 albums it has become incredibly obvious in most cases. This was super British. Favorite song: Alright Other: I'd Like To Know, Caught By The Fuzz, Mansize Rooster, Alright, Sitting Up Straight, She's So Loose, Sofa Of My Lethargy 4/27/24

Goo

Sonic Youth

4/5

I like to think that if I was like a college student in the late '80s or early '90s I would've been cool enough to be really into Sonic Youth. I probably wouldn't have been, but I like to think otherwise. This is my second Sonic Youth album, following EVOL on Thanksgiving Day last year, so it's been about 5 months since then. Something about the chaotic noisiness of EVOL just worked for me. This one is similarly noisy and chaotic. It might be slightly more approachable (this is their major label debut), but largely continues with the Sonic Youth sound. On EVOL I like Kim Gordon's songs a bit more, but here I actually think I'm generally more into Thurston Moore's vocals (though they're both great). Chuck D shows up out of nowhere on "Kool Thing" too which was a little weird but fun enough. "Tunic (Song For Karen)" is awesome too, and "Mildred Pierce" rocks hard. I think Sonic Youth is awesome, and it's clear that they're a "whole is better than the sum of the parts" band for me. Very few of the songs here or on EVOL work super well as singles, but the album as a whole just has such a distinct mood that works so well as a full piece of art. I think I like this a little less than EVOL (very possibly because I kind of knew what I was getting this time, you can only hear a band for the first time once), but it's generally great. Favorite song: Kool Thing Other: Dirty Boots, Tunic (Song For Karen), Mary-Christ, Kool Thing, Mote, My Friend Goo, Disappear, Mildred Pierce, Titanium Expose 4/27/24

Protection

Massive Attack

2/5

Meh, this wasn't really for me. It's a bit of a genre-bender, Wikipedia says trip hop, and I'm hearing an electronic / hip-hop / R&B thing, with some instrumental-only songs. I actually liked the first song a decent amount, but very little stood out to me after that. A little uninteresting to me, and I'm not really sure what this music is for exactly. I guess the artist Tricky is involved in Massive Attack, and I wasn't super into his solo album that I got on here either, so this is probably just not my thing. Favorite song: Protection Other: Karmacomam, Sly 4/29/24

Signing Off

UB40

3/5

This is the debut album from a British reggae band in 1980. Interestingly, these guys are most famous for their (way more popular) cover of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine" in 1983. I'm familiar with that cover, and it's hard to believe it's the same group. This is very much a reggae album. It's not my favorite genre, and honestly it's a bit musically boring to me. They have a little bit of an electronic thing going on which is somewhat unique, but at best it's decent chill reggae vibes, and at worst a little meh. Reggae just gets pretty old to me after awhile, by song 10 I'm just kind of over it, even though it's not bad or anything. What I will give them is their lyrics, there's some pretty powerful songs on here (though it's a bit frontloaded, and there's a few instrumentals too). "Tyler" is about a 17-year old Black American who was convicted of murder with limited evidence, "King" is about MLK Jr., and "Burden of Shame" is about the shame they feel for the atrocities that the British have committed. It's both powerful and topically varied, which is not always the case for lyrics like this. Really nicely done on their part. This seems to have been fairly popular in the UK, which is interesting given it's basically a left-wing reggae album. For me this is one of those albums that's somewhat impressive, I can see the appeal, but it doesn't really do anything major for me. Perfectly solid, but not more (and a bit on the long side at 66 minutes, I knew before it even started that we didn't need a 13 minute song on here). Also their album name and cover is pretty funny. I didn't get why they named the album "Signing Off" when it's their debut, but the cover is an unemployment form and they're "signing off" from their life of unemployment. Favorite song: Tyler Other: King, Burden of Shame, I Think It's Going To Rain Today, Food For Thought 4/30/24

Me Against The World

2Pac

4/5

I haven't actually listened to much 2Pac despite the general acclaim for his music. This is the 3rd of his 4 album that came out when he was alive (released about a year before his death). He was already a big deal at this point, and this was written when he was about to go to prison. He also got shot around this time, so there was a lot going on for 2Pac. I was generally really impressed by this album, it was an enjoyable listen. I think I expected it to be a bit more early Ice Cube harder rap, but it's actually fairly mellow and thoughtful throughout. It's really well produced and he's clearly a super talented artist and lyricist. I think it's missing a real standout track on here ("Dear Mama" is the most famous one, and it's nice but isn't a massive standout to me), but on the whole it's a really strong album. Favorite song: Me Against The World Other: If I Die 2Nite, So Many Tears, Temptations, Heavy In The Game, Lord Knows, Dear Mama, It Ain't Easy, Old School 5/2/24

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

1/5

Apparently BBC Radio 1 had at one point said that "Haunted Dancehall" was the song they were going to play when the news broke that the Queen died. This is about the only interesting thing about this album. They did not play the song when she died. Kudos to them naming the album though, this is exactly what I imagine would be playing at an actual haunted dancehall. Favorite song: Haunted Dancehall 5/4/24

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

5/5

I really don't know what it is about a jazz album that makes it great, but this one is great. It's considered to be one of the best jazz albums of all time, and I get it. Perfect Sunday morning listening (which is exactly when I listened to it). Great sound, interesting throughout, really pretty much perfect jazz album. I'm not going to attempt to summarize the influence that this seems to have had on later music, but it's clearly massive. Favorite song: So What Other: Freddie Freeloader, Blue in Green, All Blues, Flamenco Sketches 5/5/24

The Score

Fugees

4/5

This was really good, I enjoyed this a lot. Fugees are a trio of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel, and they all compliment each other super well on this. It has a really mellow vibe throughout most of it, the lyrics are relaxed and funny. I like this comment from an Entertainment Weekly critic, "The Score feels warm and intimate — partly because the instruments are live but also because the Fugees sound so relaxed and casual." There's quite a few covers/samples on here, including some of the most well-known songs. "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "No Woman, No Cry" are covers and "Ready or Not" has a few major samples (plus others I'm sure). They manage to pull these off in a fresh way though and they all work great. Generally just really enjoyable stuff here. I'm not a huge old rap fan, but this was great, it's almost 30 years old but still sounds pretty fresh. A few weaker songs scattered throughout (on a 61 minute album), but plenty of good to make it worth it. Lauryn Hill is super talented, I'm sure The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is on this list somewhere too, so I'm looking forward to that one. Favorite song: Ready or Not Other: How Many Mics, Zealots, Fu-Gee-La, Killing Me Softly With His Song, The Mask, No Woman No Cry 5/6/24

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

5/5

This album is awesome, full stop. In 57 minutes Alanis Morissette shows off pretty much a full range of what an alt rock album can be. It rocks hard at times, she can hang on a slower ballad, she's angsty, she's introspective, she pulls in things like harmonicas at times to keep it interesting, the list goes on. Sure, some of the songs have been a bit overplayed in the last 29 years (it came out a week after I was born), and some of it can sound a bit cheesy here and there as time has passed, but that's not really her fault. I was honestly surprised that I already recognized most of the songs on this album, even though I don't think I've listened to it in-full previously. Just a great album top-to-bottom. I had a real hard time picking a top song, there's about 6 options that would have been reasonable choices here. Here's to hoping there's no rain on my wedding day next month. Favorite song: Hand in My Pocket Other: All I Really Want, You Oughta Know, Perfect, Right Through You, Forgiven, You Learn, Head Over Feet, Mary Jane, Ironic, Not the Doctor, Wake Up 5/7/24

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

3/5

Perfectly fine mid-'60s country album. There's very little that stands out, but also nothing that's really overly bad. Very middle-of-the-road, but a good enough listen. Favorite song: I've Got a Tiger By the Tail Other: Trouble and Me, Wham Bam, We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll, Cryin' Time, Act Naturally 5/8/24

Suede

3/5

This list really likes Britpop. A year ago I didn't even know what Britpop was, but now I'm deep in the weeds and have strong opinions about all these one-word-name '90s British bands (Suede, Blur, Pulp, Oasis, (The) Verve, Supergrass, and on and on and on). This band is interesting because it seems like they got a ton of hype before their debut album (this one) was even released. This also seems to be considered the first Britpop album, though I feel like I've read that at least three other times so who knows really. This one wasn't bad at all, but it definitely wasn't as interesting to me as some of the other similar albums that I've listened to. This is right in the 3.5 star range for me, I'm mildly positive about it but there wasn't a ton that really blew me away. Probably rounding down on this one, I feel like while it's reasonably well-produced it's not going to stick with me much. A random note, but while most of the Britpop bands never really hit it big in the US like they did in the UK (other than like Oasis probably), these guys didn't even have the same name in the US. It sounds like some other band was already using the name Suede in the US, so they went by The London Suede here instead. Favorite song: The Drowners Other: So Young, Animal Nitrate, She's Not Dead, Pantomime Horse, Sleeping Pills, Metal Mickey, The Next Life 5/10/24

Tracy Chapman

5/5

This is a really beautiful album, Tracy Chapman has an incredible voice and has this delivery that is just so understated but powerful at the same time. It's a bit of an interesting time to listen to this. The "classic" on here is "Fast Car", which has had a cultural reemergence in the last year after Luke Combs covered it. I don't have a strong opinion on the Combs cover, but it's put Chapman back in the spotlight a bit. The song is deserving of all the hype that it's gotten, it really is incredible and showcases the best of Chapman. There's a lot of great songs on here beyond "Fast Car" though. "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" is a really great start and "Baby Can I Hold You" is another popular one that's great. The songwriting is strong across the board, whether on a "political" song (like "Across the Lines") or a love song (like "For My Lover"). The album is definitely a bit top heavy, but Chapman's voice and songwriting are still so captivating that even the "down" songs are engaging. This album feels really timeless (with a few exceptions where some '80s sound pulls through). An incredible folk album at not a huge time for folk music, and done by an artist that also feels ahead of her time in many ways. Favorite song: Fast Car Other: Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Across the Lines, Baby Can I Hold You, Mountains O' Things, She's Got Her Ticket, For My Lover, If Not Now..., For You 5/12/24

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

3/5

I don't usually listen to more than one album a day, but I missed yesterday and I'm bored on the train back from Boston, so let's go for another one. I had absolutely no clue what this was until I clicked play and realized it was 'The Sandlot" song. "Green Onions" the song is an instrumental that's been used in a ton of things, including "The Sandlot" and "Happy Gilmore". It's one of those things that's kind of iconic but I had no clue what it actually was. Apparently Booker T. (Jones) was only 18 years old and still in high school when this was released, which is super impressive. The album is all instrumental and has this soul/rock thing going on. It's a bit hard to rate something like this. Old instrumental albums are already a bit tough, but then throw in the fact that this one has one truly iconic song and a bunch of others that are much less well-known. It's perfectly good, and I'm glad that I know what this song is now, but I'm not sure that I really loved it. The vibe is a bit "county fair" to me (I think because of the Hammond M3 organ that Booker T. is playing), which maybe is fine but not something I need to listen to a lot, it doesn't sound very cool if I'm being honest. I just made a comment yesterday at a Catholic wedding that organists have to be a bit of a dying breed. Booker T was crushing it 62 years ago though. I also have to comment on the cover. Very possibly the most literal album cover ever. It is a (not particularly high quality?) picture of green onions. To the point. Favorite song: Green Onions Other: Rinky Dink, Mo' Onions, Twist and Shout, Behave Yourself, A Woman a Lover a Friend 5/12/24

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

3/5

Radiohead was absolutely at a high point when this came out, this follows The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A (plus Amnesiac), and In Rainbows is right after it. That's quite the run, so it's not a shock that there's one (slight) dud in there. This album isn't bad at all, and "dud" is definitely in context (I'm sure a lot of other bands would've killed for one album this good). There just isn't a ton that really captures me on this. "2+2=5" is a great start, and "There There" is awesome in the middle, but beyond that it's a lot of decent songs to me but not much I find myself coming back to (and I'm writing this almost a month after first listening to this and now having listened to it a couple of times). It's got mostly an electronic-rock sound, the lyrics are a bit protest-y (Thom Yorke was pissed about Dubya getting elected), but overall just a bit too long and meandering to me. I think they could've cut a few songs on this and made it better. Not bad at all, but I'm looking forward to what's to come with Radiohead. Favorite song: There There Other: 2 + 2 = 5, Sail To The Moon, Go To Sleep, Where I End and You Begin, We Suck Young Blood, I Will, A Punch Up at a Wedding, A Wolf at the Door 5/13/24

Don't Stand Me Down

Dexys Midnight Runners

3/5

This is an interesting one, I was under the impression that this band was a one-hit wonder ("Come On Eileen"), so I didn't expect to see an album of theirs without that song on here. I guess this was considered to be a major flop when it was released, but it's gained some critical acclaim over time. I generally like it enough overall. It definitely has some New Wave sound in the vocals, but the instrumentation feels less-so. It actually has some fairly unique spots with horns and string instruments and things. I feel like some of the best moments are just instrumental stretches (like some spots on "The Occasional Flicker" or the end of the last song "The Waltz"). The downsides are a few really long songs that drag on a bit, a lack of a real standout song, a few spoken word parts that I don't love, and vocals that aren't really my favorite style. It's generally solid and I can see why people like it, just a bit unexceptional to me. Favorite song: Listen To This Other: The Occasional Flicker, Knowledge Of Beauty, One Of Those Things, The Waltz 5/26/24

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

4/5

The really old stuff can be hard to rate, and the really old country stuff even more so. No one calls it this, but these old Western albums are basically just early concept albums. Maybe it isn't one story throughout, but this is all just historical storytelling related to the outlaws of the wild west (Marty was born in 1925, it definitely wasn't still super "Wild West" at that point). Here's the thing, this is actually really enjoyable. He's got a really nice voice, the vibes are solid, it's very decent. I'm not super into outlaw music overall, but I can get behind the concept when the overall sound is good. Everyone freaks out about Johnny Cash (and don't get me wrong, he's great), but this is at least as good as the two Johnny Cash prison albums on this list. Marty seems to have had some really shitty politics in his life, but it doesn't come through here so I'll give him a pass. This is just pure Americana, and maybe I'm overhyping it but I think it's good. Side note, but it's pretty hilarious that his real passion was racecar driving, and he used his singing wealth to become a NASCAR driver. Favorite song: El Paso Other: Big Iron, They're Hanging Me Tonight, Cool Water, Utah Carol, The Strawberry Roan, The Master's Call, The Hanging Tree, Saddle Tramp 6/10/24

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

3/5

Two days in a row of outlaw country (though this feels much less outlaw-y than Marty's album). I guess the Nashville outlaw/honky-tonk thing started to fall off a bit in the '60s and early '70s, and this was somewhat a revival of the genre. I'm not a huge fan of the genre overall, but this is perfectly decent. Generally easy listening, some good catchy hooks, Waylon has a nice voice, no major complaints. Favorite song: You Ask Me To Other: Honky Tonk Heroes, Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me, Low Down Freedom, Ain't No God in Mexico, Black Rose, We Had It All 6/13/24

Clandestino

Manu Chao

3/5

This thing is impressive just from a language perspective. Manu's family was Spanish, they fled to France to avoid Franco's dictatorship (Wikipedia says his grandfather had been sentenced to death) and he seems to have a lot of influences from both cultures. There are songs on here in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English, it's quite the achievement. The downside for me is that I only speak English, and only like 1.5 songs are in English, so I'm mostly rating on the vibes and not the lyrics. I generally enjoyed the album overall, it has this Spanish-rock thing going on, with a bit of a reggae flair. It's actually a bit of a unique sound, I don't think I've heard a ton like it. I did think it got off to a very hot start with four strong songs at the beginning, and then fell off a bit from there. The rest wasn't bad or anything, just a little less interesting. Overall a great example of something I never would have come across without this project that I'm glad I heard, even if it's not my favorite thing ever. Favorite song: Bongo Bong Other: Clandestino, Desaparecido, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mama Call, Minha galera 6/14/24

Dr. Octagonecologyst

Dr. Octagon

1/5

I really don't like to be a hater, but sometimes I have to. This whole thing felt like a 30 Rock bit, he kind of sounds like Tracy Jordan and I was just waiting for him to break out with "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" at some point. That was the vibe of this thing. Like listen to "Halfsharkalligatorhalfman" and tell me this exact thing couldn't have been some Liz Lemon-Tracy Jordan bit in 30 Rock. I don't have a ton to say about this, but it's just so random that it's hard to even wrap my head around. I'm not exactly sure who this is for, but I guess someone is into it. It sounds like someone that's either trying to be a little too edgy and it falls flat, or someone that is legitimately crazy. Hilariously, the artist, Kool Keith aka Dr. Octagon, apparently has since dismissed the album saying that "it unfairly overshadows his later work, and that the only new audience it attracted was white". I don't know, not me, it was too weird. Favorite song: Blue Flowers Other: Halfsharkalligatorhalfman 6/15/24

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

3/5

What a strange album, I'm not sure what to make of this exactly. It has moments of classic hard rock, and then they bust out a flute and the vibe totally shifts. It's a bit hard rock and bit folk rock at the same time. This might also get classified as a prog rock album, there seems to be some debate but it seems to tick the boxes. Naturally, I like the "folk-y" songs quite a bit more than the harder rock songs. "Wond'ring Aloud" is this incredible little love song (honestly one of my favorite songs I've heard in awhile), and "Mother Goose" is a bit odd but sounds like it could be a Simon & Garfunkel song or something. Some of the rock songs work pretty well too though, even if it's less of my thing overall. "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath" seem like they've become classic rock station mainstays. Lyrically, a lot of the songs are religious in nature (anti-religious I guess), "My God" is 7 minutes of him talking about God and religion. The singer claims it is definitely not a concept album, but you can see how some might disagree. I'm really on the fence between a 3 and a 4, it probably falls somewhere in between for me. I do really get the appeal, but the guitar-heavy hard rock is a good chunk of this and it's not my favorite thing, and the flute is unique but a bit jarring still. But there's some really great stuff in here too, and it definitely has a distinct sound. Favorite song: Wond'ring Aloud Other: Aqualung, Cross-Eyed Mary, Cheap Day Return, Mother Goose, Up to Me, Hymn 43, Slipstream, Locomotive Breath, Wind-Up 6/16/24

A Girl Called Dusty

Dusty Springfield

3/5

So I actually really enjoyed this, Dusty has a nice voice and this list is pretty desperately light on early female vocalists. It's a very '60s pop sound and while it definitely sounds dated now, it's nice. Maybe this shouldn't be a huge knock, but (basically?) everything on here is a cover. That's not completely out of line for the time I guess, but it does take it down a bit for me. It's also worth noting that a lot of the covers are of black artists (the Shirelles, the Supremes, etc.). She seems to have been really influenced by early soul music (allegedly why she launched a solo career, her early work was with with a few folk-pop trios). There also seems to be a bunch of different versions of the album. The Spotify version is missing a bunch of songs and is slightly different from what Wikipedia says. I guess the original record was never released in the US, then she released a different version a few years later, and there's also been a bunch of singles releases and later CD releases. It makes it a bit confusing, but you get the vibe pretty quickly. For the second day in a row, this is probably a 3.5, but I'm leaning towards rounding down. It's very nice, but probably won't stick with me a ton and it's a bit less cohesive than a lot of other albums on here. Favorite song: You Don't Own Me Other: Mama Said, When the Love Light Starts Shining Through His Eyes, My Colouring Book, Anyone Who Had a Heart, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Wishin' and Hopin' 6/17/24

Chore of Enchantment

Giant Sand

5/5

Ok I have no clue who these guys are, but this album was awesome. Perfect example of why I keep doing this album thing every day. The song with the most Spotify streams on here only has ~480K, and only one other song is over 100K streams, but this is just great. I never would have come across this otherwise, and I'd have missed out. I don't really know how to describe it, it's got this alt-rock/country/folk sound. The singer is really understated but he packs a real punch (NME said "raw but tender empathy in songs full of unexpected departures", I like it). I guess this came right after their former guitarist and the singer's friend died, so the emotion is really coming from somewhere personal. You get this kind of grimy alt-rock at times ("Temptation of Egg", "Satellite"), deep emotion at times ("Raw", "Way to End the Day"), and then these beautiful little folk songs too ("Shiver", "Bottom Line Man"). There's a few weak spots and it's a bit long (60 minutes), but this is really solid overall. I think sometimes I tend to rate a bit too much based on artist prestige and critical acclaim (it's hard not to), but this is about as obscure as you get on this list and I'm into it. I don't expect this to have high ratings on here, but I think it's great (even on a second listen the next day). Favorite song: Raw Other: (Well) Dusted, Punishing Sun, Temptation of Egg, Wolfy, Shiver, Dirty from the Rain, Astonished (in Memphis), No Reply, Bottom Line Man, Way to End the Day 6/18/24

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

4/5

The Kinks love an early concept album I'm learning. This came right before Arthur, and, like Arthur, it's super British. This one is basically all about longing for a British small-town culture that seems to be fading to them, considering how to deal with the past, and creating a bunch of characters that evoke that culture. This album seems to be typically considered their best work, and I guess it had a huge influence on the Britpop bands in the '90s (Blur and Oasis in particular). I'll try to contain my eyeroll about some of their overly nostalgic, change-is-bad lyrics, but otherwise this is pretty solid. Just like on Arthur, they do a really great job of storytelling and capturing the feeling of a moment. I don't know that this is quite in "best album ever" territory (like some of the reviews I'm seeing are saying), but it's definitely solid. Definitely an early British rock sound, but they do a good job on the songwriting piece, and the sound is varied enough to keep it interesting. Favorite song: Last of the Steam-Powered Trains Other: The Village Green Preservation Society, Picture Book, Big Sky, Sitting By the Riverside, Animal Farm, Village Green, Starstruck, All of My Friends Were There, Wicked Annabella, Monica 6/19/24

System Of A Down

2/5

I knew as soon as I saw this I wasn't going to be super into it, and I was right. It's a bit screamy for my liking. There's clearly an audience though, this thing sold a lot of albums. I will say that, while I don't particularly like it, I think it's a little bit better than some of the other heavy metal I've gotten on here. The singer has a pretty impressive range and the lyrics have some reasonably ok moments (though the topics are pretty heavy). I also legitimately liked the song "Spiders", it's a bit toned down and I thought it was solid, I'm giving this a 2 for that alone. Favorite song: Spiders Other: Sugar, War? 6/20/24

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

3/5

This thing was perfectly good, and honestly will probably make my "Sunday morning reading albums" list (the full version is 73 minutes, so great for background listening). Like I said with Dusty Springfield a few days ago, this list is a bit light on early female vocalists, so I appreciate that this was included. This is a '50s live jazz recording at Mister Kelly's in Chicago. One thing that really stood out to me is how good the audio quality is for a live recording in 1957. The early live rock albums from the '60s can be rough to listen to, and it makes sense that a jazz club recording would be better quality, but I was impressed by just how good this was. It's really clear throughout and her voice is wonderful. While I enjoyed it all perfectly well, there wasn't a whole lot that brought it above "nice" for me. She's clearly talented and it's an enjoyable listen, but I didn't find it particularly groundbreaking or memorable. Seeing this live with a few cocktails would make for a great Friday evening, but that's about it for me. Favorite song: September In The Rain Other: Will Weep For Me, Be Anything But Darling Be Mine, Stairway To The Stars, Honeysuckle Rose, Embraceable You 6/21/24

The Stranger

Billy Joel

5/5

My first Billy Joel album on here, and it's a good one. This album is remarkably consistent from top to bottom. It starts out strong with the upbeat "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and just keeps pumping out quality song after song. Add a few classics to go along with it ("Vienna", "Just the Way You Are", "Only the Good Die Young") and you've got a really enjoyable album. I'm not the biggest Billy Joel fan in the world overall. He's definitely got a bit of an unoffensive '70s soft rock thing going on (the whistling and saxophone really add to it on here), and I don't think he's the most inspiring lyricist ever. But sometimes the chill soft rock just works, and you've got to give credit where it's due. That's the case here, it's a great album. Favorite song: Vienna Other: Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), The Stranger, Just the Way You Are, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Only the Good Die Young, She's Always a Woman 6/22/24

Yeezus

Kanye West

3/5

It's a bit hard to write an unbiased Kanye review in 2024, and of course the first album of his I get is the one that's probably his most abrasive and unconventional. At best, I'd describe myself as a casual fan of Kanye's music (really, less a fan and more someone who's just been exposed to the hits at college parties and whatnot). I know a bit from his earlier albums, and I guess he started off as kind of an underdog story type of deal, with music that's generally pretty approachable. This is not that. At this point though he's at peak fame, and it's clearly gotten to his head (though he's not quite at the Antonio Brown levels of crazy that he seems to be at now). I'm not very deep into the Kanye lore, so I'm not going to overanalyze this, there's been plenty written about him. This thing is very experimental and abrasive. I have real mixed feelings to be honest. I came into this thinking terrible things about Kanye and expecting to not like this at all (it's called 'Yeezus' after all, he's clearly so far up his own ass). But honestly, I kind of liked it, I get the appeal. It has this harsh industrial sound throughout, but he does it in a way that generally works, and intersperses samples and verses that hook you in. What I'm struggling with is that I think this has like three top-tier songs ("Blood on the Leaves", "Black Skinhead", and "Hold My Liquor"), two decent songs ("New Slaves" and "Bound 2") and 5 really mediocre-to-bad songs. How do I rate that? This is definitely not my favorite thing ever, and I think Rick Rubin saved his ass by cutting it down from 16 songs to 10. When it hits it hits though. Also, I know he has a great reputation as a lyricist, but I wasn't blown away on this one. Even on the better songs the lyrics are often so abrasive that it makes it a bit tough to get into. This is probably the most negative "positive" review that I've written, but it kind of makes sense for this album. He's this incredibly unlikeable guy doing some crazy experimental industrial/electronic/alt-rap thing. I should hate this. I'm only adding half the songs to my playlist. But idk, something about it kind of works. My original feeling was 4 stars but I just think that's too high for an album where I disliked half the songs. Dropping to a 3, though it's probably more of a 3.5 to me. Favorite song: Blood On The Leaves Other: Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Hold My Liquor, Bound 2 6/23/24

Aja

Steely Dan

3/5

This is the opposite of yesterday's album, I really wanted to like this one more than I did, but was just struggling to get into it that much. It's definitely not bad, they've moved onto a much more jazz-influenced sound in the five years since Can't Buy a Thrill, with longer songs and more jamming. It's perfectly enjoyable and they're clearly all very talented musicians, but honestly I just found it a bit boring. It's like a little too smooth for my liking, everything just kind of has this easy-going pace that forces it to the background a bit. I guess it's kind of the general criticism of the "yacht rock" sound, a bit overly polished and light. "Peg" is by far the best song on the album, and I enjoyed "Josie" too, but then there was a few fine songs and a few that didn't do as much for me. Maybe I'll change my mind on Steely Dan at some point, but this was just fine for me. Favorite song: Peg Other: Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Home At Last, Josie 6/24/24

The Who Sell Out

The Who

4/5

This album is a pretty funny bit if we're being honest. They basically are acting like this is a bootleg radio broadcast with songs and random product ads built in. They had been doing real commercials at the time, so there's some good irony in the whole thing. In the two albums I've gotten, I honestly find The Who's songs a bit underwhelming overall. They can write some hits ("I Can See For Miles" is great), but there's quite a bit that doesn't really stand out to me. This is another that's probably a 3.5, leaning a 3 on the music, but the framing device is clever and I like it so they get extra credit for that. Random note, but on a relisten "Sunrise" sounds like a Fleet Foxes song to me, it's interesting how such different bands like 40+ years apart can have these moments of similarity. Favorite song: I Can See For Miles Other: Armenia City In The Sky, Mary Ann With The Shaky Hand, Tattoo, I Can't Reach You, Relax, Sunrise, Rael Pt. 1 & 2 6/25/24

american dream

LCD Soundsystem

4/5

This is the third day in a row of second albums I've gotten from artists on here, and while they've all been good they've all also not been quite as good as the first album I got (but very close in every case). Maybe it's just the luck of the draw, maybe I'm getting too critical, who knows. This one came after they had been disbanded for 5 years, so it was a bit of a surprise at the time. Honestly I didn't expect to get this album on here, I was surprised to see this recent LCD Soundsystem, but I guess this did pretty well when it came out. I'm familiar with "oh baby", but not the rest. LCD Soundsystem is mostly just a vibes band to me. Luckily the vibes are generally pretty good. I feel like both of their albums that I've gotten have a couple of songs that are far and away the standouts, and then the rest is just consistently solid vibes to jam to. I think last time I said "the whole is better than the sum of the parts", and I think this one is the same thing. On this one the standouts are "oh baby" and "call the police". It's a bit long of an album and there's a few songs that are a bit uninspired, but there's not too much to be critical about here. I actually get quite a bit of New Wave sound on a decent number of songs on this one, there's a few that are a bit synth-heavy, it almost sounds a bit older than it is at times. Probably a 3.5 for me, but "oh baby" and "call the police" are so good I'm rounding up. Random note, but apparently they got roasted for the album cover being weak. Can't say I disagree, it's a little weak. It's giving 'Pay Nothing Until April' by Edward Ruscha (or "Infinite Jest"). Favorite song: oh baby Other: i used to, how do you sleep?, tonite, call the police, american dream 6/26/24

Arise

Sepultura

1/5

Man absolutely pounds on drums while another man growls about murder and dead embryonic cells (42 minutes). If I really squint I can see the appeal of the death metal genre, but I don't think it's ever going to be something I like. Interesting notes about this album: the band is Brazilian, the main guy's father was the Italian ambassador to Brazil, and during one of their concerts in Rio someone was murdered with an axe. So there's that. Favorite song: Arise 6/27/24

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

4/5

This is a live, improvised jazz piano concert from Cologne in 1975. Allegedly it's the best selling solo jazz album and best selling piano album ever. It's genuinely pretty impressive that anyone can improvise over an hour's worth of material at this quality, so major credit to that. He does these strange vocalizations (moans) at times which I'm not super into, so minus one star for that. He seems like a bit of a diva honestly (almost cancelled the show because they had a bad piano there, hates any audience noise, is opposed to electronic instruments), but he's obviously incredibly talented. A nice album for a morning listen with a cup of coffee. Favorite song: Pt. II C Other: Pt. I 6/28/24

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

5/5

Easiest 5 star album I've had in awhile, this is beautiful. Nick Drake is one of those names that I've heard thrown around a lot in the context of other artists I like, but I've never really listened to him. I get it now. It's Elliott Smith 20 years before Elliott Smith was making music. This is basically just Drake and a guitar, and every single second of the 28 minute album is perfection. Drake falls into the too big category of artists that died well before their time. This was his third and last album, and it's a bit haunting how upbeat it sounds (but in like a hesitant way) when you know he was going through it when he wrote it. Just beautiful and haunting at the same time. Like many artists before, Drake died fairly unknown and has gained significant popularity in the years since then. It's a shame he wasn't as well-known when he was around, but the accolades are well-deserved even if a bit late. Favorite song: Pink Moon Other: Place To Be, Road, Which Will, Horn, Things Behind The Sun, Know, Parasite, Free Ride, Harvest Breed, From The Morning 6/29/24

American Idiot

Green Day

5/5

When I was in 4th grade I really wanted my parents to let me buy this album. Unfortunately, there is a giant "Parental Advisory" label on the cover, so my mom didn't let that happen. I was pissed. I'm not sure why 4th grade me wanted this, but I had great taste, this thing is still awesome 20 years later. What I missed at the time was the context. Green Day was very big at this time (Dookie came out a decade earlier), but their popularity had been declining throughout the '90s and they had a bit of a flop album in 2000 before this one came out in 2004. So in many ways this was a bit of a surprise comeback for them. They call this a "punk rock opera", and it's centered around a lower-middle-class suburban teen that's disillusioned about the state of the US at the time (9/11, Iraq War, Bush elections, etc.). Very few of the songs are explicitly political, but the story comes across regardless. This one has a bunch of their hits, "American Idiot" to kick it off, "Holiday", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and "Wake Me up When September Ends". I enjoyed a lot of the songs that I was less familiar with too, so it stays pretty consistently strong throughout. I tend to like punk that's pretty well-polished, and this meets the criteria. Great energy throughout, strong lyrics, multiple classic songs, a bit of nostalgia for my childhood, what more could I want? A great album overall. 5 stars. Take that mom. Favorite song: Wake Me up When September Ends Other: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Give Me Novocain / She's a Rebel, Extraordinary Girl / Letterbomb, Whatsername 6/30/24

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

3/5

There used to be a jazz and sushi restaurant in Cambridge, MA called Thelonious Monkfish. I went once, it was pretty good. It's still there, but apparently they had to change the name because his estate got mad. Kind of weak if we're being honest. This has nothing to do with the quality of the album, but I don't have much to say about that so I'm writing this instead. The internet says this is "hard bop" jazz. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds pretty bass-heavy to me, lots of low plodding bass notes. It's generally nice in the way that jazz in the background is nice to me, but not a whole lot standing out otherwise. I'm so bad at writing jazz reviews, for like 95% of these I just feel like it's good for what it is and the artist is clearly super talented but it's hard to compare to other genres. Oh well, it is what it is. This was nice. Favorite song: Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are Other: Brilliant Corners, Bemsha Swing 7/1/24

The Man Who

Travis

3/5

This is a late-90s British alt-rock album, and you can clearly hear the departure from the Britpop sound to something that's starting to feel distinctly "early 2000s". On one hand, they probably were a bit ahead of their time on this. Coldplay's Parachutes would come out a year later, and then you get a whole list of artists shortly after that kind of have a similar sound (OneRepublic, Keane, Snow Patrol, etc.). On the other hand, this just consistently fell a bit flat to me. It just feels a little tame and uninspired overall. There's a few really good songs on here for sure. "Writing To Reach You" is a strong start, and "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" is really the song that put them on the map, but on the whole the mid-tempo melodic slightly sad songs blend into one another a bit. This feels like something I should like a lot, but something about it is just a bit lacking to me. Perfectly solid, but that's it. Favorite song: Writing To Reach You Other: As You Are, Driftwood, Why Does It Always Rain On Me? 7/2/24

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

3/5

Ok so I think this album is kind of mediocre, but a consistent theme is how he hated living in the suburbs and was desperate to move to New York. Respect honestly, I can get behind that. Fagen's Wikipedia page says this: "When he was ten years old, he moved with his parents and younger sister to Kendall Park, a newly constructed suburban section of South Brunswick, New Jersey. The transition upset him. He detested living in the suburbs. He later recalled that it "was like a prison. I think I lost faith in [my parents'] judgment... It was probably the first time I realized I had my own view of life." His life in Kendall Park, including his teenage love of late-night radio, inspired his later album The Nightfly. "New Frontier" has the line "Well I can't wait till I move to the city". He isn't beating around the bush here. While I respect that part, I really was kind of meh on this overall. This was Fagen's first solo album after he split with Walter Becker in Steely Dan, but it's more of the same vibe. If you're into jazz-rock the Steely Dan crew are your guys. I can see the appeal, but it just always ends up sounding a bit boring to me (though nice enough overall). Beyond the subtle urbanism, the lyrics are ok. It's autobiographical in nature, so lots of general nostalgia about 50s and 60s suburbia, unimportant romances and whatnot. A love for late night radio. Again, fine but a little uninspiring. This is just ok. I had a brief moment where I was tempted to give it a 2, but it's not bad, just fine enough to slide in at a 3. Falls below Can't Buy a Thrill and Aja for me in the broader Steely Dan discography though. I also learned that "wingding" means "a lively event or party". That was a new one for me. Favorite song: I.G.V. Other: Maxine, New Frontier, The Nightfly 7/6/24

Diamond Life

Sade

3/5

Yesterday was '80s jazz-rock and today we follow that up with '80s jazz-pop. This isn't bad or anything, but it kind of sounds like what you'd expect for the soundtrack at a dimly-lit hotel bar filled with out-of-town business execs. Sade has a nice enough voice and the mid-tempo jazzy beats are more or less enjoyable to listen to, but I don't think this is really going to stick with me at all. This does have a pretty different sound than a lot of what else was coming out at the time though, so credit to them for that. Favorite song: Your Love Is King Other: Smooth Operator, When Am I Going To Make a Living, Why Can’t We Live Together 7/7/24

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

5/5

Ok so last time I got a Bowie album on here (which was a long time ago now, album #37) I probably rated it one star too high based on Bowie's name being on it. I'm pretty confident I'm not doing that this time, this is really great. This is Bowie's fourth album and its a primarily piano-driven pop rock album. This followed The Man Who Sold The World, which I guess was more guitar-driven rock, so this was a bit of a departure. This seems to be a bit of a turning point for Bowie where he finds his distinct style. There's a whole lot of great songs on here, it's pretty consistent top to bottom. "Changes" is an awesome opener, "Life on Mars?" is iconic Bowie, and both "Oh! You Pretty Things" and "Kooks" were great on side A. On the back side, it starts a bit slower, but picks up with three songs based on Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, and Lou Reed in a row. "Queen Bitch" (the for the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed) is possibly my favorite song on the album (it's hard ,"Changes" is great too), it honestly sounds like it could be a VU song, he captured the sound well. This is just great energy and songwriting the whole way through. I'm not deep into the Bowie discography at all, but I get why this one is well-loved (though it did seem to be a bit overlooked until his next album really hit it big). Favorite song: Changes Other: Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars?, Kooks, Quicksand, Fill Your Heart, Andy Warhol, Songs For Bob Dylan, Queen Bitch, The Bewlay Brothers 7/8/24

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

4/5

This album was great, really enjoyable the whole way through. They rock hard but it's approachable and varied enough to stay interesting throughout (though the album is only 34 minutes long). This is Boston-based Pixies debut album, and my second "greater Pixies universe" album on here (Black Francis aka Frank Black is the lead singer). This one was much better than his solo album that was only my 10th album in the project. It seems like this came out of nowhere a bit, they were on a minor label at the time and this didn't get much promotion when it came out. It's been pretty influential for a lot of artists though, and you can really hear how the sound of this 1988 album leads into the early 90s alt-rock and grunge sound. It feels like Pixies and Sonic Youth have a lot in common, and both had a real influence on the bands that came soon after. I considered giving this a 5, but there's a few songs that don't quite do it for me on a short album. I can't decide how I feel about the banter on some of the songs, I generally find that a bit gimmicky but it's ok I guess. Overall a really enjoyable album, I'll definitely be coming back to this. Also "Where Is My Mind?" has probably been overplayed a bit over the years, but for good reason. It's an awesome song. Favorite song: Where Is My Mind? Other: Break My Body, Something Against You, Broken Face, Gigantic, River Euphrates, Cactus, Vamos (Surfer Rosa), Brick Is Red 7/10/24

Welcome to the Afterfuture

Mike Ladd

2/5

I was on the verge of giving this 1 star, but the last two songs saved a 2 for it. This really isn't my thing, it's a bit of an avant-garde rap album from 2000. He seems talented enough, but the neither the lyrics nor the beats were really interesting enough to keep me hooked. Like I said though, the last two songs were actually pretty good, so I'll give it a 2 because there's some talent here for sure. "Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon" is mostly an instrumental but the beat is great, and "Feb. 4, 1999" is less a rap song and more an autobiographical spoken word poem about growing up in Cambridge, MA. The whole album probably couldn't have been like this, but these were both a great change of pace that I enjoyed. Favorite song: Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon Other: Bladerunners, Feb. 4 1999 7/11/24

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

3/5

I actually really like CCR's sound overall, but this one is basically "Proud Mary" plus 6 mid-to-decent songs. This was CCR's second album as CCR (after ~10 relatively unsuccessful years under other names), and first album after they got popular when their cover of "Susie Q" got big. This is also the first of three albums they released in 1969, with Green River coming only 7 months later. They're definitely starting to find their sound in this, but it's not nearly as good as Green River. It starts with "Born On The Bayou" which does establish their rootsy sound and is probably the second best song on the album. "Bootleg" follows and it's solid, but then there's the 8-minute "Graveyard Train" which I think is kind of mediocre and somewhat derails the flow of the album. The back half starts with a cover of "Good Golly Miss Molly" which is fun enough, then a decent song, "Proud Mary" (an absolute top-tier classic), and then another nearly 8-minute jam song. This is a bit hard to rate because I do like their sound, it has one legendary rock song, but nearly 16 minutes of the 34 minute album is in two long jam songs, and one of the 7 songs is a decent but somewhat forgettable cover. I probably won't listen to this full album again, but it does have to be on here with how good "Proud Mary" is. Favorite song: Proud Mary Other: Born On The Bayou, Bootleg, Good Golly Miss Molly 7/12/24

Blue

Joni Mitchell

5/5

This is just folk rock at its absolute peak, pretty much as good as it gets here. The lyrics are raw and emotional, it's simple but catchy at the same time, Joni just strips it back and crushes it. It seems like the context is that she had a few relationships and breakups around this time (including with Graham Nash and James Taylor) and decided to take a break after her third album for a European vacation, which is the backdrop for a lot of this. It just consistently comes across as honest and sincere, she's not holding anything back. This is also one of the rare albums that gets better as it goes. It's incredible the whole way through, but a lot of my favorite songs on here were on the back half. Just an awesome album all the way through, easy 5 stars. Favorite song: California Other: All I Want, My Old Man, Little Green, Carey, Blue, This Flight Tonight, River, A Case of You, The Last Time I Saw Richard 7/13/24

Dog Man Star

Suede

4/5

Basically every article about this album calls it "pretentious", and at first I didn't know what that meant. I get it though, it's unrelentingly heavy and serious. Just really intense throughout. When describing why he picked the image for the cover, the singer said "I just liked the image, really, of the bloke on the bed in the room. It's quite sort of sad and sexual, I think, like the songs on the album." Touché. I don't know quite what to make of Suede exactly. They typically get credited with inventing Britpop with their self-titled first record, but then when everyone else was catching on they decided to go make this moody album. From the singer himself, "We could not have been more uninterested in that whole boozy, cartoon-like, fake working-class thing. As soon as we became aware of it, we went away and wrote Dog Man Star. You could not find a less Britpop record. It's tortured, epic, extremely sexual and personal. None of those things apply to Britpop." So what to make of it? I kind of respect that they went a different way on this one. It's certainly not for the faint-of-heart, but it's ambitious and I have to respect that. It's not my favorite thing ever, but it's surprisingly catchy for how serious it is. I feel like it's pretty hard to fully grasp this one on one listen, I need to let it sit for a bit to really grasp it. I think I kind of like it though, probably a 3.5 rounding up. There's also a whole side story where the guitarist and secondary songwriter ragequit like halfway through recording, but I won't get into that here. Update: Listened to it again the next day, and yeah I like it. Not every song works and it's a bit dense, but I like what they were going for here and think it largely is strong. Favorite song: The Wild Ones Other: We Are The Pigs, Heroine, New Generation, The 2 Of Us, Black Or Blue, The Asphalt World, Still Life 7/14/24

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

3/5

This is a bit of a tough one, because on one hand this style of '80s hard rock does very little for me overall, but on the other hand this album has three incredibly iconic songs that are all still basically unavoidable nearly 40 years later. I'll typically try to look more at the whole album if it's just one iconic song, but having three makes it hard to not respect what they're doing. It's pretty much exactly what I thought it would be. Slash jamming on the guitar and a lot of songs that sound like the famous ones (but are worse) for 53 minutes. It apparently was pretty overlooked for about a year after it came out, but eventually became one of the most famous rock albums of all time. I guess I'd say I think this is good but not particularly enjoyable to me. I get the appeal, the musicians are very talented, the few famous songs are so famous that their familiarity is somewhat comforting, and yet I didn't particularly enjoy listening to it despite that. I'm not sure what that means in terms of a star rating, probably a 3-4 I guess. Favorite song: Sweet Child O' Mine Other: Welcome To The Jungle, Nightrane, Mr. Brownstone, Paradise City, Rocket Queen 7/15/24

Repeater

Fugazi

2/5

This is Fugazi's debut album, and has like a punk-y alt rock thing going on (post-hardcore if the internet is to be trusted). It's pretty fast tempo for the most part, very bass-heavy and loud. Sometimes punk stuff works for me, but I'm not really feeling this one. There's a couple songs that are decent, but it's just generally a bit too loud and heavy for me. I can see the appeal, they seem like talented enough musicians, just not really my vibe. Favorite song: Blueprint Other: Repeater, Merchandise, Shut the Door 7/16/24

Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter

4/5

Real shocker here, I like a 2010s indie rock album. It's a bit surprising to me that I wasn't really familiar with Deerhunter before this, this feels pretty squarely up my alley and around the right time period (maybe just a bit early). The album has a real atmospheric and airy feel to it overall. The singer says it's "supposed to sound like a newsletter or bulletin board from somewhere mysterious," and I do kind of get what he means. Each song is like a different snippet of a memory, but there's a consistent airy sound that threads it all together. It's like the audio equivalent of looking through a light fog. This is also one that I feel like is going to just grow on me even more as I listen to it more. It's in "very good but not absolute top tier" for me after two listens, but it feels like it has staying power for me. I imagine if I found this one when I was in college it would've been in the rotation for years now. I missed out on a few years, but glad I heard it now. "Only fear can make you feel lonely out here" Favorite song: He Would Have Laughed Other: Earthquake, Don't Cry, Revival, Sailing, Memory Boy, Desire Lines, Helicopter, Coronado 7/17/24

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

I think this is the first time that I've taken a second to think "I'll never be able to hear this for the first time again" before pressing play. This is one of those albums that is so iconic and for some reason I've never actually listened to it before, so today was a treat. It's great, as expected. This is one where there's so much that's been written about it that I won't try to summarize much here, but it's a concept album about the pressures they faced and their former singer's mental health issues. The whole album has a really rich sound, it's generally pretty classic rock instrumentation but with lots of other instruments and synthesizers and things mixed in. It's also one of those albums that probably works best as a whole piece of art. The music is continuous from one song to another, so the whole thing just flows so smoothly, you'd barely know where one song is ending if not for the Spotify track listings. There's also a bunch of small spoken word snippets throughout, which typically don't really work for me but here they just bring things together so well. Basically all the songs were great, but the lyrics of "Time" really struck me, just an incredibly succinct and emotional way to capture the feeling of the passage of time (and then it's followed up with "The Great Gig In The Sky", which makes it hit even harder). Great album overall, the hype is warranted. Late '60s to early '70s rock is definitely a good period for me, and this is another top tier album from this period. Favorite song: Time Other: Breathe (In The Air), The Great Gig In The Sky, Money, Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage, Eclipse 7/18/24

Foo Fighters

3/5

This is the Foo Fighters debut album. I'll start off by saying that I liked but didn't love the album overall. That said, it's pretty impressive when you know the context. Dave Grohl created and recorded this pretty much fully on his own, he recorded it only 6 months after Kurt Cobain's death, and it was basically just a cathartic project that he expected no one to listen to ("Had I actually considered this to be a career, I probably would have called it something else, because it's the stupidest fucking band name in the world"). There were rumors he was going to join Pearl Jam and Tom Petty wanted him to be his drummer, but he did this instead. "I was supposed to just join another band and be a drummer the rest of my life. I thought that I would rather do what no one expected me to do." It's really hard not to respect it, he must've been going through it and joining another band as a drummer would have been the easy thing for sure, but this decision (and this album) led to something huge. Anyway, back to the music. The first thing that stands out is that it's noticeably less "grungy" than Nirvana. It really feels like a transition from the grunge of the early '90s to more of an alt-rock sound that would close out the decade. At times the sound falls a bit flat to me (though in his defense, he was recording the whole thing himself), but there's a few places where the slightly more polished sound shines. "Big Me" is by far the best song on the album (it's great), and it's relatively low-key compared to the rest of the album. I doubt I'll find myself coming back to a ton here, but it's an enjoyable listen overall, and I really respect what he did on this one. I'm sure there's more Foo Fighters to come on this list, so it'll be interesting to see how the sound changes after this. Favorite song: Big Me Other: This Is A Call, I’ll Stick Around, Big Me, Alone + Easy Target, Floaty, Oh George, Exhausted 7/19/24

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

3/5

Part of me feels like this album is terrible, but on the other hand it's low key pretty hilarious. The Streets is a British hip-hop artist, more of an alt hip-hop guy than a more traditional rapper. He recorded this in his flat in Stockwell, so that's a fun piece of trivia for me. The album is a concept album about a guy who loses 1,000 GBP, starts dating some "fit" woman, tries to gamble on football, smokes a lot of weed, gets kicked out by his girlfriend, cries a lot, and maybe finds the money at the end (but does he?). The whole thing is so aggressively British. He has a heavy accent, and he's just constantly dropping British slang throughout. I'm very much not convinced that he's actually talented, his voice ranges from "fine" to "quite bad", and half of the time it sounds like he's more talking than singing or rapping. And yet despite all this, something about it kind of works. I kept finding myself laughing at the lyrics, and some of the beats are pretty good honestly. It's far from my favorite thing, but the entertainment value is pretty high, and I can't give it a negative review in good conscience because of that. Apparently "Fit but You Know It" was pretty big in the UK and it makes sense, it's more alt-rock-y than hip-hop really (and the mildly sexist lyrics probably played better in 2004 than they would today). Favorite song: Dry Your Eyes Other: Could Well Be In, Blinded by the Lights, Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way, Fit but You Know It 7/20/24

Meat Is Murder

The Smiths

3/5

Almost a quarter of the way through this list, and this is my first Morrissey album so far. I didn't know much about him (or The Smiths) before, but vaguely was aware that he's a controversial figure. I knew he was a bit of a racist (probably a massive understatement), so was a little surprised to see "Meat Is Murder" as an album title of theirs. Turns out his politics are truly all over the board, what an odd guy. Anyway, this was fine but not my favorite. I actually think I like the music better than the vocals here. We'll see how I feel about other albums, but his voice is a little annoying and really "80s sounding. That said, the music itself is mostly pretty enjoyable, and doesn't really fall into the New Wave sound that was big at the time. Maybe this one would be better once I'm more familiar with it, but it was just ok for me. I can see myself liking this type of music though, so interested to see what else they've got. Favorite song: Well I Wonder Other: The Headmaster Ritual, Rusholme Ruffians, I Want the One I Can't Have, That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, Meat Is Murder 7/21/24

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

3/5

This is a early '70s jazz / afrobeat double album from a South African jazz artist. Jazz is always hard to rate, but I thought this was generally pretty good. I guess he's considered to be "the father of South African jazz" and he does a nice job taking that sound and giving it an African spin. It's a bit long at 76 minutes and not all of the songs stand out much to me, but it's generally an enjoyable sound, solid overall. Favorite song: The Big Apple Other: Part Of A Whole, Nomali, Maesha 7/22/24

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

2/5

Not every album on this list has a Metacritic rating, but I can't remember seeing one this low yet (49), so I probably had a bit of a negative bias coming in after seeing that. At it's best, this is basically a worse version of Linkin Park. There's a few songs on here that do a pretty good job of following the Linkin Park formula ("My Way" is the best song on here and it does a pretty good job at this). The issue is that it rarely elevates to that level. The lyrics are just really abrasive in a crude way. I feel like sometimes bands can pull off the "fuck you" type lyrics in a somewhat compelling way, but this just felt like angry people that I'd truly hate to be around. In addition to being an awful person, Fred Durst's voice is a bit whiny at times, so the whole vibe is just kind of bad. There's enough here to get 2 stars. I actually liked quite a few of the guitar riffs throughout ("Take A Look Around" has a solid one) and they do the nu-metal thing ok at times, but as a whole it was just too abrasive for me. I think this has been removed from more recent versions of the book, and I think that's a reasonable decision. Favorite song: My Way Other: My Way, Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle), Livin’ It Up, Take A Look Around, Hold On 7/23/24

Sweet Baby James

James Taylor

4/5

First James Taylor album for me, and his second studio album (but the one that seems to have launched his fame). My impression of Taylor was basically unoffensive '70s soft rock, and while that's probably kind of true I did enjoy this album. It's fairly short and tight with 11 songs at only 32 minutes, but he does a good job of keeping the sound varied. It's mostly a folk-rock vibe, but there's a bit of country sound, it's bluesy at times, the rock side picks up here and there. It's not the greatest thing I've ever heard, but it's generally good. Throw in a couple of great songs ("Fire and Rain", "Country Road") and you've got a solid album. Favorite song: Fire and Rain Other: Sweet Baby James, Sunny Skies, Steamroller Blues, Country Road, Oh Susannah, Blossom, Anywhere like Heaven, Suite for 20 G 7/24/24

The Coral

3/5

What an interesting album, I feel like my inevitable 3 star rating is going to obscure how strange this one is. This is the 2002 debut album from a British rock band. This came out in the post-Britpop alt rock age. At times it sounds fairly modern, but more often it really sounds like a '60s British psychedelic rock album. Like I'm getting real The Zombies energy from this (but with a bit more of a gruff sounding singer). The sound is weird and wavering and jumps around quite a bit, even within songs. I don't know enough about music to know why, but a lot of the guitar riffs sound old (for instance on "Goodbye"). I actually wanted to like this a bit more than I did, but it falls a little flat for me. The weirdness is cool, but there's just not a ton that stands out to really hook me. The exception is probably "Dreaming of You" (which seems to be their most popular song by quite a bit), which is strange and catchy all in one. Otherwise there's quite a few enjoyable songs, but I just doubt this will stick with me much. It also loses a bit of steam near the end, even though it's a pretty short album. I respect them going for a very different sound than what was prevailing at the time though, and one that calls back to a prior age of great music. Also, the album cover is just as strange as the music, there's a lot going on there that I won't try to parse out. Favorite song: Dreaming of You Other: I Remember When, Simon Diamond, Goodbye, Waiting for the Heartaches, Wildfire, Calendars and Clocks 7/25/24

Parachutes

Coldplay

4/5

If The Velvet Underground is responsible for my recent second music enlightenment, then Coldplay is probably responsible for my first music enlightenment back in 2012 or so. Growing up I never really listened to any music beyond what played on the Top 40 station, and the '80s music that my dad listened to felt thoroughly uncool to me as a child. I don't remember the details for sure, but based on the timing (Mylo Xyloto was released in 2011), I think that "Paradise" was basically being played on repeat on the radio, I liked the song, and for the first time I made an effort to see what else this band had to offer. I remember many hours of sitting on our shared family computer and listening to terrible-quality Youtube versions of songs from Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y, and Viva La Vida. For awhile I really just dug into the Coldplay discography, and then over time I began to broaden and find a lot of the other bands that stick out as early favorites of mine (Blind Pilot, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, Young the Giant, etc.). I created my all-encompassing ongoing Spotify playlist in February 2014, and added 31 Coldplay songs in the first two weeks (including 5 from this album). This is a lot of background, but the point is that, whatever anyone thinks of Coldplay in 2024, they were a huge part of my development, both musically and otherwise. So what do I think of this today? While I'm sure I've listened to this top-to-bottom before, it's been many years since then at this point. The nostalgia is for real, without a doubt. The first few notes into "Don't Panic" definitely brought me back immediately, and many of my favorite songs here are on the front side of the album. If I'm going to try to be objective here, I think my take is that this is still very good, but not particularly groundbreaking. Every song on this is enjoyable, the lyrics are strong, but when trying to be objective, something about it feels like they're a little short of something perfect. The back-to-back "Sparks" and "Yellow" section is definitely the closest it gets to perfection, but things fall off a bit after "Trouble". It helps to have 256 albums worth of context from this project. Coldplay has clearly moved on from the Britpop sound, and you can kind of see how something like Travis' The Man Who leads to this which leads to all of the Coldplay sound-alikes that would come after. I'm not sure how much Coldplay is on this list, but their next few albums are also very strong, and were favorites of mine at one point in time. I'm not much of a fan of Coldplay these days. This is not an uncommon opinion but I think after Viva La Vida their music got quite a bit more formulaic and pop-driven, and less interesting as a result. They've also been a massive stadium-pop-rock band for so long now that it's hard to think about this coming way before all that. Trying to strip that all away though, I can definitely still see the appeal of this 24 years later, and despite the music they're making now, there's always been real talent at the core. This is probably the longest review I've written yet, and after all that I'm giving it 4 stars. I think about this band very little today, and this album isn't perfect, but it's really very consistently good, and it's an important one for me personally. Still enjoyable all these years later. Favorite song: Yellow Other: Don't Panic, Shiver, Sparks, Trouble, High Speed, We Never Change, Everything's Not Lost 7/26/24

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

3/5

Way back on album #5 on this list I got Dire Straits' self-titled debut and really enjoyed it a lot. This is Dire Straits' fifth album released seven years later, and the sound is pretty notably different. If the last album represented a late '70s slower bluesy-folky rock, this one has definitely jumped firm into the '80s pop-rock sound. It's much more fast paced, much more "pop", much more synth-heavy. There's some jazzy instrumentation at times ("Your Latest Trick"). It's a lot more dynamic overall. Unfortunately, I think I like it less. I actually went back and listened to "Dire Straits" since it's been over a year now, and something about the understated-ness of that album works more for me. I can't fault artists for having a changing sound and trying to have commercial appeal, but this feels almost like a sell-out to me. To be clear, I didn't totally dislike this. There are some really catchy hooks, particularly on the front side of the album. I really like "Walk Of Life" a lot, it's my favorite song on here by quite a bit. Both "Your Latest Trick" and "Why Worry?" are nice little slow ballads that do call back to the debut album a bit more. It's not bad, I just rarely felt that invested in this. The critical reception of this seems to be all over the board. It seems to be their biggest commercial success, and 1a and 1b with the self-titled album for critical interest. This is one of the best-selling albums ever in both the UK and Australia, but it does seem like the initial reception wasn't great though, and I'm wondering if it just felt a bit forced until the commercial success kicked in. I don't know, I can't quite put my finger on what I don't like, but I was really excited to listen to this when it popped up, and left pretty disappointed. Perfectly fine, but a little undeserving of the massive hype to me. Two other side notes. One, the repeated use of a homophobic slur on "Money For Nothing" is really jarring to hear today. It seems like the general consensus is that its use in the song is by an intentionally-shitty narrator so not meant to glorify that position, but it still caused a lot of controversy over the years, and just sounds so harsh to hear today. It definitely took me out of the moment a bit on one of their more well-known songs. Second (and much less important), I really liked their debut's album cover, but this one is really bad to me. Super cheesy and ugly, it's giving "graphic design is my passion" vibes. Very weak. Favorite: Walk Of Life Other: So Far Away, Money For Nothing, Your Latest Trick, Why Worry?, The Man's Too Strong, Brothers in Arms 7/27/24

Phaedra

Tangerine Dream

3/5

This is the fifth album from a German electronic music group, released in 1974. I generally am not super into electronic music (probably an understatement), and I'm not exactly sure what to make of this, but I didn't hate it. It's not really something I would actively choose to listen to, but it's interesting. It really sounds more like the soundtrack to some sort of space movie or something, not something I'd generally listen to as a standalone piece. It's almost eerie sounding at times, a bit unsettling. It's sequencer-driven, but it's pretty layered, fairly bass-heavy. I don't know, normally I feel like I hate this kind of thing, and I certainly don't love it, but it's ok. Not bad, decent listen. Favorite song: Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares Other: Phaedra 7/29/24

Moondance

Van Morrison

5/5

I was just thinking it was a bit odd that I hadn't gotten a Van Morrison album yet, and here we finally are. This is his third album, released in early 1970, and it's great. I guess his previous album (which I believe is also on this list) was a bit more of an abstract folk-jazz thing which didn't land as well commercially, so he went a more lively rhythm / blues on this one, and hit it out of the park. It's not the most groundbreaking thing in the world, but the execution is basically perfect. It's soulful and folky and jazzy and light-sounding and enjoyable. The lyrics are contemplative and ful of wonder and love. It would work on an easy Sunday morning with a cup of coffee, or a late Saturday night after a bottle of wine with someone you love. It was hard to pick my favorite song. "Crazy Love" slightly edges out "Into the Mystic" for me, but they're both great. The first half is definitely the stronger half, but there's some real gems on the B-side as well ("Glad Tidings" is awesome to end it). It's a bit simple, but sometimes that's ok, this is great (I do think the album cover is pretty weak though, that's my complaint). Favorite song: Crazy Love Other: And It Stoned Me, Moondance, Caravan, Into the Mystic, These Dreams of You, Brand New Day, Glad Tidings 7/29/24

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

4/5

This was awesome, a really good psychedelic rock album from SF-based Jefferson Airplane. This came out in 1967 (along with basically every other great album) and is their second album. One thing that's pretty unique here is that one of the primary vocalists is a woman. It's not completely unprecedented (The Velvet Underground and Nico came out the same year), but most of the bands from this time are very male-dominated, and this is a really nice change of pace. Interestingly, Grace Slick (the singer) joined the band before this album since the prior female vocalist left the band, and the two most well-known songs on this album ("Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit") both came from Slick's time before Jefferson Airplane. "Somebody to Love" was a B-side of her previous band's (The Great Society) only single, and “White Rabbit" was was written by Slick when she was still in the previous band. This album definitely has some filler songs, but the sound is generally really strong and there are a few standout songs on here. It's solid throughout, Slick has a great voice, no major complaints from me. Another great late-60s album. Favorite song: White Rabbit Other: She Has Funny Cars, Somebody to Love, Today, Comin' Back to Me, Embryonic Journey, Plastic Fantastic Lover 7/30/24

Dig Your Own Hole

The Chemical Brothers

2/5

Put this one in the category of things that I can see how it could appeal to someone, but that someone isn't me. It's a '90s British electronic album that has some rock-ish moments. Most of the songs don't have lyrics but a few do. I generally liked the lyrics songs better. Noel Gallagher sings at one point, so does Beth Orton (I did like her song). There were moments here and there where I was getting kind of into it, but they never lasted super long. It's a bit of a long album too at 63 minutes. When this ended Spotify played an LCD Soundsystem song for me, and in some ways I can see the similarities between the two groups, but something about this just doesn't quite hit as much for me. Favorite song: Where Do I Begin Other: Block Rockin' Beats, Setting Sun, Lost In The K Hole 7/31/24

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

3/5

Interesting album here from a band that I've never heard of before. This is like a slow indie country rock thing. On the surface it actually reminded me a lot of the Giant Sand album on here that I really liked, but ultimately this one didn't quite do it as much for me. I did some reading on this one, and it seems like the singer (David Berman) and his friends were working at the Whitney and making some music together in two bands, this one and Pavement. Pavement blew up and while these guys were pretty well-regarded in indie circles, they were never nearly as big and are often thought to be a Pavement side project. Berman seemed to resent that a bit, and I believe on this one the other guys weren't involved, but his wife is. I wanted to like this more than I did, but I'm struggling a lot with Berman's voice. It's definitely more of the talk-singing type of thing, and I'm just struggling to get on board with his sound. I'm listening to it for the third time now and it's growing on me a bit, but still not my favorite. It sounds like Berman wrote poetry too, and I can see him being great at that. The lyrics are both fairly poignant and unique (weird at times?) here. I appreciate that part of the album. And there are definitely some interesting songs on here, "I Remember Me" in particular is really great. Overall just falling a bit short for me though, though the understated sound is nice at times. Berman is definitely another on the long list of tortured musicians. He had substance abuse issues, attempted suicide in 2003, and eventually took his own life in his Park Slope apartment in 2019. It's a sad life, but he put out work that lasted, and I'm glad I heard it. Two other notes. First, terrible band name. It sounds like he eventually regretted it too, but just not sure what he was going for there. Second, his father was a corporate lobbyist and Berman really hated that a lot, he hid it for a long time and then almost wrote a book about being his nemesis. Favorite song: I Remember Me Other: Slow Education, Room Games and Diamond Rain, Transylvania Blues, Tennessee, Death of an Heir of Sorrows 8/1/24

1989

Taylor Swift

4/5

I figured more TSwift was coming (and I'm sure there's more still to come), but it's been awhile since evermore was album #2 on here. This was the one where she decided she wasn't a country singer anymore, and it was unavoidable background noise pretty much throughout my college years. I'd say I'm somewhat indifferent about Taylor Swift overall, and her hype has only grown in the last year since I listened to evermore. I'll try to be balanced here. Starting with the positives. This album has quite a few of her most recognizable songs ("Blank Space", "Style", "Shake It Off", "Bad Blood", "Wildest Dreams"). It's a bit hard to be overly critical of an album that has so many hits (regardless of how deserving they are). She really went for the '80s-inspired synth-pop sound on this one, and I can kind of respect it. '80s synth-pop is far from my favorite genre, but she at least avoided the rap-pop thing that was huge in the early 2010s, so this at least sounds fairly timeless. It also has some pretty objectively catchy sounds, so there's that. Now the negatives. While a lot of the songs are so recognizable, I'm not convinced that many of them are really great. I think "Wildest Dreams" does a great job of showcasing her voice with a catchy pop hook, but even some of the better known songs just fall a little flat to me ("Bad Blood" was basically the soundtrack to my teaching summer, but it's honestly a little underwhelming to me, and I find "Shake It Off" a little mediocre too). There's also quite a bit of filler on this album, ranging from generic and mediocre to a bit annoying. Also, almost every song on here comes in under 4 minutes, but for some reason they consistently feel like they drag on a bit to me, in a way that makes them feel longer than they are. I don't know what to give this, it's either a 3 or a 4. On one hand I would basically never actively hit play on this while listening to music on my own. On the other hand, it's reasonably catchy and just has such a massive cultural impact, it's hard to not be a little nostalgic since it was so unavoidable for a few years. I guess I'll be nice. Favorite song: Wildest Dreams Other: Welcome To New York, Blank Space, Style, Shake It Off, Bad Blood, This Love, I Know Places 8/2/24

The United States Of America

3/5

This is easily one of the more strange albums that I've heard on here lately. It starts out with creepy carnival sounds, and later has a whole song about how tying and whipping his lover is "fine" and "grand", but he can't leave his "wooden wife for you, sugar". Totally ridiculous, pretty fun. This is an American psychedelic rock album from 1968 and it's weird, I'm guessing there were some drugs involved here. Lots of fuzzy electronic sounds in the background, but it also rocks pretty hard compared to what was coming out at the time. If you squint really hard you get the sense that some of the more experimental Velvet Underground songs are in a similar vein to this. I'm not exactly sure what I liked about this, but it was pretty solid. Definitely not my favorite thing ever, but this is a generally positive review for me. I can get on board with weird, and the sound on this was just interesting throughout. I also really liked the female vocalist, I've said it before but that's definitely underrepresented in music from this era. This is probably a 3.5 for me, but I think it falls a little short of rounding up. While I enjoyed it overall, there weren't any songs that really stood out, and a few fell pretty flat. Generally enjoyable though, I like an album that doesn't take itself too seriously. Favorite song: Cloud Song Other: Hard Coming Love, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife For You Sugar, Love Song For The Dead Che, Stranded In Time 8/3/24

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago

3/5

In my mind Chicago is basically just an inspiration band for the Notre Dame marching band. I swear every year they were doing some Chicago tribute or another at halftime. I kind of get it now though, they describe themselves as "a rock-and-roll band" with horns. Perfect for a marching band I guess. This is perfectly ok, and overall mostly uninteresting to me. I really am struggling to get on board with any sort of jazz-rock, it all just kind of sounds a bit overly polished and uninspiring to me. They're obviously talented, but just kind of meh to me. This thing is also LONG at 76 minutes. I'm throwing this a 3 because it's not bad and was fine background listening for a train ride home from Philly, but I can't imagine a Chicago album is going to cross the 3 threshold for me. Also, it's not my favorite song on here, but the two "August 29, 1968" songs at the end of the album feel pretty out of place on here. Much more experimental sounding with "the whole world is watching" being played (re: the Vietnam war protests). I liked it, but it definitely was unexpected after like an hour of smooth jazz-rock. Also respect for them for making a band name about the CTA, and not cool of the actual CTA for later making them change their name. Favorite song: Beginnings Other: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?, Questions 67 and 68, South California Purples, I'm a Man, Someday (August 29, 1968) 8/4/24

Who's Next

The Who

4/5

When I was about 14 or 15 I would go up to my room almost every night and listen to the Pirates post-game radio show. The Pirates were awful, but the show talked a lot about the minor leaguers that were on their way, and there was hope. That hope amounted to basically nothing as a Pirates fan, but the show always opened with "Baba O'Riley", so at least I got a great song out of it. A few more things before I really dive in here. First, I legitimately think "Baba O'Riley" is one of the best rock songs of all time. It's absolutely top-tier, it builds in a perfect way, the guitar riff is so good, just an incredible song. Second, I'm pretty sure that I overrated the last The Who album I got on here (The Who Sells Out). It wasn't bad, but probably didn't quite deserve the 4 I gave it. This album is definitely better than that one, and is also better than My Generation (which I gave a 3, probably deserves like a 3.5). All of that said, here's my review. This is unequivocally the best The Who album of the 3 that I've gotten on here. Without a doubt. That said, and I hate to admit this, but I was honestly a little disappointed overall. "Baba O'Riley" is such a good opener, but then the rest of the first half is somewhat generic '70s rock. They've definitely evolved their sound at this point and a lot of the tracks are fine but a bit underwhelming. It has a few nice moments on the back half. "Getting in Tune" is understated but enjoyable, "Behind Blue Eyes" is pretty iconic too, and "Won't Get Fooled Again" is a strong finish. I'm sounding a bit negative for an album that's definitely very good, but I think I expected a sure-thing 5-star rating with "Baba O'Riley", but I don't think I can get all the way there. Definitely very enjoyable overall, very possibly the closest album to 5-stars that I'm not giving 5 stars, but it is what it is. We move on. Favorite song: Baba O’Riley Other: Love Ain’t For Keeping, The Song Is Over, Getting In Tune, Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again 7/5/25

The World is a Ghetto

War

3/5

I fell a bit behind on writing my reviews, so I'm doing this like a week later (as I relisten to the album). I listened to it at work like a week ago, remember liking it enough, and remember basically none of it now that I'm writing this (though it's coming back to me a bit). Overall, perfectly enjoyable music, but clearly not particularly memorable to me. This is the fifth album by War, a soul-jazz band. The best song on here by far is the opening track "The Cisco Kid". This is their sound at its peak, it's groovy and a bit funky and really easy to listen to. It doesn't totally fall apart after this, but nothing quite reaches that level again the rest of the album. Overall a perfectly enjoyable listen, but nothing that is going to stick with me too much. I will say that I really do like the album cover on here, it's a pretty cool piece of art that honestly kind of captures the sound somehow, I'm into it. Favorite song: The Cisco Kid Other: The World Is A Ghetto 8/6/24

Rings Around The World

Super Furry Animals

4/5

I started listening to this at work a few days earlier, but was feeling a bit burned out on new albums so only got about halfway through and didn't come back to it for a few days. I'm glad I came back a bit more refreshed, because this was super enjoyable. This thing has a really unique sound, it has moments where it kind of sounds like other artists (I got a Saint Motel vibe a few times), but for the most part it just sounds really fresh and interesting. I guess I'd call it like alt-rock, but it has a bunch of other sounds too (electronic, pop, metal, punk...). There are a few songs where it strays a bit beyond my enjoyment (a few of the electronic riffs linger a bit), but overall just a super enjoyable listen. This also has two of my favorite songs that I've heard recently on here, so the peak is high. "Juxtaposed with U" is just such a fun bouncy rock-soul track, it's been stuck in my head for days now. "It's Not the End of the World?" is a bit slower, but is also super strong. Awesome album overall, I enjoyed this a lot. Favorite song: Juxtaposed with U Other: Sidewalk Serfer Girl, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, It’s Not the End of the World, Shoot Doris Day, No Sympathy, Presidential Suite, Run! Christian Run! 8/10/24

Illmatic

Nas

4/5

This was really impressive, I liked this a lot. It's one of those albums for me where even when I wasn't like wildly loving a song, I still felt that something important was happening. This might be the most "New York" album that I've gotten on here (though there's a few contenders). Nas was only 20 when this came out, and it's really just an autobiographical piece about his life in the Queensbridge Houses. It's a bit bleak for sure, but not in an overwhelming way that some of the other hard rap albums fall into. He just comes across as an incredibly talented writer and storyteller that ended up in a really tough place. All older rap sounds a bit dated (and this has it's moments), but I'd say it falls into that less so than a lot of the other '80s and '90s albums I've gotten on here. My biggest issue is that this doesn't have a major stand-out track to me ("N.Y. State of Mind" seems to be the most popular, but it's like my third or fourth favorite song on here). "The World Is Yours" is great, and "Life's a Bitch" stands out too, but this one really works more as a whole work to me. Favorite song: The World Is Yours Other: N.Y. State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, Halftime, Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent, It Ain't Hard to Tell 8/16/24

Modern Kosmology

Jane Weaver

2/5

This seems to be pretty obscure, I was firmly into the indie-folk scene by 2017 and I've never heard of Jane Weaver. I'd call this like folktronica, it has very light understated vocals, but it's generally a pretty electronic sound. I really thought I might like this more than I did. It kind of has this Tame Impala thing going on with the sound, and on the vocals if I squint I kind of get like an Aldous Harding or Angel Olsen a bit, but it just kind of fell flat to me. She's been around for a long time and is clearly talented, and this kind of feels like it should be in my wheelhouse, but it just didn't really do much for me. Basically nothing stood out that I really enjoyed, it was pretty middle of the road at best. I could definitely see this growing on me eventually, but it's a miss right now. Favorite song: Modern Kosmology Other: H>A>K, Slow Motion, The Lightning Back 8/17/24

Manassas

Stephen Stills

3/5

272 albums in and I think I found the most middle-of-the-road '70s rock album that's out there. There is nothing at all wrong with this album, but there is also very little that makes it stand out in any way. It has a nice folk-y sound throughout (with the occasional foray into a full country sound), it's generally a mid-tempo, soft vibe, it's nice. Not particularly groundbreaking, but nice. This is a double album, meaning you get 71 whole minutes of the soft melodies of Stephen Stills. I really don't have much else to say about it, it is what it is. Favorite song: Colorado Other: Song of Love, Jet Set (Sigh), Both of Us (Bound to Lose), So Begins the Task, Johnny's Garden, Bound to Fall, How Far, 8/18/24

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

4/5

In a four day stretch I've gotten the top two albums on the Billboard list of greatest rap albums of all time (this is #2, Illmatic is #1). It's hard not to compare to Illmatic since I listened to it a few days ago, and they're very different. This came out two years earlier and is west coast hip hop (Illmatic was a very New York album). This album is somehow both a lot lighter and more wild at the same time. Illmatic felt more poetic, a talented writer giving you a glimpse into his life in the NYC projects. This is much more outlandish, lots of ridiculous lyrics, sex, drugs, all kinds of nonsense. Lots of dick sucking going on. There's a song called "Deeez Nuuuts", that speaks for itself. There are also lots of little interludes here, "The Doctor's Office" has someone trying to see the doctor while he's having sex in the background. It's mostly this kind of thing, but then everyone is randomly shooting each other occasionally too. It's a lot. This sounds kind of negative, but I generally enjoyed it. There's a lot of catchy beats, and the front half of the album has some great songs. "Nuthin' But A "G" Thang" is iconic, and "Let Me Ride" is awesome too. This also heavily features a young Snoop Dogg. Now Snoop is the guy that's on NBC's Olympics coverage with Martha Stewart, so the mental image of him that I have here is kind of funny. But honestly he's great on this, and complements Dre really well. If you forced me to pick I think I'd say I like Illmatic a little better than this, but this definitely has the best song (probably the two best songs really). They're both great, and so different that it's probably not even worth comparing as much as I just did. My biggest knock here is that there's a bit of a comparatively weak stretch on the back half, and this is 62 minutes total so it could probably have cut a few songs. Still great though, no major complaints here. Favorite song: Nuthin' But A "G" Thang Other: Fuck Wit Dr. Dre (And Everybody’s Celebratin’), Let Me Ride, Deeez Nuuuts, Lil' Ghetto Boy, Lyrical Gangbang, Bitches Ain't Shit 8/19/24

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield

5/5

I got "A Girl Called Dusty" (her debut album) about 50 albums ago on here. I liked it a lot, but it was mostly covers and felt a bit unpolished to me. This is the follow-up that I didn't know I needed, this thing was great. This album came 5 years later and is really impressive. A white British woman doing a pop-soul thing really shouldn't work as well as it does, but it does. Dusty's voice is phenomenal, she really puts a ton of emotion into it, it's really great. The background instrumentals are really strong here too, it feels varied and consistently interesting for the time. If I'm going to knock anything it's that she didn't seem to write much herself (Carole King wrote a few of these), and there are still a handful of covers on here. But so what, that's kind of how it was back then, hard to knock her too much. Coming out in 1969, this is a bit of a callback to an earlier time as things were shifting more to rock music. Dusty manages to make this still feel pretty fresh though, and it feels like a precursor to something like Amy Winehouse many years later. This also has one top-tier song, "Son of a Preacher Man" is a classic. I was on the fence, but I really enjoyed listening to this and I think it's enough for a 5 for me. Awesome album. This is definitely making its way into the Sunday morning rotation. Favorite song: Son Of A Preacher Man Other: Just A Little Lovin', So Much Love, Don't Forget About Me, Breakfast In Bed, The Windmills Of Your Mind, No Easy Way Down, I Can't Make It Alone 8/21/24

Atomizer

Big Black

2/5

The best song on the album is about how the guy is bored so he sets things on fire. Honestly this isn't really my thing, but I get the appeal. It's super noisy and industrial, the sound is strong. The lyrics are intense and dark, but are pretty tight and pack a punch. It's not wildly different than like Sonic Youth, but something about it just doesn't work quite as well for me. This is Steve Albini's band, and he would end up becoming much more famous for his work as a recording engineer. He passed away a few months ago and, while I don't love this particular album, I'm glad I heard it and appreciate his contribution to the music world. Favorite song: Kerosene Other: Passing Complexion, Stinking Drunk 8/21/24

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

This is Jimi Hendrix's third and final studio album, and the first of him that I'm coming across on the list. This is album is really great, a perfect use of the double album. It's definitely a psychedelic rock album, and probably a "hard rock" album in a lot of ways (he shreds on the guitar throughout). It's so much more than that though, it's got some blues, some funk, weird synth-y fuzzy sounds. It's dense, but consistently unique and interesting. It just feels way ahead of it's time in a way that I can't really pinpoint. Honestly I was leaning towards a 4 on first listen, but I'm listening to this back and I don't really know what I would take a star away from. It just feels raw and unique. The "All Along the Watchtower" cover near the end is a classic. Great album overall. Favorite song: All Along the Watchtower Other: Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland), Crosstown Traffic, Voodoo Chile, Little Miss Strange, Long Hot Summer Night, Come On (Let the Good Times Roll), Burning of the Midnight Lamp, 1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be), House Burning Down, Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 8/23/24

Out of Step

Minor Threat

1/5

This is the only studio album from this band, but the lead singer would go on to be the lead for Fugazi. This is pretty hardcore punk, short songs, dirty sounding drums and guitars, loud vocals. It’s not really my thing. I like punk that’s a bit more polished, I struggle with this ‘80s hardcore stuff. I recognize that it probably had a big impact on what followed, but that doesn’t really make me like it that much. Also like their whole thing I guess is “straight edge” punk, so they have all these hardcore songs but the lyrics are how they don’t drink or do drugs or have sex (literally the lyrics of “Out of Step”). A little odd, but sure. I guess it’s different than what was mostly going on. This is also only 21 minutes, and while I appreciated being able to get it over with quick and move on with my life, it’s barely a full album. This is definitely the shortest thing I’ve come across on this list yet, and I can’t imagine much being shorter. Favorite song: Look Back and Laugh Other: Cashing In 8/24/24

Eagles

3/5

This is like the ultimate Dad rock album. Pretty much everything is just this light and breezy soft rock sound. Lots of harmonies, a little Southern twang. Completely inoffensive. I liked Hotel California a lot, but this didn't do it as much for me. It starts strong with "Take It Easy", but never quite gets back to that level again ("Peaceful Easy Feeling" gets close near the end). There's a few decent tracks here and there, but a few pretty big misses too ("Chug All Night" is a rough listen, the lyrics are cringe-inducing). This is alright overall, but not exceptional to me. There's a few songs for the playlist, but I probably don't need to hear the whole thing again. A decent easy-listening album, but not their best. Favorite song: Take It Easy Other: Witchy Woman, Nightingale, Train Leaves Here This Morning, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Tryin' 8/29/24

Blur

4/5

This is my 4th Blur album on here. I'm pretty sure there's only one or two other bands that I've gotten 3 albums from yet. I've given them all 3 stars so far, but I can confidently say that there's too much Blur on this list. I guess it's what you get when the author of the book is a British man that was around during the Britpop era. With all that said, I am very sure that Blur is not a band that is ever going to be life changing to me, but this was also my favorite Blur album yet. I feel obliged to give it a 4 to make it stand ahead of all the others. I think I've probably said enough about Blur the band in previous reviews. Blur is barely known in the US at this point, with one major exception. "Song 2" is undoubtedly one of the biggest sports anthems still today. "Song 2" is the second song on this album, so I can finally comment on it. My take is that it slaps. Overplayed? Sure. Did Blur write it as a parody of American rock bands? Possibly. Doesn't matter, still slaps. Woo-hoo. This album is a bit long (56 minutes) and it definitely has a few weak spots, but there's a lot of good stuff on here. It's definitely a more late-90s American-sounding rock album than their previous albums (though they're still aggressively British). Lots of fun songs though, the vibe is good. I feel like it's probably blasphemy to a Brit to say this is your favorite Blur album, but here we are. Favorite song: Song 2 Other: Beetlebum, M.O.R., On Your Own, You're so Great, Look Inside America, Movin' On, Essex Dogs 8/29/24

Melodrama

Lorde

3/5

I actually like Lorde reasonably well and I thought I might like this one more than I did. Pure Heroine was a massive hit (I imagine it might be on this list too) and I actually liked her 2021 release Solar Power (though it doesn't seem to have gotten as good reviews), but this one had fallen through the cracks for me. While I enjoyed it enough, it fell a little flat on the whole to me. As the name alludes to, it's moody and dramatic, so that's generally the vibe throughout ("bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark"). There's two great songs on here ("Green Light" and "Liability"). I think Lorde does a much better job than most of her 2010s pop peers at having interesting instrumentation and layered backgrounds. Even when a song is based around a pretty basic pop drum beat, she does a pretty good job of creating a more interesting sound. This has lots of distortions and things that I liked. I think she's at her best when she's centering a song around a strong piano sound and shows off both her pop vocals and her more slow-paced ballad-y abilities ("Green Light" does both, "Liability" more of the latter). She's also a pretty talented songwriter. It's not Dylan, and there are a few slightly cringey moments, but she does a pretty good job on the whole lyrically. "Liability" is a pretty crushing song honestly, it's to-the-point but well-written and very sad. Outside of the two great songs, I just struggled to get too into much else on here though. There's plenty of reasonably catchy songs, but little that I felt like really showcased her at her best. At worst, I think it fell a little into the hip-hop type beats that were bit around the time in pop music and don't really show off what she's best at ("Homemade Dynamite" for example). Overall, a solid modern album that probably deserves to be on the list, but falls into the "decent" category for me. Probably near a 3.5, but a round down. Favorite song: Green Light Other: The Louvre, Liability, Sober II (Melodrama), Writer In The Dark, Perfect Places 9/2/24

Ananda Shankar

2/5

Ever wonder what it would be like if you gave a '70s psychedelic rock band a sitar? Me neither. But now I know. I did not particularly like this album (the sitar is a bit of an acquired taste I think), but I kind of respect what he was going for. It's like a blend of early Western rock and traditional Indian music. It definitely leans more traditional (the sitar is heavily featured throughout), but it's fairly unique. Very limited lyrics, but there's a bit here and there. Not really my thing at all (the 13-minute song near the end really got annoying), but I'll throw him a second star for being unique. It also opens with a "Jumpin' Jack Flack" cover which was kind of fun. Favorite song: Light My Fire Other: Jumpin' Jack Flash 9/5/24

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

3/5

First Eric Clapton album on here, and we know he's a real gem of a person (/s). I try to not let awful people influence my ratings, but I also found this album to be pretty mediocre. It's very bluesy, lots of guitar solos (and he can play the guitar well of course). Every song is unnecessarily long though, and the double album (76 minutes) just kind of drags on in a bit of an uninteresting way. It feels like a knockoff Rolling Stones album or something, with less variety than they usually give. It's not terrible or anything, and I know it's pretty highly reviewed generally (and "Layla" is a classic of course). This just isn't something that I feel like I need to listen to in full again, and very few tracks really stood out to me. Fine album, bad person, meh overall. I definitely think I'm losing a bit of my early steam on '70s soft rockers at this point in the list. It was all new to me for awhile, but not so much anymore. Favorite song: Layla Other: Bell Bottom Blues, Keep On Growing, Tell The Truth, Have You Ever Loved A Woman? 9/7/24

Iron Maiden

2/5

I've never listened to Iron Maiden before, but I see a lot of their t-shirts around. Not sure what to make of that exactly. It's pretty much what I thought it'd be. Hard early '80s rock, lots of guitar riffs, raspy vocals. I liked it a bit more than I expected to honestly, but my expectations were super low to begin with. It's just not really my thing, but I can see the appeal. I did think about the Alice Cooper album that I gave a 5 to when listening to this because it's more or less in the same realm (and then "No More Mister Nice Guy" came on right after this ended). That album was better for sure, but still a weird day that I liked that as much as I did. Oh well, it is what it is. Favorite song: Remember Tomorrow Other: Phantom of the Opera, Strange World, Iron Maiden 9/10/24

White Ladder

David Gray

3/5

This is an interesting one, it's like a '90s soft rock thing, but with an unexpected amount of electronic beats (mixed in with traditional acoustic guitars and piano and whatnot). It's very much "man with guitar bares his soul", but with a bit of an electronic twist. I got a bit of a Tracy Chapman vibe at times (but worse); a better comparison is probably like James Blunt or less pop version of Ed Sheeran. Overall it's not terrible, but also not particularly interesting for the most part. There are some enjoyable moments though, "Babylon" is a great song, "This Year's Love" is a solid ballad, and there's a few other nice tracks throughout. Probably closer to a 3.5, but leaning towards rounding down. Favorite song: Bablyon Other: Please Forgive Me, We're Not Right, Nightblindness, Silver Lining, This Year's Love, Sail Away, Say Hello Wave Goodbye 9/11/24

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

3/5

On to post-Ziggy Stardust Bowie here. Part of me thinks I'm being too critical lately, but the first half of this album was pretty underwhelming to me, it felt a little generic '70s glam rock, and not a ton stood out to me. It did pick up a bit in the second half though, and the back-to-back tracks "Time" and "The Prettiest Star" felt the most "Bowie" to me. Even underwhelming Bowie is still pretty good, but this definitely didn't do it for me as much as Hunky Dory. It's probably a 3.5, but I'm being a tough critic lately so I'll keep that going. Favorite song: The Prettiest Start Other: Drive-in Saturday, Cracked Actor, Time, Let's Spend the Night Together, The Jean Genie, Lady Grinning Soul 9/13/24

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

3/5

Ok so I knew the hits from this album ("Scar Tissue", "Otherside", and "Californication"), and while I'm not a huge RHCP fan or anything, I figured I'd probably enjoy this. Turns out I wasn't missing much beyond the hits. I'm giving this a 3 because the best songs are great, but I don't think I've come across an album with such a wide variance in how I felt. I swear basically every song was either awesome or almost painfully bad, with very little in between. It's definitely not nu metal, but I had moments where this reminded me of Limp Bizkit (which is not a good thing). I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here, but I just really thought this was all over the board. It's closer to a 2 than a 4 for me, but the hits are good enough to keep it at a 3. You can comfortably ignore the rest. Favorite song: Otherside Other: Scar Tissue, Californication, Porcelain, Savior, Road Trippin' 9/20/24

Whatever

Aimee Mann

3/5

This whole album was really nice, but not really particularly interesting at any point. She has a nice voice, she’s clearly a very talented songwriter (the best part of this), and something about it just was a bit lackluster to me. I'm really struggling to pinpoint it exactly, because I feel like I should like this more than I did. The songwriting is really strong, "4th of July" is beautiful and a bit haunting, "Jacob Marley's Chain" and "Mr. Harris" were unique and interesting. "I've Had It" is a really strong track near the end of the album. But I don't know, something is missing a bit. I could totally see something like this growing on me over time, but we will see. It's giving me PJ Harvey vibes, but PJ feels a bit more dynamic to me. Anyway, today it's solid, but a bit unexceptional. Favorite song: I’ve Had It Other: I Should’ve Known, 4th Of July, Put Me On Top, Stupid Thing, Jacob Marley’s Chain, Mr. Harris 9/23/24

The College Dropout

Kanye West

4/5

Ok I think I finally get the Kanye thing now. I wrote a bit about my Kanye thoughts when I got Yeezus on here, but generally he's a bit hard to take seriously now for me. But when you go back to where it started, it starts to make a lot of sense. I'm no rap expert, but this feels like a huge step forward from what was happening in the late '90s and early '00s. The samples are fun, the vibe is good, it's an enjoyable sound overall. And the lyrics are really about diverse topics, are thoughtful and funny, it's impressive. It's hard to imagine him humble and trying to break through now, but he was and he made something great. It has some down moments that hold it back a little for me. The skits between songs are a bit hit or miss, some of them are pretty funny (the school spirit ones), others break up the flow a bit too much for me. The last song was a bit unnecessary, and there are a few other songs that didn't interest me as much, but generally this is really great. "All Falls Down" gives it a top-tier song too. One other thing, but "Jesus Walks" was really striking to hear. It's an overtly religious song, and hits on Kanye's devotion to Jesus and how it isn't respected in the music industry. It really stood out to listen to, partly because that theme isn't common in music, and partly because of what Kanye is today. It's not my favorite song, and the message doesn't really land with me personally, but I found it to be a pretty interesting one looking at Kanye 20 years later. Anyway, this is a very solid album, one of my favorite rap albums on here so far. Finally understanding the Kanye appeal a bit. Favorite song: All Falls Down Other: We Don't Care, Jesus Walks, Never Let Me Down, Get Em High, Slow Jamz, School Spirit, Through The Wire, Family Business 9/27/24

The Visitors

ABBA

4/5

I've been waiting for some ABBA, it's an interesting place to start though. This is ABBA's 8th album, and their final album before a 40-year hiatus (they released a 9th album in 2021). I didn't know much about ABBA, but it's two married couples, and this album came at a point where one of them was already broken up, and the other was in the process of it. Not particularly shocking, but this is a bit more dark and moody than the hits that I know of theirs, and definitely more synth-heavy of a sound (but still very much lighter '70s-'80s in the grand scheme of things). I really enjoyed this a lot. It wasn't quite what I was expecting given what I know about ABBA, but it managed to be both serious and fun at the same time. Like "Slipping Through My Fingers" is this emotional song about a mother feeling her daughter is growing up too fast, and "Two For The Price Of One" is this ridiculous but catchy song about a guy responding to an ad for two women. Completely goofy, but a fun beat and somewhat-needed comedic relief on this album. It also has some Cold War themes on here (definitely relevant for '80s Sweden). The album lacked a real standout song to me and there were a couple of meh tracks on a relatively short album (38 minute original release), but overall an enjoyable listen with a bit more depth than I expected for ABBA. Favorite song: One Of Us Other: The Visitors, Head Over Heels, When All Is Said And Done, Soldiers, Two For The Price Of One, Slipping Through My Fingers 9/28/24

Screamadelica

Primal Scream

4/5

Ok this is one that took a bit of time for me, but it started to grow on me a lot during a relisten. Here's what I wrote after the first listen: This is another album where I felt the highs were really high, and the lows were quite low. It is also pretty much entirely about drugs, so I'm sure the highs were high for them too. This starts incredibly hot, "Movin' on Up" is one of the catchier songs that I've heard in quite a while. It's also very much on the alt-rock side of the spectrum for this album (there's a guitar solo in the middle). The album is really more of an electronic-dance album more than an alt-rock album, but it's a pretty diverse sound throughout. Nothing quite reaches "Movin' on Up" again, which is a bit disappointing, but there's still plenty of other good songs on here. There's a really strong stretch in the middle of the album, in particular "Come Together", "Loaded", and "Damaged" back-to-back-to-back. "Come Together" gets an asterisk because the original album version isn't available on Spotify, so I listened to the Terry Farley remix (which seems to be the single that was released in the US, and also seems to be the more popular version). Anyway, it's great, a really great upbeat vibe. "Loaded" is solid too, and then "Damaged" totally slows it down with this totally sad little love song out of nowhere. A really solid stretch here. The end of the album was a little weak for me, but it leaned a bit more into the dance vibe which is less of my thing. I'm not quite sure what to make of this honestly. It didn't totally blow me away, but there was definitely some really interesting stuff on here and I definitely liked it a lot more than most of the electronic-heavy music that I've listened to. This album was the first Mercury Prize winner and seems to have pretty universal critical acclaim, but this is also a genre where I tend to struggle a bit. The genre isn't quite the same, but it reminds me a bit of the Super Furry Animals album that I got fairly recently. A few really standout songs, and then a big range of songs that were a bit hit-or-miss otherwise. Side note, but I really like the album cover, I would buy this just for the album art. Now back to the present. I basically still feel the same way, but I think the lows are not quite as bad as I first thought, and the highs are still really good. I'm into this a lot, it's super unique, has a really good mix of songs, and a few top tier tracks. I saw a pristine copy of this browsing at a record store last night for $60. Passed on it for Dire Straits debut album, but feel like maybe I missed out. Favorite song: Movin' on Up Other: Higher Than the Sun, Inner Flight, Come Together, Loaded, Damaged, I'm Coming Down, Shine Like Stars 10/1/24

L.A. Woman

The Doors

3/5

This is my first Doors album on here, and it's their last before Jim Morrison died. I didn't dislike this at all, but it's very much a Blues rock album, and I struggle a bit with the Blues rock thing. "Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm" are probably the best songs on here, and they're a little bit more in the psychedelic rock side of things. But a lot of the rest of the album is a heavy Blues sound, and I find it a harder style for me to get into and harder for bands to stand out to me. I could see myself coming around to this more once I get a little better sense of the Doors other music, but for now it's perfectly ok but a little unexceptional to me. Favorite song: Riders on the Storm Other: The Changeling, Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman, L'America 10/2/24

Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds

2/5

This album was quite the experience. First, it doesn't really even have a name. They released it as Yardbirds in the UK, in a few other countries as Over Under Sideways Down, but now most people call it Roger the Engineer because of the weird dude drawn on the cover. I like the psychedelic rock era quite a bit, and honestly this is not one of the best releases of the era. On first listen I was leaning towards giving this a 2, I briefly flirted with rounding up, but I think I'm going to stick with my gut. There's a few decent parts, "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" is pretty catchy, and while a lot of the songs are completely ridiculous some of them are a fun enough listen. That said I'm not super into the vocals, and like half the songs sound like there's some Dr. Suess instrument in the background ("Hot House of Omagarashid). Maybe I'm being a bit too mean here, but this was a bit unexceptional to me. Favorite song: Over, Under, Sideways, Down Other: Lost Women, I Can't Make Your Way, What Do You Want, Ever Since the World Began 10/3/24

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

4/5

So I had only listened to Iggy Pop as part of The Stooges before, and this is really not that at all. This basically sounds like a Bowie album (which makes sense, because it was his second collaboration album with Bowie, he wrote most of the songs on this). In my mind Iggy Pop is the guy with with the punk sound and his shirt off doing crazy things on stage, but this is a completely different thing. I mean, look at the cover. Honestly, it's really good though. "Lust For Life" is a super catchy opener and it stays strong throughout. There's a few misses here and there, but it's really consistently strong with a few great tracks ("The Passenger" seems to be his biggest solo hit, and it's great). I really enjoyed this one, very solid top to bottom. Favorite song: The Passenger Other: Lust For Life, Some Weird Sin, Tonight, Turn Blue, Neighborhood Threat, Fall In Love With Me 10/4/24

Rattus Norvegicus

The Stranglers

3/5

This is very much a '70s punk album through and through. I generally enjoyed it well enough, there's a lot of solid guitar riffs and strong basslines, the lyrics are a bit coarse at times ("Peaches" for sure, which is one of their better-known songs; "walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches") but more or less fine. All that said, I feel like this one isn't going to stick with me much. There wasn't a ton that really stood out in a major way. I can see it being somewhat striking in the '70s UK punk scene, but it falls a bit flatter now. Another one that's a good enough listen, but that's it for me. Favorite song: Hanging Around Other: Sometimes, Goodbye Toulouse, Peaches, (Get A) Grip [On Yourself] 10/5/24

Rising Above Bedlam

Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart

2/5

I have very little to say about this album, so instead I'm must going to paste this section of his Wikipedia page: "By 1985 Jah Wobble's heavy drinking and drunken brawls were having an effect on his life. Halfway through the recording of the album Psalms (October 1986), Wobble stopped drinking. From then through to the present day he has remained 'clean and sober'. He then did a variety of day jobs, whilst continuing to perform and record his music in what spare time he had. These jobs included a long stretch with the London Underground. In an oft-quoted tale, it is related that he once, at Tower Hill Underground Station via the public address system, regaled commuters with the deadpan announcement, "I used to be somebody. I repeat, I used to be somebody."" This one is a bit strange. It's a British dude doing a take on "world music", which seems to be the classification that everyone gives this, but it really doesn't feel very descriptive at all to me. As you might expect, the music does not sound very British, but the vocals are unmistakably British. I don't particularly like his voice very much, it's a bit annoying. Also Sinead O'Connor shows up on "Visions of You". I didn't really enjoy this very much. There's some interesting enough beats that I'll round up to 2 stars, but it's close. Not my thing. Favorite song: Wonderful World Other: Visions of You, Bomba 10/6/24

Doolittle

Pixies

4/5

This is really a very good album, pretty much without a doubt. That said, I listened to it the first time through and while I enjoyed it a lot, I felt like something was holding me back from being a 5-star album for me. I'm reading more about this, and I'm pretty sure it's that this thing sounds firmly like a '90s album, but it came out in 1989. This is basically a grunge album before the grunge-peak. Apparently Kurt Cobain thought they were going to get ripped because "Smells Like Teen Spirit" sounds like a Pixies song. One thing I really like about the Pixies is Kim Deal's backup vocals. I think Black Francis has a good enough voice and all, but the two together just add a lot of depth to the sound. I'm listening to this again, and I really enjoy it on the whole, but there's still some misses for me on here. All of the songs are super short, which I do kind of like, and there's a lot of great stuff on here. "Here Comes Your Man", "Debaser", and "Hey" are all top-tier songs. Call it a 4.5 album, I do think it's a little better than Surfer Rosa (though I think "Where Is My Mind?" is still my favorite Pixies song so far). Favorite song: Here Comes Your Man Other: Debaser, Wave of Mutilation, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Mr. Grieves, La La Love You, Hey, Gouge Away 10/7/24

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

3/5

This is The Smith's second album that I've gotten on here, and their fourth and final album as a band. I really feel like I should like The Smiths sound ('80s indie rock!), but it hasn't quite hit for me yet. Basically everything on here I find perfectly enjoyable, but a bit unexceptional. The front half of this one is also quite a bit stronger than the back half. "Death of a Disco Dancer" does not seem to be one of their bigger hits, but it was the real standout on here for me. It was really striking in kind of a beautiful-but-haunting way. Apparently it's also the only song on any of their albums where Morrissey plays an instrument (piano). "Girlfriend in a Coma" is the hit on this one, and it's catchy as hell but the lyrics are kind of hilarious. "Unhappy Birthday" is also pretty hilarious. "I Won't Share You" is a strong closer. I really like to think that one day The Smiths are just going to click for me, but until then this is solid but nothing more. Favorite song: Death of a Disco Dancer Other: A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours, I Started Something I Couldn't Finish, Girlfriend in a Coma, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, Unhappy Birthday, I Won't Share You 10/8/24

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

5/5

My god, the woman from Portlandia dropped an absolute banger. I had never heard of Sleater-Kinney before, and had no clue the Portlandia actress did music, but she does and it's awesome. This is one of the most catchy punk albums that I've heard before. Their sound is so big (with only three people in the band), basically every song has some guitar riff that lodges its way in my head, the drums are super powerful (and I rarely notice the drums), the singer's voice is super unique. I've listened to this like 4 times in the last 24 hours, this is awesome. For some history, I guess Sleater-Kinney is considered to be part of the "riot grrrl" movement (which is a stupid name) but was a woman-led indie/punk rock movement on the west coast in the '90s. This album really does highlight how underrepresented woman-led bands are on this list. It's a pretty huge miss in my opinion, but it at least allows me to enjoy things like this when they come up. Also my favorite song on here is "One More Hour", which apparently is about two of the band members breaking up. Sad it didn't work out, but it's an awesome song. "Buy Her Candy" is another standout for me later in the album. I don't have much else to say about this, just one of those completely new albums to me that I really loved. I should watch Portlandia again. Favorite song: One More Hour Other: Dig Me In, Turn It On, The Drama You've Been Craving, Heart Factory, Words and Guitar, Little Babies, Not What You Want, Buy Her Candy, Dance Song '97, Jenny 10/9/24

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

3/5

This is Missy Elliott's debut album, coming out 5 years before Under Construction (which I got 152 albums ago on here). There are a whole lot of collaborators on this one, you get appearances from Timbaland (the producer), Lil' Kim, Aaliyah, Busta Rhymes, and a bunch of other people that I've never heard of before (including some dude named Magoo). This is another one that's a little bit underwhelming to me listening to now, but I think the context is probably important. This thing comes out basically right in the middle of the whole east-vs-west coast rivalry, and a lot of the rap music was really bleak and violent. Missy is definitely not the first female rapper, but it was definitely hugely male-dominated at the time too. And then she drops this and it avoids the whole rivalry and is both witty and funny. It also sounds much more like a 2000s album than a '90s album to me, which I think is a testament to Timbaland's production. This feels "old" today, but nothing like a lot of the early '90s rap albums. My issue with this is that, frankly, I find it a bit boring. She has some moments, but the pace is a bit slow throughout and there just isn't a ton that's captured my attention here. Under Construction had some standout songs ("Work It" for sure) that this one doesn't quite have for me. It's consistent, but not in a way that I'm loving. Anyway, it's alright. One of those that deserves to be on the list for its impact on the genre, but not particularly notable to me. Favorite song: Izzy Izzy Ahh Other: Sock It 2 Me, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), Beep Me 911, Pass da Blunt, Best Friends, Why You Hurt Me 10/10/24

The Yes Album

Yes

2/5

Album #300! I'm a little under a year and a half into this, making a some good progress and really enjoying it on the whole. This is my second Yes album, this one came a year before Close to the Edge (which I think I listened to exactly a year ago at album #49). I have to be honest, I don't think I get the Yes thing. It's like super "prog-y" prog rock. I think they're clearly very talented musicians, but I just feel like every song is just trying to show off how technically good they are and not about actually making enjoyable music. There's a few ok songs on here, but it just gives jam band but the jams aren't particularly fun. I guess I'm a Yes hater, I don't quite get it. Favorite song: I've Seen All Good People Other: Starship Trooper 10/11/24

1999

Prince

4/5

This is Prince's fifth album and it's the one that launched him to major fame (and his first album with his band the Revolution). It's my third Prince album so far on here, adding to Sign o' the Times and Purple Rain. I really don't consider myself to be a huge Prince fan, and I say I don't really like the synth-pop thing, but then I listen to each of these albums and they are all pretty fun. It has so much more of a layered sound than a lot of other '80s synth-pop, so it's probably unfair to just call it that (and probably why I like it more). Overall, I enjoyed this better than Sign o' the Times, though it's a bit short of Purple Rain for me. This is a 70 minute double album, and the first side is really awesome, "1999" is an iconic opener, and then "Little Red Corvette" and " Delirious" are both strong follow-ups. Sides B and C are a little weaker in my opinion, though there are still some enjoyable songs on there. "Let's Pretend We're Married" has a catchy little chorus "ooh wee" thing going on for one. The D side picks things back up a bit though, with "Lady Cab Driver" and "International Lover" the standouts, but also "All the Critics Love U in New York" which is a favorite of mine. My biggest knock on this album is that the songs are all so long. Like 7 of the 10 songs are 7 minutes or longer, and I'm just not sure they really needed to be. In his defense, they're generally pretty dance-y songs, so if you're just bopping along to the vibe out on the dance floor it might work, but as a cohesive album I think it breaks up the flow a bit ("Automatic" is the biggest example for me, I generally don't hate the song, but it's like 9 minutes and just feels like it drags on). Overall a really strong and enjoyable album. I still don't know that I quite fully get Prince, and I'm tempted to call him more of a singles artist than an album artist, but this was solid overall, despite a few shortcomings. Favorite song: 1999 Other: Little Red Corvette, Delirious, Let's Pretend We're Married, Lady Cab Driver, All the Critics Love U in New York, International Lover 10/12/24

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

4/5

I'll admit that I have a real soft spot for this album. To me this might be the best encapsulation of the 2000s indie pop scene. It has three of the most iconic songs of the era ("Time To Pretend", "Electric Feel", and "Kids"), it has this understated synth-y electronic-y sound that feels so 2000s, and somehow still feels pretty fresh to me (despite the hits being overplayed at this point). I wasn't as familiar with the rest of the album outside the big three songs, and there were a couple of really solid ones. "The Youth" was a standout for me, a much slower vibe but really strong, "4th Dimension Transition" has this frantic feeling that's cool, "Pieces of What" has slightly annoying vocals but a really solid vibe, there's a lot of good here. I don't know, the rating doesn't really matter that much but I originally was leaning 5 here, but I've been wavering and I'm not sure the back side is quite strong enough. Any album with 3 songs as good as the top 3 on here deserves high praise for sure, and I do like this album a lot, but it's definitely a lot stronger on the first half. Call it a 4.5 and regardless, this is one of the better albums of the era in a genre that I am generally into. Favorite song: Kids Other: Time to Pretend, Weekend Wars, The Youth, Electric Feel, 4th Dimension Transition, Pieces of What, The Handshake 10/14/24

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

4/5

Aretha could probably sing the dictionary and find a way to make it a must-listen. This one has some of her most well-known songs, including the opener "Chain of Fools" and the legendary "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (I'm also partial to the Carole King version that's on Tapestry, she did write the song after all). "People Get Ready" also might showcase her voice as well as any of her songs too, it's beautiful. On the whole, while this was highly enjoyable, I felt that it was just a little less compelling to me than I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You (album #41 for me). I can't even really say why because her voice is the main attraction here and it's as good as ever, but it is what it is. These ratings are mostly vibes anyway, so that's what we're leaning on. I might be wrong. Favorite song: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman Other: Chain of Fools, People Get Ready, Niki Hoeky, (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, Good to Me as I am to You, Groovin', Ain't No Way 10/15/24

Electric Prunes

The Electric Prunes

3/5

I'm learning that I really enjoy (relatively) obscure '60s psychedelic rock bands. These guys probably listened to god knows what growing up in the '40s and '50s, and once they finally realized they could pick up a guitar and do whatever the hell they wanted, my god they did just that. Like many albums of this ilk, it's often not particularly good, often ridiculous. But when it hits it really hits. This one is generally fine, but it also has two of the better songs that I've heard recently. "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" is an absolute banger as an opener. It's weird, has some random drone noises, and it absolutely slaps. Also what a name, I love it, 10/10 song. Then song #2 is completely mediocre, but song #3 manages to follow it up with this beautiful little sub-3-minute heartfelt masterpiece. It legitimately sounds like a Velvet Underground song, it's like "Candy Says" or "Sunday Morning" or something, just a gorgeous sound and striking lyrics "Onie, don't lose what you've got / By being something you're not". Two awesome songs that sound nothing like one another at all. That's what I like about these bands, when they hit they hit. The rest of the album was generally fine, but nothing major stood out to me that much. Apparently the producer made them include more songs than they wanted and they felt that there was some filler on here, I'd be curious to know what songs they felt that way about, because I generally agree that it feels like there's some filler. If you want an example of a ridiculous song from this genre (but kind of fun at least) here is one: "Sold to the Highest Bidder". And some more ridiculous songs that didn't quite hit for me: "The King is in the Counting House", "The Toonerville Trolley" (like what were they thinking here, and as the closing song, very questionable). I appreciate the innovation that was happening in the '60s at least, you need to take some shots in order to score. Favorite song: Onie Other: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night), Train for Tomorrow, Sold to the Highest Bidder, About a Quarter to Nine, Luvin', Try Me on for Size 10/16/24

Club Classics Vol. One

Soul II Soul

3/5

This one just has a nice vibe to it overall. I would basically never actively choose to listen to this, and it's still not particularly my thing, but it definitely has a good vibe to it. Apparently these guys rose to prominence on the Brixton club scene in the '80s, and I definitely get this being solid '80s club music. It's definitely more in smooth '80s land slash early hip hop land though than the more electronic music to come. It does have a fairly diverse sound, there's a few songs that lean a bit more into a traditional African music sound (there's a song called "African Dance" which kind of sounds like Prince meets African music), it's a bit jazzy at times, it's got a little bit of everything. I'm not super into the male vocals on here (though the female vocals are generally strong), but it's solid overall. Not really my thing, but also not bad at all. One interesting note, their biggest song seems to be "Back To Life", which was interesting to me when I first heard it because it's mostly a cappella (until the last minute or so when it picks up a bit). It turns out the version that got big was the single version (called "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)"). It's significantly more dance-y given it has a real beat. I'm not exactly sure what made them choose the more barebones version for the album, but the single version is better I think. Favorite song: Keep On Movin' Other: Fairplay, Feeling Free, Back To Life, Jazzie's Groove 10/17/24

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

3/5

This is basically Beatles-lite. It's got it all, super catchy bop to start it off ("Gotta Get Up"), strong power-ballad ("Without You"), completely ridiculous novelty song ("Coconut"). It's certainly all over the board, but he's clearly talented and it's fun enough. I don't think I had ever heard this guy's name before, but there are some pretty iconic songs on here. I guess he was a favorite of the Beatles and was friends with Lennon and Ringo. You can definitely hear the influence, it's kind of like if The White Album was way shorter and worse. The original release is pretty short (35 minutes) and there's a few covers on here, including "Without You", which is his big hit but was originally recorded by the band Badfinger. Generally solid, though probably a bit forgettable overall (though "Gotta Get Up" has been stuck in my head since I listened to it). Side note, but I never really had thought about who sang the "lime in the coconut" song, now I know. Favorite song: Gotta Get Up Other: Driving Along, Early in the Morning, Down, Without You, Coconut 10/21/24

Elvis Is Back

Elvis Presley

3/5

I'm still not sure that I'm really an Elvis guy, but this one has an interesting backstory at least. Elvis got drafted in 1957 as he was starting to get big, and this was his return to recording after his Army stint. He literally was back. The whole thing is perfectly fine, and it's pretty much I would have expected out of a 1960 Elvis album. I just find him a bit boring on the whole (even compared to some other stuff from roughly the same time). He's got a great voice and I can see the appeal back then, but it just falls a bit flat to me. I also didn't think there were really any songs that stood out too much here, and it doesn't really have any of his popular singles. Anyway, it's ok, but that's it for me. Favorite song: Such a Night Other: Make Me Know It, Fever, The Girl of My Best Friend 10/22/24

Tom Tom Club

2/5

This has one of the catchiest beats that I've heard in a long time, and the rest of the album is borderline unlistenable. I'm not sure exactly what to make of that. Tom Tom Club is the side project of the drummer and bassist from Talking Heads (who also happen to be married to one another). "Genius of Love" is incredibly good, the beat is iconic (Mariah Carey sampled it in one of her most famous songs), it's a certified bop. The lyrics are little ridiculous (Bohannon, Bohannon...), but whatever, it's great. The rest? Not really doing it for me. It starts with "Wordy Rappinghood" which was the other big hit on here, and it's a little catchy but nothing like "Genius of Love". Then you get "Genius of Love" and then it kind of falls apart for me. A few songs were ok, but this was a little too much over the top new wave silliness for my liking. I might be underrating this a bit, but this music is just a bit grating to me (though I find myself being a bit more open to new wave stuff than I used to be, so maybe I'll change my mind after a few hundred more albums). Favorite song: Genius of Love Other: Wordy Rappinghood, Lorelei, Under the Boardwalk 10/23/24

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

1/5

Oof, this one was a tough listen for me. I really didn't know what Pharrell's background was, to me he showed up in like 2013 singing on "Blurred Lines" (very bad), "Get Lucky" (ok), and his own "Happy" (also bad). Apparently he was part of a production duo called The Neptunes, and then him and the other Neptunes guy formed this rap-rock band called N.E.R.D (No-one Ever Really Dies). That's the history. I'll be honest, I was already little negatively polarized on Pharrell (though him making Maggie Rogers famous was cool I guess), and this didn't really help. The rap-rock thing can occasionally work for me, but here it just felt like barely rap combined with completely uninspired pop-rock beats. The lyrics were rough too, it feels like something an 18-year old might write, but he was 31 when this came out. There is the occasional catchy beat here and there, and his vocals are fine, but the good parts are few and far between on a fairly long album. One of the things that people give them credit for was learning the instruments so they could play this live (which I guess they didn't for their first album). I guess that's a little impressive, but maybe just stick to your thing next time. Favorite song: She Wants To Move Other: Breakout, Maybe 10/24/24

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

5/5

This album is just a ton of fun, I don't know how else to describe it. These guys take all the elements of traditional Irish music and then elevate it to make it feel fresh and interesting. It's just such an interesting mix of Celtic music and folk and punk and a whole bunch of other influences. "Love You 'Till The End" is still my favorite Pogues song (at least for now, and I'm guessing it won't be on this list, but it was one of the two songs I picked to play right after my wedding ceremony, along with The Zombies "This Will Be Our Year), but this whole album is just consistently solid top to bottom. It has a standout song of its own too, with "Fairytale of New York". "Thousands Are Sailing" is a close second, an ode to immigrants coming to the US with a bunch of NYC name checks. I'm not sure if this is actually one of the greatest albums of all time or not, but I also don't know what they could have done to make it better. After so many mediocre '70s soft rock and '80s new wave albums on here, this is totally fresh and unique. They find a way to make the punk spirit live in this traditional genre. No notes on my end. RIP Shane MacGowan. Favorite song: Fairytale of New York Other: If I Should Fall from Grace with God, Turkish Song of the Damned, Bottle of Smoke, Thousands Are Sailing, Fiesta, Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six, Lullaby of London, The Broad Majestic Shannon, The Irish Rover 10/25/24

Moby Grape

3/5

This is another SF-based Summer of Love rock album. Wikipedia classifies this as psychedelic rock, and I definitely don't disagree, but it's a bit less on the experimental side and a bit more mainstream-ish (like an American version of early The Who or something, "Fall on You" kind of sounds like a Who song to me). It's solid overall, and "8:05" is a really strong highlight, it really showcases the lead singer's voice on a slowed-down song. "Changes" is also super unique and feels ahead of its time a bit. That said, I know that this one is going to stick with me a ton, there isn't a ton else that really stands out to me (compared to like Surrealistic Pillow, which is from the same era and is stronger to me). The band seems like an interesting one though. This album seemed to do pretty well, and then they proceeded to pretty much immediately fall apart, with drug addictions and mental illnesses and legal issues with their manager. It seems like they hung on in various iterations for awhile, but never quite topped this. This is probably in the 3.5 range, it's definitely a solid album, but I don't think there's quite enough for me to round up. For record keeping purposes, very little of this is on Spotify for some reason, so there will be some missing songs in the playlist. Favorite song: 8:05 Other: Mr. Blues, Fall On You, Come In The Morning, Omaha, Ain't No Use, Changes, Lazy Me, Indifference 10/26/24

Call of the Valley

Shivkumar Sharma

3/5

This is a 1968 instrumental Indian music album (Hindustani classical music if Wikipedia is to be believed). Also if Wikipedia is to be believed, a bunch of famous Western musicians (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, David Crosby, Bob Dylan) all liked this. That's basically a full summary of the Wikipedia page. It sounds like what might be softly playing in the background of a nice relaxing yoga class. It's actually quite enjoyable. A bit hard for me to compare to any other vaguely Indian-sounding instrumental music that I've heard before, but also perfectly enjoyable. A solid listen for a Sunday evening. A minor note, but the Spotify button on this page takes you to some album that was released in 2012 and sounds a bit more modern, with Anglicized song titles and song lengths that don't match what Wikipedia says. I found a Youtube version that seems to match, so that's what I'm going with as the actual album. This does mean it won't make my Spotify playlist though, so I'm sad to have it excluded. Favorite song: Bhoop Other: Ahir Bhairav/Nat Bhairav 10/27/24

Elvis Presley

3/5

Second Elvis album in a week, it's more or less the same thing. This is his debut album and is probably my favorite of the three that I've gotten on here, but it still just doesn't do a ton for me on the whole. It's mostly covers (not surprising for the time) and is definitely a bit more raw than some of his later stuff. This one does have a few famous songs, including the opener "Blue Suede Shoes". "I'm Counting on You" comes next, and it doesn't seem to a super big song of his but I thought it was the standout on here. "Blue Moon" has a nice vibe too. If the other two Elvis albums on here are 3s this is probably a 3.5, but not sure there's enough to round up for me. This one is also notable for the cover art, which is both iconic and has been mimicked a few times over the years by other artists (most famously The Clash's London Calling). Favorite song: I'm Counting on You Other: Blue Suede Shoes, I Got a Woman, I Love You Because, Just Because, Tutti Frutti, Trying to Get to You, I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin'), Blue Moon 10/28/24

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

5/5

I have to be honest here. I wasn't really looking forward to this at all. Stevie Wonder just feels really old and uncool to me. Like basically everyone on this list is old now, but something about him just feels a bit forced. Like he was so popular back in the day that I want to think I'm edgy and cool and don't like Stevie Wonder. Anyway, I was obviously wrong. This was incredibly good. It's ok to be popular sometimes, you can be popular and good. I apologies for my error. Since this is my first Stevie Wonder album, a bit of additional context. He was 26 when this came out, and it was already his 18th studio album. That's a lot of albums. His first one came out when he was 12 years old. Honestly kind of impressive that he was able to keep the quality up for so long. This thing is just incredibly smooth and easy to listen to. It has some hits, it has some slower songs where he shows off the vocals, the background instruments are jazzy and interesting, he wrote all the songs. It's a beast at an hour and forty-five minutes (including a bonus EP that was included in the album), but it somehow manages to be good throughout. I don't know what else to add, it's just great. It won a Grammy, sold a fuck ton of albums, what more is there to say. Great album. Favorite song: Sir Duke Other: Love's In Need Of Love Today, Have A Talk With God, Contusion, I Wish, Knocks Me Off My Feet, Pastime Paradise, Summer Soft, Ordinary Pain, Isn't She Lovely, If It's Magic, As, Ebony Eyes 10/29/24

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

4/5

This is low key just two full albums that are more or less unrelated. This is the 5th of 6 OutKast albums, and clearly they were going separate ways at this point. It sounds like they wanted to release separate solo albums, but their management wanted to capitalize on their recent Grammy win so they did this instead. Fine, but it's two solo albums (with a few songs on each that the other is involved in). As such, it's super long (2 hours 15 minutes total). The first album is Big Boi's Speakerboxxx. This is the more traditional rap album of the two, and it's generally very consistent and enjoyable. I'm into the Southern hip hop things, it's a bit more fun while still hitting on fairly serious themes throughout. "The Way You Move" is the standout for sure, but overall it's really consistent top-to-bottom. The second album is Andre 3000's The Love Below. After hearing the intro song on here I expected to like it much better, but it's a lot more inconsistent. It has two of the most iconic songs of the time period ("Hey Ya!", and "Roses"), but it has some pretty mediocre songs too. The musical style is a bit of a mix of funk, jazz, pop, etc. and it's enjoyable on the whole. It's thematically mostly a love song album, and definitely a bit graphic at times (looking at you "Spread"). Anyway, the back half has the better singles, but the Speakerboxxx half is definitely more of a consistent piece of work. I honestly think I'd give them both 3.5-4 rating, so easy enough. The three iconic songs on here (plus "Take Off Your Cool" which is new to me but great) are enough to round up. This thing sounds pretty "modern" at least compared to other '90s and early '00s rap, but one trap it still falls into is the interludes. I really don't quite get why this was such a big thing, it just basically never does anything for me. Both albums here have it, meh. I also really didn't like the choice of song to end The Love Below, it felt like a bit of a harsh sound to end what was otherwise a pretty fun album. Favorite song: Hey Ya! Other: Unhappy, Bowtie, The Way You Move, The Rooster, Church, Flip Flop Rock, Reset, Last Call, The Love Below (Intro), Love Hater, Prototype, She Lives in My Lap, Roses, Pink & Blue, Dracula's Wedding, Take Off Your Cool, Vibrate 10/30/24

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

There's been a ton written about everything the Beatles have done, so I'm not going to try to rehash all that here, but I didn't really know the history of them that well so a quick recap from what I gathered. This is album #8 of theirs, and it was right around their shift from a touring band to a studio band. Beatlemania was at its peak and it was so crazy that you literally couldn't hear the music at most of their shows. Between that, a number of protests they faced (including from US religious conservatives), and their increasing studio experimentation, they decided to quit touring and become a studio band only. While they were wildly popular already, most of their higher-regarded albums today are from the studio part of their career, and this album is also considered to be when a lot of critics agreed that rock music can also be a legitimate art form. Paul McCartney was also really coming into his genius at this point too, and he had this idea for a song from an alter ego Edwardian military band. The theory seems to be that this album is meant to be from another band, which takes some of the perceived constraints of being a "Beatles" album away from them. Admittedly the concept gets a little hazy in the middle of the album (they seem to move away from it pretty quickly), but it's an interesting bit. There's part of me that's like, do I just like this because it has the Beatles name on it. And, you know what, maybe. I think sometimes they can sound just slightly underwhelming today, until you realize it's underwhelming because they created all this in the first place and everyone copied them afterwards. It's a really consistent album, it's not the tightest concept in the world but I see what they were getting at, there's so much rich instrumentation, it's really solid overall. This is my third Beatles album on here, and I think it's above Meet the Beatles! but a little below the White Album to me. This on is a whole lot tighter of a piece of work than the White Album, but I think it has more standout songs to me (while admittedly being a bit ridiculous at times). Two other things to discuss here. First, while this album has less hits than some of their others, "A Day in the Life" might just be my new favorite Beatles song. The second to last song on here is a reprise of the opener "Sgt Pepper's..." song, and then after that it rolls into "A Day in the Life". The theory is that the reprise was them ending their "performance" as the alter ego, and then the last song is back to them as the Beatles. I'm not sure if I really have a thought about that, but this last song is just incredible. It's sad and striking, and big and just incredible. I had like a bit of a jaw-drop moment when I heard it for the first time here, incredible song. A perfect example of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting combination works to perfection. Second, you get some of the Beatles India inspiration on here on "Within You Without You". Personally I feel like it's a bit of an odd choice on here, but it is what it is. Third, the cover is iconic, I have nothing interesting to say but it's worth noting. Lastly, I didn't realize that the Beatles didn't put songs that they released as singles on albums, so they have a bunch of famous songs that are not on any of their studio albums. "Strawberry Fields Forever" was the big single that was released between Revolver and this, so it's not on here but is spiritually in the realm of this album. Favorite song: A Day In The Life Other: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, She's Leaving Home, For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!, Within You Without You, When I'm Sixty-Four, Lovely Rita, Good Morning Good Morning 11/7/24

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire

4/5

Just about a year since I got The Suburbs on here, this is their second album, which came between Funeral and The Suburbs. While I knew The Suburbs well before this, I hadn't listened to this one at all before. Overall I really enjoyed this a lot. It has a really big sound throughout. They added their violinist on this album, and there are a whole bunch of other orchestra musicians that are involved in this, which gives it this very grand and orchestral sound. Even more minimal songs (like "Neon Bible") feel big, and then there's things like "Intervention" where there's a whole church organ thing going on. I don't have any major complaints about this album overall and I added almost every song to my playlist. It's really consistently enjoyable, but still something feels just a little lacking compared to The Suburbs. I'm perfectly willing to admit that it might just be my familiarity with The Suburbs and this one might grow on me more with time, but I don't think it's quite as strong right now. I do think I might be overly harsh though, as this is music that is 100% right up my alley, so I'm putting it in the context of all the music that I love (much of which isn't on this list). "My Body Is a Cage" is a cold final song though, I'm a big fan. "(Antichrist Television Blues)" is also a highlight on the back half. Anyway, I'm rambling, this is a really solid album by a band that I like a lot. Would recommend. Favorite song: My Body Is a Cage Other: Black Mirror, Keep the Car Running, Neon Bible, Intervention, Ocean of Noise, The Well and the Lighthouse, (Antichrist Television Blues), Windowsill, No Cars Go 11/8/24

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

Well the generator makes things interesting sometimes, Sgt. Pepper and now Abbey Road in a three-day stretch (with Arcade Fire in the middle). I have to say that it's been a great run for me lately on the generator. I try to not look at the ratings in advance, but I've glanced at the top 20 list a few times and I believe this is at or near the top, and Sgt. Pepper and Songs in the Key of Life are also both top 20. It's been a bit of a rough stretch in the world lately, but my daily album has been a bright spot at least. This deserves all of the hype that it gets. I had moments on Sgt. Pepper where I questioned the hype slightly, but that didn't happen here. This definitely slots into the top spot of my favorite Beatles album (the running list is this, White Album, Sgt. Pepper, Meet the Beatles!). It has the hits, it has top-to-bottom consistency, it's the real deal. This is their 11th and second to last album released, coming shortly before the band's breakup and the release of Let It Be. It starts with an incredible stretch of "Come Together", "Something", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", and "Oh! Darling". Three of the four are completely top-tier iconic songs, and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is peak goofy-McCartney. It sounds like McCartney pissed everyone off by making them rerecord "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" a bunch of times until it was perfect and everyone was tired of it. This is the first time I'm coming across the term "granny music" to refer to McCartney's old school homage type songs like this. Honestly they're a little ridiculous at times, but I often find them to be some of the more interesting and fun songs on their albums. Time has likely erased some of what made them sound particularly "old" at this point, which probably helps. After that you get the token Ringo song ("Octopus's Garden") and then the nearly 8-minute Lennon masterpiece "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". This one is really simple, but it builds in such a big way, and then the sudden silence at the end is really striking, especially with the upbeat "Here Comes The Sun" coming right after it (though this is the break between the A and B sides in the album version). Then you get the layered sound on "Because" and the rest of the album which is a medley of a bunch of shorter song snippits. At first I wasn't sure I was super into the medley thing, but honestly I ended up really enjoying it. "Golden Slumbers" into "Carry My Weight" was a real standout for me. I've written a lot about the Beatles lately and I'm not really feeling much more writing, but this is just a top-tier album across the board. The band was clearly having some issues at this point, but it's really incredible how much quality music they cranked out in such a short period of time. If anything they really hit their stride late after they were wildly famous, which is definitely not usually the case. I don't have much to say about the cover art, other than to note that it's obviously iconic. I did learn that apparently there was a conspiracy theory that Paul was actually dead and the cover was used as "proof" (it alleges that they were walking from a funeral in this picture, Lennon in white as a religious figure, Ringo in black as the undertaker, Harrison in back as the gravedigger in denim, and McCartney walking out of stride with the rest and holding a cigarette in his non-dominant hand, which apparently was proof that it was a stand-in body double). All press is good press I guess. Pretty much without a doubt one of the best albums of all time. There's a lot of famous albums on here that I haven't quite gotten, but this isn't one of them. Favorite song: Here Comes The Sun Other: Come Together, Something, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, Octopus's Garden, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Because, You Never Give Me Your Money, Sun King, Mean Mr Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End 11/9/24

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

3/5

Back to some trip hop with Massive Attack. This is their debut album (and allegedly the first trip hop album), coming three years before Protection, which I got about 115 albums ago on here. This genre doesn't really do a ton for me, but this one at least has a few songs there were enjoyable. The hip hop part really has a strong '80s hip hop sound (which makes sense of course). Beyond that you get a mixed bag of a bunch of different music styles. This one generally has a super chill vibe, which I did enjoy. "Unfinished Sympathy" and "Safe From Harm" stood out as clearly the best two songs on here, but there were a few others that had a chill vibe that I enjoyed. I don't think this is ever going to do a whole lot for me, but it was enjoyable enough with a few songs that I won't hate hearing again. A fine Sunday night listen. Favorite song: Unfinished Sympathy Other: Safe From Harm, Be Thankful For What You've Got, Lately, Hymn Of The Big Wheel 11/10/24

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

3/5

I really like The Cure a lot, and Disintegration is probably a top 5 album for me so far on here (it's been just over a year since I got that one). The vibe is generally good on this (and by good, I mean a bit dark and intense of course), but overall it's a far cry from Disintegration. It feels like a band that is still coming into its own, which makes sense as its only their second album. I don't have a ton else to add. It's definitely the sound of an album by The Cure, but just a little less captivating on the whole than I was hoping. It does have a few very solid songs though. "A Forest" is the standout, but I also liked "Play For Today" and "M" a lot too. This is in 3.5 territory for me, definitely a solid listen. Favorite song: A Forest Other: Play For Today, Secrets, M, Seventeen Seconds 11/11/24

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

3/5

First EWF album on here. This is their 6th album in just 5 years as a group, and it's also the soundtrack to a movie of the same title that they starred in. As expected, but this is VERY '70s funk. This starts really strong with "Shining Star" which is peak for the genre. The title track afterwards is solid too, but then it falls off a bit after that (though "Reasons" is solid later on. Overall it's a solid listen. I don't think a ton is going to stick with me beyond "Shining Star", but it's fun and funky and a good vibe overall. Side note, but at one point I was wondering what might be some of the most famous songs that don't make this list since they're not on a top album. "September" might be a good answer for this, as it was released as a single and it seems like it isn't on any of their studio albums. Favorite song: Shining Star Other: That's the Way of the World, All About Love (First Impression), Reasons 11/12/24

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

4/5

No Stevie Wonder at all for 313 albums, and now there's two of his in the last 8. I'll be a bit more brief this time, I wrote a lot about Songs In The Key Of Life recently. I feel like I keep getting an artists "best" album right before their other stuff, which can make the other stuff feel a hair disappointing. Talking Book is really strong overall, but doesn't quite live up to Songs In The Key Of Life. I think about half of this album is really good, and about half feels average filler-type songs. Even though this one is much shorter, a couple times I felt my interest drifting on songs there were a bit slow and repetitive. The good thing is when it's good it's really good, so my attention was always pulled back quickly. It starts really strong with the first three songs all being great, then there's a bit of a lull, then he gets you with "Superstition" to open the back side of the album. It's one of those songs that's so wildly famous, but it deserves all the hype. The rest of the album is a bit of a mixed bag, a few solid songs and a few that didn't do as much for me. I think Talking Book is really strong on the whole, and it definitely showcases Wonder's songwriting ability (particularly in the sappy love song world) and voice. The arrangements are funky and generally interesting too. The misses on this album are generally slower songs, and they do give me a bit of a meh vibe, but there's definitely plenty of good on here. I'm only two Stevie Wonder albums in, and he had a weird career since it starting so young, but this feels like around the time where he was starting to hit his stride a bit, with to absolute best on the horizon. Favorite song: Superstition Other: You Are The Sunshine Of My Life, Maybe Your Baby, You And I, Blame It On The Sun, I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) 11/13/24

Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)

Loretta Lynn

2/5

A lot of really good stuff came out in 1967 that pushed music significantly forward. This was not one of those things. Loretta seems like she was pretty popular, and her voice is nice enough, but frankly this is boring. It's old country, mostly covers (as was fairly typical). I would describe the tempo as 'plodding' throughout. The first song is the hit, and it's decent, but there's just very little that catches my attention after that. No major hate to Loretta, but this isn't it for me. Favorite song: Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) Other: I Really Don't Want To Know, I'm Living In Two Worlds 11/14/24

Imagine

John Lennon

4/5

The Beatles streak lives, this is my third Beatle-related album in the past 9 on here. I have a small personal connection to this album. I didn't plan for it at the time, but I ended up getting engaged right next to the Imagine Peace Tower. This is a Lennon memorial that Yoko dedicated to him that's located on a small island off the coast of Reykjavik, Iceland. It's a really incredible song, the monument is in a beautiful location overlooking the city, and now it's part of my life too. Getting this album made me think about that time, it was a good day. Anyway, onto the album. This is his second solo album after the Beatles split, and he was really not happy with Paul McCartney when he wrote this. It starts off with "Imagine", which is almost so famous that it feels mildly tacky (the celebrity video during the pandemic did not help matters), but I still love it. "Jealous Guy" is the other standout on the front side of the album, it's a very close second for me on here, the lyrics show incredible vulnerability. There's a bit of a lull on the rest of the A side, but it picks up again on the B side. It's a strong 5-song run, including "Oh My Love" (a standout) and "How Do You Sleep?" (a pretty direct attack at McCartney, Lennon says there's no hard feelings though). There's a lot of really strong songs on here, and "Imagine" and "Jealous Guy" are exceptional, but on the whole it falls a bit short of the Beatles at their best. It's still an incredibly strong album, and the bar that I'm using here is probably unfairly high, but it is what it is. I'm thinking about Iceland again, that was a fun trip. Favorite song: Imagine Other: Crippled Inside, Jealous Guy, Gimme Some Truth, Oh My Love, How Do You Sleep?, How?, Oh Yoko! 11/15/24

m b v

My Bloody Valentine

3/5

My Bloody Valentine is one of those bands that I've heard the name get thrown around related to other bands that I like, but I've never actually listened to them. Consider this my introduction, and it's an interesting place to start. MBV released their first album in 1988, their second was a hit in 1991, and then they broke up and didn't release another album until 2013. This is the 2013 album. There seems to be a lot of debate about what exactly counts as shoegaze, but everyone seems to agree that MBV is definitely it. This particular album can basically be broken into thirds. The first three songs are classic shoegaze sound (apparently most similar to their early stuff), lots of soft vocals and fuzzy guitars. The middle third moves away from the guitar and is a bit more of an electronic sound, and then the last third picks it up just a bit and is almost more alt-rock-y. Frankly, I thought it was just ok. I really thought I might like it more than I did, it wasn't bad or anything but it definitely fell a bit flat on the whole. I do think this is the type of album that would grow on you over time, so I'm open to this being one that I revisit in the future (probably after I get Loveless on here). It seems like it might hit on a snowy night in the middle of the winter, maybe I'll try again on one of those. I think I also saw that this is one of the albums that was added to the book at one point, and then removed on a later update. It shows that it can be hard to assess these more recent albums. This seems to have gotten a ton of hype when it came out, which totally makes sense given it was an unexpected release that came after like 22 years of no new music. The hype seems to have faded over time though (though one thing I've learned listening to all these albums is that popular opinion about an album can definitely ebb and flow over time). Favorite song: only tomorrow Other: she found now, if i am, new you, in another way 11/16/24

The Blueprint

JAY Z

5/5

I've really never listened to Jay-Z much beyond his hits, and I don't think I've given a rap album 5 stars on here except for good kid, m.A.A.d. city (which I was already very familiar with). That ends today, this album is great. This is a great combination of Jay-Z lyricism, fun samples, and interesting production from a few different producers. I also have to give credit where it's due, the whole album is strong but the Kanye-produced songs are really great. I get the hype. It actually starts a bit slow for me, but on song 2 they're sampling The Doors and it only gets better from there. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" is super catchy, "Heart Of The City (Ain't No Love)" is top-tier, "Renegade" brings in Eminem out of nowhere, and there's a whole bunch of other really solid songs. This doesn't have Jay-Z's biggest hits, but it's consistently good-to-great the whole way through. Favorite song: Heart Of The City (Ain't No Love) Other: Takeover, Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Girls Girls Girls, U Don't Know, Hola' Hovito, Never Change, Song Cry, Renegade, Girls Girls Girls (Part 2) 11/20/24

Eternally Yours

The Saints

3/5

This is kind of a fascinating album, it's late '70s punk from an Australian band. I had pretty low expectations based on the album cover, but it's actually pretty solid overall. What's by far the most unique thing is their decision to add a horn section on a few songs, including the opener "Know Your Product". Honestly, I'm not sure if the horn thing works for me, and it seems to have been really polarizing in the time. They have a few more scaled back songs that I really like though, including "Memories Are Made of This" and "A Minor Aversion". Honestly I don't really know what to think here. I think it's a bit of a mixed bag, but I definitely enjoyed it on the whole. The highs are high, but it has a few weaker spots. At its best its got a bit of a Stooges vibe. It definitely lost a bit of steam near the end, but very solid overall. Favorite song: Memories Are Made of This Other: Know Your Product, Lost and Found, Private Affair, A Minor Aversion, No Your Product, This Perfect Day, Untitled, (I'm) Misunderstood 11/22/24

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

4/5

I have to be honest, I rolled my eyes a bit when I got this. I knew "We Got The Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed" and expected a miserable new wave-pop mess. Once again I got burned for judging too early, this album is really solid. It's definitely still a new wave-pop thing, but it's also got a lot more of a punk sound than I expected. I got a lot of Sleater-Kinney vibes from this ("Tonite" and "Lust To Love" are good examples), many of the non-hits are a bit more of a raw sound (relatively, it's still pop-y overall). Something between like them and Blondie is probably where this falls. I guess The Go-Go's formed formed as a punk band (none of them knew how to play instruments) but then shifted more in the New Wave direction in the early '80s when they hit the studio. I'm not sure where their sound went after this, but they crushed this one. I don't have a ton else to say, but I enjoyed this a lot. The New Wave thing doesn't typically work for me, but this felt like a great job of taking some of the basic elements in a way that hits. Really solid album. Favorite song: Our Lips Are Sealed Other: How Much More, Tonite, Lust To Love, This Town, We Got The Beat, Fading Fast, Automatic, Can't Stop The World 11/23/24

Metal Box

Public Image Ltd.

3/5

I really wanted to like this thing a lot more than I did, but it just didn't quite get there for me. I generally like the post-punk thing, and this seems to be a pretty well-regarded album in that world, but it just didn't do it. I generally liked the basslines (s/o to Jah Wobble the bassist, I did not his your solo album on here but you crushed this one) and guitar stuff, but I really struggled with the vocals. I find them a bit annoying at least on first listen. I can totally see this being something that grows on me over time, and if I squint real hard I can see something like Joy Division-esque here, but right now it's not quite there. This is closer to a 2 than a 4, but I think there's enough good for a solid 3. "Swan Lake" is where it all comes together best for me on here, and a few of the other songs with no or limited vocals are some of the better ones for me. Side note, the fact that they packaged their album in a literal metal box is a pretty good gimmick, I respect it. Favorite song: Swan Lake Other: Poptones, Graveyard, Radio 4 11/24/24

Achtung Baby

U2

3/5

I'm going to sound like a complete snob, but I'm doing it anyway. This album sounds very '90s and very normie to me. Like this is allegedly about as experimental as U2 gets, and it feels like really safe alt rock. It feels like it's pushing zero musical boundaries at all. That said, I'll put aside my snobbishness and say it's fine. My first draft said "it's still pretty solid", but after listening to the second half of the album I'm going with "fine". "One" is an absolute banger (and apparently they were considering breaking up before they improvised that in the studio and then wrote the rest of the album). There's a few other decent songs, Bono has a good voice, it's ok. I definitely might be just a complete hater for no reason here, but this just didn't do much for me. I've noticed that I consistently rate '90s albums on the low side, and I'm wondering if it's because it's recent enough that things like this don't sound "old" in the way that like '60s or '70s albums do, but they still sound "dated" or unfamiliar compared to stuff that I would've grown up with from the '00s or '10s. It doesn't really explain my relatively low '80s ratings (I'm more tempted to say that those are due to legit bad trends in '80s music, looking at you New Wave and synth pop), but just a thought. Favorite song: One Other: Even Better Than The Real Thing, Until The End Of The World, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Mysterious Ways, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), Love Is Blindness 11/25/24

Fred Neil

4/5

What an absolute badass this dude is. Wrote and sang a bunch of awesome early folk songs, wrote songs for Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, mentored Bob Dylan and David Crosby, wrote a song that won a Grammy ("Everybody's Talkin'" from this album got covered by Harry Nilsson and won the award), and then abruptly quit music and spent 30 years saving dolphins. 10/10 life, no notes. I'd never heard of Fred Neil before, but I'm very into this. I'm a sucker for early folk music in the first place, but this is solid throughout. He's got a deep, powerful voice and it works. Really solid album. Favorite song: Everybody's Talkin' Other: The Dolphins, I've Got A Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree), That's The Bag I'm In, Farethewell (Fred's Tune), Sweet Cocaine, Green Rocky Road 11/26/24

Picture Book

Simply Red

2/5

The singer has a silky smooth voice, but man I just can't really get on board with the '80s soft pop-rock thing. It's got a bit of a jazzy thing going, but I just can't get the synth out of my head. I'm just not super into the sound of this overall. His voice is good, but something's missing, it's boring. Plus two of the three best songs are covers, which is not a positive for me ("Heaven" is a Talking Heads cover, but it's the best song on here, better than "Holding Back the Years" which is one of their most popular songs). I also find the term "blue-eyed soul" pretty hilarious (which is what this seems to get classified as frequently). Like, yeah I guess white people can sing R&B and soul music too sometimes. I can see why someone would be into this, but it's not for me. Favorite song: Heaven Other: Come to My Aid, Money's Too Tight (to Mention), Holding Back the Years 11/27/24

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

3/5

This is a really high variance album for me. At it's best it was really enjoyable, but there were also some stretches that I wasn't really into. I'd never heard of this band before, but they're a British indie rock band fronted by a British-Indian guy. That's very relevant, because this album is full of Indian musical influences, from background instruments on some of the more mainstream sounding songs, to a few songs that are very fully traditional Indian sounding (including a non-English Beatles cover to close out the album which is interesting given the Beatles influence from Indian music). There's also some interesting electronic vibes too. Probably a bit unsurprising, but I struggled a bit more with the fully Indian music, but I really enjoyed the more subtle influences on the other songs. It led to a really interesting sound throughout. There's also some really catchy songs on this. The two opening songs are both great, super fun and catchy (apparently there was a hit Fatboy Slim remix of "Brimful of Asha"). I felt like it dipped a good bit after that, but it made a pretty strong comeback on the back half of the album, which moves a bit more into an electronic-rock sound than the front half. The best stuff on here is in 4-5 territory, and the worst is probably in the 2-3 range, so makes rating a bit hard. I think they could have cut a bit out of this (it's a bit long at 54 minutes), but I probably would have cut some of the stuff that really does make this more unique than your typical '90s indie album, so maybe they're right not me. Favorite song: Brimful of Asha Other: Sleep on the Left Side, Funky Days Are Back Again, Good Shit, Good to Be on the Road Back Home Again, It's Indian Tobacco My Friend, Candyman, Norwegian Wood 12/1/24

Music From Big Pink

The Band

5/5

This is The Band's debut studio album after breaking away from Bob Dylan (though he wrote three of the songs on this). It's a good thing they did that, this is just super enjoyable from start to finish. I don't know that I can pinpoint exactly what I like, but it just feels super listenable. It has this Americana-roots rock thing going, the vocals are strong, the songwriting is solid (it's literally Dylan for some of it, but strong throughout). It feels like the precursor to a lot of the music that I really like a lot, because it probably was. A timeless sound that's quite a bit different from a lot of the other late '60s releases. No notes from me, this was great. Favorite song: The Weight Other: Tears Of Rage, To Kingdom Come, In A Station, Caledonia Mission, We Can Talk, Long Black Veil, Chest Fever, Lonesome Suzie, This Wheel's On Fire, I Shall Be Released 12/2/24

Songs Of Love And Hate

Leonard Cohen

5/5

My god, this is haunting and beautiful at the same time. I've really never listened to Leonard Cohen, and I'm not exactly sure why because this is right up my alley. The whole album has this poetic folk thing going on. Cohen kind of does the understated talk-into-the-microphone type of singing which for some reason always seems to work for me. The lyrics are a bit bleak, but in like a realistic and not wildly overdramatic way. He does this very aggressive choppy guitar thing throughout and there's backup singers on a lot of the songs (which is one thing that's a bit hit or miss for me) and it all kind of adds up to this slightly unsettling feeling throughout. And I'm still not exactly sure what's going on in "Famous Blue Raincoat", but I'm still reeling a bit after hearing it. Was it about him? He "signed" his name at the end, not sure I've ever seen that done before. Leonard Cohen is definitely a bit of a downer here, but good music should make you feel something. This made me feel something. This feels like one that needs an immediate relisten or two to fully grasp, but my gut says I love it. Favorite song: Famous Blue Raincoat Other: Avalanche, Last Year's Man, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Diamonds in the Mine, Love Calls You By Your Name, Sing Another Song Boys, Joan of Arc 12/3/24

Fever Ray

4/5

I'm back after a month off. My last two albums were both great, but I felt like I needed a bit of a break. One last push before work starts again now. I did not really know what I was getting into here, but I actually liked this a lot. It's like an electronic pop album from this Swedish electronic musician (who apparently is half of Swedish electronic duo call The Knife). I'm terrible at describing electronic music, but it was surreal and almost primal feel to it. At times I got like PJ Harvey and Kate Bush, vibes, but I guess darker? It's certainly not an uplifting album, but it's a bit hauntingly beautiful. The pace is fairly consistent throughout so it doesn't have a ton of "wow" moments, but it's incredibly consistent and still manages to be interesting throughout. There's definitely songs I like better than others, but really strong top-to-bottom. I felt like this was going to be a 3 for sure, but basically every song just kept hitting for me. It's not one that I think I'll listen to often or anything, but it was really well done and enjoyable in an almost surrealistic way. Favorite song: When I Grow Up Other: If I Had a Heart, Seven, Triangle Walks, Now's the Only Time I Know, I'm Not Done, Keep the Streets Empty For Me, Here Before 1/6/25

Slipknot

1/5

This type of music is not my thing. That's been well established at this point of my album journey. That said, earlier this summer I went to a music festival in Richmond and one night somehow ended up at a show in this genre in the side room of some burrito place with like 20 people in attendance. I felt wildly out of place, and probably lost years of hearing from the noise level. It still wasn't really my thing, but I can kind of see how the in person experience can be critical for this. I feel like I don't have enough anger in my life to need this outlet, but I can see how it could be an outlet. I also respect people showing up for local bands, and this genre seems to have a much more small and local flair to it than others. I like that. That said, this is not for me (especially the studio version). I expected it to not be for me, and I was right. Very little redeeming qualities for this one. I'm sure they're talented and all, but it's harsh and loud and not for me. I was going to listen to it with my morning coffee, but decided to push it back to my afternoon workout. That was definitely the right call. The best part of this album was that it's very long and I didn't want to listen to it outside of the gym, so I stayed in the gym longer than I normally do. So good for my health, bad for my ears. Favorite song: Wait and Bleed Other: Purity 1/7/25

...And Justice For All

Metallica

2/5

It's Metallica, they rock hard. That's kind of the whole thing from my view. It's not my favorite type of music (particularly two days in a row roughly in the same genre), but there's a few decent songs on here and they're clearly talented. This type of thing is probably never going to be top tier for me, but at least I'm fired up for the Orange Bowl now after listening to this on my flight to Miami. Favorite song: One Other: Blackened, To Live Is To Die 1/8/25

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

2/5

It's been a bit of a rough stretch lately on here. This is like, ok I guess? It doesn't seem particularly interesting to me though. I'm far from a country music expert, but this feels like pretty standard honky tonk nonsense, with very little that stands out. I guess this is well-ish known for having his first two hit country singles. "I Sang Dixie" comes first, followed by "Streets of Bakersfield" which is a duet with Buck Owens. They're kind of weirdly buried right in the middle of the album, and frankly neither seem particularly notable to me. I don't know, I get that I'm down on country overall, and it's not like the worst thing I've ever heard, but I'm not quite sure how it made the list. Favorite song: I Hear You Knockin' Other: I Got You, I Sang Dixie, Streets of Bakersfield

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

4/5

This is a very different album, but I think I kind of feel similarly to how I did about The Who's "Who's Next" album. It has one of my favorite songs of all time ("Our House" in this case), and is generally strong overall, but falls just a little short of a perfect rating for me. This is the follow-up to Crosby, Stills, & Nash, which came out the year before (and was album #192 on here for me), this time adding Neil Young to the mix. The harmonies are as clean as always, but they still manage to rock a bit at times too. "Teach Your Children" is another great track on here, but they lose a half point because it's also on their previous album (kind of weird to recycle a song so quickly). I actually read up on "Our House" a bit here, and I didn't realize that Graham Nash wrote it while living with Joni Mitchell. It's such a simple song, but one that just perfectly captures the small moments of living with someone you love. Anyway, this was generally great. You kind of know what you get from these guys, but this is almost definitely some of their best work, whether individual or as a group. Favorite song: Our House Other: Carry On, Teach Your Children, Almost Cut My Hair, Helpless, Woodstock, 4 + 20, Country Girl 1/12/25

Odelay

Beck

3/5

This is very different from the first Beck album on here (Sea Change, #182). That one was great, but a major downer. This one is from eight years earlier, and it's much more upbeat. This is kind of an interesting album, it feels pretty hard to pin down a genre. It's kind of rock-y at times, but also lots of hip hop and electronic music elements, plus lots of sampling. I don't hate this album or anything, it's definitely an interesting listen. For some reason I just can't quite shake the feeling that it hasn't aged very well though. This seems to have gotten pretty significant acclaim at the time, but I don't think it's quite doing it for me. I think it might be the '90s hip hop elements that feel a bit dated now, plus the rap-rock thing that might have been a bit more novel at the time but is a bit played out at this point. At times he also slows it down and gets a bit more folk-y, and honestly I think I like that more. It's likely more related to my music taste than anything, but he does have pretty good range. Anyway, I'm glad I heard this and there's some solid songs on here, but I don't see myself coming back to this really. I do respect artists taking some chances though, and it feels like Beck did that here. Favorite song: Ramshackle Other: Devils Haircut, Lord Only Knows, The New Pollution, Jack-Ass, Where It's At, Sissyneck 1/13/25

Ghosteen

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

One of the problems with this generator is that sometimes you get an album with a vibe that just isn't aligned with your day. I was having a pretty good day. Read a book. Made some soup. Things were great. Then I listened to this. Devastating. This album came out a few years after Cave's 15 year old son tragically died. He's clearly grappling with some things here, this is heavy. It's also a gorgeous album. It's mostly ambient music in the background, with his deep vocals over top. I think he typically is more of a narrative-based lyricist, but this one is very abstract and poetic. It's more or less one long poem set to ambient music. And he's like 60 years old when this came out, he sounds good still. This is only my second Nick Cave album; way back on album #30 I got Henry's Dream, which is very different than this. I didn't really like that one very much, but this is basically a different artist altogether. The album is a bit long (68 minute double album) and the songs do bleed into one another a bit, but maybe that's the point? This is up there with Beck's Sea Change on the list of "albums that I hope I don't feel like I have to listen to very often because they're so sad". I've said it before, but good music should make you feel something though, and this made me feel something. Time to try to get that mood back up. Favorite song: Waiting for You Other: Spinning Song, Bright Horses, Sun Forest, Galleon Ship, Ghosteen Speaks, Ghosteen, Hollywood 1/14/25

Movies

Holger Czukay

3/5

This one is kind of weird, but not terrible. It's like a late '70s experimental rock electronic thing. The guy is some German dude that was also in a band called Can I guess. He doesn't really sing here, he kind of weirdly exclaims and moans and whispers things. The synthesizers and whatever else it is that he's playing sound very dated, but in a way that kind of still works. He also has some elements of non-Western music in here (most notably on "Persian Love", but they pop up here and there elsewhere too). It feels slightly forced, but it makes for an interesting mix of things going on. Anyway, it's all a bit strange, but I don't actually hate the beats. He's got some cool basslines throughout, it's not bad. Not amazing, but not bad either. Favorite song: Cool in the Pool Other: Persian Love 1/15/25

Fire Of Love

The Gun Club

3/5

I was pleasantly surprised by this, it's a pretty interesting album. This is the debut of a 1980s punk group, but it's a lot more rootsy and bluesy than most punk. They actually manage to blend the genres pretty well. You legit get like Creedence Clearwater Revival vibes at times with like punk rock vocals. It's pretty cool actually. Like most punk bands, it's questionable whether the lead singer can actually sing. There's also a pretty noticeable quality drop-off near the end. That said, pretty solid overall. This is in 3.5 territory for me. Favorite song: Sex Beat Other: Preaching the Blues, Promise Me, She's Like Heroin to Me, Fire Spirit, Ghost on the Highway 1/16/25

Garbage

4/5

I hit play and like 10 seconds in I said to myself, "this sounds like that Hole album I got way back on here." I still feel that way, but I think this one is better (though Celebrity Skin has grown on me a bit as I've listened to the songs more since the first listen). Something about these '90s rock albums feels really distinct to me, and not always in a way that feels good. I've speculated before, but my thinking is that older stuff than this feels distinctly before my time, but '90s music was still lingering around a bit in my early days which makes it feel dated but not nostalgic for me, which often hurts my impression a bit. I get that at times here, and there's things that don't always work. Enough meta analysis though, I think this album is really solid overall. The first half is definitely a bit stronger than the back half, but these guys rock, there's plenty of catchy hooks, and I love a woman-fronted band. I mentioned Hole already, but this is also naturally leading me to compare it with Sleater-Kinney's debut (which came out in the same year, also the year that I was born). Sleater-Kinney hit me a bit harder than this one did, but this has a bit more of a smooth poppy-angsty thing going on that I like a lot. I've said a lot of words, but overall it just works well. Very solid album. Favorite song: Stupid Girl Other: Supervixen, Queer, Only Happy When It Rains, A Stroke of Luck, Vow, Fix Me Now, Milk 1/17/25

Mothership Connection

Parliament

5/5

I think this is the most fun album that I've gotten on here. I don't even have a ton to say about it, but it's just 40 minutes of ridiculousness and fun funk music. Right from the beginning you get this goofy outer space radio intro thing, and then they kind of keep up with this concept throughout. I guess these guys were part of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective that released a bunch of albums over the years. The driving force seems to be the lead guy George Clinton, who sang a few songs on here and produced the album. There's just so much to like here. "Mothership Connection (Star Child)" gives us the line "If you hear any noise / it's just me and the boys" that inspired the famous Dave Parker Pirates t-shirt, and "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker" is an iconic beat. The beats are good, it doesn't feel like it drags on at all, it influenced a bunch of later stuff, just an awesome album. Funk music can be a bit of an odd one on here because it just feels like it represents such a distinct moment in time, but this one really feels iconic and fun and a bit timeless in what it's trying to do. I didn't really expect to have a 5-star funk album, but this one deserves it for sure. Favorite song: Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) Other: P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up), Mothership Connection (Star Child), Unfunky UFO, Handcuffs 1/18/25

Like A Prayer

Madonna

4/5

First Madonna album for me on here, and it seems to be the first one where she actually got a bit of critical respect. This '80s synth-pop isn't really my favorite genre, but this is generally a solid album. It starts off real hot with one of her most famous songs, "Like a Prayer". It's great and the energy is solid. "Express Yourself" is good too, but my biggest issue with the album is that the next three songs are a bit of a miss. The third song ("Love Song") is a collaboration with Prince, and while I like Prince enough, this song was not good and completely sucked the life out of the album that started out strong. The next two songs aren't quite so bad, but it doesn't really pick back up again until "Cherish", which starts a much stronger run on the back half of the album. Madonna shows a pretty wide range here, and while she's fine on the slower ballady songs, she definitely shines as a pop star. There seems to be a ton of context here about how this slotted into her career arch and some of the themes she tackles here. I'm not going to get into that, but I think this was an enjoyable album in a genre that isn't top tier for me. I get the appeal though, and "Like a Prayer" is a top-tier track. Favorite song: Like a Prayer Other: Express Yourself, Cherish, Dear Jessie, Oh Father, Spanish Eyes 1/19/25

In Utero

Nirvana

4/5

This is Nirvana album #3 for me on here (Nevermind and the live album have come before). I'll skip most of the detail, this is their third and final studio album. I can never quite pinpoint exactly what I like about Nirvana, because other music in the same rough genre usually isn't really my thing. The simple answer is probably just Kurt Cobain's talent, but I feel like there's something more. They manage to pull off this incredible sound of intensity and desperation, and I don't think it's just him. I think my favorite Nirvana song is the last one on this album ("All Apologies"), which feels a bit fitting as it's their song on their last studio album. It makes me wonder what more there was to come that never happened. It's fairly soft (comparatively) and has a simple beat, but the delivery is so powerful and I think captures what made Nirvana so great. The other standout on here is "Heart-Shaped Box" on the front half. I really like this album a lot, but it's definitely a bit harder than I really like at times, so there's a few stretches that I struggle with a bit. Steve Albini produced this, and his whole thing is basically abrasiveness, so it makes sense. Apparently Albini didn't really like Nirvana previously, was a bit abrasive while making this, and they re-mixed some of the songs on here (including this two I mentioned above) which pissed him off. I think this is a half-step below Nevermind to me, though at it's best it's incredible. I actually think my favorite Nirvana album is the Unplugged album, which does have a lot of covers from this one. This is borderline 5 territory, but the few down stretches pull it back a bit for me. Favorite song: All Apologies Other: Serve The Servants, Heart-Shaped Box, Rape Me, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle, Dumb, Milk It, Pennyroyal Tea 1/20/25

Get Behind Me Satan

The White Stripes

3/5

This album felt like it had massive potential, but just never quite reached the level that I thought it might get to. "White Orchid" is the biggest song on here, and while it's fine it doesn't quite hit that apex that some of The White Stripes other guitar-driven songs hit. At other times it does a fairly interesting job being a bit more outside-the-box (e.g., a xylophone? on "The Nurse" and "Forever...", a weird little stomp & clap riff on "The Ghost", a blues-rock song near the end). It's consistently good, but rarely great (and I actually like the departure from the standard guitar-heavy fare). I added a bunch of the songs to my list, but still finished the album with a bit of a lackluster feeling. I haven't listened to much of The White Stripes beyond their big songs. I feel like they've been huge on like the indie-rock music festival scene for years, but for some reason they've never really drawn me in. I imagine I'll see them at least once more on this list, I feel like this album was a bit of a borderline inclusion. I feel like I should like them better than I do, so maybe it'll grow on me. Favorite song: Forever For Her (Is Over For Me) Other: White Orchid, The Nurse, My Doorbell, Little Ghost, White Moon, I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet) 1/21/25

Roxy Music

4/5

There's a lot of perfectly good albums that came out around this time that do one thing, possibly very well, but just repeat that one thing for 40 minutes. This is not that. I'm not quite sure how to describe this, it's a bit all over the place. I'd throw it in the '70s glam rock category, but there's a lot going on here. It has some classic guitar-and-drum songs, it's got a singer that sometimes sounds like Hozier and sometimes sounds like an '80s synth-pop guy, it's got Brian Eno laying down some weird ambient/electronic/outer-spacey noise. Truly a bit of everything. I like this quote from one of the guys in the band, "Discussing the music, Andy Mackay later said "we certainly didn't invent eclecticism but we did say and prove that rock 'n' roll could accommodate – well, anything really"". It is certainly eclectic. It was also produced by one of the King Crimson guys, and I kind of see some similarities (wide variety of instrumentation, some long songs that keep the beat going, for instance on "If There Is Something"). I started this and during the first song basically completely judged a book by it's cover, and I regret that. This is solid, and it's fun having some early Eno somewhat in the confines of a band. There's a few songs that aren't hits for me and the front half is definitely stronger, but on the whole this is super enjoyable. Favorite song: If There Is Something Other: Ladytron, Virginia Plain, 2HB, Chance Meeting, Would You Believe? 1/22/25

The Slider

T. Rex

4/5

Two very similar albums back-to-back here, this and yesterday's Roxy Music are both glam rock albums released only a month apart from one another in 1972. This one is a bit later-career for T. Rex though (compared to Roxy Music's debut). I honestly just think I really like music like this. This early '70s glam period is just so much fun, they can do both the shredding rock songs and the slower ballads, they don't take themselves too seriously, it's just a fun period. There's a few songs on here that feel like the precursor to like The White Stripes or The Black Keys or something, I feel like the style manages to be somewhat timeless despite the whole slightly-over-the-top glam thing. The frontman (Marc Bolan) seems to have it, I'm into it. I'm giving this a 4 too, but it's ahead of yesterday's album for the record. Less eclectic, but better. Favorite song: The Slider Other: Metal Guru, Mystic Lady, Rock On, Baby Boomerang, Spaceball Ricochet, Telegram Sam, Rabbit Fighter, Ballrooms Of Mars, Main Man 1/23/25

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

3/5

This one is Zappa but instrumental (with the exception of the beginning of "Willie The Pimp", where some dude named Captain Beefheart sings for a bit). This is his first solo album, and it's very different than Freak Out! This is basically a jazz album, though definitely a bit more on the jazz rock side. It's like if Steely Dan were way less smooth and more experimental. I'm always bad at rating this type of thing. I'll take everyone's word that it was revolutionary (they did seem to get this very big sound from only a few musicians, which is impressive), but to me it was just good. Enjoyable, that's all. Favorite song: Peaches En Regalia Other: Willie The Pimp, The Gumbo Variations 1/24/25

Kala

M.I.A.

2/5

I literally listened to this like a month ago now, I've been putting off rating it. I listened to it twice. I sat on it. I really truly wanted to like this. Like I tried really hard. I read all about M.I.A. and her family moving to London as Sri Lankan refugees and how the album tackles the subject. I promise I tried. Still nothing for me though. Two stars for the social commentary and "Paper Planes" (which is iconic). The music is just not for me though. Apparently she was dating Diplo when "Paper Planes" blew up, it's pretty easy to imagine her never really breaking through. She was also married to and has a child with a Lehman Brothers heir that she met in Bed-Stuy. Also like M.I.A. probably has had a tough life and all, but she seems to have completely gone off the deep end in recent years. Like batshit crazy. Anyway, moving on. Favorite song: Paper Planes Other: Boyz, Jimmy, 20 Dollar, Come Around 1/25/25

Rain Dogs

Tom Waits

5/5

This sounds like nothing else that came out in the '80s. None of the production gimmicks of the day, just some damn good musicians (including Keith Richards) and Waits' unique voice. It sounds both like it could have come out at any time, and doesn't really fit into any time period. It's incredible. I got Waits' Bone Machine as album #8 on here, over a year and a half ago. I didn't really like it very much at all. His voice is deep and a bit aggressive, and that album has a bit of dark undertones. It very quickly became clear that this one is different. His voice still isn't my favorite ever, but the deep raspy thing works so well here, whether on the more approachable pop-ish songs, or the ballads, or the more experimental stuff. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what I like about this, but I got that excited feeling like I get sometimes when listening to new things that feel different. It's raw and emotional and just hauntingly beautiful. I don't typically like to copy/paste quotes here, but the Wikipedia page has a Thom Yorke quote that I like: "falling asleep listening to it on my Walkman, only to wake up in the morning with it still on autorepeat in my head. Every track was a short movie set in a mysterious, circus-like down-at-heel America that I had almost no understanding of, with different characters both in the lyrics and the instruments, an entire universe revealed to me for a few minutes only to drop me at the other end of the block – no idea how I’d got there. Every lyric was an effortless rhyme you could only dream of ever writing. Falling off the tongue so beautifully, but never giving easily, keeping half the story to itself. Waits was playing a character with a darkness and humour that felt far more genuine than anything trying to be, I dunno, genuine in 1985... This record has never got tired for me, though I have played it over and over throughout my life, as did my kids growing up." I can't wait to listen again. I probably owe Bone Machine a relisten too now. Favorite song: Downtown Train Other: Singapore, Clap Hands, Cemetery Polka, Jockey Full Of Bourbon, Tango Till They're Sore, Diamonds And Gold, Hang Down Your Head, Time, Rain Dogs, Gun Street Girl, Union Square, Blind Love, Walking Spanish, Anywhere I Lay My Head 1/26/25

Hot Fuss

The Killers

5/5

First day of work in a while today, and I expect my album pace to slow down quite a bit now. This has been a really fun thing to do over the past year and a half or so, and my music appreciation and taste has grown quite a bit listening to a ton of music that I never would have listened to otherwise. That said, it feels fitting that today I don't get something new to me. This album is very well-known to me already, and is a favorite of mine. A great way to turn the page on this chapter for me. I could try to be objective, but I won't. I truly love this album. It came out a bit before my time, but it feels like it's been pervasive in my life (my college friends seem to think my music taste is just The Killers for some reason, I think it was the only music I liked I could convince them was worth listening to). Say what you will about The Killers, not all of their albums are particularly great, they're overplayed, it's stadium/pop-rock. I don't care. They had it back in 2004, this is one of the best debut albums of all time. The 5-song stretch to open this album is one of my favorite stretches of songs on any album, there's no misses (I picked "Mr. Brightside" as my favorite song on here, but "All These Things That I've Done" is a really close second). The back half is a bit weaker, but how could it not be (also there's some underrated gems, "Everything Will Be Alright" is an awesome closer). I learned a few things actually reading about this for the first time. I guess they were writing their first album and The Strokes' Is This It came out, and they were so impressed by it that they threw out everything they had written (except "Mr. Brightside") and started over. Also the fuzzy vocal thing that Brandon Flowers has going on the whole album was a post-production effect called Echo Farm which apparently "overdrives the vocal a bit and sets an 84 ms delay". Anyway, this album is basically perfect. It means a lot to me, I've gotten to see The Killers live a few times (headlining Boston Calling and at the TD Garden) and these songs are electric live, it's just a great album. I'm happy today. Favorite song: Mr. Brightside Other: Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, Smile Like You Mean It, Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I've Done, Andy You're A Star, On Top, Change Your Mind, Believe Me Natalie, Midnight Show, Everything Will Be Alright, Glamorous Indie Rock And Roll 1/27/25

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

3/5

Allegedly this kicked off the bossa nova craze in the US in 1962. Frankly, I did not know there was a bossa nova craze in the US. It's basically jazz music with a Brazilian twist (though neither of these dudes are even remotely Brazilian). The album is perfectly enjoyable and they're obviously both talented musicians. I like it enough and could imagine playing it again as background music, but I can't say the bossa nova thing really does much for me. Perfectly ok, but that's it. Favorite song: Desafinado Other: O Pato, Samba Triste, Samba De Una Nota So 2/1/25

L'Eau Rouge

The Young Gods

2/5

I actually liked the first song on this, it was very orchestral and a unique take on harder rock. I had higher hopes after that, but it kind of fell into more of a typical noisy industrial rock thing, which didn't do it as much for me. "Les enfants" at the end got back to it a bit, but most of this didn't really appeal to me very much (it definitely didn't help that it's not in English either). Favorite song: La fille de la morte Other: Crier les chiens, Les enfants 2/2/25

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

5/5

This album is just so good. Don't get me wrong, it's super weird. It's got this robot concept thing going on (at least for the first few songs, the concept falls apart a bit after that), the robots are pink for some reason, there's some unconventional spacey sounds in the background. I can definitely see it being too much for some people. I don't care though, this thing is a masterpiece. First, the sound is just so deeply layered, it's just one of those things that you can like put on headphones and not listen to the vocals at all and it puts a smile on your face. It's really beautiful musically. Fortune called it a "lush and haunting electronic symphony," and you know what, it is. This would be a perfectly good album just on that alone, but somehow through the whole robot ridiculousness this thing is also super freaking gut wrenching lyrically. Like look at this: "Do you realize / That you have the most beautiful face? / Do you realize / We're floating in space? / Do you realize / That happiness makes you cry? / Do you realize / That everyone you know someday will die? / And instead of saying all of your goodbyes / Let them know you realize that life goes fast / It's hard to make the good things last / You realize the sun doesn't go down / It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round" Like, come on now. That's like a whole philosophy of life boiled down into a verse in a song on a goddamn album about pink robots. Like someone in their studio made an offhand comment about how some Japanese musician named Yoshimi sounded like she was battling monsters, and we got this beauty. Musicians never cease to amaze me, I could never do this. There's a few moments here and there that drag a tiny bit, but honestly who cares. They were cooking, I'd rather have more of this than less. There's also like three songs that all could easily be my favorite on here. "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1" was really the only song I was familiar with going into this, but "Fight Song" is a killer opener, and "Do You Realize??" is incredible too (lyrics above). This is just a killer album overall. This period of alt/indie rock might be my favorite genre, and I feel like this album is a bit underappreciated. Not by me though. Favorite song: Do You Realize?? Other: Fight Test, One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 2, In the Morning of the Magicians, Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, Are You a Hypnotist?, It's Summertime, All We Have Is Now, Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia) 2/3/25

The Cars

3/5

This feels like a bit of an inflection point for the punkier rock elements of the '70s starting to give way to more of the '80s synth pop. This has a bit of a nice mix of the two in a way that sounds pretty fresh compared to a lot of the other stuff I've gotten on here (though still dated now of course). I generally don't really love the '80s pop stuff, but I think I like the songs that lean into it a bit more on here, the others can be a bit generic sounding. This also gets out to a hot start, the first three songs on here are all hits. It falls of a bit after that, but the vibes are generally solid. This feels like a 3.5 to me. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but the vibe is good and there's a few hits. I think it's going to be a round down situation, but it's close. Favorite song: Just What I Needed Other: Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, Don't Cha Stop, Bye Bye Love, All Mixed Up 2/4/25

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

1/5

Please make it stop, this week has been long enough already. I've written enough about Slipknot lately. This is not for me. Still. This one has a few moments where they go from screamy music to emo music. It only makes it marginally better. Favorite song: Snuff Other: Psychosocial, Dead Memories, 'Till We Die 2/5/25

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

4/5

I haven't really listened to much Talking Heads (first one on here for me, though I did get a Tom Tom Club album). I've been a bit unsure what I would make of them, I know they get a lot of acclaim but I also tend to not be super into the new wave stuff. I enjoyed this a lot though, it's a really solid album. This is their third album and seems to be a bit of a transition point for them. This is their second album with Eno involved, and it sounds like Eno's hands are all over it. There aren't too many major standouts here ("Life During Wartime" and "Heaven" are the two best songs for my money), but the album sound is incredibly consistent. David Byrne's vocals are consistently great, he has this kind of breathless quality that really works (apparently he was literally running during the recording of "Drugs" to get this sound). "Life During Wartime" is a an interesting song too., it seems like a fairly clear commentary on New York City in the late '70s. I always find myself forgetting how bleak things were here at that time, but it's interesting context to keep in mind for artists that were living here at the time. You don't often get a song that addresses it so clearly though, I enjoyed that. Also "Heaven" was covered on the Simply Red album I got on here, this version is way better though. Favorite song: Life During Wartime Other: I Zimbra, Mind, Paper, Cities, Memories Can't Wait, Air, Heaven, Drugs 2/9/25

Bad

Michael Jackson

4/5

I feel like Michael Jackson and Prince are both in the same category for me as artists where every song is either a complete banger or basically a total dud. Like everyone has some variation in song quality on their albums, but how do you go from "The Way You Make Me Feel" (banger) to "Speed Demon" (bad) back-to-back? I think the median song for both of these people is meh, but then there's just these absolutely iconic singles. It really makes it hard to rate. Anyway, the point is that I would basically never actively choose to put this on, but I still have to admit there's some good stuff on here. It's not quite Thriller quality, but it's a good output among a genre of music that's kind of bad. A few too many "woo-hoos" for my liking though. Favorite song: Smooth Criminal Other: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Dirty Diana, Leave Me Alone 2/20/25

Franz Ferdinand

4/5

Imagine it's a crisp day in Fall 2004. I'm 9 years old. I crack open the Madden 2005 case and put it in the PS2. "Take Me Out" comes blaring out of the TV speakers. Life is good. I've had some good nostalgia songs and albums on this journey, but I'm not sure there's a better nostalgia song than this one. It was in both Madden '05 and NHL '05 (plus Guitar Hero apparently) at the time when my video game playing was probably peaking. It has been played to death in the 20 years since then, and it also completely slaps today. The frantic opener, then the gradual slowing of the tempo, and then the drums just hitting and flipping the sound. So good. And according to the singer, it's basically just because it sounded better that way: "The verses sounded better played a little bit faster and the chorus sounded better played a little slower and we could never quite work it out... I had this idea that we’re going to take all of the verses, put them at the beginning of the song, and then we’re going to slow it down and play all the choruses, which is kind of the wrong way to do it." Despite knowing "Take Me Out" so well, I don't think I'd ever listened to anything else from this album before. I guess it's slightly before my time (though Hot Fuss came out in the same year and I know that one well; side note, 2004 was a pretty great year for indie rock). This isn't a perfect album, it has a few lulls and there isn't anything that approaches "Take Me Out". Still, I was generally impressed with the rest of the album. There's a few really solid tracks ("Jacqueline", "The Dark Of The Matinee", and "This Fire" are all great), and it does a really good job of keeping up the energy throughout. 11 songs at 39 minutes total keeps things tight and punchy. I figured this was Franz Ferdinand's debut album, but what I didn't know was that they were fairly old for a debut breakthrough. The lead singer was 32 when this came out. The band is Scottish and I guess he had been in a few bands and a staple of the Glasgow music scene since the '90s, but he didn't form this band until like 2002 and then they broke through with this debut in 2004. They also literally just picked the name because they liked how it sounded, people like alliteration. I thought this comment from the drummer was funny too: "I like the idea that, if we become popular, maybe the words Franz Ferdinand will make people think of the band instead of the historical figure." I'm not sure if they quite succeeded there, but honestly they probably came closer than they would ever have imagined. At the very least they're immortalized in this list I guess. Favorite song: Take Me Out Other: Jacqueline, The Dark Of The Matinee, Auf Achse, The Fire, Darts Of Pleasure, Come On Home, 40' 2/23/25

Pictures At An Exhibition

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

2/5

I really did not get this one. It's peak prog rock, in that you get the sense that these guys think they're the greatest musicians to ever walk the face of the earth because they can jam away on their goddamn pipe organ and synthesizer for 38 minutes. Like I'm sure they're talented and all, but it feels like they're doing this to get some '70s art school student to write something nice about them in their school newspaper, not create something actually enjoyable to listen to. Just do classical music if that's what you want to do, it's really fine. One extra star because the singer's voice is decent and it shines on "The Sage" once the synth nonsense dies down. That and "The Great Gates" give you some sense of what they could be at their best, but the rest falls flat. It ends with a Nutcracker "cover" (?) called "Nutrocker". I have no clue whose idea that was. Totally unnecessary. Favorite song: The Sage Other: The Great Gates 2/24/25

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

I have a few regrets on ratings that I've given during this album process. My biggest is probably giving Pixies Doolittle 4 stars. Every time I relisten to it (which has become fairly frequently) I regret not giving it 5 stars. Complete miss on my part. We live and we learn. I'm sharing this anecdote because I'm a little afraid that I might be making a similar mistake here. The vibe is somewhat similar, early '90s grungy alt rock. It has some absolutely iconic tier-A songs ("Cherub Rock", "Today", "Disarm"). This one is a bit on the long side at 62 minutes and there is a bit of filler. Still, this is a really awesome album though start to finish. I'm completely talking myself into a 5 start album here. Ok not making the same mistake twice, it's done. Favorite song: Disarm Other: Cherub Rock, Today, Hummer, Rocket, Soma, Mayonaise, Spaceboy, Silverfuck, Sweet Sweet, Luna 2/25/25

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

3/5

Almost 2 years ago I got Run-D.M.C.'s debut album as my 14th album on the generator. I feel basically the same, in that I really want to like this but I just can't quite get all the way there. Here's the good. First, I do think this album is better than the debut. They really lean into the rap-rock thing on a few songs here which I think was pretty innovative at the time, mostly notably on the Aerosmith "Walk This Way" cover. I guess I didn't realize that this version came out 10 years after the original, so they did Aerosmith some favors bringing back their relevance too. This album also has "It's Tricky" which is just so damn catchy, probably one of my favorite pre-2000s rap songs. Like the debut, the album is also just generally pretty hilarious. The very first line on the album is "Now Peter Piper picked peppers but Run rocked rhymes", and the whole song is just totally goofy. They also love to rap about how they don't do drugs, there's a whole song about "My Adidas". Great fun across the board. The bad is mostly still that the call-and-response rap style has just aged very poorly to me. The pace is just a bit plodding throughout and beyond the couple of songs that I mentioned there's quite a bit of filler. I can't see myself ever playing this start-to-finish again, but I can definitely see why they were some impactful. I've probably overrated a few early rap albums on here and I might be underrating this one, but it's like a 3.5 to me. Favorite song: It's Tricky Other: Peter Piper, My Adidas, Walk This Way, Raising Hell, Proud to Be Black 3/3/25

Vincebus Eruptum

Blue Cheer

3/5

The internet tells me that these guys basically invented hard rock. It does rock pretty hard for the time, so credit where it's due. This one is consistently fine, but doesn't do anything particularly spectacular or interesting at any point. Perfectly middle-of-the-road. Favorite song: Summertime Blues Other: Rock Me Baby, Out of Focus 3/12/25

Ramones

4/5

This is pretty embarrassing, but I had never actually looked up who sang the "hey ho, let's go" song before. It's the Ramones. It's the opener on here, "Blitzkrieg Pop". Banger. These guys were just jamming at CBGB and Max's Kansas City in the '70s doing their own thing and then someone found them and they pulled this together in like a week. It's a super raw but it just keeps this incredible energy throughout. I don't really consider myself a huge punk person or anything, but I can just totally see the appeal of this thing back in '70s New York. And it holds up reasonably well today too. Some of the lyrics draw from some darker sources, but the vibe is just really good. Favorite song: Blitzkrieg Pop Other: Beat on the Brat, Judy Is a Punk, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement, Loudmouth, Havana Affair, Listen to My Heart, 53rd and 3rd, Let's Dance, Today Your Love Tomorrow the World 3/16/25

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

This is my third Nick Cave album on here, and they are all wildly different. This one is my favorite so far. This is Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 13th album, and it's a double album. Reviews describe it as gothic rock, blues rock, and gospel rock, and those all seem pretty different but they all kind of make sense. It's a powerful album, one that seems like it should be listened to on a big speaker on max volume. Even the more low key songs have this energy about them that's really awesome ("O Children" is the closer, and it really has this big building sound despite being a slower song). The best song on here is buried near the end of the first disc, "Let the Bells Ring" is super catchy and has been stuck in my head for days since listening to it. I still don't know exactly what to make of Nick Cave. There were moments on here that felt like Bowie or Iggy Pop ("Nature Boy" for example), sometimes I get a Father John Misty vibe (not as funny though). I think I like him, but the discography is so big and varied that I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. This is a long album so I don't know how often I'll revisit the whole thing, but there's a lot of good on here. Any double album that manages to keep my attention is a good one. Favorite song: Let the Bells Ring Other: Get Ready for Love, Cannibal's Hymn, Hiding All Away, There She Goes My Beautiful World, Nature Boy, Attaboir Blues, Breathless, Babe You Turn Me On, Easy Money, Supernaturally, Carry Me, O Children 3/22/25

O.G. Original Gangster

Ice T

2/5

'90s rap is definitely not my favorite genre, but something about this was particularly tough for me. Maybe it's the hard content, maybe it's the fact that it's 72 minutes long for some reason, maybe it's that Ice T is a network TV actor now and I can't get that out of my head. I don't know exactly, but this just did not do very much for me. Very meh. Favorite song: New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme) Other: First Impression, Bitches 2, O.G. Original Gangster, Fried Chicken, Body Count, Pulse of the Rhyme 3/27/25

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

3/5

It's obviously dated, but this is in the category of foundational albums. I probably overrate the '50s and early '60s albums on here, but it's honestly usually just fun stuff. Little Richard is able to capture an impressive amount of energy in a recorded album. The pace feels almost frantic at times, his vocal riffs keep you on your toes (though they go a bit overboard at times). This feels like a real crossover point for like early jazzy R&B music and early rock music. You can kind of feel the influences from both sides. This falls a little short of some of the other albums of the time for me, but it's still an enjoyable one with a few of his most famous songs. A good listen. Since this is my first Little Richard album on here, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole on his Wikipedia page. It's...something. The guy had some serious issues handling his sexuality, we'll just leave it at that for this review. Favorite song: Tutti Frutti Other: True Fine Mama, Ready Teddy, Baby, Slippin' And Slidin', Long Tall Sally (The Thing), Miss Ann, Rip It Up, She's Got It 3/28/25

The Grand Tour

George Jones

2/5

I guess I can get why someone would like this, and he has a nice voice for sure, but my god is it boring. That's basically all I have to say about that. Favorite song: The Grand Tour Other: Once You've Had the Best, She Told Me So, Our Private Life 4/1/25

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

3/5

I think this is one of those where it was pretty groundbreaking at the time, but then the gimmick got copied so much that it doesn't sound so groundbreaking now. This is a '90s instrumental hip hop album that is basically all samples. There was plenty of sampling going on by the '80s already, but this does take it to a level that feels more '00s to me. I generally found this more enjoyable than some of the other trip hop type stuff that I've gotten on here. I think he pulled from a pretty wide range of artists (including Bjork), which kept this pretty fresh throughout (there were a lot of bounce backs after songs that I didn't really like). It almost feels like an art piece or something, very ethereal throughout. Also a bit jazzy at times which I liked. Anyway, this was enjoyable enough but firmly in the 3 category for me. Solid listen, I could imagine coming back to it it the right mood. Favorite song: What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt. 1 Other: Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt, What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt. 4, Stem/Long Stem, Transmission 2, Mutual Slump, Organ Donor, Midnight In A Perfect World 4/1/25

Soul Mining

The The

3/5

I really judged a book by its cover on this one. First, the literal album cover, do not like it. Do not feel like it paints an accurate portrait of what's coming, so my expectations were not aligned from the get go. Then the first song. Terrible. Most albums start reasonably strong and then fall off. This one does not. Not sure what's going on, but the first song is annoying and abrasive. My expectations were low at this point. Turns out the rest of this album is actually pretty decent, and it turns around right away with song #2 which is fire ("This Is the Day"). "This Is the Day" reminds me of some more recent song, but I just can't place it. Maybe it'll come to me eventually. "Uncertain Smile" is a solid track too. Anyway, this album falls into some of the common synth-pop pitfalls at times, but it's generally solid. A pretty fun album with a few great songs despite a rough start. Reminds me a bit of Echo & The Bunnymen. Maybe this '80s synth nonsense is growing on me a bit. Favorite song: This Is the Day Other: The Sinking Feeling, Uncertain Smile, Giant 4/2/25

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

4/5

It's a Sinatra bossa nova album, absolute fire. Honestly it's a travesty that I had to wait 375 albums to finally get some Sinatra. My Pap was a huge Sinatra fan, and his music mostly just brings me back to days spent riding around in the backseat of the Cadillac with Sinatra on the radio. Those were good times. The music felt so uncool at the time, but now it just feels nostalgic mostly. I could listen to this all day. Anyway, onto this album. It's definitely a bit unique for Sinatra, the bossa nova thing gives it a bit of flair compared to his other music. I'm not sure if I think it's a particularly good or bad thing, but it's different and I like it. There's no major standout track on here for me (the opener "The Girl from Ipanema" is probably the closest), but it's consistently strong. The Stan Getz bossa nova album that I got on here has already made its way into my Sunday morning / evening with a book rotation (after I gave it a middling review originally), and I imagine this one is going to get added to the list. Random trivia, but this lost the 1968 Grammy to Sgt. Pepper (which was the first rock album to get album of the year). Both great albums, but I think they made the right call. Favorite song: The Girl from Ipanema Other: Dindi, Change Partners, Meditation, How Insensitive, I Concentrate On You, Baubles Bangles and Beads, Once I Loved 4/3/25

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