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

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

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

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.

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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