May 16 2023
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Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Proper classic, bluesy country rock - no doubt influential in its time but I can’t help but feel it’s a bit of a musical Seinfeld - so foundational to a genre that it sounds rote and stale. Some good tunes - Lookin’ Out My Back Door gets a mention as a chugging country number, and I Heard It Through The Grapevine is easily recognised - but overall, not doing an awful lot for me…
3
May 17 2023
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The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
Pleasant electropop with good energy. I recognise 'Lies' from the Tourist remix, which has been a long-time favourite. Quite like the slower pace of 'You Caught The Light' at the end of the album too.
4
May 18 2023
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Aqualung
Jethro Tull
All sounds very prog rock. Some fun moments but not the most engaging thing I've listened to.
3
Dec 19 2024
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Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
I can see why it might have been quite influential but not really my cup of tea
2
Dec 20 2024
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Moondance
Van Morrison
Surprising amount of variety on one album, from proper bluesy and country to jazzy and soulful. Very enjoyable album and lots to go back and discover on repeat listens. One standout was the mellow, yearning vibes of Crazy Love.
4
Dec 23 2024
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Morrison Hotel
The Doors
A great album - coherent but not repetitive. The pacing is really quite good. Standouts: Roadhouse Blues is proper bluesy rock. Peace Frog's spoken word sections are pretty captivating and has a great energy. Really enjoyed the slower pace of Blue Sunday.
4
Dec 24 2024
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Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
An album I grew up with. Crawling, In The End, One Step Closer... Solid album, still a good listen
4
Dec 25 2024
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You're Living All Over Me
Dinosaur Jr.
It's grungy, it's noisy, it's... ok.
2
Dec 27 2024
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Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces
Peak 60s British psychedlic rock. Slightly mad but an enjoyable listen
4
Dec 30 2024
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Either Or
Elliott Smith
Pleasant enough, but feels a bit forgettable to me. All quite melancholy and wispy. Enjoyed 2:45am
3
Dec 31 2024
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It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Yeeeeaaaah boooyee! This album is very late 80s hip hop. Clever lyrics, strong samples and beats (some surprisingly modern), and the infectious energy of Flavor Flav carried me through the album. Fun, impactful and a worthy listen.
4
Jan 01 2025
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Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Found it a bit samey across the whole album but I like the vibe - quite recognisable
3
Jan 02 2025
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LP1
FKA twigs
Probably my favourite album on here so far (although it is early days). Some interesting sound design, lyricism, FKA's singing is great to listen to, good variety across the album, and good vibes all round.
Couple highlights, but there was stuff to enjoy on most tracks:
- Pendulum's chugging flow and melodic sounds, with jazzy harmonies kept me captivated
- Kicks' melodic build up to an eerie breakdown
4
Jan 03 2025
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Under Construction
Missy Elliott
A hip hop classic. It's fun, easy to listen to and well produced. Really enjoyed Bring The Pain, and tracks like Work It are iconic. I just wouldn't rush back to listen to the whole thing again.
3
Jan 06 2025
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Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
It's a nice vibe, and I loved One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21, plus the title track was good fun. After a while, it all sort of washed together into a wispy blur. There's a lot I like about it, but I don't know if I'm finding it truly memorable.
4
Jan 07 2025
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The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
Initial thoughts: abrasive and uninteresting.
Closer has a bit more to it - a heady mix of noise and shouted lyrics over squidgy synths and distorted guitars. Still not doing much for me, but I'm slightly less bored compared to the preceding tracks.
Maybe it's part of the appeal, but the production feels really rough with hard-panned vocals and noise everywhere leaving a real lack of clarity.
Surprised to say that by The Becoming, I'm actually kind of settling into it.
Having reached Reptile, and there's more to enjoy here than I expected. I could see myself coming back to it on another occasion.
The melancholy relief coming into The Downward Spiral is quite poignant given the onslaught it follows, and finishing with Hurt... Damn.
Play me any one of these tracks on its own and I'd have given it a disinterested 1 or 2, but this is the first album I've had on this list which is so much more than the sum of its parts.
5
Jan 08 2025
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The Band
The Band
It's pleasant enough to listen to but equally as forgettable.
3
Jan 09 2025
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The Blueprint
JAY Z
It feels well put together and there are a couple of great tracks on here (I liked Renegade). But it did sort of fade into the background for me a lot of the time and it's an awful lot of Jay-Z rapping about how great Jay-Z is... Maybe I'd get more out of coming back to it and listening more intentionally, but I'm not feeling much so far.
3
Jan 10 2025
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Closer
Joy Division
*sigh*... This feels like another 'influential' album, which I'm sure was impactful at the time of its release, but to me 45 years later, I'm mostly bored.
I did find myself getting into Twenty Four Hours during the intro, until Ian Curtis piped up and I switched off again.
Not for me.
2
Jan 13 2025
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Blue
Joni Mitchell
Perfect.
Joni Mitchell's writing is deeply affective, vulnerable and conflicted - it paints a vivid picture, spanning the mundane and the poigniant.
It's Joni's voice which really brings the imagery to life. Unconventional at times, but undeniably beautiful and skilfully wielded. The instrumentation is very simple, which lets her voice shine through. Suffice it to say, I'm a fan of this concoction.
Favourites are mostly the wistful and melancholy - Little Green, A Case of You, and Blue is simply devastating.
5
Jan 14 2025
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MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
Another underwhelming one for me, despite the clear influence the band had at the time.
Some charismatic moments in the recording and I enjoyed many of the tracks (Plateau was a highlight for me).
Overall, though, I found the muted sound and Cobain's apathetic delivery a bit of a drag. Maybe one for enjoying in the right mood.
3
Jan 15 2025
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Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
It's bluesy and dull. A nice enough sound, and I did like Standing in the Doorway, but over an hour of the same sound is too much. I thought Highlands would never end. I'm glad it did.
2
Jan 16 2025
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All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
Aggressive, of course, but also more pop than I was expecting. Quite enjoyed listening.
Not something I'd always be in the mood for, and the aggressive schtick gets tiresome (I'm still not entirely clear what they're so angry about...), but there's definitely musicality to enjoy here.
Snuff's a bit of a rogue entry on the album - quite a welcome bit of variety. Actually, most of the back half feels more up my street.
3
Jan 17 2025
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There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly & The Family Stone
Undeniably funky, and a good mix of tracks. Seems worth another listen with more focus as there's a lot to enjoy here. It's just not doing much for me.
3