Aug 10 2023
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Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
Mostly boring boomer rock. Guns N’ Roses but one guy loves slide guitar
2
Aug 11 2023
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When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
Total snoozer. I’m sure in 1990 whatever this blew people’s nips off that an Indian guy could make loops, but MAN this shit is boring. Also, way too many filler tracks. Just 4 and a half minutes of drum loops and sitar. No bueno.
1
Aug 14 2023
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2112
Rush
For sure not my favorite Rush material. I really didn’t love the first side. Some of the riffs were cool but i don’t love the one long song concept here. Side 2 was better but again, nobodies favorite Rush material. Idk, I don’t understand why this album has the reputation it does
3
Aug 15 2023
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On The Beach
Neil Young
Another banger from Neil. Some of the longer tracks dragged a bit, but overall I thought it was a great album. Love the pedal steel, JJ Cale vibes, cool banjo lo fi stuff. What can I say, Neil rules.
4
Aug 16 2023
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Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
Very much the shape of things to come. It’s impressive to hear a band kind of mail their sound on the first outing. That being said, large chunks of this album felt like filler. But there’s enough classic material that I’ll continue to come back to this one again and again. Not my favorite Talking Heads, but still a great record.
4
Aug 17 2023
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Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
I wanted to give this album a better rating but tbh I was bored out of my mind. All of the beats are deeply repetitive, and I really could have done without the 30 plus minutes of sample monologues. Public enemy is capable of such incredible musical heights, and they definitely hit some peaks on this record, but it’s all dragged down by the weight of the production. Idk, when it works it works but this one feels long for the sake of being long.
3
Aug 18 2023
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Who's Next
The Who
Obv it’s a classic record but these songs have been so overplayed in my lifetime it’s hard to feel anything about them. They’ve just always been omnipresent. Idk, it’s fine but AOR is not my thing and the who is the weakest of the 60s bands.
3
Aug 21 2023
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Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Really a 4.5. They shaped a whole genre in one album. In 1970! Like everyone was still doing smiley hippy, and then Sabbath did this. The b side gets a lil sleepy which is really the only thing holding it back from a perfect score for me, but the A side is unbelievable.
4
Aug 22 2023
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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
This is my least favorite Beatles. I get why people love this, and why it’s considered great and important, BUT British music hall mixed with psychedelia is my personal hell. There are a couple hits I’m very familiar with but most of this album I’m unlikely to ever listen to again. Stuff like Mr Kite and When I’m 64 are straight up torturous listens.
2
Aug 23 2023
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The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies
I’m sorry but removed from its 80s alt country beginning context, this album is a bunch of deeply unoriginal covers. I feel like the impetus behind its notoriety is simply the place and way it was recorded. Like they had the idea to record it in a church into one microphone and everybody kept patting each other on the back about the concept, despite the end result being a very ho-him, unremarkable. All the press and writing about this album seems focused on trying to convince you that the mojo inherent to its production is enough to make this record more than it is. Maybe I’m just not the right receiver for the message. Nothing ever felt very interesting on this record. Very safe arrangements of very safe cover choices. Boring/10
2
Aug 24 2023
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Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
I know I should give this record 4 stars. It probably deserves it. But so much of this album put me to sleep! Slow and long just how Stevie likes it. Also that harmonica makes every song sound like Sesame Street. Sorry Stevie heads.
3
Aug 25 2023
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Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
Tbh it’s another list clogger for me. This couldn’t be a more generic 80s pop album if it tried. I’m sure someone loves this, probably a square who was in high school when it came out, but not me!
2
Aug 28 2023
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Transformer
Lou Reed
I really enjoyed this album, it feels like Lou is still trying. So much of this feels like leftover velvets stuff, it’s no surprise it bangs. Okay, here’s the big catch. I hate Perfect Day. I know I know, people love it, it’s a wedding song, a funeral song, etc. For me it’s never really clicked. It feels too childishly written, and not in an endearing simple truths way. It has the same formula as Daniel Johnstons ‘True Love Will Find You In The End’, but all the things that make that recording so touching and deep feel missing on ‘Perfect Day’. Idk just my two cents.
4
Aug 29 2023
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Logical Progression
LTJ Bukem
Zero stars. Two hours of jingling keys. I wanna dunk this someone’s head in a toilet for putting this on the list. The only way I could see myself enjoying this is if I put it on while playing Super Monkey Ball. If you put on the soundtrack to Forsaken 64, it’s identical.
No but seriously, drum n bass is fine but it’s a musical niche where if you love it you love it and then everyone else is left cold. Also, 2 hours?!? It’s wild that this is considered a sampling of talent, and it’s all identical. Just mind numbing stuff.
1
Aug 30 2023
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The Sensual World
Kate Bush
Just not my cup of tea. I appreciate some of the stranger tendencies of the production, and I’m truly glad for an excuse to listen Kate Bush. But this record was just meh for me.
3
Aug 31 2023
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Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
I think this is a perfect middle of the pack album. If the novelty of early 80s synth production is stripped away, we’re left with a pretty bog standard pop record. No real risks or signature sound, just pretty safe writing and production. I think this just surprised people because it was so minimalist following the sonic excesses of synth music in the late 70s
3
Sep 01 2023
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Be
Common
Okay so here’s the thing, Common is the worst part of his own record. His flow is non existent, it’s more like he’s doing slam poetry over a beat, but even then it’s not decisive enough to be poetry, I think he just has bad rhythm. Also, conscious bars are bad, but especially bad when like 10 years later you’re doing them in an American Express commercial. All his bars are like the Bill Cosby pull up your pants speech.
The production is great, it’s clear why Kanye was so in demand as a producer at the time, he and Dilla crushed it. Anytime Ye gets on the mic he absolutely blows Common out of the water, and it makes me just wish this was a Kanye album. Idk, I enjoyed the record, but truly only because of the production. Common just makes shit way too corny, I mean give me a break with that ‘what if god was a her’ line. The finale I also thought was a little overdone, going from the kids all saying their dreams to some overly saccharine speech about dreaming. Idk, it was some Sesame Street stuff.
3
Sep 04 2023
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Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
This is an album that has never personally clicked with me. If you’re someone interested in punk music this is considered a touch point, so I’ve listened to it many times before, but as always I’m just not terribly moved by it. However, I almost have to give it a good rating because of how important it is. It really sets out and defines a mood that would become so influential it’s impossible to ignore. I feel a bit plebeian saying it but other than a couple songs, I really don’t enjoy listening to this album.
3
Sep 05 2023
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1984
Van Halen
This is like the most emblematic butt rock album conceivable. David Lee Roth really sucks, he’s such a terrible vocalist it’s kind of unbelievable. Without Eddie, this band would have faded into obscurity. There are so many pointless synth textures worked into the album, clearly because it was trendy. I saw a YouTube comment saying that Alex’s drumming was next level, if you told me this album was made with a drum machine I’d believe it, the drums are so boring. As a band they’re so obsessed with gimmicks to try to distract you from how boring their music is. The actual songwriting is so fundamentally poor and uninteresting, the lyrics are downright embarrassing. It sounds like a high school football linebacker was forced to write poetry. The only song I at all enjoy is hot for teacher, and it’s mostly because I heard it when I was a kid in middle school. The idea of this being anyone’s favorite album is baffling to me.
2
Sep 06 2023
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Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TV On The Radio
This is another one of those albums where I get it, but it’s not for me. I appreciated some of the more unique production choices, but the minimal drum beats and marvel movie synth orchestra stuff really left me cold. I’m glad to have listened to this album, but I’ll most likely never listen to it again.
3
Sep 07 2023
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Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
Van Morrison’s whole thing really doesn’t click with me. It feels very boomer core. There’s a lot of press about how important and impressive this album is but for me it feels very rambling and pointless. There doesn’t seem to be much direction or intention with any of the songs, just kind of jamming on boring white guy soul stuff. It’s just not the type of music I’ll ever really pine for.
2
Sep 08 2023
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Truth And Soul
Fishbone
Mom can we go to Oingo Boingo? Mom: we have Oingo Boingo at home.
This album’s inclusion feels like recency bias at the time of publication. People used to think that mashing as many genres together as possible was the future of all music, but really it was a fad that really calmed down in the late 90s. It feels like they were trying to show off how many textures and sounds they could include, and they forgot to write good songs. I’m gonna guess that this is big with the Ween/Mr. Bungle/Primus crowd. I just don’t enjoy it.
2
Sep 11 2023
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Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
My favorite Bob is electric Bob, but this record still has so many great songs. This is like the precipice before he truly took off as an artist. Great record, ‘I Want You’ might be the dumbest song I’ve ever heard tho.
4
Sep 12 2023
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Permission to Land
The Darkness
Very generic hard rock only interrupted by a very annoying singer. There really wasn’t much I found redeeming on this record
2
Sep 13 2023
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Fifth Dimension
The Byrds
I kinda prefer country Byrds, but this is solid folk rock. I’ll for sure come back to this one in the future
3
Sep 14 2023
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NEU! 75
Neu!
I felt obligated to rate this higher because of the clout that Neu! generates in the critical space, but this one kinda put me to sleep. Idk, very vibey and spacey which is cool, but I need a little more energy out of my krautrock. Just not really my favorite, but certainly cool and worth the listen
3
Sep 15 2023
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21
Adele
Super boring, super generic. Adele has a great voice, but this type of pop music is just soul sucking.
2
Sep 18 2023
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Abraxas
Santana
Cool grooves from time to time, but it’s a little one note for my taste. I did enjoy it, but I doubt I’ll really remember it.
3
Sep 19 2023
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The Yes Album
Yes
The bass player rules. There are plenty of great riffs and musical ideas here, but for me, prog rock always shoots itself in the foot by shifting too quickly from one thing to another. Idk, very forward thinking especially for 1971, but you can also tell how rooted it is in the 60s rock scene. With all the clean guitar and organ lines, I keep thinking that this is what Grateful Dead wishes they sounded like.
3
Sep 20 2023
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Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
For me, no amount of production can help the fact that I really am not a fan of Elvis Costello. I think the singer songwriter thing really requires one to be locked into the way an artist writes, and I just can’t get there with EC. This is another one of those records where people love to write endlessly about the production, but in the broader landscape of music, the production really didn’t feel all that special. Maybe I just didn’t get it, idk.
2
Sep 21 2023
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Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Talk about one note. I appreciate Bert’s guitar work on this and many other albums, but this was like one long run on sentence. Sorry Bert.
2
Sep 22 2023
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Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
Not for me, kind of sad I listened to it, I ended up skipping a bunch about halfway through. Just very uninspired alt rock
2
Sep 25 2023
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Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
Very chill, Isaac has a killer voice. I think 60s soul manages to do the super long song better than anything else, and this album is no exception. He really builds these songs up, manages to make an 18 minute song fresh the whole way through. I really enjoyed this one.
4
Sep 26 2023
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Guero
Beck
It’s fine. It’s like Beck sat down to record a Beck album from the 90s but way slicker and less interesting. Idk it’s fine
3
Sep 27 2023
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Freak Out!
The Mothers Of Invention
Knock it off with the marimba. Whatever value this album has, it’s totally derailed by Zappa’s awful voice and the incessant need to be ‘weird’. I guess for 66 it’s cool to be weird but on an actual listen it gets old pretty quick.
2
Sep 28 2023
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Little Earthquakes
Tori Amos
Not for me. I’m just not really a singer songwriter ballads type of person. It’s not poorly written or performed, just kind of a snooze fest personally.
3
Sep 29 2023
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American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
I’m a sucker for Johnny. Some of his prime era albums would be five stars for me. I really enjoy this record, but it is ultimately a covers album. His voice is certainly worse for wear, although he still uses it for great effect. When it hits, it hits hard, but the rest is just kind of remembering how great Johnny Cash was back in his day. I’m glad he made these records though, it has so much more heart than most shit guys his age record. Most aging musicians really just write and record low energy slop, it’s nice to hear someone old that’s still keyed into good music. It should be noted there is egregious auto tone all over the place. Some notes sound so robotic it’s crazy.
4
Oct 02 2023
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Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
I think this is a classic case of a double album that has no business being a double album. There are lots of great tracks here, absolutely bogged down by boring ass boomer electric blues. Why did these guys feel the need to include so many covers? Why are all the covers so long? Idk it’s like they couldn’t let go of the white guy blues thing and just record the originals. Not surprising considering what a hack Eric Clapton is. Some tracks bowl me over, but largely I just couldn’t wait to be done listening.
3
Oct 03 2023
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Disraeli Gears
Cream
I get why this album has the reputation it has. I think for a lot of people this is one of the first flags planted in psych rock mountain. My biggest issue with it is the production. There are tons of cool riffs and grooves, all of which are kept at a very tame volume so that Jack Bruce can sing in a bell clear tone over the whole thing. I think that’s what bothers me so much about it. Whoever had the final say felt like boring 60s faux psychedelic lyrics were much more important than any of the instruments. Seriously this thing is a bingo card for dumb cliche psychedelia. Idk I have very mixed feelings about this record, but it remains a classic.
3
Oct 04 2023
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Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
Wow. If anything, this is the most album ever. Out of the box production on every track. I think the only reason it’s not five stars is just because of the length. Some people will love it but 2 hours is a pretty hard slog, regardless of how good the tunes. The conception feels a little slapdash, but you can’t argue with the music.
4
Oct 05 2023
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Apocalypse Dudes
Turbonegro
Extremely generic, extremely unoriginal, boring and bad. It’s got that problem where Europeans try to write in English, but their understanding of the connotations of certain words or phrases is off, so it really comes out sounding very amateurish, like a toddler trying to write a song. Add to that a teenaged sense of edge and danger, and we get some of the most gutless sounding punk rock I’ve ever heard. Not only are the lyrics extremely poorly written, the music is so deeply bland. It is by the book punk rock. Just total cookie cutter. No attempt to experiment or create anything, just repetition of well trod ground. The worst part of it is I know there’s a huge market for it. Dudes who think skeletons and the word ‘fuck’ are as cool as it gets, and there’s no need to examine anything further. There’s nothing actually ‘punk’ about this record, just a facade of it. It’s kind of like if the Disney channel made a DCOM called Punk Rock Musical. It’s just so bad and cringe and I understand why Bam Margera likes them so much.
1
Oct 06 2023
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All Directions
The Temptations
Very good funk, little bit of soul. My only real complaint is that it didn’t really feel like it took any chances, just kind of middle of the road, especially for the year it released. I don’t know if it stands out enough to really bring me back again, but I was happy to listen.
3
Oct 09 2023
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Low
David Bowie
I’m not the biggest Bowie fan, but I liked the production on this record. Lots of cool experimental synth stuff I can get down with. Bowie and Eno is a good combo
3
Oct 10 2023
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Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
Still rips. a couple snoozers, but a lot of heavy hitters.
4
Oct 11 2023
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The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
Yuck. Sounds like a car commercial. Or a bumper for the newest show on FX. Ok I wrote that without looking and then so read the wiki and it straight up was used in a bumper for a new FX show. And tons of commercials. Who dreams of making music like this? Very self indulgent. It’s not incompetent or anything, just deeply annoying. I could see coming back to a couple tracks, but none of the millennial whoop garbage.
2
Oct 12 2023
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Paul Simon
Paul Simon
All I’m gonna say is it’s not my favorite Paul
3
Oct 13 2023
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Sulk
The Associates
I know there are some heads in the group that will love this, but I just couldn’t connect with it. I found myself restarting a lot because I couldn’t stay focused on the tunes, they just kept losing me.
2
Oct 16 2023
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Zombie
Fela Kuti
Fela rules. Loved this record, very groovy. There are records of his I like better, so I’m holding back that last star, but pop on any Fela Kuti album and it’s pretty much guaranteed to bang.
4
Oct 17 2023
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
Enjoyed it more than I remembered from my last listen.
4
Oct 18 2023
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New Forms
Roni Size
More interesting than the other DnB album we listened to, but still DnB. It’s like an all or nothing genre. Either you love it and listen to it ravenously, or it’s just something that was in 90s movies. I did not enjoy it.
2
Oct 19 2023
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Myths Of The Near Future
Klaxons
Nothing to really draw me in, a lot of it feels abrasive in a way they didn’t intend. Idk, it’s another forgettable one for me.
2
Oct 20 2023
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Tommy
The Who
There’s a couple songs I enjoy, but mostly this is a bloated record. It’s just been written about so much people still listen to it, but I think it’s both a snoozer and a stinker. The Who has a much better body of work than this record would imply.
2
Oct 23 2023
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Different Class
Pulp
Quality Brit pop. There’s a lot of overindulgent, long ballad stuff, but when they put their backs into it, Pulp really pulls out some incredible stuff. Common People is still such a crazy banger, maybe the most anthemic song I’ve ever heard. When they come back in on the ‘you will never understand, how it feels to live your life with no meaning or control’ that shit goes hard. I don’t know if I’ll really keep coming back to every track on the record, but lots of these are lifetime playlist stuff.
4
Oct 24 2023
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Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Top tier 60s rock. CSNY has never been a favorite of mine, but you’ve gotta give it to them on this one.
4
Oct 25 2023
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The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
Cool and forward thinking, very much not for me.
3
Oct 26 2023
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Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes
Very standard 60s small market garage. I’ve heard most of these songs through various comps over the years, never even considered that they put out records. It’s not bad, but it’s not particularly inventive either. Good vibes, terrible band name.
3
Oct 27 2023
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Reign In Blood
Slayer
Very good. This is like the ideal thrash album, it really sort of gleams the cube of you know what I mean. I also appreciate it being fairly short. I don’t mean that as an insult, more like trimming the fat off keeps the energy up the whole way through, the listener doesn’t get a chance to zone out. I’ll for sure listen to this one more
4
Oct 30 2023
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Machine Head
Deep Purple
It’s funny that’s smoke on the water is the most well known song off this album, it’s probably the worst track on here. Well, Lazy is worse, but this record still rips. I love Deep Purple
4
Oct 31 2023
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Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
I like it but it doesn’t really feel like the freshest or best from AM
3
Nov 01 2023
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Germfree Adolescents
X-Ray Spex
It’s all about the sax. This is up there with X for late first wave punk. It’s a shame they never made a follow up, this record is so strong it makes you wish for more
5
Nov 02 2023
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New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
Pleasantly surprised. I remember listening to some Ian Dury as a teen and really not enjoying it, I’m glad my memory failed me. This album is very cool, something for everybody.
4
Nov 03 2023
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Pornography
The Cure
No thanks
2
Nov 06 2023
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British Steel
Judas Priest
Aside from United and The Rage, every track on this rips. Maybe not for everyone, but this totally clicks for me. The end of Steeler is so good.
4
Nov 07 2023
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Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
It’s not my favorite Springsteen, but at the same time there’s nothing to really complain about. I am a true son of NJ, four stars.
4
Nov 08 2023
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Faith
George Michael
Super generic 80s pop. Real honk shoo stuff going on here.
2
Nov 09 2023
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Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
2
Nov 10 2023
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To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
Felt like the first ‘classic’ album in a long time. What an album holy moly. I don’t think you could fit another sample in if you tried.
4
Nov 13 2023
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Melodrama
Lorde
Just not my thing l, but Lorde is cool as far as pop goes
3
Nov 14 2023
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The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
It’s fine, kind of lacks the magic of the early AF stuff
3