173
Albums Rated
3.68
Average Rating
16%
Complete
916 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1990
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
27
5-Star Albums
0
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
|
5 | 2.73 | +2.27 |
|
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TV On The Radio
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
Third
Portishead
|
5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
|
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
|
5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
|
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
|
5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
|
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
|
5 | 3.24 | +1.76 |
|
Blur
Blur
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
|
5 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
|
Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
|
4 | 2.41 | +1.59 |
|
Different Class
Pulp
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
|
2 | 3.23 | -1.23 |
|
Songs Of Love And Hate
Leonard Cohen
|
2 | 3.2 | -1.2 |
|
Bandwagonesque
Teenage Fanclub
|
2 | 3.07 | -1.07 |
|
Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
|
2 | 3 | -1 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.33 |
5-Star Albums (27)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Ute Lemper · 1 likes
4/5
Wonderful voice. The picks from this album I think mean more if you already knew them, but even without that knowledge, you can appreciate her voice and intensity.
But, the last track it's a complete sidestep, and it's baffling to me how bad it is. I feel that it has that dissonance and weirdness of some contemporary music that the elite listens and that's only understandable under some serious layers of privilege and spiritual emptiness. Like the point where you don't feel anything anymore and resort to listening horrid music under the pretense that's complex and made by artists patronaged by you. And i say this as someone that has listened a decent spectrum of music.
Like man. What the fuck is that repetitive guitar.
Air · 1 likes
5/5
it's my favorite album to listen and get high. but more than that, it's extremely chill, classy, aesthetic. it's one of the reasons i like so much trip-hop/downtempo.
It's so evocative, in a retrofuturisc way. in a personal sense, i feel very strongly this album, and the way in can make me so relaxed and thoughtful. As Kid Cudi said "the lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night". But it's not sad, and that's essential to make it so differential from other albums in this genre.
Black Sabbath · 1 likes
4/5
Having only listened to their original album, I feel this one is unique in how they explore with some alternative sounds. Feels in general, on the same vein that Led Zeppelin, without a bad album in their numbered repertoire; but at least they feel less repetitive and more interested on doing other stuff. Changes is quite a song, isn't it?
Now, after reading some historical context, feels surprising how well composed and cohesive is this one. Insane stuff in perspective
All Ratings
George Harrison
4/5
Beck
3/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Iron Maiden
5/5
Fun, albeit a bit repetitive.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Relaxing, chill. Some songs that i like, nice.
Foo Fighters
4/5
It's curious: they have a unique sound that somehow carried within their albums, that's probably associated with Dave Grohl's voice and emotion. But, at the same time, they also have some other sounds different from what I've come to expect from them. ¿And a bit of the Nirvana sound, in the guitars and repetitive lyrics in some songs?? IDK
The Human League
3/5
Seems to me like standard synth-pop. I mean, I don't know jack shit about this genre, so it's probable I don't get its importance. Anyway, it's nice, but it doesn't have anything special.
David Bowie
4/5
Radiohead
5/5
It's incredible how good this album is
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Groovy, a bit repetitive. I don't really know too much about it's influence.
Chicago
5/5
Amazing, experimental, incredible that this was from Chicago.
Gillian Welch
3/5
Folky, slow, chill. I guess the impact from this album is that is a female country singer and the lyrics seem to be personal. But it feels kind off slow and a bit boring to the end.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Wow.
Dense, complex, but also really accessible to people like me that only like the musical part of the songs.
It's this kind of works that reminds me of my limitations, as I cannot understand much of the meaning hidden in the English language. I wish I could understand more.
Blur
4/5
Meh. In a good way.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
It's somewhat prophetical and really forward-thinking with some of its notions. But at the same time the flow is kinda boring and has a boomer song, that doesn't grasp the media and focuses only on "the tv"
It's a mixed bag, i guess.
Gram Parsons
3/5
Kind of chill, but I don't really grasp what makes this album worthy of being in the book. Maybe is my lack of knowledge.
New Order
4/5
Really enjoyable, even without knowing too much about the band or listening to them little. Something interesting is how their sound is so far from Joy Division and even other albums that they made?
The White Stripes
4/5
Fun, energetic, short songs, great hits.
The Prodigy
5/5
Intense, rhythmic, really fun. I liked it a lot.
R.E.M.
3/5
Fiona Apple
4/5
The White Stripes
4/5
Really felt like an improvement in front of their previous album. Less repetitive but maintaining what makes their music so catchy: drums, guitar and something?
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
quite interesting how this album has many rock variants at that time. Nonetheless, the lyrics are emotional but not that interesting? IDK
Thelonious Monk
3/5
alright
Janet Jackson
2/5
She has a good voice, and you can tell effort was put in this album. But the sound of the samples and that 80s kind of style (?) sounds atrocious
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Some of these songs seem to be referenced or notorious, but the synthesizers are too much 80s to me
Talking Heads
4/5
Groovy
Aerosmith
3/5
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Nice, happy. Iconic songs.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
It has some really nice songs, nothing bad in the others.
3/5
Ehh, nice but not remarkable.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Something about famous artists that you've never listened before is that you probably will understand why they are so liked. I don't know anything about him, but i can sense the emotion and the quality of his music.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
CLASSIC
The Cure
4/5
cold, and dark, and ominous. And with some bangers. But thats it, for me at least
Beastie Boys
4/5
It's fascinating, the music from the Beastie Boys. Their flow, the way they sing, combined with the choices in the beats and the music, make them special. Nonetheless, I liked more the instrumental and musical decisions, more than the lyrics, so in that sense, I probably would like more their earlier albums.
Public Enemy
3/5
okay
Peter Gabriel
3/5
To some extent, good. A lot more experimental and complex that I could have expected
The Kinks
3/5
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
this is not folk, this is actually interesting to listen
Willie Nelson
4/5
despite being folk, it's so calm and easy that is really enjoyable
The Band
3/5
meh. notbad either
Bob Dylan
3/5
i don't like his voice. kinda monotonous, but not that bad
Ray Charles
4/5
good, but the mixing and quality of the music leaves a lot to be desired
Michael Jackson
4/5
really good
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4/5
i've find myself quite fond of some country bluesy classics. This is great stuff
Louis Prima
4/5
Really enjoyable, albeit a little bit monotonous
Cheap Trick
4/5
Listening this album, and reading about it, you can understand why it's so high regarded. It's fun, well recorded, and it's a good way to listen to the band for the first time
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
nice, chill. cool. idk what to say
Iggy Pop
3/5
good, but that Sixteen song hasn't aged well. And it makes feel weird listening to the rest
Skepta
3/5
meh
Milton Nascimento
4/5
chill, nice. You don't feel the length, it flows easily
Hookworms
3/5
meh
B.B. King
5/5
almost as good as Duke Ellington at Newport. these live albums are great, energetic and have really good performers
Jurassic 5
4/5
Something notable with some hiphop albums is that, the ones that i like the most trascend the lyrical part. This is one of them. i don't usually care about the lyrics, but with this one, i can feel invested because the beats and the musical part is superb.
Robbie Williams
4/5
Despite not really connecting with the songs from him that I had listened before, it's a really fun and cool album. Even without getting how is he that popular, the music is not bad, and can make for a comfy afternoon
Tom Waits
3/5
I remembered it a lot weirder. It's not. But also, it's not my type of singer.
The Temptations
4/5
Really cool. Chill, relaxed, good.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Ok.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Nice, chill. And the principal song, lmao
The Who
3/5
meh
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
Wonderful guitar playing, but felt a little bit long the album
Talk Talk
4/5
Cool, a chill album
4/5
enjoyable, eclectic to some extent and comfy. really liked that guitars, and Shangri-La
Michael Jackson
4/5
Good, really good
Wilco
4/5
it's like a warm blanket. but not too much warm
Ian Dury
3/5
ok
Depeche Mode
4/5
really cool. I really like their music, and its influence can be seen i other artists like NIN
Talking Heads
3/5
ehh
Joy Division
5/5
a clasic
Hüsker Dü
3/5
zzzz
Koffi Olomide
4/5
Really fun
Beastie Boys
3/5
ok
Paul Simon
3/5
ok, chill and comfy
Michael Jackson
3/5
nice
Megadeth
5/5
really good
Todd Rundgren
3/5
ok
MGMT
4/5
Duke Ellington
5/5
CLASSIC
New Order
4/5
really good
The Who
4/5
better in total, but kind of passed me in it's meaning
Can
4/5
really useful to get into something and focus
The xx
4/5
i really enjoyed it. night vibes
The Stooges
3/5
eeh
ABBA
3/5
Cheerful, nice
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
it has an interesting context and it's enjoyable musically. but it's a bit long
Bee Gees
3/5
more soft and sentimental than expected
Mariah Carey
4/5
it's great to listen to someone that can sing really well
Miles Davis
4/5
truly somehow the way i'm feeling now
4/5
classic, some famous songs
Elastica
4/5
great, underrated even
Metallica
4/5
probably the best way to enjoy some metallica songs even if you don't like them that much?
Leftfield
3/5
enjoyable, albeit a bit repetitive in the second disc
Thin Lizzy
3/5
eenrgetic, fun. not the best that i've heard, but probably due to not liking the songs that much
Gotan Project
3/5
interesting, experimental. kinda trippy. but weird that they are french?
Elbow
3/5
zzz
Hugh Masekela
4/5
chill and nutritious. really enjoyable
OutKast
3/5
i like the second part more
Jack White
3/5
not what i expected, but okay
Motörhead
3/5
really fucking cool. but Jailbait 🤢
CHIC
4/5
really good, with a classic hit. enjoyable
Led Zeppelin
4/5
another set of bangers. I think the obvious issue with this band is how much their songs feel the same. It's not bad if you like them, but if you expect something more or don't like them, it's a big problem
David Bowie
4/5
impressed. i knew Bowie took many stylistic approaches through his career, but this is one that i didn't expected. really enjoyable, hopeful and good to me right now
3/5
With albums like this, I understood that I don't like certain type of 80s music. In some new-wavish style with eclectic instruments, synths and repetitive drum patterns that are interrupted occasionally by baffling decisions in the form of quirky noises.
But this, at least it's not as sonically insulting as others. It's well thought and complex, pleasantly.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
despite the hate for this band, i find myself baffled by how good they are. i think there's some merit in their music, long from the plagiarism and popularity. And how most of the songs here slap, i think that's the reason
The Cure
3/5
besides A Forest, gloomy and pretty meh.
Cold and sleepy
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
I haven't realized until now, how intense, sweet and contrasting is this album. dreamy lullabies and intense rage and fury, at the same time.
Bittersweet and divine, in a classic gods sense.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Amy Winehouse
4/5
I probably wouldn't like her as a person. But I get how incredible is this as a debut album, with the lyrics and her voice. It's powerful, and despite feeling strongly about some of the things, it's proof of the intensity and honesty of her experiences.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
i remember reading about how Matt Bellamy from Muse got inspired to sing despite having a tenor voice, thanks to hearing Jeff Buckley. I think this goes beyond the vocal range, and has to do with how honest, vulnerable and sensitive it's his music. Every time i hear this album, i'm mesmerized with how powerful it is.
I think i feel the way he felt. Listening to this, with better headphones than the last time, was an intense experience. His voice makes me cry. And i'm thankful for that.
The Style Council
3/5
quite varied, a lot of genres and well executed.
I couldn't connect with it despite that, sadly
The Zombies
3/5
for such an interesting name, it's kind of similar to the Beach Boys. Not bad, i guess
Saint Etienne
4/5
not what i expected. Really cool some tracks at the end
Chill and fruitful
Joe Ely
3/5
somewhat unique and different from other country albums. chill
Dwight Yoakam
4/5
the duality of a man, in the lyrics of violence and vengeance against a woman, and the suffering and crying when she lefts with another.
Despite that, it's catchy music and soulful. Enjoyable country
The Rolling Stones
5/5
with the passing of time, and the years and the experience, i've come to understand that sometimes things don't get to me, until some time has passed. i can't get the grasp, i can't understand, i get lost and i lose the opportunities and the importance of some stuff that gets to me.
But, in the due time, in the exact moment, in the precise sleepless night, in the rainy afternoon of gloomy and thunder and melancholy, sometimes, i get this stuff. I understand, and now it becomes important to me, and i become a new person because of it.
this album feels like that. now it's cool and good, but not as radical and profound. but i feel, deeply in my being, that with some time, in the fight moment it will be important and i will understand it in another, more transcendental way.
Nirvana
5/5
it has a lot of importance and context, the why this concert it's so revered and regarded. but, at the same time, i find it very mood-dependent and far from what you would expect from Nirvana. That said, it still has some of the most interesting and brilliant performances of some songs. I still have "Where you did sleep last night" as a chills-inducing song. And that speaks by itself
Ray Price
3/5
comfy, but normal
Arcade Fire
5/5
like a faded memory, a feeling too intense that i cannot hold and slips through the crevices of my brain. a lot of pain, and sadness, and it's hard not to listen to this and not feel something. but even then, i can't grasp it
The Slits
3/5
i'm guessing that this one it's some kind of proto-punk album that has become of cult. it's quite unique. not sure if that makes it better, but definitely it's not something i would expect from that cover and that time period
Scritti Politti
3/5
inoffensive, but 80s music. eeh.
Mudhoney
3/5
grungy, but ehh. not that mindblowing
John Lennon
4/5
it's interesting the way that the figure of John Lennon has such an importance in the pop culture of the last century, that even today it has circled back to being despised for many things (pretentious, wife beater, said the n word, hippie, etc). But beyond all these stuff that mostly gets relegated to memes and chit-chat, i find interesting the picture that is painted when you really take the time to listen to his stuff. More than the Beatles, i feel that all the trajectory and events that lead him to his music feel in certain way that's only possible in a peculiarly organic way or a construed myth. I don't know which, but nonetheless, i'm intrigued by it, and listening to this album only empowers that feeling.
I think that for such a depressing and personal album, ending it with a dedicatory song to his wife, says a lot. ¿Was he true in his words or it was just posturing? It doesn't matter really, as what's relevant it's the question and the discussion in itself
Eagles
4/5
endearing, quite guitar rich and nostalgic. nothing exceptional, but it doesn't need to
Drive Like Jehu
5/5
kind of knew what i was expecting, but man. it's so incredible to find an album of these kind of genres that it's great from start to finish. even without knowing their importance or influence, it's stunning how creative and fun and intense their riffs and their songs are. truly a joy to listen to this
The Verve
3/5
i think it's an album that it's really hit or miss: you really gotta like this sound, or it's quite repetitive and not exceptional. ehh
The Young Gods
3/5
it's a unique album, but it's very dependent on your tastes and the moment you're listening it.
While reading The Invisibles, worked really well. But outside of that, it's quite harsh and uncomfortable.
Massive Attack
3/5
i love trip-hop and i love Massive Attack. Despite that, this it's not something as complete and realized like Mezzanine. Has some good songs, but feels more diverse and varied. Good in general but not as mindblowing
Killing Joke
3/5
Interesting mix of harsh rock with electronic sounds. energic, rough, intense. not chill for today
Nick Drake
4/5
it's deeply ingrained in my head, the quote from his publicist, about how his music didn't sold, but someday someone will realize how great it was. and it feels exactly that, how specific of a person must you be to like what he does. It's so dark and moody, in a nighttime way, that's difficult to recommend.
But, when you get it, it's like nothing else.
This album in particular, surprised as it was more than him singing and playing guitar. has some other decisions musically, that i liked.
Ute Lemper
4/5
Wonderful voice. The picks from this album I think mean more if you already knew them, but even without that knowledge, you can appreciate her voice and intensity.
But, the last track it's a complete sidestep, and it's baffling to me how bad it is. I feel that it has that dissonance and weirdness of some contemporary music that the elite listens and that's only understandable under some serious layers of privilege and spiritual emptiness. Like the point where you don't feel anything anymore and resort to listening horrid music under the pretense that's complex and made by artists patronaged by you. And i say this as someone that has listened a decent spectrum of music.
Like man. What the fuck is that repetitive guitar.
The Dictators
3/5
if you're told of it's importance related to being one of the first punk albums, it's noticeable in the way it sounds. but if you don't know, the album despite that, its good and funny.
Nothing to call home about, but i think it's funny that nowadays an album about hamburgers, chicks, cars, and the most controversial stuff, getting high on friday afternoon, feels quite tame and casual.
Steely Dan
3/5
technically, it's good, they make good albums. but nothing called my attention in this one
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
i tend to be against about albums having short songs. that tend to make them filled with a bunch of barely completed ideas. But this one is an example of how you do it. All killer, no filler.
Even when i came cautious, after seeing this is the most well regarded album here, this album surprised me. Even when i loved before The Chain, i found other very enjoyable and good songs.
It's so intense, it's so emotional, in a sense that comes honest, and really powerful. And all that its in 40 minutes. That's impressive
Public Enemy
3/5
with this one i know that i have issues with this era/style of hip-hop. this bombastic style, that is so charged and energetic, can get so fucking distracting. it's ironic that i'm used to expect more complexity/musicality on modern hip-hop, but this it's like the monkey paw result of that. To say something, it felt like listening to some kind of Trout Mask Replica of Hip-hop, with how chaotic it was.
Aside from that, it's lyrically interesting, but i would lie if i said anything more. It was really convoluted
Blur
5/5
the vibes and aesthetics of this album are quite unique and difficult for me to define. to say that is what i think the british and the UK were in that period of time, would be the best. But more than that, and more than the superficial feeling of this like something similar to Skins (the series), i feel that the aura of decadence, and corrosion, and this torpor that permeates the album, makes it something really special for me.
like chemical flashbacks, like tasting the color orange. the odours and spirit of a puke and trash filled street. it's unique in the way that's not really that conventionally dark, or obscure, more happier and mellowdramatic. I think that's what makes it so special . specially essex dogs, paints really well the aura and feeling that i get from this album.
perfect for a rainy afternoon, with your brain cooked, coming home.
Kanye West
4/5
It would be weird to think about Kanye becoming a neo-Nazi antisemite with a lot of personal issues, drug addiction, porn addiction and all the controversies that he acquired through the years, at the moment this album came out.
But if you really listened to the things he has said through the years, even in this album you can see that Kanye's career came to be thanks to his personality, his pigheadedness that made him work even in some dire situations (Through the Wire). And this characteristic, that made him so well estimated as a hard-working artist with no compromises in his work, became a show of arrogance and dubious working ethics.
But more than that, we can see how here, he already exposed some of the thinking and way of seeing the world that influenced his work and decisions in the years to come:
His disdain (somewhat justified) of the academic system, dropping from college and how he feels it's not only something people fear due to it being the standard route of life, but that school indoctrinates people in a studying wheel without experiencing or doing real things. And how this became an anti-academic nightmare, believing conspiracies and harmful ideologies.
His strong believing and faith, represented through the famous "Jesus Walks", and how he feels this strong assessment of "people can't sing of Jesus in the radio" that nowadays feels like typical crying from Christian nationalists, but then could be felt as a differential factor compared to other artists. And how it became nothing more than soil for his, and other people, weird nationalist Christo-fascist beliefs, that even when he tried to distance from them, a lot of people still have and celebrate, thanks to him bringing to the mainstream.
His general contempt and opinions that more than the typical bravado and presumption a rapper must have, today is more known as the real personality and thinking of Kanye.
What I think these things reveal, is that the life of Kanye has been the result if all of these characteristics took the worst outcome possible. We could talk about at which point it went like this, or what could've been done to prevent it, but at the end of the day, the way Kanye West is today, should not be strange considering this: that he was the same from the beginning, and despite his music changing in technical and artistic aspects, the content and message was at his core, the same. All the good and bad, and dirty aspects of his work are here in some or other way.
In that sense, I feel this album it's quite good, albeit a bit weird to listen nowadays with all the recent events. As a debut album, it's impressive. In musical and technical aspects, I prefer more recent works. I don't love it, but it's quite sad that it's so well regarded, more than anything, due to how an asshole and an egomaniacal drugged, washed-out artist he has become.
Talvin Singh
4/5
I've felt this compilation of albums tends to be quite Anglocentrist. It's logical, in the sense that marketing this as other thing than "some good and interesting albums for an Anglocentrist audience" it's nonsense. But it shows how limited in its worldview can be a book about some essential and important albums that you "must" listen, and then, these albums are from principally from 3 or 4 countries.
In that sense, and in risk of sounding orientalist, it feels so much like a fresh and interesting take on electronic music, this album. It's noticeable that some artists have evident influences from music from other countries, sometimes due to their ethnic roots, sometimes due to experimentation. But this album in particular, I've come to found it quite enriching and honest in his interpretation of sounds from Indian music ( and other cultures music, now that I've read how it was made ). It's quite a mix, and maybe it's not what some people would prefer (the Beatles take in this type of sounds it's more popular and accessible). But the way it's executed and represented, I like it a lot. It's this type of world music, that since I was a kid, makes me feel like it would be an agglomeration, a mix of human music and can represent us in front of the aliens.
In other words, with this album, and Tool's albums, i realized that I like the Tabla.
Pulp
5/5
On one side, I don't like that much the sound of some instruments in this album. It's a gripe that I have sometimes in some specific eras of music. Also, I don't like how near the end can feel somewhat repetitive and a little bit tiring its thematics.
But all that aside, it's powerful. Intense and emotional near an uncomfortable level. One thing is to whine and bitch about being sad and how life it's terrible while being rich or having everything solved, the issue a lot of bands tend to have and the reason some people hate listening to sad music in general. It's common to find that the problems and the way some artists talk about sadness and problems, tend to be banal in some genres and ages. And some get distanced from their fans once they get popular and rich. But here is all different in the sense that the problems and issues depicted here are not only very real, but common.
This anguish, existential dread about the common life, this lifestyle in England at that period of time feel very prescient and still applies in some sense. It's not only that, but I feel really real the way it describes the protagonist of the songs, not victimizing them, but talking about their issues, the things they do, love, sex, being a jerk, having fun, and facing the consequences of that fun. All that makes it real, and impactful.
It's how the last song describes it: you can dance and party. Drug yourself and fuck people. Wait for the weekend and get wasted. Live day by day and don't think about the future. It's not a question of waking up, or changing that. You're conscious of these decisions and this life, but you can't change them. You can only take the best parts of this reality and survive the rest. At the end, it's a world full of broken people, and you must do the best you can.
¿How they make this sound so happy and fun?
Air
5/5
it's my favorite album to listen and get high. but more than that, it's extremely chill, classy, aesthetic. it's one of the reasons i like so much trip-hop/downtempo.
It's so evocative, in a retrofuturisc way. in a personal sense, i feel very strongly this album, and the way in can make me so relaxed and thoughtful. As Kid Cudi said "the lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night". But it's not sad, and that's essential to make it so differential from other albums in this genre.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Having only listened to their original album, I feel this one is unique in how they explore with some alternative sounds. Feels in general, on the same vein that Led Zeppelin, without a bad album in their numbered repertoire; but at least they feel less repetitive and more interested on doing other stuff. Changes is quite a song, isn't it?
Now, after reading some historical context, feels surprising how well composed and cohesive is this one. Insane stuff in perspective
Everything But The Girl
3/5
really mood and time dependent. i only liked a remix and that it's sad in some way
Screaming Trees
3/5
grungy, with some tabla and indian influences. It's what you would expect, but that sounds make it a bit more interesting
Nick Drake
5/5
there's a level of intimacy and simplicity that's simply hard to convey with an album that's at the same time poppy and full of instruments. it was surprising to me, read that it had more musicians beside Nick Drake.
It's an album that made me so relaxed, and comfortable doing chores that it's just representative of the power that has music.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
if this album was something you heard on youtube on a random finding, it would be ok for a lazy afternoon, having it on the background and not thinking. But this is supposed to be one of 1000+ albums that you MUST hear. In that sense, there's nothing remarkable here. It's not even too experimental, or plainly boring.
Disappointing.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
comparisons are a hateful nasty thing. but is undoubtably that Sananda Maitreya is pretty similar to Prince. In some sense, the weight of that notion makes it hard to appreciate his work for what it is.
In that sense, i feel, that this album made me like only 2 songs. but there's that same sensation i felt with the earlier works of Prince, that assures me his next works will probably be something more interesting for me.
in other words: i like soulish heartfelt music from androgynous singers and this album is ok.
Nina Simone
3/5
is notable that even when most of the songs are not written by her, her interpretation is outstanding and emotional.
At the same time, some songs really worked for me, and others were forgettable . idk
Anita Baker
3/5
soulful, emotional, but not that interesting
Adele
3/5
while her voice is pretty powerful, and her albums are personal and sincere, i find that the production that accompanies her music is really functional but quite simple for me. Maybe my mood made me not connect as i should.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I thought about a lot of things while listening to this album. But most of them relate to my personal relation to it, or its history. In general, I think that Pink Floyd has the case of a band that it's extremely well regarded to the point of overrating, but the time and the changes on the public perception has given them a fair assessment and place.
This album is great. It's profound, complex, and intricate in the way a prog rock album can be, BUT, in difference to other bands, they were able to make it at the same time accessible and easy to listen. It has that long guitar solos and sound experimentation, but I think it's fair to say that they made some of the most concise and well crafted music on their genre.
On other aspect, the personal theme related to Syd Barrett feels honest and quite sad. A lot has been said, but what matters to me is that despite the years, Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Wish You Were Here feel so potent and heartfelt as an homage to an old friend. You can not know about its inspiration, but these songs are still potent and powerful.
Through the years I changed and grew. And despite this, Pink Floyd keeps remaining as an incredible band, that no matter how much I listen to them, are able to amaze me and make me feel so much as a human being. This album keeps doing that, and I'm grateful for it
The Byrds
2/5
not my kind of rock. kind of zoned out
Bob Dylan
3/5
his music has a lyrically complex and well written aspect, but i tend to find that musically is pretty servicing and simple. Here, this is somewhat ok, as i find the music good enough.
But aside that, i can't concentrate on the lyrics. Idk why
TV On The Radio
5/5
so unique their sound, that everything from them is distinctive when you hear it.
In that sense, calling this a "dark" album is quite simplistic. Even naming the genres of this one, is not enough to conceptualize the music and sounds here.
Like a faded polaroid. A gritty street. Electrical impulses. a shadow over the forgotten suburbs. brown-tinted suns and corrosion that cover us like a blanket.
These are some of the ideas i get when listening this. It's not only the sound, but the lyrics are really evocative and their use of monster thematics, with such punctual and corporal words. It's hard for me to describe, but the feel of intertwining, of being engulfed by another and the force of that desire, of the relation with another is something that bleeds strongly from this band and i feel deeply.
The Clash
4/5
Felt more long and repetitive than i expected. But this is due its genre more than it being boring or dull. I'll be damned if this isn't a fun and energetic album. Some things haven't aged all that well, but it's really representative of that punk mentality and depicts an image of the UK that's important to think about. In some sense, things have not changed in how there's a portion of the population with problems and concerns against the government and the rich people. Nowadays, its just other music genres and more concentrated wealth
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
somewhat varied for a folk-rock album. i was expecting more intimate sentimental sad songs, but it's a testimony to how varied can be that genre, the way they made it.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
i don't know how to rate this, due to how Sinatra works as an artist: prolific, with a lot of performances of songs that are not written by him and an excellent vocal ability.
In that sense, some albums like this are "perfect". I don't find anything wrong, they are a comfortable listening and despite not being something revolutionary, his voice is superb.
How can you classify an artist so proficient and so out of your temporal zeitgeist, that you're probably oblivious to much of other references and factors to judge?
Van Morrison
3/5
there's a song that i think i recognize. beyond that, nothing remarkable.
James Brown
3/5
energetic and fun. i think most of the remarkable showmanship skills that he had, are shown in the longest jam songs where he interacts with the audience and in the fast transitions between short songs.
Portishead
5/5
Portishead on itself it's a legendary band in the Trip-hop space. They are easily one of the most recognizable faces, and they have a decent discography that's interesting in how they only released music when they wanted. That's remarkable due to the high quality of all of their albums and the strong aura and energy that contains their music. It's dark. That's the best word, but more than that, the nocturnal, dreamy, loopy, sad and nostalgic vibes that Trip-hop usually has, is something that's well represented in their 3 albums.
The interesting part to me, is how these 3 albums (and their perfect live) despite being trip-hop adjacent albums, are different and unique in its own ways. In short, the first is a quasi-perfect definition of what is a trip-hop album. The second, is most grimey, noisy, obscure and, I must say, alien in some way. While the first was very cohesive, this second one feels expansive and an exploration contained to what you could expect from them.
And there's the third. I must confess that the first time I heard it, I didn't like it. Its such a big departure from everything that was done until this point that felt jarring and uncomfortable listening to it. But that's the crux of it: while the first two albums were quite sad and nostalgic, this one is another level. In a second listen, with a better pair of headphones and more concentration I realized that this album is the logical conclusion of what they were doing before. It's a sad, intense, discordant and heavy album. But at the same time, is based on loops, samples, minimalistic in some parts and has the haunting voice of Beth Gibbons, similarly to the previous 2. In some way, if someone asked what could Portishead say after more than 10 years, this is the logical answer: nothing gets better. The pain, the longing, the nostalgia, all of that remains. And some of it gets worse.
I do not think this album is something accessible and its totally understandable if someone outright dislikes and hates it. It has such a dark vibe, that at some point i feel it has somewhat of a spiritually negative connotation. But, I think, that it's an honest and compelling artistic work, and that I don't see how the repetition of the same style and thoughts of the first 2 albums would be artistically good. And even if I don't like it that much for casual listening, I find it essentially, without flaw. That's why Portishead is so well regarded, I think.
The Beach Boys
3/5
funny and sunny. i feel a lot of these albums are "remarkable" to someone that never heard much music before. But if you have listened to some Beach Boys, it's somewhat redundant to listen to this and not Pet Sounds. At least that one has some technical importance
Ray Charles
4/5
i wasn't expecting such a relaxing and homey vibe from this album. The instrumentation and slow rhythm in its songs, with the use of bells makes it feel like a Christmas Album. And it's quite strange considering that is more of a popurri of songs. In that sense, can feel a bit samey. But if you're in the mood and need a relaxing and comfy album, this one is excellent.
Considering that the little information i know about Ray Charles makes me think about him in a more soulful music related style, this is a great representation of his skill and versatility.
3/5
i don't really like the idea of John Zorn. This guy, that's a saxophonist doing a lot of performances, with chaotic and weird interpretations, with weird esoterica, mystical and even BDSM symbology in his works. With satanic and strange imagery. That has a following and a reputation of doing music that's relegated to fringe and niche communities of insufferable people on the corners of internet.
But, this album is weirdly entertaining to me. It's my first intentional dive to some form of chaotic/free form jazz. And I liked it. Kind of helped me to tune out and don't overthink that much.
At the same time, I don't think there's so much merit as people gives to this kind of stuff. I mean, you have to be talented and pretty good in what you do, to be able to perform something like this and make it somewhat cognoscible. But I don't think this is repeatable, or formally an album of songs. It's a personal gripe, but I think that music that falls in that "Theseus" category, where it can't be repeated to the exact bit, is part of a jamming/experimental/ interesting category or a bullshit category. And this album risks heavily on falling in the later one.
Justice
4/5
A monolith of music. Totally incredible and intense. Impressive as a first album. Conformed as a flow of songs more than individual ideas. Making the best way to listen: in its entirety for a better context.
But i'm not feeling a 5 or 4.5. I don't know why. Maybe too much cohesion.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
not my kind of rodeo these guys
Coldplay
3/5
Listening to this, I got lost thinking why was Coldplay not well regarded or acquired some status, compared to other bands. I read something about the earnestness of their music and how hard it was for something like that to resonate in an era of apathy and cynicism. And I'm in favor of that view.
But listening, I don't really feel that big of a connection or amazement from their music. They are not bad, for a debut album is decent. But beyond the singles, this is not remarkable. And I think that's the problem: their music on this album is okay. In that logic, their next works, where they experimented and delved on other genres are probably more interesting. But sadly, I got this notion of them making music for "normies", so I didn't listen more. Maybe they indeed became a pop band. But in some sense, ¿Don't we want to see our favorite artists explore and experiment? ¿Is not this a monkey paw situation?
Maybe the most valuable part of this exercise of listening music is the capacity to recheck some artists, their music and appreciate more with a new perspective
Elvis Presley
3/5
I really like Elvis. His music and career can have a lot of criticisms, but I find listening to him quite enjoyable and varied.
This one is a popurri of everything, a show of many moods and emotions. But that makes it more akin to a "Best Hits" album than something more cohesive you could find on other artist. So, I guess it's not for everyone in that sense.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
intense. i feel the choir adds a meaningful and emotional background that the artist by itself do not convey. In some sense, its quite confusing the concept of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds by how little glimpses i've taken of his music and work. This is one of the most unexpected
Leonard Cohen
2/5
maybe he's a great lyricist and this album was important for something. But here, his voice i find it atrocious. I don't know how an album with decent instrumentation and sounds, has such a contrasting and uncomfortable voice.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
i was expecting something more boring or generic or basic, considering how these instrumentals seemed to me as nothing more than the prehistorical pieces of modern music. But to their merit, they are so catchy and fun and dynamic and entertaining, that they can stand by themselves.
Listening to this while playing Death Stranding totally changed the mood and dynamic of the game. And i think that attest to the power of this music, not only as sampleable, but as music by itself
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
So chill and hypnotic, a pleasure to attest. A loungeful experience, of calm and rest. Nocturnal animals, of great charisma. Lyrical spirits, of wisdom and rythm.
Its such a good album that you can see how influential was. Despite the years its such a specific subset of Hip-Hop, that its not common to listen to something like this in the mainstream. And for that reason, is refreshing, invigorating. The lyrics are something hilarious in how despite being in a flow so old and kinda 80s generic, are so capable of illustrating and constructing complex and interesting narratives. Narratives that are funny and varied in a way that feels like a novel. It baffles me how this album flows, from song to song, from story to story. I liked it a lot.
Beck
3/5
there are songs here that sound like every other Beck song from this time. And there are some that sound a bit unconventional and then Beck starts singing,
This means, that if you like Beck, you will love this. If you hate him, you will have a bad time.
In my case, sadly, and despite his musicianship, i have a hard time finding something that i like from Beck. Is so alien to me, that i feel indifferent to his music, and keep forgetting him. It's not bad his music. Only forgettable to me.
Joan Baez
3/5
good voice, good singer folk. but nothing remarkable
Primal Scream
5/5
Chemical glory.
a lot of artists try to portray how it feels to being high. Maybe It's not so much that there's a perfect depiction, but more than there are different perspectives as different drugs hit people in different ways. In that sense, this album makes me feel high. Druggy. Fried. Relaxed. Loopy. Elevated.
It's dense and sparse, and so energetic but contemplative. I think how they make it so sonically varied but cohesive in how they sing and transmit these feelings related to being in such a glorious state, is why I find this album so accurate. It's not the sound effects as the intention and psychedelic sound that make it so effective to me.
In that sense, I think that even if you aren't a drug user, you will find it an experimental and entertaining album with a lot of party/danceable energy. Beyond its thematic, the energy and mood here is happy and good. ¿What more can I say?
Elton John
4/5
i find his voice and tone so emotional and expressive, that even if i don't mind that much the lyrics when listening, there are some remarkable songs here.