I guess I hadn't heard any of these songs for a a reason. The front half felt like standard Queen fare, and the latter half more experimental. I enjoyed the first half more.
I've only heard of Sonic Youth before, don't think I'd every heard their music. I liked the album more than I thought I would after reading a bit about it. Kinda punky and industrial, some of it worked for me and sometimes it didn't. I was a little over it by then end of the album though.
Nina Simone is great! While I did particularly enjoy a few tracks on this album, it didn't blow me away. Still a good listen though.
This felt like a real long listen, even it is two albums. I mostly enjoyed the tracks, though there were a few especially in the latter half I just didn't vibe with. Though you gotta give respect to the all time classics "Hey Ya" and "Roses." Good album though I wish it was a bit more concise.
Wow, wasn't expecting to enjoy this album this as much as I did. Haven't really heard much of the Kinks, but they sound like a more punk Beatles. Thought the concept album was cool, based on a working class life in post war England. Gonna have to listen to more of The Kinks. 4.5/5
Got a few bangers on this one, the rest I could take or leave.
Glad I gave this one a chance, I didn't really jive with the first song but ended up enjoying this album a lot! Baaba Maal's got some pipes!
A melancholic indie feel. Seems a bit basic by todays standards but I can see how this was ahead of it's time. Especially reading that Smith came from Portland in the 90s where the grunge scene was happening.
Pretty good, beatles-esque but longer form songs with more soul and blues influence. I liked it fine but nothing jumped out at me.
Never listened to more than one consecutive Bob Dylan song before. His voice is sometimes pretty goofy haha, but I enjoyed the listen. 3.5/5
I really grooved to this! Not something I'd listen to every day but it was a lot of fun. Also cool reading and learning about Fats Domino.
Pretty solid debut album, though I wanted to like it more than I did. 3.25/5
Wasn't really jiving with it until End of the World came on. Most the songs were still not really my cup of tea, but easy to see how REM were so influential.
The back half of this album comes in strong! Jamming, Three little birds, and One Love. All time album 4.5/5
Did not vibe to this album at all, though the first track got my hopes up that it'd be a ska/reggae album haha. Not a horrible listen, just really not my thing. 2/5
Solid album. Clint Eastwood, Sound Check (Gravity), and Latin Simone are my faves. I do think I like Plastic Beach better than this album though. 4/5
Great ablum! Never really listened to much Bowie before, only really know Space Oddity. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, but it didn't blow me away like I hoped it would after reading about it. Starman slaps. I know a lot of people love this album to death, but being true to myself I give it a 4/5. Very possible that I'll enjoy it more on a second or third listen.
Enjoyable acoustic jams. I liked when Cat would up the intensity and wished he did it more. 4/5
I definitely knew Mr. Blue Sky before listening but nothing else. Cool rock music with interesting orchestra music thrown in. Also some cool soundscapes in some of the songs. I thoroughly enjoyed it even if it didn't quite blow me away. 4/5
Atmospheric post-rock that's good for moody background music. I enjoyed listening to it while I was working, no vocals to distract. I also like the title, apparently it's a reference to a Jehovah's Witness slogan from the 1920s. Fine for background music, not really my genre. 3.25/5
Undeniably iconic with a few great songs on it. I was tired of it by the last few tracks, the style feels dated (duh). I was also a bit surprised that I still remembered most of the songs, I think this was one of the first albums I had on my iTouch back in the day. I'd be curious to know how I'd like it now if this was the first time I'd ever heard it.
Kinda meh on this one. I enjoyed parts of it but a lot of the songs were pretty one note and dragged on. Especially the 10 minute song. I did appreciate the brevity of the other songs though. After going through a few long albums recently a 30 minute album felt nice. I expected to like this more than I actually did.
This album hit me hard. While it is a simple album lyrically and musically, Adele's voice is just so powerful. The themes really hit me as I'm going through a breakup and still feeling a lot of emotions about it. Not quite a 5 star for me but a solid 4.
This is a great album. It doesn't rise to a 5/5 simply due to a few weaker tracks. Also does this website know I'm going through a breakup and have a weakness to girly pop? First Adele and now this. I also had to listen to some Carly Rae Jepsen after of course. Also I really like the album art.
I'm not a Cuban link, so I don't think this albums was meant for me haha. Overall I enjoyed it, the length and seeming repetition did take it down a few notches for me. Definitely an angry 90s gansta rap album. I haven't listened to much WuTang so hopefully the other WT albums on this are better.
Standouts: Ice Cream, Guillotine
Rating: 3.5/5
This album is so 2000s, though mostly in a good way. I really enjoyed it up through track seven (Wake Up, Walter Mitty song) but then it lost a lot of steam and I thought it got a lot less interesting. I can clearly see how influential this would be in 2004 when all the indie rock was getting big. It felt like I was watching Juno. At first I was leaning to a 4.25 or strong 4, but after the ending and thinking about it I'm at a 3.75.
Standouts: Neighborhood #3, Wake Up
Rating: 3.75/5
I love learning about new bands and albums with this project. This was a cool one, apparently the Cowboy Junkies are made up of 3 siblings and another friend and they lied to the Trinity Church in Toronto that they were going to record a 3 siblings christmas album. They also recorded it all on on a single microphone and a two track, no mixing afterwards. For the music, I enjoyed it. Very blues-y and moody. The vocals lacked a bit at times in my opinion but I dug the melancholy low key vibes.
Standouts: To Love is to Bury, Blue Moon Revisited
Rating: 4.25/5
Liked this one ok. Didn't really grab me, felt repetitive and uninspired. It also dragged on, especially on disc two. I know this album gets a lot of love, and maybe I just wasn't in the right space to really absorb it. I didn't hate it and there were a couple great songs but I overall just felt bored listening to it.
Standouts: Kashmir, Ten Years Gone
Rating: 3.25/5
Solid hip hop album. I liked Jeru's flow, rappers today don't rap like this anymore. The back half of the album came in strong and upped my opinion of the album.
Standouts: Ain't The Devil Happy, Come Clean, You Can't Stop the Prophet
Rating: 4.00/5
Good album. Didn't blow me away but good easy listening. I enjoyed the jazzy bits, wish there was more of that.
Standouts: Somebody up There Likes Me
Rating: 3.55/5
I loved this album. It's soulful and feels old while simultaneously feeling new and interesting. It's cinematic and blends genres. Kiwanuka's voice is amazing and the instrumentals are great. Many of the songs alone might not be the best singles, but flowing together they make this album something special. That's not to say there aren't standout tracks here. This is why I'm doing this list, to find gems like this I'd never had heard of otherwise.
Standouts: You Ain't The Problem, I've Been Dazed, Piano Joint, Hero, Hard to Say Goodbye
Rating: 4.8/5
Really enjoyed this one but it didn't blow me a way. Seemed to lose some steam mid album.
Standouts: Little Child Runnin' Wild, Superfly
Rating: 4/5
Did not expect the type of music I got from just looking at the album cover haha. It was alright, the singer was pretty whine-y, which got a bit annoying. I also listened to this while cooking dinner so I didn't pay too much attention to the lyrics, but reading a few other reviews apparently they are pretty sexual haha. So I guess the album cover fits after all.
Standouts: Like a Friend
Rating: 2.75/5
Funny to see how controversial this album is in the reviews. People seem to either really hate it or love it. I liked it a lot! Very theatrical and over the top, a real fun listen.
Standouts: Bat Out of Hell, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, Paradise By the Dashboard Light
Rating: 4.25/5
What a great album. Soft, beautiful and melancholy. The guitar and his voice go so well together.
Standouts: River Man, Three Hours, 'Cello Song
Rating: 4.5/5
I liked this but it isn't something I'd listen to on my own. Prog rock is interesting at the least. Long songs that change so much, at one moment I'd be realing jiving to it, then it would change up and get more dissonant and I'd be less jazzed about it. My favorite part is when the voices start harmonizing and it turns into a organ chord. Pretty sweet.
Standouts: Close to the Edge
Rating: 3.5/5
Meh, didn't do too much for me. Kinda mid glam rock. There were some songs I was vibing with, but there were also some songs that really took me out of it.
Standouts: All the Way from Memphis, Ballad of Mott the Hoople
Rating: 2.75/5
The best albums tell a story and boy does this one. Johnny Cash singing about murder, cocaine, executions and redemption to a bunch of real convicts at Folsom Prison is riveting. This album lives and breaths, and takes you to a different time and place.
Standouts: Folsom Prison Blues, Cocaine Blues, 25 Minutes to Go, The Long Black Veil, Give My Love to Rose.
Rating: 2.75/5
Oh boy, this was a slog. I'm not a Bob Dylan hater, but 1.5 hours straight of his voice got to me a little. It's not horrible, but it's not a good sign when you're just waiting for an album to end so you can listen to something else haha.
Standouts: N/A
Rating: 2.25/5
RIP Brian Wilson. This album doesn't have many of my favorite Beach Boys songs, but still a great listen. Hard not to have a smile on your face and imagine yourself in surfing in SoCal when listening.
Standouts: Do You Wanna Dance?, Help Me, Rhonda,
Rating: 4.25/5
I thought this was a cool album! I mostly enjoyed it but it did get a bit experimental for me to really love it. Never listened to The Flaming Lips before, but I'd be interested to hear more of their stuff.
Standouts: Flight Test, Do you Realize
Rating: 4.00/5
Great album! Super clean sound and it was cool to hear Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va in context. Latin Psychedelic Rock that flows real well.
Standouts: Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Mother's Daughter
Rating: 4.25/5
Ska! I love this album, some great two tone here. Takes me back to high school listening to this. I really wanted to give this a 5, but a fair amount of tracks here are merely ok and hold it back. Still a great formative album for me. Rude boy!
Standouts: A Message to You Rudy, Concrete Jungle, Monkey Man, Little Bitch
Rating: 4.33/5
Holy shit I struggled to get through this album. I have a love hate relationship with the Peppers, they have some truly great songs but the rest of their catalog I just don't enjoy. When I was younger I vibed a lot more with that chaotic off the wall rap/rock style, but the older I get the more it hate it. It has a crack-head energy that just feels like drivel. If this album didn't have Under the Bridge on it (great song, overplayed though) it would get 1 star from me. Also, this album is wayyyy too long. I listened to it driving through rural boring Idaho on my way to Bozeman and it made that 1.25 hrs of the drive feel like 2.
Standouts: Under the Bridge, Suck my Kiss (I hate it but also kinda love it?)
Rating: 1.8/5
At first I was going to give this three starts. It sounded to me like psychedelic rock with a bit of a punky flair to the vocals but ultimately pretty uninteresting and uninspired. I liked that the songs were short and to the point. Then I was subjected to the song Revelation, an almost 20 minute jam sesh that was so self indulgent I had to pause a few times to get through it.
Standouts: None for me
Rating: 2/5
I wanted to like this album more than I did. I honestly had a better time reading and learning about it than I did actually listening to it. I liked the idea of a moody melancholic look at middle and lower class American life with acoustic guitar, but a lot of the songs just fell flat for me. I like a good story in my songs, but for whatever reason most didn't connect for me. I think it was a combination of not really liking the vocals, and the lyrics and storytelling not being grabbing. Not a bad album, and there are a few songs I vibed with, but definitely not a standout for me.
Standouts: Highway Patrolman, Reason to Believe
Rating: 3.25/5
Yeah, this album isn't anything groundbreaking or super interesting but damn is it smooth and peaceful. It's such a relaxing album for me, I really enjoyed it. Not quite a 5 but it flows really well and I really enjoy the vocals. I think this thing gets more hate than it deserves, even if it is a bit basic.
Standouts: Don't Know Why, Come Away With Me, Turn Me On, The Nearness of You
Rating: 4.25/5
What an artistic feat, with lyrics like "Throw your hands in the air, and kiss my ass, because your girlfriend still loves me." Truly impressive.
I went back and forth between giving this 1 or 2 stars, but there are just too many songs on this album that feel aggressively bad or annoying to me, so 1 star it is. I was curios and looked at their artist page, and this is the band that does the "Bellbottoms" song from the movie Baby-driver, so I guess they are capable of decent to good music. This album ain't it though.
Standouts: nope
Rating: 1.6/5
I honestly didn't hate this, maybe its because my last album was horrible (Now I Got Worry by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), but I kinda vibe with the heavy distorted guitar and drums. The lyrics and vocals are super corny and it almost feels like a parody of Metal, but it kept the energy up. This album isn't anything special, but I'm sure it was influential for its time.
Standouts: Don't Burn the Witch
Rating: 3/5
This is a good album! I'd heard Hotel California many times before but wasn't familiar with any of the other tracks. I really grooved with the guitar and the harmonies. One of the only things I knew about the Eagles (other than Hotel California) was how the Big Lebowski hates them haha. I put that aside and enjoyed the album.
Afterwards I looked at the global reviews on this site and damn, this band is apparently super divisive. People love them or truly despise them. They seem to be associated with conservative boomer corporate rock, and I kinda see it. Seems like people put a lot of baggage on the music without really critiquing the music itself. I'm sure if I was alive during their heyday I'd have my own associations with them, but as a fresh pair of eyes the hate seems a bit unwarranted though I could be naively seeing just a glimpse of who The Eagles are. I also admittedly don't really listen to lyrics very closely, especially on a first listen. At the end of the day, I liked this album a lot, though it wouldn't be one I'd throw on very often.
Standouts: Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane, Victim of Love, Try and Love Again
Rating: 4/5
Quite the album, I've never heard anything like it before and I mean that in a mostly good way. I've heard of Bjork but never listened to her. She has a great voice, and the almost completely instrument-less album shows it off. This album has a haunting experimental feel. It kept me engaged mostly, though this wouldn't be an album I'd revisit, or necessarily enjoy as repeat listening. Though we support this queen's experimentation, even if it didn't always hit hard for me.
Standouts: Pleasure is All Mine, Where Is the Line, Ancestors (not a fun listen but it get's your attention. Are the ancestors having sex?)
Rating: 3/5
An enjoyable big band jazz album. They don't make music like this anymore.
Standouts: None really, it was all pretty good
Rating: 4/5
The title song of this album is undoubtably a classic, the rest was merely ok. If you're looking for a fix of 80s syth-pop then it's serviceable, but this isn't an album that will enter my rotation.
Standouts: Love Is a Stranger, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Jennifer
Rating: 3.3/5
I enjoyed the album, Janis Joplin definitely has a cool and unique sound. It didn't blow me away though so I'll give it a 3.
Standouts: I Need a Man to Love, Piece of My Heart
Rating: 3.4/5
This album was interesting, I'll give it that. Reading other review apparently this guy took advantage of black artists or appropriated their music? Lame if true. Speaking to the music itself, it was alright, some tracks were pretty wack and others I enjoyed-ish.
Standouts: Punk It Up (I guess, not many standouts)
Rating: 3/5
Experimental psychedelic rock. I get it, it might've been ground breaking and pushing boundaries and the precursor to lots of cool music, but that doesn't mean I necessarily enjoyed it. It just felt all over the place to me. There were some things I felt that worked, but the rest just dind't connect for me. That's not to say I think it's bad, I think it's well made music, it just isn't for me.
Standouts: Hard Coming Love, Coming Down
Rating: 3/5
I enjoyed this one, though I have to say that I'm looking forward to Pet Sounds as it's my favorite Beach Boys album. This one had a lot of tracks I'd never heard before, and they weren't all what you'd think of when you think of the Beach Boys. More somber and less sunshine sometimes. I also really like the album art.
Standouts: Feel Flows, 'Til I Die, Surf's Up
Rating: 3.75/5
This is a solid album! I didn't know Joni Mitchell but I really enjoyed her voice and the instrumentation. A good mix of musical ideas, folksy, jazzy and sometimes poppy. Didn't quite rise to a 5 star for me, but I'm looking forward to hearing more of her! It was also interesting reading about her, and shocking to see her blackface pic on Wikipedia. The 80s were definitely a different era.
Standouts: Help Me, Free Man in Paris, Raised on Robbery, Twisted.
Rating: 4.25/5
I think War Pigs and Paranoid might be the best one two punch openings to an album ever. I can't even imagine throwing this on in the 70s when it came out and having those tracks just melt my face off. I'd never listened to the album straight through, but I was impressed by the other tracks, Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom are great! I do think the back half of the album does loose some steam but not in a major way. Such an iconic album with absolute classics on it. RIP Ozzy, one of the greats.
Standouts: War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man, Electric Funeral, Hand of Doom
Rating: 4.7/5
I understand that many times to truly appreciate music you have to look at it in context. Looking at what came before informs how the music is changing and responding to what was the current state of culture. Reading a bit into this band and album, it's described as "Post-Hardcore, Post-Grunge, Indie Rock, or Noise Rock." Even trying to place this album into context I couldn't really enjoy it. At best it's monotonous muddy and forgettable, and at worst it just drones on and on with whiney vocals. It never really reaches a level of bad to warrant a 1 star, but I will not soon revisit this album or artist.
Standouts: Bullet Proof Cupid (If I had to choose one)
Rating: 2/5
I've never listened to a straight Snoop Dogg album, and this is a strong debut. Snoop was already well connected as well with some large profile features. I dig the production and beats on this one. I can take or leave the skits, but they aren't too bad compared to some from the same era. It is a super horny album, though I suppose that's just emblematic of the era and style. Good listening, and interesting to read through the reviews as they are very divided. If you're a fan of the genre and can look past the misogyny and violence it's a good listen! Though I get why people would be put off by it.
Standouts: Gin and Juice, Murder Was the Case, Who Am I (What's my name)?, Ain't No Fun
Rating: 4.25/5
Nothing too special or out of the ordinary, but I quite enjoyed it. Mellow kinda folksy music, good vocals and simple instrumentation.
Standouts: The Calvary Cross, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, The End Of The Rainbow
Rating: 3.9/5
Pretty good classic rock, some of the tracks stood out as good jams but the rest were just ok.
Standouts: Thirteen, Don't Lie To Me
Rating: 3.4/5
This is a good album, but not the best that Miles Davis can do. While this album has some great tracks on it, it really just made me want to listen to Kind of Blue.
Standouts: Moon Dreams, Venus De Milo, Move
Rating: 4/5
This one grew on me as I listened to it. At first I found Bragg's voice whiney, but as I settled into it I liked it a lot more. I enjoyed the guitar on the album, and thought the lyrics were good and heartfelt, straightforward as well which is nice sometimes.
Standouts: There is Power in a Union
Rating: 3.25/5
Pretty dull and sometimes grating. I didn't enjoy the vocals, they felt flat and whining. The instrumentals weren't memorable either. It wasn't bad, but just boring and long winded. I am not very familiar with King of Leon other than thier Sex on Fire song which I like well enough. This is apparently their first album, so maybe they got better as they matured? Not sure but I don't have any plans to check them out unless they pop up on here again.
Standouts: Holy Roller Novacine (If I had to choose)
Rating: 2.25/5
At first I was real apathetic. Another Brit rock or pop that I've never heard of that doesn't do too much for me? Maybe it was a shift, or maybe I started paying more attention but about halfway through I started enjoying it much more. Tracks 6-10 I really liked, but then it lost steam for me again. I liked the more malancholic lower key songs better. I whish Elizabeth my Dear was a much longer song.
Standouts: Elizabeth my Dear, Made of Stone, Shoot you Down, This is the One
Rating: 3.5/5
Not really my cup of tea, I can appreciate grunge but usually in small doses. I can hear this is a well made album that deals with dark stuff like addiction and depression, and has good instrumentation, but it's just too muddy with sort of droning vocals. That being said, I do really like Rooster, and Nutshell (not on this album) is in my rotation. Kind of depressed divorced dad rock vibes. Maybe I'd appreciate this album more if i was more depressed or going through a darker time haha.
Standouts: Rooster, Would?
Rating: 3/5
Meloncholic, feels very personal. John Grant has an interesting story, he is a dual US and Icelandic citizen. Raised in a conservative Christian house in the Midwest, he discovered he was gay from a young age. Had a bad relationship with his parents, his mother called him a disappointment on her deathbed. I liked the album, it has a lot of feeling to it and you can tell Grant is drawing on some pretty deep personal experiences. Not a fun listen but a somber one. I enjoyed his vocals and the simple instrumentals.
Standouts: Marz, Sigourney Weaver, Chicken Bones, Jesus Hates Faggots, Queen of Denmark
Rating: 3.8/5
This one really didn't connect with me which is a shame, since I like "Where is my mind." I wanted to like it but it kind of just became noise to me at some point. It's possible I'd like it more on a different listen but today wasn't that day for me.
Standouts: Velouria
Rating: 2.5/5
Listening to many of these albums at work is probably skewing my scores. I didn't mink this one too much but mostly because it was good background music. Other than that I thought it was boring musically to annoying with the jaw harp haha. Reading about it, people say that Leanard Cohen is a great lyricist but not a great musician and singer. I agree that his singing isn't very good. Another thing about my music taste is that the melody and musicality or whatever you call it is what is most important to me, especially on the first listen of a song or album. It typically takes me multiple listens for me to appreciate lyrics, so that puts musicians like Leonard Cohen at a disadvantage if their primary strength is their lyrics. Anyways, wasn't a huge fan, but I recognized The Partisan from the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople and enjoyed that.
Standouts: The Partisan
Rating: 2.5/5
This is a strange one. If I were to judge the album completely on its own I'd give it a weak 2 stars, but I feel to give it more based on the history that surrounds it. A big reason I love going through this list of albums is learning about people and bands, and learning about Syd Barrett and how instrumental he was in forming Pink Floyd, but then largely discarded was fascinating. This album is rough, outtakes are included in the core tracks and it meanders greatly. However it is fun and whimsical even if you can tell the author was struggling with his mental health. Interesting circumstances surround this one, but it isn't one that I think I'll revisit anytime soon.
Standouts: Octopus, Late Night
Rating: 2.5/5
