Oct 06 2023
Queen II
Queen
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.
3
Oct 09 2023
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
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.
3
Oct 10 2023
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
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.
3
Oct 17 2023
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
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.
4
Oct 18 2023
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
The Kinks
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
4
Oct 19 2023
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
Got a few bangers on this one, the rest I could take or leave.
3
Oct 25 2023
Lam Toro
Baaba Maal
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!
4
Oct 26 2023
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
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.
3
Oct 27 2023
Traffic
Traffic
Pretty good, beatles-esque but longer form songs with more soul and blues influence. I liked it fine but nothing jumped out at me.
3
Oct 30 2023
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
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
3
Oct 31 2023
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
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.
4
Nov 01 2023
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Pretty solid debut album, though I wanted to like it more than I did. 3.25/5
3
Nov 06 2023
Document
R.E.M.
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.
3
Nov 07 2023
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
The back half of this album comes in strong! Jamming, Three little birds, and One Love. All time album 4.5/5
4
Nov 08 2023
Cupid & Psyche 85
Scritti Politti
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
2
Nov 09 2023
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
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
4
Nov 10 2023
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
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.
4
Nov 11 2023
Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
Enjoyable acoustic jams. I liked when Cat would up the intensity and wished he did it more. 4/5
4
Nov 11 2023
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
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
4
Nov 12 2023
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
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
3
Nov 13 2023
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
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.
3
Nov 14 2023
The Stooges
The Stooges
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.
3
Mar 15 2025
25
Adele
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.
4
Mar 16 2025
Melodrama
Lorde
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.
4
Mar 17 2025
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
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
3
Mar 18 2025
Funeral
Arcade Fire
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
4
Mar 21 2025
The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies
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
4
Mar 22 2025
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
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
3
Mar 23 2025
The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
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
4
Mar 24 2025
Young Americans
David Bowie
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
3
Mar 25 2025
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
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
5
Mar 26 2025
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
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
4
May 01 2025
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
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
3
May 02 2025
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
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
4
May 03 2025
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
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
5
May 04 2025
Close To The Edge
Yes
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
3
May 05 2025
Mott
Mott The Hoople
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
2
May 06 2025
At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
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
5
Jun 12 2025
Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)
Bob Dylan
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
2
Jun 13 2025
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
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
4
Jun 14 2025
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
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
4
Jun 15 2025
Abraxas
Santana
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
4
Jun 16 2025
The Specials
The Specials
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
4
Jun 17 2025
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
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
2
Jun 18 2025
Da Capo
Love
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
2
Jul 11 2025
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
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
3
Jul 12 2025
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
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
4
Jul 13 2025
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
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
1
Jul 14 2025
Black Metal
Venom
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
3
Jul 15 2025
Hotel California
Eagles
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
4
Jul 16 2025
Medúlla
Björk
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
3
Jul 17 2025
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
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
4
Jul 24 2025
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
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
5
Jul 25 2025
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby
Girls Against Boys
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
2
Jul 29 2025
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
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
4
Jul 30 2025
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
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
3
Aug 01 2025
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
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
3
Aug 21 2025
Dirt
Alice In Chains
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
3