Funky! I haven't heard much Jazz Rock so quite a new experience for me. Really liked the instrumentation but found the vocals fell out of my focus (rare for me) and the album became quite background music in a way that I don't often find. I liked it though! Imo there wasn't too much variety within the songs but it really held me in a certain mood (upbeat groove with some confidence, definitely not a bad place to be) Highlights: Black Cow, Aja, Peg (also Deacon Blues) Would I listen to again? At some point, sure! Would I recommend? Yes, for that particular vibe

Yeah no this wasn't it for me. Despite having one of my favourite songs ever in it (God Only Knows is maybe one of the most beautiful songs ever imo) the overall album just didn't resonate. I listened in mono and genuinely that may be partly why? Will relisten in stereo but I feel like it's the content that misses for me. So much of the lyrics are the epitome of needy, unrequited, horny ballads without being enough of a banger to justify it. Go back to the beach lads. I feel like the album pivoted at Let's Go Away into some less paint by numbers pop and had some psych influences (Caroline No is such a bizzare end song that I think they're doing for an effect) but I just don't feel like it stuck the landing. Highlights: God Only Knows, Let's Go Away For Awhile, Sloop John B Relisten? Yes in stereo, then probs not. I've got the songs that I wanted from the album and don't love the full experience.

Very good reminder of the importance of context. Listened to this album with absolutely 0 pre-reading (or even knowledge of Neil Young to be truthful) and hated it (besides wonderful occasional guitar solos). Young's voice has the Dylan-esque "songwriter not singer" but the lyrics didn't hit on a first pass. After a full listen through I decided to do some reading up as I really couldn't understand why it would be seen as one of the greatest albums of all time It's almost entirely changed by the context. Neil and the label also held my critiques of it sonically / out of context - and the more I read into the stories of Danny Whitten and Bruce Berry, the more I approached it differently and it soared in my appreciation. Neil: "I know the first time I listened back on Tonight's The Night it was the most out-of-tune thing I'd ever heard. Everybody's off-key. I couldn't hack it... When I handed it to Warner's, they hated it. " And yet, once I'd read into it and reappproached it as a hurried, desperate attempt at processing grief, my god is it heartbreaking and becomes a masterpiece. When you know what it's aiming for, it becomes amazing at expressing that as the most raw purging of those emotions Highlights: Speakin out (phenomenal guitar solo) Borrowed tune (so vulnerable) Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown (recorded live 4 years prior with lead vocals from Danny, who the album is partly grieving the death of) Albuquerque Tired eyes Tonight's The Night pt 1 & 2

Well I think I was in the perfect place and time for this album. Seems like it was written for the end of summer in an area obsessed with British Nostalgia but starting to reckon with the realisation that those days are gone It begins twee and sickly sweet but even in the first song it starts revealing the dark underbelly of a society unravelling itself "Preserving the old ways from being abused/Protecting the new ways for me and you/What more can we do?" Do You Remember Walter is where the realisatuon for the loss of the traditional and usual really kicks in Picture Book details the attempt to prove that a marriage isn't fallin apart because the pictures "prove they loved each other a long time ago" Last of the Steam Powered Trains is a masterpiece Big Sky, Animal Farm, Village Green and People Take Pictures of Each Other are all great also I don't actually love listening to it but it's pretty carthartic and interesting to see something that resonates so deeply with rural, ex-tourism town and village life Very very glad it wasn't the unironically bubblegum boyband pop of the 60s and actually had some bite to it

Wonderful album, even if it is a bit all over the place! Opens with a gritty but maybe optimistic song? Then a version of Grapevine released the year after Gaye that is just a bit... Why? Then so many mopey heartbroken songs that have NO RIGHT being as good as they are considering the subject matter Nice to hear an album that is just wonderful outside of the context of its era of release and how much it altered the trajectory of the band /was innovative (which imo is harder to realise decades after the fact and especially on a first listen) Highlights: Cloud Nine, Runaway Child, Love Is A Hurtin Thing, Hey Girl, Don't Let Him (certified reluctant banger)

Well this one was quite the journey. It was definitely my ignorance but having never willingly chosen to listen to him, I really didn't expect Cee-Lo Green to be on this list. But after removing him from just the one hit wonder of Fuck You, I started to notice that this album featured Pharrell (twice!), Timbaland, Ludacris, TI, and is a hip hop album from 2004, which should be my dream find And in many respects, it was! I can't help but think that if I knew of it at the time, I would have loved it. Definitely not the strongest ever but enough to go toe to toe on some songs with the best. Also genuinely had range (although I'd be lying if I said I didn't lean towards preferring the songs where he let the phenomenal beats take the stage) His lyrics are very of their time (all front and self professed goat brags) but he definitely had some great wordplay at times. Flow was pretty good! Features I genuinely cannot believe the calibre of - phenomenal. Beats are up there with some of the best. However you just can't not compare this to dropping the same year as the college dropout, can you? Obviously most of my life I've been a Kanye stan but I think it's pretty fair to say that the bar was well and truly raised before Cee-Lo could go for the Grammy. Highlights - I ended up (begrudgingly at times) liking 15 out of the 18 songs, but some standouts were Soul Machine, I'll Be Around, Sometimes, and Die Trying Honestly I'd recommend checking this out!

A band I don't think I've heard a song of before but it was pretty brilliant! Opening song was probably the highest point, especially with how unexpectedly brilliant it was from the get go. Really liked some of the slower and quieter songs on the album, as well as the raucous - some vibes of foos (unsurprising), nine inch nails, the cure and the cranberries. The album did have some variety but overall it did fade into one block but still a 4/5 for me Highlights: Celebrity Skin, Dying, Heaven Tonight, Petals

Didn't connect with this album at all. I can appreciate the political undercurrents and overtones but honestly it just didn't really resonate with me. The chorus of Too High walked so Jacob Collier (and Bill Wurtz) could run I get what Living For The City was trying to do but I don't think it stuck the landing Jesus Children of America was a flop Golden Lady and Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing were pretty good, and I wanted to like All In Love Is Fair but just couldn't I think my first 1* album of the project? And I thought I'd like it as I really like the best of Stevie. Slightly sad but there are many many more

It was quite nice! Started off well with Love Goes On! and Quiet Heart. After that I found that nothing took my interest much, but Clouds and Was There Anything I Could Do were also good I think I'm really realising just how many of these albums are listed for their influence or innovation, which again, doesn't really translate when listening so long after release and after those innovations and influences have become general soundscapes. Or maybe I just haven't had albums that have fully blown me away yet!

Yeah this is just as good as the hype. First 5* album from me

I feel like the prodigy's biggest hits on here (Smack My and Firestarter mainly) are seared into my brain from my uncle being obsessed growing up, and I feel like it's hard to rate rave music in a vacuum? Like you need to have a massive crowd of bodies at nighttime with pulsing lasers and I'm just like... On a beach at 10am. But besides that context, I can absolutely find myself still loving the beat breaks and I can only imagine what it would have been like to hear those monster songs for the first time again.

Pretty damn good! Haven't listened to much wu tang ever but the beats are instantly recognisable and make me want to dive much more into the back catalogue. I didn't get the chance to really dive into the lyrics but I will in time!

Ended up liking more than half the songs, which I didn't expect at first!

Honestly most of this album would be a 2.5 but Take Me To The River was very very good, and I'm Not in Love is damn good too

Great running album, will relisten at some point for the lyrics

Didn't get it at the start but some great tracks at the end. Would probably go 3.5 stars in truth but if I must, I'd have to round down to 3

Quite meditative! Definitely suits the just after midnight atmosphere.

This album was so so good??? Like I think it’s a full five stars, so much to return to and let soak in here, but it works brilliantly on a surface level as well - I will absolutely dive into Matt Johnson immediately (as I don’t think I’ve ever consciously come across any of his work before??)

Pretty damn good! The ones I really liked were the ones I already knew were bangers - Right Here Right Now, Rockafeller Skank, Praise you - and I really enjoyed Gangster Tripping too. The rest of it was nothing astounding but all solid.

Really didn’t expect this to be a 4.5 star (that I’ll round up) album, I can’t really fault it! Despite seeing Metallica for the legendary double headline set at Download 2023, and listening to hours of podcasts about the band’s career, I really hadn’t listened to much of their stuff before, and definitely hadn’t listened to an entire album of theirs from start to finish. Much more enjoyable than I was expecting!

I mean... Sure? Part 4 was recognisable to me and the rest was broadly nice ambience but I didn't feel like it's what I'd ever go for in a record. Judging by the age, this was a gamechanger, but it didn't connect to me today! Not offensive in the slightest though

I think I might like country now? Had a solid heart and most of the songs were hits!

Easy 5 star album! The first few songs alone make it an all timer, but every beat works by itself, the Killer Mike feature, the amount of funk… just phenomenal all round

Surprisingly good time! First pass didn't really do much for me but being in the right mood helps so much. This album is great! 4.5, but if I had to round, possibly down to a 4

I think I'm going to have to come back and relisten to this and try to seep myself in the lyrics and background, but whilst having a walk very little out of this captured my attention - I did quite like Breakdown, Whenever You Call, Fly Away and Outside

Back to back bangers. Some of my favourite songs of all time in here. Can't believe I never listened to this in full before. Brilliant