Journey in Progress
Discovering music one album at a time
228
Albums Rated
3.55
Avg Rating
23
5-Star Albums
21%
Complete
861 albums remaining
Rating Speed
4.9
Per Week
328
Days Active
Reviews
225
Written
99%
Review Rate
vs Global
0.28
Avg Diff
3.55
Avg Rating
Rating Distribution
How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Singer-songwriter
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Balanced
Rater Style
5
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Little Deeper | 5 | 2.81 | +2.19 |
| BEYONCÉ | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
| Repeater | 5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
| Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor | 5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
| Peter Gabriel 3 | 5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
| Fear Of A Black Planet | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
| Opus Dei | 4 | 2.38 | +1.62 |
| The Köln Concert | 5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
| Stand! | 5 | 3.43 | +1.57 |
| The ArchAndroid | 5 | 3.46 | +1.54 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Marshall Mathers LP | 1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
| Justified | 1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
| Ill Communication | 2 | 3.65 | -1.65 |
| Getz/Gilberto | 2 | 3.65 | -1.65 |
| Paul's Boutique | 2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
| Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols | 2 | 3.46 | -1.46 |
| Sound of Silver | 2 | 3.42 | -1.42 |
| Get Behind Me Satan | 2 | 3.42 | -1.42 |
| Locust Abortion Technician | 1 | 2.39 | -1.39 |
| At Mister Kelly's | 2 | 3.38 | -1.38 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
5-Star Albums (23)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Janelle Monáe
5/5
“We’re all virgins to the joys of loving without fear”
What an absolute delight to listen to. Melodic and rhythmic, high energy through the fast and slow songs. I feel like this hit the perfect balance of lead vocals / percussion / synth and pads / other rhythm and vocals. It was long but thoughtfully made, with great transitions and song order, awesome choice of samples, and most importantly just a bunch of groovin songs.
The vocal effects were a bit distracting once or twice, but I actually liked those moments in the same way I like the non-scary moments in a horror movie. They’re necessary for the scary moments (great songs in the album) to have full effect. 10/10
3 likes
Ms. Dynamite
5/5
Super awesome, funky, what a banger… she’s like the funk version of Etta James 9/10
2 likes
Can
2/5
Aumgn was awful. The rest was alright but not great, and it got worse throughout the album. People really will put any word in front of “rock” and call it a genre. 3.5/10
1 likes
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
This album knows what it’s about. We played a couple songs from it in jazz band in high school. 9/10
1 likes
1-Star Albums (5)
All Ratings
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Son of a preacher man is the first song I’ve recognized on any of these albums
Bob Dylan
4/5
The Band
4/5
Better than Bob Dylan tbh
Blondie
5/5
IIIII loveeeee rock n roll!
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Some great songs, but felt a little disjointed as an album
Public Enemy
5/5
Joni Mitchell
5/5
A wonderful album. Joni’s voice is light and effortless — it seems to float as she gently yet confidently moves through her songs. Her voice has a sort of pure, candid quality that makes me feel like I could tell her anything. Excellent stylistic consistency throughout the album with just enough variety for interest. Extra points for removing her album from Spotify because she has moral character. 9/10 Lucas was that good enough for you
Thin Lizzy
4/5
Jojah says it’s wack, but I say he’s wack
8/10
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
I thought this one was alright. I listened while I cleaned my car and it felt right. Especially liked the parts where Flea was featured on bass — other than that the songs were solid but not amazing 6.5/10
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Who listens to this stuff? I mean, there were a few good songs, but it never landed for me. 3/10
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
This album knows what it’s about. We played a couple songs from it in jazz band in high school. 9/10
Beastie Boys
2/5
Not very good… I think I like more melodic and less shouty stuff. If I had more inner rage I think I would like it more. 3/10
Liz Phair
3/5
It grew on me as I listened. Liz has a nice voice, but her songs are kinda floppy and I don’t love the style. Still, not bad. 6/10
The Police
3/5
Message in a Bottle is good, the rest are alright. I don’t like that many songs by The Police although there are a few bangers (e.g., Every little thing she does is magic) 6/10
Sheryl Crow
4/5
I liked it! Very groovy. I liked a lot of the hooks. It felt more modern than some of our other albums, which makes sense since it’s one of the more recent ones. Not sure I would listen to the whole album again but definitely some of the songs. 7/10
Garbage
3/5
I am milk
5/10
Soul II Soul
3/5
6/10 Didn’t like it at the beginning because the chord progressions were boring. It kinda grew on my though. I listened while wrapping gifts. I really liked Happiness - Dub. My mom walked in singing along to Back To Life. I feel like once I put myself in the mindset of a 90s clerb enjoyer, I liked it better. Should I have to change my mindset and expectations to enjoy an album, or should it meet me where I am? 🤔
Stereolab
4/5
Pretty solid, I felt like it was entertaining every time I tuned in. Not just background music. A bit weird. 8/10
Various Artists
4/5
Merry Christmas 🎄 8/10
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Loved it! Reminds me of Phil Collins. Apparently they performed together in Genesis before Gabriel left the group for a solo career. Have already listened twice, 9/10
George Harrison
4/5
A lot of Beatles music seems pretty rambling to me, with a soft beat and not a lot of direction. Many of the songs on this very long album were the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of songs I did enjoy, not just the ones that were more driving, but also some others. George Harrison is a good musician, after all. I would definitely get bored if just listening, but as semi-background music it was solid. 7/10
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
Really solid, loved the uniqueness. There were several very interesting sounds and some hooks that almost sounded like modern hip hop hooks. I also listened to the album Buffalo Springfield (which came out the year before this one) and it was also good. 8/10
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Solid but not super unique. I guess maybe they were the first to have this particular brand of shuffle-y folky sound, but idk if that’s true and even if so it was mid. 6/10
Hookworms
4/5
Pretty good! Fun to have a modern one. Reminded me of that childish gambino album with the all white album cover, which I really liked initially but the novelty kind of wore off on multiple listens. 7/10
The Modern Lovers
3/5
Didn’t quite get through the whole thing, but pretty solid. Not amazing 6.5/10
R.E.M.
3/5
Ravi Shankar
4/5
Pretty cool! It’s fun to listen to a master demonstrating his craft. It reminds me of high school when Mr. Lopez brought a pro bass player into jazz band, and we were all floored by his deep understanding of his art (effortless groove, fluidly starting and stopping the music to explain things to the class). 8.5/10
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Amazing voice (as we all know I guess), sounds so effortless. 9/10
1/5
I spent most of the album trying to think of words to describe how bad it was. It’s everything I don’t like in music. Every time something good started to happen, there was a record scratch effect or some other nonsense and it plunged down to really bad again. If I was in jail and they wanted to torture me, this would be the background music.
+1 for lyrical creativity (albeit weirdness) and because the first half of the last song wasn’t awful. And because we have a long way to go and I don’t want to bottom out yet. 2/10
Beastie Boys
2/5
Ugh. It’s well executed I guess but shout rap is not my thing. Some of the samples were fun but mostly it felt disjointed. 4/10
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
Very interesting. Weird sometimes but pretty groovy other times, especially in Melody - Prise complète. I wanted to rate it higher but I really did not like having this French guy asmr whisper at me all the time. I did like his voice when he started singing though, kinda reminded me of the Leonard Cohen husk. Overall not something I’d listen to a lot but didn’t hate it. 5.5/10
The The
4/5
Intro to Slow Bird of Truth went crazy. There were other cool moments too. I felt like it wasn’t consistently super entertaining, but definitely a good listen. Creative and unique. 7.5/10
Paul Simon
5/5
Totally awesome. His voice is fantastic and the songs are wonderfully melodic and creative and quirky. I never got bored. -0.5 because I felt like he could have explored more different sounds harmony-wise (it’s very pentatonic and major triad-y) but other than that pretty perfect for me, 9.5/10
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Wow! Two good ones in a row. I had not heard of this guy but apparently he played with all the big jazz names of the mid/late 20th century. I liked this album a lot, especially the first song. I really like how raw the production is, it’s cool to hear him shouting and hollering and also hear him using the pedal — it makes me feel like I’m there live. He hits The Lick at 18:15 in the first song, showing that he is a true cat. And he was born in Allentown PA! The music is brilliant and amazing but it didn’t quite keep my interest the entire time, so docking a point. Very awesome still. 9/10
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
Fun listen. I felt like it took me on a journey. 7.5/10
Iggy Pop
4/5
I liked it, I felt like the shouty bits were pretty well balanced with melodic stuff. Bro is very down bad in the last song. 7/10
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Very enjoyable! I liked the simplicity and how easy it was to hear the lyrics. Sort of a nice humble album. 8/10
Charles Mingus
2/5
I really did not enjoy it on first listen. Lucas pointed out that it flows nicely between chaos and not chaos which I agree is cool. However IMHO there was too much chaos. Charles Mingus has so much cool music, so I’m kinda disappointed this was the sample we got. 4/10
Supertramp
4/5
Enjoyable! Pretty vanilla as far as prog rock goes, or at least I thought so. Loved the guitar and the synth. 8/10
Sister Sledge
4/5
I liked it! Seems like Jojah’s vibe. Pretty entertaining, although I felt like the songs all kinda sounded like one another. 7.5/10
The Stranglers
3/5
It aight. I liked it at first but the songs were kind of grating after a while. 5.5/10
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
I thought tango was supposed to be upbeat dance music, so this didn’t really match my expectations. As it went on I started to appreciate it more for what it is. Astor is really good at transitioning from quiet chill vibes to exciting, so you don’t even notice it’s happening until it happens, which is kinda cool. Still wanted more dance though. 6.5/10
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
I was pleasantly surprised, this was actually pretty good. I was worried when they started shouting at me in the first song but it was way more mellow than the beastie boys. Kinda bizarre how all the songs are about various crimes but I guess that’s their thing. 7.5/10
Billy Joel
5/5
This is by far the one I knew the most songs on. Bangers one and all. 9/10
Tina Turner
3/5
Pretty good! I kinda felt like the songs were trying too hard sometimes? Idk, like it didn’t feel that natural and groovy? But enjoyable. 6.5/10
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Pretty good, though not as good as So. I guess he found his sound a bit more in the later album. 7/10
Aerosmith
3/5
Pretty good. I kind of have to hype myself up to enjoy rock and roll albums, but if I’m in the mood I really like them. 6.5/10
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Super mid, not terrible but not sure why it made the list 5/10
Scott Walker
4/5
Loved it! I like the guitar and the production a ton. The first song was really engaging. His voice sounds super authentic, and his style was sort of musical theater-esque which I dig. 8.5/10
Fugazi
5/5
Guitarrrrrrrr. Shred shred awesome sauce. There was a moment in Joe 1 where the music lined up with a beeping timer in the cafe I was in. It was awesome. I also think I’m biased because it was a good morning, but thats just how it goes. 9/10
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Not amazing, not terrible. Definitely long. I liked it in the beginning but it got kinda old by the end, even though there was some variety. 6/10
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Pretty good! Really enjoyed the production and his singing. And the bass too. 7.5/10
Pavement
3/5
It was aight I guess. Pretty tolerable as far as punk metal/rock goes. 6/10
Sarah Vaughan
2/5
It was cool how the production didn’t really help her voice at all — it felt very raw and authentic and she was very talented. However I really didn’t dig when she talked to the audience and said she didn’t know the songs, I get that it makes it feel authentic but that’s some amateur shit and doesn’t belong on such a highly acclaimed album. 4.5/10
The Beach Boys
3/5
The internet said a lot of amazing things about this album but I thought it wasn’t all that. Maybe my expectations were too high. There’s a few great songs, but to me, the amazing innovation that was supposed to make it unique just didn’t sound that unique. Solid but not amazing. 6.5/10
Lou Reed
3/5
I didn’t dislike it, but nothing really stuck out to me as great 6.5/10
Tortoise
2/5
Pretty accessible as far as avant-garde music goes. I don’t really like avant garde music though. Definitely too boring to be the only thing I’m doing, but alright background music. 4.5/10
Common
4/5
This was great. Finally something other than alt/indie/punk/prog/new wave rock. I can really hear the Kanye influence in the melodies. 8.5/10
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
Kinda didn’t pay attention to most of it but seemed solid. 7/10
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
Honestly I dig. It got way better when I put my headphones on. Kinda long I guess but a fun listen… cool stereo effects. The Conference goes crazy. 8/10
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Kind of nostalgic (for a time before I was born?) Fun boogie woogie and they kept it brief. High marks for brevity. 7.5/10
The Black Keys
4/5
One of the better rock and roll albums we’ve had. Tighten Up really grabbed my attention with that ridiculous drum pattern. Very unique and impossible not to listen to (the drums didn’t hit with the guitar??) Whole album was a fun mix of comfortable rock and pushing the edges of comfort with different rhythms and sounds… 8/10
Marvin Gaye
3/5
So groovy. The non-super famous songs didn’t really strike me as that good, so I wouldn’t really seek it out to listen, but it’s solid. 6.5/10
Björk
4/5
Loved it tbh. I think I like albums where the production feels very raw and there’s nothing between my ears and the artist’s voice. I felt that way about the lead vocals on this album, although the background / accompanying vocals were of course heavily modified. Awesome rhythmic stuff even if there were some weird sounds sometimes. 8.5/10
David Bowie
4/5
David Bowie on this album is like the Dua Lipa of 70s pop. He cracked the code with songs that were just predictable enough but just exciting enough to be the perfect pop listen. 8.5/10
Finley Quaye
3/5
I liked the consistency throughout the album… it made it feel confident. In general I like reggae, but the production on this album sounded kinda muddled which I didn’t dig. 6/10
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
It was kinda hard to get through this one. There were a few good moments but it never settled for me. 3.5/10
Arcade Fire
4/5
Didn’t listen super closely but it had some cool moments. 7/10
Can
2/5
Aumgn was awful. The rest was alright but not great, and it got worse throughout the album. People really will put any word in front of “rock” and call it a genre. 3.5/10
SAULT
4/5
Pretty good but didn’t really blow me away. 7/10
The Who
3/5
Usually I like live albums, but their energy-free talking between tracks killed the vibe for me. It’s extra disappointing because the individual songs were pretty good. 7.5/10 for the songs, 5/10 for the album
ZZ Top
4/5
Pretty solid! Just a good album on a list of good albums. Run of the mill but in a good way. 8/10
Weather Report
3/5
Didn’t listen to all the live ones. Birdland is such a classic, I used to listen to that for Jaco all the time in my jazz band days. The rest was alright but it could’ve been shorter. 6.5/10
Stan Getz
2/5
Somebody said yesterday’s was elevator music but this is elevator music frfr. Girl from Ipanema is a classic but it doesn’t save the album from being boring. 4.5/10
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Pretty cool music. Very down to earth. I love their voices. Really moving story behind the album too. 8.5/10
George Jones
3/5
Mid. Not a bad listen but all the songs sounded the same. Very representative of 70s country I think. 5/10
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Just straight rhyme and it’s good. And jazzy. This is consistent with my theory that I like minimalist production (if the vocals are good which they are.) 9/10
Elton John
5/5
That first track was so epic and totally took me by surprise. I didn’t know Elton John made music like that. Most of the other songs were great too, definitely some classics on this album. 9/10
Janis Joplin
4/5
I played this while me and Jojah were cleaning the house. It was definitely good vibes for that, although I’m not sure I would seek it out on a regular basis. 7.5/10
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Okay, not amazing. Not very novel imo. 6/10
Elis Regina
4/5
Pretty good! Very smooth. Nothing crazy. 7.5/10
Beatles
4/5
I’m not one of these Beatles haters. I like a lot of their music. I guess I’m just not sure how they got so huge. Is it the high volume of very catchy songs? I guess they did make a lot of catchy songs. But I feel like their style isn’t my #1 favorite. I guess it was novel and popular at the time though, plus they have a lot of catchy songs. Okay, maybe I get why they’re so big. 8/10
The Triffids
4/5
I was pleasantly surprised because I expected to dislike it. Didn’t really stick out from every other rock album, but not bad at all. 7/10
The Stone Roses
4/5
Maybe if I paid more attention to song lyrics I would have liked it better. Definitely some cool sounds though, and nothing really disagreeable. 7/10
Kraftwerk
4/5
Loved this. Really wanna listen with my good headphones. Short and sweet and cool and out there but not in an annoying way. 8.5/10
Arcade Fire
4/5
Enjoyable 7.5/10
Pink Floyd
2/5
2 weird and out there 4 me 4/10
Dennis Wilson
4/5
Long, but pretty enjoyable! 7.5/10
The Kinks
3/5
Old but nice. Surprisingly crisp production for the 60s. Reminded me of the Beatles. 7/10
Beyoncé
5/5
Really great. Beyoncé has the kind of vocal agility I dream of — I feel like she can do anything with her voice, strong like Adele or floaty and dreamy. And it was fun to have a modern one. Side note, for some reason I thought Beyoncé made wholesome family music, but I guess not. 9/10
Air
3/5
I was a bit scared by the lack of lyrics but actually a fairly pleasant listen. I wouldn’t necessarily go back to it but it wasn’t offensive. 6.5/10
Mariah Carey
3/5
A bit poppy but pretty good. Whenever You Call was kinda painful, super cheesy strings, but at least she didn’t do gratuitous riffs like that on every song. 6/10
Rush
4/5
YYZ is iconic I guess. I don’t like the style that much but they do it so well I gotta appreciate it. 8/10
The Libertines
3/5
Listened to it over the course of the day so I probably didn’t get the best sense of the album as a whole. Individual tracks were pretty alright, very characteristic of the style but not super my vibe. 6/10
k.d. lang
3/5
Kinda interesting, but pretty slow 5.5/10
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Didn’t listen to all the bonus tracks, but pretty enjoyable! 7.5/10
The Byrds
3/5
Some gratuitous use of stereo. Pretty rippin and fun but not really my style 6/10
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Some cool moments but mostly blended into the background of all the other rock albums. 5.5/10
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I liked the country influence. This one stood out from all the other rock albums. Weird that it’s not on Spotify. 7.5/10
Beach House
3/5
Fairly enjoyable, although I feel like I might have liked it better if somehow the melodies and sounds and harmonies etc were packaged into songs that were 30-40 bpm faster 7/10
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Pretty interesting sometimes but not consistently so. I particularly liked the titular songs. 7/10
Justin Timberlake
1/5
Started out ok I guess but started to feel super cringe after a few songs. Justin Timberlake was younger than I am now when he released this (which is not necessarily reason to dislike it but for some reason makes it feel unauthentic to me. Idk why cause I don’t feel that way about some other albums released by young artists.) Also the super shiny production of his voice is weird and annoying. Not a fan at all. 2/10
Side note, I’m finally caught up on albums post spring break!
Elliott Smith
2/5
This could really use a good remaster. The songs were ok, but between his low/warm timbre and super breathy voice I couldn’t hear most of the lyrics… they blended right in with the instrumentals except when he was singing up an octave. 4/10
The White Stripes
2/5
Is White Stripes a one hit band? I just didn’t like this album that much. Their voices were nasal and annoying sometimes, especially in the ghost song. My Doorbell was funny though, I enjoyed that. A lot of the songs sounded similar. Also, I think I’m gonna start being more honest with my reviews. All these mid rock albums I’ve been giving 6.5’s and 7’s to? They’re more like 4’s. How hard is it to make a good album? 4/10
Side note, I thought I was caught up 2 days ago, but that was cap, I’m actually caught up today.
The Yardbirds
3/5
I feel like I would hear one of these songs in a Quentin Tarantino movie. I guess that’s good because I like QT movies. Kind of cool how the production left pretty distinct layers of sound, although the stereo separation was pretty aggressive sometimes. I liked that each song was unique. 6.5/10
Buck Owens
4/5
Exactly the vibes I was looking for this morning. Very nice old country, pretty crisp recording, and his voice isn’t overly nasal. 8/10
Eminem
4/5
I like his later stuff better than his earlier stuff. Like it’s still violent but it feels less raw? Still generally an Eminem fan though and this is his roots. 7.5/10
Big Star
3/5
Didn’t dislike it but nothing really stood out to me. 5/10
Goldie
3/5
Pretty interesting. Not super what I wanted to listen to, but a nice break from the rock albums. Soo long though and many of the songs sounded similar. 5.5/10
Metallica
4/5
Actually liked this a lot! I was worried when Wikipedia said the bass guitar was barely audible, but I felt like there was enough bass in the guitar sound that it didn’t really bother me. And I l-o-v-e LOVED some of the hooks/song intros, they were just really clean and crisp and beautiful. And I was feeling kinda ragey this morning. 8/10 I hope I beat Lucas submitting this review
The Kinks
3/5
Not super amazing but a fairly pleasant listen. I was content sitting and working to this for an hour. 7/10
Simple Minds
4/5
I listened this morning and forgot to write a review and it’s been a long ass day between then and now. I think I liked it a good bit. Ok, yeah, just relistened to a few and it’s good. Go electric bass! No way Lucas scoops this one 8/10
The Streets
4/5
This was perfect for the drive to ACO. Shit was so entertaining in the way that lil dicky is entertaining… slapstick and kinda self deprecating. I guess it wasn’t explicitly self deprecating but there’s no way anyone takes this seriously. Every track had the same beat and he was just talking at me the whole time, yet it was oddly gripping… he was off the beat as if he was trying to sound bad, but he varied the delivery just enough that it was engaging. And I loved listening to him speaking British… his accent is awesome. “You little twat!” No clue what the plot of the album was though, and I was even trying to listen to it.
Not sure what to rate this. It was perfect for my post chipotle food coma in the back of Harty’s car. Not sure if I would dig it in other situations. But there you go. 8.5/10
CHIC
3/5
Good, though fairly homogeneous. Seems like the kinda thing Jojah would like. 6/10
Dire Straits
4/5
This is great. I don’t even like rippin guitar stuff that much but this album makes me like it. The first time I heard Brothers in Arms was a cover of it by Home Free (a cappella group) that imo was quite good but doesn’t have the grit of the original. 8/10
R.E.M.
4/5
This is the kind of good album I was talking about when I asked why nobody could make one. Nice lead vocals, good song structure, balanced mix, enough melodic/rhythmic variation between and within songs to keep it interesting. That said, it’s just a good album, not a great album… checks all the boxes and doesn’t do that much more for me. 7/10
The Clash
4/5
Mostly just another rock n roll album, but somehow I liked this one better than the others. Maybe the prominent bass guitar? Maybe the fact that they mostly sing and don’t do too much of that annoying shout singing? (Although they still do some of it…) Pretty enjoyable overall even though it was so long. 7.5/10
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
I could listen to this all day long! Nice melodies and feels very grounded. 8.5/10
MGMT
4/5
Really cool and interesting. Pretty stylistically diverse but all good. I recognized a few of the songs. Will have to listen to more MGMT. 8/10
Joy Division
3/5
Another English rock album?? How many can there be? This was fine, didn’t love it didn’t hate it. Cool album cover. 6/10
Jethro Tull
4/5
Pretty good background music for gaming with RJ! 7.5/10
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Pretty good background music for gaming with RJ! 7.5/10
Tim Buckley
4/5
Lots of yelling, but pretty good background music as I did my taxes 7.5/10
Thelonious Monk
3/5
The drum solo in Ba-Lue was extremely swingin. The other songs were pretty good. Idk, I don’t love listening to jazz but this is a good jazz album. 6.5/10
Pink Floyd
5/5
Usually when the wiki says an album is one of the best selling of all time, I’m skeptical. But this totally deserved it. It was long, but constantly entertaining; stylistically consistent yet diverse from song to song. Plus, they managed to make the instrumentals entertaining enough for folks like myself who don’t really listen to lyrics. Totally great 9.5/10
Björk
3/5
I guess it was cool artistically. I just didn’t enjoy listening to it that much. Liked the last song though which brings it up. 5.5/10
Eels
4/5
Pretty good! 7.5/10
Peter Gabriel
5/5
The bar was high. The bar was met. 9/10
3/5
They had great live energy but it was kinda counteracted by the less good live sound quality. 6/10
Talking Heads
3/5
Definitely some nice moments, especially in the alternate versions, but overall didn’t do it for me. I really don’t dig shouty rock. Also, lame album cover. I’m gonna go listen to And Justice For All… the tight back of Sara’s car has me raging. Lol. 6/10
Tracy Chapman
5/5
I could listen to this all day. Her voice is so wonderful and the production is balanced yet really lets her shine. 9/10
The Byrds
4/5
Nice fiddle playing. Could have been 30% shorter. Overall pretty enjoyable. 7/10
Dagmar Krause
3/5
Listened on YouTube. She’s definitely quite talented — I wish she were singing something less modern and wacky, but who am I to tell her what to do. My late grandmother on my dad’s side was a professional soprano who really enjoyed performing avant-garde stuff, and Krause’s precision and technical skill reminded me of grandma’s recordings, so I have a bit of a soft spot for it. At the end of the day probably won’t listen again though. 6.5/10
The Cars
3/5
Interesting. Pretty sparse instrumentals at times, which I disliked as the album went on. Fun to find Just What I Needed in the wild. Otherwise kinda mid. 6/10
Sex Pistols
2/5
Ok I listened while driving so didn’t pay super close attention. But from what I heard it was Just more rock and roll. The Wikipedia mentions his “half-singing” explicitly. Did not bode well. Not a fan. 5/10
Germs
3/5
This was very similar to yesterday’s, which I did not like. However, for some reason I liked this one a bit more. 5.5/10
Lupe Fiasco
5/5
Really really good. 9/10
Beck
3/5
Idk, wasn’t listening super closely to the lyrics so I feel like I’m not a great judge of this one. In general, though, I dig concept albums, and I feel like this was well executed if not particularly groundbreaking. Cover art is a little goofy. 6.5/10
Was rushed writing yesterday’s review, but I wanted to add that in addition to really enjoying the main album, I actually also liked the outro. Lucas said he didn’t like it which is definitely fair, it’s pretty monotonous from a melodic/harmonic/rhythmic development perspective, but it was cool and kinda charming to hear all the people that influenced his style and the album. I think Lupe acknowledging them in that way scratched some sort of midwestern politeness itch for me.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Very interesting. I thought there were some missed opportunities for drums and percussion to bring up the energy, but it wasn’t bad. Kind of long and got boring after a while, but never bad. Not sure why this is so highly acclaimed 6.5/10
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Totally great. Really like the production, I can hear him very well and yet all the instruments are in the foreground and sound good. The beginning of Night sounds very similar to the beginning of Born to Run, but generally the songs are pretty distinct. Love Bruce. He has a podcast with Obama?? 9/10
Iron Maiden
4/5
Pretty darn good. Maybe I like metal. I was in the mood for it today though and I am not always. 7.5/10
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Pretty good! Not the biggest jazz listener but this was very solid. 7/10
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
Pretty good. Interesting in its stylistic diversity throughout. Consistently entertaining. 7/10
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Didn’t like it as much as his previous albums. Maybe it was the remaster? The production felt too clean somehow. 6/10
Iron Maiden
4/5
Crazy to have 2 in one week. I liked this one too though… much more melodic than I expect from metal. 7.5/10
Dolly Parton
3/5
Met expectations. I’m sure there’s a group of people that totally loved this. I thought it was fine 6.5/10
Megadeth
4/5
I was talking to Jojah about this… I appreciated the technical skill of the band playing so fast so precisely. They are locked tf in. Also, the guitar solo in Tornado of Souls is absolutely rippin. On the other hand, this wasn’t exactly the vibes for driving with my windows down on this beautiful summer day, and I dont think I’ve yet found a situation where I’d seek it out. 7/10 I guess. I don’t really know how to rate this. Also just so everyone knows loobis is a big fat cheater. 🤬
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
Jarre is a pioneer of… background music? 5.5/10
Adele
4/5
Pretty solid. I like Adele. 7.5/10
David Bowie
4/5
I like David Bowie but his stuff never really blows my mind. 7/10
Nick Drake
4/5
Chill, enjoyable listen. Kinda breathy but I guess that’s just the style. 7/10
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Fun listen! I love finding songs I’ve heard before (like Take Me Out) in the wild. 8/10
Nas
4/5
He’s the goat, or at least, one of them. Don’t listen on the regular but I always enjoy when we get an album like this. 8.5/10
Janelle Monáe
5/5
“We’re all virgins to the joys of loving without fear”
What an absolute delight to listen to. Melodic and rhythmic, high energy through the fast and slow songs. I feel like this hit the perfect balance of lead vocals / percussion / synth and pads / other rhythm and vocals. It was long but thoughtfully made, with great transitions and song order, awesome choice of samples, and most importantly just a bunch of groovin songs.
The vocal effects were a bit distracting once or twice, but I actually liked those moments in the same way I like the non-scary moments in a horror movie. They’re necessary for the scary moments (great songs in the album) to have full effect. 10/10
Nico
4/5
Wasn’t sure if Nico was a man or a woman till reading about the album afterwards. Sometimes it felt like she was throwing her voice at the melody and hoping it landed near the pitch, which it usually did but sometimes didn’t. That said, this was very unique and charming. 7.5/10
Sam Cooke
4/5
Really fun listen! Love the energy. The Wiki story about it being too raw and gritty shaped the way I listened to it, and I think it made me enjoy it more. Bad boy energy ya know? 8.5/10
Pere Ubu
1/5
This was so bad wtf. Especially Thriller!. There were a few moments where it started to sound like real music but they usually ended pretty fast. 3/10
Also, I’d like to petition Lucas to bring back scores out of 10. I know it gives some false precision but I think it’s fun to see exactly what you’re thinking at the time, even if it changes
Kid Rock
2/5
The autotune in the beginning of Only God Knows Why was really awful. However, by the end, the song was fine. For me this album had some mid highs and some deep lows - there were times where it was kind of an interesting hybrid of Metallica and Florida Georgia Line and Notorious B.I.G., but other times the songs (“songs”) were just abrasive and hard to listen to. Like wtf was Fuck Off. ?? I enjoyed about 30% of the album so 3/10
Tears For Fears
4/5
I’m not sure if I’m biased because yesterday was so bad, but this was quite good. 8/10
Orbital
3/5
What does God say?
Very groovy sometimes. Wacky but interesting. Good background while I worked. 7/10
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Sorta charming in a honky-tonk kind of way, but the first song was pretty cringe and I got tired of every song being about love 5/10
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Damn people in the YouTube comments are obsessed with this. Definitely very artistic and unique, but I just don’t dig her voice and it kinda put me to sleep at times. 5.5/10
DJ Shadow
4/5
This was really quite good! I loved the way the layers built on each other in sometimes unexpected ways. Is that comment basic af? That’s how I felt! 8.5/10
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Enjoyed this, very original. 6.5/10
808 State
2/5
Interesting but not particularly enjoyable 4.5/10
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Take Me Down was very nice. The rest was honestly pretty good but so long. It makes sense that it’s good because they had so many finished songs to choose from for the album. But they should have chosen a few fewer songs. 7.5/10
LL Cool J
4/5
6 Minutes of Pleasure was groovy as hell. Overall this was pretty dang good. Great production, and it felt very authentic. That said, hip hop is not my favorite genre to listen to. 7/10
UB40
3/5
I was excited for reggae but honesty I didn’t like it that much. It was just kinda monotonous. Maybe if I listened more to the words it would have been better cause the wiki said it was very political. 5/10
David Bowie
4/5
Good! Felt more grounded and less out there than some of his other stuff. 8/10
Radiohead
4/5
Quite enjoyable, easy listening but not boring. 8/10
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Charming! 7/10
Butthole Surfers
1/5
Pretty unlistenable with a few good parts. 2.5/10
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Pretty good. It felt self-assured and comfortable in its sound. 6.5/10
Tom Waits
4/5
Quite enjoyed this, it fit my mood today very well. Probably won’t listen regularly but I liked it today. 8/10
The Shamen
3/5
I waffled between loving it and hating it… pretty good grind music but it got annoying sometimes. 5/10
The Afghan Whigs
4/5
Really enjoyed this! My Curse was especially good. This isn’t the kind of music I usually listen to but it was excellent background as I read The Four Loves. 8/10
Beatles
5/5
Really good! I feel like a lot of my favorite songs by them are on this album. 9/10
Goldfrapp
3/5
Utopia was quite good. The rest were pretty unique, I see why this is on the list. A bit low energy I thought. 7/10
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Parts of it were good, pretty hoppin and boppin. Other parts of it were weird. The sex noises were unpleasant. Why do so many artists put sex noises in their music? Overall mid, 4.5/10
Eminem
1/5
Jesus. I had to skip Kim. This waffles between classic Eminem songs I know and stuff that’s just awful and unpleasant to listen to. Kim brings this down to a 1… I don’t care if it’s his experience / his truth, that was so awful 1/10
Throwing Muses
4/5
Pretty darn good! Her voice was slightly abrasive at times, but I mostly enjoyed the edginess and the pathos. 7.5/10
Scritti Politti
3/5
Not bad but not really my style. 5/10
Bert Jansch
4/5
Really quite nice! And an absolute L for whomever sold this for 100£. 8/10
The Police
4/5
Really enjoyed! 8/10
Pixies
3/5
In the words of Jonah, really good classic rock album. Well not a classic rock album, but a classic rock album. 7/10 (a bit shouty at times)
Miles Davis
3/5
I say this every time we get a jazz album lol… jazz isn’t my main thing but I usually enjoy it when we get it. Ngl In a Silent Way dragged on though. 6.5/10
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Kinda weirdly wavery but still good 7/10
Nirvana
4/5
Why do I always think nirvana is a metal band? 7.5/10
The Dictators
3/5
It was aight, kinda basic rock and roll 7/10
Talk Talk
4/5
Pretty enjoyable! Jammed out while working 8/10
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Can’t go wrong 9/10
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Great! I loved the hits I knew but the rest were good too. 8/10
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
I liked it 7/10
Parliament
4/5
Extremely funky but not overdone 7.5/10
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Really interesting and unique. 7/10
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Eh it was alright, didn’t really push the envelope 6/10
OutKast
5/5
Really awesome! I could see where a lot of stuff was influenced by this, EG Kanye sampling the forever ever lyric on Diamonds from Sierra Leone. 9/10
Aretha Franklin
4/5
I feel like the soul albums are so much more consistent than the rock albums. They’re just usually good. Especially when it’s Aretha Franklin. 8.5/10
The Pogues
4/5
Pretty dang entertaining! 8.5/10
John Cale
3/5
Mid. Not bad 6/10
Public Enemy
3/5
Pretty good 7/10
XTC
4/5
Really liked this! Especially Another Satellite and Dear God. 8.5/10
Slint
3/5
Alright, kinda wacky… 6/10
Beck
4/5
Good work jam 7.5/10
Metallica
4/5
Really liked this 9/10
Ms. Dynamite
5/5
Super awesome, funky, what a banger… she’s like the funk version of Etta James 9/10
Yes
4/5
Bangers although they didn’t really stand apart from one another 8/10
Laibach
4/5
Honestly I dug it. Was it weird? Yes. Did I dig it? Yes. Like, the good parts were good, and the other parts weren’t bad they were just weird. 7/10
The Byrds
3/5
Pretty standard rock stuff with some psychedelic mixed in. The rock was fine, didn’t love the other stuff. 6/10
Nick Drake
4/5
Quite a pleasant way to spend my Monday morning, if not particularly unique. 8/10
Sabu
2/5
It aight. Good energy but too much shouting. 4.5/10
Jack White
3/5
Not sure where this ended and the autoplay began, but I liked what I was listening to 7/10
4/5
I forget. I think it was good probably.
Van Morrison
4/5
Yeah pretty good 7.5/10
Beatles
5/5
These guys are on to something 9/10
Talking Heads
4/5
Pretty enjoyable. 8/10
Pink Floyd
4/5
Pretty enjoyable, but I think only because I wasn’t paying close attention 7/10
PJ Harvey
2/5
Super mid and super weird 3/10
Neu!
4/5
Really good! Kind of all over the place stylistically but I liked it a lot. 8.5/10
David Bowie
4/5
One of his better ones imo, classic Bowie sound 8/10
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Pretty long, some songs were boring, others were jams though. 6/10
Elvis Presley
4/5
Pretty good, I like elvis as a novelty but don’t listen on the reg 7/10
Depeche Mode
4/5
Actually really liked this, was pretty accessible. 8/10
3/5
Eh, just sounded like David Bowie, it was fine 6/10
4/5
Really liked it! 8.5/10
The Prodigy
4/5
Pretty cool soundscapes they created. Sounded good in my open back headphones. A bit out there, but not overly so, at least compared to some of the other albums on here. I enjoyed it. 7/10
Soft Machine
3/5
Started out really weird. Stayed weird throughout but ended up being alright background music while I worked. 6.5/10
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Pretty good, the album art is cool but I can see why it’s controversial. Enjoyed listening to this today 7.5/10