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Tue Jan 02 2024
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
8.5/10
the suburbs is an introspective view into the american dream as a whole. the feelings on this subject meander, sometimes you feel trapped and want to escape, but you can’t help but acknowledge that this is the place you learnt to drive, you grew up in and formed many childhood memories here. tracks range from showing pessimism about the state the suburbs will leave you in, dreamless and in a mundane point in life (modern man) to anarchy, wanting to reform and change where you live (month of may) but ultimately realising that this is the place that shaped you into the man you are today (wasted hours). the three dimensional approach this album takes towards living in the suburbs is what made me appreciate it so much, in my opinion it takes a certain level of maturity to see the good in something you hate. the lyrics on here do a good job in illustrating the town present in this album. it’s as if you live there yourself, experiencing what the narrator was going through himself. i enjoyed the vivid imagery displayed on the album’s run, nothing short of amazing!
i think my only problem is the vocals, at times it gets really annoying and falls flat, void of emotion. also some tracks just feel incomplete, like they’re missing something?? then some of them are stupid like rococo??? yeah what the fuck was that, don’t attempt that stupid shit again. then there’s the runtime… i found myself feeling as if i was being forced to listen to this towards the end of the album. i feel like it shouldn’t have been as long as it was. but oh well.
4
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Wed Jan 03 2024
Hotel California
Eagles
7.5/10
ok so first things first, the titular track is a masterpiece. it’s hard for me to fathom that it’s nearly 50 years old because of how timeless it sounds. genuinely convinced it doesn’t age (and i’m saying this as a frank ocean fan)
however when you create something so great, it’s often hard to top it and that’s the problem i had with the other tracks. they’re by no means bad, i just think they feel mundane in comparison. i liked the switch up between hard and soft rock here, especially the ballads. but half the tracks just feel like run of the mill country rock songs, it’s not really that special to me.
one thing i like to note is that i enjoyed the contrast between the opening and closing, instrumental and lyrical wise! found that very cool :)
3
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Thu Jan 04 2024
Mothership Connection
Parliament
10/10
i really loved this album! i’ve never tapped into funk properly so this was my first proper introduction to the sub-genre. this album was so upbeat and fun, full of soul, jazz and more! i loved the concept of your radio being hijacked by these ET beings who just want to play you some feel good music, it really elevated things for me. also the lyrics revolving around the music instead of vice versa was a nice decision, encouraging you to focus on the beat at hand. it was soooo enjoyable seeing all the carefree lyrics here! i genuinely have no criticisms here, every track was flawless, a very easy 10/10
5
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Fri Jan 05 2024
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
8/10
the drums on this album are nothing short of phenomenal! the different rhythms provided by the drummer were so engaging, they deserve a raise fr. the organ too, it’s usage adds a certain type of weirdness, along with the gritty guitar riffs accompanying it. they all come together to create an enjoyable listen where you can see hard rock developing into early metal music!
sometimes the lyrics were weird but then you remember it’s the 70s and everyone was coked out their minds so it’s to be expected. however i loved the anti war message on child of time, some lovely writing on that song!!
4
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Mon Jan 08 2024
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
8/10
aladdin sane is a play on tbe words "a lad insane" and that's definitely the vibe i got from this. i decided to read the backstory of this album for once and to summarise; after gaining commercial success through his previous works, bowie went on tour across the US. whilst on his travels, he began to become inspired by the music there, creating and lyrics and sounds that would eventually culminate into aladdin sane.
i think the majority songs on here are very avant-garde and glitzy, representing the subgenre of glam rock very well. a notable track that stood out to me was "watch that man", the opening for this album - and it's a very strong one. the guitar carries the feeling of the song, giving it a very flashy and gritty vibe to reflect the main character here. there's other components too like the backing vocals present on the chorus to show that everyone at the after-party is also enamoured by this man's presence. there's other songs too like drive-in saturday with cryptic lyricism that highlight the generation of tomorrow forgetting the concept of love and reverting to pornography in order to gain some semblance of it again, or the song time, where the music utilises the piano to give it an almost musical villainous vibe to it, showing how time can be your worst enemy in the fact that it slips out your hands just as much as it decides to stretch on forever. there's a lot of strange and peculiar production choices on here that definitely achieve the concept of this album with bowie spiraling after achieving new found stardom.
however i didn't agree with every musical choice on here. for example in the second track, aladdin sane, the unorganised piano notes did not do it for me. i get the artistic vision but it went on for wayyy too long, could've been condensed a little bit. then other songs like lets spend the night together felt so out of place, like it didn't belong?? i feel as if this album has more wins than losses, but my god are the losses really apparent lmaooo.
there's a lot more i could praise this album for but i'd just sound redundant after a while. all in all, i enjoyed listening to this album, would loveee to hear more from bowie
4
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Tue Jan 09 2024
...And Justice For All
Metallica
7.5/10
umm i’m not sure how to feel about this album, mainly because i’m not too familiar with the metal genre esp with its do’s and dont’s. however i liked how it sounded, the only thing that pissed me off is that there was ZERO BASS. despite the heavy instrumentals used, they all fell flat because of the absence of bass. so disappointing, would’ve rated it higher if there was some bass. also despite the good lyricism here, a lot of the songs felt drawn out. maybe i need to listen to more metal so i can properly appreciate this album, but for now it’s solid at best.
3
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Wed Jan 10 2024
Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
6/10
for what it is, it’s an ok compilation of sounds. definitely captures the NYC nightlife kinda vibe but not a lot of tracks really clicked with me, if anything it felt drawn out. i appreciate the variety on here though, love u james bond <33
3
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Thu Jan 11 2024
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
9/10 (im getting annoyed that half stars aren’t a thing on here, get me back in musicboard)
definitely my one of my favourite listens since the start of this challenge, i enjoyed the majority of songs on here! there was a very abrasive style of shoegaze used on here, and it definitely aligns with the lyricism especially on tracks like “rock n roll star” - such an amazing opener by the way, it’s been stuck in my head for the past few hours - and “live forever”. i also love the whiny vocal performance on here, adds so much personality! it’s a near flawless debut, my only complaint is that two songs didn’t click with me, but that’s honestly due to personal preference. also i didn’t like how the vocals were drowned out at times by the instrumental, will never like that stylistic choice. however i will be exploring oasis after this haha
4
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Fri Jan 12 2024
Floodland
Sisters Of Mercy
love love LOVED listening to this album. the gothic nature of this album is so apparent, it really sucks you in! it made me feel like i was drowning in the midnight sky, similar to the art on the album cover. i especially loved the utilisation of the moody bass guitar and the reverbed organ present throughout the whole runtime i also think the use of the sequencer was very well done, the synths here made a lot of the tracks very avant-garde and grandiose. the only thing i wasn't too keen on were the main vocals, but that's just a me issue. i also found 1959 and driven like the snow to be bog standard in comparison to the rest of the tracklist. not bad songs, just not as interesting.
i also liked the themes of destruction on here, ny fave instance of this was dominion/mother russia and flood I. i liked how the opener flowed flawlessly into the second track, representing the aftermath of chernobyl's effects on russia. the organ usage here really stuck out to me as it's typically used in a funeral setting, so it really tied nicely together with the lyricism, with references to ashes and flooding. there's a lot more cool production choices here, like on my fave song from here, lucretia my reflection. the very intense instrumental reflects that of the falling of an empire, as discussed in the lyrics. did you know this song was apparently the sisters of mercy throwing shade at the members who left before this album was released, hence the nonsensical lyricism?? it's so dramatic. i love it haha.
overall i really enjoyed it, goth rock might be a subgenre i explore this year <33
4
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Mon Jan 15 2024
Young Americans
David Bowie
cba to write a review today, just know i liked it likes yessss get ur soul/funk bag bowie!!!
4
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Tue Jan 16 2024
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
cba to review lolol
3
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Wed Jan 17 2024
Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
i love love LOVE this album omg. i wasn't too sure on d'angelo as i wasn't the biggest fan of voodoo. but mannnn i enjoyed every song on here! the funk aspect, the soul elements, the jazz inspiration. guys it all comes together to create a beautiful, sensual, HORNY album (heavy on the horny, goddamn). i feel like this is my sign to revisit voodoo tbh because i feel like i misjudged this man, he's a talent no doubt about it
5
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Thu Jan 18 2024
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
it was ok, defo enjoyed a a decent amount of tracks on here! i also adored the bass utilage on here, elevated the whole sound. i wish it was more adventurous but it's a great debut nonetheless
3
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Fri Jan 19 2024
Movies
Holger Czukay
tbh i didn't really enjoy this album a lot, it really annoyed me at times. the second track dragged on for ages and i feel like a lot of production choices didn't make sense. i only liked the third track, i loved the electronic take on traditional music, it was really good. i can appreciate the experiment-ability of this whole album, electronic and traditional wise, blending the two together... but i ultimately wasn't a fan :/
2
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Mon Jan 22 2024
Homework
Daft Punk
this was such a cool listen. i liked the electronicy feel present throughout the album, especially whenever vocals were utilised on tracks like around the world. only major problem is the run time, when you have songs that rely heavily on loops and have them go on for 7 minutes, you start to go a little insane. and it's not like this problem was present on one track, it was quite a few, accumulating in a 74 minute runtime, not the best feeling tbh.
4
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Tue Jan 23 2024
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
8/10
I enjoyed the guitar riffs on this album a lot, they're very legendary even by today's standards. My only issues is that the sound quality is very dated, I wish a remastered version could be made but alas that isn't possible since Hendrix is no longer with us </3 also some of the songs feel unnecessarily drawn out
4
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Wed Jan 24 2024
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
7/10
i'm not the biggest fan of live albums purely because I feel as if yes, the performances are more lively but they don't really match up with my feelings towards the original recordings. this album was no exception. i also feel as if the songs performed weren't that interesting to me, like ok it's 70s rock? big whoop, do something cool with it. it sounds nice but it's just not that exciting.
3
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Thu Jan 25 2024
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
very cool, sound gets a bit redundant though. enjoyed the lyricism quite a bit too :)
4
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Dance Mania
Tito Puente
4
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Mon Jan 29 2024
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
umm the lyricism was good but i don’t really vibe with the bare bones sound of it all. kinda boring, it doesn’t do anything for me.
3
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Tue Jan 30 2024
Liquid Swords
GZA
9/10
this was such a great debut from GZA! i've been a fan of wu-tang clan for a while but never bothered to explore their solo works. this was a very lyrically complex album, i loved how martial arts jargon was used to illustrate the life GZA grew up in, being surrounded by drugs, violence and crime - it really worked well in his favour. i also love the sampling from old martial arts movies, it gave the album a lot more atmosphere. i feel like this album dragged towards the end but the songs were still good nonetheless. amazing listen.
4
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Wed Jan 31 2024
Club Classics Vol. One
Soul II Soul
2
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Thu Feb 01 2024
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
idk anything about jazz but i kinda dig it
4
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
5
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Mon Feb 05 2024
A Night At The Opera
Queen
4
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
10/10
such a beautiful listen, i can't think of anything quite like it. the duality of sadness and happiness on here really moves your soul, accompanied with the gentle string instruments and lovely lovely steel-like percussion. everything here gels so well together, it's kind of reminded me of a whale in the ocean haha.
5
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Wed Feb 07 2024
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
4
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Thu Feb 08 2024
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
4
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Fri Feb 09 2024
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
this was so theatrical and fun to listen to! i definitely enjoyed the pop r&b vibe of the first half, i definitely felt some outkast influence on here. the second half was very experimental and in a good way! i don’t agree with all the production choices but i can’t ignore the creativity on here. it sounds very ahead for it’s time
4
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Mon Feb 12 2024
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
3
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Tue Feb 13 2024
Boston
Boston
3
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Wed Feb 14 2024
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
4
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
3
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Triangle
The Beau Brummels
2
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Mon Feb 19 2024
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
let’s stop using the label “indie” as an excuse to sing really badly
2
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
3
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Thu May 02 2024
Rocks
Aerosmith
umm it sounds like any other rock album, it’s just that they’re really horny
2
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Fri May 03 2024
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
already listened
3
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Mon May 06 2024
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
already listened
5
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Tue May 07 2024
Nevermind
Nirvana
pretty much the definition of 90s rock in the best way possible. i love the dirty, grimy vibe that this album gives off, better enhanced by cobain’s gritty and abrasive vocals. i also love the explicit nature of the lyrics, even when discussing simple, innocent topics like love and friendship. great listen, no wonder it gets the hype it receives!
4
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Wed May 08 2024
Rio
Duran Duran
2