102
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3.64
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9%
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987 albums remaining
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2010s
Favorite Decade
Jazz
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21
5-Star Albums
1
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swordfishtrombones | 5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
| Ogden's Nut Gone Flake | 5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
| Sunshine Hit Me | 5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
| Larks' Tongues In Aspic | 5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
| Close To You | 5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
| Fetch The Bolt Cutters | 5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
| I Should Coco | 5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
| xx | 5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
| Come Away With Me | 5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
| Lost In The Dream | 5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Downward Spiral | 1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
| Paranoid | 2 | 4.2 | -2.2 |
| Led Zeppelin III | 2 | 3.96 | -1.96 |
| Physical Graffiti | 2 | 3.92 | -1.92 |
| Let It Bleed | 2 | 3.83 | -1.83 |
| Doolittle | 2 | 3.74 | -1.74 |
| Ritual De Lo Habitual | 2 | 3.19 | -1.19 |
| Frampton Comes Alive | 2 | 3.18 | -1.18 |
| Untitled (Black Is) | 2 | 3.05 | -1.05 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| King Crimson | 2 | 5 |
| The Who | 2 | 5 |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 4.33 |
5-Star Albums (21)
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Popular Reviews
The Jam
4/5
The first song on this album made me think it was going to be any other British punk rock album that I had heard before, by the end of the second song I was really in. There were a couple times at the lead singer's vocals I thought could've been a bit cleaner, but overall they had a great variety on this album and I really enjoyed the entire thing. I especially liked the quick breaks to soft acoustic songs.
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1-Star Albums (1)
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Lou Reed
4/5
I really enjoyed this one quite a bit as a first album. It had a lot of tracks that I really liked, and it would definitely be something that I will listen to again just on my own. I don’t think I know a lot about music, yet I think I could have placed this one as being mid 70s rock and roll. The lyrics and the way that Reed sings it make the composition feel very casual for most of the album, as if he was simply jamming and wrote the songs as he was going. I liked too when more brass was being added to the tracks, especially the saxophone (wind) during ‘Walk on the Wild Side’. I have heard this song once before, somewhat recently because I didn’t know that ‘Can I kick It?’ was a sample. I hope that I will remember this track and album going forward. My favorite track was 'Goodnight Ladies'; It felt like waking up hungover in New Orleans. Close second was ‘Andy’s Chest’ particularly when Reed said, “Now, when people say her feet smell, they mean her nose.”
As it is the first album, I want to add a quick goal for this project, and then hopefully not talk about it much more. I am hoping to expand my musical taste and enjoyment. I want to learn to like albums as a format and so, unless instructed otherwise, I will try to listen to the album in the order recoreded and in one sitting. I also am hoping that I can get more granular with my musical appreciation, and hear more when I listen, as well as discuss music better. I will try the best that I can to write a review for each album, but there will be no requirement for it to be clever. I don’t want to pretend, just listen to good music.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
I'm not a huge fan of classic hard rock, so that influences my rating of this album. I'll give the genre some time to work on me. That being said, I thought it was insightful to the band. I only have a surface level knowledge of the band, and really have only heard their greatest hits. I always thought their codas had a hard blues echo to them, but listening to this album made it clear to me how they think about the genre. Like anyone else, I like "Immigrant Song", because it's hard and goes aaaaaaaaa, but my favorite track to listen to was "Since I've Been Loving You". It was straight up blues, and I thought sounded great how aggressive the band were, and Plant's shrill sounded desperate compared to the desensitized vibes I get from most blues artist, even those I like.
Maybe "Friends" wasn't a bad song—there are plenty songs that I enjoyed a lot more after a first impression—but on my first play through, I did not like listening to this song very much. I could hear "Kashmir" being dreamed up within it, but Friends sucked so that Kashmir could slap.
Sigur Rós
3/5
Even though I don't speak Icelandic and had to look up all the lyrics, I thought this was a very moving concept album. The band did a really good job of making me feel isolation during all of the tracks at the same time as hope and disappointment. Sonically, it is beautiful and complex.
The reason I'm not giving it four stars is because it was an hour and a half. I have that's really hard to listen to as a full album. I still think it was best to listen to altogether, but I probably can't do that again many times. Individual tracks will definitely be revisited.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Good album. I had a funk phase in high school and listen to this album before, but not as one work. It's cohesive and feels like it has a good structure overall.
Nine Inch Nails
1/5
I'm trying to keep an open mind throughout this project, so here's the most charitable version of my take: "The Downward Spiral" is not for me. Trent Reznor poured his hatred and his cruelty for capitalism, religion, and any living being with ears into this album. The nails in the band's name might as well be the ones on a chalkboard, which featured prominently during the 65 misanthropic minutes of its runtime.
This album was mixed with utter contempt for audio normalization, forcing me to look up the lyrics later. None of those words are in the Bible. I can't imagine reaching a life state where these lyrics resonate with me, but—who knows—poetically, maybe there's something there. Sonically, it was akin to the Human Centipede being dragged into an industrial lathe at one of those dystopian cyberpunk raves from sci-fi movies. This album could have been a fitting OST for the gory shock websites of the 2000s.
“A Warm Place” felt like a calming oasis of actual music in the desert of edgy screeching, and I’m not sure if the final track, "Hurt," really fit in the mix. The angst was there, but instrumentally, it felt like an afterthought. and props to Johnny Cash and Neil Cicierega for creating something enjoyable from this heap. "I Do Not Want This" was a standout track for summarizing my thoughts on the album in its entirety. I'm relieved that at least the author of this book liked the album.
Nine Inch Nails, consider going to church. A wholly despicable and malicious piece of work.
Neil Young
3/5
Solid and good listening. He went back-and-forth between big chorus harmonies like the Eagles and just his own voice, a variety which I liked. Higher pitched voice, but lyrics that I felt he meant.
Norah Jones
5/5
This is the first album on this site that I already own. I love this album, though. Any song on it can calm me down and improve my mood. I am biased towards enjoying songs with prominent bass. Norah has the perfect voice for this style of music. It makes me want to put on a sweater and drink coffee in the rain. In summation, 'Come Away with Me' is a big mood.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Not too strong an opinion on this album. When I first heard his singing voice, I thought I would care more, but 30 seconds and I was already completely used to it. If anything, I thought it helped with the mood. I enjoyed the long drawn out track about him ordering eggs and then failing to draw a waitress. Decent album. Not looking into the history of this one.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Fun loving criminals did a really good job of layering many different sounds into their album. And no point did I think it sounded overwhelming, rather they weave in and out so many different instruments and samples that it always was kept interesting. The band came off as pretty Charismatic to the extent that they were criminals who rob banks. They did a good job of balancing between sympathetic in songs like "Bombin' the L" , charming outlaws in "Scooby Snacks", and still spending the block on "Bearhug". This might just be me personally, but they did include a lot allusions in the raps and many to celebrities that I do not know very well. There would be about a dozen in each song, and some of them were just lost on me. I did have the thought that this sounded like G-Love with a gun at sometimes, and I think they even hinted at that and one of the earlier songs.
Standouts: "Running around robbing banks
all whacked off of Scooby Snacks."
Passive/Aggressive had a cool gimmick with the relaxed and then fast.
"See I got more gumbas than Bobby De Niro and if I was you I'd. Act like Nixon and Spiro."
David Holmes
3/5
It was obvious he's a disc jockey from the first track. It was different to have exclusively instrumental album. I don't know what to call the genre but it was but it was like hip-hop rock house. Haters will say that it got repetitive, but I had no difficulty grooving the entire length of each song. I like the speech samples book ending each song as well. This whole album could've been the soundtrack for an open world video game about skateboarding on the PlayStation One.
Massive Attack
3/5
The only thing I knew about massive attack before listening to this album was that they wrote the song "Teardrop", which was used as the theme for the television medical drama, House.
The Gravity drums and modulated droning present throughout most of the tracks on this album sounded like it could've been inspired by listening to someone's ticker through a stethoscope. It's not something I would throw on to listen to consciously, but I thought they had quite an impressive range of genres on the album while still maintaining that same new age/hip-hop sound. From what I've read about this album, it was supposedly foundational for a lot of different artists after it, and I could definitely imagine a line from Massive Attack to the sort of unconscious Lofi hip-hop of the 2010s.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Simon and Garfunkel were a duo scientifically engineer to write hopeful songs about melancholy people. Their first meeting might've gone something like this: "So, you into playing classical guitar and harpsichord?" "You bet." "Dig the meek aesthetic of an abjectly poor 1920s American immigrant?" "100%." "Which of us will be taking the lead vocals?" "Absolutely." That beautiful harmony resonates through their music. Each song is a bardic homage to some, perhaps theoretical, person of poverty, whether in spirit or circumstance. I particularly enjoyed the ballad to an uncultured man, and the delightful chaos when Paul started rambling during the chorus, interrupting his own harmonica solo.
Germs
2/5
This album may have turned me into a hypochondriac, because now I'm a germaphobe. For fans of this album, it might be one of those cases that you get your enjoyment not so much from the musicality, but rather you enjoy that the album makes you feel something. I say that because I felt angry that I was listening to the album, and I didn't enjoy it. Punk music? Yeah, I certainly do feel punked. It was cool hearing the first studio album with a Looney Toon as the lead vocalist. Taz really knocked it out of the park on this one. They really had something they wanted to say, but I truly have no idea what it was.
All joking aside, I didn't actually hate the vocals, but my main criticism is that most of the album just felt repetitive, adynamic, and boring in an obnoxious way. That could be baked into the punk genre, or it could be more related to this band. I'll only know by listening to more punk, I guess. "Dragon Lady" and "Shutdown Man" were good and interesting to me, but the rest felt like noise when taken as a whole. A song here or there? Maybe I could rock with, but not for 38 minutes straight.
Peter Frampton
2/5
Frampton is a good musician. That being said, I found most of the album to be monotonous. I think I would enjoy these songs more one at a time, but as an album there wasn't enough change up. I assume that we got the live version for the 16 minute outro where Frampton jams with the talk box. Aside from knowing a few of his songs before this listen, I already associated him with the talk box, and the final song of the album is the one I think of. I quite enjoyed that. It's an utterly bizzare sound, that is just so unique.
Either that is why we ended up with the live album on this list or it was because Peter apparently survived an assasin's gunfire during "Wind of Change". Assuming that's where the name of the album comes from.
Nas
4/5
Life’s a bitch and then you die. I have a hard time trying to evaluate rap music. On a simple note: I liked the record. I liked that I could make out everything that was being said the entire time. The backing beats were not difficult to comprehend: interesting to listen to, but certainly they didn’t distract from the lyrics. The hooks were simple and catchy, the jockey scratched good, and the bars were real / emphatic / Illmatic.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Jimi Hendrix it sounds like Jimi Hendrix. He's good at doing Jimi Hendrix and being rock and roll hall of famer, but I found myself done with the album about 30 minutes into it. I did like the kazoo on Crosstown Traffic. That might've been my favorite track just because the kazoo kept me interested enough to appreciate how good the song was.
Stan Getz
5/5
The absolute premier bossa nova album. A fun fact that I found out after looking this up, bossa nova is Portuguese for "music that sounds like that one Getz and Gilberto song". I know they didn't write Girl from Ipanema (sorry Jobim, Moreas, Gimbel), but they may have been the second people to record it, and they one hundred percent are the reason that hundreds of people have recorded it now. "Desifinado" is probably my favorite bossa nova track of all time. Incredible how this whole album had such a similar sound throughout, and yet I never tired of it. Good stuff.
Buck Owens
4/5
Prime dust bowl honky-tonk. I love this kind of music, but I haven't listened to a lot of albums, so this was a cool experience. Already listen to "Act Naturally" a lot and now I'll probably throw "Let the Sad Times Roll On" and "The Band Keeps Playin' On" into the mix. Thanks, Buck.
Burning Spear
4/5
I am not knowledgable about Reggae, but I do know of Burning Spear and have enjoyed what I heard before, particularly "Columbus" which is a good listen any Columbus Day. Marcus Garvey is peak roots reggae. I think the genre had only been named a few years prior to this release. His political messages are crystal clear, and I appreciate his dedication to singing about the people and stories of Jamaica's rich history. My top tracks were "Old Marcus Garvey" and I really liked the unique vocalizations on "Tradition". Even better than the Fiddler on the Roof version.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I enjoyed the more powerpop/shoegaze half of the album quite well. The songs that got a bit grungier just didn't stand out to me. The final two, instrumental tracks were interesting. I got lost in "Pete International Airport" but was ready for "The Creep Out" to be over by the time it ended.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
This was a refreshing contrast to Innervisions. Slow and more relaxed, I appreciate that. I also really enjoy anytime he has a harmonica on his songs. I don't know if he's the one who plays it, but I really find it soothing. "Superstition" honestly could take off; it could be a hit.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Not my favorite era. Too poppy. I had a lot of big radio hits on it, but I'm not sure what all was so phenomenal about it that it had to be on the list. Probably just cause it out To Pimp a Butterfly.
Goldfrapp
4/5
This album went places. We started with the sort of jazz you'd expect from a pulp spy movie. Wasn't sure but I vibed with it. just as it was it was starting to get to the end of its welcome, we get to "Human" and "Deer Stop", and I'm like okay that's a bit of wild distortion. It's almost like whale song. We're not just noir any more, we're melancholy. Then the next one, the titular song, "Felt Mountain" put me right up there on the mountain with the band. I really liked the entrancing theme. I wish we got more of that throughout the album, but immediately we made a hard dive into a big top circus tent with that deep brass. I didn't look at the name of the track until the song was over, but "Oompa Radar" is perfectly fitting. I liked this album overall and am curious to give it another listen or check out more of what Goldfrapp have put out. I also was reminded a lot of the band Cortex during this listen the way they both favor the high register female vocals that come off as a whistle.
Elvis Presley
3/5
This is a solid rock and roll album. Somewhere between the solidness of this album and my enjoyment of this album, I think it lands on a 3/5. I liked the thematic thing they were doing in “Only the Strong Survive” where they would switch into a cut time to musically match the sad nature of hi explaining his grief and then licking up whenever he remembers his mother’s inspirational words. I also just want to say I liked the first track “Wearin’ That Loved On Look”. I also like whenever rock artists regress backwards into blues like there is something in their rock DNA that still remembers its genre ancestor “Power of My Love”.
Earth, Wind & Fire
5/5
I don't have too much to say about this album. This is another example of me not realizing how many songs by an artist I already know. Call it ignorance, or call it me taking this band and their music for granted. This band so well encapsulates the 70's funk, and some hot disco too.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Solid album. I love these guys. The standouts that I hadn't heard before were "Keep the Customer Satisfied" and "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright."
The Jam
3/5
Some of these songs felt pleasantly simple in what they were about. I liked Pretty Green because I've never heard anyone call money that. I don't think it was on most of the tracks, but I did like that some of them just started with noises since the album is called Sound Affects. this is one that I could probably like more on a couple of future lessons. Standouts were "But I'm Different Now" and "That's Entertainment". In general I like that in glam rock you can hear the accent.
Nick Drake
4/5
Utterly soothing acoutstic instrumentation. All the musicians put together for these compositions were on the same page. Drake's voice was solid but did not go too crazy either, which kept the tone calm. I was a big fan of the ' Cello Song and Fruit Tree.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
I knew a few of the songs. After listening to the whole album, I think they make good, simple rock songs, and by that I mean that the songs are lyrically repetitive. I'm biased because I like to sing music, but the songs were still good at setting a tone.
Tom Waits
5/5
That was some good shit. Beatnik Bullshit. Tom Waits might be actually insane for writing this. Somehow it all seemed to flow well together in my head even though there was absolutely no clear sign of what instrument anyone was supposed to be playing. “Town with No Cheer” had bagpipes, accordion, electric piano, and I think even and then the next track starts immediately with a marching snare and brass band. As music I want to just listen to in the car, this album fails, but as a audible art, I think it is beautiful. I was very into that little vignettes that Waits was painting and I love the wild choices for different instrumentation on each track. To me it shows talent to write pieces for such a variety of ensembles. I also just enjoy hearing music in those more uncommon instruments. I also just thought that “Johnsburg, Illinois”, “Just Another Sucker on the Vine”, and “Rainbirds”were simply beautiful jazz pieces. It reminds me of the same enjoyment I get out of Frank Zappa, but like much a much rougher, and cigarette-addicted Frank Zappa. Frank Crappa, perhaps. Good bass too.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Stevie Wonder's "Fulfillingness' First Finale" showcases his incredible ability to make yet another album. I haven't found much new to add aside from what was said in my ratings for his previous two albums. This one still keeps the music fresh by constantly switching up the mood, but I still don't remember any of the songs once I am done listening. That is, I continue to appreciate Stevie a bit more with each listen to new music from him while not necessarily appreciating individual songs any more or less.
Two notes:
The harmonica always kills. "You Haven't Done Nothin'" stood out with its familiar chord progression, slappy bass, and catchy trumpet lick, almost as if an AI tried to recreate "Superstition" from two years earlier.
Miles Davis
4/5
Jazz man's jazz. Appreciate both tracks being starkly different as they were and holding my interest. The first one bustled and the second one contemplated. They both stayed Freeform without becoming overwhelmingly busy. I don't know who needs to listen to jazz before they die, but if you're going to listen to jazz, this certainly has the prestige to make the list. Standouts on this album were "Shhh / Peaceful" and "In a Silent Way".
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Most of this was alright. It's probably not something I would want to listen to again. I didn't think it was bad, just mostly unremarkable. I like the lead vocalist's voice, and I thought that the instrumentation and mixing was kept clean. I've always liked "Been Caught Stealing," and I also enjoyed "Of Course," it's as simple as that. Nice violin on that one. It's just a simple fact.
Queen
4/5
I was impressed by the amount of different sounds that they were able to get out of a guitar. There was something about "Seaside Rendezvous and Good Company". Also, there is “You’re My Best Friend” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” in here so this has to, on some level, be a great album.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I appreciate the mixing with orchestra accompaniment and electronic music. They overlapped in a way that was very satisfying. I have heard a lot of individual Flaming Lips songs, and they have a pretty unique sound. I wonder if OK GO would cite them as an inspiration.
This album does a good job of exemplifying what an album can be when you consider each song as a part OF an album and the whole becomes better than the sum of its parts. The transition from "All We Have Is Now” to the outro was very dynamic and, although it’s hard to explain why, is the perfect example of what I mean. Each song was a funky little beat on its own though. I also am a sucker for songs that have uncommon themes. Paul McCartney might want to fill the world with silly love songs, but sometimes I just want to hear a ballad about some dude’s waifu who fights evil, man-eating, pink robots.
Heaven 17
2/5
Honestly, I don't know how to feel about this album. It's only five songs, which I can't imagine is going to happen that many times again, so I'm just gonna rate it based on how many songs out of the five that I would gladly listen to again. "Penthouse and Pavement" went on for a long time, which would've been cool if I could hear the jamming, but I felt like the vocals were too distracting and overpowered whatever they were doing instrumentally. The vocals were way too repetitive on that track. Whatever else you would call what they were doing the rest of the time (ad libs?): I was digging. "Play to Win" I actually really liked, and then throughout the album the bass was fun to listen to as well as the rest of the solos. This whole album gave the impression of some kind of early 80s movie montage played at 1.5x speed. Came just in time too because I was really beginning to think I might actually need this fascist groove thing. Nipped that in the bud.
Adele
5/5
I’m a big fanatic of big orchestration and big band. My first kudos go to the entire orchestra that made the full score tracks shine. Still, even the simpler songs were captivating. There is a broader range of intensity on this album than I remember. The lighter songs were fun, the loud songs were exciting, and the melancholy songs were moving. Whatever the intensity of vocals, Adele brings a sincere passion to these songs that is so raw. I remember when "Someone Like You" was on the radio, my friend’s mom was driving us both to school and she turned around and almost scolded him, “Son, don’t you ever hurt a woman to make her feel this way. If you do…” Then she turned back to the front apparently too emotional to continue. Both of us looked at each other a little shocked by the melodrama, but clearly the emotional impact was there.
Eagles
4/5
This band has great harmonies. I listened to this one driving to St. Louis, and I realized it makes a really good road trip album. Each song is just a little bit different enough to keep me interested, and they're all hits. I don't think I heard "New Kid on the Block" before, but I really liked it. I tried humming what I thought the melody would be before it came in, and it had some prettier chords than what I had in mind. I also like the "Wasted Time" interlude. I always wonder who writes those. Is it the same songwriters who do the orchestrations? Very pretty. "Last Resort" was an interesting song. I had to go back and read the lyrics for it.
4/5
Loretta ate with this one. If the other country oldies men like Hank Williams and Bob Wills are in the doghouse, some country old gal had to put them there. Her voice is lovey and the band all swangin. Solid folk music, although I can't believe that she broke my heart at the end and cheated too.
Depeche Mode
5/5
I didn't realize that I already knew this band. I kept thinking hey Depeche Mode sound like the Personal Jesus band. Oh yeah, I'm stupid. Also recognized "Enjoy the Silence" and "Policy of Truth" all of which were great. The sound was incredibly unique even for synthpop, I felt. It was refreshingly something new to my ears.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Just good rock'n'roll, just good soul. Might even be good doo-wop. I like the little bits with mallets towards the beginning. He'll be a nice addition to my collection.
Talking Heads
5/5
I'm glad that I listened to both of the Talking Heads albums on the same day. Earlier, I listened to Talking Heads: 77, and one of my main critiques was that the vocals just needed to be tightened up. They listened, obviously, and three years later they came out with this. The vocals are tighter, and they even harmonized and added some background vocals. Everything I said about the other one still applies here. Great album. Great band. Same as it ever was.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Fun listen through. Nice and short. Maybe just I've lived with the song for a while, but it definitely evokes a bayou feel to me, or at least I would associate with the bayou: rougher vocal but not gritty, rockabilly, and blues that are still upbeat. The band sounded full. I don't know how many people are in it, but it felt like like a big group.
Pixies
2/5
I don't think this was the best Pixies could have done. not that there was anything wrong with their technique, but I feel like they could do better. A lot of these songs just sounded uncoordinated or clumsy in composition, as if they were still practicing their songwriting. Especially the first two songs and a couple of the later songs where they had some lackluster verses, simple strum patterns on basic chords, and then would just screamed the title of the song over and over again. They were still screaming "Tame" by the time we got to the track "Hey". "Gouge Away" felt like the most competent performance while still maintaining the harsh sound they were going for on the rest of the album. I also enjoyed "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and the times they focused on narrative such as in "I Bleed". My favorite track was "Here Comes Your Man" for just being more musical.
Supergrass
5/5
I had a blast from start to finish. No two songs were alike, and they never dwell on one story for too long. Any of these songs Could've been someone's favorite song in the album. They covered a lot of different sounds, and really filled out the dynamics. I only wish that it was easier to understand the lyrics. Probably between the mixing and the accent that made it difficult. There was something really interesting going on in "She's So Loose". The way they played around with the tempo was very interesting.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
I enjoyed it. I don't speak French or Congolese or whatever, but the music was it enough to get me bopping a little bit. I don't have too much to say, because it was easy to space out during most of the songs withoutknowing words. That might be repetitive to some, but maybe it's a strength if you just needto work to something. At any rate, it was satisying. Reminded me a lot of the Nigerian highlife music my roommate Wood listen to. That probably means the lyrics were tragic even if the tempo was upbeat. I'm probably better off somehow having listened to Ndombolo. Thanks, Koffi, although it sounds like he could be a scumbag and kinda majorly "soukous". Final note, that second song started off like it was about to drop some heavily soulful R&B. Luther Vandross was featured for the first 30 seconds.
The Thrills
4/5
I rather liked this album. I thought it was pretty unremarkable at first, but I really got into it by the end and will add it to my rotation at work probably. It has a early 200s feel at times or maybe like 70s britpop. I liked the harmonica and bah-bah-bahs. Kind of sounds like Ben Folds Five led by the singer from Cloud Cult.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
"Gimme Shelter" is an all time hit and the same goes for "You Can't Always Get What You Want". I don't even love classic rock all that much. The middle of the record was a mid honky tonk blend, and also a bit too horny for me.
Bad Company
3/5
I don't have anything really to remark on this album. I thought it was all right. I still don't think I understand quite how to enjoy classic rock. The only stand out now that I've listened to the album was "Bad Company", and that's probably just because I've heard it before. I actually loved the finale, "Seagull": beautiful chord progressions, simple, and sweet.
Fiona Apple
5/5
Regina Spektor, Kimbra, Melanie, Fiona Apple: Freestyle rapping with analog vocode
Every time she switches up the time signature, she sounds insane on this album and I loved it. She's pissed off. Every track was so unique in composition. I was taken in each time and felt something different every 2 minutes. She was seeing something when she recorded all this.
The Bees
5/5
I couldn't decide if I liked this album as a four or a five, but the fact that I have listened to it three times already, I think means that I have to give it a five. I love the unique Lofi sound. Angry man was probably my favorite track.
Coldplay
4/5
"A Rush of Blood to the Head" by Coldplay is a throwback to the band's old sound that I really pine for. It feels closer to Death Cab for Cutie in terms of instrumentation than I remembered. The album has this acoustic, open presence—definitely not laid-back, but expansive. Not every track fits this mold, but the distinct vocals pull everything together. "Clocks," "The Scientist," and "In My Place" are still bangers. They've still got it, and this album just proves how solid Coldplay was back in the day. If only I could give this five stars, but I couldn't stop thinking about my deep seated reservations concerning Chris Martin.
Mudhoney
2/5
I just don't know how to feel about this kind of music. I have trouble taking it seriously in a way. I thought it was completely fine to put on and do other stuff to, but I couldn't focus on it. I perked up for Who You Drivin' Home and I have no idea why. Maybe it just sounded a bit more interesting or different? I think the rhythm the guitar played was more broken up than the sort of steady strumming of the other songs. I liked the harmonica that showed up in and after Movin' Out. That was fun. The choice to start a track with thirty seconds of snoring was inspired and almost made me want to give it another star.
Elton John
5/5
Elton John has got it. Bernie Taupin has got it. They're just one of the best ensemble projects, I think. It’s not your standard rock band; Elton always has the piano featured front and center and his voice is doing the most. You don’t get that in a lot of pop music, even from the 70s. This album, obviously, has a lot of his big hits on it, including one of my favorites, 'Tiny Dancer.' 'Indian Sunset' I liked a lot musically, but I wonder if they look back on the lyrics and cringe at all.
AC/DC
4/5
This is what they mean when they say "Rock hard hard rockin' rock music". Brian Johnson's voice went to hell and back for this one. Gruieat Guitar. Impossible not to rack out.
King Crimson
5/5
If you love noises, this is an album for you. I've once again exposed my love for borderline unlistenable music, and this one is no exception. I loved the Dolmar at the beginning and then when they went back to it. There was only one song or I had to turn my headphones down, and I only had them turned up so much because I was listening while mowing the yard anyway.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
I still just don't like classic rock that much. I listened to the whole album and never once stopped to appreciate a song. Sound album, but not my thing.
The Damned
3/5
Solid English punk rock music. I was entertained the entire time, and a few of the songs I would add to a work out playlist.
Black Sabbath
2/5
Paranoid by Black Sabbath is one of those albums I feel like I should have a stronger opinion about, but honestly, I thought it was just okay. I didn't really care for it one way or another. The songs have that classic heavy sound, and I can see why it’s so influential, but it didn’t exactly grab me.
There were moments where I appreciated the grit and darkness, like in "Iron Man" and "War Pigs," but at the same time, some of it just felt like it blended together. There’s not a lot of variety imo, and after a while, it started to feel a bit monotonous.
I get why it's a big deal in the history of rock, but for me, it didn't hit the spot. It’s an album that’s more in the background for me, not something I’d actively seek out but not something I’d turn off either. It’s fine, just not something I’m into.
Talking Heads
4/5
I actually feel like I benefited from listening to the entire album, rather than if I had listened to the songs one at a time. The way their songs sound is so bizarre to me. I know that I like stranger music, but I don't know how the band got so popular in general. The lyrics are very unconscious, but if you listen to them, then it's pretty enjoyable. The lyrics are like an uncomfortable person talking. That comes across in the vocals somewhat. The style fits the rest of the music well, with the 'empty studio' mixing and the wild melodies, but I think the singer either leaned into it a bit much at times or otherwise just lost the note. If tightened up, it could have been easier listening while still maintaining the same spontaneity.
Hot Chip
4/5
I don't find myself listening to electronic music, and maybe I would have a better appreciation if I noticed that not all the songs sound the same. Some of these just sounded like 80s rock. I am thinking of 'Don't Deny Your Heart.' And then there were dirty little industrial electro songs like 'Night and Day.' Definitely, they are going into my rotation. My favorites are 'Look at Where We Are' and 'Let Me Be Him.' Actually, 'Look at Where We Are' is one of the only giveaways to me that the album was released in the 21st century because it sounds like something that could still be on the radio. The rest sounds very retro to my ears. I always appreciate when I can be fooled in that way.
Steely Dan
5/5
Steely Dan are one of my favorite bands of all time. I don't know if there's a single song of theirs I don't enjoy listening to. The songs are just fun and there's so much going on. The musicality is anything but generic, and the lyrics perfectly encapsulate that yacht rock feeling of banality covered up by a jazzy, yuppy lifestyle. Some of my favorite sonic moments on this album are the xylophone during 'Aja' and the staccato piano bits during 'I Got the News.' I love this album. I've got to get the boat out. It makes me want to cruise and feel inadequate.
The Temptations
3/5
It’s decent doo-wop. I like the range of vocals from the group. They have a singer for every octave, and their voices all hit the mark. I had never heard this version of ‘Heard It through the Grapevine,’ but I think I still prefer the Marvin Gaye version, and not just because I have heard it more. I don’t know what it was about ‘Runaway Child, Running Wild’ that caught my attention. Maybe it was the wailing child right in the middle of the track. I found it interesting that they would have such a long instrumental outro on that song, seeing as they’re mainly a choral group. The instrumentals are great, but it always seemed to me that the band intended them to be strictly supportive of the vocals.
The KLF
4/5
I went back and forth while listening to this album. I don't think I can give it a full 5, but I really did like some of the songs. Entrancing music. The worst ones, I thought, were a little repetitive, and the best ones sounded like Donkey Kong Country SNES-type beats mixed with Tina Turner’s soulful vocals. I pulled out a few that I liked, but I'm not sure how much I would like this album going forward. I'll probably end up listening to it another time and really loving it. Standouts were 'Build a Fire' and 'No More Tears.' Anytime that Scottish guy was talk-singing, I was digging that too. When they started talking about Rock Man, who was 'just made of bricks,' I was completely lost. It sounded like something my guitar player roommate would've written about a gang of superheroes he invented in the fourth grade. Insanity. Last train to Insane Central.
Gram Parsons
4/5
I instantly knew I was gonna like this one. Old country sound? Check. Vocal harmonies? Check. Rock 'n' roll? Check. None of the songs sound like the song before, which I feel like can happen on albums like this. I especially thought the scenery around me while listening to this complemented the sound well. Driving through Chillicothe on a gravel road while pretty tired. The Rolling songs were lively and entertaining, and the softer songs were sweet and captivating. This isn't a country album, but it is folk. I will surely return to this artist.
Otis Redding
3/5
I can pretty easily understand why this album is on the list. Every now and then, I listen to an old soul album and realize just how often these songs get covered. I would never have known about the person who originally wrote them. This seems to be the case here. Every other song on this album was one I was very familiar with, but didn't know that Otis sang it. It's good songwriting, but maybe I'm used to all the covers to really listen to these, or maybe I would only listen to this if I wanted something that sounded lower-fidelity.
Kings of Leon
3/5
The only thing I knew about Kings of Leon before this listen were ‘Use Somebody’ and ‘Sex on Fire.’ I still like both of those songs, and I think the band is good, but I feel like I’ve got their technique figured out: crunchy rhythm guitar with reverb, a crisp piano or lead guitar with a simple lick, and then a kind of whimpering wail. Like I said, I think they’re a good band, but I enjoy singing along with rock music, and I felt like that would be hard to do with a lot of their songs. I’ve always liked the way he sort of squeals ‘Use Somebody.’ I always exaggerate that part. Just from hearing it on the radio so much, this album is always gonna bring back memories of 2008.
Venom
2/5
I don't know, man. It was just silly. I didn't mind listening to it while doing something else, but to the extent that it was 'satanic', it seemed more performative than anything else. I just felt like they were trying too hard to be edgy. And I know that's the point, but also I don't care. I wouldn't give anything on here a second listen.
Randy Newman
4/5
I thought I knew Randy Newman. That first song about how God loves us fit in pretty well, but then Randy said we should nuke the whole world because America gets bullied, and things just got dark from there on out. I'm sure it was satirical, but it surprised me anyway. The one about why God loves us from His perspective was just depressing as hell. Anyway, I jammed to the whole thing. The melancholy, Americana/soul really fit well with me sitting on the porch in autumn listening to the music. A very good vibe. I actually just really like this album, even in spite of its depressing nature. I also really appreciated that the theme seemed to progress naturally from optimism to pessimism, and then he revisited the opening song at the end with the now-realized melancholia. Standout track for me was 'Dayton, Ohio - 1903'.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I only really know Leonard Cohen for "Hallelujah", and then again, I don't know if I'd really listened closely to his version. At least I thought he looked like Leonard Nimoy so I thought his voice would be deeper. I don't have much more to say except I enjoyed this album. I like the softer, solo acoustic stuff. The standup for me was Marianne, and I don't know what happened there at the end when he just started wailing. In the rotation for soft quiet morning music with sad lyrics.
Magazine
3/5
The experience of listening to this album was like being tied to a chair and forced to witness some sort of macabre circus act. Every track somehow gave evil carnie, and that's not a wholly bad thing. I liked the bass lines, and I bounced around between a four and a three, but I'm giving it a three because it didn't hold me for the entire hour, and the vocals were too slurry for me to make out. They were just on the edge of comprehension, and that annoyed me.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
This is like the auditory version of Bird Box, because I'm going to tell people it's so beautiful if only they would listen, but I expect they'd potentially just try to kill themselves. It truly feels like a pioneering effort to have all of the band members record their parts in isolation without ever deciding which song they were recording. It's up there with the greats like Wesley Willis. I wanna give it a five for the audacity, but I'll stick with four, because my friends would strangle me to death with my wired headphones.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
I don't know much how to assess big band and jazz music. I was entertained the entire way through and I thought the flow from one song to the next felt well considered and kept each new song fresh. I will be coming back to this.
R.E.M.
4/5
I like this more than I thought I would. Maybe I just discounted REM because I knew a few of their singles, but this is definitely an album that I would come back to. It struck me that they sound a little bit more like Barenaked Ladies than I had remembered.
King Crimson
5/5
This is an experience.
I was entertained for this album from start to finish and really felt like this could be the kind of album I put on and actually do nothing else while listening. Each song was so dynamic and varied. Some of the later songs reminded me of Moody Blues. I am especially thinking of 'Epitaph': an epic ballad with wide-open orchestrations. I think my dad would like this band. You can tell just listening to is that this is a late 60s British rock band.
'21st Century Schizoid Man' had a great rock jazz breakdown in the second half that inject energy into your veins. Then 'I Talk to the Wind' slows you down and says, "let's go for a stroll through an English garden."
The title track had some beautiful chord progressions that subvert the easy route over and over again. The whole thing sounds so noble, you just want to imagine the scene that the music is expressing
I had already listened to "Larks Tongue in Aspic". I said that one was "noise music". Having come first, this album was just noisy music, BUT we did get a little taste on 'Moonchild' of some lovely soundscapes.
I genuinely loved every song on this album and it might be one of my favorites of all time.
SAULT
2/5
The album did not appeal to me. I thought I understood at least where the album was coming from, but then I realized this was recorded in 2020, not the 60s. I don’t know anything about this band, who is in it or even how many members, except that they are black (source “I am black. Black. Black. I am Black. Black. Black.” From the track “Black”) Almost every track was super repetitive which isn’t a problem really except when the repetitive parts are super aggravating sonically. The skits were super cringe and patronizing.
I didn’t hate the album though. A lot of the tracks were pleasantly bumpin. I liked “Wildfires” and “Why We Cry, Why We Die” especially. Maybe good for ambient music, but overall, the experience of the album was not great, and at least from my perspective (FWIW) not great rallying music.
The Jam
4/5
The first song on this album made me think it was going to be any other British punk rock album that I had heard before, by the end of the second song I was really in. There were a couple times at the lead singer's vocals I thought could've been a bit cleaner, but overall they had a great variety on this album and I really enjoyed the entire thing. I especially liked the quick breaks to soft acoustic songs.
Mekons
3/5
I was really skeptical immediately after starting this one, but I ended up liking it well enough for a 3. They were really making some noise on this one, weird, dissonant noises. A lot of strings for a 'punk' album too. They are at least punk in the way that they clearly didn't care if this album sounded "good". I like the Psycho Cupid track.
I heard critic Griel Marcus recount something he'd heard said about the Mekons, "Those who didn't know how to play tried to learn. Those who knew how to play tried to forget." For better or worse, I'll probably forget about the Mekons.
The White Stripes
4/5
I liked this album a lot. The same thing I have said about a few albums here recently is still true. The first track made me think "Okay, I have heard this before", but then the full album was really quite enjoyable. I think I prefer the simpler, softer songs from White Stripes. I especially liked the marimbas on "Nurse". You don't hear enough alt percussion in rock, yaknow?
Willie Nelson
4/5
Every now and then I would forget what time it was and then, thankfully, Willie would remind like ten times me that it was the time of the preacher. This is such classic western thematically: a man was scorned by a lover and now he just kills people without consequence, because he is sad and mysterious.
The Band
3/5
The Band played the Songs really good on the Album. Simply put, this record is filled with the Music.
Average but enjoyable.
The War On Drugs
5/5
Ten seconds into the first track, I knew I was going to love the album. In spite of the reverb, I felt like I could make out all of the instruments and I really enjoyed the long outros. Sometimes I like that kind of thing, especially in this kind of psychedelic music. Bops throughout.
Anthrax
2/5
Not my jam. I could not really hear much variation from song to song AT ALL and felt like a high pass was applied too much during the mix.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Aretha can wail. Very enjoyable and uplfting music.
Small Faces
5/5
I'm not gonna lie, the first track had me thinking this was gonna be run of the mill three outta five stuff, but by the third track I knew I was mistaken. The lead vocalist has simply put the bristishest accent, soundin like Pinky almost at points. The bass was funkin. The guitar was rippin. The skits were scattin. Great 60s album.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Mr. Cash is truly a good old boy. That was some natural crowd work. This guy is as American as apple pie. Apparently, he'll sing a song about how you and your city can go F yourself and you thank him for it. Loved it.
Madonna
3/5
I don't understand this album. I guess it wasn't bad in any way, but there felt like there was nothing extraordinary about it. It sounded almost like parody of 2000s electro pop. Some of the lyrics were super cliche, but I still don't think it was bad. Weird list is weird. What It Feels Like for a Girl was surprisingly good too.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Janis could really wail.
Sabu
4/5
Hell yeah, Brazil. The drums never stop and the guitar was catchy. I do not speak Portuguese, of course, so I don't know what the songs are about but they could be the saddest in the world and I would not know any better. These songs would not sound as good without the woman singing. Together it sounds like the whole neighborhood is out. I thought this was best during the call and response, such as Billumba-Palo Congo. I have no idea what that man was saying, but I was responding along with the chorus.
I don't know how long I could have been satisfied and not tire of it, but this kind of music is enchanting. I cannot listen and not bounce to it and smile.
Carpenters
5/5
I didn't expect to like it, but of course I do. I might not put this on at a party, but I think there's still a lot going on here to enjoy. It's not just the lead singer’s voice which is beautiful, rather all the harmonies are too. The songs are simply not simple. I also didn't expect to hear so many Beatles covers, but actually the vocals are similar in a way that they layer them. I think you also have to appreciate all of the orchestra that's playing with them. Every song is full of instruments playing beautiful little licks, like, walking through flowers or something stupid.
Arcade Fire
3/5
The first half of the album album's biggest weakness was that the songs were repetitive and formulaic. They had a couple good bones each, but not enough to make a skeleton. I feel like that significantly changed towards the second half of the album. "Suburban War", "Waste", and "The Sprawl I" were good songs. (As usual, I tend to like the few more solemn songs on otherwise fast albums.) I definitely might listen to some of them again. Overall, I like the idea of an album that bemoans the monotony of suburban sprawl. I only wish it would've been better.
Deep Purple
4/5
I can't imagine what it's like to see a show like this in person. I've never been to anything like it. An entire concert with minimal vocals and chock full of instrumental jamming. And they jammed. And they wailed. The finger bones melted right out of my skin on Space Truckin'.
The xx
5/5
I really couldn't decide if I was going to give this a four or a five, but in the end it was a unique enough sound and I found myself relistening to it enough times that I went with a 5. The formula is simple enough, I mean that it is not cluttered. Nothing is complicated, and then the band just cranks the reverb to 11, but I it was fresh to my ears despite having many introductions to the album and the band. Also one of the most memorable intro songs I've heard.
The Who
5/5
I'm colored by my dad's music tastes, but I love this band, and the album did not disappoint. This album also has 2/3 CSI theme songs, so nice!
Talking Heads
4/5
Once again, I will just say, the sound is unmistakable. If you can't quickly identify the Talking Heads then you might be a dummy. I like the sounds and I don't have much else to say.
David Bowie
3/5
I really can't say that I have listened to much Bowie outside his greatest few hits. He does not sound at all like I thought he would, but I did enjoy the album. The music is more rhythmic than I expected. There was repetition but it was not monotonous. I'll be interested to compare this one to the other Bowie albums on here.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Most of the way through the first song I thought I was not going to like this album, but it really grew on me by the time it was over. The more basic parts definitely sounded like it was made on a $20 Casio keyboard, but I was actually grooving with it by the end. I wish should've been a bit more involved or had a bit more gloss, but it definitely felt like I was an outer space for 30 minutes.
Kings of Leon
3/5
I didn't know that Kings of Leon could sound like this. I don't know what the sound was, but it almost felt a little more western. As always with rock, I like the slow tracks a lot. The build up on Day Old Blues was a joy. I think it shows that you have good musical talent. Milk was something else.
Funkadelic
3/5
I thought this album had decent noises throughout. I liked the song "Back in Our Minds" when they brought out the splinkaphone and the other song where they recorded a baby crying. That was pretty interesting. Very unconscious music. Perfect for talking over it.
Oasis
4/5
I didn't know Oasis could rock like that. They're actually a pretty good rock 'n' roll band. I'm gonna be honest, I haven't listened to all that much Oasis ever in my life besides the two big songs. My friend, Joey, would love this band. I like the lyrics in 'Columbia' and 'Married with Children' and I rocked out hard to 'Cigarettes and Alcohol'.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
They have an interesting sound that mixes classic rock'n'roll (I'm not gonna stop glazing RnR) and country. A couple songs actually sound similar to some Eagles songs.
The Who
5/5
Gosh dang it I love rock and roll. I love the Who too. The Kind of Stuttering on "My Generation" was an artistic choice that made the song that much more memorable—even if you don't like it personally. This band likes to Jam during the songs. They should play the Superbowl. I bet that would be cool.