Feels a little too much like it's the favorite album of the most pretentious man you've ever met, but overall not bad.
Top songs: Sweet Life, Pyramids, Lost, Bad Religion
Beats be funkin!! Actually really enjoyed this, was not expecting to, front half of the album goes a bit harder than the second half though.
Top songs: Soubour, Irganda, Al Hassidi Terri, Petit Metier
I do not like the beatles. The grungy songs are better than the soft ones. A few songs I went "hey this is pretty good" but most of time time it was "jeez this is terrible".
Top songs: happiness is a warm gun (Arctic monkeys??), Martha my dear, I'm so tired
Bob can be egregious with his rollercoaster vocal pitch change on some vowels (yooOOuuUUuu) but other times his unique style works well. Harmonica was often too loud. Not many standouts in either direction, it's consistent. Made me wanna listen to Dr. Dog. Thought I would like this more but the vocals got on my nerves a bit.
Top songs: Visions of Johanna, I want you, Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again
Now this is more like it. The guitars absolutely rip, deep and grungy, I can imagine screaming along live in true "no one understands me" fashion. I've actually never listened to this album before, and honestly shocked to find out it was from the 70s, and British? The guitars and bass really have the perfect tone, I feel them deep in my bones.
Top songs: Disorder, day of the lords**, insight, new dawn fades, she's lost control, shadowplay, interzone
Tons of classic bangers, could do without most of the interludes. Had really only ever heard the hits from OutKast, was happy to hear most of their other work is equally boppin. Goes a little heavier on average than I expected, but I liked it (was a big fan of B.O.B, for example).
Top songs: gasoline dreams, so fresh so clean, Ms Jackson, B.O.B**,
I love me a brass section. I'm not a huge fan of this era of soul/funk music, it often sort of blends into the background like some good coffee shop jazz, which isn't here nor there. Reading the history, The Family Stone was the first ever integrated black/white band in rock history, which is sick. I can imagine this being a blast live, apparently they killed at Woodstock, and I believe it. The second half is just radio edits of the first half, I did find myself betting bored.
Top songs:
Stand!
Somebody's watching you
Sing a simple song
Our first woman and damn she deserves it. It's hard to tell when Lauryn is sampling and when Lauryn has been sampled, she's been that influential. Her voice is buttery smooth and she crushes every note she sings. I enjoyed the ending of each song, the natural conversations/muffled laughing fades out feel very candid, it adds even more personality to each track. Love the background vocals too.
Top songs:
Lost ones
Ex-factor
To Zion
Final hour
I used to love him
Forgive them father
Everything is everything
The miseducation of Lauryn hill
Pretty groovy, prefer the upbeat songs. Love some 80s punk, perfect moshing music. The guitars and drums make me tap my foot unconsciously. I've heard for the love of ivy before??? By Japandroids!! I didn't know that was a cover! This style of fast paced punk all does kind of blend together after a while, but I am still a fan. Reminds me of diarrhea planet.
Top songs:
Sex beat
She's like heroin to me
For the love of ivy
Ghost on the highway
Dad! Rock! The guitars rip, obviously. Feels like I'm playing guitar hero. Love the vocals but not always the lyrics. Lots of layers. Not as many standouts but overall a really solid album.
Top songs:
Dam that river
Rain when I die**
Rooster
Would?
Ah!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited this album is so good. It perfectly encapsulates the golden era of mid 2000s indie. In my opinion: a masterpiece. In my top 10 albums of all time. No skips. I get so excited for the songs Regine sings, she is an icon. I've seen them live and her outfits always slay so hard I am in love with her she is so talented. She provides perfect backing vocals in songs where she isn't the lead. I love wills voice too. I may be a bit blinded by nostalgia but honestly every song still hits, would happily listen to this album every day. But the album itself is kind of about nostalgia? Fitting. It's haunting yet bright. Violins?? Are you kidding?? Screaming crying throwing up. The songs perfectly transition into each other. The violins in empty room and half light make me feral. The music video for the suburbs is also great. Arcade fire is great at layering, there's so much to dig into in each track. The whole album fits the theme of "suburbs" so well. Sprawl II is one of the best songs of all time.
Top songs:
The suburbs***
Ready to start***
Modern man**
Rococo
Empty room**
City with no children
Half light I**
Half light II***
Suburban war***
Month of may
Wasted hours
Deep blue**
We used to wait**
Sprawl***
Sprawl II*****************
The suburbs (continued)
Definitely like this one better than the white album. I wish they always sang like the beginning of Sgt. Peppers, I like the gruff vocals over the airy ones, but I know that's their signature. That being said, the overall tone of the vocals is pretty good in this one. Love when they feature strings and brass. Listened with headphones, sometimes the vocals only come through one ear and I didn't like that. There were a few songs I didn't really like, but I enjoyed most of them. I'll eat my hands on this one, I liked it.
Top songs:
Sgt. Peppers lonely hearts club band
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
She's leaving home**
A day in the life
I liked this, it has a mix of both 80s and 50s vibes, which results in a sort of lo-fi sound. I enjoy the layered vocals and the musical interludes. Reading the bio after listening, didn't know he was part of steely Dan! And we love a jersey boy. Unfortunately I went and listened to a little Steely Dan after and I do think the duo is better, but I'm trying not to let that influence my opinion on this solo work.
Top songs:
I.G.Y
New Frontier
Green Flower Street
Don't come at me but I'd only really heard Beyoncé's radio hits before this, but I still knew she is queen. Even so, I was very surprised how much I enjoyed this album, it was way more atmospheric than I expected (again, after only hearing her radio hits). Her voice is obviously killer. Like Lauryn Hill, I enjoy the storytelling intros to some songs. I liked the backing tracks, they were often grandiose without overshadowing the vocals. Disk 2 has some fun bonus additions but I will be mainly rating the album as Disk 1 from start to finish, as I feel it really wraps up into a perfect little package.
Top songs:
Pretty hurts
Haunted**
Partition
XO
Heaven
Blue
Ring off
Not what I expected the vocals to be? Like I know there popular songs but guess never realized it was R.E.M? More similar to Counting Crows than I thought, was expecting heavier/grungy, not as peppy. I like it, but maybe a little whiney at times. Listened in the car and a lot blended together. I like the guitars. Their bio mentions how R.E.M helped shift punk into alternative, I don't know if I can agree with that for this album specifically. Google categorizes them as "rock" and "folk" which i think is a bit closer.
Top songs:
Finest work song
It's the end of the world
Love Freddy's voice, love the operatic theme. Not as many standouts songs as I would've hoped. The harmonies from the chorus are always bangin. The popularity of Bohemian Rhapsody doesn't discredit my enjoyment of it (from overplaying, like some artists most popular songs), it is still a beautifully impressive and entertaining piece. Love the pianos when present, and the guitar riffs. Tough, want to give a 5 but there's a significant lull in the middle of the album.
Top songs:
Death on two legs
The prophets song
Love of my life
Bohemian Rhapsody
This feels very horny. The backing tracks is very 90s, I feel like I'm in an aquarium. The backing track for "hard day" feels like a SNES video game and I am vibing. The mix of sex lyrics and nostalgia music is making me slightly uncomfortable. The lyrics for "I want your sex" are hilarious, I feel like I'm having a fever dream what is happening. The Micheal Jackson style "Ow!" is really something. I can't tell if I love or hate this. "Sex is natural, sex is good, not everybody does it, but everybody should". Like go off king. Definitely made me smile so that's a plus. His voice is impressive, but I don't love the boyish Micheal Jackson tone he sinks into sometimes. The lyrics are often the worst part, but there is a weird campy charm to them. I've learned he is gay which is iconic I fear.
Top songs:
Faith
I want your sex (Ironically?? Unsure)
Hard day
Kissing a fool
I appreciate some late 90s club music. It's reminiscent of Eiffel 65, albeit a bit worse in my opinion. I did recognize "wheres your head at" when looking at their main page, and was surprised that song was from 2001. I'm happy to see this group is still making music, as its eclectic dance style almost seems like it was slightly ahead of its time. We're a bit spoiled with electronic music nowadays, but I'm trying to put myself on the light up dance floor in 1999 fearful of Y2K dancing like it's our last day on earth. Though I still would've preferred to see daft punk. Liked the interludes. The album kinda morphed over its runtime from crunchy to synth-y, I prefer the back end.
Top songs:
Jaxxalude
Red alert
Always be there
Bingo bango
Don't give up
Great guitars. I almost want to say the guitar solos are most of what the songs have going for them, because each song is mainly guitar solo, but the vocals do a good job of accompanying, and hey guitars are what ZZ Top is all about. Good background music for being a dad. The crowd sounds electric in the live versions, bet they'd be a riot.
Top songs:
Beer drinkers and hell raisers
Hot blue and righteous
La grange
She's back! Did not know Ms. Lauryn Hill was a part of this, I am uneducated. Love an album with an intro and outro, songs flow into each other like butter. Makes an album feel like a beautiful little bundle. I enjoy the trio switching off verses, they compliment each other well. I always enjoy these albums more listening with headphones, the swirling backing tracks are truly dancing around my ears. I have a crush on Ms. Lauryn Hill. 90s R&B is elite. Was light head boppin through the whole album. I like how when one person is on the mic, the others chime in in the background, it feels natural like they're just riffing in the studio.
Top songs:
Red intro
Ready or not
Fu-Gee-La
Killing me softly with his song
I love Simon and Garfunkel. The piano goes hard. The music is grandiose, and the vocals compliment each other beautifully. I love any time traditional instruments are used (pianos, violins, trumpets, oh my!) The boxer is a classic, it's really sweeping and comes to a massive climax. I really liked the inclusion of 1 live song that wasn't just a repeat of a previously played song - it added some energy and excitement towards the end of the album.
Top songs:
Bridge over troubled water
Keep the customer satisfied
The boxer
The only living boy in new york
Song for the asking
I like the layered vocals. Definitely best appreciated with headphones. A lot of indie folk can be hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this. Interesting coming after Simon and Garfunkel, feels similar but missing something in comparison. Not as many standouts but consistent throughout.
Top songs:
Sun it rises
White winter hymnal
Don't love the vocals, the guitars go pretty hard sometimes but other times are almost overwhelming for the sake of noise. Melodies all kind of blended together across songs. Did a bit of research on metal subculture and neo-nazis, obviously not all metal music/it's fans support Nazis, but slayer towed the line a little too close... Have to knock off a point for that.
Top songs:
None?
Reading this history before listening and it's wild lol. They were on LSD during every recording session. But honestly this album feels a bit like a cliche. I know the album is old, but even with the remaster the mixing is pretty terrible. I don't like whatever machine they're using to make the wubwub window washing sounds. Getting to disc 2, the stereo mixing is better than the mono, but I just don't love any of the songs enough to be excited to listen through a second time. Couldn't really get into this one.
Top songs:
None?
I fell asleep listening to Simon and Garfunkel last night, happy to listen to another album. I can't describe how emotional some of these songs make me, it makes my stomach swell. They are so good at flipping between soft and crescendo. I prefer the later album, but this one is still great.
Top songs:
America
Old friends
Mrs. Robinson
The vocals are good. It was... Fine. It's got a 50s diner vibe which I enjoy. The songs did blend together a bit.
Top songs:
Please Mister postman
Another work with a wild Wikipedia entry lol. A solo project by a man who had just been released from the psychiatric hospital following an attempt to attack his previous band mates with an axe. Sounds like he's struggling at times on the more upbeat songs. I prefer the slower ones. Definitely could benefit from some editing, doesn't need to be over an hour long. Really starts to fall apart towards the end.
Top songs:
Weighted down
I enjoy the shifts in tempo. Didn't love every song but didn't hate any either, and the ones I did love were really great. I can't say if I love Robert Plant's signature vocal style at all times, but I have to admit it is iconic. Rippin guitar solos, makes me wish I was alive in the 60s to see these shows.
Top songs:
Babe I'm gonna leave you**
Your time is gonna come
I feel like the lyrics are kinda bad? A few times I was like lol really that's what we're going with? The whole thing is very dramatic, feels very musical theater. Saw pinball wizard on there and thought I would like the whole thing more tbh. It feels a bit unnecessary at times? Like underture doesn't need to be 10mins it's the same thing the whole time. Feels like they avoided metaphors all together and went for straight literal storytelling. I love a rock opera, but something about the literal lyrics is just not vibing with me sadly.
Top songs:
Pinball wizard
My dad famously dislikes the police because they are lyrically repetitive. I can appreciate this opinion, and at times I agree. I do however enjoy the singers voice which makes the repetitiveness a bit less grating. It almost acts as an additional instrument, if that makes sense. It sounds like they have dueling guitars but they're only 3 people? I like the subtle reggae style they've got going on.
Top songs:
Bring on the night
Any other day
Strange mix of reggae, British, and jazz? Didn't love it, just not my style. Maybe I don't like ska. I enjoy the brass but not with the British vocals.
Top songs:
None?
I usually like the singers eclectic voice but at times it can be grating (eg. Happy day). Wasn't giving it my full attention tbh, apologies.
Top songs:
Psycho killer
Groovin! Love some oldies. Ray has a great voice, and I like the background chorus too. Y'all know I love some brass and strings. I feel like I'm in an old Disney movie.
Top songs:
You don't know me
I love you so much it hurts
Born to lose
Got to learn more about Brian Eno with this one! I enjoy the vocals, I like when he sweeps into the low notes. It's an interesting combination of styles at times, like it can have Elvis-like vocals with heavy electric guitars? Followed by evil German showtunes? I can hear how they influenced MGMT. I like the wide range of instruments.
Top songs:
The thrill of it all
A really good time
Listened in the car but listened again at work. Jack has a great style. I like the grit in his mic. Enjoyed most songs.
Top songs:
Missing pieces
Sixteen saltines
Weep themselves to sleep
Interesting mix of vibes. Liked a lot of songs others were meh. Could be pretty goofy but I liked that.
Top songs:
Some mothers son
Shangri-la
Not my style, doesn't mean it's bad but just really couldn't get into it.
I like the vocals. And the backing guitars. I like how Spotify didn't know what was going on lol. I should've found the full version but ended up just listening to the 20 min Spotify version. Though I liked what I heard, maybe I'll seek it out.
Top songs:
Spellbound
Monitor
I was busy listening to this sorry, enjoyed it enough tho, some songs I found a bit annoying
Was jamming, a live performance is always fun. The drum solo is too long, sue me.
This album was my first introduction to my favorite band, The Strokes. For that sentimental value alone it could easily be called my favorite album of all time. But in addition to that, the album earns it. The tracklist remains so cohesive throughout. One of my favorite signature elements of The Strokes is their use of a rhythm guitar and a lead guitar. The two just dance around, I love switching my focus between them. There's often some funky bass too, really a showcase. The drums consistently focus the energy exactly right. Julian's voice sounds so young, it makes me emotional. I cannot overstate the impact of this album on my life. Some songs transport me directly to specific moments in my life. Julian's voice on every song is directly rooted into my soul. I love the grit on the mic, the little riffs he does, the shifts in rhythm from the rest of the band, every song has so much layered within it despite being a 5 person group of all classic instruments. Factoring in that this was the bands first album is really a testament to their talent, they developed a unique sound that many attribute to the revitalization of rock n roll in the early 2000s. I'm so happy that everyone has gotten the chance to listen to the most important album in my life 💛 thank you
Very British, too British? Some songs were almost there but had some weird quirk that ruined it for me
Was chill, I enjoyed
