Apr 24 2024
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In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
Spectacular, avante garde, irreverate. This album feels fresh and exciting. The Kanye West 'Power' sample running through the first track is a brilliant Homage. This album is emotional, melodic, grand, everything I would look for in progressive rock.
5
Apr 25 2024
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Paranoid
Black Sabbath
A wise man once said that the greatest trick the devil ever played was that his fruit tasted sweet. Perhaps this is what Black Sabbath was going for on this album, Paranoid. The first track war pigs, a fantastic opening track paints the picture of what to expect, rage, power, and a commitment to dark powerful imagery. The pacing of the album works perfectly smoothly transitioning from more aggressive metal riffs towards more soothing and classic rock. Several times, the metal riffs return, in epic fashion and crash over the musical landscape in waves. There's a lot I love about this album and makes me excited for some of the metal and hard rock that I know is coming.
4
Apr 26 2024
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Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
Perhaps in the 70s before netflix and air conditioned bedroom, something like this might have been necessary for getting your wife in the mood. Perhaps in the 70s the musical landscape was so much less dramatic that the soft crunes of Marvin Gaye were enough to satisfy your mind. Beyond the first two tracks which I think are excellent, the songs are a bit too sparse for me. There isn't much to chew on in the latter half of the album and I found myself waiting for the some of those iconic melodies that Motown is known for. That relief never came and I found myself bored, and wanting more. This style of slow-burning musical foreplay doesn't really suit me.
3
Apr 28 2024
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Peter Gabriel 3
Peter Gabriel
This album is sonically interesting with a unique identity and very direct approach. The first track establishes a departure from a lot of the generic rock sensibilities of the time with unique noises. There hair-raising aspect to some of the sounds included along this album. "I don't remember" and "Through the Wire" are catchy and well crafted songs that feel just right for the period. Songs like "Games without Frontiers" and "Biko" have a unique sound that I really enjoyed. These songs feel foreign while also sticking in your head.
I would love to be whistling tunes and kissing baboons in the jungle.
I think the genesis/ Phil Collins style doesn't help or hurt the album it just feels a bit weird. This style of drumming without Collins voice feels imbalanced to me. Perfectly fine to listen to but it didn't blow me away.
3
Apr 29 2024
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Slipknot
Slipknot
I only listened to the first half of this album before I had to ear bleach with some Bob Dylan.
Favorite songs were 'surfacing' and 'me inside.' 'Me inside' had some 'rapping' that I could agree. There were a few tracks that reminded me of skillet or papa roach that would play on my pandora station. Hopefully that isn't insulting to the fans of this album.
If angry and disillusioned youth need to express their anger in society I would much rather them join a gang and steal kias then make this dreadful music. I even skimmed through the rest of it just now to see if there was anything I might want to revisit.
This album came out the year I was born and let me tell you, as a baby, I hated this kind of music and revisiting it 25 years later, still not a fan.
1
Apr 30 2024
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Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
A solid Black Sabbath project. Had I not been introduced to Sabbath I might have been more suprised by the quality of this one. 'Changes' shows Sabbath's range with more of a ballad style song which I think is executed well. Most of the album is quality, the band is really in their bag on this project. I don't think there were as many sonic risks but it's all very well executed. Favorite song was Snowblind. Closing track was also very strong. The guitar on this album is really strong, it takes a powerful instrumental to pair with Ozzie's voice and Sabbath really came through with a good balance on this album. It's a great collection of tracks that feel like the band has found their sound but they aren't stagnating on it.
Worth noting that I listened to the 2021 remaster. Not sure how the original sounds and it sounds gorgeous..
4
May 01 2024
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Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
Never heard Hanoi Rocks before. I wouldn't say I'm a fan of glam/hair rock but there are songs I can get into under the umbrella. Having said that, this album didn't do anything for me. I didn't particularly care for any of the hooks or choruses and I didn't find them very memorable. Favorite song was 'Tootin Bec Wreck'. I feel bad for it but I can't say I like this album or will even remember it.
2
May 02 2024
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Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
This album was good. I think the story adds some emotion to the music but the reserved African sound doesn't add to the emotions. It's a band of political refugees forced to uproot their lives and somehow it feels very little of it comes through the multiple vocal layers. The guitar instrumentation is tremendous, these guys are talented and the guitarist especially was very powerful and perfectly done. You can hear the inspirations, Hendrix'esq guitar and a real commitment to 60s and 70s rhythm & blues that you don't see as much anymore.
Favorite Song Irganada.
Note: This album reminded me of one of my favorite albums, Inteiro Metade by Tagua Tagua. It's a bit groovier and synthetic but I recommend if you liked this album and
3
May 03 2024
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Electric
The Cult
You know Turning this on and hearing 'Wildflower' I said, alright now we're talking. This was the kind of Rock I was hoping for from Hanoi Rocks. This is the rock and roll I can appreciate. Driving home on thursday afternoon with the windows down, Cult blaring, arm rested out the window throwing winks and peace signs to the cancer patients waiting outside my girlfriend's workplace to pick her up. I felt cool. That being said, I don't think its that great. It's good filler rock music and I could imagine going to a show of these guys and having a fantastic time, but it wasn't particularly memorable or replaceable. This would seemlessly slip into a rock playlist but it won't stand out very much. I wanted to give this a 4 but I think 3.5 is about right. It's better than middle of the road, but this is the best of the best and I don't see myself revisiting it any time soon.
3
May 04 2024
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Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
Overall cool album sound is good. Not really what I like in hip hop but lyrically interesting and way better than the mumble crap they put out today. Superb mixing, flows a bit antiquated and suprising how much space they leave for the instrumental.
3
May 05 2024
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Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
3
May 06 2024
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OK Computer
Radiohead
5
May 07 2024
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Since I Left You
The Avalanches
I don't have a ton of exposure to dance or Electronic music. I typically don't like it. I did like this, it grew on me over time and it put me in a better mood than when I started. This album felt like a collage of pieces, but where some electronic music sounds robotic when put together, this felt very human which I liked. This album felt like a journey and I think the concept of it as a cruise around the world taking it all in is a great concept and executed upon very well.
Favorite tracks: Frontier Psychiatrist, Electricity, Live at Dominoes
4
May 08 2024
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1989
Taylor Swift
Note: I listened to the original version rather than Taylor's version.
Turned this thing on and I think it started strong. 'Welcome to New York' is good followed by 'Blank Space' which slaps, followed by 'Style' which slaps again. The album coasts and then you get to 'Shake it Off'. I don't care for 'shake it off' If Taylor Swift is music for 12 year olds, 'Shake it off' is made for the sensibilities of an 8 year old. Maybe if I were listening to it for the first time I could like it. Then the next hit, Bad Blood comes on, which might be my actual least favorite TS song. I'm not sure what producer told Taylor that she needs a song with booming beats, but it doesn't compliment her voice at all and has what might be the worst hook/ chorus of any of her songs. It's undanceable which rides on a garage band bassline that can't even be salvaged by Kendrick Lamar, awful song, Failed experiment and I don't think we've seen Taylor try something like that again. Next song, Wildest Dreams, awesome, great song love it. How you get the girl and I know places are also good as the album closes.
This album has some of my favorite and least favorite Swift Songs, If I liked Bad Blood and Shake it Off it would probably be a 4/5 star album, relatively consistent with pop hits sprinkled in. As it sits with me, it feels like Taylor was trying a lot of things on this album, some stuck and some didn't. I will say I think that this is the first album of hers that shows influence from Lana Del Rey which she definitely taps into more on Folklore and Evermore which I think is a good direction for her to go. As it stands, this project may have been important for Taylor's career but as a musical statement it's a bit of pop guff.
3
May 09 2024
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Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
Was hoping to like this album. I have a fondness for Irish culture and but this wasn't it for me. Maybe it's because I prefer punk music in theory to it in practice but it just sounded like irish drinking song with little addition. Favorite songs, Brown Eyes, Waltzing Matilda. If I'm in the mood for this type of tune I'll revisit but it's middle of the road for me.
3
May 10 2024
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Live / Dead
Grateful Dead
It's the dead. Its awesome. I hadnt heard this album before. Certainly not their best but still great. This kind of music is slow burning and you can only like it when you've let yourself synchronize with it. Early dead still feels more like a rock band and hasnt found the sound that they move towards. Even still its awesome. I won't rate every dead album 5 stars
4
May 11 2024
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At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
Groovy, smooth, relaxing. Another good jammy performance. Wish I could have been there.
4
May 12 2024
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Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
I thought this was fine. Some strong moments, some weak moments. Has some grooves and some things going for it but it isn't consistent or inventive. Plays like an album older than it is. When this was released, better things were coming out.
3
May 13 2024
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21
Adele
Adele is one of the earliest musicians I remember recognizing on the radio. I remember my mom purchasing the CD for 21 and often playing it in the car. Revisiting, I think the songs are still fresh and powerful. I think Adele was pivotal in diversifying pop music in the 2010s, it broke up the monotony of Kelly Clarksons and Mariah Careys. This album starts out very strong with rolling in the deep and rumor has it, demonstrating right away her willingness to stray from one style. Set fire to the rain is the emotional climax of the album and the closing track someone like you is a powerful closer. This album was an instant classic for good reason, great production and great vocals. I'm unlikely to revisit but I can't deny the project of this album and how successfully it delivers.
4
May 14 2024
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This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
I was excited to hear this album and this man, my dad says this is one of his favorite artists. I gave this album a few listens and I just don't see it. I will say, maybe I've spent too much of my life listening to copycats of this guy's style, but the music felt pretty bland. I read some people talking about how this was punk but it just has no teeth. It lacks strong hooks or fancy instrumentation. I just don't know what to think of this album, everything sounds good but none of the songs stuck with me after the tape shut off. I did find it improved upon revisits. I could see this album growing on me, but I guess I just want to like it more than I do.
3
May 15 2024
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Oedipus Schmoedipus
Barry Adamson
Wow. Front to back I've never been able to feel a story through music as vividly as this album. Set the Controls as the front and ending credits does a great job. Something Wicked feels like a character introduction. It's business as Usual introduces conflict and dirty Barry turns it up a notch. The track is noisy, claustrophobic, sinister, and kinetic. Achieved in the Valley of Dolls is clever and triumphant. Vermillion Kisses is a worthwhile interlude. The big bamboozle is big and boisterous. The Sweetest Embrace is the finale and mourns the ending of the story and the death of innocence. Then the album ends with a well-timed credits track, it doesn't overstay it's welcome and leaves the listener on a positive note.
I think that the three songs with lyrics were all excellent. The album gives enough space that it isn't a 50-minute assault. It builds things up and the transitions, like that between the smooth tracks like Miles or a moment of Clarity, feel organic. Rather than a roller coaster with twists and turns, it feels like a lifetime with ups and downs, fasts and slows.
This album surprised and impressed me over and over again. I won't be listening to it often, but I will certainly revisit in whole when I want to experience the rich soundscape that it is. As a concept and as it is executed, I believe that it is near perfect.
5
May 16 2024
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Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
Wow did I not enjoy this. The beats sounded like the intro to an african disney movie and the sing talking makes every track a slog. I kept skipping in hope for some hook or memorable something and it just never happened. Nothing memorable, nothing dance-able, and because of the language barrier, nothing to chew on lyrically. I just don't like it.
1
May 17 2024
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Bubble And Scrape
Sebadoh
This thing is noisy and a bit all over the place. My favorite moments on this tended to be the softer and more melodic tracks which is not the point of this record. I like some noise rock punk type music but this was a bit too dysfunctional for me to get into. I can totally see people really enjoying this but it isn't something I'm enjoying right now.
2
May 18 2024
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Revolver
Beatles
I listened to this on a loud car ride with my gf and her mom so I wasnt able to give it a proper listen. I know some of these songs, but most it was my first exposure. I liked it. Im not sure if I've ever listened to a beatles album through and its interesting how all the more experiment songs get cut when you just listen to the hits. I liked the experimental stuff and I've always been a fan of the goofy stuff like yellow submarine and octopus's garden. Some of the best beatles tracks are on this. Eleanor Rigby, Taxman, Yellow Submarine are standouts just off the top of my head. I think this album is a great beatles album.
4
May 19 2024
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Good Old Boys
Randy Newman
This album is straightforward good fun catchy southern rock. I like it, I listen to some soft rock like Jack Johnson and this feels in the same vane with some soul and flair added on. The vocals are good and jazzy. The whole project maintains the sound that has that great quality that they picked for the theme song for toy story and I think it was a great choice.
4
May 20 2024
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Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
I have a soft spot for emotional indie music. I find music like this soothing and I appreciate it being on the list. I spent a few years only listening to sad music and while I'm glad I don't do that anymore, I think this album is a very well executed piece. Favorite song: Jupiter and Teardrops
4
May 21 2024
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London Calling
The Clash
This rocks. Title track is fantastic and the first half as a whole has no misses. I always wondered what a five star punk album would sound like and this is it.
My uncle has a poster of this on his wall in his basement. I was hoping to get around to listening to most of the albums he has on his wall. The first one I listened to was Bad Brains and I wasn't a fan.
5
May 22 2024
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The Bends
Radiohead
Quite great. This ought to be the first radiohead album to listen to. Radiohead had it dialed in, its moody, moany, and slow building. This is why radiohead fans are like no other. Its a genre of its own.
4
May 23 2024
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Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
Not pleasent but engaging. I get what this is trying to do and I think its mostly successful. I dont think that this experiment works best as an album but I think it works and its emotional and resonant.
3
May 24 2024
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Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
This sounds like if a Ska band tried to make a radiohead album. You can tell this guy is drawing from the same well as Pink Floyd and other BritProg from the time but the kookiness weighs it down over and over.
2
May 25 2024
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Bad
Michael Jackson
Pretty strong MJ album held up by some stellar singles. I've heard Bad, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal. Most of it I hadn't but the whole thing is soaked in the Michael Jackson swagger and sounds that make it all feel familiar. Perhaps at this point MJ's sound has staled but putting on this album it seems to tell you over and over again "You are listening to MJ". He's the king of pop and I think the music lives up to the hype.
4
May 26 2024
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Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
I'm not a huge fan. Don't really understand the hype. It was a little weird but not enough to feel groundbreaking or new. I'm not a fan of Byrnes singing voice across the board, it works on some songs like Psycho Killer very well but on others it feels out of place. I think the instrumentation across this album is great and as a textural album, it is evocative and powerful. I think it has a growing quality. I think it's somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me. I think Heaven is a highlight. Life during Wartime is a perfect litmus test for if someone is into the talking heads. It has the punk sensibilities and its danceable, I just don't love it and that's fine.
3
May 27 2024
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A Wizard, A True Star
Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren has before you a great example of the wonders of psychedelics. Rife with the instrumentation and free for all that can only be written by someone convinced that his audience will be salivating on every note played. Psychedelic music needs a backing. It's a texture but not the shape of the music. Grateful dead was more folk. Jimi Hendrix had soul and jazz, Pink Floyd had progressive Rock. The shape of Todd's music is pop rock, to me, the exact type of Pop Rock that David Bowie made, but with a psychadelic texture. Does it work? Eh. I'll say I don't think many people have tried it since. It was unique but I think too specific of a flavor. Sort of the ham and banana of music. It felt worthwhile to listen to but it just never found itself over its 55 minute run time.
And Todd, I can guarantee no one is getting erect over your name, it's Todd Rundgren, perhaps the least arousing name I've ever heard.
3
May 28 2024
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Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
wowee, this is pretty lame. What is Willie doing here? These songs are so sleepy. The lack of song structure doesn't subvert anything, it just makes it hard to get into.
1
May 29 2024
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The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
This was an enjoyable listen. When I was a youth I downloaded all the free music I could off of amazon and one of the songs was rappers delight so I have a soft spot for the sugar hill gang. This album feels like an extension of that project. The message is my favorite song and I also enjoyed the message II (survival) that comes out later. This album was danceable and catchy even if it is dragged at points by non hip hop songs that they must've added to fit with the pop music at the time. Fun album expertly crafted.
4
May 30 2024
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Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Personal biases not aside, this album is great. I love folk rock. 'Almost Cut my hair' 'Woodstock' 'Our house' and 'Country girl' are my favorite tracks. I could listen to it more times and give a more thorough dissection but I don't feel I need to. I'm comfortable giving it 5 stars as is.
5
May 31 2024
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If I Could Only Remember My Name
David Crosby
Completely serviceable but ultimately not hitting for me. Cowboy movie is great. Lots of the tracks just miss the mark. I like the project of the album but maybe it tried to be more introspective and emotional than it could really pull off.
3
Jun 01 2024
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xx
The xx
This is the type of album that would have blown me away in high school. I love dreamy ethereal spacy music like this and I think the vocals add a lot to it. I'm stoked to see something calming like this in the mix. Also interesting to see the spotify plays. First song has the most played. Second less and so on down the line. Looks like a lot of people gave it a chance but couldnt finish it.
5
Jun 02 2024
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Blur
Blur
This album was a blur. Kinda ripping off big time rush. I thought it was fine
3
Jun 03 2024
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Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
I like a lot of latin music but wasn't a fan of this. I didn't feel the energy to dance. I wanted to like it but it just didn't strike me. I might try listening to it again since I wasn't paying a ton of attention. My grounds manager at my appartment listens to a lot of what I assume is salsa when he dances in the parking lot. I was a little stressed yesterday for my tournament but I put this on while I was cleaning.
3
Jun 04 2024
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Music From Big Pink
The Band
Very good. Messy at times but fantastic folky psychadelic. I really enjoy the vocals. Track one sucked me in and I was having a great time until 'the weight' which is the kind of song like 'Our House' from a few albums ago that I've definitely heard before but had no idea when or how. Anyways, 'The weight' is great. Obvious highlight of the whole album. I really liked all the songs and I think the whole thing is beautiful and mystical. The album is tight which is rare for music like this. Considering it came out in 68, this thing holds up great.
5
Jun 05 2024
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Purple Rain
Prince
I think this is pretty good. Doesn't strike me as particularly special. When Doves Cry stands out as a timeless classic and really cool that it has no baseline. Purple Rain on the other hand falls flat trying to be a ballad without anything to say. I think it's a fine pop album but not much more.
3
Jun 06 2024
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Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
This album is alright. I think it's well produced but it's slow and long. Maybe when I'm older this will hit a little better but for the moment the emotions don't come through in the same way as other Dylan albums.
3
Jun 07 2024
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Movies
Holger Czukay
This is the kind of album I could see myself revisiting when I have the time and capacity to chew on it. When I listened to it yesterday I found it a little too ambient even for my tastes. I like the format and the mustache.
3
Jun 08 2024
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The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
Great album. Interesting fun catchy 60s rock. It compares a to the Beatles but the problem is that no one compares to the Beatle.
4
Jun 09 2024
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No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
I think this is good hard rock/ metal. I don't really know. I played it in my car and loud and it was solid. Probably wont listen again but I get why people love it.
3
Jun 10 2024
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Virgin Suicides
Air
Great ambient and spooky. I wasn't sold on this at the beginning but I think it's a pleasant listen that creates a good atmosphere. I might watch the movie. Taylor won't want to watch it though.
4
Jun 11 2024
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Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
Very Simon and Garfunkely. This could be the holy grail of music to garden too. Pleasent to the ear but very soft boy. A simple desusetric philipic is a venture into a more rock sound and wow they can't pull it off.
3
Jun 12 2024
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Guitar Town
Steve Earle
Gosh this is lame. This might be the quintessential lame country music. For that I give it a second star. There was a song I thought was alright on the backside. Overall boring and bad.
2
Jun 13 2024
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Mama's Gun
Erykah Badu
It's a little groovy but not enough Seems well produced and she has a unique voice but I wish the hooks were stronger and in this kind of thing, that's a big deal. The longer songs drag and don't make use of their runtime. Ultimately it showcases one style of RnB and stretches it out to a full album.
3
Jun 14 2024
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Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
I like jazz. I don't like the live aspect of this album. Makes it feel like a well made band concert. I appreciate this being made, but I prefer Motown and the funk that came after it. It's too long and I don't think has the dynamic and exciting quality that jazz should.
2
Jun 15 2024
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The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
To begin with, I think the Velvet underground might be one of the greatest band names of all time. I think it paints such a vivid picture and captures the music very well. This album is very good front to back and displays a sweet style of music that there wasn't a ton of in this era. Compared to their contemporaries this is more subdued and vulnerable. This is a great listen with a diverse sound across it.
5
Jun 16 2024
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Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
Well produced. Some catchy tunes. Every song feels too long and I couldnt get through it.
2
Jun 17 2024
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The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
I totally get why this is good but its so dated. I can see the influence but these tracks feel more at home in a nostalgic movie than something I would actively listen to. Perfectly pleasant but not my thing.
3
Jun 18 2024
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Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
Hard to say whether I don't like this album or I don't want to like this album. Morrisey's voice is whiny and his lyrics are all over the place. Not for me I guess.
2
Jun 19 2024
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Risque
CHIC
Yeah this thing is awesome. Great grooves. Consistent all the way through. I don't think it's doing anything particularly inventive but the band is honed in and giving it their all.
4
Jun 20 2024
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Who Killed...... The Zutons?
The Zutons
I thought the album cover and names might mean this would be an exciting and creative piece. I was prepared to be let down. I thought this was a really executed album. Its unique and a whole lot of fun. Tons of stuff going on. Reminds me of theme songs but executed really well.
4
Jun 21 2024
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Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
A pretty solid singer songwriter album. Very gentle, doesn't strike my fancy.
3
Jun 22 2024
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Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
Catchy and awesome. Im happy with the level of funk that this brought. Infectious beats a great listen from s great artist
4
Jun 23 2024
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Stripped
Christina Aguilera
This album is pretty good even with some heavy signs of age. Much like the album art, this style is distinctly early 2000s and while that style didn't stick around, it's still iconic. This album puts Aguilera's vocals on full display and while being a bit overdone, I think it sounds great. There are some snoozers in here but also 'The fighter' and 'Beautiful' which are songs I didn't know I knew until I found myself singing along. I didn't care for the length of this and there's a lot of tracks and a lot of them drag. This kind of music does not need multiple interludes. Overall I think this is a great time capsule from the 2000s and well represents Christina Aguilera, whom I mainly know from watching 'The Voice'.
3
Jun 24 2024
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In Rainbows
Radiohead
Some of the best and most interesting and captivating music ever recorded. I don't listen to it often because I find it requires so much attention. The first track is awesome and unique to radiohead. The closing track video tape is one of my favorites of all time. A remis is used for one of my favorite kendama videos of all time and I find it incredibly emotional and even transcendental.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI9bbb372y8
It's the type of music that radiohead makes and they're the best at making it. This thing is so cohesive and abstract and emotional, and the suprising part is that it is so accessible. I think someone who wants to dig into the music would prefer a different radiohead album but this is the kind of album that sends a generation of alt,indy heads down that pipeline.
5
Jun 25 2024
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Moondance
Van Morrison
Great album. Smooth, distinctly Van Morrison. Has some hits. There's a lot to love here.
4
Jun 26 2024
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Mothership Connection
Parliament
I like funk music. I often think to myself I should listen to more funk. This is great funk music, at times, pushing the envelope with some of the funk levels. I did find myself thinking by the end of this, funk isn't something you can turn on or off, it's a lifestyle. The person who makes this music isn't funky sometimes, he's funky all the times. And while I do like this music sometimes, I don't like it all the time and I can get tired of it. I have a lot of respect for people who live for the funk.
4
Jun 27 2024
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Make Yourself
Incubus
I'm not going to talk about what I think should and shouldn't be on this list. You can't question the list, at least not publicly. You need to have faith in the list. Music is subjective and every album on this list is someone's all time favorite album and worth listening to. That being said.
It's hard to say how I've been rating these albums. By how much I enjoyed it? Or by how good I think it is? Either way I think that this is perfectly well made and mostly unenjoyable. This is the soundtrack for a movie about a cool 17 year old boy spy who plays by his own rules and brushes off his leather jacket when he walks away with the real artifact. This is the album your younger cousin is referring to when he says he likes metal and punk rock. This is disney channel cool guy music. I think it's pretty well made and has some interesting choices but most of it bored me and I was painfully aware that I was listening to it.
2
Jun 28 2024
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The Next Day
David Bowie
Feels like a generic rock album spiced up by the fact that it is signature Bowie and his sound comes through.
When I got to Boss of me, I started to vibe and think I could really get into it, but then dancing in outer space came on and it reminded me of everything I didnt like about Bowie and how dated some of it sounded. Completely solid but perfectly middling among this list.
3
Jun 29 2024
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Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Certainly is music. Definitely feels like music that inspired the beatles and now we're many degrees of kevin bacon away. Sounds good but the time has come and gone. Feels like an album you'd listen to in a music history class, not one you'd actually put on to enjoy.
2
Jun 30 2024
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Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
I didnt really care about this.
2
Jul 01 2024
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Van Halen
Van Halen
Classic Rock. This is the cream. I dont listen rock and roll too often but I can tell that this is the good stuff.
4
Jul 02 2024
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Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
Cool and fun. Before music had to be super intense. Feels like the 60s makes you long for a simpler time.
5
Jul 04 2024
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Solid Air
John Martyn
I have a soft spot for this type of music and choosing to ignore that alternative cuts made it better. Not all that memorable, really sleepy and ambient.
3
Jul 05 2024
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Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
This is the first album that I had listened through all the way prior to the list. I consider myself a frank ocean fan. This is an interesting album, it goes all in on the electronic R&B sound and showcases Franks vocals. There are great tracks, thinking bout you, Super Rich Kids, crack rock, lost, monks, forest gump, and of course pyramids (which is the stairway to heaven of electronic R&B). However there are so many interludes. Start, end, white, pilot jones, fertilizer, its all a bit unnecessary. There are a lot of highs on this album and very few lows. These tracks have been with me so long I dont know how to assess them anymore. I think they're a bit aged and not to spoil it but I think Blonde is an improvement on every front.
4
Jul 06 2024
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Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa. This is what you get when you make jazz music out of rock. Extremely noodly, but also extremely well made. He can make the guitar sing when he wants just as well as Eric Clapton. This thing goes nowhere the whole time, similar to the early dead. This album is rock and roll fantasia. Total stoner background music. I love it. I debated whether or not it had a ton of value outside of a smoke session or campfire. This is the prelude to psychedelic rock, its all a complicated thing but anyways this is the sixties hippy music in a nutshell. Zappa is so talented and ny friend Parker says he could like it Zappa would just take it seriously. I think thats the magic, it isnt serious, its shredding an instrument for the fun of it. This isnt procedural, its not epic, its not pop, its a fun jam, and that's pretty cool.
4
Jul 07 2024
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This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Hard to dislike an album this short. Fats really bodies the tracks and everything is sounding great. I am unlikely to listen to this often but I know it will be here and that's a comfort.
3
Jul 09 2024
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The Wall
Pink Floyd
Fantastic. Distinctly pink floyd, super spacey, super influential. I dont think its as good as the wall. Songs like money stand out. The later tracks can blend into each other. Not necessarily a defect but I think the album feels shorter as a result.
5
Jul 10 2024
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Django Django
Django Django
Dont understand the project of this album. It just goes.
2
Jul 11 2024
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Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
Pretty lame. Kind of dreamy kind of moody competently assembled. Im willing to be harsh, it's a no from me.
1
Jul 12 2024
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GI
Germs
Might have just not been in the mood but not my thing. I fully expect domino-reviews-albums to say this is a cornerstone of his highschool experience. Not for me.
1
Jul 15 2024
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Homework
Daft Punk
I have no soft spot for Daft punk or euro step or edm. Is this good, I dont know. Some of it was repetitive as shit.
2
Jul 16 2024
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Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I like the RHCP when they are Chili Peppers and less red hot. The punk and hip hop components I think consistently come off terrible. Under the Bridge is such an obvious outlier from the rest of the bunch. There are bits here where they just play a cool blend or rock and other bits where the repetition is horribly grating. Blood sugar sex magik a notable song that I hate and they name the album after it. They really thought they had something there. As a whole I think RHCP put most of their eggs in the basket of their shouty "rapping" and I dont like it. I like their softer stuff like off californiacation.
3
Jul 17 2024
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Leftism
Leftfield
I thought I would like this and then I found out it was house music. There were a couple more spacy songs which I liked but ultimately I couldnt really pay attention to it.
2
Jul 18 2024
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Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I was prepared to like it from the first few tracks but it didnt fully deliver
3
Jul 19 2024
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Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
Ground-breaking emotional gothic and dramatic. This thing shaped so much music and theres so much emotion put into this. Best of all, its so serious in its weirdness. The album cover captures it perfectly. They're saying, "Yeah it's fun, but its deadly serious, it's silly, but its not a joke". MGMT has a commitment to making abstract and emotional music and never apologizes for it or tries to justify it. This is a rock solid musical statement and it deserves all the praise.
5
Jul 22 2024
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Blue Lines
Massive Attack
Interesting album. Very cool blend incorporating hip hop and soul and funk and reggae. I might revisit this at some point.
4
Jul 23 2024
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Dookie
Green Day
This album has a lot of character I think probably the most of any Green Day album. Probably the best Green Day album. Only because the direction they chose to go in it just wasn't as artistically interesting as this was. The middle stretch is fantastic. Beginning is pretty samey and the ending is interesting.
4
Jul 24 2024
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Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
It sounds like a well put together 80s rock record with maybe a slant of regionality. Totally solid not very memorable
3
Jul 25 2024
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The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
This was pretty good. I find the blend of rock and electronic to be good and captivating to me. Pleasantly suprised
4
Jul 29 2024
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Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
Simply fantastic. Sam Cooke makes it all work so well. He has the swing in his music that makes you want to move and he has a powerful voice when he wants to. Bits of this felt like he was channeling James Brown and the product is an incredible show that starts off super high.
5
Jul 30 2024
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Funeral
Arcade Fire
Also good. I think its charming and catchy.
4
Jul 31 2024
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Close To The Edge
Yes
Kind of interesting. Kind of jammy and electronic.
3
Aug 01 2024
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Real Life
Magazine
This is a solid post-punk album. There's a lot to like here. some of the songs are pretty catchy, the instrumentation is good and it has a clear defined sound for this project. I think they hit something good when they made this.
4
Aug 02 2024
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Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
Awesome. Sounds great. Spacey and fun. I would totally put this on in the background for a barbecue. Feels like the beatles in spirit and quality but foreign. Im suprised I havent heard this group before.
5
Aug 05 2024
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At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
Doesnt do much for me. Live element doesnt really add anything either.
2
Aug 06 2024
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Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
Super solid punk adjacent rock. I think this aged very well. The songa are memorable and it all feels consistent and fresh.
4
Aug 07 2024
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Master Of Puppets
Metallica
These guys seem very angry not a great way to make music I personally think that you should always be in a positive mental space before you try to make music otherwise that anger is going to come out in the music which we would never want.
3
Aug 08 2024
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Electric Music For The Mind And Body
Country Joe & The Fish
Start was very strong. Really cool blend of electronic and psych that I think is really predictive of the shape of indy and progressive music that followed. I think the second half is a little less focused and more noisy. I'll definitely revisit this. Falls just short of a 5 at the moment
4
Aug 09 2024
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Arular
M.I.A.
Sonically, this album is fine. Creative, politically interesting messaging (I'm sure, I don't often listen to the lyrics of music I'm hearing for the first time), ultimately this kind of electronic dance music is fine. My issue with it is that this type of music has become the music of tech company commercials trying to be cool. This is the exact music that plays in the background of a meta commercial where a BIPOC young woman bravely constructs a poster to take to her protest against plastic straws. The beginning of these songs makes me instinctively look for the skip ad button. It's hard for me to appreciate this music and its anthemic qualities when I associate it with the annoying commercials of Silicon Valley tech and their glamourized view of the inspired youth.
3
Aug 12 2024
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Remain In Light
Talking Heads
This is a great album, and I think is clearly the best Talking Heads album. It's consistently exciting and rhythmically interesting for 40 minutes. It's great to listen to. It's fun and feels distinctly Talking Heads. That being said, I find the vocals always sound like a carnival barker and it's just kind of silly to me. It feels like an act, not in a phony way, more like in a drama. He's hamming it up and I appreciate that. I tend to like more vulnerable music, and this doesn't feel particularly vulnerable. Once in a lifetime is unique and it feels almost like a radio opera or a twilight zone episode. It's just cool. This feels groundbreaking and exciting and influential. Hard to say whether I should give it a 5 because I think it's that good or give it a 4 because it's not the type of thing I usually listen to. I'll give it a listen in the right set and setting and I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more.
5
Aug 13 2024
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Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
This feels like an Album that Dan Kocman would be stoked about.
This album is great. The production is excellent and the mix of voices feels so classic, an extension of the furious 5 or the sugarhill gang. I think it's a real shame that at this same time, NWA, 2pac, Nas, and BIG were becoming the face of hip hop. Not that those guys aren't great, but it feels like it really squashed what was left of the old guard of artists making music in that sing song style. Guys like Snoop Dogg who started out more like that shifted their style into the 2000s. Ultimately, the worst thing to happen to rap was the feature culture where they would stick Juicy J on a Katy Perry song for 45 seconds but that's another story.
These guys are great. Having a dedicated or in this case two DJ's makes the tracks feel connected and consistent. Not only that but the production on these is really strong with very cool percussion that seems to me pretty influential. The rapping is all good and the hooks are pretty excellent.
I am a big fan of dedicated DJs/Producers. Run the Jewels, Death Grips, and my favorite, Brockhampton. I think it matters a lot more than people realize and it's part of why artists like Drake get more plays on their singles than their albums. They're just all over the place and he can't seem to nail down one style for an entire album.
Back to the Power in Numbers. The opening is strong. The Nelly Furtado feature on thin line is sweet and the closing track is powerful and interesting. Overall really solid album, will probably relisten.
4
Aug 14 2024
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3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
This album is Psyop by the US government to try to convince the urban population to go about changing the world in the right way. "Empower yourselve's fellow black people, don't turn to gang violence and crime to get by, put your faith in Christ and realize your own power to rise up through perseverance, education, and strength of character" George HW Bush was in charge and if the minorities weren't going to shape up he was going to flood their neighborhoods with crack and let the prison system have a crack at it. I'll let you decide what happened next.
Jokes aside, I think the beats on this are solid but a bit stagnant for my liking. Clearly there's some talent going into these beats, it feels like a real DJ and the rapping fits right over. That being said, I don't care for the lyrical flows and I think they tend to be basic rhyme schemes in the interest of making the message fit.
If it weren't for the Jurassic 5 album yesterday, I think that this would be higher because it shows off how much better the genre would be in just a few years.
Additionally, I didn't care for Tennessee. It didn't do anything for me, and some of the tracks on here reminded me of Smash Mouth.
2
Aug 15 2024
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Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
I see the concept here. Let's make a bold dark project that's unashamedly gruesome. As society advanced and things that were once shocking gets less of a reaction. I think this album tries to get the same kind of vibe as Johnny Cash in Folsom Prison but for a modern audience. I like a lot of these tracks. I think they capture a particular place and particular time well. Stagger Lee, Wild Roses, are good tracks. I don't like O'malley's pub it's too long and sacrifices too much music for the storytelling. I also think the last song 'Death isn't the end' is lame and annoying. Overall the problems with this album are mainly it flirts with being 'cringe'. It's pretty self serious, like a kid telling an over the top scary story at a campfire and no one is all that scared but he keeps drumming it up.
I could see revisiting some of these tracks around halloween. I like the multiple vocalists as well.
3
Aug 16 2024
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Madman Across The Water
Elton John
Great. Elton trying to capitalize on the progressive sound coming up and I think he does a great job. The piano forward is such a hallmark of John and even the lackluster tracks maintain the vibe. I liked the Indian song, I think people are being sensitive about it. The track is fine and sounds good. Honestly, it feels like he was auditioning to write the soundtrack for Disney's Pocohontas.
4
Aug 19 2024
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Raw Power
The Stooges
Pretty good for what it is. Hits hard, I don't think the production hurts it.
3
Aug 20 2024
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Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
Mr. Blue Sky is the best song. This group has a really well defined style and I think it's cool that they are so unique. All of it sounds a little samey which wouldn't be a problem if I really liked it, but most of them, I think sound good, but I don't love them as tracks. There are also some experiments on here where they go a little progressive or a little moody. Ultimately, this thing goes on too long and I skipped several tracks out of boredom.
3
Aug 21 2024
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Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
I would say that my opinion of the Beastie Boys was somewhat negative going into this. The extent of my familiarity was some singles, their feature in futurama, and I knew that they were all white.
At the beginning I didn't like this. It took a little for the project of the group to make sense to me. I think it was around Sabotage which I immediately recognized from this great youtube video of a guy recreating the skateboarding scene in family guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=4oS6ooRxZY0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY
When it got to the song with Q-tip I was pretty impressed. This album explores a wide range of sounds and the boys showcase their versatility and production skills. What impressed me most is the white space on this album. lots of space for the tracks to play on their own without the Beastie boys feeling they need to interject. This project is a space for the group to experiment and try things without it feeling messy. Some of the lofi stuff is really out there and not something that I realized that the beastie boys were interested in.
I was pleasantly suprised by this album, I didn't expect the depth and experimentation that we got here.
4
Aug 22 2024
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Something Else By The Kinks
The Kinks
This album isn't doesn't do much for me. It pales in comparison the psychadelic rock coming out from the Beatles. This album is tame and doesn't hold up. Not as good as VIllage Greeen Society. It's probably a 3 on enjoyment but out of principle I have to dock a point because I was excited for this album and it wasn't what I wanted.
2
Aug 23 2024
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The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
I tend to like synth pop. I think that this album is decent. I guess it's cool that it's all synthetic but maybe it sounded a bit more novel and futuristic in the past. Realistically this probably inspired much of the vaporwave electronic ambient music that I do very much like but I don't think it's that great. I'll see if I ever think to give this another listen.
3
Aug 26 2024
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Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
This is dope. Great DJing, great rapping, creative choices executed flawlessly.
5
Aug 27 2024
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The Band
The Band
It's solid. A couple songs stand out as real winners, cripple creek and old dixie down. The band has a real legacy and they are one of the links between country folk and psyche and prog. This album especially feels like a stepping stone, but not some grand epic. It's good, but somewhat forgettable.
3
Aug 28 2024
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Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day has a nice rightup on the Sex Pistols in the rolling stones 100 greatest artists of all time. Growing up listening to Green Day, it's funny how my immediate impression was that Sex Pistols sounds a lot like Green Day, replacing Armstrong's California punk voice with a British one. This is definitely a noisy album, there's a lot going on at once and there is a chaotic angry quality that works well and feels important. I think I prefer the progressive building and more stripped back music from the Clash, but I get how this band is important for grunge and garage rock and a lot of music I hold dear. That being said, I hate the British accent.
3
Aug 29 2024
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Hard Again
Muddy Waters
You know, a lot of this old shit sounds great. Mannish Boy starts this album off with a bang. It all sounds really great.
4
Aug 30 2024
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Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
Completely listenable, much of the album feels like side pieces to the main event which is the title track. Eurotrash, I don't need it. Possibly sounded better at the time.
2
Sep 02 2024
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The Cars
The Cars
I thought this was pretty great. The first 3 songs just keep getting better and better with "Just what I needed" the obvious radio hit. I thought I'm in touch with your world was a disapointing shift but it came back strong on the B side with "you're all i've got tonight" Overall, this is a style of rock that holds up well and this album is an exceptional debut.
4
Sep 03 2024
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We Are Family
Sister Sledge
Sounds nice. Honestly couldnt get through it all. Every song goes on too long. I think the title track has been played to death but the whole album is definitely a vibe. Not something I want all the time, but possibly a cool album to put on for the right crowd.
3
Sep 04 2024
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Henry's Dream
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
This music sounds dark and serious and edgy while also sounding generic. I think this misses a big part of what makes metal and grunge good. Honestly, if it weren't for the Sex Pistols, I think that this is what green day would sound like. There's something about the high fidelity and clarity of this music that just makes it feel overprocessed and inorganic. I really didn't have a problem with it but it doesn't stir up anything under the surface. Hard to rate.
3
Sep 05 2024
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Repeater
Fugazi
Repeater is an interesting listen. It's also Hi-Fi and clear which makes it stand out from a lot of punk and predecessors. I think it delivers on an interesting baseline of pushing past punk and making something that is less accessible and more raw without sounding chaotic or disjointed. This is probably my favorite album in this genre so I'll rate it favorably despite it not being my style. I like what one reviewer says about listening to it while moving. It's a kinetic album and you can feel it in your bones.
4
Sep 06 2024
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Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan had a long career but this is defining moment within it. Personally I hardly noticed that one side of the album was acoustic and the other side was electric. Goes to show that the music world has since decided that there is a place for electric guitar in folk music. Subterranean Homesick Blues is a great intro track. Maggie's Farm and the 115th dream are standouts on the electric side. Mr. Tambourine man is a huge refresh for the second half. It's an awesome track, and I prefer Dylan's version to the Byrd's version. The closing tracks are great and emotional and soothing.
This album isn't long, but importantly Bob Dylan doens't waste time. Each track adds and there's no filler and breaking the album into two stylistic halves make it feel even more full. This guy was fighting for your attention and that's something I appreciate. Some of my favorite Dylan tracks are on this album and it's a great introduction to the Folky side of Bob Dylan that often gets overshadowed by his rock sound that includes many of his hits.
5
Sep 09 2024
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Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix made psychedelic rock cool. The dead made music for the hippies and stoners but it wasn't genre pushing. Jimi Hendrix took the Blues and funk and prototypical rock and roll he learned while backing for pioneering rock acts like Little Richard and played with the freedom of the Dead. Here was a guy who wasn't old, white and clean cut. He was cutting loose in a way that wouldn't be seen again until Led Zeppelin. He was a rockstar in a way that few people have ever been. He was a performer and he had a special relationship with the music. I wish there was somebody out today who was pushing music this hard, and able to achieve mainstream success like he did. The 60s were a unique era in that way.
Onto the album. This album is long, and with most tracks not having a typical song structure it feels even longer. This feels like an album, not a collection of tracks which I think makes sense for an artist like Hendrix. My favorite songs are crosstown traffic, voodoo chile (though it requires a mood), come on, 1983, gypsy eyes, house burning down. This album is an experience as songs might seem to be following a traditional song structure and then degrade and branch off into chaos. Come on, specifically feels like a traditional blues-rock song but it starts wandering around going to all of these interesting and unexpected places.
The album feels like it ends at House burning down. I consider along the Watchtower to be a bonus track. It's a cover and feels different than the Hendrix originals. It's relatively short, The instrumental is the cleanest of the whole bunch, and Hendrix strips the guitar down. It's probably the best thing Hendrix has ever done. It's powerful, creative, and combines Dylan's evocative storytelling with some of the cleanest psychedelic guitar ever made. It might be my favorite song ever. I think it's important for experimental artists to have songs like this to show that they are capable of making traditional songs, but they are choosing to push the envelope and follow their passion. Pablo Picasso comes to mind. Voodoo Child slight reprise closes out the album again, I see this as a bonus track distilling the 15 minute track into its essential. I see it as Hendrix acknowledging that people may not be ready for his long guitar epics, and the shorter version will be more accessible and radio friendly.
As a whole this album is messy and ambitious. It's essential psych rock and it feels like a distinct part of the psych landscape. Where a lot of albums are stoner music because they are spacey and melodic, this album is noisy and kinetic. The point of all of this is to say that this album is both very good, and in my opinion, very important.
5
Sep 10 2024
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Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Stevie explores a different sonic pallet on this project. It does produce gems like Superstitious but as a whole, loses some of Stevie's unique style and funkiness. There's a lot of Marvin Gaye influence on this which I'm sure many people love but isn't really for me. It's still a Stevie Wonder project and it sounds great.
3
Sep 11 2024
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Black Metal
Venom
The words are quiet and the instrumentals are loud. I tried listening to it really loud. I didn't really feel it and it didn't work for me.
1
Sep 12 2024
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Triangle
The Beau Brummels
If the Beatles came from the south and not England, I think they'd have sounded like this. It sounds like these guys are copying the Beatles style, but it also sounds worse. It makes me want to listen to the Beatles instead. Either way. This album sounds nice. I think they did a good job and I think it captures a distinct Beatle sound, Revolver maybe. Anyways, enough about the Beatles. This album sounds pretty good.
4
Sep 13 2024
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Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
I think this thing is charming. It's brief, punchy, and I think the concept is solid. Aesthetically it's there. I think the first track starts off really strong. It can be hard to bridge rock music with cryptic and scary music which tends to be more polished and crisp. I think this is a valiant effort. I think the sound is pretty standard post punk. I think it mostly holds up but doesn't exceed expectations.
I'm not exactly sure what he means when he says he likes to blow.
3
Sep 16 2024
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Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
The type of album that either gets you or it doesn't. The thing with a dramatic opera epic like this is that if you aren't sucked in, it's hard to take it seriously. Perhaps because the aesthetic is too synthetic and the instrumentation is so squeeky clean. It doesn't have any of the rust or jingle that radiohead has. You're very aware that you aren't listening to radiohead when you listen to this.
When you shoot for the moon, even if you miss it, you might still make something very good. I would say this falls into that category. This has the pop sensibilities and accessibility that radiohead did not, and as someone who isn't a big lyrics guy, I personally have no issue if the lyricism is subpar, I wasn't paying attention.
This feels distinctly early 2000s, it reminded me of some bands I like such as Circa Survive or even Panic! at the Disco, or IDKHOW. I personally like a robotic progressive score and I think this hit the nail on the head. It feels worth its runtime and I think it succeeds at making emotional music that doesn't bury itself in so much abstraction. Solid project.
4
Sep 17 2024
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Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
Gold standard 70s rock. I think the first two tracks have some really great progression with psyche/rock guitar that is super clean and sweet. Springstein style vocals with great song structure and catchy hooks. Then "The Boys are Back in Town" which is obviously a banger.
5
Sep 18 2024
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KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)
Ministry
For what it was I thought it was good. I think the instrumentation was top notch and the vibe was good and dark. Didn't feel like it was a parody of satan music, it felt sincere. I imagine that this is what goth girls listen to.
3
Sep 19 2024
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Dance Mania
Tito Puente
This sounded good but I really didn't get much out. I like some salsa music but this one really didn't do much for me. I went on a run while listening to it and kind of zoned out.
2
Sep 20 2024
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MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
This performance is extremely good and drenched in personality that few other albums can achieve. The originals are good. The covers are very good. Lots of standouts. This is a vulnerable side and shows off the range of the band and Cobain's vocal style. This thing is tremendous and in context carries a lot of emotional power that the musical content absolutely lives up to.
5
Sep 23 2024
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
Oh baby, I knew this day was coming. Kanye established himself as a top voice in hip hop in the 2000s with the college trilogy, but his reputation began to precede him at this point. 808s was not a commercial success, despite some critical acclaim and there were questions about what his next album would be. He went to the studio and assembled a team of talented writers and producers larger than he ever had before or would have again.
Track by Track, this album starts stronger than possibly any other.
Dark Fantasy: Incredible, great feature. This was the first track back, and already this was different than 808s.
Gorgeous: Epic, Cudi kills it great verses from everyone.
Power: Immediate standout. The first of many climaxes of this album. The Schizoid man sample is just phenomenal. The way KanYe is able to blend such a unique musical pallet to create stadium hip hop was unparalleled.
All of the Lights: Interlude and track keep the music high energy. Instrumental is great, Rihanna is fantastic.
Monster: Great hook, great beat. Great Ye verse, decent Jay-Z verse and then Nicki Minaj comes in and basically introduces herself to the world with one of the greatest verses of all time and foretelling the prophecy that she would fulfill of becoming one of the greatest female rappers ever. How sick is that.
So Appalled: Not that great. Feels like it goes on a bit too long and I'm not a big fan. Mostly forgettable.
Devil in a New Dress: Fantastic beats, kind of carried. Doesn't hold up super well but was seen as one of the best songs on the album.
Runaway: The grand epic of the album. The minute of slow introduction on keys is awesome. It's so subtle, and stripped back. Moments like this KanYe has been chasing ever since. The song is great, I think the lyrics are fine and as a whole but the instrumentals are all fantastic and the usage of the electric guitar is brilliant.
Hell of a Life: Kind of a reprive, falls into a lot of 2000s pop music traps and isn't great.
Blame game: Great hook great instrumental, I like the Chris Rock skit and I like John Legends vocal performance. Fits well in the album
Lost in the World: A good track, not much to say, Bon Iver on it is cool.
Who will survive in America: I think this closing track is pretty weak. It doesn't offer much and I think it allows the album to fall to a close rather than end with a big dramatic piece.
This album starts off with great track after great track climbing to Monster. Then the album moves and abandons typical song structure and begins blurring and mystifying with runaway. The album closes by slowing down, perhaps reflecting on the heights of the first half. Like the end of Evangelion, after the chaos and as the world is disintegrating, it quiets and there is space to breathe. Maybe it's KanYe's way of saying, you can't fly so high forever. Rome will crumble and what has been made can never be made again. This world we live in is mortal and as close as we can get to the gods, we will still fall back down to the earth with cracked bones and torn flesh. Regardless the moments we spent touching the sun were the closest we could come to being free of our world, and a part of something bigger. It's only human to want this. KanYe's been trying to find it again ever since.
5
Sep 24 2024
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Is This It
The Strokes
For whatever reason, a lot of my friends got really captivated by this album. Maybe it's the faster pace and catchy lyrics. Maybe it's the gravely voice and the way the singer pushes himself. Maybe it's the fact that this sounds like the blueprint that much pop indie music would sound like. This thing is great. I was a big fan of cage the elephant in high school and a lot of their earlier work reminds me of this. Over time it's grown on me quite a lot. I think that this album is pretty quintessential with the type of people I like. It's pretty cool in that way.
5
Sep 25 2024
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Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Before this I hadn't given Steely Dan much of a chance. The few songs I had heard didn't strike me. This album did. It was funky and smooth and mellow. It was short but high quality and takes all that good 60s guitar stuff and incorporates it with better recording quality, and nice clear songwriting. Between a 4 and 5 for me, I guess how it compares with the other Steely Dan albums will determine what it should have been.
4
Sep 26 2024
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Whatever
Aimee Mann
This is a really good indie pop album. The songs are catchy, Mann's voice stands out, and the instrumentals are varied and fun. I liked everything about it. As far as dreamy pop music goes, this stands out as some of the best.
5
Sep 27 2024
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Dust
Screaming Trees
This thing surprised me because I did not expect to like it. It's a grunge garage album done extremely well. It's well produced, the guitarist takes a page from the psychedelic and progressive rock of the 70s and 80s and meshes it making this really polished grunge sound. I also like that it's clean enough it never feels too cringe, it gets its nasty and evil messaging not from extreme imagery or over the top scary sounds. It's rooted in reality, the darkness of spirituality and the world.
All I know is great, Witness is the best song to me and probably one of the best songs this list has brought me, the grunge mixed with the psychey guitar is so sick. Gospel Plow really ends the album strongly, the percussion is creative and the song progresses in a fun way.
This whole thing is a lot of fun and it really feels like a cool kind of rebellion that was really making interesting music. A real answer to the punk music coming from the UK. This is the kind of adventurous music kids can aspire to make.
5
Sep 30 2024
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Back In Black
AC/DC
Rick Rubin says when his friends were all into Led Zeppelin he was into AC/DC. Led Zeppelin is certainly the better band but the style of production and super minimalist instrumentals that AC/DC presented was arguably more influential. Rick Rubin is one of the architects of modern music and his style carries the essence of AC/DC.
Getting to the album. It's great. At least the hits are, there aren't any suprises or sleepers on this album. When you make an album off of catchy hooks and epic riffs it doesn't take long to figure out which songs are it and which songs are not. The guitars and drums stand out for a distinct sound that sounds so crisp and tight. I'm not a fan of the vocals, I know its their thing but I find it a little grating. Especially for a whole album. Additionally, every track seems to go on too long. They make about 3 minutes of content and seem contractually obligated to stretch it to 4 or 5 minutes. Overall I can't dock any points. This is the pinnacle of rock and roll produced and refined to it's core. The vocals are emotional they lyrics are empty and the riffs slam like an 18 wheeler. For an album from 1980 they found the sound that would dominate the radio.
5
Oct 01 2024
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Doggystyle
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg's breakout hit. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg combine for an awesome thorough piece of Gangster rap. The beats are great, Snoop's flows are great, and the guest singers and features all contribute. It slaps pretty good and Snoop's voice and style holds its own against the power of Dre's instrumentals.
There were a lot of negative global reviews for this album regarding it being offensive, curse heavy, and glamorizing a gangster lifestyle. What a soft opinion, This album can be viewed like Breaking bad, or the Sopranos, or Grand theft auto. It's art and documenting the life and perspective of a gang member is not only something we should allow, but is essential to the history of music.
4
Oct 02 2024
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Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
I don't know how to feel about it. It sounds solid with some standout tracks but the whole album just feels weaker than the Motown that would follow. For 1964 it feels more like a stepping stone to where soul and R&B would go, but not a glimpse into the future. I guess I just don't like Soul that much.
3
Oct 04 2024
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Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
I have kind of a soft spot for singer-songwriter indie types and this album pushes that in a country direction. I wasn't sure if I would like it and I definitely did. It's sad and emotional and Welch's voice is sweet and soothing. The title track is strong and the songs on the back end are high points.
4
Oct 07 2024
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American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
Going into this cold I wasn't sure exactly what it was. It wasn't until after listening I saw the 2002 release and learned it was covers. When I listened I only recognized In my Life and Bridge over troubled waters as covers.
I was excited after the first track. I think the first/title track is fantastic and shows Cash stepping out of his lane and making something very cool and unique. After that I think the album drops somewhat. There are some classic songs thrown in there which Cash does a good job at. Even his cover of In my life is far enough away from the Beatles version that it lands a spot on this album. Cash Clearly inspired by Beyonce's cover of blackbird on Cowboy Carter.
This album suffers from its selling point. It's Johnny Cash with his deep chilling voice singing classic songs and turning them into his own. Since they aren't JC's original songs, the variety of this album comes from the variety of songwriters and writing styles rather than Cash's range. In this way the album falls flat as Cash takes a broad range of songs and puts them all through a Johnny Cashification machine and churns out these tracks. Cash takes tracks from all across the rainbow and turns them all grey to fit his style.
I can't even be mad though. Cash's voice holds up and his song selection is solid. It's a lifetime of music retold to you by an old man in the way that he was able to recreate it. I think it's pretty cool as an alternative to a greatest hits record. It's an epitaph of inspirations much like Young Thug's album Jeffrey, and it's a creative concept that even I (a Johnny Cash Hater) can appreciate.
3
Oct 08 2024
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I Should Coco
Supergrass
This is a band who was still looking for their sound and they give their best effort in everything. The first track is fast and punchy. The album starts to move and get more slow and rhythmic, peaking with the hit track, alright. There are a lot of solid tracks on the backside, I like the closer. They experiment with a lot of different styles and I think it's a creative and tastefully made debut album.
4
Oct 09 2024
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Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
The opening tracks are strong and it lulls towards the middle. I really like this kind of mellow hypnotic music. The style reminded me of one of my favorite albums, Isolation by Kali Uchis. As I was listening I recognized that there is a song on that album that directly samples Lonely from this album. That was pretty cool.
4
Oct 10 2024
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This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
The Fall wrote put together "This Nation's Saving Grace in 1985, completely unknowing that their saving grace, Wayne Rooney, was about to be born. Wayne would be the cornerstone of the Manchester United teams that would dominate the premier League under Sir Alex Ferguson all through the 90s and into the 2000s. The country, in a time of very little, had great premier league football to hold on to.
This album is a bit more like Stoke City. It captures a dreary quality and the vocals and instrumentals are strong. I think the songwriting isn't there and for a band's 8th album, I would have thought the songwriting would be better. It's like if the clash if you subtract the incredible clash hooks, or if you cleaned up the sex pistols production and toned them down. It feels like nearly all the songs on this hour long project is just a repetition of the track title several times for the chorus. It makes this thing take forever and it doesn't feel like it goes anywhere. It doesn't sound bad and I don't think I'd mind it in smaller doses but as an album to listen to through, I don't see the appeal.
2