May 04 2024
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In Rainbows
Radiohead
Excellent album. Reminiscent of all-night work sessions in Uni. Ethereal and melancholic.
4
May 05 2024
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Closer
Joy Division
2
May 06 2024
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Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
Good album with some excellent lyrics.
3
May 07 2024
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Green
R.E.M.
Some good songs, but the album as a whole is a bit samey for the most part.
3
May 08 2024
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Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
A high three. Some classics on there and overall an excellent classic rock album. Classic rock just doesn't always do it for me, though.
3
May 09 2024
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Parklife
Blur
High 3. Good Britpop with some genuinely top notch songs. A sign of the times.
3
May 10 2024
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(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Great album which includes one of the classic rock songs of all time, Free Bird. Plenty of other great songs, too.
4
May 11 2024
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Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
High 3. Some good songs on there that I'd never heard.
3
May 12 2024
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Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
Not my cup of tea. Repetitive and boring.
1
May 13 2024
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War
U2
Solid classic rock, a high 3.
3
May 14 2024
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Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
Decent album, but The Cure's vocals aren't my thing.
3
May 15 2024
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Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Dwight Yoakam
Country and western doesn't hit quite right when it's pouring down outside.
2
May 16 2024
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Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
Better than I expected. Generic, easy-access rock with some solid guitar work. Nothing 'exceptional' about it though.
3
May 17 2024
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Moon Safari
Air
Interesting album. Electronic music isn't my thing but this was relaxing, relatively enjoyable and quite weird.
3
May 18 2024
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The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
Didn't really capture my attention. Not my style of rock.
2
May 19 2024
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The Renaissance
Q-Tip
Good lounge rap album. Seems like one of those albums that gets better with subsequent listens.
3
May 20 2024
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Live At The Regal
B.B. King
Blues is not my favourite, but this was... listenable. The talent is undeniable.
2
May 21 2024
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A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
The musicianship is unquestionable. More of a criticism of me, really, but I felt on the cusp of understanding the music, but I may be too stupid to fully appreciate jazz. It was an enjoyable listen, though.
3
May 22 2024
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Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
Pretty faultless pop album that I enjoyed, despite not actually liking pop music.
4
May 23 2024
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Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
Limp Bizkit
One of the first albums I ever bought. The nostalgia is strong and it still stands up to the test, providing you're in the mood for some angry, angsty music. The Rollin' remix and nine-minute outro are unnecessary, though.
4
May 24 2024
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90
808 State
I feel like I may have rated this higher if I was in a club rather than working. Decent enough, I'm just not into techno or house.
2
May 25 2024
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You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
Cracking album, full of bangers and very enjoyable even for somebody who isn't usually fond of this genre of music.
4
May 26 2024
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A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
More enjoyable than I expected. A bit samey and monotone at times but still decent.
3
May 27 2024
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The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
One half decent song but largely I couldn't wait for it to end.
2
May 28 2024
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Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Not my style of music, but excellent vocals and a relatively enjoyable album to have on in the background.
3
May 29 2024
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Chelsea Girl
Nico
I was unimpressed at first but this album grew on me massively as it went on. I'll definitely revisit.
4
Jun 02 2024
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Life Thru A Lens
Robbie Williams
Below-average Britpop from a bloke who can't really sing. Boosted to 2 stars because of the presence of a couple of classics from my childhood.
2
Jun 03 2024
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World Clique
Deee-Lite
I really just don't like dance music. I can see the appeal of this and it's not a bad album, but it's not for me.
2
Jun 04 2024
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In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
Second half was better than the first. It's a 2.5, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt because I'm probably just too stupid to understand jazz.
3
Jun 05 2024
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Hunky Dory
David Bowie
He's just a very good artist, isn't he? Not generally my style of music but I'll be revisiting this album.
4
Jun 06 2024
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Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
Never heard these before but they're definitely worth another listen. Close to a 4, but not quite there. 3.5
3
Jun 22 2024
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Moving Pictures
Rush
Excellent classic prog rock. Tom Sawyer fantastic and some just fantastic musicianship throughout.
4
Jun 23 2024
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Either Or
Elliott Smith
A decent, if largely unmemorable, experience.
3
Jun 24 2024
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Idlewild
Everything But The Girl
I was there for it at the start and excited about what was to come. Unfortunately, nothing particularly interesting followed, and by the end I was just waiting for it to finish so I could move on to something else.
2
Jun 25 2024
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Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
It's folk rock so I struggle to rate it any higher than a 3, but it was decent enough.
3
Jun 26 2024
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Stankonia
OutKast
I had never listened to any OutKast bar the radio hits, so I was pleasantly surprised by this. Some very good tracks and it just about scrapes a 4 for me.
4
Jun 28 2024
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High Violet
The National
This was just... Nice. I can't put my finger on why, but it was just a very enjoyable listen.
4
Jun 29 2024
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The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
Banger after banger after banger. You don't even have to be intoxicated. This worked just as well at 7am on a train.
4
Jun 30 2024
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My Generation
The Who
Better than the majority of 60s rock, but still very much of its time.
3
Jul 01 2024
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Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
Just sort of mediocre pop / R&B. It wasn't offensive, but nothing stood out to me.
2
Jul 02 2024
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Metallica
Metallica
A flawless 90s thrash metal album. It has 3-4 of my favourite Metallica songs on it, and it's been that long since I listened to it all the way through that I'd forgotten how good the rest of it was.
5
Jul 04 2024
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Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
This is annoying. I put off listening to this album for over a week because of the length. Speakerboxxx is excellent. I really enjoyed it, and it's a four-star album for me. The Love Below is less to my taste, and by the time I was two-hours into a constant stream of OutKast I was pretty sick of it.
3
Jul 05 2024
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Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
This was my second two-hour long album in a row, so it may be the bias and fatigue talking, but I was happy when it finished. Nothing offensively bad about it, it's just a bit dull.
2
Jul 06 2024
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All Directions
The Temptations
It was okay.
3
Jul 07 2024
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The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Like a walk through Bob Dylan's life.
4
Jul 08 2024
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Metal Box
Public Image Ltd.
One of those albums where it sounds like the vocals were conceived entirely separately from the rest of the music and the bass player demanded to play a starring role.
My dad would love it. He probably has it, actually.
2
Jul 19 2024
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Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
Just... Nothing really stands out.
3
Jul 20 2024
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Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
I forgot how good this album is. Just full of absolutely cracking songs from start to finish.
5
Jul 21 2024
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This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Fast-paced and blessedly short. I can see why people like this, but it's not for me.
2
Jul 22 2024
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The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
I want to give this a 4, but it's just not quite there. There are a few really good songs and it does do things a little different from a generic rock album. A high 3.
3
Jul 23 2024
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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
Good. Not my style, but still pretty enjoyable.
3
Aug 29 2024
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25
Adele
Didn't expect to like this as much as I did. More varied than I expected, a *big* voice and just an overall quality listen.
4
Aug 30 2024
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Street Life
The Crusaders
Street Life is a solid 4/5 track. The proceeding 30-minutes of jazz instrumentals wore a little thin, though. More Street Life, less instrumental.
3
Aug 31 2024
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The Cars
The Cars
Just generic, bland rock.
2
Sep 01 2024
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Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
Sort of, alright I guess. Wishy-washy, but relatively listenable. Nothing to write home about.
3
Sep 02 2024
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Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
The live songs at the end saved it a bit. Up until that point it was repetitive and largely boring.
3
Sep 06 2024
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What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
Smooth as butter, but I can't imagine a scenario where I would play any of these songs apart from a date-night playlist where I'm hoping to get lucky. I guess for that alone it deserves a 3.
3
Sep 07 2024
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Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
Some good stuff here, well-known stuff. Not my 'type', but good for what it is and deserves a 3.
3
Sep 08 2024
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Machine Head
Deep Purple
A few great songs on here that stand the test of time. A low 4 just due to a small portion of it ageing poorly.
4
Sep 09 2024
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Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
A tough one. It's fairly catchy, clearly significant, and well done, but I just don't like it all that much.
3
Sep 10 2024
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I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
Great voice, a few catchy tunes. Another one that just isn't my style. I wouldn't turn it off if it came on, but I'd never seek it out.
3
Sep 12 2024
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Future Days
Can
I appreciate experimental and ambient music, but this just wasn't that interesting. There was nothing to hold onto so it just sorta of drifted from start to finish and left me constantly checking how long was left on it.
2
Sep 13 2024
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Lost Souls
Doves
I wasn't that impressed by this on the first listen, but I forgot to review so I listened again and liked it much more on the second run through. A low 4.
4
Sep 14 2024
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1999
Prince
I just don't really like Prince that much. This is 'alright'.
3
Sep 15 2024
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Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
I understand this is experimental, but there is next to no cohesion across this album. It just feels like a lot of shit thrown at a wall and only a minuscule amount sticks.
2
Sep 16 2024
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Skylarking
XTC
It's alright, I guess. I appreciate the concept and the cohesion, but it just doesn't grab me.
3
Sep 19 2024
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Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
More generic-sounding country music.
2
Sep 20 2024
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evermore
Taylor Swift
Surprisingly excellent. Started off really, really strong and only got slightly weaker before ending on the high of evermore. I started off at a high 4, but I started listening again to pick out the highlights and realised that almost every song is a highlight. Extra-special highlights: willow, champagne problems, gold rush, tolerate it, no body no crime, ivy, and evermore.
5
Sep 21 2024
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Tidal
Fiona Apple
Decent, if unmemorable album. Writing this review a few days after listening to it and I can't really remember any songs, but it was relatively enjoyable to listen to.
3
Sep 22 2024
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Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
This disappointed me. I remember MGMT bursting onto the scene when I was a teenager and, while it's still decent, it hasn't really stood the test of time. "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" are still impressive, but the album as a whole didn't.
3
Sep 23 2024
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Among The Living
Anthrax
A high 3 / low 4. I love the musicianship. Some excellent drumming and guitar work, but that 80s style of metal vocals just doesn't vibe with me. I probably won't add any of these songs to my playlist, so for that reason I'm going to have to say a 3.
3
Oct 05 2024
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Eagles
Eagles
Decent country rock, but nothing stood out for me. It was a pleasant listen and I wouldn't mind it being on, but I'm not actively putting any of this on my own playlist.
3
Oct 06 2024
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Fishscale
Ghostface Killah
Loved it. Dramatic beats, cool lyrics, great guest appearances. Highlights: Shakey Dog, The Champ, Clipse of Doom, Underwater, Three Bricks.
4
Oct 07 2024
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That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
Yeah, I mean it's good soul / funk music, but I just don't like soul or funk music. I wouldn't add any of these songs to my playlist, but I also wouldn't actively be annoyed if it came on.
3
Oct 08 2024
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Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
Very listenable, even though I don't really like soul. I can see why it's considered a classic.
3
Oct 09 2024
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Forever Changes
Love
Very 60s. Listenable and relatively enjoyable, but is it enough to push it into a 4? Probably not.
3
Oct 15 2024
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Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
Started off quite strong, but I didn't enjoy the second half so much. Nice guitars and drums. Lost Women the highlight.
3
Oct 16 2024
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Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
I'd like this if it wasn't Rod Stewart, but I can't get past his annoying trait of singing in an American accent. A shame.
3
Oct 17 2024
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Pornography
The Cure
This sounds like the sort of album that gets better with each subsequent listen. Started off with an absolute cracker in One Hundred Years before falling off slightly. A low 4, but possibly rising with future listens.
4
Oct 18 2024
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Shaft
Isaac Hayes
The Spotify link only includes side one of four. It's nice soul music, but I'm just not that into soul. I can't fault it though, it's a fairly enjoyable thing to have on.
3
Oct 19 2024
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Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
I was excited but apprehensive when this came up. Sigur Ros were one of my favourite bands as a late teenager but it had been a while since I'd listened to them in earnest. It did not disappoint.
A relaxing background ambiance punctuated by periods of intensely emotional music. It drags you down before sweeping orchestral segments fling you back up, evoking a sense of hopefulness that genuinely brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face at times.
Staralfur, Ny Batteri, and Hjartao Hamast are the standout tracks in a fantastic post-rock album second only to ( ).
5
Nov 05 2024
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John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic
Just another mediocre 70s rock-ish album with nothing that really captures the attention.
3
Nov 06 2024
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Boston
Boston
Great dad-rock. You could probably put this entire album on at a wedding and nobody would complain. More Than A Feeling and Peace Of Mind the highlights.
4
Nov 07 2024
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Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Devo
1 star feels a tad too harsh, but this was a really tough listen. All the negatives of punk, specifically the vocals, but without any of the positives. Without any of the feeling. Just a janky, synthy layering of noise.
2
Nov 08 2024
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Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
Plenty of bangers. I imagine this would be cranked up to a 5 if I was having a few drinks and getting ready for a night out. As it happened, I listened to it during a Saturday morning at work and it was still a cracking time. Highlights Song for Lindy and The Weekend Starts Here.
4
Nov 09 2024
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Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
I don't really know what this is, but I like it. I'm a sucker for orchestral backing and experimental, rock-based music. Sort of reminds me of a cross between Sigur Ros and the In Rainbows days of Radiohead. Chicago and The Seer's Tower the highlights, but that could change on another listen.
4
Nov 15 2024
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Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
The music was good, but I really could have done without the French man simply speaking over the top of it.
2
Nov 16 2024
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Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
Just mediocre, unmemorable, noughties hip-hop. I'd like to include a highlight song to add to my playlist, but I genuinely can't even remember any of the songs.
2
Nov 17 2024
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Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
I don't really know what to say about this. It was decent, but I can't really think of any tracks that were standout enough to bring this up to a four-star album for me.
3
Nov 18 2024
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This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
Generally speaking I'm not a fan of punk, but this was an enjoyable listen. Accessible and catchy riffs. Barmy and My New House the standout tracks.
4
Nov 19 2024
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Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I think this would've been a 4 if I was listening to this in my garden in June, rather than in the middle of winter in a dark office. Concrete Jungle and High Tide or Low Tide are good.
3
Nov 22 2024
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Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
A genuine shock. I've listened to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds before but was turned off by Cave's voice. I still don't really like it. Fuck, I'm not even sure Nick Cave likes Nick Cave's voice, but it fits the bill perfectly in this album. Full of atmosphere, inventive lyrics, great musicianship.
Where the Wild Roses Grow, Song of Joy, Henry Lee, and The Curse of Millhaven standout tracks in an album full of them.
5
Nov 23 2024
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Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
Top-tier 80s pop. Sounds like it was recorded in a big shipping container. Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World the highlights.
4
Nov 24 2024
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Woodface
Crowded House
More great pop from the 80s/90s era. Fall At Your Feet, Weather With You, and Four Seasons In One Day are all absolutely excellent and the whole album is very listenable.
4
Nov 25 2024
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Listenable R&B. Lost Ones, Superstar and When It Hurts So Bad the highlights
3
Nov 26 2024
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Blunderbuss
Jack White
Large portions of this album fade into obscurity, but bangers like I'm Shakin' and Freedom at 21 save it from mediocrity.
3
Nov 28 2024
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Scott 2
Scott Walker
Surprisingly enjoyable, but not something I'll listen to again. Great voice and catchy music. Come Next Spring and The Girl From The Streets the standout tracks.
3
Nov 29 2024
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So Much For The City
The Thrills
Ironically named because this is perhaps one of the least thrilling albums I've ever listened too. Ponderous, repetitive, and almost offensively bland. At one point one of them tuned down their guitar and I thought something might happen, but then the harmonica came out and the vocalist repeated the same innane lyrics 15 times on the trot.
1