554
Albums Rated
3.54
Average Rating
51%
Complete
535 albums remaining
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Rating Timeline
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When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1990s
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
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Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
48
5-Star Albums
4
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
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Ratings by genre
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Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman | 5 | 2.22 | +2.78 |
| Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water | 5 | 2.47 | +2.53 |
| Yeezus | 5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
| Ctrl | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Kala | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Music From The Penguin Cafe | 5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
| Get Rich Or Die Tryin' | 5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
| Scum | 4 | 2.08 | +1.92 |
| Under Construction | 5 | 3.14 | +1.86 |
| Fetch The Bolt Cutters | 5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brothers | 1 | 3.58 | -2.58 |
| 1989 | 1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
| evermore | 1 | 3.04 | -2.04 |
| Ten | 2 | 3.92 | -1.92 |
| Appetite For Destruction | 2 | 3.74 | -1.74 |
| KIWANUKA | 2 | 3.74 | -1.74 |
| L.A. Woman | 2 | 3.67 | -1.67 |
| Beggars Banquet | 2 | 3.63 | -1.63 |
| Exile On Main Street | 2 | 3.61 | -1.61 |
| Machine Head | 2 | 3.59 | -1.59 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Miles Davis | 3 | 4.67 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.14 |
| OutKast | 2 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 4 | 4.25 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Swift | 2 | 1 |
5-Star Albums (48)
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Popular Reviews
John Prine
5/5
Basically a top 10 album at this point… easily my fav country album ever. So many songs on this thing utterly blew my mind when I first heard this… I prob discovered John Prine in the last 6-7 years and I just think he is brilliant… authentic and sardonic and rebellious! This album is so reliable for me, and listening to John Prine all day was pretty healing!
“Your Flag Decal…” is one of the coolest songs of all time, and “Angel from Montgomery” is one of the prettiest.
3 likes
Meat Puppets
4/5
Oooh really great album! Very fond of Cowpunk! I really liked and related to the song I’m a Mindless Idiot
2 likes
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
This shit is chill man… really deep production and had me vibing all the way through
2 likes
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Ok album. Pretty normal I guess. Good at times even. Docking points for the pedo pov concept song tbh
1 likes
1-Star Albums (4)
All Ratings
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Good as hell
Elvis Presley
2/5
Between 2 or 3 here…. It was ok, obviously influential and I liked more of the ballad-y songs, the ones that were more Roy Orbison… the whole thing has a real Hayes Code horniness to it. Glad it was short!
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Hadn’t heard this in full but very good! Impressive as a blend of catchy singer/songwriter fare and blunt, poetic lyrics - I loved her vocal textures on Behind the Wall and would have loved more experimentation with a cappella but as I said, the music is a very strong vehicle for the messaging!
Janelle Monáe
3/5
Not much to say.. a bit too long, I like the concept but didn’t do much for me. Not my fav Janelle Monae
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Kinda wanted to refrain from rating this but it won’t let me. Not so sure I liked it but Rocks Off and especially Sweet Virginia were great songs, I will surely be spinning that one for a while. Don’t pay the 2/5 much mind, it could and maybe should be higher lol
Taylor Swift
1/5
Sorry………
Iron Maiden
4/5
5/5 for the cover art, I was just staring at that for like 50% of the listening experience and it got me way more amped.. look at those jeans!
Some real crispy drums, fast guitar riffs and the vocals just scratch that ‘80s heavy metal itch… love it! Would love to be spinning this on a crunchy October afternoon!
The Band
4/5
Good album…. But I can think of a lot of other bands that deserve to be called THE band instead.. The Beatles, for instance. Sugar Ray, for another instance.
Beatles
4/5
What's with the part where he goes "Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun"
What is pretty amazing about this is how short yet iconic countless songs on this record, and their other records, are - they feel like snippets, don't overstay their welcome, and yet they are long-remembered as significant works... very cool! And impressively modern, I almost can’t believe Helter Skelter is a Beatles song! I probably prefer the first disc but overall a truly great album.
Revolution is also a very catchy song but it sounds like Bill Maher wrote the lyrics
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Perfectly decent album… had to come to terms with why this doesn’t click with me quite as much as some other funk rock bands, which I think has to do with the fact that 1) it’s just kinda boring save for a few all-time classic bangers, and 2) I’m realizing it’s probably funk metal that I actually like …… the real question is …. Do they have songs that they need to be doing all that for (wearing socks on their weiners)
Peter Gabriel
4/5
This was terrific! Super modern, as mentioned in the chat, I thought some of the industrial sounds as well as the ambient tracks were super reminiscent of NIN/Trent Reznor … just chock full of great textures!
Metallica
4/5
Really excellent stuff… would love to familiarize myself with Metallica’s oeuvre more but I love this tempo of metal and it is rightfully iconic through and through! Kind of weird that they named it after Jeff Dunham though…
The Byrds
4/5
A breezy and lovely country album that also seems to function as a collage of Americana - I was a bit perplexed at first upon realizing that a lot of these songs are covers, but I think it’s a really cool approach that seems to be rooted in a reclamation of the genre, in a lot of ways… “You’re Still on My Mind” is very pretty!
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Do you think they ever considered calling themselves Paul and Art?
Garbage
3/5
Had a lot of fun with this, I could definitely see it growing on me over time - no major complaints, just nothing in it that blew me away!
Alice In Chains
3/5
Honestly… much the same as yesterday! Enjoyed and appreciated it but wasn’t totally moved, though I could see their style growing on me.. maybe I’m just not a big grunge guy. Much prefer cleanliness
Violent Femmes
5/5
Just an all-time favorite, so much uncomfortable angst with such exciting instrumentation and volatile vocals! I love every track on this thing and have been hooked on it for ages, rarely finding anything that scratches the same itch (even within their own discography). Plus I always associate Add It Up with Tony Hawks Underground 2 which gives this bonus points!
Janet Jackson
4/5
Unsanely good. *I* am a part of the rhythm nation ☝🏻
Wilco
4/5
I revisited this album the last time I watched Funny People and I loved it! Jesus Etc. is such a fantastic song and this whole album is just super lovely and well-produced!
Suede
3/5
I was sick yesterday so I listened but it was not the vibe and didn’t really leave an impression at all…
Supertramp
3/5
When I was a kid, my parents had this on CD, and they also had Smash Mouth’s Fush Yu Mang. I guess because both covers are in space and have the band title in the top left, I got them mixed up. This doesn’t really sound like Smash Mouth, it turns out. Album’s pretty good though and the cover/title kinda rule
Joe Ely
4/5
Real schamltzy and sweet! A lot of the country that I love really wears its heart on its sleeve and this reminded me of some of my favs (John Prine, Hank Williams) - liked it!
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Obvi just unreal
Johnny Cash
4/5
Sooooo good! He’s funny and cool! Honestly a radical album, the response from the audience is so unique and palpable, and the moment where he plays San Quentin twice in a row is all-timer stuff. Close to a 5…
k.d. lang
4/5
Captures the same jazzy melancholy, and conjures the same images of liminal Americana, as Roy Orbison’s music does for me. Did not know what to expect from this, but this is really really cool! Prob like a 3.5 but I like it!
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Love this absolute legend, banger album - one of the first jazz artists I was introduced to, courtesy of my brother Greg!
Johnny Cash
4/5
Moral of the week: I was not familiar with Johnny Cash’s game.
The title track is unreal, and then so many cool and very moving covers to make up the rest - to make something this cool, moving and tapped in at 70 (a year before he passed no less) is very impressive. I especially love his rendition of his own “Give My Love to Rose” all those years later, the whole album feels very reflective, which is all the more touching considering how soon he passed after its release!
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
The ALL-MAN BROTHERS? Pass!
ZZ Top
4/5
This album… is very funny. I listened to it twice today and moved firmly from a 3 to a 4. To the Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers just waitin for the bus, a haw haw haw haw
5/5
What other album ends with Ben Stiller making fun of it, and then laughing for 5 minutes straight, followed by a voicemail from Rob Dyrdek?
Cannot give this less than a 5. Inarguably one of the most iconic albums of my lifetime.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Stellar! Unreal instrumentation that you just get lost in before the sublime vocals come in on each track!
Dr. John
3/5
Liked the vibes, interested in the doc - didn’t make an huge impression on this listen but cool album!
Deep Purple
2/5
Sadly didn’t do too much for me… I think it was a bit mild for my tastes, but in fairness I have been assaulting my senses with a lot of grindcore recently and altering my brain chemistry/attention span. Smoke on the Water is still very satisfying, and Space Truckin’ is fun too!
Ride
4/5
Enjoyed this quite a bit! Came out of nowhere but it was a fun ride! 🌊
Green Day
3/5
Right off the bat… a MAJOR album for me when I was a kid.. THE album, in fact.
The singles actually don’t do a lot for me tbh, but the ambition of this project and a lot of the songs in particular within a pop punk concept totally works on me and kinda opened my eyes when I was young. There’s way more filler than I remember but tracks like Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming have always kinda blown me away
There’s also a lot of corny touches, and dated language here and there - honestly it’s more of a mixed bag than I remembered from my relatively recent re-listen, but most everything is catchy and the project as a whole (and a heap of nostalgia) color it positively overall in my eyes.
Certainly an influential album and, while in my opinion this does not compare at all to these heights, I can’t deny that it influenced all-time favs of mine like MCR’s Black Parade - I mean the impact this had on steering other pop punk bands towards more “serious” music with emo aesthetics was huge for my personality. blink-182 beat them to it of course, and with much more creative success.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
This album is long!! How many songs are on this freakin thing?
Not only does this guy sounds just like Jens Lekman, his lyrics are just as earnest and esoteric as his…. But I enjoy this a lot, gotta respect it tbh! I had a pleasant time listening basically all the way through. “Busby Berkeley Dreams” is an all timer
Definitely a couple songs that haven’t aged super well tho..
Arcade Fire
2/5
Definitely went into this fairly Arcade Fire neutral, but even then was surprised by how unmoved I was by this. Wish it did more for me! Oh well!
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Very cinematic (even outside of Mr Blue Sky, how many of these songs have been used in movie montages… sounds like all of them would fit). Kinda flopped back and forth, I think for that very reason, between finding this to be good-but-not-my-thing (thought a few too many times about Guardians of the Galaxy) and finding the construction as pop music very exciting and progressive (other times I thought about Sufjan’s Age of Adz).
Spiritualized
4/5
The seamless transitions from treacly brit-pop type stuff into string-heavy spacey (yeah) ambient into real chaotic shoegaze-y rock is suuuuuper cool and was incredibly fun to get lost in! Great record!
Richard Thompson
4/5
Really good…. Very lovely and sometimes eerie.. into it!
Nirvana
5/5
The production on this is so unbelievable, credit to Steve Albini (RIP). I have been listening to a lot of Shellac this year and some of his other credits, and I’m so pleased that the sharp/abrasive percussion and morose but mathy guitar riffs carried over into this record by a band this massive, one that I’ve honestly taken for granted, I think. Born from a perfect moment, sort of, and obviously that much more tragic given the loss of Cobain soon after… kinda surprising myself here - and it’s maybe like a 4.5 - but this hit for me today/this year!
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Totally hits all the way through - 9 pretty undeniable pop rock bangers! I love the way it weaves in and out of itself too, full of reprises and repeated motifs, just a delight!
Pink Floyd
3/5
Not as good as Weird Al’s Poodle Hat 🤞🏻🤞🏻 Shout out to Roger Waters
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
A good album, quite pretty! I hadn’t come across it before! Damon Albarn has a ton of projects, and a lot of them are hit or miss I feel like.. but I enjoyed this and like to hear him doing something a little dreamier and more straightforward. Last couple tracks are especially good!
Van Halen
4/5
I think I’m going 4 (like a 3.5) on this because while it didn’t totally blow me away, the vibes were right for today and I thought the first two songs were excellent, which makes me think this has some staying power and I’ll be revisiting it!! Some real impressive guitar on here, to no one’s surprise!
The Who
2/5
It’s a meh from me…already finding myself going, The Who was that I was listening to earlier today? Also it should be The Whom
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
Difficult to fully judge without having seen the film, but a really lovely piece of music! A bunch of really catchy tunes, but the instrumental tracks are really impressed me most! I’d love to see more surprises like this come up on here!
Marvin Gaye
4/5
An unbelievably smooth album… truly just the best!
Meat Loaf
2/5
Cannot help but find this quite silly overall, like a parody version of a hit rock opera hiding under heavy metal aesthetics… in fairness, I’m sure it’s very iconic and influential in the world of rock operas, so I’m sure its originality within the genre contributes to that feeling, but I’m just not sold on how operatic it seems to think it is… harmless but didn’t do it for me.
T. Rex
3/5
I thought Life’s a Gas was really good, and the vibes were pretty consistently solid throughout, but I wasn’t too moved by it! Maybe it will grow on me over time!
The National
4/5
I used to love these guys a lot… it’s not my favorite of theirs — this doesn’t hit as much as Alligator or Trouble Will Find Me — but I do think that Matt Berninger’s vocals go a looooong way in my enjoyment of this band/record, it’s hard to go too wrong! Very rousing and affecting!
Nick Drake
5/5
An album that, for a while, I’ve been wanting to click the way that it did for me today - I listened to this 6 times today, and was so moved by it and lost in its world. Got me thinking a lot about simplicity as a choice in music, about the image that one can conjure by just sitting down with a guitar, and how much you learn and receive from the negative space of that. So lush and lonely and beautiful, I shed some tears listening to this. Perfect for a rainy day like today. Also a favorite of my dad’s!
John Lennon
3/5
Kind of a reluctant 3 I guess.. don’t particularly care for John Lennon, don’t care for the title track, the album feels really safe compared even to some of his other stuff, let alone The Beatles best stuff but yknow.. he’s a Beatle, so what I like about their music shines through. Enough solid songs on here that I didn’t dislike it even though it wasn’t super memorable.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Quite enjoyed this! Would like to dig into these guys’ catalogues a little more…
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Back to our roots…. Love this! I’ve listened to the entire CCR discography in the last couple months and I really love them. This album is no exception! Retroactively wish I could give Cosmo’s Factory a 5 on here too!
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Amazing album!! So groovy and pointed and every song goes hard… I was gonna shout out my favs but it would have just devolved into me naming all of them!
Miles Davis
5/5
Magic! Incredible album cover, first of all, but this is unbelievable progressive jazz that totally transports you to its world! I also really love Wayne Shorter who does amazing saxophone work on this thing… I love it!
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
A bag of nuts and bolts
Nas
5/5
Rightfully one of the most iconic rap records of all time, and a pillar of the jazz rap subgenre. Feels totally perennial; rite of passage beats; iconically New York. It’s amazing! Sadly didn’t get to spin my vinyl copy of this today!
Grateful Dead
3/5
I guess this is just jazz 👍🏻
Caetano Veloso
4/5
This really won me over! It was pleasant and pretty from the beginning but I loved how mildly psychedelic it got with shades of chamber-y, easy to listen to pop music!
Dr. Dre
4/5
Some seriously mind-blowing sounds on this thing, right from when the first beat kicks in… I really love this album!
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Found this a little hard to care too much about at the beginning but it’s pretty good. I generally think the back half is a lot stronger and that’s where it won me over.
I liked In The Light and Bron-Yr-Aur and Down by the Seaside back-to-back.
The The
4/5
One of my favorite parts of this project, and generally listening to canonical albums for the first time, is getting to hear songs you kinda know through osmosis in their original context. That happened here with “This is the Day”, which I loved! The album is kinda shaggy but hey it’s a lot of fun! I dug it!
John Prine
5/5
Basically a top 10 album at this point… easily my fav country album ever. So many songs on this thing utterly blew my mind when I first heard this… I prob discovered John Prine in the last 6-7 years and I just think he is brilliant… authentic and sardonic and rebellious! This album is so reliable for me, and listening to John Prine all day was pretty healing!
“Your Flag Decal…” is one of the coolest songs of all time, and “Angel from Montgomery” is one of the prettiest.
Nina Simone
5/5
Some of the most gorgeous songs ever performed on here, are you kidding!
B.B. King
3/5
Very enjoyable and energetic! Probably like a 3.5!
2/5
Cool name. Wasn’t particularly moved otherwise…
Shack
2/5
I don’t really know, this was fine… a couple songs that actively bothered me, some were more pleasant but it was consistently shy of satisfying me. Kinda sounded like REM but not as good… probably not the best Liverpudlian band out there…
Radiohead
4/5
I’ve always liked Radiohead but have not given the albums the time to really click with me and blow me away… that said I think this is the most I’ve ever enjoyed it! It’s truly incredible rock music with very special attention paid to unique textures that add to its world-building and monumental status
Megadeth
4/5
Tbh this kind of thing has been scratching an itch recently! Definitely used to conflate this band with Metallica, only to find out that this band was founded by an ex-Metallica member!
Excels in the art of making music that sounds exactly like its album cover looks like… or vice versa I suppose. Either way… thumbs up!!
Neil Young
5/5
Had my Frank Reynolds “I get it” gif moment listening to this in the shower today after soliciting tons of Neil Young recommendations from Sameen over the past year… not that I didn’t already really like this but quite simply, the way that Neil Young’s voice hit my ears today (especially on those first three tracks) shook me. The way that he sings alone is extremely moving, and that’s not even accounting for the stunningly sad lyrics and the gorgeous instrumentation. Thumbs up from me!
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Spruce Bringsteen
The Icarus Line
2/5
Huh… really random. Like a sleazier White Stripes? Honestly sounded like so many other bands but did not click at all tbh…
Billie Holiday
4/5
Beautiful, beautiful tunes!! I was roused with each swell of the strings and with each quiver of her voice!
Joy Division
3/5
I’ve never truly known the pleasures of this album myself….
AC/DC
3/5
Enjoyed this a lil more than I thought! It’s fun! This list has been super populated with hard rock!
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
So breezy and totally undeniable. A fantastic collection of songs but I’ve particularly always liked Never Goin Back Again
Buzzcocks
3/5
A good amount of fun! That drum breakdown towards the end of the last track is very cool and rousing!
Radiohead
4/5
Some really full and romantic sounds on this thing… obviously less futuristic than many of Radiohead’s successive albums, but even if it’s less ambitious, it doesn’t strike me as any less cohesive.
Janis Joplin
3/5
Think I need this to grow on me…. But I liked it.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Basically live for this kinda stuff… a couple of country brothers harmonizing about some real sad stuff. Legends!
4/5
you already know what I’m gonna say:
yeah!
Guns N' Roses
2/5
Cannot believe Paradise City is almost 7 minutes long. Also thought I wasn’t crazy but Guns n Roses told me otherwise 😔
Pretty close to the middle on this one but I think I have to lean negative, it’s pretty shrill but in a calculated way more than a really effective or emotional way. Not my cup of tea
Nonetheless pretty tempted to listen to their other albums “”The Spaghetti Incident?”” and “Chinese Democracy”
3/5
Wee bit meandering for me.. kinda cool. Cool cover.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
A very lovely album! I think If You’re Feeling Sinister is a masterpiece, and this is not as good as that, but it has the same twee, flowery vibes. My fav song is I Don’t Love Anyone!
The Go-Go's
4/5
Ohhhhh this rules. This really rules. Hell yeah
Living Colour
4/5
Much like yesterday: ohhh wow. Oh yeah. This rules. So much fun.
Common
4/5
My first time listening to a Common album that isn’t Be - it’s real good! Wears its influences in its sleeve, a very openly communal album, and has some really smooth and classic J. Dilla production on it!
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
I’ve had more psychedelic experiences watching the freaking Boss Baby. I’m kidding I just don’t know what else to say about this
Dire Straits
3/5
I dug this! Like a 3.5 for me
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Had only ever heard Psychocandy and I think it caught me off guard that this sounds like.. the Smiths? Velvet Underground? It’s a solid alt rock album with good vibes but did not meet my expectations fully I’d have to say.
Randy Newman
4/5
To be honest I don’t really understand Randy Newman’s vibe, but this is really pleasantly composed, and obviously his vocals are totally unique and compelling.
Otis Redding
4/5
Kicks off with a seriously riveting riff on Ole Man Trouble and does not let up! And those vocals are so unbelievable, right down to his signature grunts. I got misty-eyed at points of this album from the sheer passion of the music!
The Darkness
2/5
Found this to be a very odd amalgamation of sounds and eras that never really connected with me, with some mildly off-putting vocals (that admittedly made me laugh a respectful, “gotta give it up” kinda laugh at times)… sorta like C-grade movie montage soundtrack songs….
Joy Division
4/5
Honestly like a loooot stronger than Unknown Pleasures in my opinion. I actually knew a hell of a lot more pleasures listening to this one. Right from that very first track, Atrocity Exhbition, which honestly hooked me. CLOSER to a 3.5 but I’ll give it the 4!
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
I listened to this this morning but that’s basically a whole day ago…. However… I really liked it back then. A fun journey through genre and music history with some especially stellar drums! Love the Erik Satie bookends too!
Bob Dylan
4/5
I actually just heard this for the first time a couple of weeks ago after watching Dogfight! Super super pretty, especially Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right. Bob Dylan was also my first ever concert lol!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Unbelievable, you already know!! These guys have stole my CC-heaRt! I see the bad moon a-rising!
Roxy Music
3/5
Pretty zany! Didn’t totally move me, but a band I’d like to explore a little more regardless
David Bowie
3/5
Not really my thing but not bad! A light 3/5 here
System Of A Down
4/5
Hell freakin yeah!! Not their best but man they are such a cool ass band!
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Pretty cool stuff!
MGMT
4/5
I underrate this album quite a bit! Who can forget the classic bangers but every track on this is so fantastic and they were already so fully formed as a band! Congratulations is my fav album of theirs but man does this one go!! Weekend Wars and Future Reflections are two of my favs on here!
The Zombies
4/5
Damn this is cool!
Missy Elliott
4/5
I love this album, it’s such a confident debut with a strong voice and smooth production! And yet, I think I like her next two albums even more! She’s iconic and had an amazing run right out of the gate
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Not bad tbh!! Pretty long but also highly listenable. I looked at the sky for a bit while I listened which was cool.
U2
2/5
U2’s War! What is it good for?
think it speaks to my investment in this band that I’ve heard all of their albums before and yet I don’t really have any strong feelings about them … I think this is a serviceable album though with a couple of standout tracks, but it’s just not really my sound.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
“U” better believe that I like this album! Definitely leaning 4, I think this could click with me more over time.. there’s some standout beats as well that I didn’t note the names of but, good album!
The The
3/5
The… the… the what??? Spit it out already!!
The United States Of America
2/5
A little tepid for my tastes. Didn’t love this
Parliament
4/5
Oh man. The coolest shit out there!! Beautiful and futuristic textures galore!
Muddy Waters
3/5
Runs a little long but undeniably pretty iconic and classic!
CHIC
4/5
This is sooooo much fun, and the groovy bass lines do not stop for a second! So chic!
The White Stripes
3/5
Not a bad album by any means but starts off with a classic, ripping White Stripes banger that made me feel like I was in for something much better than I got. Pretty significantly dies down as early as track 2, but there’s some good riffs and clean drums sprinkled throughout that make this a good enough listen. They, of course, have far better albums than this!
ZZ Top
3/5
Honestly what is the deal with these guys… they’re kinda hilarious. I thought Tres Hombres was a really slick crystallization of their chill yet unserious vibe, and I got some of that outta this (and probably more laughs) but it’s not as good… Christine ass cover also..
Dwight Yoakam
4/5
Haven’t come across a country album that these 1001 list makers have selected that I disliked yet… thank god I’m a country boy, I guess…
Yes
4/5
I think you guys know what I’m gonna say…
Yup!
Talking Heads
4/5
Had to double check that the 77 in the title referred to the year it was released, bc I thought, no way this is that old! It’s so modern, and of course, these guys are just so, so fun and talented! Love it!
John Cale
4/5
This grew on me as it kept going! Very lush and pleasant! I could see myself liking this even more with revisits too
Grateful Dead
4/5
This surprised me!! To be honest I felt a lot more positive on this than I did their live album, I don’t think I’m as much into the jam band stuff, and was not expecting this to be so simple and pleasant… a light 4!
Beatles
4/5
The Beatles are low-key influential…
…and they were influenced (lots of covers here of course) but those first three songs especially are sooooo good
Aimee Mann
3/5
Pretty iconic tbh, very of its era! Easy to give myself to it, very unsubtle in its lyrics in a way that I’m sure connected for people pretty hard… fun!
Goldie
4/5
Oh this is such a cool album, incredible to vibe out to!! Dare I say…… an enduring album. Immune to time.. etc…
Tangerine Dream
3/5
This was cool… the cover on the anniversary edition that I listened to on Apple Music was less cool…
Deep Purple
3/5
Liked it marginally more than the other Deep Purple one. Funny cover too. It’s not real though
Iggy Pop
4/5
Quite good
Christina Aguilera
3/5
First disc of this is surprisingly excellent, some really inspired and exciting production! Not so much a fun or the second disc tbh, and it’s already running a bit long at that point so I’m docking points for that…
Pink Floyd
4/5
Liked this quite a bit more than I thought I would! Really cohesive and modern!
But guys.. I was watching Oz the Great and Powerful when I put this album on…. And I couldn’t hear the damn movie! 🤦♂️
Mike Ladd
3/5
Very 2000 abstract hip hop, reminds me of early El-P and Saul Williams even, but definitely less passion for the most part. Can’t say I would lean that I disliked it overall, there was enough cool sounds and ideas even if it gets a bit repetitive and is overall slight. Like a 2.5 for me
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Interesting I suppose
The xx
3/5
Tempted to go higher on this, I do think it’s very influential and I love its internal world, that very minimalist sound makes this an indie classic, and I love how Jamie xx in particular took that sound to make the much better In Color… much respect to this and I could go higher after more listens, it holds up better than I remembered. Plus that Intro track is sooo good
The Doors
4/5
Enough standout songs for me to praise this. A good overall sound, with keys and vocals that bring it a level above I think! Kinda reminds me of Austin Powers again… Alabama Song my fav I think.. also Break on Through rules and is the first song that plays when you boot up Tony Hawk Underground 2.
The Fall
3/5
Not super memorable for me but made for some decent October listening tbh! Veers into some gothic sounds here and there… decent but forgettable. Shout out to this for being the only place I’ve heard the word Barmy other than my family’s group chat
Tom Waits
3/5
This is really a good vibe, sounds like a hell of a show, but it wore for me just a little bit as it went on. But Tom Waits rules and I’d never heard this one before! I like the looseness and jazzy nature of this performance, and Waits, as always, has such a compelling voice
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
This is honestly good as shit. And I don’t mean as good as shit is. It’s better than that
So glad to see Girls Just Wanna Have Fun for what it is now, as a complex and iconic pop song and not just a water park theme song
R.E.M.
4/5
Ok this was very good!! Might need Luke to be my REM recommendation guide!! My fav song was The Wrong Child, and I really liked Hairchild too, really appreciated hearing Michael Stipe do some soulful and emotional singing.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
A rightfully legendary album, and super ahead of its time.
Arrested Development
4/5
Found this very danceable and with exemplary sampling!! Enjoyed it all the way through!
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
Would not argue with someone saying NIN is the best band of all time quite honestly. This probably isn’t even in my top 3 of theirs…
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Get ready for this… Jexi’s midnight runners
Method Man
4/5
Looooove this album
Adele
2/5
Perfectly fine and she’s talented but not really my thing! I’m (2 years) too old for this album anyway!
Funkadelic
4/5
These folks have got mag-GOAT BRAINS!
Mekons
4/5
Ooh I loved this! Was listening to Plowing Into the Field of Love by Iceage recently, which is one of my all time fav albums, and was looking into this Cowpunk genre, which I think is such a cool sound, and this scratched that same itch!
Iron Maiden
3/5
Pretty good I have to say! After the Number of the Beast came up on here, I went back and listened to a good chunk of their albums, and I enjoyed pretty much all of them, some more than others -- and sometimes depending on my mood -- but I was fairly underwhelmed by this one. I liked it more this time around, but they have far better works than this. Still prob like a 3.5
Amy Winehouse
3/5
A quite good album! There is a song on this (He Can Only Hold Her) that I quite literally had stuck in my head for 6+ years, and could never figure out what it was. I was convinced I’d never find it, or maybe it’s wasn’t even real. My brothers gf finally found it this May which was a miracle.. but imagine I’d discovered it this way.. lowkey that would have been cooler.
Steely Dan
3/5
Sorry to the Deely Stans in here but I have yet to be completely moved by them.. but I think it can be done! I thought this was good but just didn’t click for me entirely. Awesome cover though
The Undertones
3/5
Good and fun! Very funny cover!
Led Zeppelin
3/5
This was definitely pretty good but didn’t entirely click with me still, hard to say why!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I like the gothic vibes of this but was surprisingly a little cold on this.. not actually very familiar with Cave’s style though so I’d like to dive into his stuff more
Dusty Springfield
4/5
I actually really like the soundscape of this album, it's very sprawling and conjures, for me, images of mountains and nature. Has a lot of depth to it, I dug it overall!
Syd Barrett
4/5
Kinda got Pink Floyd vibes from this
David Bowie
3/5
Decent! “If You Can See Me” has a really cool riff. Cover looks a bit familiar though…..
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Pretty cool, I especially vibed with the second track (“The Gnome”) but I don’t think I totally get what is going on with this band and album and performance…
Bill Callahan
3/5
I think I could see this growing on me, I’m surprised I never got into it before because it seems like something I would have really enjoyed in high school! Some great lyrics and his voice lends to the tone and minimalism of the project really well
Jethro Tull
4/5
This was so awesome… would love to hear more about this Aqualung character… he sounds charming
The Smiths
4/5
In spite of Morrissey's..everything...and in spite of this being probably my least favorite Smiths record... I really like their sound and this is a very solid and listenable album. Probably like a 3.5 for me but I'm gonna lean towards a 4.
Jamiroquai
4/5
This shit had me movin like Napoleon… last song (Didgin It) was epic
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Spruce, uh.. let me see here.. Spruce Bingstein
Green Day
4/5
Dookie is so good. I love Dookie. Once I had Dookie in my ears, I was having a great time 👍🏻
Not the Green Day I grew up loving but in retrospect (which is the case for a lot of my fav Pop Punk bands as a kid) their early sound is so so strong and this is like, probably their best work
Ice Cube
4/5
Not one while listening to this did I ask “Are We Done Yet?”. In fact, when it was done, I was like, “We’re Done Yet?!?”. FANTASTIC album
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Going to actually lean 4 with this. It’s like a 3.5 for me but I really like this vocalist with this sound, it creates a pretty unique effect that consistently worked for me all the way through
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Very excellent… that voice working its magic, and just stellar and exciting songwriting all around… excited to listen to this a bunch more times!!
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Not a fan of what these blokes cooked up here
David Bowie
4/5
Actually so bizarre... of the three Bowie albums that have come up, I've enjoyed this the most, musically... obviously took note of the funk and soul elements he meshes with his sound here, and he collaborated with some icons of the genre/scene (including Luther Van Dross, goat!!), but reading up on this, confounded by and unsure of what to make of him specifically calling this "plastic soul" aka a pale imitation and appropriation by a white musician (a "limey" to use his words). Also the multiple Beatles homages, including a full cover of Across the Universe? Weird, weird album... enjoyed it though.
Michael Kiwanuka
2/5
Always ranking things relatively on here so don't pay this too much mind, this is pretty, but didn't do very much for me today tbh
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Really liked this!! I feel like there’s always some darkness behind this sunshiny kinda music, and I like that a lot - California Dreamin’ is prime example of that!
Also never knew that Jens Lekman’s Maple Leaves was built on a sample but I learned that listening to this! And that’s one of my all time fav songs!
The Smiths
5/5
And this is my #1 fav Smiths album. Just the platonic ideal of their vibe for me, this is what I always come to when I need a fix of Smiths tbh. Again..fuck morrissey…but divorced from that, I think this is so catchy and moody and sardonic and I really love it tbh!
Femi Kuti
4/5
Hey this was good!! I was not aware of this before but it was a great listen front-to-back
Prince
5/5
A pretty undeniable collection of songs, the end of the title track is so excellent… damn! So THIS is what it feels like when doves cry?
Def Leppard
3/5
Kinda funny to me that these guys are British, I had no idea. They should have called that one song “Pour Some
Sugar in Tea” to make that more clear
This is such a corny sound but I’m not mad at it. That’s My Boy-core
Spacemen 3
3/5
Vibey and droney and easy to get lost in! I enjoy the vocals too, the last song is a very nice closer
Basement Jaxx
4/5
Ugh…. Just awesome. A strong 4 stars from me.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
“Nilsson Schmilsson, Schmilsson Schmilsson!” - me if I thought this album was rubbish, which I don’t!
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Ridiculously good omg. I think that first track is particularly addictive.
The Young Rascals
3/5
This was definitely music. Not too many doubts about that. I listened to it, after all.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Truly epic music. So, so grand and so, so good.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Really fantastic… to no one’s surprise. The rest of this list could be Fela Kuti and I’d be happy
The Killers
3/5
Frankly impressed with how loaded this is - a ton of bangers, and just wholly consistent in a way that I don’t think any of their other albums are… very confident! I enjoy this one, probably like a solid 3.5
The Fall
3/5
I think this spoke to me a lot more than the last album we heard from The Fall. A better, shaggier and more rebellious sound to me. Also quite like the cover and album name
N.W.A.
4/5
Really front-loaded, and to Sameen’s point about the Ice Cube album, immature in some moments, but also incredibly mature in other ways, undeniably influential, the production is unbelievable… a hit!
The Cars
4/5
Guess this will have to make up for the absence of the Blue Album on the list…… hmmph.
But really, I do kinda think of this as a perfect pop album. It’s so much fun and full of cool, out-of-the-box sounds! Love it!
5/5
Not gonna lie… this busted my brain wide open!! Everything that I love!!
Pretenders
3/5
More music that I listened to and enjoyed but was not particularly excited by.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Karen O is great... this was a fun record and honestly the cover is cool as hell.
Faust
4/5
Hadn’t heard this one before but I was really into it! It reminded me of Ween in a lot of ways
The Jam
3/5
I enjoyed this! Definitely a couple of “big tunes” on here. 3.5
Nirvana
4/5
I quite literally experienced nirvana while listening to this. Just kidding, it was metaphorical. Also I didn’t
Portishead
4/5
Close to a 5 tbh… this is pretty damn unbelievable, like some of the coolest sounds everrrrr. Such a front to back banger
Miles Davis
4/5
Very good.. very.. cool!! Honestly, far from the best thing I’ve heard from MD, but really smooth and a great time nonetheless!
Kanye West
5/5
Sorry but… still one of the most mind-blowing albums ever, to me. Like def one of the most important of my life time. Every single song is incredible and perfect and timeless! Some of my fav songs of all time here! Has risen to becoming my fav Kanye over the years, which is saying a lot!
Sex Pistols
4/5
Really enjoyed this, more than I thought! Great voice, great sound, just really great stuff!
New York Dolls
2/5
A bit uninteresting for me, musically, which I didn’t expect from the vibes/aesthetics/history. Oh well!
Simple Minds
3/5
Some pretty avg synth pop to me! Did the trick! Of being avg synth pop! Voila
Everything But The Girl
3/5
I’ve been enjoying this kind of album a lot lately!! Didn’t hit quite as hard as some others I’ve heard but very danceable and pretty!!
Talking Heads
4/5
Good group of guys…. Really good music. Shocked once again that this is from the 70s! Cheers all around
Common
4/5
Such a fantastic pairing of voice and production, this is some thoroughly excellent work from Kanye…. A really great album
Cream
3/5
Pretty cool!! A solid and consistent sound, good drums and guitar. Enjoyed this
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Very very pretty and lovely. Had a good time listening to this in the shower (with clothes on, of course)
Al Green
5/5
Me listening to this: mmmmmm mm mm
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Had a lot of fun with this! Some really good pop rap with strong and layered production. Really interested to hear her later albums that are produced by Four Tet (!!)
Calexico
3/5
A wild album that I have never encountered before.. first of all, really cool cover. Some really interesting instrumental cuts, some jazzy, some straight out of a western score - honestly, in a much more modern/indie rock/Conor Oberst kinda context, this reminded me of that Byrds country album that came up on this list before, as a capsule of all things Americana. Weird but pretty enjoyable, I gotta say!
Pearl Jam
2/5
I don’t know honestly. Iconic enough and at times funny enough that I could see myself leaning more positive but… not crazy about it. I like Alive. The band name, I will not be commenting on.
Gang Starr
4/5
Awesome……..
The Offspring
4/5
Love the Offspring!! I just listened to this one again a couple weeks ago. Really great skate punk with vocals that are equally compelling and shrill, and another grab bag of random influences thrown in. SMASH from me!
Fleet Foxes
5/5
Today was a lil emotional but oh my god did this hit! Every beat, strum, and harmony made a hair raise. Genuinely made me feel the magic of music so deeply. Gorgeous!
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
Enjoyed this a lot honestly. A fun mix of sounds for me. Not exceptional or anything but a good listen!
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Genuinely some of the best riffs ever recorded I think. Was listening to this while skating a couple years ago and embodied my destined self. So unbelievably awesome.
Daft Punk
4/5
I think this goes really hard. Rock’n Roll was kinda rocking and rolling me. Not their best but a great listen
Van Morrison
3/5
A lot of my expectations for these albums starts at a 3 tbh and this one mostly surpassed that. Really good vocals that elevated the whole project! 3 stars. Point five maybe.
Public Enemy
4/5
This goes hard!!! That Anthrax track is so cool and just such a full worldview realized by the whole album - Shut Em Down prob my fav track.
The Thrills
3/5
I definitely enjoyed this. At times, it reminded me of The Unicorns, just not even close to as good or interesting
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Ok album. Pretty normal I guess. Good at times even. Docking points for the pedo pov concept song tbh
The Who
3/5
Am I crazy, or should they not be called “The Whom”? Merry Christmas and happy holidays everybody
Various Artists
4/5
Here’s my Xmas music manifesto: I like it. Ok but actually when I am searching out new Xmas music to make it into my rotation, I’m hoping for ppl making classic ORIGINAL songs instead of cashing in and re-recording all the hits (the ones on this very album). I mean you can fill it out with some renditions of classics, but bring some of yourself to it! That being said, this album has some of the most classic renditions of the most classic songs, and they’re excellent! My fav is probably Baby Please Come Home, and I think Marshmellow World is underrated to.
Here is a list of the holiday projects I’ve been spinning most this year:
A Ginuwine Christmas
Merry Christmas Lil Mama (Jeremih & Chance)
Merry Xmas from the Space Age Bachelor Pad (Esquivel)
Winter Wonderland (RXKNephew)
A John Prine Christmas
Air
4/5
To be honest… awesome music. Really effortlessly implements some fear and chaos into its tone. Some of it reminds me of the music that plays around Halloween in Bully, which I guess makes sense given the suburban malaise of both…. Liked this a lot and don’t even really remember the movie/its use in the movie.
Nick Drake
4/5
Still loving Nick Drake so much - the energy here is obviously different, so it doesn't quite speak to me as much as the depressive Pink Moon, nor as much as Five Leaves Left, but there's always something interesting about how deeper, broader instrumentation can mask those themes better. An incredibly pleasant listen! I love those instrumental tracks, and only on my second listen of this album today did I finally pinpoint who he sounds like - Stuart Murdoch! Especially on Hazey Jane II!
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Super solid, I love this era and hadn’t heard of this one before. Not necessarily a stand out but glad to have discovered it
Mylo
2/5
Rock and roll found alive in a ditch… pretty corny, typically sleazy 2000s type of stuff in some parts imo, but listenable.
George Harrison
4/5
I understand it's a bit crazy to say "I was not familiar with your game" to a Beatle but..... this rocked my socks. So wonderful, nearing a 5 tbh.
The Vines
3/5
Perfectly fine. Grew on me a little more as it went on, felt like it had a more complete sound as I listened more. Will likely not revisit but not bad
The Cure
5/5
I had just listened to this days ago - I'm working through the Cure's discography these days - and it's just as incredible as it's ever been. Every song incredible. Pictures of You was an early fav song of mine, I just remember being so taken with its instrumentals that when the vocals chime in - at the perfect time - I was just pierced by it. Have long loved Robert Smith's voice (since hearing his feature on blink-182's self-titled album when I was a kid) and this album is just completely unbeatable.
Hole
4/5
I really love Hole, this one and Live Through This are just so superbly grungy and refreshingly poppy and incredibly modern and exciting. This one has a ton of really great, moody, more acoustic tracks that are perfectly punctuated by Courtney Love's vocals.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
A really good listen! Classic collection of songs and sung with lots of vigor!
The Modern Lovers
4/5
Nuts that this was recorded in 72, truly. I hate to say it but they gave me the word right there in the band name: this is so modern! Sounds like Parquet Courts at times, Violent Femmes vibes too, it’s so stripped down and cool!
The Mars Volta
4/5
I love this band so much, these first two albums especially of course. Just otherworldly tbh, don’t know much else that sounds quite like this with this much bravura
Jerry Lee Lewis
2/5
I dunno man. Wasn't into this, and not for nothing, the guy is a real scumbag
The Monkees
3/5
The Mistadobalina sample coming from this… that threw me.
Excited for Oz Perkins’ new movie about the guy from this band. Hopefully it does him a little more justice than the Gore Verbinski one……
The Coral
3/5
My brother Greg likes The Coral a lot and also they have a great song called In the Morning (not on this) that when I would hum My Girl, my other brother Alastair thought I was humming that. They do sound alike.
I thought this would be better but it was fine
Dead Kennedys
5/5
This is SO GOOD!!!! More Tony Hawk-core.... such iconic punk but also just so struck by the instrumentals, the playfulness and jangliness and TEXT! CHURE! Wacky vocals, musical shifts, so much fun and passion and fury!
Also gotta shout out the unbelievable use of California Uber Alles in The Social Network.... yup
Tears For Fears
4/5
I'm sick but this album is so good. thumbs up
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Still sick but this album is good. Obviously know and love those hits - Helpless and Our House - but especially hearing the later this time really had me tearing up
The Prodigy
4/5
This album came out on my birthday, we’re the same age :) which one do YOU think has aged better? 😏 don’t answer that…
Oasis
3/5
I like the Oasis sound but this one doesn’t have any really memorable songs for me
The Everly Brothers
4/5
Pleasant listening from the Brothers <3
Elastica
3/5
Never really heard of this but Connection is a classic. A good listen!
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Sad slow jazzy - I listened to it!
Eminem
2/5
No other album on this list is gonna have Tom Green references or simulated oral sex by the Insane Clown Posse……
Eminem is honestly really interesting, I see the appeal and I’ve continually tried to get into him. His voice is really strong and he was engaging with his image/impact right from the get go, which I do find compelling. The production here is good too, of course. It’s all very overwhelming lyrically, and while there’s good moments, I just think it’s mostly stupid. But this will not be the last time I listen to him, so who really wins….
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
This shit is chill man… really deep production and had me vibing all the way through
Ute Lemper
2/5
This was fine but didn’t do a lot for me personally. Took me a while to get through it, honestly. It’s an odd assortment of songs, I sorta feel like I’m missing some context for it. Oh well
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Unbelievably smooth and iconic. Love these guys and this is a fantastic debut
The Cure
4/5
As I said recently, I’ve been listening through the whole Cure discography and they rule! I love this album - it’s super groovy but in a eerie way that relies on that signature shoegazey repetition… great!
OutKast
5/5
Pretty damn unreal, I do think this is their best… this list generally needs more Gangsta Boo
Jeff Beck
3/5
I listened to this. Last couple tracks pulled me in a little more
Willie Nelson
4/5
GREAT album. I love how circular this is in its rhythms and motifs. I just wonder what the hell he was smokin when he wrote this frickin thing….
Stereo MC's
3/5
Pretty smooth and groovy, I enjoyed this. Kinda reminded me of Smash Mouth
Ian Dury
3/5
Sort of a funny bloke, isn’t he. Entertainingly British. I wonder if The Streets was inspired by him
Norah Jones
2/5
In one ear out the other. Dreamgirl clears
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Increasingly not too pleased when these albums come up - they seem not to be my thing - but this is a decent collection of songs
Beatles
4/5
So simple and romantic in a pretty irresistible way. If The Beatles have no fans then I am dead (hold on I’m just now hearing that they have a lot of fans….)
Sonic Youth
3/5
Have yet to really connect with Sonic Youth, but I’ll probably keep trying…
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I think this album really rocks, it's accessible and poppy but still has the idiosyncrasies of the Lips' personality baked into it - just a really fun listen. And Sameen and I saw the Pink Robots IN PERSON last year!!
SZA
5/5
Honestly this has been one of the stickiest R&B/pop albums of the past decade for me. Just grew and grew and grew. Supermodel not just a supreme album opener, but a supreme song - Anything a close second
Massive Attack
3/5
I hadn't heard this before and admittedly it didn't move me as much as Mezzanine, which I love, but I feel like it will grow on me over time. I liked it a lot but it didn't totally stick - but I like that early trip hop sound with some seriously soulful vocals... I can tell it's influential!!
Black Sabbath
4/5
So great!! I love this cover too... but yeah I specifically love their first two albums a lot, I think the emphasis on mood is so strong in the self-titled and this carries that over but with a grander scale. But then you still have tracks like Planet Caravan which is just such a great little venture into this quieter, spacier sound. Very very cool
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Suuuch a great album. Speaking of album openers - Peter Piper goes insano mode. And the percussion elevates this whole project to a whole other level, truly excellent
David Crosby
3/5
The cros. Crossy Crosborne. I listened to this album. Liked it even
Peter Tosh
4/5
I hadn’t encountered this before but I loved it! Really chill and lovely, given how charged it all is, as well! And it’s apparently self-produced - so so cool. Will be revisiting this - this is one Tosh I can get behind!
Prince
4/5
It’s becoming a cliché around here but it’s unreal how modern this thing is. There are sounds in this that I didn’t know even existed back then, nor did I think they were legal!!!!!!! Fantastic album, wowzers. I’ve never actually gotten deep into Prince but this is the best thing I’ve heard from him, for sure
Sugar
3/5
Feels like prime 2000s movie music to me -- checked on IMDB to see if/what songs were used in movies. they only had one song in a movie, and it was Tag (2018)... makes no sense but also kinda makes a lot....
Also hadn't heard of this before but learned it is the same lead singer as Husker Du... interesting!
Lucinda Williams
4/5
Love this shit. That’s all country folk
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie has been a thrilling artist to get into!! What an absolute legend and this album is so different, it’s fantastic!
The Stranglers
3/5
Cool album! Cool sound, punky and playful. Didn’t make a huge impression but I liked it
Scissor Sisters
2/5
It's kinda fun and weirdly I was very familiar with this group when I was really young - though I did kinda mix them up with Junior Senior - but I dunno. Not too big of a fan sadly
Bobby Womack
4/5
Same experience with this bloke as Sameen, but I honestly to goodness thought this ripped!! He was killin it every damn song
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Found this to be pretty bloody lovely
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
You all heard about my Rufus Wainwright debacle… but here are my serious thoughts:
Yo am I crazy or does this sound like Radiohead for normies??🤣
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Yeah I like this quite a bit! It's a good vibe, doesn't totally entrance me but I like the noise and the voice combo! Like a 3.5 but I'll lean 4 bc it's pleasant listening
3/5
I think this may have to grow on me a little... I liked it though! I liked Let England Shake a lot back when it came out but I haven't really dug into PJ's catalogue!
Kraftwerk
4/5
Yeah this goes… it goes choo freaking choo!!!! I mean seriously!
Khaled
3/5
Maybe not the most cohesive album - the Imagine cover threw me - but a good listen nonetheless!!
The Doors
2/5
Yeah this didn't move me..... Riders on the Storm is cool tho
Jurassic 5
4/5
Not groundbreaking but really solid and a really fun listen, some great flows and beats. What’s Golden is a classic to me!!
Frank Ocean
5/5
I think this is a fantastic album, like a 4, even a 4.5 (and Blonde, which is definitely coming later, is a full 5 to me) but I’m bumping it to 5 for nostalgia. It’s just so classic!! I love it!’
The Sonics
3/5
This is a good enough listen and all but this list has shown me how unoriginal music used to be in a lot of ways... and that's even before you think abt the appropriation!
Lorde
4/5
Another one I have a lot of nostalgia for but this is just a fantastic collection of pop songs!! I love it!
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I do really like this. Not as much as their other albums but this is a great vibe. I just think as of now it doesn’t totally stick with me
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Quite enjoyed this!! But wouldn’t rank it amongst some of my fav jazz albums out there… still seems like an incredible person and musician!
Radiohead
5/5
I think my fav Radiohead still. Didn’t even expect to give this the 5 but damn it goes down easy!! So beautiful!
Lauryn Hill
5/5
One of the best albums ever ever ever. Untouchable!
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Really like Sleater-Kinney, they're so consistent and fun and energetic!! This one's a classic and when I threw it on today, it went down so easy!
The Who
4/5
I listened to this back when the first Who album came on this list, I was really intrigued by its 'Jingles' and 'Satire' tags on rym lol. It didn't really land for me as much as I would have liked - to the point that when I saw this appear on the list, I was tempted to just skip it. But I didn't, and honestly, while this doesn't entirely work for me (I think The Who's sound is just not totally aligned with mine) I really appreciate the swing! I think the way it weaves in and out of fake commercials, some of which use the same instrumentation as the 'real' songs, implicates the band, and pop music at large, in the commercialization of music in a way that's very cheeky. It's also just very listenable, which a couple of standout tracks tbh! I will give credit for the concept bc I like it a lot, and while it is more subtly transmuted into the music than I expected/hoped, it works for me.
But also shouldn't they be called The Whom? Food for thought
Little Richard
4/5
Little Richard is just so good. I've only heard his first two albums but they are totally indisputable (though I prefer his second one). Unbelievably control of his voice and so full of passion!
Queen Latifah
4/5
Just classic!! Love the Queen!
10cc
3/5
Bit of a crazy album.. never knew what was gonna happen next!! The Worst Band in the World had some pretty incredible sounds but kinda annoying vox/lyrics lol
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Insane album! So good!
Queen
2/5
Not gonna think about this too much but I just don’t really care for Queen atm
Dire Straits
3/5
Sometimes I’m unsure of what to make of these albums.. I’m missing some context maybe. But this is pretty good, went on a little long for me and songs like Walk of Life are pretty silly, if catchy. But yeah!! I dunno!
The Boo Radleys
3/5
I had also never heard of this, but a fun listen!! Lots of variety and great instrumentation. Didn't love overall but prob like a 3.5
Van Halen
3/5
My Ready Player One brain was ready to drop a 4 on this after that awesome intro track followed by Jump…. But I didn’t like it quite that much. Still pretty good though!
Black Flag
4/5
LOVE IT!! Such an awesome cover too... rules
The Strokes
5/5
Just the album for me, completely iconic, not a wrong note, and honestly reworked my brain back in the day. Feels like the greatest album ever when you’re listening to it
Van Morrison
2/5
This has nothing to do with me
DJ Shadow
4/5
An undeniable banger - full of unbelievable sounds that you feel like you haven’t heard before! Need to spend more time with it tbh but it’s so great
Simply Red
3/5
Simply good
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Completely ridiculous, maybe one of the worst artist names ever. I enjoyed it….. I’m sorry
Supergrass
3/5
Supergood
Queen
3/5
This was decent, I had more patience for it than the last Queen album but come on... two in a week? I also skipped BoRap
Ice Cube
4/5
Very awesome… brash as ever, fantastic production - had a great time listening to this one (for the first time!)
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Pretty good, a nice jangly sound, and kinda like minor The Cure or a more gothic Smiths kinda thing - I used to really like The Killing Moon and I think that's still a highlight, but the album doesnt totally click!
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Enjoyed this more than I thought tbh! Thought about Grown Ups 2 a lot during it
The Slits
4/5
What's next, Gash by The Incisions? I liked this
Public Enemy
5/5
Everything about this album is so incredible and whole and futuristic, from album cover to samples to lyrics! Unbelievable!!
The Velvet Underground
4/5
It's banana how good this is
TLC
4/5
TLC (These Ladies are Cool)
Beatles
5/5
I declare The Beatles: good. Golden Slumbers my all time fav song of theirs
Bad Company
3/5
Didn’t love it - was thinking early on about how not hard Hard Rock used to be haha. But about halfway through (around those two hits in the middle tbh) it took a turn for the more positive.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Had me diving off the balcony tbh
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Definitely listenable, not bad. Kind of a funny example of the odd recency bias of certain editions of this list and choices that don’t really hold up in terms of cultural relevancy but what are ya gonna do
Pink Floyd
3/5
Didn’t do a lot for me but Interstellar Overdrive was pretty sick, and my experience picked up after that point tbh!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Fairly hit or miss for me I’d say, but not bad. Waiting for these guys to click
Napalm Death
4/5
Hell yeah
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Amazing “being young in the city music”. Impressive how iconic this still is, no skips, every song so fun and memorable and totemic! I still love this thing so much, it was an emotional listen tbh!
Goldfrapp
3/5
This was fine, I listened to it and it was pleasant enough. Not really sure about the name “Goldfrapp” but ok
Beck
3/5
Decent af. Kinda sounds like Nick Drake at times, actually!
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Some pleasant listening! A pretty wild collab tbh!
Aerosmith
2/5
Idk
Solomon Burke
4/5
This was super lovely <3
Steely Dan
4/5
Honestly feel like I got this more than ever before! It rules! Maybe I’m cracking into my long-awaited Steely Dan phase
4/5
Q: Is this not good? A: Yes it is
Mudhoney
3/5
This was totally alright but don't think it made a lasting impact tbh
Radiohead
4/5
Some more of these wild and crazy sounds I’ve been hearing about - I like it! Idioteque does go nutso, and that opening sound on Everything in its Right Place sets you up from the get go
Fishbone
3/5
Didn’t like QUITE as much as I hoped but this was really fun
Koffi Olomide
4/5
Hell yes, so amazing this is on the list!! Loved it!!
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Had a chill time listening to this during a fairly stressful afternoon... 4 stars..
PJ Harvey
4/5
Good work from Peej here. Enjoyed it a lot.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
A great listen every time I come back to it, which is truly often! Looks how it sounds, which is totally entrancing!
Tina Turner
4/5
This is really really awesome, I have to say - love the Al Green cover, but the whole thing is bold and fun!
Blondie
3/5
Mucho mistrust… good album
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
I don’t even know if I totally get this album but it’s very cool and ambitious and modern, tons of moments where I totally forgot I was listening to FM. Would like for it to grow on me bc I appreciate how different it is from the other stuff I’ve heard from them
Pantera
3/5
Not super surprising, I’m sure, that I enjoyed this. Groovy and angsty and long!
Coldplay
4/5
Have always been a bit disconnected from Coldplay but Jess loves this album and listening to some songs with her made me appreciate it more! It is a pretty rousing and classic collection of pop rock and piano ballads!
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Oo wee oo….. pretty strong 3 here, I do love this classic heart-on-sleeve type of stuff
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
I’d heard this name before but honestly didn’t know what it was! A super pleasant listen and surprise!
Taylor Swift
1/5
I’m sorry I can’t. Last song (title track w Bon Iver) was not bad but.. too little too late I’m afraid. I thought it was funny when she said “peculior” to rhyme with evermore
Beck
4/5
I don’t really get Beck and think this is an odd album but .. I liked it! Worked for me against all odds!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Still enjoying his work, finding it pleasant enough to listen to, but not totally connecting for me sadly! But it's nice and slow and felt!
Tim Buckley
4/5
Pretty bloody lovely. Nepo dad
The Police
3/5
I somehow never put together that The Police was reggae rock, and here I am listening to Reggatta De Blanc. It’s kinda crazy. A lotta good tracks on here though
Magazine
4/5
Hey this ruled! It really real life ruled! First track put its claws in me!
Kraftwerk
4/5
F’ing A, if you know what I mean
AC/DC
3/5
This is such funny music, such shrill vocals! But idk I enjoyed it enough. Said this last time I think, but I am surprised again that they’re Australian
Bob Dylan
4/5
I completely don’t know this guy but this album was good
The Damned
3/5
3.5. I'll be damned if this isn't some damned good punk music
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Was super pleased to see this album pop up on here, I love it!
Queen
3/5
It is fine and all but this list needs to stop forcing Queen on me…. If I click ‘Vote’ and there’s a Queen album again I will combust
Tito Puente
3/5
A really fun listen!! I might have Dance Mania!!
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Gotta listen to this by a river ASAP
Soft Cell
4/5
Enjoyed this a lot!! Fun sounds fun voice
The Verve
2/5
This thing bored my pants ON!! I am wearing pants to this day!
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
This damn album right here goes hard as damn hell yep
The Only Ones
3/5
I enjoyed this! Has that Violent Femmes/almost Lou Reed kind of vocals, fun and punky and jazzy. Another Girl Another Planet a fun song that I used to really like the blink 182 cover of
Bob Dylan
4/5
Happy to report I'm really liking this guy, who was previously completely unknown to me. Great album!
Fats Domino
3/5
Good stuff. Showered my ass off listening to this
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Goon squad, huh?
Goldfrapp
3/5
Still not totally my thing but nonetheless a pretty complete, baroque sound, so I'll give it some props. Though I think I mixed this person up with Santigold for a long time which kept me from digging into Santigold, who I really love, so I gotta dock some cred for that
Arcade Fire
3/5
I still don’t really like Arcade Fire but I got a lot of nostalgia associated with this, my brother used to play a lot of these tracks when I was growing up! I think Neighborhood #1-3 are the strongest and actually kinda remind me of Modest Mouse in places, which is unexpected! Fuck Win Butler for sure tho
Haircut 100
3/5
Oh yeah pretty fun. Jammed to this
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5/5
Gonna drop a 5 on this bc this was such an unexpectedly fantastic discovery!! That first song will stick w me for sure!
The Black Keys
1/5
I used to like this album, and the first few tracks almost tricked me into thinking it was ok… but it’s so long and I was pretty PO’d listening to this tbh. Giving it the rare 1
Leftfield
3/5
Yeah this was p cool!! A lot of cool sounds that would be fit for a movie score
Traffic
3/5
Oh this was pretty good
The Sugarcubes
3/5
Pretty fun! Not too memorable but I like the lead singer’s voice and the cover
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Never got super into the Smashing Pumpkins but I think this album really rocks!! A great listen, excited to listen to it more and familiarize myself with the grooves!
Fugees
5/5
Scores a 5/5 from me
Soul II Soul
4/5
Had a lot of fun listening to this one! Fun/5
R.E.M.
4/5
I wish I liked REM a little bit more but I’m sure they’ll click one day, I think they have a great, consistent sound and this record is a lot of fun!
Ash
3/5
Pretty solid indie rock album, hadn’t heard of it before!
Motörhead
2/5
I can’t even lie, Motörhead has a cool sound, and of course I love the title track but… every classic rock band got that one song called Jailbait if you know what I mean….
The Clash
4/5
London Calling? I’m not pickin that shit up😂😂😂
Better than Elvis
Marty Robbins
4/5
I just heard of this a couple weeks ago (I can’t remember why…) but I’m so glad it popped up bc I was excited to listen! It rocks!!
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Really liked some of these songs!! A pretty solid album
Earth, Wind & Fire
5/5
Pretty magical
Yes
4/5
Been seeing the light with these guys more and more, their music is really epic! If someone said “do you want me to turn this off?”, I’d say “Yes? No!!” And if they said “do you want me to turn this up?”, I’d say: “yeah!”
Happy Mondays
3/5
Thought this would be a lil cooler than it was.. but it was good. Enjoyed the last song
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Insanely good. Wow. “Ain’t No Way” is right!
Erykah Badu
5/5
Masterpiece
The Temptations
4/5
Awesome record wow
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Very pleasant!!
George Michael
3/5
I listened to this without prejudice and… it was good! Strong 3, like a 3.5
I did listen to Freedom and was hearing “have some faith in the sound” in a certain actors voice from a movie, and it turned out to be Peter Dante from Chuck & Larry. Does that count as prejudice?
Carole King
4/5
Very lovely album!! Really love the Aretha Franklin cover at the end (good timing bc we just got her album a few days ago AND I just watched the Blues Brothers)
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Honestly… music to my ears! Hell, it’s probably music to anyone’s ears!
Dolly Parton
4/5
This is so good, and honestly what country’s all about! Pure, sad, American poetry.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Been listening to a lot of Beach Boys in the last few days, and I mean... of course this is a damn masterpiece. It's so sad, so beautiful, some of the best tracks of all time are on this thing!! I Just Wasn't Made For These Times 💔
Steely Dan
4/5
Damn this has me in like 5 seconds. Really really a banger… a strong strong 4 here.
Adele
3/5
Super solid album, not mad at it at all
Joan Baez
4/5
Need to listen to this by a river stat, pt. 2
Kid Rock
1/5
Wasn’t mad at this at first (he knew what he was doing starting with those two tracks) but this crosses the line lol. G. Love and the Special Sauce or whatever clears. An enemy of Joe Dirt is an enemy of me
OutKast
5/5
I feel like I thought this was the best Outlast album originally bc it had the hits, then I heard the others and was like oh yeah these are way better.. this still isn’t the best one but.. damn I had fun listening to this album! Legendary! Also an underrated thought but that first half is soooo excellent!! Some crazy lyrics on the Andre half but still a total banger… yes!
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
What would Nigel Thornberry think about this......
Deerhunter
3/5
A band I never really got into despite wanting to. I think I used to like them actually. I don’t know
Stereolab
3/5
Didn’t totally click but pretty solid. Fuck kinda album name though…….
Black Sabbath
4/5
Love how patient and kinda introspective this album is for them - these guys frickin rule of course!! With all its little detours, I feel like this could be a great soundtrack for a sword n sorcery type of movie
Big Star
3/5
Could've liked this more I think.. didn't do a ton for me. Took a bit to understand what this version of the album was lol but I understand it's closer to the original vision of it? Doesn't mean a ton to me.. just means it was longer.............
Cornershop
3/5
Pretty interesting, cool production! Never heard of this before
Beatles
4/5
Incredible album of course… grows on me
More every time I listen, and the same goes for the Beatles in general. I’m Only Sleeping one of the most beautiful songs ever, I wept listening to it
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Incredible stuff man… cmon…. So many influential sounds and vocals!!!!
Buck Owens
4/5
It was good. What can I say
Frank Zappa
3/5
Zank Frappa #hotratssummer
Isaac Hayes
4/5
So good. Parts of this weirdly reminded me of Paddy McAloon’s I Trawl the Megahertz, and I wonder if this had any influence on that….
Wilco
3/5
A bit long, but enjoyed this even more than I thought! Slap like a 3.5 on this
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Just a solid ass listen… what can I say
Beth Orton
3/5
Enjoyed this a fair amount. Granted, I listened to it over like, 3 days, so I should give it another chance.
R.E.M.
3/5
Still clicking with REM but it’s always a pretty pleasant listen. Just watched that Looney Tunes movie that used the end of the world song.. made me chuckle. Very Chicken Little of them
David Bowie
4/5
I don’t know what this guys talking about most of the time but this album is excellent. Takes me back! Killer last track!
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Let me be Frank... I listened to this.
Santana
4/5
Wow this is a banger. I also just learned Santana DVX is real. God is good
Billy Bragg
4/5
Listened to this on the flight to London which seems fitting! I love this album cover, it reminds me of that SpongeBob pimp picture. The music reminded me of King Krule and Adam Sandler at times… but the album is really awesome. Love the Union song
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Quite cool… very minimal.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Very energetic post-punk, had a good time listening!
Pavement
4/5
Got a lot more into Pavement this year for obvious reasons, but I do love em! This album is great, and though it’s a lot less hit-heavy, it really coasts on vibes and that patented cheeky slacker energy. So many fantastic moments
Raekwon
4/5
Such a GREAT ALBUM the production is ridiculous and so atmospheric!
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Some pretty sounds but didn't entirely click, gotta say
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Very nice listening
Sheryl Crow
4/5
Kind of a mixed bag but… take my 4 stars Sheryl Crow
Rush
3/5
Drums and vocals are very clean, I get the appeal, I wish it resonated a little more though!
Soft Machine
4/5
Wow I haven't heard first or second but this is great!! The second (and fourth tbh) tracks reminded me a lot of BADBADNOTGOOD, which is crazy bc this is from 1970 - all tracks stand out in their own way. Big fan!
Pixies
4/5
Classic album, I love it! When they were tasked with making this record, they didn’t do little… they did a lot!!
Bon Jovi
2/5
The hits are rousing, I admit! Crazy sounds at the beginning of Livin on a Prayer that I love. It’s not that bad but he just has a very theatrical sound that is kinda funny to me… not my thing. I see why this album was huge for him though, it’s stacked!
Miles Davis
5/5
Man I love this jazz crap 🚬
Black Sabbath
5/5
Hell yes… I think this is my fav from them and of course it hit hard as hell today!! RIP!
fIREHOSE
3/5
Thought this would be cooler, it kinda looked like a cool punky/hardcore album, and actually started sounding that way before shifting immediately into a pretty soft indie rock… but it went up and down, there was certainly some interesting instrumentation. Idk!
Wire
4/5
Banger album, such a breeze to listen to! I gotta dig into more Wire but this is a classic
Morrissey
2/5
Was not expecting to land negatively on this - parroting others that Morrissey sucks but I do tend to enjoy his music. I think the production on this is a bit thudding and a bit too polished and doesn’t cradle his annoying lyrics well enough for me
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Insane banger! Just realized I haven’t even seen this movie yet - wtf! But I did see the remake in theaters and it was great… also a great soundtrack…
More songs should announce their subtext like No Thing On Me (Cocaine Song) does. Third Eye Blind could have called it Semi-Charmed Life (Crystal Meth Song)
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
DIG! was the first movie we screened with Truth and Dare, and I watched it three times and still never sat down and listened to Dandy Warhols (or BJM for that matter!). I even wrote about how they didn’t seem very good, and how that was a lot of what made the movie work. Well - turns out I do like it! It sounds good! Having seen the doc also made me enjoy it more, tbf!
Elvis Costello
3/5
So this is the king of rock and roll eh?
Moby Grape
2/5
Pretty unremarkable overall - too bad I didn't listen to the abridged version (a Moby Dick joke?)
Weather Report
4/5
Seconding Sameen that Wayne Shorter is the goat, that guy RULES!! Also the hat on this cover really reminds me of the hat Tim Robinson wears in the courtroom ITYSL sketch.
Very good album, it's very easy listening but deceptively simple, I'd say - a lot going on instrumentally!!
4/5
Man I love this country crap 🚬
Paul Simon
4/5
So this is the king of rock and roll eh?
Talvin Singh
4/5
Not back-to-front enthralling but I thought this was really sick, had some fantastic sounds!!
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
I’d heard this before but can’t for the life of me remember why!! I don’t think I enjoyed it as much this time either, but it’s pretty solid! A lot of good melodies and vocals, but didn’t keep my attention entirely
Pixies
3/5
I don’t think I’ve actually heard this before… some of the tracks, but not in full! Didn’t like it as much as the first two!
Hüsker Dü
3/5
I like Hoosker Doo (don’t have time to write the umlauts) but I’d never heard this one before! Why does it sound so much like REM? Pretty good
50 Cent
5/5
Would you still have love for me…
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Not really what I thought this band was?? Nothing against this really but it didn’t leave an impression, sadly
Fugazi
4/5
Absolutely love Fugazi!! They have a few albums I like more than this but the energy is so good!
The Style Council
4/5
Ok this was kinda insane. Becomes more basic (but good) sophisti-pop after “A Gospel” (once I hit that song I couldn’t fathom what was in store for me…) but it was quite good! Successful jazz & pop!
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Really enjoyed this
Skunk Anansie
4/5
It's a banger, your honor. Starts much stronger than it ends but I like it a lot
Gram Parsons
4/5
Grew on me throughout the listen honestly! I really like the Emmylou vocals throughout, and it’s just some real solid country music with some fun covers and great riffs as a cherry on top!
Neu!
3/5
I enjoyed listening to this fucking bullshit (not a quality judgment, just trying out new ways to talk about music)
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
This was good! I could definitely see it growing on me, it want exactly what I expected but a good listen!
3/5
Funny voice on this guy. I completely don’t know him, by the way
John Grant
3/5
Incredibly 2010 album. Reminded me of Father John Misty a lot of times, and not just because he says Honeybear in one of those tracks. I actually liked this a lot but don’t like the use of racial slurs at the end of JHF, a song I was enjoying up to that point
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
My niece thought her name was Elephants Gerald... Elephants Gerald, Ella Fitzgerald... let's call the whole thing off
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
Message!
M.I.A.
5/5
This album is absolutely unreal, holds up better than I could have imagined!! So many tracks on here could/should have been as big as Paper Planes tbh.. just had a blast all the way through this thinf
Orbital
4/5
Thought this was super lovely tbh!! Had a great time vibing to it, especially the middle section
The Jam
3/5
Jelly suspiciously unrepresented on this list….
Soundgarden
3/5
I feel as though I’m basking in a garden of sound listening to this album…. I prefer Audioslave though. Kinda funny how he pulls out the hair metal vox in this sometimes
Nanci Griffith
4/5
A banger.. country probably the genre with the highest hit rate on this list so far??
The Black Crowes
3/5
My fav song was Mr. Jones
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Last night I wrote “Janis Joplin is big brother???” And this whole website crashed…. Makes you think
Elton John
3/5
Very classic.. the madman actually did it
Meat Puppets
4/5
Oooh really great album! Very fond of Cowpunk! I really liked and related to the song I’m a Mindless Idiot
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
I think this album is awesome.. I remember listening to it the first time, being pretty blown away by Slow Burn and not totally gelling with the rest, but it’s really solid, nicely layered country pop! A really good collection of songs!
The Youngbloods
3/5
Fun album! I think the instrumental tracks stood out the most
Michael Jackson
4/5
Well it’s sure not on the wall…
The xx
2/5
Something about this doesn’t hit.. a lot of the songs remind me of other, better songs (On Hold is kind of a shameless rip-off of TI and Justin Timberlake’s Dead and Gone?? No??) and in some cases, other, better The xx songs!
Destiny's Child
4/5
Last week, I complained that Jelly was underrepresented on this list.... egg on my face!
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Enjoyed this at work through my crappy usb headset while answering emails… some of the bluesier tracks I enjoyed less but it was a good listen overall
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Enjoyed this at work through my crappy usb headset while answering emails… ok but obviously the title track goes!! And the one before it really does as well imo. Such a crazy title that still perplexes me. Also reminds me of Manhunter of course which rules
Tom Waits
4/5
This guy is weird man! I dig it 🤙🏻
Q-Tip
4/5
I've never heard this before actually!! Obvi doesn't live up to the best of Tribe but it's real good
Ray Charles
3/5
Good classic stuff. I'm just gonna say it, and I might be the first one: this guy is a genius.
I like when George O. Gore II plays him in Dance Flick.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Me really liking this album: yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Me not really liking this album: yeah, yeah, yeah…
Me trying to remember if I made this same joke last time: 🤔
Me if I wanted to be funny: (wouldn’t make this joke in the first place)
Boards of Canada
4/5
I’m a Geogaddi guy but damn this shit goes hard. Vibed out to this at work and looked at the sun… good vibes…. Basically a 5
Eurythmics
3/5
Eurythras
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
Wasn’t sure about this at first but it was really fun to listen to! Great vocals over some solid, poppy instrumentation
Gang Of Four
4/5
So great! So influential, sounds like so many other things I love from all of the decades that followed it… a ton of fun
Sonic Youth
3/5
I've still yet to really click with Sonic Youth... not a bad listen but I'll have to return to it
King Crimson
5/5
Absolutely fuck yeah. All-timer album cover and INSANE debut btw..... what?????
Metallica
4/5
This is gonna be another H F’ing Yeah! I think this is my fav Metallica album to be honest, SO GOOD!!
Brian Eno
3/5
I love Brian Eno but wasn’t totally wowed by this on this listen… still good of course. Sorry!!!
Aerosmith
2/5
Just gave a mid review to a Brian Eno album only to be handed Aerosmith's 10th album which has two cars DOING IT on the cover...... karma is real
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Idk these songs sound pretty monogamous to me
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Not sure what it is that this is but I like it
The Byrds
3/5
Liked their country album more. Set me up for failure!
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
It’s funny liking/knowing music through older siblings because growing up, this and Modest Mouse seemed exactly the same to me - which makes sense given where MM was in their career but they are so different…. Not a favorite but a pretty undeniable debut with a high hit rate!
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Beautiful stuff! What room did these come from?
Madness
3/5
This is pure, unadulterated, blistering, utter music
Calling Cards is an awesome song tbh... good instrumentation throughout this album but that and Our House stand out particularly
The Replacements
3/5
Feel like I should like this
More than I do, but it’s p good
Robert Wyatt
3/5
I listened to the song September Ninth on September Twenty-Ninth. These are the kind of cool coincidences that make this list worth it :) Album was good. Started strong and didn't totally keep my attention but I liked it. 3.5
Elliott Smith
5/5
I loveeee Elliott Smith so much and this may be my fav of his. First two songs mess me up so bad!!
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Title track kinda lives up to the title but labeling the whole album that way set me up for disappointment. Still p good
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Pretty good! RIP!!
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Frankie goes to Hollywood... and Malcolm in the Middle is born.
Interesting album... a real variety of sounds and interesting moments, multiple queered Springsteen covers?? Weird!! I do feel welcome in the pleasuredome though so thank you for that
Richard Hawley
4/5
Super pleasant to listen to, very pretty!! Liked it a lot!!
Pentangle
3/5
More nice Ren Faire, listen-to-this-by-a-pond music. Prob pretty influential... it's really nice! Just one note: drop the 'The'... hold on........
Missy Elliott
5/5
A certified freaking banger and not even Missy’s best
Tortoise
4/5
Enjoyed this a fair amount, the last 5 tracks especially had this sorta deconstructed vibe to them, focusing on particular sounds and kinda droning them along… light 4
David Holmes
3/5
Kinda weird (the 007 remix?), pretty listenable, kinda forgettable... thank god he went on to score Analyze That otherwise I might not know who this bloke was!
The Lemonheads
3/5
Really fun album! Just one note: add the “The”
Sepultura
4/5
Seriously stellar album, it’s so good. Itsári a real highlight here
Deep Purple
4/5
The Mule goes nuts and the part on Strange Kind of Woman where he’s shrieking along with the guitar is so awesome lol. Sounds like a knockout performance, enjoyed this way more than their studio albums that came up on this list
Afrika Bambaataa
4/5
Very much goes hard as all hell
The Human League
3/5
Dare! I say, this was a lot of fun.....!
Patti Smith
3/5
Not bad, not totally my thing.
4/5
Not the best but damn it’s good!!! I was super excited when this popped up. Just one note: add the “The”
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Pleasant and pretty!!
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Blues for Huey…. Wow. Loved this a lot
Steely Dan
4/5
Loving Steely Dan rn, it’s been a long time coming…. Listened to Gaucho last week (loved it) and now I loved this one too. So good!
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Gotta be one of the most British guys out there… his book is called “Memoirs of a Geezer” and one of his top search results is him talking about getting in a fight that ended up in a Sainsbury’s. I wanted to be like “who the hell is Jah Wobble” but honestly seems like he’s p influential and worked with some really cool people so I’ll let him live
Ramones
4/5
It’s kinda repetitive but I do think it’s pretty iconic and I love a lot of these songs
Morrissey
3/5
Bro thinks he’s hated for loving
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
No offense, like at all, but what the fucking hell is this fucking bullshit? I’m just kidding this is totally fine, very inoffensive music. Didn’t much move me and that’s ok, not everything has to get some strong reaction out of us, come on! Peace and love guys! Bosh
CHVRCHES
4/5
Thought it was a bit silly that this came up on the list, shows the list’s 2010s bias, but I’m not gonna lie to my friends and say there aren’t some bangers on this thing!
Rod Stewart
3/5
It's pretty! I enjoyed it!
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Had this on as background music mostly but it was solid
Mj Cole
3/5
I dunno tbh. And I mean that sincerely
The Saints
3/5
Super solid punk rock record!!
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
This is a ridiculous album… don’t know what else to say
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Sorry but this was honestly annoying
Beatles
4/5
Definitely not my fav Beatles but it's growing on me, so many great tracks! Not as many stand-outs to me atm but it was such easy listening and you can hear the more layered and complex instrumentation showing itself here. I'm loving any chance to listen to some Beatles on this list!
The Young Gods
2/5
Definitely interesting and could be cool in the right setting but I didn’t love listening to it
3/5
Quite a good album, it’s got a real grandiose scale to it. I love the Look of Love reprise right before the end. Had to google halfway through to make sure this wasn’t a Robert Smith side project bc of the vocals lol. 3.5
3/5
What is this good for?
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Had never heard this one! It’s great!
Tom Waits
4/5
Had never heard this Waits album before, and I thought it was really great! Sometimes he sounds like Mr. Krabs in This Grill is Not a Home
Chicago
3/5
Crazy album, I totally see the appeal, but I’m not any closer to understanding “Chicago”
Traffic
3/5
Super solid. Was John Tucket Must Die a reference to this?
R.E.M.
3/5
I like R.E.M. but only to an extent, they've yet to totally effect me, but this is a classic collection of songs. I like Nightswimming, and I like night swimming, and I like the movie Night Swim. I also think Everybody Hurts is funny, but in a good way
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
This was epic I fear
Liz Phair
4/5
Love this album, so playful and fun and real!
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Awesome vibe, loved it
David Bowie
4/5
Definitely thought I’d heard this before - and at the beginning was like yeah, ok, this is p good - but if I have, then I definitely didn’t remember the ambient turn this takes at the end. Very nice, I like it!
Stephen Stills
3/5
Kind of reminds me of playing a Predator board game
Doves
3/5
They’re calling it “post-Britpop”. Well, I’m calling it “just ok”! Some of it def sounds like basic Radiohead wannabe stuff, one song sounds like Pearl Jam. I dunno!
Little Simz
4/5
Little Simz is so cool, such a great & easy listen
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
Great listen, really enjoyed it! Loved the drums!
Iggy Pop
4/5
Evil Iggy Pop be like: I'm Piggy Op
The Crusaders
4/5
Awesome jazzy vibe, this was a fun listen
Finley Quaye
3/5
Never heard of it, thought it was perfectly fine
Pixies
4/5
Blank Frack
Le Tigre
4/5
Perfect lo-fi production, has an almost trip-hop feel at times, feels like it should soundtrack some kind of SOV movie. Love it
David Ackles
3/5
Really weird mix of country/baroque sounds on this thing… didn’t always know what I was listening to. Liked the last song
The Charlatans
3/5
Pretty solid stuff. Very sad about the keyboardist passing during the making of the album - I liked his tribute track at the end
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Weird stuff. Stray thought but this list makes you think about the way songs are taken out of the context of their albums and become hits - Solsbury Hills on its own is a very pleasant song that I’m sure I’ve heard tons of times and didn’t know who it was by, and elicits a very specific tone, but this album is so much more than that! So much wilder and weirder! It’s cool
Linkin Park
5/5
One of the best bands ever… amazing album…….. faith restored in this list
Animal Collective
4/5
I really love this thing after all these years - I think it's really lovely and warm
Kelela
4/5
Big fan!
Gene Clark
4/5
Stellar, lovely album! I actually just downloaded it after learning about Cosmic Country from that David Ackles album on here, and it’s such a great description for this sound. Loved it!
Carpenters
4/5
Wow this goes - what a haunting vibe!
Ray Price
3/5
Super solid country album, great cover
Fiona Apple
5/5
I think this album is pretty triumphant, so full of passion! Had a great time revisiting this
Arcade Fire
4/5
This was always my fav Arcade Fire and it still is… spiritually deducting points for being Arcade Fire
Pink Floyd
3/5
I like this but it doesn’t totally personally connect for me… will prob revisit it in time!
The Specials
4/5
A little minor but so many great moments, great vocal inflections, fun instrumental flourishes - love these folks
Mercury Rev
4/5
This was my first listen and I think this is a borderline 5. Wow! A beautiful album!!
Primal Scream
4/5
Album is awesome as hell
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Weird album. I’m into it