my favorite album of the Berlin trilogy, an extremely experimental album like usual with bowie. most of the album is ambient tracks, which i still enjoy but i wish bowie had a stronger presence on the album, every time he shows up he makes the track even better
i’ve heard this album so many times over the years and coming back i still pick up on new things. this is essential listening for every moody teenager. the best smiths album with the best writing, the best songwriting and structures, and the best morrissey had to offer vocally before he inevitably fell off for being such a loser.
definitely the most ambitious green day album, and i think it’s pretty great for it even though the execution isn’t perfect. one of the first CD’s i ever picked up too!
i think objectively this is the best kanye west album. it’s not my personal favorite(shoutout TLOP) but i can’t deny how spectacular this album is. this is the album where kanye perfects the formula of bringing in a bunch of people to form more of a collaborative voice instead of just kanye. an endlessly iconic album too, it’s not close to perfect at all there’s at least one flaw or critique with each track, yet the amount of show stopping and iconic moments within each track makes up for it. every single person involved in this album(even chris rock!!) brings their A-game. the most kanye kanye west album and it’s the best because of it. 5/5
when i first listening to this album, i was really turned off. i didn’t enjoy it at all, and i was ready to immediately give it a 2 and move on to the next. but after a couple full listens listens i started to get it. i still don’t think it’s amazing mind you but i would be able to understand why this album is on the list. i’ve never listened to buddy holly before and i’ve always heard about how important he was to music and how his death was “the day the music died” but i was a little disappointed on my first listen. i get it now, buddy had a one of a kind voice for his time and he knew how to use it. you can hear influence on surf rock, british invasion, and almost everything to come with rock music in the 60’s, which is why this album is so important. 3/5
I liked this album overall, this is my first time listening to Iggy Pop and i can see why people like him so much. there’s some amazing song work on here, he really knows how to envelope you in his sonic landscape. lots of amazing blues rock and experimentation on here wish he wasn’t such a creep though. 4/5
spectacular. Tom Waits sounds like Louis Armstrong went to hell and learned the blues from Robert Johnson. he brings this cold and moody album to life. in every technical aspect this album excels too, the production choices are kind of insane sometimes but they all work perfectly. everything is so minimal but completely fills the soundscape. this album goes above and beyond in every way i can think of. 5/5
Curtis creates an essential soul album by pulling from early funk, gospel and roots music. this album is full of sharp political commentary but still remains so hopeful! it’s fascinating to listen to, a lot of these tracks deal like a lot of very difficult topics like systemic racism, income inequality, systemic crime in inner cities yet it still has room for so much love. everything on this album is performed at the highest level, once again proving that Curtis Mayfield is one of the GOATS for a reason. 4/5
an album doesn’t have to be complex to be good, and Ace of Spades proves it. there’s no concept or interconnected storyline, it’s just a full album of straight bangers that doesn’t let up until the end. what more can you really ask for? 4/5
War is the best U2 album, which doesn’t mean much since it’s not very good. there are some cool percussion choices and the song topics are admirable and worthy of talking about, but they go nowhere with it. like they build a great vibe and atmosphere on each track but they have no sauce at all. like 90’s Cure and Pet Shop Boys do this sound a whole lot more justice. this album’s greatest crime is being just listenable. 2/5
i’ve always liked Beck ever since i heard him cover a Carpenters song for Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind(which isn’t on streaming for some reason) but i’ve never really given him a full chance until now. i understand why people talk about his unique relationship with Radiohead so much, he was doing stuff on this album that they wouldn’t try until almost 10 years later. he brings a similar vibe and energy to them, but in a indie rock/folk type of way. i’m really glad i gave him a shot because of the 1,001 albums, i’ll definitely be coming back
not the best Clash album, but it’s still pretty great and an essential piece of music history. it’s super influential for early punk and we don’t get a lot of what comes after this if The Clash never existed. it’s definitely of its time but that doesn’t mean it has no merits
one of my favorite albums of all time. i love it so much in fact that i have it on cd and the 2008 vinyl repressing. i own and have listened to everything in nick drake’s discography and Pink Moon is his best album by far. It’s singer-songwriter at its most stripped back, with only guitar and vocals on every track besides the intro which gets a little piano flourish on the bridge. you don’t get sufjan stevens or adrienne lenker without Pink Moon. its influence is massively understated due to how relatively obscure this album is. Nick Drake committed suicide right after this album came out, and it didn’t sell well so it was out of print for over 30 years. this is an intimate exploration of Nick Drakes mind, just you sitting alone with him and his guitar as he weaves through his thoughts about certain topics. a beautiful album by an endlessly complex person who deserved so much better. 5/5
i’m shocked i’ve never heard this band before, this is spectacular. it’s a little over the top and theatrical but sometimes that’s what you need to make the music work. the first half of this is a great post-punk album and the second half is blues revival and glam rock? it’s all over the place but i think it works. Suede definitely shows that they’re more than a one trick pony and are willing to try their hand at almost anything
this isn’t my favorite Stevie Wonder album, or even close to his best but it’s a testament to how skilled and talented he is that this album is still so high quality. it seems like people forget how talented Stevie Wonder really is until they actually hear something he took part in. i know this album has a couple hits on it but the deep cuts are even better. “Blame it on The Sun” and “Big Brother” are two standouts examples of how great this album is. I don’t really know if there’s a bad Stevie Wonder album at all and he deserves his flowers as one of the best artists in his genre and even of all time.
the first elliot smith song i listened to was “say yes” that closer for this album. hearing it in the context of the album fully enhances the experience. this is an extremely intimate album experience and i think it’s intentionally made that way. it seems like elliot’s vocals are mixed higher, so they’re right in your face when you listen. i adore it, we spend a half hour listening to elliot whisper his soul into us and it all ends with the morning after. one of the singer songwriter albums ever, and i wish he got the help he deserved.
wow this was really awful. over the top and theatrical to the point of absurdity. maybe that’s semi intentional but that doesn’t make the album experience any better. it’s bombastic in the worst way possible. the horns and synths are blaring in your ears and sound ridiculous. i know this is supposed to be a satire of nazi propaganda and fascism in general but i only knew that because i read about the band beforehand. if the satire is so genuine that you wouldn’t be able to tell if its real without context beforehand, was it ever really satire in the first place?
this albums biggest issue is inconsistency. i suppose that comes with making an experimental rock album through, not everything you try will work. there are moments on each track where they get a flow going and hit a pocket so good that it makes you forget this is a freeform rock album and they go back to complete randomness. i want to enjoy this album more than i do, and i see the talent and ability they have, but there’s just nothing here.
my favorite of the proto punk albums i’ve listened to. it’s not as loud as Sex Pitols and not and politically in your face as The Clash. It’s a lot of softer, and it reminds me a bit of 90’s emo and indie rock from that time. it’s also got a bit of jazz influence too? i warmed up to it a lot more as a listened. just like with most proto punk you can hear all the influence they’ll have in the future. definitely worth a listen for the history and for the actual music.
the Pulp Fiction of experimental albums. every music fan listens to this for the first time and thinks it’s the best things ever. and that isn’t without merit, the album have aged pretty well and sounded ahead of it’s time in some places. the killer combo of lou reed and iggy pop mesh so well together, they match each others energy perfectly. 100% worth a listen for the actual content and for the history this album has.
my first full dolly parton album and a great one to start with. an essential bluegrass album with great storytelling and spectacular vocals from dolly. it convinced me to go back and listen to her other albums in full!
i groaned when i saw this album was next, expected nothing good to come from it. i was pleasantly surprised after listening the amount of quality this record holds. the production is dated, it can be overblown and gaudy, but Bruce Springsteen is a great songwriter especially when he’s talking the plight of working class people. his lyrics are poignant and forward thinking, the topics he discusses are still issues today. i was surprised at how expressive and personal they seem. it all comes from a very real place, and i think that’s to this albums benefit. he’s able to bring an americana vibe to the mainstream. a pretty great album held back by dated production choices
i wish i had more to say about this album, but it just kind of comes and goes. it’s just solid early punk
this is glam rock at its very best. overblown and theatrical to the max, when it works it 100% works. bridges and hooks that work their way into your brain and never leave
this is not garbage in the slightest, some great alt rock with dance and electronic influence. lots of forward thinking lyrics that are hidden within the deeper cuts of this album, worth a listen simply to listen.
i had to take 2 fully days to get through this album. there is such a deep weariness and sadness in Bill’s voice that i’ve seen very few artists replicate. it fits so perfectly over the sparse and sometimes a little plain instrumentals. you’re really just there to listen to Bill, and he has a lot to say. he brings devastating lyrical content to the table, only aided by his unique tone that adds so much more character to the album. he sounds so tired, not apathetic but too exhausted by life to care about much anymore. it’s so human, and i can’t wait to hear more from him.
the album is dense, even after 2 full listens i still don’t really understand everything that’s going on here. it’s not my favorite nick cave album but i can see why it’s revered so heavily even if there’s some awful production choices. maybe i’ll enjoy this more once it clicks
a quintessential indie album. i always hear people talk about how this is the best strokes album and they’ve spent their whole career trying to replicate it. maybe it’s because we’re twenty years removed from it, but this is not the best strokes album. it’s still great, and massively influential for the indie scene at the time but they have definitely put out better music over the length of their career. this is a great album worth listening to, even if i think it’s overrated.
i wish i had more to say, this was made before albums were really albums so this is just a collection of previously released songs. they’re all good mind you but it’s just stuff i’ve already heard.
