I get that it was influential, but it doesn’t even sound innovative for its time. I can hear the bits and pieces of the music that followed, the just don’t quite understand why this album was the one everyone keyed in on.
I don’t like Bruce Springsteen and think he is the lesser of NJ’s 2 Native Sons who made it big in 80s rock. After listening, I respect him a little more and get more where he’s coming from, but I’m still no fan.
It’s extremely instrumentally interesting, drawing inspiration from a wide range of influences. It’s a cool bridge between 80s/90s hip hop, and I can hear stuff here that artists are still doing now. Lyrics are vapid af tho. 73/100
I’ve never actually listened to Pink Floyd before this. It is practically instrumentally perfect. The arrangements and performance are incredible. The lyrics left me wanting in spots and weren’t as cohesive as I’d like.
The only remarkable thing about this record is the release date. In context, I’m sure it was a wildly revolutionary sound, but 41 years later it sounds like any other 90s alt record.
Instrumentally and vocally gorgeous. Marvin Gaye’s version of Grapevine is far superior though. The title track blows the rest out of the water.
This album is so much fun. I’m honestly upset that I’d never heard of this band before, it’s some of the best early punk I’ve ever heard.
I liked this a lot more than I expected, as someone who doesn’t often enjoy hip hop. Maybe it’s the Britishness of it that presents some novelty.
It combines all of my least favorite things about indie/alt music from the late 2000s: overreliance on poorly produced electronic elements, bad vocals, and a faux self-effacing pretentiousness. Last track is good tho
Tom Sawyer is classic Red Barchetta is adventurous YYZ is virtuosic Limelight is challenging Camera Eye is expansive Witch Hunt is thought provoking Vital Signs
This sounds a lot like most other late 90s-early 00s rap that I’m familiar with. The beats are extremely well produced, but the most notable thing about Missy’s lyrics is the career they precede
There’s a certain crassness that comes with the territory of what he’s trying to go with here, but he pushes it past its limits at certain points for a shock value that, as a contemporary of Eminem and RATM, just isn’t there.
So wonderfully captures that carefree neo-boho moment of the mid teens, but low energy pop has never been my jam.
After reading up on The KLF, I feel like listening to this album in a relative vacuum takes a lot of the punch out of it. Interesting and eclectic genre mix that, when it works, works well, but when it doesn’t, kinda sucks.
Nearly 60 years after this album came out, it sounds like cliché crying cowboy country, but I can’t help but think that it wasn’t yet a cliché in its time. The last 3 tracks are great, too.
This is the kind of music I hoped I’d hear when getting into this project. It’s high energy, thoughtful, poignant, and the instrumentation and sampling are so creative and interesting without coming off as experimental.
I get what they’re going for, I just don’t really like it that much. The frequent dissonance and long instrumental sections perfectly set that moody, mopey tone you expect from the cure, I’m just not crazy about it.
Bored to tears, tbh. It was musically very nice, but the genre just didn’t do it for me at all.
Really pleasant country pop that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. The lyricism is excellent even if there isn’t much variation musically.
Beautifully crafted, raw, honest examination of the central themes of relationships within the context of addiction and economic difficulty.
Too experimental and artsy for my taste. The high energy sections often worked very well, the guitar solos were great, but I just don’t feel like it worked as a cohesive piece.
I’m a sucker for southern rock and good storytelling. The killer guitar solos don’t hurt either. I’m definitely coming back to this one.
I’m already vaguely familiar with this record, but I confess that it’s better than I remember. Pop-leaning IDM that retains a lot of the charm of their earlier successes while not settling or sounding stale.
The highs were extremely high—excellent lyricism and messaging. The lows came off as corny and gauche.
A solid 90s alt-rock offering. Hard to beat it, but can’t call it perfect either.
It’s Ella Fitzgerald and George Gershwin, how do you miss? That being said, it’s also 3 hours long so I’ll cop to not listening to all of it.
If this had been released 10 years later, it would be significantly less remarkable. But to so flawlessly capture the best parts of 80s rock in the 70s makes this exceptional.
The instrumentals were exceptional and exciting, but Morrissey just seemed vocally bored the entire time. I get how some people might be drawn to this, but it’s not for me.
90s hip hop sensibilities at its core but with a lot of interesting variations. On the edges. Still not really my thing but I can respect creativity.
Jazz instrumentation and general positivity make it stand out, but there are lots of pretty mainstream early 2000s hip hop elements that just don’t land with me.
This was way more pleasant than I anticipated it would be. Actively calming without being sonically boring.
Tbh, I feel like they did the whole Beatles-esque folky rock minstrel show better than the Beatles. A little derivative but really pleasant.
I expected something fully unserious and got some decent groovy tunes. The guitars were especially nice
I can’t tell if it’s hackneyed or influential but I know it sounds like songs I’ve heard a thousand times before in the corniest way.
Bruce’s storytelling skills are without parallel, but here he decides to couch them within the most boring music you could possibly imagine.
I hate that I’m starting to enjoy these late 60s/early 70s folk-based rock albums. Still a little too woo-woo for me, and I still can’t get into the airy vocals over acoustic guitars, but the more uptempo sections hit just right.
Side A is better storytelling, side B is catchier. All in all, a solid solid album.
He tries to blend rock, pop, country, and even a little folk, to the detriment of most of those genres.
The worst of early teens indie sleaze without what made genre standouts good. It actively irritated me.
The wordplay and lyricism and instrumentation and arrangement are mindblowing, but it does feel like a bit of a relic that doesn’t sound very 2002
I love punk, but man this is exceptionally mid.
The title track is exceptional. The rest of it, with the reggae schtick and Caribbean vocal affectation, gets old really quick.
Birdland is a certified classic but the rest just sounds like elevator music.
I can’t stand his voice and it seems like he took all of the least pleasant aspects of experimental rock at the time and smushed them together.
So much respect for minor threat but their later stuff just hits better.
Perfectly pleasant jazz. The bass player is incredible.
The instrumental sections were especially nice. Groovy, interesting, dynamic.
Hell yeah slipknot
There is practically nothing remarkable about the instrumentation, the lyrics are so-so, and her voice is downright annoying. I’m not surprised that I’ve never heard of PJ Harvey; there’s not much of not to have heard.
Ridiculous Halloween circus music
Really pleasant, sounded like a jazzier Phil Collins
It was hard to divorce what I know of the Foos from my listening experience. It’s not as good as what came later, but on its own isn’t a bad album.
It would’ve been better as a concert film, but regardless, it’s wonderful. Groovy, dynamic, artistic, I’ll definitely come back to this.
Regardless of any issues I take with their premises (though only a few), it’s damn fine rock and roll. The in ovation and technicality, paired with the passion and emotion, make this an incredible album.
I appreciate the artistry, but there was too much chaos and dissonance for me to actually enjoy it as a whole.
Post punk but more on the punk side. I liked this way more than I expected to, despite the popular song being one of the worst on the album.
Drony whiny indie garbage
Just a touch too old school for my tastes, but I appreciate that they were innovative for the time.
The instrumentals were excellent—raw, but passionate and well executed. The vocals sounded like a drunk Sylvester Stallone recorded them from outside the booth, and tbh did a disservice to the thoughtful lyrics.
It’s really just Taylor poppifying 2010s indie sleaze. Doesn’t mean it’s not good, but it’s neither the best TSwift album nor the best downtempo pop album of its era.
It’s wonderfully pleasant, but I can’t imagine how it’s possibly influential enough to be included on this list.
Groovy, pleasant, I kept saying to myself “hey I know that song from a movie”
Truly the best of 2010s indie pop. It’s energetic and dynamic without losing its depth.
The storytelling and ability to stay around the central theme of the shock of fame are excellent. Beats don’t quite do it for me tho.
It’s so dynamic and exciting and creative. I’m honestly mad at myself that I’d never heard of Machito before this.
Perfectly fine folk based Beatles style rock, but absolutely not my jam.
I wanted so badly to like it. It’s high energy alternative rock. What’s not to like? But the mixing job was absolutely atrocious and was so distracting that I couldn’t focus on anything else.
It’s just diet Beatles. Fine for others. Nor for me.
Divorcing it from what I know of Aerosmith, it’s satisfyingly bluesy and more interesting than their later stuff to be sure.
So preposterously corny
Innovative, a great blend of punk and outside influences. I just don’t love those outside influences lol
The high energy stuff is some of the best pop I’ve ever heard but she loses me on the ballads.
Not one of the best jam bands I’ve ever heard but their energy is undeniable.
Not quite country, not quite rock, not quite pop, not quite anything enough to be worth listening to.
Not quite as sharp as its contemporaries. It was fine but didn’t quite hit the soulful spot as other similar notable albums.
The fact that the whole Beatles-esque minstrel sound was ever popular is an enduring mystery to me.
It’s really only redeemed by its blues influences. The whole Beatles style minstrel folk rock movement doesn’t hit with me, and it’s hard for me to be objective about how it could hit with others.
I really dug the bluesy instrumentals but the vocals would’ve been bad even if I spoke the language.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The softer rock songs are significantly better than the fast paced or hip hop stuff, and the lyrics are straight nonsense across the board.
I get that it was influential, but it doesn’t even sound innovative for its time. I can hear the bits and pieces of the music that followed, the just don’t quite understand why this album was the one everyone keyed in on.
I really like Isaac Hayes but omg why do the songs need to be 11 minutes long
That first track did not age well omg
He’s not the king for nothing.
Maybe it’s just because I had such low expectations but I adored this. The fusion of high energy post punk with afro and latin jazz influence is so insane and so fun.
If Bob Dylan’s voice didn’t sound like the sonic equivalent of floppy pizza, this album would be incredible.
It’s like a drug fueled Beach Boys children’s album. Unsettling.