612
Albums Rated
3.66
Average Rating
56%
Complete
477 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
116
5-Star Albums
10
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Follow The Leader
Korn
|
5 | 2.65 | +2.35 |
|
Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
|
5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
|
Palo Congo
Sabu
|
5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
|
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
|
5 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
|
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
|
5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
|
What's That Noise?
Coldcut
|
5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
|
Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
LP1
FKA twigs
|
5 | 2.81 | +2.19 |
|
Damaged
Black Flag
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
Street Signs
Ozomatli
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amnesiac
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.41 | -2.41 |
|
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Bill Callahan
|
1 | 3.02 | -2.02 |
|
Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
|
1 | 3 | -2 |
|
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
|
1 | 2.98 | -1.98 |
|
Transformer
Lou Reed
|
2 | 3.67 | -1.67 |
|
After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
|
2 | 3.62 | -1.62 |
|
Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
|
1 | 2.6 | -1.6 |
|
Funeral
Arcade Fire
|
2 | 3.56 | -1.56 |
|
Playing With Fire
Spacemen 3
|
1 | 2.55 | -1.55 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.75 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.5 |
| The Who | 4 | 4.5 |
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 4.67 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.67 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| Fatboy Slim | 2 | 5 |
| Iron Maiden | 2 | 5 |
| Queen | 2 | 5 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 5 |
| Van Halen | 2 | 5 |
| The Doors | 2 | 5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.33 |
| Yes | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 3 | 1.67 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Pixies | 2, 2, 5 |
| PJ Harvey | 1, 3, 4 |
| Radiohead | 4, 4, 3, 1 |
5-Star Albums (116)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Shamen · 2 likes
4/5
I didn’t want to like this alt-euro dance aggressively 90s album but it grew on me. It’s groovy and honestly really nice to have on in the background.
Miles Davis · 2 likes
5/5
Miles Davis and John Coltrane collaborated on an album and I’m expected to rate it anything less than perfect? I am not so presumptuous.
Billy Joel · 2 likes
5/5
If you told me some late 70s piano rock album would hit this hard I’d say no way. Absolutely timeless, hit after hit after hit.
Les Rythmes Digitales · 2 likes
2/5
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.
Soundgarden · 1 likes
4/5
The angst was there, the guitar solos were so there, I just couldn’t quite give it a 5.
1-Star Albums (10)
All Ratings
Nirvana
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
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.
Massive Attack
3/5
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
Pink Floyd
5/5
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.
R.E.M.
3/5
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.
The Temptations
4/5
Instrumentally and vocally gorgeous. Marvin Gaye’s version of Grapevine is far superior though. The title track blows the rest out of the water.
The Undertones
4/5
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.
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
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.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
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
Rush
5/5
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
Missy Elliott
3/5
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
Kid Rock
4/5
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.
Lorde
4/5
So wonderfully captures that carefree neo-boho moment of the mid teens, but low energy pop has never been my jam.
The KLF
3/5
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.
Buck Owens
3/5
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.
Arrested Development
5/5
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.
The Cure
3/5
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.
Portishead
3/5
Bored to tears, tbh. It was musically very nice, but the genre just didn’t do it for me at all.
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
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.
Frank Ocean
4/5
Beautifully crafted, raw, honest examination of the central themes of relationships within the context of addiction and economic difficulty.
Roxy Music
3/5
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.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
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.
The xx
4/5
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 Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
The highs were extremely high—excellent lyricism and messaging. The lows came off as corny and gauche.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
4/5
A solid 90s alt-rock offering. Hard to beat it, but can’t call it perfect either.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
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.
Boston
5/5
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.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
Peaceful, emotional, raw but not unpolished. This was nice.
Beyoncé
3/5
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Morrissey
3/5
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.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
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.
Common
4/5
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.
Sigur Rós
4/5
This was way more pleasant than I anticipated it would be. Actively calming without being sonically boring.
The Kinks
4/5
Tbh, I feel like they did the whole Beatles-esque folky rock minstrel show better than the Beatles. A little derivative but really pleasant.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
I expected something fully unserious and got some decent groovy tunes. The guitars were especially nice
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
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 Springsteen
2/5
Bruce’s storytelling skills are without parallel, but here he decides to couch them within the most boring music you could possibly imagine.
The Blue Nile
2/5
Elton John
5/5
David Crosby
4/5
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.
Kanye West
4/5
Side A is better storytelling, side B is catchier. All in all, a solid solid album.
Rod Stewart
3/5
He tries to blend rock, pop, country, and even a little folk, to the detriment of most of those genres.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Django Django
2/5
The worst of early teens indie sleaze without what made genre standouts good. It actively irritated me.
The Darkness
4/5
Jurassic 5
5/5
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
The Adverts
4/5
I love punk, but man this is exceptionally mid.
Bauhaus
3/5
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Fugees
4/5
Fatboy Slim
5/5
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Green Day
5/5
Pixies
2/5
The Police
4/5
The title track is exceptional. The rest of it, with the reggae schtick and Caribbean vocal affectation, gets old really quick.
Weather Report
3/5
Birdland is a certified classic but the rest just sounds like elevator music.
Pixies
2/5
Brian Eno
2/5
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.
Minor Threat
4/5
So much respect for minor threat but their later stuff just hits better.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Perfectly pleasant jazz. The bass player is incredible.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
The instrumental sections were especially nice. Groovy, interesting, dynamic.
Slipknot
5/5
Hell yeah slipknot
1/5
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.
Steely Dan
3/5
Tom Waits
2/5
Ridiculous Halloween circus music
Steve Winwood
4/5
Really pleasant, sounded like a jazzier Phil Collins
Foo Fighters
4/5
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.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
5/5
It would’ve been better as a concert film, but regardless, it’s wonderful. Groovy, dynamic, artistic, I’ll definitely come back to this.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
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.
Charles Mingus
3/5
I appreciate the artistry, but there was too much chaos and dissonance for me to actually enjoy it as a whole.
Supergrass
4/5
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.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
Arcade Fire
2/5
Drony whiny indie garbage
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Just a touch too old school for my tastes, but I appreciate that they were innovative for the time.
Napalm Death
3/5
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.
Taylor Swift
4/5
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.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
David Gray
3/5
It’s wonderfully pleasant, but I can’t imagine how it’s possibly influential enough to be included on this list.
Little Richard
5/5
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Groovy, pleasant, I kept saying to myself “hey I know that song from a movie”
Burning Spear
2/5
CHVRCHES
5/5
Truly the best of 2010s indie pop. It’s energetic and dynamic without losing its depth.
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
Eminem
4/5
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.
Machito
5/5
It’s so dynamic and exciting and creative. I’m honestly mad at myself that I’d never heard of Machito before this.
The Byrds
3/5
Perfectly fine folk based Beatles style rock, but absolutely not my jam.
The Stooges
3/5
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.
The Monkees
3/5
It’s just diet Beatles. Fine for others. Nor for me.
Aerosmith
4/5
Divorcing it from what I know of Aerosmith, it’s satisfyingly bluesy and more interesting than their later stuff to be sure.
Elvis Costello
2/5
So preposterously corny
The Clash
4/5
Innovative, a great blend of punk and outside influences. I just don’t love those outside influences lol
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Madonna
4/5
The high energy stuff is some of the best pop I’ve ever heard but she loses me on the ballads.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Hawkwind
3/5
Not one of the best jam bands I’ve ever heard but their energy is undeniable.
Maxwell
5/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Not quite country, not quite rock, not quite pop, not quite anything enough to be worth listening to.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Not quite as sharp as its contemporaries. It was fine but didn’t quite hit the soulful spot as other similar notable albums.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
The fact that the whole Beatles-esque minstrel sound was ever popular is an enduring mystery to me.
Traffic
3/5
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.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
I really dug the bluesy instrumentals but the vocals would’ve been bad even if I spoke the language.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
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.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
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.
Metallica
5/5
The White Stripes
3/5
System Of A Down
4/5
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
Radiohead
4/5
Isaac Hayes
3/5
I really like Isaac Hayes but omg why do the songs need to be 11 minutes long
Randy Newman
2/5
That first track did not age well omg
B.B. King
5/5
He’s not the king for nothing.
The Offspring
5/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
1/5
Haircut 100
5/5
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.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
The xx
3/5
Nirvana
4/5
Merle Haggard
3/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Dirty Projectors
3/5
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Bob Dylan
4/5
If Bob Dylan’s voice didn’t sound like the sonic equivalent of floppy pizza, this album would be incredible.
Eagles
4/5
Depeche Mode
3/5
Pearl Jam
5/5
Yes
5/5
Bad Company
4/5
Beatles
4/5
Everything But The Girl
4/5
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Sebadoh
2/5
Nick Drake
5/5
Bill Callahan
1/5
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
The Who
4/5
Louis Prima
4/5
The Roots
3/5
Shack
2/5
Stan Getz
3/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Steely Dan
4/5
Muddy Waters
4/5
Beastie Boys
4/5
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Aerosmith
3/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
UB40
4/5
Brian Wilson
2/5
It’s like a drug fueled Beach Boys children’s album. Unsettling.
The Specials
4/5
Faith No More
4/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
David Bowie
3/5
Brian Eno
3/5
Radiohead
4/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Laura Nyro
5/5
Various Artists
5/5
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
Snoop Dogg
4/5
John Martyn
2/5
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Funkadelic
3/5
Incredible Bongo Band
5/5
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
Tito Puente
4/5
Iron Maiden
5/5
Donald Fagen
3/5
Mudhoney
4/5
Carole King
3/5
Johnny Cash
4/5
Talking Heads
2/5
I could see where their future greatness came from, but this album was bland by comparison.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
R.E.M.
4/5
The hits weren’t even the best tracks. Especially compared with their earlier stuff, it’s much more engaging and dynamic.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I get that Cohen is a master storyteller and lyricist, but the monotony of his music is a not insignificant barrier to the appreciation of his message.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
The higher energy, harder parts were nice, but the rest sounded pretty run of the mill. Somebody to Love a classic nonetheless
George Harrison
3/5
I like most of this better than The Beatles; it seems a litter deeper and more in an artistic vein that I appreciate. That said, the sound got repetitive after the whole ass 2 hours omg
Pixies
5/5
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
So insanely effective at creating that haunting grating angsty sound paired with the dynamism of Reznor’s vocals. It’s truly an experience.
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
High energy, catchy, musically risky, decent lyrics, I mean, what’s not to like?
Queen
5/5
Oasis
5/5
I listened to this one more than any other album in recent memory. I couldn’t stop coming back to it. The sound is piercing and raw without sounding cheap, the vocals are the perfect mix of clarity and emotion, and the lyrics are gorgeous.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
To hear the influences of artists down the line is really cool, even if this comes off as unpolished and juvenile at times.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
The Go-Betweens
3/5
I’m not much for indie, but it was pleasant and well put together for what it was.
ZZ Top
4/5
Manly rock for men about manly things. Rock and roll with chest hair but no depth. So fun.
Miles Davis
5/5
Miles Davis and John Coltrane collaborated on an album and I’m expected to rate it anything less than perfect? I am not so presumptuous.
The Monks
2/5
They don’t do anything that their contemporaries didn’t do better. I can hear how they might’ve been influential but there are many influential bands, especially in the sonic space that The Monks seemed to occupy, that have been rightfully overshadowed by their successors.
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
Fleet Foxes
2/5
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
I can hear strains of bands I like in there, and it’s cool to hear where they got their sound, but it’s a little too artsy for me.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Soulful and lively without sounding dated
PJ Harvey
3/5
After listening to her far more critically acclaimed 2000 album, I expected to hate this. I still think her voice isn’t good, but it lends itself better to this style of grunge tinged angsty alt rock than the downtempo singer/songwriter stuff she did later on.
The Soft Boys
4/5
Really good, groovy, like if all those Beatles sounding bands took the good drugs. Too damn long tho.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I continue my inability to see why people lose their minds over Bruce. The instrumentation is creative and novel here but everything else is just kinda meh.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Perfectly pleasant. I recognized a few songs that I didn’t know that I knew, which was a nice, albeit slight jarring experience.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Perfectly fine enjoyable music, but I can’t imagine this being that influential tbh.
Pentangle
2/5
I get why it’s influential, I get why it’s noteworthy, I just think it sucks.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Billy Bragg
3/5
Seemed like they couldn’t quite agree what kind of music to make well, so they did an okay job or 4 or 5 genres.
William Orbit
5/5
Groovy spacey wildly interesting arrangements and production techniques. Maybe it’s just because I didn’t know what to expect but I loved this album.
The War On Drugs
4/5
Dreamt and thoughtful without being pretentious. Some of the best of what 21st century indie can be.
Talk Talk
3/5
It’s hard to put this in any specific genre, but it was pleasant for what it was.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
For what it is, it’s excellent. Angsty, moody, dynamic, meshing that 90s alt sound with goth rock sensibilities.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
Knowing only Hallelujah, I was pleasantly surprised by how dynamic and energetic the rest of the album is. The title track literally had me hooting and hollering In My car.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
R.E.M.
3/5
Lacks the edge and energy of REM at their best, it’s giving alt-goes-grunge in the worst way.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Extremely fun, great jammy backbone with enough country sensibilities to give it some flavor. The hits hit hard but the misses miss hard.
Lou Reed
2/5
I was only vaguely familiar with Lou Reed beforehand. Looked him up and Wikipedia said he was known for his experimental guitar playing and poetic lyrics. I waited 36 minutes for either of those to appear on this album and finished it disappointed that I had heard neither.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
I have so little precedent for this type of music. I genuinely didn’t k ow what I was supposed to be listening for and what he did well or poorly. A thoroughly confusing experience.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
Soundgarden
4/5
The angst was there, the guitar solos were so there, I just couldn’t quite give it a 5.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
It was okay, and I’m sure for its time it was great, but it’s hard not to listen to it with 2025 ears.
Germs
4/5
High energy, dynamic music with incisive but barely intelligible incisive and insightful lyrics. What more could you want from early punk?
Liz Phair
3/5
This would be so much better if Liz Phair could carry a tune
Bob Dylan
4/5
Excellent on a Dylan scale. God knew if he gave Bob Dylan vocal talent, he’d be too powerful.
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
The vast majority of these are really bad. I imagine the influence here is in the concept, but I’ll take quality over quantity.
Carpenters
4/5
I wanted to think this was corny and square but it frustratingly isn’t. Karen Carpenter’s voice is practically perfect, the arrangements are so pleasant, and the inclusion of orchestra instruments is so interesting yet natural. This was genuinely enjoyable.
The Who
5/5
Beck
4/5
I liked this way more than I expected to. Beck doesn’t take himself seriously but still manages to expertly weave together folk, alternative, and even hip hop on a way that feels authentic and organic and has aged exceptionally.
Sonic Youth
3/5
It was okay for what it was. Super gothy and droney, fine for background music but not one I’d come back to.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
How can I rate it anything but 5? Groovy, funky, virtuosic, seminal, amazing.
The Clash
4/5
I liked this more than London Calling, whoops.
Alice In Chains
3/5
Like if Metallica listened to Nirvana and SoaD. Not bad as it is, but also one of my least favorite parts of 90s rock.
The Youngbloods
4/5
I really enjoyed this. A blues rock backbone with folk flavoring and some country and bluegrass elements on the fringes doesn’t sound like something I would enjoy until I listened to it. I heard traces of some of my favorite acts and wouldn’t be surprised if they listed The Youngbloods as an influence.
The Smiths
2/5
I get why The Smiths appeal to some people, but the consistently downtempo instrumentals, Morrissey’s whiny pitchy vocals, and their inane, often seemingly pointless lyrics, make me not one of them.
The Temptations
4/5
The lows were meh but the highs were so so good
Taylor Swift
5/5
Flawless 21st century pop. The perfect balance of excited high energy and introspective low energy, of earnestness and snark, of wide eyed innocence and winking experience. This is Taylor Swift announcing to the world that she’s coming for the top spot.
Skunk Anansie
5/5
It’s so weird and dynamic and angsty and cathartic and I cannot believe I’ve never heard of this band.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
The highlights were excellent but there were definitely times that seemed like they were just banging on the keyboard.
The Pogues
4/5
Great way to start off St. Paddy’s weekend. It was fun, lively, interesting.
Jack White
4/5
AC/DC
5/5
There are some albums that immediately mentally transport you back to when you first (or most prolifically) listened to them. Other albums make you wish you could listen to them again for the first time. Back in Black is the latter for me. It rips every time.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
Bad Brains
4/5
Groovy, and the solos are incredible. Doesn’t have the same raw aggression as their self titled.
Dr. Dre
2/5
I wanted to enjoy it. I know it’s a classic, a legendary hip hop album of the 90s. The beats are so solid. But the lyrics are corny as all hell! A whole ass song about your nuts, Dre? Flexin badass bc you smoke weed? Sayin “I’m big bad and powerful bc I have a gun” brother that’s corny as hell!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
Soulful and Bluey without getting too twangy. Excellent country album.
Hole
4/5
I find Courtney Love to be one of the most insufferable human beings on the planet, but unfortunately this is pretty solid rock and roll.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Aphex Twin
5/5
I couldn’t stop listening. It seems to transcend its time. Definitely not one that you put on to show somebody, but the arrangements are beautiful, intricate, and dynamic.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Sad Sinatra is still Sinatra.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Tricky
3/5
It was fine but trip hop doesn’t really do it for me.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Relaxing, smooth, charming
Funkadelic
4/5
Side B is so much better than side A. The groove is immaculate. The lyrics are practically nonsense.
OutKast
4/5
Solid hip hop album with generally cohesive lyrical themes, incredibly well produced and creative beats, and interesting/engaging flow with the occasional pleasant hook break.
The White Stripes
4/5
The highs were high: dynamic, exciting, intense. The lows were boring and navel-gazey.
U2
5/5
Bono is a pretentious turd but this album is incredible. Lyrically thoughtful, musically tight, emotionally engaging, very well produced.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
Overdubs notwithstanding, this still sounds like a kickass show.
Stereo MC's
4/5
I genuinely enjoyed it, but I couldn’t help but feel like this album is to more prominent 90s hip hop what Olive Garden is to Italian food.
Love
4/5
I liked more of this than I wanted to. The jammy sections were excellent, the strict baroque pop sections were solid. It was really just the proto punk that didn’t hit.
50 Cent
3/5
Such an absolute time capsule. This screams early 2000s in a way few other things do. I was meh on that t then and I’m meh in it now but it brought back good memories at least.
Fats Domino
4/5
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Duke Ellington
5/5
The Band
3/5
Stereolab
2/5
The way that they incorporate various contemporary elements was interesting for the first half of the first song, but got really old really quickly.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Angsty, but with that reall Nice 90s chill alternative vibe that few bands walk well.
GZA
3/5
Solid for what it is, and I’ve always enjoyed the inclusion of the movie clips by members of Wu Tang, but 90s-early 00s mainstream hip hop just isn’t really my thing
Bob Dylan
4/5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
The Verve
3/5
With the exception of the interlude, it sounded like someone trying to make the most generic 90s-alt album possible. Not bad, not remarkable.
Prince
4/5
Gotan Project
5/5
Respectful of the inspiration but innovative in the approach, so much fun to listen to this fusion album.
The The
3/5
Perfectly fine 80s pop rock, but there didn’t seem much in there that stood out as outstanding.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
It’s blues! It’s just the blues! Led Zeppelin is a blues band! Just really loud blues! I feel like I’m going crazy!
Skepta
3/5
I don’t know what it is about British rappers that just hits better with me. Maybe they sound smarter than American rappers.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Soulful, groovy, respectful of the past while insistent on her own way. Really good.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
May be the finest side A in rock history
The Shamen
4/5
I didn’t want to like this alt-euro dance aggressively 90s album but it grew on me. It’s groovy and honestly really nice to have on in the background.
New Order
4/5
The Lemonheads
4/5
Pretty good 90s alt. Mrs. Robinson cover is a classic.
AC/DC
5/5
Badass rock and roll, hell yeah.
Korn
5/5
Hell yeah borther
Pulp
4/5
I didn’t think I liked art rock before I listened to this album. Lyrically fantastic, could be better mixed/mastered
Neil Young
4/5
Haunting beauty in the lyricism and ballads but man those upbeat songs miss hard
Red Snapper
3/5
Groovy, nice background music. I agree with the guardian reviewer that called it “revved up Massive Attack” but it’s albums like this that really show how anglocentric this list is. No way would Red Snapper be on a list made in any other country, pleasant as this album is.
Silver Jews
2/5
Like if the lumineers enlisted bob dylan to sing the country songs they tried to write with lyrics poorly imitating him. Bad even for 00s indie.
U2
4/5
Not all the sonic risks they take pay off fully, but when it hits it HITS.
Cat Stevens
3/5
Actually much more pleasant than I was expecting. Steven’s’ voice is really soothing and the instrumentals aren’t especially challenging but are well arranged and nice. The lyrics are largely excellent. But it’s just not really my thing.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
The Hives
4/5
I thought the list avoided compilation albums. Either way, the first 4 tracks are some of the most hollow 21st century modern rock out there. After that, when they lean more into the punk side, it gets really good.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
Any album that ends with Free Bird cannot conceivably be rated fewer than five stars.
The Yardbirds
4/5
The Style Council
4/5
The jazz heavy tracks are so insanely good but the more pop forward tracks seem like relics of their time.
Tom Waits
2/5
Terrible unserious clown music. I know he’s influential, I just cannot for the life of me understand why.
Paul Simon
4/5
I didn’t want to like this album. I don’t like folk, I don’t really like adult contemporary or whatever Paul Simon identifies/d as. But his exploration of various genres here is so genuine and authentic and well done, even someone not in love with the genre(s) itself can appreciate the craft.
Adele
5/5
I know I’m confirming to the stereotype of believing that the best pop music came out whenever I, the listener, was in college, but dammit if it ain’t true. The B sides would be lead singles on lesser albums, Adele takes the listener through an emotional roller coaster of longing and heartbreak and ends on such a poignant note of bittersweet progress, that sometimes growth isn’t how you’d like it to be.
Happy Mondays
2/5
It was like 35 minutes of the same crappy song over and over again.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Radiohead
3/5
I know I’m supposed to like Radiohead, and tbh nothing that I heard on this album was bad or objectionable or in any way outside of my taste, but I just feel like I didn’t discover Radiohead at the right time to be able to love their music.
Traffic
4/5
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
I don’t know if it’s because I came in with no expectations or simply because my mood was conducive to receiving something like it but this was amazing. Raw, punchy, energetic, a ton of fun.
Iron Maiden
5/5
Hell yeah
Nirvana
5/5
John Coltrane
5/5
OutKast
4/5
While it lacks the cohesion necessary to really solidify it as a 5, the sheer amount of bangers on this double album make it impossible to ignore.
The Waterboys
4/5
I love this stuff, but I recognize it’s not for everyone. Hell of a good time though.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Guided By Voices
3/5
Fun, but I don’t see how it’s influential enough to be included on this list. A couple songs I’d come back to but most was just forgettable garage rock.
Adele
4/5
Not her best, but still so so good.
Steely Dan
4/5
Hell yeah dad rock
N.E.R.D
4/5
I remember liking this a lot more in high school. Some songs have aged exceptionally well. Others….
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I usually don’t like Nick Cave, and he still had a few on here that just sounded like Tom Waits discovered how to plug in his guitar, but there were some excellent moments too, especially on Hide It All Away and There She Goes, My Beautiful Girl
Gang Starr
3/5
Not bad, and honestly what I prefer from the hip hop I do like, I just don’t like much hip hop.
The Young Gods
2/5
What if Tom Waits and Metallica had a secret French love child? It would still likely sound better than this.
Scott Walker
3/5
The crooner songs were nice. The baroque pop was annoying.
Beatles
4/5
Can’t give a 3.5 but that’s where it is for me. I understand that the Beatles are, were, and will continue to be influential, but this album just sounds like vapid 60s pop to me.
Britney Spears
3/5
The hits still hit so hard, but the b-sides haven’t aged well. Email My Heart? Lol
The The
4/5
Groovy, dynamic, interesting, but so aggressively 80s
Eagles
3/5
Title track aside, it’s mid tier yacht rock.
ABBA
3/5
Dancing Queen is unrivaled but the rest of it is your standard pop fare imo
Joni Mitchell
4/5
The lyrics are wonderful and she has a unique voice that fits them well, but it does get a little repetitive.
Van Halen
5/5
Hell yeah
Fiona Apple
4/5
As far as singer songwriters go, one of the GOATs
Hole
3/5
Idk, Courtney Love is a turd. Good for what it is, but what it is ain’t good.
John Grant
2/5
Indulgent, silly, a sonic snooze fest.
Yes
4/5
Not as tightly composed as other Yes albums, but still a great time.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Judas Priest
5/5
Hell yeah. This is some of the finest metal I ever did hear.
The Beach Boys
5/5
RIP Brian Wilson. It’s a masterpiece.
Janis Joplin
5/5
I knew she was popular, was cherished, was missed when she passed. But wow. This is incredible.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Talvin Singh
3/5
Really solid at parts but too ambient for me to reeeeally get into at any given point.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Title track is iconic, the rest was fun.
Gorillaz
4/5
Clint Eastwood still bangs but the majority of these songs kinda Blur together
The Prodigy
4/5
It’s no Fat of the Land but you can’t deny the influence it had.
Soft Machine
4/5
My appreciation for this album grew as I listened. I’m a sucker for a good 15 minute song, and the breadth of musical exploration was so interesting on this album. It was fun.
Bob Dylan
4/5
God knew Bob Dylan would be too powerful with a decent voice.
David Bowie
4/5
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Like Beck before Beck. Aggressively 90s.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Not as good as Are You Experienced but I can’t justify not giving it a 5
Barry Adamson
3/5
Interesting concept but it didn’t really hold my attention.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
An interesting combination of funk/soul and rock. Probably just my bias talking, but I feel like it would have been better at times to lean more into the rock side.
Tom Waits
3/5
I loathe Tom Waits, but this is seemingly the only setting and gentle in which he feels natural and not like a pox on the entire concept of musical expression. The studio audience really added to the whole conceit. I very nearly liked it.
The Verve
4/5
An interesting combination of funk/soul and rock. Probably just my bias talking, but I feel like it would have been better at times to lean more into the rock side.
Faust
3/5
There were parts that hit so hard but they were overshadowed by the general incongruity of the songs, even internally.
Primal Scream
4/5
Every conceivable 90s genre you can think of, which means that there’s something for everyone but it’s very much a time capsule. Loaded is excellent.
DJ Shadow
3/5
Can’t help but appreciate the artistry in the sample use, but it does get repetitive at times.
The Saints
4/5
This is so much fun.
Steely Dan
4/5
Steely Dan is the only yacht rock worth listening to. Not their best tho.
Crowded House
4/5
I don’t like adult contemporary, but this was such a pleasant listen, I couldn’t help but enjoy myself on more than one track.
David Bowie
4/5
Gorgeous soundscapes and really cool experimental vibes. Bowie was the worst part.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
This was really cool, not something I’ve listened to much in the past.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
I’m genuinely not sure how this album hit number one on the billboard charts, it is one of the most soulless boring soft pop rock albums I’ve ever heard.
The Doors
5/5
RIP Jim. Ray Manzarek the real genius here though.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
This kind of music is so much fun if you don’t take it seriously.
4/5
Really groovy and spacey. I feel like the horns section (or that setting on the keyboard) was underutilized.
Wilco
2/5
My disdain for 00s indie knows no bounds. Dischordant, whiny, boring, and at times just plain dumb, this album was honestly made all the worse by the couple of songs that showed promise just to become crapfests before moving onto the next audio misadventure.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Hell yeah
Roni Size
4/5
I love this Jungle/DnB type stuff but I recognize it’s not for everyone. Some songs definitely dragged a bit too.
Radiohead
1/5
I don’t like Radiohead, but I can respect the interesting and innovative things they do. This wasn’t one of those things. Boring and weird from start to finish, like they got bored with making rock, tried electrónica, but didn’t bother learning how to make it first. Terrible.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I recognize that it’s influential and a landmark album and all that, but the progressive and innovative qualities get lost when encountering something like this almost 60 years after it was progressive and innovative. It’s like someone showing you the first ATM in 2025 and being like “WOW ISNT THAT AMAZING” when you’ve regularly used products directly inspired by it for the past 15 years of your life. It’s like…cool, I guess?
Hugh Masekela
5/5
I’m such a sucker for good jazz, and this has such impressive performances across the board.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Groovy, high energy, but not EWF at their best.
Kanye West
5/5
Insert throat clear about Kanye qua Kanye blah blah blah this slaps idc
James Brown
4/5
Absolutely electric performance
Mekons
1/5
It’s like they realized they sucked as a punk band and decided to also suck as a country band. Like if Dexy’s Midnight Runners decided to be worse somehow.
Björk
4/5
A 3.5 I’ll round up to a 4. It was quirky and airy and weird and pleasant and dancy at times and just a very strange but generally enjoyable experience.
Al Green
4/5
Don McLean
4/5
A lyrical masterclass over elevator music. Gotta be in the right mood for it, but it’s great for what it is.
Black Sabbath
5/5
RIP Ozzy
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Really pleasant, even with the few moments that came off as a little weird.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
I felt like this album couldn’t decide what it wanted to be and suffered dearly for it.
Donovan
2/5
Gene Clark
3/5
Liked it more as it went along but still didn’t like it much
Solomon Burke
4/5
Portishead
2/5
David Bowie
3/5
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Is the difference between art rock and progressive rock just the sexual orientation of the artist?
Solange
3/5
Cocteau Twins
3/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Storytelling and beats are dope
Gang Of Four
4/5
Funky and punky, a fun listen
Black Flag
5/5
This is so good. Hits hard, riffs are killer, Henry Rollins inspires so much passion. I already liked this album. Love it now.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The only song on this album that isn’t aping the Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds, or Bob is paint it black. Doesn’t sound like the stones to me.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
So good, so cool
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Eh. It was fine.
The Go-Go's
4/5
If this is new wave, maybe I don’t hate new wave as much as I thought.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
This was really good, but would’ve been really REALLY good while high.
The Kinks
2/5
I just can’t stand 60s baroque pop
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
This is the second Ali Farka Touré album I’ve listened to from this project and I liked this one better. Felt like there was more to grasp onto from a western lens. I could hear the blues influence especially. Really nice.
James Taylor
4/5
A little bluesy, a little folky, a little country. Very nice.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Meh. Pretty average 60s pop.
Deerhunter
2/5
I think I missed the part of my 20s where I was supposed to start liking indie rock. I hated this.
SZA
3/5
The good songs are excellent, but a solid third of the album is just baffling in its mediocrity compared to the rest of the songs.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Disc 1 is incredible, maybe the best album I’ve listened to so far. Disc 2 gets a bit tedious though.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Really nice, though I can’t imagine myself coming back to it.
Van Halen
5/5
Hell yeah
Tim Buckley
4/5
Funky, groovy, fun.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Ride
2/5
Seemingly aimless noise, mixed by someone without ears.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Not every risk they took paid off. Still pretty good though.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
I just really don’t like post punk. Vocals are garbage, mixing is pedestrian, all the energy and passion from punk is ripped away and replaced with 80s cheese.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
Really pleasant. Loved the harmonies and recording quality
Kate Bush
1/5
What the hell was that
Pavement
4/5
The Specials
4/5
In this house we respect every wave of ska
Thundercat
4/5
Funky and interesting
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Very 90s, very groovy. Does get old eventually though.
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
Man I wish I understood French
Kings of Leon
4/5
Starts to wear a bit by the end but the raw emotion, as annoying as the vocals are, works so well either way the edgy production and arrangement.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Relaxing, bluesy, much more enjoyable than I anticipated.
Ryan Adams
4/5
It varies between awesome rock and pretty good 2000s country tinged singer songwriter. Didn’t hate it.
The National
2/5
I hate 21st century indie so much. He doesn’t seem to care about what he’s singing about, why should I? I blame Morrissey, that turd.
Lots of good rock and roll, with just a little bit of country. Got a little weird toward the end but mostly a banger
Devendra Banhart
2/5
Why does bro sound like a geriatric jimmy stewart
5/5
The epitome of nerdy cool
Gram Parsons
4/5
Really nice combo of country and old rock and roll. RIP Gram.
R.E.M.
3/5
Sounds like REM. They may have been one of the first to do this sound but they certainly weren’t the best.
The Pretty Things
4/5
Really cool concept and some pretty enjoyable tunes, but like some critics (who were quoted in the Wikipedia article) mentioned, just because they did it first doesn’t mean they did it best.
The Thrills
3/5
Not poppy enough to be pop, not edgy enough to be rock, not folky enough to be folk. Aggressively mid, with maybe one song worth coming back to.
Beastie Boys
4/5
A classic
Fatboy Slim
5/5
So much fun, and you can tell he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
Orbital
4/5
Groovy, fun. 90s dance is often excellent
John Lennon
2/5
Shallow indulgent tripe that sounds like it was recorded in the middle of a warehouse.
Suede
3/5
Pretty average 90s Brit pop rock.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
Very weird in a very good way. I feel rather smart that I figured out it was satire without having to look at the Wikipedia page.
KISS
3/5
Man rock. Fun. Shallow. Beth is such a bad song.
4/5
Fun and interesting, very groovy.
5/5
They don’t make em like this anymore
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Reggae has a ceiling with me. This is good reggae, but it’s still reggae.
Pere Ubu
1/5
Every post punk album I’ve ever heard is just a band putting the most discordant music they can possibly make over distorted guitars and then having some poor soul who has no idea how to sing bleat out some nonsense in over top of it
Blur
4/5
It’s 90s britpop. Song 2 is song 2, m any to be a jok but a very catchy one at that. I did like MOR, but other than that (and I know they’d hate this) it just sounds like oasis.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
LDR walked so Billie Eilish could run. She crafts her narratives exceptionally, but musically this isn’t her best.
Q-Tip
4/5
Really nice. Solid beats and storytelling without getting gimmicky.
FKA twigs
5/5
Gorgeous production, silky smooth vocals. Idk why I’d never listened to this before.
Röyksopp
4/5
Lambchop
3/5
Track 1 had me thinking this album would be terrible, but the rest of the songs proved it was only mediocre
CHIC
4/5
Did the disdain for disco in the 80s come from primarily racist motivations, or was it just a backlash against the corny brand of white dudes that also adopted disco as their whole personality? This album is excellent.
Coldcut
5/5
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Ice Cube
3/5
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
Like if Smashing Pumpkins sucked
Billie Holiday
4/5
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
D'Angelo
4/5
David Holmes
5/5
Van Morrison
5/5
Gene Clark
3/5
Ash
5/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
Late Elvis is still Elvis, but he’s a shadow of peak Elvis.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Springsteen 9/11core. Sentimentalist crap from the sentimentalist king.
Klaxons
4/5
I don’t like 2000s indie, but this had enough energy and groove to effectively separate itself from its folkier cousins.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Just a bit too progressive for me. Seemed almost haphazard in its construction and none of the constituent parts shined brightly enough to justify that eccentricity.
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
Really nice. Bluesy, a little country, an enjoyable listen
Elliott Smith
2/5
Some of the most paint by numbers singer songwriter stuff I’ve ever heard.
Cowboy Junkies
4/5
Gorgeous
Björk
3/5
It’s Björk. It’s weird but pleasant at times, just like you’d expect. I did really enjoy the last track.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
I was not familiar with early Arctic Monkeys. I like this so much more than their later stuff. The raw emotion is still there but there’s an edge in this early stuff that just isn’t there on AM.
4/5
Who knew Dylan could rock so hard?
The Birthday Party
2/5
I’ve had enough of Nick Cave
Bob Dylan
2/5
Like if Dylan did Waits and Cash. Stark contrast to the 60s electric Dylan I listened to earlier this week, and not in a good way.
Dire Straits
4/5
I already knew Money For Nothing but the rest of the album is almost nothing like it. Bluesy, atmospheric, really vibey.
George Michael
3/5
First two tracks are fire but idk if I’ve ever heard a cornier song than “I Want Your Sex”
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Just good old fashioned country music. Instrumentally impressive, lyrically captivating, they don’t make much like this anymore.
The B-52's
2/5
That was really annoying. Whoever have that guy specifically a recording contract should be sued.
Scott Walker
2/5
I’d fully forgotten that I listened to another one of this guy’s albums. I’ll likely forget this one too.
The Smiths
3/5
It’s the Smiths, it sounds like the Smiths. I’m not much of a fan but I get the appeal.
Willie Nelson
3/5
It was fine, but admittedly a little too sad cowboy for me to really get into.
Ute Lemper
3/5
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Most of the album sounded like a Bond soundtrack
Neil Young
3/5
I like rock heavy Neil Young more than country Neil Young, and there’s more of the former than the latter in this
The Jam
4/5
Really fun, punky britpop.
Massive Attack
3/5
Maybe it’s just that I listened in the afternoon but this one didn’t hit like other Massive Attack albums I’ve heard. It was nice, but it faded into the background far too easily.
Morrissey
3/5
Sounds like Morrissey. Maybe if he were more excited about what he’s singing about, I would be too.
4/5
The classic rock vibes were great, but I can never get on board with the minstrel pop.
Slayer
5/5
Are the lyrics edgy to the point of being offensive? Sure. Does it rip tho?? Absolutely.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
The lyrics are gorgeous but the music gets old fast.
Gary Numan
4/5
Deliciously synthy. You can hear the entire rest of the 80s in this album.
Cornershop
5/5
So many different genres come together wonderfully here. It’s so unabashedly 90s and yet has an impressive staying power. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one.
Slint
4/5
I combed the Wikipedia articles for some mention of it because this feels like such an inspiration for Midwest emo. There wasn’t any direct connection but I heard it there, I swear. Innovative for its time, was a great listen even now.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Good old country music. Excellent storytelling, great harmonies.
Julian Cope
4/5
It grew on me. I liked it by the end but definitely a slow starter. Really groovy, I could easily imagine this being wonderful to see in concert.
Muddy Waters
5/5
It’s muddy waters playing the blues. How do you improve on that?
Air
4/5
Really pleasant. Groovy, not what I would expect from an electronic album
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
This is so good. Angsty, full of emotion and vigor.
Megadeth
4/5
The rage and guitar solos were there, but it didn’t feel like it rose to the same heights as a Metallica or Slayer.
Elis Regina
4/5
The Charlatans
4/5
Side A is Dylan meets Oasis, which is fine if you’re into that, but I was surprised with the genre exploration on side B. Pleasant, well done, unexpected.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I’ll be honest, I liked this more than Yoshimi, but I still can’t stand their vocalist. It’s a big hurdle to get over.
Big Star
3/5
Oh hey it’s the song from That 70s Show!
Brian Eno
4/5
I haven’t historically enjoyed Brian Eno but I feel like I really grasped the story he was trying to tell with the music here. Didn’t hate it.
The Kinks
3/5
It’s your standard 60s post-Beatles rock. Not bad, didn’t love it.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
After listening to the Kinks do their best Beatles impression yesterday (which wasn’t very enjoyable) I thought I’d be getting more of the same with this album. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a really mature and compelling exploration of themes beyond the basic early Beatles stuff, but that has the same early rock backbone that made them great. This was fun.
Queens Of The Stone Age
4/5
A little too experimental for me at times but when it hits, it hits.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Maps really is that good of a song. The rest doesn’t seem as full though. Decent powerpop.
Sabu
5/5
That good rhythm had me grooving. Stuff this old still gets passed around for good reason.
Hookworms
3/5
I didn’t think I was going to like this. I thought it was going to be 2010s indie crap but it’s actually rather pleasant. Got that FIFA vibe.
The Beta Band
3/5
The album art was much more interesting than the album itself. It seems like they tried to do more things than they were good at.
Parliament
5/5
Eric Clapton
4/5
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Pavement
4/5
Less drony than I’ve heard previously from pavement, but with the same tension infused into the songs. I enjoyed this.
Jethro Tull
4/5
There’s just something about that flute that makes the perfect addition to this music. I didn’t love the bardcore, but most of this album was amazing.
The Who
4/5
I only listened to the first half in the morning and was largely underwhelmed. The second half is a whole other beast. A lot more intense and with the vibes of a real concert, I can understand why this has been so influential.
The Smiths
3/5
I’ll preface this review by saying that I don’t like The Smiths. Morrissey as a person is a giant turd and I’ve always found their music pretentious and uninspiring. However, on that scale, this is the best I’ve heard of The Smiths. There’s more energy in these tunes, they’re more interestingly composed, and hell, it’s even catchier. It’s still The Smiths, they cannot be that but which they are, but for a Smiths album, this is really good. I can see how those who like this type of music would hold this up as an exemplar.
fIREHOSE
4/5
This was hard for me to nail down. It’s eccentric and energetic but there were times where I felt like they could’ve brought in a bigger sound. I don’t know if it’s worth coming back to, but I had a good time listening to it.
The Stooges
4/5
Really fun proto punk, like I would expect from early Iggy Pop, but We Will Fall threw me for an absolute loop.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
Queen
5/5
I mean…it’s Queen.
Santana
5/5
I read that Santana was rated the 11th greatest guitarist ever. I’m not sure what world Rolling Stone is living in that there are ten better guitarists.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
Absolute garbage. Weird for weird sake without the chops to make weird sound good.
Everything But The Girl
5/5
A huge turn from previous EBTG albums I’ve heard in the absolute best way. The music was energetic but balanced by the even keel vocals. Loved it.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Alice Cooper’s edge seems to have aged much like the hardcore rappers of the 90s. It was probably shocking then but just seems a little goofy now. Guitar solos were on point and No More Mr. Nice Guy will always be a bop but it just feels so performative.
Pink Floyd
3/5
There were distinct glimmers of the Pink Floyd to come sandwiched between tired reworks of Beatles-esque 60s britpop. I’m glad they figured it out eventually.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
That opening track is one of the cringiest songs I’ve ever heard. Rest of the album is interesting and experimental. Not bad, not amazing.
The Beta Band
4/5
I listened to their final album a couple weeks back and it seemed unfocused and haphazard. This album is much tighter, with far fewer random musical larks.
Def Leppard
4/5
I know it’s shallow and vapid and low IQ but it’s so fun!
Lucinda Williams
4/5
Nice, authentic, uncorny country.
The Only Ones
4/5
The first track was so so bad but the rest of the album settled nicely into a rock heavy rhythm. The sections of blues were a welcome addition rather than a strange tangent. Pretty nice overall.
The Sonics
5/5
It’s like they took all their favorite rock and roll classics and played them as loud and fast as they could. I loved it.
Sugar
4/5
Nice grungy 90s rock. Poorly mixed so you can barely hear the vocals, just as God and Kurt Cobain intended.
White Denim
4/5
I thought it was going to be standard 2010s indie garbage but I hit track three and it took a gorgeous turn into a bluesy, psychedelic, jammy ride. There were still moments of indie garbage, but this is a really fun genre bending experience.
Basement Jaxx
4/5
Finley Quaye
3/5
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Grizzly Bear
2/5
The Damned
5/5
The Mars Volta
5/5
The Pogues
4/5
I love this stuff, but I know it’s not everyone’s cuppa
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Really truly I do not understand the Nick Cave glazers. Lyrically it is wonderful, yes, but maybe I’m just old fashioned in that I believe music should sound…yknow…good.
The Doors
5/5
Ray Manzarek carries it as always. Groovy, bluesy, jazzy, so aggressively cool.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Fun, soulful, but pretty shallow
Sister Sledge
5/5
Legendary
Anthrax
4/5
It felt a little too unpolished at first but it grew on me. Lyrically very interesting, too.
Spiritualized
3/5
I’m glad I gave it a chance, but that ambient sound just isn’t my jam. It’s fine for what it is.
Paul Weller
4/5
Not remarkable for any trails it blazes, but rather for how faithfully and beautifully it recreates and revives an underutilized sound for its time. I had a lot of fun listening to this.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Really fun, angsty, high energy. It’s a shame they only had that one LP.
5/5
This was so fun, and absolutely remarkable for the time they did it. And it’s their debut album too? Omg
Ian Dury
2/5
Juvenile and stupid lyrics sung by someone who had no business singing anything. Instrumentals were okay though.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Badass angsty edgy 90s girl rock. I really hated the first PJ Harvey album I heard (the one from 2000) but this is a completely different side.
3/5
If one must do post punk/new wave, doing it like DEVO is really the only way that doesn’t come off as cringe.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Even without the context as to why this was important, it’s so good. Knowing the context makes it legendary.
Billy Joel
5/5
If you told me some late 70s piano rock album would hit this hard I’d say no way. Absolutely timeless, hit after hit after hit.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Sinatra does Bossa Nova? Hell yeah.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
It’s Stevie Wonder, how can you not love it?
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Yeah it’s the Stones and they’re legendary but Sympathy for the Devil is really the only track that sticks out here.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Really pleasant, folky without being boring, jammy without being repetitive.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
The good parts were incredible, but there were some bits that came off as sloppy, especially in track 1
Neneh Cherry
4/5
Really fun pop/hip hop crossover. Raw, honest, and real without being crass or boring. I’d give it 3.5 but that’s not an option so I’ll give it a 4.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Huh…I didn’t know he rapped.
Jane Weaver
4/5
I love this indie electronica stuff. Reminds me of college.
4/5
Really solid groovy, almost experimental type funk.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
So that’s where all that annoying 2010s indie came from. Poor imitations of this, for sure. Thoughtful instrumentation and storytelling, even if it’s not really my thing.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Liked it more than I expected to. Surprisingly cohesive for how eclectic it is.
Coldplay
3/5
It sounds like Coldplay, and not even the exciting stuff. Meh. It’s hard, too, to put it back in its context. This was different 26 years ago. Now it’s been copied and interpolated to death.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Elvis Costello is still one of the corniest dudes in history but there were a couple tracks here that hit. Alison and Sneaky Feeling are good but then you go right back to corn fest with Red Shoes, like…what a completely unnecessary song.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I know I know it’s Pink Floyd and they’re a God tier rock band but this one, especially compared to Wish You Were Here, seems a lot more tedious and experimental without actually going anywhere. Like, it’s good, but it’s not their best.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Eh, it’s not Peter Gabriel’s best. Needs more spunk and more guitar.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Nobody yearns like Marvin anymore. The horniest expression of soul I’ve ever heard.
Ozomatli
5/5
I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this album. The back end was a little too heavy on the cumbia for my tastes—not that cumbia itself is off putting but the elements of fusion are where this record really shines—but the A side is a revelation.
Joy Division
3/5
I know Joy Division is a foundational modern alt rock band but these blase vocals just cannot do it for me.
Le Tigre
4/5
Kelela
4/5
Her voice is excellent, the beats are imaginative and full. I really dig it.
Neil Young
2/5
I don’t really like Neil Young’s voice anyway, and to hear him doing this whiny country folk stuff just ain’t it.
Meat Puppets
4/5
Really fun, interesting multi-genre exploration. I think I really dig “cowpunk” but the vocalist is truly terrible.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Meh. It’s a little more interesting than other Velvet Underground albums, but it’s still only okay.
The Who
5/5
Fishbone
5/5
Animal Collective
3/5
The instrumentals were fine, but nothing really stood out, and the vocals were mediocre at best.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
There was some impressive instrument playing but I can’t imagine this being very influential. There’s not much to latch onto.
Blur
4/5
Johnny Cash
5/5
With all due respect to Live at Folsom Prison, this shows so much more of who Johnny Cash was, while also just being excellent musically.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
A couple don’t hit, but it’s crazy how well this has aged.
Pink Floyd
5/5
XTC
4/5
I usually don’t like new wave/post punk stuff but there was enough outside influence to counter the corniness of those genres.
Brian Eno
3/5
Elton John
4/5
Has the same kind of catchy timelessness of the best of Billy Joel. Them piano men know how to sound a tune.
Goldie
4/5
John Martyn
3/5
I just can’t get into his voice. The instrumentals are honestly pretty nice, but the vocals ruin it.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Before starting on the 1001 albums project, I didn’t really like hip hop, but I feel like it’s because I never listened to stuff like this. While not as lyrically impressive as some of its contemporaries, this album delivers the same sonic satisfaction.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Really groovy, fun. You can hear the Fela Kuti influence but it’s a push, a thread, not a carbon copy.
Moby Grape
4/5
Groovy, funky, really fun.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
At one point I thought this was growing on me, and to his credit, Michael Kiwanuka’s voice is gorgeous. But the energy and pace from side A turns into monotony and sluggishness on Side B, such that the last few tracks before Light just blur together. I was hopeful for this but ultimately kinda let down.
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
Fun, pleasant, but what the hell was that random parade march?
Linkin Park
5/5
This was the first album I ever bought with my own money. It has aged so well, especially with the recent cultural reevaluation of nu metal. Mike is so on point, Chester’s choruses are still so soaring and vulnerable at the same time. RIP Chester, you created beautiful things.
The Cardigans
4/5
Really fun, such a great time capsule. Lovefool really is that good too.
Living Colour
4/5
Wild Beasts
3/5
2010s indie really did have some of the best music under some of the worst vocals. A damn shame.
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
Some of the most pedestrian pop I’ve ever heard. Boring, uninventive, and the lyrics seem wildly uninspired.
Björk
3/5
It’s Bjork. It sounds like Bjork. Is you like that, I imagine it’s wonderful for you. If you don’t, then it’s just Bjork.
Blue Cheer
4/5
Perfectly fine blues rock. Idk if it merits being on the list, but it was good.
Buzzcocks
4/5
Solid early punk. The genre has come a long way since then but it’s still good for what it is.
Sparks
3/5
Art rock has never hit with me—I don’t imagine it ever will.
Spacemen 3
1/5
An hour of buildup with no payoff. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this bored and frustrated with an album.
Sade
4/5
Really good soulful pop. I can hear some of what early Adele was working from.
Morrissey
3/5
Eh. It’s Morrissey. I feel like if this list originated outside the UK, there wouldn’t be nearly as much Morrissey. I did like some of the lyrics on this one though.
The Byrds
4/5
Somehow less obnoxious than their contemporaries that also dipped their toes into minstrel pop. It’s not the best of The Byrds but still rocks.
Aerosmith
3/5
Unlike early Aerosmith, which is bluesy, with swagger and artistry and grit, this is late Aerosmith, which is basically just Kid Rock with better guitar solos.
5/5
I don’t like art rock, I don’t particularly like Bowie, but this is too damn good.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
I didnt want to like this album that felt like The Police doing bad post punk but there were a couple songs that stuck out and weren’t terrible.
4/5
It was dope, but inconsistent.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I can’t do Elvis Costello. He’s just so corny.
Kate Bush
3/5
This is the best Kate Bush album I’ve ever heard, but it’s a low bar.
The Fall
4/5
The best post punk album I’ve ever heard. It’s a low bar.
Richard Thompson
3/5
N.W.A.
4/5
The Auteurs
3/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
I’ve listened to other Dexys albums before and really didn’t like them. Maybe it was the arrangement or instrumentation on this, with a focus more on brass as opposed to the weird pseudo country they do on other albums, but this one hit in a way the others simply don’t. I enjoyed it against my will and was pleasantly surprised.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
I often feel bad reviewing foreign language/foreign culture albums because I so rarely have a frame of reference for what “good” would sound like in these contexts. However, the horns and instruments are excellent here. I don’t love the vocals but I think they at least complement the instrumentals.