My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Tragic Songs of Life The Louvin Brothers	5	2.58	+2.42
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts Brian Eno	5	2.78	+2.22
Ys Joanna Newsom	5	2.8	+2.2
Arular M.I.A.	5	2.84	+2.16
69 Love Songs The Magnetic Fields	5	2.85	+2.15
Arc Of A Diver Steve Winwood	5	2.87	+2.13
Grievous Angel Gram Parsons	5	2.87	+2.13
Will The Circle Be Unbroken Nitty Gritty Dirt Band	5	2.98	+2.02
The Nightfly Donald Fagen	5	3.02	+1.98
Tom Tom Club Tom Tom Club	5	3.03	+1.97

Album	You	Global	Diff
Sticky Fingers The Rolling Stones	1	3.86	-2.86
Back In Black AC/DC	1	3.84	-2.84
Transformer Lou Reed	1	3.66	-2.66
Morrison Hotel The Doors	1	3.58	-2.58
The Clash The Clash	1	3.53	-2.53
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols Sex Pistols	1	3.45	-2.45
Cheap Thrills Big Brother & The Holding Company	1	3.41	-2.41
The Village Green Preservation Society The Kinks	1	3.4	-2.4
British Steel Judas Priest	1	3.29	-2.29
It's Too Late to Stop Now Van Morrison	1	3.24	-2.24

Artist	Albums	Average
Steely Dan	3	5
Amy Winehouse	2	5
Talking Heads	2	5

Artist	Albums	Average
The Rolling Stones	4	1.5
Lou Reed	2	1

Artist	Ratings
The Kinks	1, 4
Radiohead	5, 4, 2

Oasis

2/5

Deeply unpleasant from start to finish. Characterized by trite, repetitive and uninspired lyrics with instrumentation to match. The first 15-20 seconds of each song were almost enjoyable as a reprieve from the previous, but by 2:30 I wished that it, too, would end. Instead, every song rambles on far beyond its welcome. I suspect that copious drug use and terrible music were a bit of a chicken-and-egg dilemma for Oasis, and one I am entirely uninterested in cracking. Choosing a favorite song feels a bit like choosing the STD I’d most like to contract, but I’d have to go with “Married with Children”. 3/10.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

An outstanding debut - from the first track, Quest tells us exactly who they are and what they’re about. They manage an album that is thematically sprawling but stylistically cohesive and wholly unique. No finer sampling work can be found anywhere. 8.5/10

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

5/5

This album to me is something like a mood ring - whatever feeling I bring into it, it reflects back to me in countless shades, and because of this it sounds new and different every time. At times frenetic, at times meditative, always cool as fuck. Timeless and unequivocal. 10/10

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

5/5

So much anguish, so much groove, so much soul. "Walk On By" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" are such fantastic songs and the way they have been expanded and reimagined here is some kind of magic covers rarely accomplish. I don't know what else can be said about this album that hasn't been said before... iconic. *chefs kiss* 9/10

Green

R.E.M.

4/5

I liked this album more as it went on. There are some interesting decisions with the instrumentation and heavy use of a mandolin which I appreciate. The lyrics vary from evocative - "I Remember California" stands out especially - to cryptic but retain a certain charm throughout. "Stand" and "Orange Crush" are the notable singles from this album and they hold up 36 years later. Tangentially, once it's pointed out to you that Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip and Michael Stipe kinda sound like each other, you can't unhear it. 7.5/10

Arrival

ABBA

3/5

I like ABBA but I don't think they are very album-oriented. The standouts on this album all did well as singles and the rest of the album is filled with forgettable, cloying tracks that get old quickly. 5/10

The Score

Fugees

2/5

I personally don’t really care for their flow so 78 minutes of run time felt far too long for me. Don’t care for how crude the lyrics are either. Feels like a lot more swagger than substance. 4.5/10

This Is Fats Domino

Fats Domino

4/5

With most albums from the ‘50s, I expect a couple standout tracks propped up by generic, forgettable songs that could’ve just as easily been recorded by anyone else. This is not the case here, I suspect because Domino wrote (or co-wrote) every track. Even the weaker songs are carried by the quality and uniqueness of Domino’s voice and beautiful, expressive, perfectly phrased work on the saxophone. Almost 70 years since its release, this album still shines, and serves as an excellent example of the way blues entered popular music and laid the foundation for rock n roll. Lastly, this album sounds so much like New Orleans, it made me very nostalgic. Fantastic overall. 8.5/10

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

3/5

Cee-Lo Green manages to invoke the classic sounds and feelings of soul and r&b while still serving up something novel and very fun to listen to. The lyrics aren’t particularly moving to me and sometimes verge on megalomaniacal, but they aren’t bad either. Great features from Timbaland, Ludacris and T.I. emphasize the southern flavor throughout this album. Favorite tracks: “Living Again” and “My Kind of People”. 7/10

1989

Taylor Swift

2/5

“Welcome to New York” sounds like an AI generated song for a cheap promotional video for the city and is a baffling choice as an album opener. This turns out to be a recurring theme - the instrumental track on “Style” sounds like the royalty-free music that would play over a hastily assembled slideshow of services offered at a bougie suburban strip mall salon. “This Love” makes me feel like I’m watching a toxic couple’s reunion on a trashy reality TV show. There are moments of “Out of the Woods” where Jack Antonoff’s production almost shines through but it ultimately loses its battle against the many things working against this track’s favor. The same can be said for “I Wish You Would” - Antonoff’s fingerprints are immediately recognizable but even his pop genius can’t redeem Swift’s extremely grating vocal phrasing and unimpressive “pipes”. I was alive during 2014 so “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood” were already familiar to me and are the songs I dislike least on this album. They exhibit Swift at what she excels at: catchy, vapid, annoyingly self-effacing pop music, which is arguably less tiresome than everything she has done since. But this is about 1989. Sadly “Shake it Off” was also already familiar to me and it’s as terrible as it’s ever been. That spoken word interlude is truly laughably bad. “I Know Places” best exemplifies her style that I can only describe as ‘phrasing’ that is possibly my least favorite thing about her music. The timing with which she delivers the lyrics on this track in particular hit me like a shot of room-temperature bottom-shelf tequila. Actually made my face contort. Something that stands out to me listening to this album is how truly meh TSwizzle’s voice is compared to her worldwide megapopularity. Her range is exceptionally narrow and attempts to work on the upper or lower ends sound very breathy and effortful. Her lyrics epitomize “I’m 14 and this is deep” memes. How many times does she mention wearing red lipstick in the span of 45 minutes? Overall, Swift offers some of the strongest evidence for the idea that our society rewards mediocrity in white folk. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever listened to but it’s very grating vocally and lyrically and most of the production feels lazy. 3/10

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

3/5

The first word that comes to mind for this album is “moody”. I’m not sure exactly what the mood is but Dire Straits sets it very effectively. I think the opening track and “Money For Nothing” are actually the weakest parts of this album. “Walk of Life” feels a bit out of place here — it is jauntier and more playful than any of the other 51 minutes of the album — but it’s such a great track I don’t mind. The middle of the album is the strongest part for me. The horns on “Your Latest Trick” sizzle and simmer, followed by the sprawling “Why Worry” with its meditations on the ups and downs of life are, to my ears, the sonic and emotional heart of this album. The title track is a very nice ending. While some tracks on this album are a 8.5 or 9 out of 10, it unfortunately is a bit less than the sum of its parts for me. 7.5/10

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

2/5

Being that I generally like new wave and the handful of Depeche Mode songs I know, I expected to enjoy this album. I did not. It has the ambiance of a haunted house with none of the fun. I think Depeche Mode needs a higher tempo to work for me and this album is full of songs that just trudge towards their very welcome end. I found this tedious and tiresome. The lyrics throughout this album are simplistic and frankly kind of dumb. Lyrics don’t need to be complex or deep or clever to be good, but these come across like a writing assignment done by a moody teenager with no particular inspiration. Overall, I am glad this album was short and short though it was, I was counting down the songs until it was over. 3/10

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

3/5

My impression of Arcade Fire is pretty much entirely formed around “Keep the Car Running” and “No Cars Go”, both songs I like from a previous album. The title of this album gives me pause because the suburbs make me queasy and there’s a lot of art about the banality of suburban life and how hard it is that I just don’t like. But I’m putting all that aside for 64 minutes! On the title track, there’s a lot I want to like here, but it feels a bit long for how little it varies from beginning to end. An underwhelming but not a bad start. Unfortunately the first 10 songs all continue on this way. It’s not unpleasant but everything kinda sounds the same for almost 45 minutes. “Wasted Hours” and “Deep Blue” finally offer a little variation — I’m not sure if I actually like these tracks more than the other before them or if I was just happy to get a different sound. I like “We Used to Wait” as well… but I don’t love it. I also like “Sprawl” parts I and II. Overall, the last third of this album is definitely my favorite part. Setting aside the fact that the first ~45 minutes all sound the same and this 64 minute album could’ve just as easily been 34 minutes, it’s… fine. Indie rock of this era isn’t really my thing, but there are other bands of the time and genre that I like a lot more. I can see why people love this though, I guess. Meh/10

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

4/5

This album could certainly be called ambient, and it creates a lot of ambiance, but at the same time it refuses to fall into the background of whatever time and place you may be listening the way a lot of ambient music does. The feeling this album conjures is to be a small, intrepid creature exploring something vast and unknown and beautiful and scary, like the depths of the ocean or outer space, protected in your little vessel of some kind. It’s a strange album, triumphant and exciting yet subdued and peaceful. It has an orchestral quality throughout the album. I have no idea what the lyrics are about and I’m not sure if I want to. Overall, this isn’t something I will listen to casually but in the right context I think this would be perfect. It’s really quite strange and wonderful and charming. I’d give it 3.5 ⭐️ if I could but I have to round up here. 7.5/10

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

5/5

I am thrilled to see this as the AOTD. I am a huge fan of Stephin Merritt and all of his projects — I love his voice, and his lyrics have a certain sensibility that resonates a lot with me. I find them very clever and often hilarious. To begin, I love the concept of this album. It starts with one of the most, if not THE most, ubiquitous themes in popular music: the love song. By allowing, or forcing, himself to come up with 69 variations on this theme, we end up winding through the many forms it can take and feelings it can represent. Not every song feels fully fleshed out and the end result is something that feels like a three-hour brainstorming session on one of music’s—and life’s—biggest subjects. Although this album is thematically narrow, it covers a lot of ground musically. There are banjos and synths and show tunes and just about everything in between. It’s a wild and very fun ride. Favorite tracks: “A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off”, “The Book of Love”, “Time Enough for Rocking When We’re Old”, “Papa Was a Rodeo”… there’s so many. I can’t say I love every track on this album, but I can say I love everything about this album. 10/10

We're Only In It For The Money

The Mothers Of Invention

2/5

Frank Zappa is something of a solitary figure in the music of the last ~100 years. One could argue with good reason he is a musical genius... but the products of genius are not always aesthetic successes. That’s about how I feel about this album. I love the satirizing of late 60s counterculture and the apparent shots taken at Sgt Pepper’s (beyond the obvious with the album cover). The use of musique concrète and the structure of the album overall is interesting and feels ahead of its time. At the same time, the actual music here feels pretty dated and isn’t particularly enjoyable. I’m not really sure what to make of this as a result. It’s interesting and clever and I appreciate it as art, but don’t think it’s very “good” as a musical release. I also don’t think it’s Zappa’s best work. 4.5/10…?

Disraeli Gears

Cream

2/5

In its first half, I thought this was pretty standard fare for 60s psychedelic rock, not bad but no standout tracks either. The lyrics were a bit stronger than I generally expect from albums of this time and genre and I was thinking it’s a generous 3 ⭐️. Things start going off the rails with “SWLABR”. This song is so, so dumb. I hated it. “We’re Going Wrong” was actually my favorite song on the album. The restraint from the band and the haunting vocals are a beautiful combination. I thought we were back on track but I quickly realized this track’s title was foreshadowing the remainder of the album. The next three tracks are absolutely terrible. While “Outside Woman Blues” teeters on being a tacky imitation of blues music, “Take it Back” dives head first into this territory. Everything about Cream’s rendition of blues on this track feels hokey and affected. When I thought I had heard the worst this album had to offer, they come in with the appalling “Mother’s Lament”. This is truly one of the most irritating 2 minutes of “music” I’ve been subjected to during this project. Because it’s last on the album, I think its inclusion was meant to be a joke, but it’s a cruel one. What a terrible taste to leave in the listener’s mouth. “We’re Going Wrong” is a lovely track. Take it out and what remains of this album is the musical embodiment of a saggy, stained couch that reeks of hookah smoke at its best. 4/10

All Mod Cons

The Jam

3/5

This is the first album I’ve been assigned from a band I’ve never heard of, which was exciting! The album itself was… ehhhhh. There are several moments throughout the album that I enjoyed but I don’t really think I’d seek this out again. There’s obvious influence from new wave and punk but it feels like this album can’t decide what it wants to be and fails to forge its own voice. Kinda fun though. 6/10

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

3/5

Jimi Hendrix is obviously a virtuosic guitar player and overall, this is a strong debut album. I think it could be a little shorter, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would considering my general feelings about 60s psychedelic rock. I think the way Hendrix incorporates blues into his rock n roll is both more creative and more genuine than most of his peers, which I appreciate. I also liked the more subdued numbers on this album, specifically “May This Be Love” and his rendition of “The Wind Cries Mary”. The favorite track by far was “Third Stone From the Sun” - it’s a bit jammy, quite jazzy, and the recurring melody is beautiful. The mixing on this album was frustrating throughout… it sounded almost like a live album and the vocal track sounded a bit muddy or just didn’t stand up to the instrumentals very well. I think there’s also just a couple duds. “Foxey Lady”, for instance, is a track I think could’ve been cut at no loss to the album. Overall, this is a cut above the standard for 60s psychedelia in my opinion with some small, interesting creative choices throughout. I waffled between 3 and 4 ⭐️ here, but considering “Third Stone From the Sun” is the only track I’d really seek out again, I gotta go with 3 ⭐️. 7/10

Hms Fable

Shack

1/5

In what world is this essential listening? Asinine album from a band no one remembers 25 years later. This is a ridiculous inclusion on this list. “Daniella” is the only enjoyable track on what sounds like a demo from a pub cover band. Ugh. 2/10

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

5/5

Ray Charles is a peerless figure in american music. His genius for blending jazz, blues, country and performing with such genuine emotion and musicality is something I find so moving. Unfortunately, I don’t think this album entirely showcases the best of Ray Charles, and I hope this isn’t his only album on the list. Some of the big band arrangements on the first half of the album feel a bit schmaltzy and lacking in creativity. It’s still not bad listening by any means - I’d give the first half a 3 ⭐️ rating. The second half of this album, on the other hand, is flawless. It showcases Charles’s iconic sound and highlights his beautiful, plaintive vocals with instrumentation that always complements and highlights, and never detracts from or upstages, Charles’s performance. The latter six songs are easily 5 ⭐️. On the whole, I think the second half more than makes up for my gripes over the first half. If I didn’t know of Ray Charles beforehand, I’m sure I would’ve liked the first half more, but I am prejudiced by knowing how much more of his catalog is cut from the same cloth as the back half of this album. That being considered, I think it’s unfair for me to rate this less than 5 ⭐️. 9/10

Locust Abortion Technician

Butthole Surfers

4/5

Loud. Strange. Absurd. Kinda anxiety-inducing. Often dissonant. Weirdly fun? There is a lot of creativity in this album and it doesn’t take itself very seriously. A strange sense of humor permeates it. The opening track, “Sweet Loaf” oscillates abruptly between different sounds; the result is a lot of fun to listen to and one of my favorites on the album. “Kuntz” is the other favorite, an expected and delightful twist on a recording of some southeast Asian origin. “Pittsburgh to Lebanon” sounds like a blues track that marinated in a vat of toxic sludge. The weak points for me were “USSA” and “The O-Men”, which I found a bit grating. This album sounds like a bad acid trip but somehow uses that to its benefit and ends up a miraculous winner. There is some kind of black magic going on here. 7.5/10 would listen again

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

1/5

Jesus Christ. It’s like Godsmack and Insane Clown Posse collaborated to make a way-too-long album inspired by all the worst songs from the Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtracks. The intro and the first 40 seconds of “Take a Look Around” are the only okay parts of this album. This is so goddamn bad. I struggle to articulate how much I don’t like it. If I ran Guantanamo Bay, this is the album I’d play on repeat to push inmates to their psychological breaking point and coerce confessions. 1/10

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

3/5

I was a huge White Stripes fan in middle school and then kinda forgot they existed, so this was a fun throwback for me. It’s not quite as good as I remember - things start to fall off after “Fell in Love With a Girl” - but it’s not bad. Lots of songs kinda sound the same. 7/10

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

4/5

Hell yeah. Is this… punk? metal? is this what thrash metal is? I don’t know exactly but it’s rockin 🤘 Is it formulaic, repetitive and simplistic? It is, but the formula works for Motörhead for no other reason than it feels like they really mean it. It is so formulaic and repetitive even that it makes it hard for me to pick out songs that stand out for better or worse… I think the title track and “Fast and Loose” were probably my favorites. “Jailbait” and “The Chase is Better Tahn the Catch” are uhh not songs that could be released today and were my least favorites cuz the lyrics are just a bit beyond what I can excuse in the name of hell yeah. Overall this is short and loud and fast and is just very… something. I’m not sure what it is but I appreciate it. I would listen to this again 7.5/10

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

2/5

This is in many ways a “great” album - ahead of its time and certainly very influential. But I don’t think it’s a “good” album. It’s shrieking and dissonant and musically it goes back and forth between trite guitar riffs and unlistenable noise. Lou Reed’s voice is annoying as hell and so are his lyrics. We get it dude, you do drugs. This album’s saving grace is Nico’s vocals, which are so strange and beautiful. There are also some interesting textures on some tracks. Overall, I find this irritating and will not listen again. Also, I don’t like Andy Warhol. 4/10

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

5/5

Does what it says on the box, and does it better than anyone. Just a delightful collection of tunes regaling you with stories of a bygone west. Marty Robbins has a beautiful voice. What’s not to love?

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

5/5

The opening track, “Introduction” set a tone very much in line with what i expect from Nick Drake - moody, beautiful, intricate guitar work. I was a little surprised by the quick tempo and relatively upbeat feel to the following track, “Hazey Jane II”. Why does this track come before “Hazey Jane I”? Cuz Nick Drake is an inscrutable artíste. In all seriousness, this is a beautiful album. I think I have only heard songs of his from ‘Pink Moon’, which is also a lovely, melancholy album, but makes the lush arrangements on ‘Bryter Layter’ unexpected. The incorporation of strings and brass is a stroke of genius and sets this album apart from the spades of other excellent sad-guy-with-guitar albums out there. My overall favorite track is probably “One of These Things First”, but I love the jazzy flair on “Poor Boy” and the lovely instrumental title and opening tracks. “Northern Sky” is also a beautiful approximation of a love song. Nick Drake’s musical and vocal style are unmistakeable, and the peculiar variety of folk music on ‘Bryter Lauter’ has to be among the finest I’ve ever heard. 9/10

Machine Head

Deep Purple

3/5

Everyone on planet earth knows “Smoke on the Water”, or at least the central guitar riff, which is what my expectations for this album were based on. I was thrown for a loop. One of the first words that comes to mind to describe this album is flamboyant. It’s like rock n roll jazz hands. If someone were to write a broadway show about Ozzie Osbourne’s life, this is what I’d expect it to sound like. Which absolutely sounds like something I’d hate, but this was a pretty fun listen. It gets a lil groovy at points. I like the bass solo near the middle-end of “Pictures of Home”. Some good musicianship on display notwithstanding, this album strikes me as very silly. Not a bad silly, but silly no less. 6.5/10

Frank

Amy Winehouse

5/5

I love this album dearly. I first listened to it some time around 2007-2008, when “Rehab” was everywhere and I immediately wanted to hear more from Amy. I feel like this album is a close friend that has grown up with me, and there have been different times in my life when almost every song had its moment of reflecting exactly how I felt. It’s tempting to go song by song and expand on why I love each of them, but for 15 tracks that’s a bit much. On the other hand, it’s hard for me to single out favorite tracks or moments, but I will try: - the increasingly dizzying and desperate vocal expression on “You Sent Me Flying” - the sense of urgency that sets in immediately with the percussion of “Know You Now” - the biting satire in the lyrics of “Fuck Me Pumps” and “I Heard Love is Blind” - “There is No Greater Love” is, I think, the only track on the album she didn’t write or co-write, and it’s such a beautiful rendition of a jazz standard and a perfect inclusion - “Take the Box” is a perfect breakup song, no notes - “Amy Amy Amy” sounds like the theme song for knowingly making bad decisions - the two “hidden tracks” after the outro, especially the slinky and sentimental “Brother”, are such lovely parting gifts The whole album is sustained by Amy’s amazing voice - it is powerful, soft when it needs to be, has a beautiful rasp and a fantastic range. It recalls several of the jazz greats while being wholly unique. The musical blend of soul, jazz, and R&B is delightful and doesn’t sound dated by even a day, 21 years later. This is an album I have been coming back to consistently for nearly 20 years and will continue to, probably forever. It blows my mind that this was released when Amy was just 20 years old. It blows my mind that I’m now older than Amy was when she died, and still the genius of her music continues to give me so much. RIP my friend. 10/10

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

5/5

Of all the albums released this millennium, probably very few have been written about more than ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, so I won’t spend too much time trying to say what surely many others have already. It’s a fantastic, inedible creative album that’s as lyric-driven and contemplative as it is full of danceable bangers. Instant classic that will remain relevant for a very long time. 9.5/10

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Stereolab

4/5

This is such a cool album, and it must have sounded even cooler to listeners in 1996 when this style of mixing and music-making was much more labor-intensive and rarer to come across, especially outside of hip-hop. It’s experimental yet catchy, glitchy yet polished, and so fun to listen to. It’s really just a vibe and a half. 8.5/10

Punishing Kiss

Ute Lemper

1/5

About halfway through the first song, I thought to myself this album might be a hard one to get through, and I was more right than I could have known. This is so, so bad and weird. It’s such an extraordinary kind of terrible that at some moments it loops all the way around to kind of being hilarious. But mostly, it’s just god awful schmaltzy cabaret singing set to shitty music with bizarre nonsense lyrics. As a reward for making it almost all the way through the album, you’re rewarded with the last track, a nearly-11 minute masterpiece on composing the most unlistenable garbage of all time. Part of me thinks that surely, this is some kind intentionally terrible performance art - if that is the case, I’d have to rate it pretty highly for nailing what it set out to do. But with no evidence to confirm this idea I have to take this album at face value. Most of the albums from this project that I’ve given one or a generous two ⭐️, I at least vaguely understand why someone else would like it, but not this one. Not only is this album not for me, I’m pretty sure it’s not fit for human consumption. I almost respect how completely and entirely hateable this album is, but mostly I just completely and entirely hate it. 1/10

Doolittle

Pixies

4/5

I could understand why someone wouldn't like this album - to say it's mostly a bunch of simplistic, loud guitar riffing with obtuse lyrics isn't entirely untrue. But the Pixies manage to do it in a way that no one else does and for me, it really works. Within the simplistic, loud guitar riffing there is a lot of interesting variation and I think both musically and lyrically they take inspiration from a wide variety of subjects. Mostly it's just a lot of fun. I love Kim Deal's bass playing and her vocals, though they aren't very prominent on this album they add a lot. 8/10

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

5/5

For most bands, an album like “Can’t Buy A Thrill” wouldn’t be super popular among their devoted fans: it’s their first album before they really cemented the heavily jazz-tinged sound they’re most loved for, and it’s full of commercially very successful tracks which can often be divisive among the fanbases of other bands. Steely Dan avoids all of this because their debut album is the best yacht rock album ever made and everyone loves yacht rock. Musically, there are hints here of the outsized influence jazz will have on later records, and there’s also a bit of Latin flavor, especially on “Do It Again” and “Only a Fool Would Say That”, which is a delight. The production also sounds distinctly like a Steely Dan record, and there are points where the musical phrasing is unmistakably Fagen/Becker. The lyrics, too, are in their trademark style. It’s not that it doesn’t sound like a Steely Dan record, it’s just made from a different mold. But it’s still a damn fine album and one of my favorites from the Dan. If I had to pick a fault, it’s that “Fire in the Hole” and “Change of the Guard” aren’t quite as strong as the rest of the album… but I don’t feel the need to pick a fault. 9/10

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues

3/5

It’s nice to finally get something from outside of North America or Europe, and this album comes to us from Mali. It’s predominantly a rock and roll album tinged with blues and a clear influence from North African music. I enjoyed the experience of listening to this album, but it’s too much of a traditional rock n roll album for me to really get super excited about. “Wayei” was my favorite track. 6.5/10

Casanova

The Divine Comedy

2/5

I recognized the name The Divine Comedy as the band responsible for backing Ute Lemper on the astoundingly bad ‘Punishing Kiss’, so I feared this album was going to be on par with that garbage. I was pleasantly surprised to find this is mostly unremarkable, kinda weird acoustic-tinged chamber pop with a vocalist who I don’t like, but who isn’t nearly as aggressive as Ute. “In & Out of Paris & London” almost sounds like it could be a Magnetic Fields song and was my favorite on the album. I also liked the instrumental half of “Theme to Casanova”. Solid 4/10.

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

4/5

It was a dreary, drizzly, and gray November day today here in Georgia, which was the perfect ambiance for this album. This is the last of Nick Drake’s albums I hadn’t listened to before, and it’s much more akin to ‘Pink Moon’ than ‘Bryter Layter’. That is to say, it’s “sad-guy-with-guitar” music, which is a much more crowded field than whatever the fabulous ‘Bryter Layter’ counts as. To be sure, Drake does a beautiful version of “sad-guy-with-guitar” music. I love his unique voice and I love his lyrics. To consider that this album came out in 1969 is pretty remarkable - it sounds about 35 years ahead of its time. There was a time when every coffee shop singer-songwriter seemed to be going for Drake’s sound, which is unfortunate because it’s hard to not be somewhat desensitized to the genuine article. Overall, Drake does what he does and does it well. This album is a bit one-note for me to really fall in love with as a whole, but it’s a very fine product. 8/10

Queen II

Queen

3/5

Being as super-popular as they are, I was surprised to find I hadn't heard of a single song on this album. This was apparently released about 10 years before the heyday of the Queen songs that everyone knows. Some of the trademark elements that define their later sound are evident here, but it hasn't been fully formed yet, either. I thought there were some interesting moments in the first five songs of the album - it occasionally gets considerably heavier than I expect from Queen - but the latter half kind of lost my interest. I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could. Meh. 5/10

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

5/5

A wonderful album. The title track is, of course, an all-timer and is just one of those songs. The rest of the album is mostly covers and a few original tracks, including the fantastic “Behave Yourself”, all instrumental. What I love about this album is the way the electric organ serves as the main melodic device and serves a role in each song that would otherwise by served by either vocals or perhaps a lead guitar. In some tracks, the organ is played more like an organ, and in some it’s used for fast licks; the licks give a very interesting effect because the particular organ used doesn’t allow the notes to “overlap”. The effect is a very digital sound that belies the 1962 release date. The vibes of this album are second to none. It’s summertime backyard cookout, after you’ve already eaten and twilight is setting in and the heat is starting to relent. Beyond the vibes it’s also just excellent musicianship and interesting production. I don’t have any negatives to report really. 9/10

Space Ritual

Hawkwind

1/5

A wonderful album. The title track is, of course, an all-timer and is just one of those songs. The rest of the album is mostly covers and a few original tracks, including the fantastic “Behave Yourself”, all instrumental. What I love about this album is the way the electric organ serves as the main melodic device and serves a role in each song that would otherwise by served by either vocals or perhaps a lead guitar. In some tracks, the organ is played more like an organ, and in some it’s used for fast licks; the licks give a very interesting effect because the particular organ used doesn’t allow the notes to “overlap”. The effect is a very digital sound that belies the 1962 release date. The vibes of this album are second to none. It’s summertime backyard cookout, after you’ve already eaten and twilight is setting in and the heat is starting to relent. Beyond the vibes it’s also just excellent musicianship and interesting production. I don’t have any negatives to report really. 9/10

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

I am loathe to donate whatever fraction of a cent of my streaming revenue goes towards Neil Young and whatever elitist, anti-scientific mumbo jumbo he’s cooking up next, but so demand the 1001 Albums gods. My personal feelings about the artist aside, this is a middling to decent… Americana? album? I’m going with Americana for this. I don’t have much to say about it. I liked the eerie violin solo on “Running Dry” although this was one of the weaker tracks overall in my opinion. The classic Neil Young sound is there, but the quality of songwriting is a step below that of what he would come to put out in the next several years after this album. I liked “Cinnamon Girl” best probably. 6/10

Ambient 1/Music For Airports

Brian Eno

4/5

I think Brian Eno is one of the most fascinating and creative people in the music biz, so it’s a bit hard for me to be objective, but I think it’s fair to say this genre-defining ambient album is groundbreaking. It takes a certain stroke of creative genius to reimagine the way we interact with music - to say, in the height of the disco era, that music doesn’t need to be melodic or even phrasal but can exist as a texture to subtly morph our surroundings. I think the intent of this album is pretty contrary to the intent of the 1001 Albums project, or at least the way I like to listen to my album of the day, which is intently and carefully with minimal distraction. It’s hard to know how to rate this album because the content is hardly even musical. But I have so much respect for Eno and have in fact listened to this album several times in my life and always enjoy it, so I’m gonna say 8/10? I guess?

The Last Of The True Believers

Nanci Griffith

3/5

I’m a little stumped by this one because Griffith’s voice is very nice and the instrumentation is light and lilting and the two together feels like something I should enjoy… but it just lacks something for me. It feels kind of soulless. My impression from this album was that Griffith was discovered performing at open mics and whatnot, doing mostly covers probably, got a record deal with a label that shopped for these songs from the songwriters around Nashville, and was set up to record them with a group of studio musicians. It just feels like none of the performers have any emotional connection to these songs. Come to find out that 9 of the 11 tracks were written by Griffith. Hmm. I did enjoy “St. Olav’s Gate”, “One of These Days” and especially “Banks of the Pontchartrain”. The latter was easily my favorite track on the album and leads me to believe some of miss Nanci’s other work may be worth a listen. Apparently her earlier work was more folk and this album was early into her pivot into a more country style, which may explain why it kind of sounds like a cover album of Emmylou Harris tracks that died on the cutting room floor. Not an unenjoyable listen though. 6/10

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

2/5

You can’t spell Mick Jagger without “ick”, which is what I get from him and his lyrics. Musically, it’s derivative and repetitive. Ugh. 4/10

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

This is not my favorite Simon & Garfunkel album. I find the title track to be a bit mawkish, and there are a couple tracks that are neither here nor there. That being said, the good songs on this album are fantastic. Their rendition of “El Condor Pasa” is beautiful and it’s very cool that Simon translated the lyrics into English himself. “Cecilia” is so fun and exuberant and is one of my favorite S&G tracks. The harmonies on “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” are mesmerizing. “The Boxer” and “The Only Living Boy in New York” are some of their finest storytelling. I just really love Simon & Garfunkel and even one of their “worst” albums (in my opinion) is full of beautiful tracks with a lot to love. 8.5/10

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

2/5

I found this pretty unremarkable and I don’t have much to say about it. The general vibe is very boyish. It’s repetitive and simplistic. “Smash It Up” was my favorite track, mostly part 1. Will not listen again. 4/10

Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches

Happy Mondays

2/5

There are several tracks on this album that kinda have a fun, funky vibe, but the vibes are invariably ruined by asinine, off putting lyrics sung in a supremely annoying voice. I’m getting tired of this project recommending tasteless british drivel. 4/10

Tidal

Fiona Apple

5/5

If I could only pick 10 albums to listen to for the rest of my life, this would be on the list. This is another album that love deeply and have listened to regularly for at least half my life. The very first strikes of the drum on “Sleep to Dream” are an immaculate start to the album, as is the entire track, which is one of my favorites. Most of the other relatively higher-energy tracks are among my favorites, namely “Shadowboxer” and “The First Taste”. When the full instrumental suite kicks in on “The First Taste” is just *chefs kiss*. My favorite track of all is perhaps “Carrion”. Which is not to say the slower, sadder numbers, of which there are many, are lesser songs. The songwriting and lyricism throughout this album astounds me every time I listen to it. To consider that Apple was a teenager when she wrote these songs is genuinely baffling to me. The maturity, emotional depth, and poeticism of her words is far beyond anything I could dream of writing as a grown adult or even what most professional songwriters put out. It’s a beautiful, devastating, flawless, no-skips album. I love every evolution of Fiona Apple’s style and every album she’s put out since Tidal, but for me this debut album is one of those lightning-in-a-bottle releases that achieves something that few albums can. 10/10

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

4/5

In the first 50 albums of this project, I’ve been served up many variants on the 60s-70s psychedelic theme and have come to realize I really don’t care for it at much. When I saw this album cover, I expected another slog through boring, distorted guitar riffs and childish lyrics. I was pleasantly surprised to find this album distinguishes itself in its field with a pretty unique and interesting sound. The bass throughout the album is especially cool, as well as the keyboard and organ. “Beechwood Park” and “This Will Be Our Year” are highlights, but it’s really a pretty good album start to finish. I knew the Zombies were responsible for some super-popular song of the era but I couldn’t remember which, so ending the album on the spooky season classic “Time of the Season” was a nice treat. The mastering on this album is noticeably bad, but I don’t feel it’s fair to demerit the artists for that. Solid 7.5/10, torn between three or four ⭐️ but I think I’d listen to this again in certain contexts and I’m feeling generous so I will round up. Not sure what the misspelling of odyssey is about but it’s a good enough record to look past that.

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

4/5

Missy Elliott and Timbaland are a funky fresh dream team. Sadly I think this album is considerably weaker than ‘Supa Dupa Fly’, and if there is only one Elliott on this last, I’m mad it’s this one over her debut. But this album is nothing to be mad about; it’s full of very fun, very funky, very fresh tracks. The first two are kinda sleepers, but the run of “Gossip Folks”, “Work It”, “Back in the Day”, “Funky Fresh Dressed”, “Pussycat”, and “Nothing Out There For Me” is just killer. The remainder of the album is a little meh until the last track, “Can You Hear Me”, which always makes me a little weepy. It’s a very touching elegy. The features on this album are really good, even if the Jay-Z verse is a bit goofy. Elliott’s rhymes are always so playful and light-hearted, they are really a joy to listen to. I have to dock this album though because even though it’s quite good, no part of it is really excellent except “Work It” and “Can You Hear Me”. Compared to ‘Supa Dupa Fly’, it’s a little disappointing knowing how much better this album could’ve been. 8/10

James Brown Live At The Apollo

James Brown

5/5

As a document and a piece of musical history, this album is really a gem. James Brown, 1963, the Apollo in Harlem… wow. The inclusion of the crowd noise really works here as well, and you can really imagine being there and practically see the sweat falling from Brown’s brow. The musical content is also delightful, with Brown more on the crooning side of soul rather than the funky side that would become such a huge part of his legacy. Still, his performance is electric and his talent seeps from every note he sings. I don’t think any single song really stands out to me above the experience of it all. What a wonderful record to exist. I only wish it were longer. 10/10

All Directions

The Temptations

3/5

This album represents the Temptations' shift from the classic Motown sound to a funkier sound, and is obviously supported by "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", a massive song in terms of cultural legacy and sonically, clocking in at nearly 12 minutes. This song is a masterpiece. Their version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is lovely and does justice to a beautiful, perfect song. Unfortunately, the rest of this album falls a bit flat for me. It's not unenjoyable, and there are moments like the opening of "Mother Nature" that I quite like. But if you dropped most of these songs on a tapestry of all the early 70s Detroit soul recordings, they would blend into the fabric so thoroughly as to be lost. 7/10, mostly for "Papa ...".

A Night At The Opera

Queen

2/5

This album is OBNOXIOUS. Like "Death on Two Legs" and "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" might be the most grating one-two punch of opening tracks in the 1970s. It's weirdly twee with boring, big guitar riffs punctuated by just enough bizarre vocal harmonies and orchestral flourishes that it demands your attention. This trend just continues through the entire album. "Sweet Lady" is notably terrible and "Seaside Rendezvous" sounds better suited for musical theater than normal human listening. "The Prophet's Song" seems to go for a more proggy style and the first 4 minutes aren't that bad, but the crescendo of a cappella vocals in the round that goes on for two minutes is truly awful. A truly bizarre track that goes nowhere. "Love of My Life" is a comparatively sane track and a nice showcase of Freddie Mercury's undeniable vocal talent. "Good Company" would be a much better track without the banjolele. Then, of course, there is "Bohemian Rhapsody". On its own this is a delightfully strange, dizzying rock opera with such a massive place in pop culture that it's hard to hear for what it is. I think listening to it in its context on this album actually makes me like it less. The first ~half of the song is considerably more enjoyable than anything else on the album, but the operatic interlude in the middle is kind of ruined. The crescendo towards the return of the guitars after this interlude and the outro are, like the first half, still more enjoyable than most of the album. And rounding it out with the contemptible "God Save the Queen". Ugh. Admittedly, Brian May's arrangement isn't in itself offensive. Overall I liked this far less than I anticipated. I knew Queen weren't my favorite band and that they verge on a particular kind of over-the-top that I don't care for, but I guess I had never sit down and listened to a full album of it. Turns out "over-the-top" and "I don't care for [it]" are understatements. 3/10

Timeless

Goldie

3/5

I have to admit I first balked when I saw the AOTD is nearly two hours of 1995 drum n bass, but I actually found this pretty enjoyable to zone out and do repetitive tasks to. This album makes nice use of some pretty funky/soulful samples and strikes a nice balance between letting the song meander and returning to its central motif. The 20-minute opening track takes a little while to get there, but it settles into a nice groove, and I liked both of the abridged remixes at the end as well. I swear there's some Mario Kart samples in here. I wouldn't put this on in its entirety again but any particular song would fit in nicely to a shuffle of jungle/dnb on the rare occasion when I put that on for menial tasks. 6/10

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

3/5

This is a neat album that does well to showcase The Police’s unique synthesis of genres. The good songs are great - “Message in a Bottle”, “Bring On the Night”, “Deathwish” - but there are also a handful of songs that feel like filler or just plain duds. “It’s Alright For You” is definitely my least favorite song on the album, whereas I’m not sure what to make of “On Any Other Day”, “Contact”, and “Does Everyone Stare”. This is probably the most perplexing album for me yet. My initial impression is a solid 6.5 or 7 out of 10. I feel like if I come back to this album at a later date, which I’m happy to do, that rating would change. I’m just not sure if it would be up or down.

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

4/5

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

4/5

This endeavor is convincing me that my prejudice against live albums is misguided, as we have another fantastic one in this 1963 recording of the peerless Sam Cooke. His vocal talent is every bit as strong live as it was on recordings, and the musical quality of this performance is very good. More valuable than that, though, is that this recording gives the listener a sense of Sam Cooke as a performer and personality, which is particularly valuable considering that his life was tragically cut far too short. It’s a delightful listen and you can’t help but smile as Cooke charms and captivates his audience. 8/10

Gorillaz

4/5

I'm not sure what to say other than I like this album a lot. It brings back a lot of fun memories. Genre-wise it's a bit all over the place, but there is some unique stylistic sense that holds it all together. Beats the hell out of anything britpop and that one of the Gallagher brothers hated this album is all the endorsement it needs really. "Latin Simone" is probably my favorite track on this album but there are so many classics. 8/10

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

1/5

I am really tired of being force-fed cutesy, tepid, unremarkable 60s British trollop. Musically, it’s like a bad imitation of Beatles records released 5 years prior, and lyrically it comes off as a hokey caricature of some pastoral English fantasy. It’s kind of like the bro-country of its time and place: lyrics that harken some made-up version of rural life over boring, uninspired tracks. Ranges from deeply unmoving to actively irritating. 3/10

It's Too Late to Stop Now

Van Morrison

1/5

Is it really too late to stop now? There are so many points where Van Morrison could’ve stopped. Unfortunately he took none of them. That Sam Cooke cover was criminal. Ugh. 3/10

London Calling

The Clash

3/5

I had actually never listened to this album in full because my impression of The Clash was the sort of formulaic early punk that I find pretty boring, plus “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” which I guess are both pretty fun. I was surprised to find this album is pretty stylistically varied and I liked it more than I expected. “Spanish Bombs” and the delightful “Lost in the Supermarket” were my favorite tracks. The latter is pretty well into the territory of new wave, whereas other tracks are straightforward ska/white guy reggae, and others still sound almost like 90s indie/alt rock. There are several tracks I would believe were released 15 years later if I didn’t know otherwise, which I suppose is a good testament to their influence in popular music. I went into this believing it would probably be 2 ⭐️ and definitely not more than 3 ⭐️, but I wouldn’t mind listening to this again and there are several tracks I quite like which is my criteria for 4 ⭐️. But I like this less than other albums I’ve given 4 ⭐️, so I suppose it’s a very strong 3 ⭐️. 7.5/10

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

2/5

I have known for a while that Alanis isn’t my cup of tea and this listening didn’t change that. I respect her songwriting, but it veers a bit whiny or self-pitying for my tastes and her voice is just really annoying to me. The way she uses it is very strange. 5/10

Moon Safari

Air

5/5

As far as turn-of-the-century French electronic music goes, I think this album is truly la crème de la crème. It is so smooth, effortlessly cool, and wholly immerses you in its sonic universe. The opening track, “La Femme d’Argent”, is an all-time favorite of the genre, and Beth Hirsch’s vocal work on “All I Need” and “You Make It Easy” make them standouts as well, but there are no weak tracks on this album. I’m very happy that the world I live in is one where this album exists. Minus 1 star because “Sexy Boy” is the tiniest bit cringe. 9/10

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon

2/5

This album is decidedly okay. “Mother” and “Working Class Hero” stand out as better tracks than the rest, but most of this album is just… meh. There are some nice grooves at moments. 4/10

Abraxas

Santana

4/5

This album starts off heady, like waking up from a dream you can’t remember in a room with lots of incense and wooden bead curtains. “Black Magic Woman” is a classic, but the second half of that track, “Gypsy Woman” is really excellent. Santana’s rendition of “Oye Cómo Va” is also excellent. The next track, “Incident at Neshabur”, shimmers and shines and sprawls. It’s jazzy and intriguing and sexy and beautiful. Track 5, “Se a Cabó”, is a delightful and fun three minutes. The first five tracks of this album are fantastic and truly had me hooked. Sadly, the next track, “Mother’s Daughter”, feels out of place; it feels more like some blah jam band inspired by the rest of the album. Then the next track, “Samba Pa’ Ti”, is absolutely stunning, especially the first ~2-2.5 minutes. The restraint from the guitar and the gentle accompaniment from the percussion and bass is so, so beautiful and nearly moved me to tears. When the organ comes in it gave me chills each of the three times I listened to this track today. This track was far and away my favorite, but unfortunately, the very next track is cut from the same cloth as “Mother’s Daughter”. “Hope You’re Feeling Better” is decidedly better than “Mother’s Daughter”, but both are glaring weak spots. The closing track, “El Nicoya”, is mischievous and playful and a very nice note to end on. Overall, I really loved this album. It’s the first album from this project in the realm of psychedelia that I have found really exciting and excellent, and while it could be called psychedelic rock, it’s also Latin and jazz. The drumming throughout the album is unbelievable. It’s really a shame that the two duds really are such duds, because they take up nearly a quarter of the album’s run time. I want to give it 5 ⭐️, especially for “Samba Pa’ Ti”, but considering the two very weak tracks I have to settle on 4 ⭐️. 8.5/10

Celebrity Skin

Hole

4/5

This album rules and I regret that I hadn’t listened to it before. I knew I liked it after the first listen, but I had to listen to it two more times to process it enough to write anything about it. Sonically, this album is very dense. Every single song has layers upon layers upon layers that add up to a sound that is rich and complete without being overwhelming or competing with itself. The title track as well as “Awful”, “Hit So Hard”, “Reasons to be Beautiful”, “Use Once and Destroy” and “Northern Star” all stand out, but there really isn’t a bad track to be had. If I had to find a complaint, it’s that the album feels a little monotonous. They kinda recorded 12 iterations of the same song and while it’s a great song, a bit of variation would probably make this a better record for me. 8/10

Siembra

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades

4/5

Hell yeah. I'm very grateful to not have been assigned some corny-ass british nonsense on my birthday. Thank you 1001 gods. This is a wonderful salsa album. The title track comes out absolutely swinging with calls for pan-Latin unity against the hegemonic capitalist influence of the US, a theme which they continue on throughout the album. I appreciate how clearly enunciated the lyrics are for those of us whose Spanish is mediocre at best. And the salsa itself is super tight and groovy. Very enjoyable listen 8/10

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

1/5

Actual terrible music. More thought-provoking, amusing and clever rhymes can readily be found in children’s books. I feel entitled to financial compensation after sitting through 39 minutes of this brainrot garbage. 1/10

Bad

Michael Jackson

4/5

There are some songs that have been so incredibly popular for your entire life that you kinda take them for granted and fail to hear them for what they are. There are several such songs on ‘Bad’, which I hadn’t realized until listening to it today. What struck me the most about this record, including the super-smash hits I already knew, was that it is incredibly funky. There are a lot of unexpected and truly delightful grooves here, especially from the keyboards. Also unexpected and delightful was the vocal feature from Stevie Wonder. I had never heard “Speed Demon” or “Liberian Girl” before and really enjoyed them. I thought “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Dirty Diana” were kind of meh, but as a whole I found this to be a really enjoyable listen. It’s easy to understand why the entire world lost their minds for MJ. 8/10

Elastica

2/5

This is a deeply mid and entirely forgettable album. It feels like music made for a movie to convey that some side characters are Very Cool Alt Girls In A Band rather than a genuine expression of anything in particular. It’s not bad but it’s not really anything. 4/10

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

3/5

Listening to Buddy Holly makes you want to hit the sock hop and get a milkshake after. It’s very saccharine. It’s all a bit samey, but it’s enjoyable enough to listen to. Allegedly very influential although it’s harder to hear than for some other very influential records of this time - it just sounds like Buddy Holly. 6.5/10

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

4/5

Ha. Right after saying it’s a bit hard to hear Buddy Holly’s influence on popular music when listening to yesterday's album, we get one where the Buddy Holly influence couldn’t be more obvious. Even his image on the album art seems like an intentional nod to Buddy Holly. There are quite a few other obvious influences on this record - I hear Motown in “No Dancing”, soul in the beautiful central ballad “Alison”, reggae on “Watching the Detectives” and a healthy dose of new wave throughout. The synthesis of genres is very fun to listen to and very unique. While the musical style takes root in those from 15-20 years before its release, the lyrics are decidedly modern (for 1977) and interesting. I quite like the contrast between the two. I liked this a lot more than I expected. “Miracle Man”, “Alison”, and “Less Than Zero” were my favorites. “Mystery Dance” fell a bit flat for me but I don’t really have any other complaints about this album and will definitely listen to it again. Strong 4 ⭐️, 9/10.

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

2/5

Eminem is undoubtedly a clever lyricist with a knack for wordplay and the talent to deliver his rhymes so quickly and with such enunciation is very impressive. Many of the beats on this album are very good and the features are good as well. At times there are some genuinely interesting and thought-provoking musings on the burden of fame and whether public figures have a responsibility to be role models. “Stan” is a great track and a deserved classic. That is all to say, I can find quite a bit of merit in this album. Unfortunately, the heinous shock jockeying with gratuitous, graphic and puerile descriptions of physical and sexual violence are just really too much and too off-putting for me. I get that it’s a persona and that that’s the point, and there are some other horrorcore rappers that I do like, but this is just beyond the pale for me. I’m a bit conflicted on how to rate this because I think its biggest flaw for me is that it set out what intended to do, which is to offend my delicate sensibilities. I’d give it 2.5 ⭐️ if I could but im gonna round down because I will absolutely not be listening to any of these songs again except for “Stan”.

Joan Baez

4/5

When I was like 14, I wanted to *be* 60s Joan Baez. She has such a beautiful, ethereal voice and such evident passion for folk music. I think she has better albums, but this one is beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable. 8.5/10

Central Reservation

Beth Orton

3/5

Something I’ve picked up on over the course of this project so far is that if an album comes up from someone I’ve never heard of even a little bit, there’s a good chance it will fall somewhere on the spectrum of completely forgettable to actively terrible. Based on that observation I had low hopes for this album from Beth Orton, but I was pleasantly surprised. There are some interesting arrangements and a decent amount of variation without losing a feeling of cohesion. She has a nice voice and her lyrics are mostly pretty thoughtful. I’m not sure if I’d listen to the entire album again more than once (I do feel like I should give the entire thing another listen at some point), but there are some songs that I particularly like “Sweetest Decline”, “Stars All Seem to Weep” and “Blood Red River”. It’s an enjoyable listen overall. Solid 7/10 ⭐️

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

Does what it says on the tin. CCR were not exactly trailblazers here, but what they do, they do exceptionally well as evidenced by the crazy number of songs on this record that were huge commercial successes in their day and still have staying power 55 years later. I don’t think I had ever heard “Ramble Tamble” and really enjoyed it. I love the harmonies on “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and the bluesy-soulful feel of “Long as I Can See the Light”. Something for everyone on this record! 8 ⭐️ / 10

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

3/5

Shuggie Otis is one of those names I recognize and think I’d like their music a lot but just never got around to listening to, so I was very excited to give this album a listen. From the first track I really wanted to love this album. There is a lot to love about- the composition is complex and layered but doesn’t feel crowded or too busy. It’s silky smooth and sexy. Unfortunately, it has a certain quality that makes it easy to tune out or to fall into the mental lane of background music at times. I do wish it commanded my attention a bit more. The title track and “XL-30” were my favorites. An interesting thing about this album: usually when you listen to a mostly or totally instrumental album from a solo artist, it’s clear what instrument that artist plays. I tried to figure this out while listening to “Inspiration Information” and still had no clue by the end. After reading a bit about the album, I learned that Shuggie played almost all of the instrumental track as well as produced the album himself. Very impressive. This album is also an early use case of analog drum machines and garnered the respect of Sly Stone. Cool. Overall this is a pleasant and at times interesting album but not quite what I hoped it would be. 7/10 ⭐️

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

2/5

I tried really hard to appreciate the album through the lens of 1964. Sure, 60 years later all the songs sound trite and insubstantial but is that just because their influence is so fundamental to modern popular music? The answer I have arrived at, for myself anyway, is 1) no and 2) even if that’s the case, the songs really do sound trite and insubstantial. This was apparently the first Beatles album in which the songs were entirely written by members of the group and was a very rare thing at the time. I appreciate that. But the lyrics especially are just so elementary and boring, and the instrumentals aren’t much better. The standout is “And I Love Her”, which has always been one of my favorite Beatles songs. It’s beautiful and sounds like it doesn’t belong on this album at all. In fact, the context of this album made me like it slightly less. But it’s still a great song. One star ⭐️ for writing their own songs, even if they all kinda suck, and one star ⭐️ for the single song that doesn’t suck.

The Clash

1/5

Ah. Now I understand where my bad impression of the Clash came from. This is the distillation of everything I don’t like about this kind of punk music - it’s repetitive and boring, whiny and short-sighted. Grow up. 2/10

Odelay

Beck

4/5

I can see why someone would not like this album. It's kind of all over the place and lacks a unifying sound or feeling. It almost feels like someone trying on several different styles to see where they want to go musically. Personally, I like that about this album. It's fun to listen to and I think Beck & co manage to venture into different genres without feeling like they're satirizing or caricaturizing them. Beck has a knack for writing catchy melodies into songs that are overall pretty weird. "Lord Only Knows" is a really fun twangy alt rock jaunt. I love the drums on "The New Pollution" as well as the brief flourishes from horns and woodwinds. "Derelict" makes really cool use of several percussion instruments to give almost an exotica vibe with an awesome tabla interlude halfway through. This was probably my favorite track. My least favorite thing on this album is the annoying almost-rapping he sometimes does on tracks like "Novacane". Beck is a very creative dude. He is a very weird dude. I appreciate that and I like that this album feels like shuffling through a million different radio stations. A couple songs aren't my cup of tea, but overall I find this to be a fun album. 8/10

Deloused in the Comatorium

The Mars Volta

3/5

There is... so much going on in this album. I'm really not sure what to say about it. It's certainly not boring, which is a plus. It's theatrical and over the top and complex and I think the overall effect is pretty successful, but it's just not for me. I actually listened to it twice and I'm still not sure what to make of it. ??? / 10

Debut

Björk

5/5

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO!!!!!!!! i love this album. I LOVE this album. The rhythm of "Human Behavior" is such a bangin' way to open an album. HYPE. "Venus As a Boy" is a classic and one of my favorite love songs. The duality of "There's More to Life Than This" - an infectious, super-danceable electronic record about how there's more to life than dancing and parties - is so brilliant and funny. The way it goes into the slow, gentle, jazzy rendition of the standard "Like Someone in Love" is just... *chef's kiss*. The harp on this track is lovely. "One Day" is just an immaculate, shimmering track, it gives me goosebumps. The run of "One Day", "Aeroplane" and "Come to Me" is just... astounding. There is such an incredible synthesis of dance music, house, acid, pop with a strong infusion of jazz and trip hop and world rhythms on this album. Bjork's lyrics are as distinct and creative as her voice. Nothing like it had been done before and nothing really has been since (except her second, equally excellent, album). God bless Bjork, weirdo genius. A timeless, brilliant work of art. 10/10

Brothers

The Black Keys

3/5

The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets

2/5

Musically, this album is whatever. It’s inoffensive, boring, entirely forgettable NPC British indie rock. I have nothing to say about it. What’s a little offensive is that this is included on a list of 1001 albums you MUST hear before you die. Come on now. This is the opposite of groundbreaking. Knowing the predilections of the list’s author, I have to imagine at least one Arctic Monkeys album is on this list which renders this album wholly redundant. If this is on the list and Arctic Monkeys aren’t, that is ridiculous because this just sounds like a worse Arctic Monkeys. Same frontman, apparently. To give space to so much entirely forgettable, lame-ass British tripe when there is so much lesser known, incredible music that deserves recognition is frustrating. Are there amazing artists I have never even heard of? Of course there are. Is this project a good way to find them? So far, not really. Boo/10. I want to give it 1 ⭐️ as a revolt against bullshit of this nature but this album is not nearly remarkable enough to warrant a strong opinion in either direction.

Exit Planet Dust

The Chemical Brothers

3/5

Music for planning a heist and/or character selection screens in ps2 games. It’s kinda fun but it’s kinda meh. 6/10

Back In Black

AC/DC

1/5

If you like AC/DC, I do not trust you with the aux cord or with my drink.

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

1/5

Listen. I can concede that although Neil Young is a sanctimonious prick, he is also a talented songwriter. Sure. There are at least two Neil Young albums that are reasonable inclusions on this list, one of which we’ve already reviewed. This album is not the other. I got the impression throughout listening of a live band that’s unexpectedly playing very loudly at a restaurant that you showed up to just to eat and spend the entire meal hoping they end their set soon, or at least turn it down. Neil’s trademark sorta-off-key vocal affect does not work on this album. 2/10

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

5/5

The Phil Spector sound works so well for christmas songs. It feels warm and familiar and festive. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is one of my favorite Christmas songs. It’s hard to find fault with this one. Merry christmas!

Justified

Justin Timberlake

3/5

If I had to give aliens one album to understand what early 2000s American pop music was like, this would be a strong candidate. It’s not the best early 2000s pop album by any means, but it’s a good cross section. There’s a couple bangers (the songs you already know coming into the album), a few awkward forays into sanitized R&B, a track or two that are just weird (“Nothin’ Else” ????), and a good amount of filler. The production on this album is glitzy and clever and maintains a pretty high standard of quality throughout, but lyrically and emotionally there is very little to offer. The effect is kind of like a movie set on a studio lot: the façade is eye-catching, but if you peek behind it, there is nothing there. I’d give this 2.5 ⭐️ if I could, but it’s not an unenjoyable listen and the bangers really do be bangin’ so I’ll go 3 ⭐️.

The College Dropout

Kanye West

4/5

This is a really great, classic album. Kanye is a fantastic producer whose sound is so recognizable and had such a massive imprint on the sound of hip hop in the 2000s. His rhymes are clever, creative, humorous, thought-provoking and personal. At a time when most rappers where putting out songs to inflate their ego and image as thugs and ladies’ men, Kanye is on some real shit here. And the soul!!! This is a rather long album and I’m sad to say I think it suffers for it. Some tracks fall flat for me, sound pretty dated, and just bloat the album - namely “Never Let Me Down”, “Get ‘Em High” and “Breathe In Breathe Out”. One could also argue the number of skits and interludes is too damn high. None of the skits on their own are particularly bad or tedious, but they also serve to bog down an album that’s chock full of excellent songs. There is, of course, the nearly-13-minute “Last Call”, as well; I really enjoy hearing Kanye tell his story of producer turned solo artist. But again, it’s just… so long. I really want this to be a 5 ⭐️ album and with a stronger editorial hand it absolutely would be. Unfortunately, there are a handful of skips on it that prevent me from giving it full marks. But it really is an excellent album. 8.5/10

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

3/5

I generally am very disdainful of sleazy meathead 80s rock/hair metal. But I have always had a soft spot for “Welcome to the Jungle” and especially “Sweet Child o’ Mine”. I simply love these songs. Most of the other tracks on this album I had never heard before, and understandably so. They’re pretty standard issue for the time and place. “Mr. Brownstone” and “Think About You” stood out to me, but for the most part it’s pretty meh. They do have a knack for writing a really satisfying bridge. If not for “Jungle” and “Sweet Child”, this would be a 2 ⭐️ for me, but the strength of those two bumps it up to a 3 ⭐️. YOURE IN THE JUNGLE BABY!!!!!

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie

3/5

I am generally not a big Bowie fan, but I do think this is one of his strongest albums. I especially like the first half. It's alright. I dunno. I think this album is a bit overhyped as revolutionary and groundbreaking because the lyrics are centered around Bowie reimagining himself as a glam androgynous alien, but the music itself is mostly a bit boring. "Starman" is easily my favorite track, though I do also like the opener. If someone put this album on I wouldn't complain, but I probably won't seek it out again. Meh/10

On The Beach

Neil Young

3/5

If I had known this list was compiled by apparently Neil Young's #1 fan, I might have reconsidered undertaking this project, but we're nearly 100 albums in so it's too late to turn back now! I'd say this is lightyears above 'Ragged Glory' but not as good as 'Everyone Knows This is Nowhere'. This album is quite bleak in ways that range from what feels like a sigh of desperation ("Walk On", "Motion Pictures"), to bitter and angry ("Vampire Blues", "Ambulance Blues") to just dark ("Revolution Blues"). The man certainly has a lot of feelings. I'm tired of writing about Neil Young, really, especially knowing 'Harvest' and 'After the Gold Rush' will surely also be on this list. This album sounds like a Neil Young album, just without any familiar tracks. 6/10

Bad Company

2/5

This sounds like the soundtrack to a movie I absolutely do not want to watch. Incredibly boring, though I did kinda like "Movin' On". Thankfully it was a short album. 4/10

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liars

1/5

I mean, it's not the worst noise album I've ever heard, but why would I listen to this when early Animal Collective exists? Gives me flashbacks to college. 2/10

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

4/5

Things within the realm of late 60s-mid 70s English psychedelic/glam/hard rock/etc are usually total slogs for me, so I was expecting very little from this album. I actually quite liked it. Compared to similar albums of its time and place, “Electric Warrior” feels more relaxed and more melodic. The album as a whole feels incredibly modern and like it has less to prove than its peers. I especially liked the first two tracks and even “Lean Woman Blues”, even though tracks with “blues” in the title from anyone but bona fide blues artists are usually a total miss for me. My biggest complaint about this album is that by the last ~third of the album, it feels a bit repetitive. “The Motivator” just feels like a rehashing of “Bang a Gong”, for example. But overall, I would listen to this again. 8/10

25

Adele

2/5

Adele is an artist whose radio singles I’ve always like but for whatever reason, I never got around to listening to full albums, so I was excited to give this a listen. Unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. In my opinion, the secret sauce for Adele’s excellent singles pre-‘25’, other than her incredible vocal strength, is a very palatable mixture of soul-tinged balladry and super-catchy pop. On this album, it feels that the two have curdled. Most of the songs are all ballad whereas a few are pretty straight-up pop. The ballads feel cloying and predictable whereas the pop songs, especially “Send My Love” and “Water Under the Bridge”, feel like they could just as well be Ed Sheeran songs. It feels like there is a push towards more “mature” songwriting on this album, and it doesn’t really play out successfully to me. There are some highlights. The lead single, “Hello”, is a great car ride sing-along belter. The drums on “I Miss You” have a cool Phil Collins kinda vibe. The piano part of “Remedy” gives me Fiona Apple vibes which is a high compliment in my book. “Million Years Ago” is a great, intriguing, pared-back standout track for me. I feel like I’m being too harsh, but also, I don’t see any room where I can be more generous. Adele is undoubtedly a fantastic singer—one of the best of the present day—but this album feels a bit dreary and blah to me. It feels like an awkward growing pains stage and I suspect that ‘30’ is a more complete phase in her evolution as an artist. Maybe I’d like that album more. 4.5/10

Behaviour

Pet Shop Boys

2/5

Blegh. This is so boring and has a quality that I can't describe that's just really off-putting. Their very limited vocal talent is evident on this album. I don't mind the music - with better vocalists singing more interesting lyrics, this could've been an album I enjoyed. But it is not. 4/10

Black Metal

Venom

2/5

Metal is generally the kind of thing you expect to elicit strong reactions in one direction or another, but I found this album surprisingly meh. It mostly strikes me as really corny -- it sounds like a caricature of whatever this kind of metal is. I also find the whole hail satan schtick to be really goofy and kinda lame. I really just don't get it or see the appeal. If the whole satanic angle doesn't do it for you, there's not a whole lot else to get excited about in this album. The production/sound quality is very low, the rhythms are very simple and very repetitive, the guitar is alternately very power chord and very deeleleleleleldleleleledleeleleleleledlelelee. The guy's voice is unpleasant to me. I don't hate it, but there's also nothing I particularly like about it. 4/10

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

5/5

Hell yeah. Girls rule - or in this case, they rock 😎 The songwriting on this album is rather simple, but it’s used very effectively. In its simplicity it reminds me of early-mid 60s pop or Motown, but the sound is undeniably new wave, and it’s a fantastic new wave record. I can think of at least a dozen indie bands who are at least partially indebted to the Go-Go’s for the blueprint this album created, especially female-fronted groups of the late 2000s-mid 2010s. It’s very fun. It’s very 80s. Their harmonies are great. It’s sunshine-soaked new wave - whats not to love?

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

5/5

What do you even call this? Easy listening? Adult contemporary? Blue-eyed soul? Yacht pop? Whatever it is, it’s delicious and I want more of it. I was pretty much sold on this album from the moment the synths come in about 30 seconds in to the opening track, and the remainder of the album did not disappoint. The vibes are immaculate. Listening to this album I imagine myself lounging wealthily in the kind spacious beachside 80s home in Miami or Southern California where the interior is all white with lots of glass blocks. The first two tracks, “When You See a Chance”, and “Arc of a Diver”, are both just so good. I love the shimmery vaguely exotic tune of “Spanish Dancer”. “Dust” is the track on the album which best showcases Steve’s vocal talent. Throughout the album, the lyrics have a particular mystique and sophistication. Musically this album takes so many small, unexpected twists and turns without ever veering from its lovely distinct sound. I’m impressed but unsurprised to learn that Steve was solely responsible for producing the album and playing *all* of the instruments. It sounds like one person’s clear vision, beautifully executed. I listened to this album twice before writing my review and it will definitely continue to get lots of rotation in the future. This is the best totally new discovery from this project for me so far. 10/10

Private Dancer

Tina Turner

5/5

What a fantastic run of albums the past few days! “What’s Love Got to Do With It” is of course the most recognizable song on this album and it is an absolute 10/10 no notes classic. But the rest of this album holds its own, as well. Her (or her producers’) reimagining of “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and “Let’s Stay Together” are both fantastic, but “I Might Have Been Queen” and the title track are both standouts as well. Interesting to note Mark Knopfler wrote the title track and originally intended it for Dire Straits. I could happily listen to Tina Turner belt the phone book. Another 5 ⭐️!!!

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Eurythmics

5/5

Damn. This list has so far only really subjected us to the dregs of British new wave, so I didn’t expect much from this album beyond the title track, but this album is super good. It’s moody and mysterious and cool and goes a lot of interesting places. It was interesting to me that Annie Lennox — at least in my mind and I think more broadly this is also true — is associated with the deeper voice she employs on their more well-known songs including “Sweet Dreams”, but on many tracks on this album she sings with a lovely softer voice in a higher register, like the opening “Love is a Stranger”. That song also has an awesome synth track and is just all-around exceptional. “I Could Give You” and “Jennifer” also stand out. When “This is the House” started, I had to check to make sure the album hadn’t ended and something else started playing - it was a pleasant surprise leading in to a really fun track. The closer, “This City Never Sleeps”, is an ultra-cool exercise in restraint and slow burns. I enjoyed this a lot and would/will definitely listen again. I’m torn between 4 ⭐️ and 5 ⭐️ because “I’ve Got An Angel” and “Wrap It Up” are kind of duds for me, but I think the good parts of this album are so good I’ve got to go 5 ⭐️.

Marquee Moon

Television

3/5

I was familiar with the title track coming into this listen and knew that I liked it. The lyrics have a poetic and evocative quality. The two guitars are the driving force of the song and they have a very interesting conservational aspect to their back-and-forth. Over its nearly 11 minute run the song ranges from pretty simple, straightforward rock to much more complex sections that I suppose can’t be considered as anything other than rock music of some form, but feel quite different. I start with my thoughts on the title track because it is the best track on the album and for the most part, the things I said about “Marquee Moon” I’d say about the album more generally. I do like the album. It has a very New York City, CBGB vibe and I was unsurprised to read after mostly finishing this review that Television did a residency there shortly before recording this album. It’s sorta somewhere in between Lou Reed and the Strokes and then a few steps in some other direction. My biggest complaint is that the guy’s voice is kind of annoying. This is another album I suspect my opinion of would change with repeated listening, but I’m not sure in which direction. At the moment I feel it’s a solid 6.5/10.

Clandestino

Manu Chao

3/5

I don't really have a whole lot to say about this. It's a fun album with some fun songs. I don't think it's particularly groundbreaking or even especially notable. *shrug*

In The Wee Small Hours

Frank Sinatra

3/5

Yeah, it's Frank Sinatra and he has a beautiful, emotive voice and all that, but I found this album to be pretty boring and too long. The vibes are pretty dour. There are some songs worth keeping, but the overall feeling is that I'm in a sad bar watching a sad cabaret singer and I want to go home. 6/10

In Rainbows

Radiohead

5/5

This is without a doubt Radiohead's best album and probably the only one I care to listen to front to back. I love the frantic drumming that opens the album on "15 Step". "Nude" gives me chills. "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" and "All I Need" are perfectly moody, atmospheric tracks to follow it - "All I Need" is one of my favorites on this album. This run of three songs is close enough to perfect for me. I love the harmonies on "Reckoner" and the simplicity of "House of Cards". "Videotape" is a beautiful closing track. Also, side note, I distinctly remember when this album came out (I think this is the first entry on the list I can say this about?) and how exciting and novel it was that a band this popular would make their music available for free. That was cool of them to do. Anyway, I really love this album. I stuggle to find fault with it. It's all the best parts of Radiohead and none of the worst parts. It's also very well edited - if you listen to Disk 2, you'll find 30 minutes of recordings that died on the cutting room floor for 'In Rainbows', and while there is a lot of good material there, the final album is better for their omission. It is complete and succinct with total artistic clarity. I'm generally not a huge Radiohead fan, but yeah. This album rules. 9/10

Parachutes

Coldplay

3/5

It's nice to remember that before they made the most sterile corporate pop of all time, Coldplay actually didn't suck. There's a handful of bangers on this album. The rest is fine. 6/10

The Real Thing

Faith No More

2/5

What a strange album. The rapping parts I really don't like at all, but the weird singing parts I find strangely charming? At parts it almost reminds me of that album from the Mars Volta. I give it props for being something different, and I like the War Pigs cover. The last track was my favorite. 5/10

Diamond Life

Sade

5/5

Wtf is this version of "Smooth Operator"???? It almost sounds like a different vocalist doing a Sade impersonation. This bothered me so much I did some googling and it seems that indeed some weird, different version of the song has been substituted on streaming services for 'Diamond Life' but the original version is still on 'The Best of Sade' compilation, listed as the "single version". Wtf? Putting aside how very annoyed I am about this, "Smooth Operator" is still an all-time banger. Throughout this album there are fantastically groovy, soulful arrangements, smoldering solos, and sexy, sultry vocals from Sade herself. The keyboard/percussion solo about halfway through "Hang On to Your Love", the beautiful sax playing throughout with a perfect accompaniment from trumpets on "Frankie's First Affair", the slow burn of "Sally"... this album is just full of excellent little moments. It's a faultless album imo and pretty damn close to perfection within the confines of 80s pop/rnb/soul/lounge music/whatever. 10/10

The Specials

4/5

I was not particularly excited to listen to this album, but I actually found it pretty enjoyable and really fun. I didn’t really care for “Do the Dog”, but there are several tracks I did especially like - “A Message to You Rudy”, “Concrete Jungle”, “Monkey Man”, “Stupid Marriage” and “Too Much Too Young” stand out. This album is kinda exactly halfway between original ska and the kind of 90s-00s ska typified by goofy dudes in plaid pants. The lyrics suggest some kind of cogent set of beliefs on the state of social affairs in 70s England, which I don’t really have the context to fully understand, but I appreciate that it’s not inane nonsense at least. I like it. 8/10

Now I Got Worry

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

1/5

God, no. Blegghhhhh. I should’ve known that someone who names their band “[name] Blues Explosion” was gonna be something I didn’t like, but I went into this optimistically and was very disappointed. It sounds like everyone who was involved in producing, “writing” (not sure how much foresight actually went into any of these songs), performing, and recording this album was absolutely sloshed. It feels sloppy, self-indulgent, tacky, and like it falls into tropes of being experimental in ways that are totally unexciting. 1/10 nope

Master Of Puppets

Metallica

5/5

That this is only 4 years removed from the primitive banging and flailing on that Venom album is remarkable. This is lightyears more interesting, more complex, and just all-around better. “Master of Puppets” and “Orion” are the standout tracks for me - both are beautiful, long songs with distinct sections so clearly demarcated as to feel orchestral. Throughout the album, there is an orchestral quality to the way the instruments are layered and the use of melodic motifs, but it especially shines on these two tracks. “Disposable Heroes” is really strong lyrically. I enjoy hearing metal lyrics that are neither all about satanic themes/imagery or an apparent exercise in how many big, sad words can be put in one bar. I really enjoyed this album, the blisteringly fast, angry sections as much as the softer melodic ones. The way they are used together across the album really works for me. I find it very impressive from that standpoint in terms of composition, and of course, the super high level of technical skill required to actually play this album as well. Will definitely listen again. 9/10

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

“The Mess We’re In” was slipped into some shuffled mix I was listening to recently by Apple Music and I really liked it. I was shocked to see it was recorded in 1999. I wanted to listen to this album but hadn’t gotten around to it, so I was happy to see it for the AOTD. Surprise at the release date holds up for the album as a whole. It definitely feels related to several of the indie/alt rock girlies of today like Phoebe Bridges, Angel Olsen, maybe even some Mitski in there - but this album has a good 15-20 years on them. Its age does not show, except for a few tracks. Favorite tracks - “One Line”, “The Mess We’re In”, “You Said Something”, “We Float”. On the latter track, she closes out the album with some beautiful, airy, soaring vocals in a higher register than most of the singing/rhythmic talking that makes up most of the vocals on this album. I wish this softer vocal style got a little more use. “The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore” and “This is Love” are my least favorites. It’s a really nice album overall from someone whose songwriting talent and maturity is evident. Would listen again and would listen to more from PJ Harvey. 8/10

Sweet Baby James

James Taylor

3/5

James Taylor has a nice voice but I really found this quite boring. It’s pretty, but boring. “Fire and Rain” is a fantastic song, but it’s one of those instances where hearing a great song in the context of its album makes me like it slightly less, which is a shame. Meh/10.

Ys

Joanna Newsom

5/5

Hell yeah. I love Joanna Newsom, her music is so weird and pretty, it's like a fantasy novel for your ears. This is her first album that feels like a fully realized form of her style of music, and it's just remarkable in scope, in ambition, in quality. The lyrics to each song stand alone perfectly well as poems. One would have to pore over them studiously, thoroughly, and thoughtfully to get a grasp on their meaning. My favorite of them is "Emily", probably in no small part because it's the one I feel I understand best. It is so tender and vivid and sweet. To listen to this album is to travel to another universe. Beautiful and mysterious. 10/10

Scott 2

Scott Walker

1/5

Wtf? I have no interest in a guy crooning some ballads about gonorrhea and prostitutes. To the bargain bin with this. 2/10

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

4/5

The thing about records like this that have been so beloved and popular for such a long time is that even if you've never intentionally listened to the whole thing, most of the good songs have trickled their way down to you already. Which is to say, of the two-hour runtime for this album, the songs I enjoyed most were the ones I already knew. I suppose they are the most popular for a reason. However, there is still a lot else to like on this album and I didn't mind the length of it. There is a good amount of variation within the songs without losing a generally cohesive feeling. There were a handful of songs that were new to me that I did especially like, but I wasn't paying attention to the titles for two full hours. It's an admirable piece of work with lots of very pretty songs. Billy Corgan's lyrics are the weak point for me. 8/10 overall I think.

Goo

Sonic Youth

2/5

Ehhhhhh. I get what this album is going for and I kinda appreciate it, but I just don't *enjoy* it very much. It's very cynical and aloof in a way that I find tiresome. Musically, this would've been much more interesting if it were released 15-20 years earlier, but for 1990... I dunno. Not every album needs to push the envelope to be good, but this album actively returns to sender. It's just too cool for me, I guess. eye roll/10

#1 Record

Big Star

2/5

Hey, it's the theme song from That 70s Show. Other than that, I found this pretty unremarkable. Apparently this was a super influential album, but I think it suffers the fate of many super influential but not very well-known pieces of media, which is that the far more popular works it has influenced have kinda spoiled the novelty of the original thing. If you really like jangly guitars and vocal harmonies you may enjoy this more than I did. But it's not bad. 5/10

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

1/5

I do not like Janis Joplin and I do not like this record. There are some parts on "Ball and Chain" were her vocals are pleasant and sounds like she is really expressing some genuine sentiment, but it mostly sounds like affected screeching to me. There are also some fun drumming interludes, but it's mostly pretty uncreative run-of-the-mill blues rock. Also, apparently a lot of people thought this album was a live album because the producers added in crowd noises though it was all recorded in a studio. So lame. Who does that??? The cover art also suggests this with "live material recorded at [venue]" even though only one song is actually a live recording. There's some really unnecessary racist caricatures on the album art as well. The vibes are awful. 3/10

So Much For The City

The Thrills

2/5

This is fine. It's very 2003 indie. I did vaguely enjoy it, but once you've heard 3 or 4 songs you've heard them all. The guy's voice kinda reminds me of Ben Gibbard at times. Lots of talk about California which is neither here nor there. 5/10

Bubble And Scrape

Sebadoh

3/5

This was an… interesting album. I really liked the first two tracks, then they really lost me after that for a little while, but the last several songs redeemed it a bit. There’s some pretty interesting and unusual songwriting. 6/10

Miriam Makeba

5/5

What a beautiful album. I hadn't heard of Miriam Makeba before -- and haven't really listened to much South African music otherwise -- so I am very grateful to have been exposed to this. Her voice is beautiful and the restrained instrumentation is a lovely accompaniment. "Suliram", "Lakutshn, Ilanga", "Where Does it Lead?" and "One More Dance" I especially liked, but this whole album I enjoyed thoroughly. I did some reading about Miriam and what an interesting woman and an interesting life. She was a protege of Harry Belafonte and married to Stokely Carmichael and Hugh Masekela?? Wow. I will definitely be checking out more of her music! 10/10. Excellent pull.

Either Or

Elliott Smith

3/5

I feel about Elliott Smith about the same way as I do about like, an injured wild animal. Very sad and pretty and somehow poignant. I definitely see the appeal and appreciate the softness, the guitar playing, gentle vocals, the pure emotion... but it isn't really for me. Someone give this guy a hug and maybe like a pina colada or something. That said, I think this album deserves closer examination than I was able to give it with one listen and I would listen again. 7/10

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

50 Cent

3/5

This is a pretty great piece of early 2000s gangsta rap. I didn't realize this was 50 Cent's debut album, which is pretty impressive. There are a few songs that seem to use almost the same beat, but it's a good beat. There's a good mix of some real shit, some drugs and womanizing, some introspection and even a corny love song. It feels more personal than what a lot of contemporary rappers were putting out, which to me is the biggest success of this album, as well as the really good production. This aged better than I would've expected. 7/10

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

1/5

This is what Beck must sound like if you hate Beck. Had to listen in intervals because it was so irritating. No thank you. 3/10

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

2/5

On the plus side, this album is musically more interesting than 'Let It Bleed', though there's still a bit of a hokey blues cosplaying here. I do like "Paint It Black" as far as Stones songs go. The use of a wider range of instruments than guitar, bass, drums is appreciated. Generally, I am not a believer in holding people to modern standards when evaluating their beliefs from another time societally, but the misogyny on this album goes well beyond the casual sexism du jour. To sandwich a love ballad ("Lady Jane") in between songs about hating ("Stupid Girl") and controlling ("Under My Thumb") women is... rich, to be charitable. These songs are only the most egregious examples of a general contempt for women that seems to run through the whole album. I just really hate Mick Jagger, his dumb voice, and the very dumb words that come from his dumb face. 4/10 for being a better and more interesting album, musically, than 'Let It Bleed'.

Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J

3/5

Fun album. LL is a fantastic producer, with the title track and "Around the Way Girl" being his best showcases on the album. The lyrics are a little corny at times - sometimes so corny as to be charming, as on "Milky Cereal". Most of the songs on this album kinda blend together and aren't super memorable, but the vibe is pretty great. 6.5/10

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

2/5

Naw. There are moments where this album is kinda groovy and I can almost imagine enjoying it, but it's ruined every time by this dude's awful voice. The thrashy parts are pretty boring and repetitive. I did kinda like "Scare Crow" and "Corrosion". 4/10

Dig Your Own Hole

The Chemical Brothers

3/5

I think this was more interesting than the Chemical Brothers’ debut album that we previously reviewed. After “Block Rockin Beats”, the relentless big beat kinda wears thin and encourages you to tune out, but they’re good at what they do. I liked “Where Do I Begin” breaking up some of the monotony before the very long closing track. I think a couple more songs like that peppered throughout the album would make it much more engaging and enjoyable. 6/10

Music From Big Pink

The Band

2/5

There are some things I like about this album… I kinda like the general sound or vibe they’re going for… but maaannnn none of these dudes can sing. It’s like as bad as to be comical and almost secondhand embarrassing, which is crazy cuz they’re extremely accomplished, successful and presumably wealthy and im just a lil dude. And yet.

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

2/5

Music for a renaissance faire. I would’ve enjoyed this a lot more if I were two beer steins deep with a turkey leg in hand, but for casual modern listening their schtick gets old pretty quickly. There’s just no reason to take what sounds like traditional reels and make them into 8+ minute jams. Also there’s just like so much better music within the 60s-70s folk revival. 👎

Modern Kosmology

Jane Weaver

2/5

Fun game: listen to all of this album and see how many other 2000s-2010s indie girlies you’d rather be listening to! I include the 2000s even though this was released in 2017 because the vibe is very 2007-2008 ish. This is neither a particularly good example of its genre or even remotely ahead of its time and I did not enjoy it.

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

2/5

This is like theater kid catnip. If that’s your thing, you do you, but it’s a respectful no thank you for me. Would give 2.5 ⭐️ if I could because there are some interesting arrangements and the talent of the musicians is showcased pretty well. But based on how much I don’t ever really want to listen to this again I gotta round down.

Logical Progression

LTJ Bukem

4/5

Long electronic albums are risky territory, but luckily this is exactly the type of trancey jungle stuff that I love to put on while I lock in on writing or doing tedious/repetitive tasks. I enjoyed this and would play it again. Actually im not really sure if i listened to the right version, because the one on Apple Music has a totally different track list than the Wikipedia article. Whatever it was, i was vibing and “Jazz Licks” was easily my favorite track.

Mask

Bauhaus

4/5

For some reason or another I recently put on “Bella Lugosi’s Dead” and thought “man I don’t actually like this as much as I remembered. Have I lost my youthful cool? Is it all over for me?” Luckily I found this album to be a lot of fun. It has the sorta dark and spooky vibe that I associate with Bauhaus but also unexpectedly has some really funky bass lines. There were a couple of duds in there but this album feels like a house party when house parties were still fun.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

5/5

FUCK THA POLICE COMIN STRAIGHT FROM THE UNDERGROUND!!!! Truly the pinnacle of gangsta rap. First of all, the anti authoritarian themes and attention this album brought to institutional racism was enough to raise serious concerns at the FBI - based. Second - NWA collectively have the kind of 80s early rap flow that often sounds corny to modern ears but absolutely works for them. Third - the use of sampling on this album is sparse but super effective and the production overall is just fantastic. Lightning in a bottle moment. A lot of the lyrical content on this album is very objectionable - there’s wanton violence, drug peddling and abuse, and many creative and hardcore disses to women both specific and general. And yet this was a landmark album in popularizing rap music with mainstream audiences and remains a classic today. I think the reason this album has had its remarkable success is because they create such a vivid and engrossing picture of life in the hoods of 80s LA. You can almost feel the heat rising off the pavement and hear the smattering of car horns in traffic and feel the thumped out bass from low riders cruising by with music way too loud for their sound systems. It feels almost voyeuristic to an audience totally separate from that world and it’s a fascinating hour long peak inside - gruesome and often bleak, but NWA makes it a LOT of fun.

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

5/5

I dearly, dearly love this album. It's symphonic and beautiful and fun and contemplative and beautiful. No one but the Flaming Lips could've written it (well, except that Cat Stevens kind of wrote "Fight Test", but, y'know). That this was recorded 2000-2002 really puts into perspective how severely lacking in imagination some entries to this list are. Not every album has to be totally novel to be worth listening to of course... but I digress. This is an album that I have enjoyed listening to for at least 15 years. The lyrics offer more for me to mull over as I get older. Favorite tracks are the first four tracks and the last four. Middle three are good too. 10/10

American Idiot

Green Day

2/5

Someone got a new kick drum for christmas and wrote a whole album to show it off!!! :) The political/social "commentary" on this album feels really juvenile and there is a lot of it. There's also a couple tracks that just feel like the band decided "hey, it would be fun to have some really long songs" and just slapped together various snippets into 8-9 minutes of half-baked musical ideas. Billy Joe Armstrong's vocal affectations are weird. I don't think this album merits much more serious consideration. I will say that it reminds me that in the early 2000s, we really did feel like our political landscape was as clownish as it could possibly be, which in retrospect is hilarious and sad.

Atomizer

Big Black

2/5

I don't really have a lot to say about this. It's brash and not very good. I can appreciate the ethos of it but I don't really care to listen to it again.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

5/5

Awwww yeahhhh. What is there to say about this album? It’s an absolute classic, a behemoth of music history and culture, a stroke of crazy creative genius. Better enjoyed than talked about. 10/10

Gentlemen

The Afghan Whigs

2/5

This sounds like an improv act doing a skit of a really cringy emo-ish band every actor is just prompting the others to escalate their cringe comedy. I did kinda like the closing track but it was too little too late. 4/10

Is This It

The Strokes

4/5

Julian Casablancas kinda comes off as a scumbag but i really help can’t help but love this album. It’s really fun to listen to, it feels cool and makes you want to feel cool in 2000 New York City, and it really set the tone for a lot of really good indie/alt rock for the next like… 10? years? The Strokes just now how to craft a really good rock song.

Homework

Daft Punk

3/5

I don't think Daft Punk titled this album as an instructional to how they imagined it being used, but listening to 'Homework' did indeed take me back to many late nights as an undergrad. Hello old friend. For me this is a great album to zone out and get things done to, which is frequently what I get out of an electronic album. I think "Around the World" and "Burnin", maybe "Indo Silver Club", are the only tracks that would really work on their own, but we are meant to rate whole albums, and as a whole album I think this definitely works. Some tracks are a bit annoying.

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus

5/5

This is such an unusual and striking, yet beautiful and deeply moving album... just brilliance. The kind of music that makes you stop what you doing and demands your full attention to intently listen and take it in. Jazz par excellence 10/10

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

3/5

I liked this more than I expected to like an Eric Clapton record under another name. Duane Allman's influence is really evident on this album and it makes the blues sound much more convincing than anything Cream ever did, in my opinion. There's a good handful of songs that just sound like cocaine-fueled guitar jam sessions, but there are quite a few that I especially liked. "I Am Yours" and, of course, "Layla" are the best tracks for me. "Layla" is really a lovely song. 7/10

Follow The Leader

Korn

1/5

Honestly, fuck this garbage. For the first three songs, I was thinking "this is... not that bad? The lyrics are cringy and I hate the vocals but if it were instrumental I could maybe even give this four stars?" but it all just dramatically devolved from there. Awful stuff, truly, and I'm extra annoyed about it for starting off not completely awful and pulling a bait and switch. I fear that listening to this album in full caused some germline mutations that will undoubtedly increase the odds of any future children to be glue-eating little assholes that are mean to animals. 0/10

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

2/5

An endless assault on your ears and your mind. For fans of Queen, Rocky Horror Picture Show, drag brunch, Jeeps, air guitar, Grease, and cotton candy flavored ice cream. It's not... bad... it's well-composed and it definitely nails the sort of over-the-top rock opera thing it's going for. It's just not for me. Best part is the sax in "All Revved Up". Best track overall is "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", which I did like.

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

5/5

Despite being familiar enough with Kate Bush to know I generally liked her music, knowing that a lot of people with similar music taste to me are huge fans, knowing that other bands/artists I really like were/are great friends and admirers of hers, hearing many comparisons between Kate Bush and artists I love... I had never actually listened to a full Kate Bush album. Kinda embarrassing but I am glad to have finally addressed this oversight. This is a really strange and beautiful album and it took me a couple listens to start to feel like I had my hands around it. I still don't feel like I've fully grasped it. A lot of the albums on this list I don't feel warrant a second listen - very few require a second listen to feel I understand it - an exceptionally small number I feel the need to listen to 3+ times. But I very much enjoy listening and trying to understand more of it each time.

The Libertines

2/5

From the album cover I was immediately reminded of Charlie's band from Lost, and upon listening I don't think that impression was that far off. This album wasn't quite that bad, but it also wasn't very good. I kinda liked "Music When the Lights Go Out" and "What Katie Did". The rest is largely forgettable.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

2/5

This may be a hot take, but I feel like there's a certain trope in hip hop of like, "oh we're socially conscious, classy, intelligent rappers, we're above all the gangster posturing, we're so old school, we're the last true bearers of soul, we're ascended, one love" and I think it's kinda corny and I really don't care for it (see also: Common, Mos Def). To some this may seem like a silly criticism when I really like groups like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, or Digable Planets which are not that different, but there's a clear difference to me. Anyway. Jurassic 5 definitely falls into the hella corny side of this divide. There is some really nice sampling on this album. I also liked the reveal at the end of "Remember His Name". But for the most part this album is just soooooooo corny. Sooooo lame. *yawn*

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

3/5

This is a pretty album, but it felt a little unremarkable to me. Like a musical version of decent chicken pasta served at a wedding.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

5/5

There are few finer examples of the beautiful tight vocal harmonies from this era of country music. Just guitar, mandolin, and some sangin'. Such a great album. I especially love "Kentucky" and "Alabama", which makes me wish they had done songs about more states. They also do one of my favorite versions of "In the Pines". An absolutely classic album.

Roxy Music

5/5

This album seems to be frequently compared to David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' as they were apparently released within the same month and operated within the same general world of English glam rock at the same time. Both are considered groundbreaking and massively influential albums and I think the second charge is fair, but musically, one album certainly breaks a lot more ground than the other. Whereas 'Ziggy Stardust' moving of the cultural needle relies on lyrics that are so fanciful and outlandish as to occasionally evoke a children's storybook on an album that is otherwise pretty standard, 'Roxy Music' actually gets weird. A lot of the time it works -- often anchored by Brian Eno's snyths -- and a lot of the time it doesn't. But they are truly experimenting, synthesizing pretty traditional song structures that make up the backbone of songs like "Re-Make/Re-Model", "If There Is Something" and "Virginia Plain" and jamming them against strange loops of horns and flutes and god knows what else and crazy drums and synths -- the synths on this album!!! In its second half, the album goes less like rock songs made weird and even more off script. It is a wild ride... wild. All over the place. Never boring, though. I don't love every moment of this album, but I absolutely love the singularly creative vision that it executes. "2HB" is probably my favorite track. The saxophone throughout the album is fantastic, but there is also some really great drumming and creative, thoughtful, intricate work on synths to anchor this bizarre voyage. This is an album I probably wouldn't have given a chance outside of this project and I'm very glad I did. In short, it blows 'Ziggy Stardust' out of the water.

Sea Change

Beck

2/5

The album title makes sense, because this is a pretty dramatic departure from the sound that I think most people associate with Beck. The upside to this is that there's no cringy rapping, but the downside is that it's kind of a boring and unremarkable indie rock album. It's not a bad album, but it... kind of lacks any defining feature. While listening to it I thought it might've been released well after 2002, so I guess he gets credit for that. It's fine. I don't remember a single song from this album. Meh.

Music For The Jilted Generation

The Prodigy

3/5

This is what I wanted those Chemical Brothers albums to sound more like when we had to review them. It's pretty similar, but this album just had a certain je ne sais quoi that made it quite a bit more fun to listen to. Still not my favorite kind of electronic music, but I feel slightly more invested in the heist being planned.

Countdown To Ecstasy

Steely Dan

5/5

This album has always been kinda low on my Steely Dan rankings, and yet I struggle to identify a single reason why. It's a testament to the strength of their discography but also I think I have kinda slept on this album for a while. It's fantastic, better than I remember certainly. "Bodhisattva", "Your Gold Teeth", "My Old School" and "Pearl of the Quarter" are the best tracks. *chefs kiss*

Joan Armatrading

3/5

This was an interesting listen. I do like the general vibe and there were moments of several songs that I really liked--"Water With the Wine", "Love and Affection", "Somebody Who Loves You" and "Like Fire" are the ones I remember. But even these songs which I guess I would say were my favorites failed to really captivate me the way I would've liked this album to. I generally enjoyed listening to it, but wasn't really caught up in it. Joan has an interesting style and an interesting inflection with her voice that I don't dislike. It reminds me of someone and I can't quite place who. I wanted this to be a homerun, and it wasn't a swing and a miss, but it was maybe like a hard-hit ball that tips just foul. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys

4/5

I have always kinda shrugged off the Beastie Boys because their flow isn't really a style that I particularly love and to be quite honest, it's seemed to me that a lot of their appeal to a lot of people has been "they're great rappers... BUT THEY'RE WHITE!!! isn't that crazy?!" and I find that pretty tiresome and lame. So I have never really given the Boys a fair shake. But I have to admit I really enjoyed this album. The production, and particularly the sampling, is just really really fun, really creative, really varied throughout the album. While they still rap with that kind of staccato 80s New York style that isn't my favorite, their rhymes are also undeniably creative and pretty clever. At times they are a bit boyish but it's never egregiously so. Even though it's not especially the kind of rapping that I like, they are certainly talented and manage to still be quite fun to listen to, and the strength of the album musically certainly carries it enough to make up for it. 7.5/10

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

5/5

Among self-described fans of country music, there is often intense debate about what does or does not fall under its definition. By most measures, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band make music that is not quite country music. To me it is more americana, akin to Gram Parsons’ cosmic american sound and the California 60s-70s country-folk-rock all/none-of-the-above zeitgeist. But in bringing together so many titans of country music, specifically of old-time/bluegrass, to lead them on this album, NGDB makes it clear that regardless of what their record sales may be, they have a deep knowledge and love for true country music and do not want it to be lost to the sands of time. They know how to play it—very well—and they understand it as tradition and as culture. Favorite tracks include “Nashville Blues”, “Black Mountain Rag”, “Lonesome Fiddle Blues”, “Avalanche”, “Togary Mountain”, “Orange Blossom Special”, and of course, “Soldier’s Joy”. The best single part of this album for me is the fiddling from Vassar Clements on “Orange Blossom Special” — it gives me chills. Just peerless. My other favorite part of this album is the inclusion of several interludes of the musicians talking while tuning their instruments, etc. It truly gives you the feeling of being in the picking circle with them and it was such a smart decision on the part of the… producers? audio engineers? whoever it was, they did their job really well. This is not only an excellent record but is an important document of musical history. Any self-proclaimed country music fan should give this a listen and if they don’t like it… well, im not gonna say they can’t call themselves a country music fan, but… An excellent, obvious inclusion on a list of essential listening albums. I wish there were more albums like this similarly representing other genres or folk traditions from other countries. 10/10

Superfuzz Bigmuff

Mudhoney

2/5

So when I pulled up this album to listen to and found only the deluxe edition on apple music, I went to the wikipedia page to confirm which songs were actually part of the original release. As it turns out, the original original release was just an EP of six songs which was later expanded into a full length album by the addition of some various other singles and B-sides. I add all this backstory in my review because I came to find the difference between the two classes of tracks pretty stark in my listening. While not really my thing, I can appreciate the six tracks that make up the original EP. I even kinda liked "Chain That Door" and "If I Think". But the other six tracks that were slapped on to the album to add to the run time are awful, god awful. That the deluxe edition starts with three such tracks had me questioning a lot of things about peoples' motivations for making music. It's not really clear which version this list wants us to review. If it were just the original six song EP, I'd give this a solid, middling 3 stars. The other six songs are an easy 1 star which would put the originally packed full-length album at an average 2 stars. I did not listen to the deluxe edition content. I believe the original 12-song album is what was intended in any case, which is a shame.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

4/5

I read something a long time ago to the effect of "Muse makes music for people who comment on reddit 'you, my good sir, have won the internet for today'", and I think about that a lot. I don't really listen to them anymore but in middle school I was a big fan, so this album takes me back. For music that I listened to a lot in middle/high school and don't anymore, it's a bit of a coin toss on whether I might enjoy it or the vibes will be rancid and put me in a weird and bad mood. But I enjoyed listening to this. It's a bit over the top and symphonic, but in a way that's far enough away from Queen and in the direction of, say, System of a Down that those become positives instead of negatives. This album is a little bit all over the place, from the almost Coldplay-esque ballad in "Starlight", to the heavily distorted synths on "Supermassive Black Hole", to the soft and minimal "Soldier's Poem", to the heaviest track on the album in "Assassin", to flamenco and Arabic influences that close out the album on "City of Delusion" and "Hoodoo". The very last track, "Knights of Cydonia", sounds very Ennio Morricone. I could understand how this could be an annoying amount of stylistic hopscotch for some people, but I really enjoyed it. When I first put on this album, I wasn't sure if it was going to hold up nearly 20 years later. I am surprised to find that coming back to it, with a richer understanding and appreciation for music than I had when I was literally like 12, I like this album more, not less.

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

3/5

I really didn't want to like one Beastie Boys album, much less two, but once again I have to admit the production on this album is just really good and really fun to listen to. After reviewing 'Paul's Boutique' I felt I was maybe too generous and in a borderline 3-or-4 situation I made a mistake in rounding up. I like this album more than 'Paul's Boutique', though. I think I do, anyway. I kinda tuned out the actual rapping for the most part and was just vibing with the instrumentals, but I was vibing heavily with the instrumentals. But it's supposed to be a rap album? I dunno. For the sake of averaging out the two albums to 3.5, which I think is about right, I'm gonna give this one 3 stars even though maybe this one is 4 stars and 'Paul's Boutique' should be 3 stars. Hmmmm. Discovering that I kinda like the Beastie Boys is a very confusing turn of events for me.

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield

2/5

This is… what, the fourth album with Neil Young on it? Fuck offfffffff. My biggest complaint about Buffalo Springfield is that I often confuse them with Dusty Springfield and then I’m sorely disappointed. “Mr. Soul” sucks. The rest of the album is decidedly mediocre sorta-psychedelic twingle twangle fluff. Yawn.

Paul Simon

5/5

Paul Simon is always a welcome sight, especially on a day when i have a long drive. This isn’t my favorite album of his but it’s still a truly fantastic piece of work. The musical styling is really interesting and varied and fun throughout the album while never fighting for your attention with the masterful storytelling in the lyrics. This album provides a lot of evidence to my firm belief that Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters of our lifetime, probably of all time. He is a national treasure and must be defended at all costs.

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

5/5

What is there to say about the Talking Heads? I feel like a lot of the time they kinda get reduced to goofy guy with big suit, psycho killer, this is not my beautiful wife wacky band which is a shame. But im going to focus on this album specifically. ‘More Songs’ is their first collaboration with Brian Eno and shows the first steps away from the CBGB sorta post punk live recording feel on their debut ‘77’ towards their next two studio albums, ‘Fear of Music’ and ‘Remain in Light’ which are lightyears away stylistically. ‘More Songs’ represents the band at a true inflection point in the evolution of their sound and for nerdy superfans of the band i imagine that must be pretty exciting or something, idk. Something i love about this album is that it’s very dense. There’s little to no time wasted and of the eleven tracks, no fewer than seven are absolute bangers. Some i feel the need to mention specifically: “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel”, the shortest track on the album, is a fantastic example of what opening tracks should be; “Warning Sign” and especially the first minute of straight grooves; everything about their cover of “Take Me To The River”; and “The Big Country”, which i think is lyrically a fascinating song that my perspective on has changed a lot as i have gotten older but i have always always enjoyed just as much. This is actually one of my two least favorite Talking Heads albums, along with ‘True Stories’. If today were the first time I’d heard it, i would probably give it 4 ⭐️, but considering all the replay value I’ve gotten out of it through the years and will surely continue to get, i don’t think anything less than 5 ⭐️ is fair.

The Lexicon Of Love

ABC

2/5

This was a bizarre and laughable record that felt like an amalgamation of all the pop music that came five years before and after it. It undeniably has some pretty catchy hooks but it is also pretty schmaltzy and seemed to border on cabaret at times. Not for me.

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

3/5

According to Graham Nash’s retelling, Crosby, Stills & Nash originally formed to be something of a vocal supergroup, to pursue the unique sound of their harmonies that no one else had at the time. That’s why im not entirely sure why they decided to bring on Neil Young (ugh!!!), who is not a “good” vocalist and, based on the dissolution of Buffalo Springfield and the composition of this album, probably not a great collaborator either. This album strikes me as several Crosby, Stills & Nash songs with a couple Neil Young songs added onto the track list. Only one song, “Everybody I Love You”, feels like an actual blending of CSN and Y, and in fact it’s the only song on the album with a songwriting credit from both Y and one of C/S/N (Stills). My personal grudge against Neil Young aside (NY count on the list is now up to 5!), this album suffers a bit from feeling more generally like a disjointed collection of songs from different artists rather than a collaborative effort. NY’s songs sound exactly like NY songs, yes, but at the same time, the two Nash songs have a starkly simple, sweet sound that feels cloying in comparison. Crosby’s records have an imposing and overbearing dark ambience. They’re all nice tracks on their own (from CS&N at least), but together they feel a little incoherent. This is a good album. Most of the songs on it are pretty good. I think it could be a great album if the members of the band had worked together more to edit and revise these songs. I’d give it 3.5 ⭐️ if I could.

OK Computer

Radiohead

4/5

Wow, a late 90s British alt rock album that actually makes sense to be on this list!!! What a novel idea! This is a good album. It brings together analog and electronic elements in a way that feels very natural and pretty but also feels pretty interesting and, I have to imagine, exciting for 1997. There are so many different layers and elements to notice on each song, I understand why many people love this album so much. My favorite songs were "Let Down" and "No Surprises". I'm a little torn on how to rate this album because I certainly do like it, but I appreciate the artistic accomplishment of it slightly more than I actually enjoy it, I think. There have been a lot of albums recently that I would give 3.5 stars if I could and this is another one, but I would have no qualms with listening to this again in the future and surely will at some point, so by my own rating system that's a 4.

Bug

Dinosaur Jr.

1/5

Very whiny and annoying. I understand now why every whiny and annoying guy-flails-on-guitar (heavier) band seems to credit Dinosaur Jr as an influence. Monotonous and unrelenting nasal bleating from the vocalist over uninteresting, fuzzed out guitars. I think this album is called “Bug” because it will bug you if you’re looking for music with any amount of thought behind it.

Permission to Land

The Darkness

2/5

This album is… very… something. It’s clear, even from looking at the album cover, that they take a lot of inspiration from certain kinds of 70s-80s bands and it seems they just wanna rock. Which I guess they do. It’s just… so much. This falls into the same niche as Queen or Meatloaf for me in terms of gaudy, over-the-top nonsense that technical prowess doesn’t redeem for me. There was one song I thought was alright. I think it might have been “Love Is Only A Feeling”, or maybe “Holding My Own”. I dunno. Not worth finding out.

Dust

Screaming Trees

3/5

This album was... good... it was fine... but I feel like there are so many better and more significant examples of the genre that I don't really feel it needed to be included, especially considering it was released in 1996. I liked some of the drum breaks in "All I Know" and I liked the percussion intro and outro of "Gospel Plow", which was probably? my favorite track overall as well. Whatever, man. Sure.

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

3/5

Yeahhhhh 8) This is a very cool album in my opinion with the first tastes of The Cure's pioneering and totally unique atmospheric gothy sound outside of their sorta new wave or post-punk stuff. I really like both sides, but I'd argue it's the atmospheric gothy stuff that makes The Cure The Cure. That being said, I think this album is kind of a first sketch and isn't fully realized. The first half, especially, is kinda weak imo. "A Forest" is obviously the major single from this album and it probably wouldn't be on this list if not for that song. It is a great track. I think the rest of the record after "A Forest" feels a bit stronger, as well. Another 3.5 stars if I could. I enjoy this album but when I am in the mood for The Cure, this is not one of the albums I reach for.

The Visitors

ABBA

2/5

From our first ABBA album on this list, I got the impression that they are good for a couple flashes of pop music brilliance per album, and they are not an album band. On this album the flashes of brilliance are more like... twinkles of pretty good. "One of Us" is clearly the best song on the album, and "Slipping Through my Fingers" has a pretty nice hook. There are some minor chords and it's maybe a little more varied than classic ABBA fare, but it's also just.... not as good.

Vespertine

Björk

3/5

I am of the belief that Björk released 2 all-time bangers of albums and it's all been downhill from there. Luckily this album was pretty early on the downhill so it's still pretty good. There's a sonic quality to this album that reminds me a lot of the like ~2007-2012 ish indie lo-fi freak folk type stuff, and I think it's pretty neat that Björk was a bit ahead of the curve on that sound. And I think she does it well. I like the first half of this album more than the second half. "Hidden Place" and "It's Not Up to You" are the real keepers from this album imo, but "Cocoon" and "Pagan Poetry" are up there too. The back half of the album, I feel like for a lot of the run time the music is a little too sparse or minimal to balance out her vocals and the cumulative effect of the two just isn't really something I care for all that much. Apparently one of Björk's goals in making this album was to create songs that could endure the process of being shared and downloaded and reshared on Napster/Limewire/Kazaa/etc however many times without sounding significantly worse. I think that explains a lot about why the album sounds the way it does and is also a really interesting decision for an artist to make. I continue to admire Björk's creativity and thoughtfulness as a producer. On this album and increasingly more so in her later albums, her vocals become a bit abrasive at times and overshadow the general musical talent she has in spades. But there are so many beautiful and lush textures and soundscapes on this album made from very small pieces, it remains an enjoyable listen nonetheless.

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

3/5

It feels like this album was absolutely everywhere for several years after it first came out, but i had never listened to it front to back. Norah Jones is one of those like, classic coffee shop artists. Like back when Starbucks used to sell CDs of the music they played because everyone was like wow, this cool relaxing artsy mix of singer songwriters is so novel and exciting. What a time. Anyway. This is a pretty album but it’s also… kinda monotonous and gets a bit boring after, i dunno, 5 or 6 songs. Which is a shame because the music doesn’t stop being good, but i had definitely lost focus by the second half. I was going to listen to it again to give it a fairer shot, but honestly i think i get it. Also, i always think it’s funny when an artist is known for being a singer/songwriter and, well, writing their own songs, but their most famous song is written by someone else. Such is the case with “Don’t Know Why”, which is far and away the best song on this album imo.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

2/5

Alright I think we're getting a little carried away with the Radiohead here. 'OK Computer' and 'In Rainbows' is really all this list needs. 'Kid A' OR 'The Bends' if you REALLY want. But not both. Anyway, this album isn't unenjoyable, but I don't think it's especially remarkable either, and having just listened to 'OK Computer' like a week ago, it's at the forefront of my mind that 'Hail To the Thief' doesn't seem to break any new ground for Radiohead. Not every artist needs to sound different with every album they release, but I think that kind of creative evolution is where Radiohead excels and what makes them interesting. I don't find this album excellent or interesting because it kinda just sounds like their previous four albums rehashed into one. There are too many tracks on this album and not a single one stands out to me. It's perfectly fine as background music but not an album I will ever actively put on myself.

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

5/5

I have always thought “In the Ghetto” and especially “Suspicious Minds” to be among Elvis’s best and most interesting hits, so i was intrigued to see the context of the album that they both came from. I have to say, i was pretty blown away by this album. The accusation is often made—I’d argue it is trendy to do so—that Elvis simply stole what black musicians were already doing and repackaged it for white audiences. He certainly was a major catalyst for bridging the two in popular culture, but i think this album makes it abundantly clear that his feeling for soul and blues music is as genuine as anyone’s. (I also think his actions throughout his life showed a lot of respect and acknowledgment towards the black musicians he worked alongside and drew inspiration from but this is not material to discussing this album.) It’s really fitting that Memphis was the place to record this album that is both so country and so bluesy and so soulful throughout. And the effect is a much more mature, interesting, captivating Elvis than at any other point in his career, in my opinion. Something that struck me as interesting is that the earliest stages of Elvis’s career were extremely provocative and boundary-pushing. On this album, he instead turns back the clock, with several arrangements sounding closer to 1964 or even 1959 than 1969. Artistically, though, it is not a step backwards at all. I’m not sure how to pick out favorite tracks on this record as there isn’t a single one I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. Some clear picks are “Long Black Limousine”, “Power of My Love”, “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road”, “Suspicious Minds”, “Don’t Cry Daddy” and “Kentucky Rain”. His renditions of “Gentle On My Mind” and “Any Day Now”, while not my favorite versions, are very good and I’m happy to know they exist. This is a fantastic album that elicits more feeling from me than I expected. 5 ⭐️

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

4/5

I’ve put off writing this review because much like (Parliament) Funkadelic’s other entry on this list, this album is really just better experienced than talked about, but to leave my review at that felt like a cop out. For starters, I think the opening title track is one of the most emotive, expressive, moving guitar songs ever recorded. It feels like an entire universe is contained within this song. Honestly I kind of just wish the album stopped here and it would be a perfect 10/10 no notes. The mood change to the next track, “Can You Get to That”, is whiplash-inducing, but the second track is so good and so fun with such an infectious groove that I can’t be too mad about it. I just wonder if it might’ve been better placed somewhere else on the album. I dunno. “Hit It and Quit It” and “Me and My Folks…” are definitely cut from the same cloth as track 2, but I find them to be a bit of a disappointment. I think they’re just a little too similar but not nearly as good and kinda just fall into the realm of forgettable funky jammy rock type stuff to me. “Super Stupid” I can enjoy a lot more if I really force myself to contextualize it in its place in music history, but again, just for what it is, it’s kinda too far down the sorta funky festival jam band type thing for me to really enjoy. Which is kind of not fair because I think P-Funk and specifically this album did a lot of heavy lifting in originating that sound and I respect that a lot. I’ve just heard so much of it in my life that it takes a lil something peculiar within that style to hold my interest. Things get a bit more interesting again with “Back In Our Minds”. Lastly we close out with “Wars of Armageddon”… frantic, dizzying, recursive, always returning to such a strong rhythm section. Fantastic guitar and organ parts. The audio collage craziness I think really conveys the mood of america in 1971, which was that things are chaotic and senseless and confusing. And yet we funk on, until the atom bomb drops. Is it a bunch of drug-addled noodling jam sessions? Is it a complex statement of a cultural ethos at a moment in time as expressed through the defining players of a burgeoning style of music? I guess it depends on who you ask. Maybe a bit of both. I think there’s definitely a lot going on that contextually I’m too far removed from to really appreciate, or just isn’t really my thing. BUT the opening and closing tracks, plus the fun and funky bonuses of “Can You Get To That” and “Back In Our Minds”, easily carry this to a solid 4 ⭐️ for me.

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

5/5

If you had asked me before embarking on this project how I’d rate this album and Led Zeppelin in general, I’d probably have said a strong 3 ⭐️ to middling 4 ⭐️ and have said something about how it’s got some good songs and the musicianship is good, but it’s overplayed, overhyped, and maybe something about them being plagiarists. This project has shown me the true depth, breadth and scope of all the truly bad and, what’s more, simply forgettable music that exists in the world and has allowed me to listen to Led Zeppelin with somewhat fresh ears. When I do, it’s evident that the songs on this record are so incredibly popular because they are just that good. The allegations of plagiarism that are often lodged against LZ I think are contradicted by their massive success in their time and their staying power 50+ years later. They were heavily inspired by blues music, yes, as many artists at the time were. On some songs this is a more direct and obvious inspiration, like “When the Levee Breaks”, but they still manage to form it into a sound that is very much their own and unlike anything else that was going on at the time. It is bluesy and heavy and medieval and harmonic and anthemic and loud and just… unmistakably Led Zeppelin. Could they have done more to recognize the blues artists they were inspired by and share some of the obscene wealth and stardom they accumulated? Yeah, they could have and probably should’ve. But I do not think they were plagiarists, and them being bad people in other respects is pretty thoroughly documented anyway. So. In other news I appreciate that they have done more PR for the mandolin in popular music than almost any other group/musician in recent times. It’s really hard to single out favorite tracks from an album with only eight tracks when 6 of them are as absolutely massive of songs as “Black Dog” or “Stairway to Heaven”… but if I had to choose, I really just love “Stairway to Heaven”. The multi-part composition gets me every time. Their reinvention of “When the Levee Breaks” is a close second for me, and “Black Dog” and “Rock and Roll” are of an equal tier not far below. Deductions to “Battle of Evermore” and “Misty Mountain Hop” for being about nerdy LOTR shit (just kidding, but not really. Sort of.) Of all the categorically classic “classic rock” bands, Led Zeppelin has always been among my favorites, and I’m glad this project has renewed my appreciation for their music to some extent. ‘IV’ gets a resounding hell yeah 🤘 from me.

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

4/5

What do you do after you leave the most successful band the world has ever seen? In Paul McCartney’s case, you go to Nigeria and keep making banger after banger. This album is full of songs that are poppy and fun to listen to, yet each containing a little something unexpected to keep it interesting. And it is a very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable album. Better on the whole than probably all but maybe one or two Beatles albums in my opinion. Who needs those schmucks! Highlights for me are the title track, “Jet”, “Mamunia”, and “1985” (not spelling it out sorry).

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

4/5

I've been a Hot Chip fan for about 15 years, but somehow this album has gone pretty much completely unnoticed on my radar. This is actually their first album chronologically that I never really listened to, and none of the albums released since this one have I really paid attention to, either. I think I've been sleeping on this a bit, though. It's basically got everything I want from a Hot Chip record. It's kinda funky, it's very fun, it's danceable, it's a big strange, it's a lil silly, the lyrics are (imo) interesting... it couldn't be mistaken for anyone else. Favorite tracks: "Look at Where We Are", "These Chains", "Flutes", "Let Me Be Him".

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

1/5

Yaaaaawwwwnnnnn. Getting through this was a chore. Please do not make me listen to this creep any more mm

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Adam & The Ants

4/5

I get the sense that around the 1980 mark, “new wave” was an incredibly crowded genre, both from bands who put themselves under that umbrella and those who were put there by others. As such, I imagine it was very hard for a new wave band to differentiate themselves from the crowd at about this time, at the height of its popularity. Adam & the Ants, though, surely didn’t suffer this problem, at least not by the time of this album’s release. They have a rather unique sound, which I would say is characterized by the drums, which are both rhythmic and melodic and take a much more central role than is typical for drums in western music. Ant’s voice also stands out for its strength, but perhaps moreso for its energetic and idiosyncratic delivery. They also have a very unique image and mythos that runs as a thread throughout the album. It’s all a bit strange and very interesting. Fortunately the music is good enough that the schtick works. I particularly liked “Los Rancheros”, the title track, and “Phsyical”. Fun stuff.

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

2/5

I meaaannn.... this album would be fine...... if it weren't so long... there is no need for ~a third of the songs on this album to be 7+ minutes long. I've decided I just don't really like traditional Celtic influences/fusion in modern music. Pick a lane. I dunno.

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

3/5

Pre-listening note: in browsing around the site I’ve seen Scritti Politti among the globally lowest rated albums among the likes of Napalm Death and the Butthole Surfers. The wiki blurb for this album sounds pretty inoffensive so I’m really curious to find out why people hate it so much. — Halfway through this album and like... what? Are these guys secretly terrorists or something? This is deeply unserious and, dare I say it, pretty fun 80s synth pop. I do not understand why this would ruffle so many feathers. I am having a good time. "Absolute" is definitely the highlight from side one for me. Okay I am done with the album. It's just under 40 minutes of pretty clever pop arrangements and lyrics under the cloak of bubblegum pop stylings and a falsetto that is admittedly a bit cartoonish at times. But it's overall a pretty fun listen. Some of y'all are babies.

Station To Station

David Bowie

4/5

There is a line in the opening track where David Bowie sings “it’s not just a side effect of the cocaine” or something similar. That sounds like exactly what someone very affected by cocaine would say, but sure David. Whatever you say. I can forgive this obvious denialism because whatever the cause is, I think this album is the beginning of the era of Bowie I find most interesting and enjoyable. The aforementioned opening track, also the title track, is the longest and most and ambitious and my favorite on the album. It wanders and circles back on itself with changes in meter and mood, it’s kinda funky and kinda rock n roll, very experimental and a very fun ride for all of its ten minutes, which is not an easy accomplishment. From there we get “Golden Years”, which is easily one of my favorites of Bowie’s most famous songs. Such a fun and funky lil diddy. Of the other songs on the album I’d highlight “TVC 15” as a favorite. The remaining three songs are all varying levels of enjoyable, and the holistic effect is an album that front-to-back is really strong. 8/10

Close To You

Carpenters

2/5

Karen Carpenter has a beautiful voice and the Carpenters together harmonize very nicely. For a couple songs, these two things were enough to carry the album for me… but then it started to feel a bit… chintzy. A bit cocktail lounge. The fact that so many songs are covers does not help this cause. It’s all just a bit saccharine and kind of bland. It feels like it was just engineered to do well on the adult contemporary charts on the strength of her voice. And it really is mostly just her voice—the occasional solo vocals from the gentleman Carpenter would’ve really been better left out. A random point that is neither here nor there: the Beatles cover is … ugh. I don’t know if it’s particularly better or worse than the original; the song is just kind of annoying to begin with. Also… they were siblings? I thought they were married? Hmmmm that’s a lot of chintzy lazy cocktail lounge love songs for siblings. I don’t like it. But Karen really does have a beautiful voice. At several points throughout the album the quality of her voice really struck me and made me feel bad for not liking the album more. 4.5/10

Electric Music For The Mind And Body

Country Joe & The Fish

2/5

On the outro of one song, I think it was “Bass Strings”, the guy is not-so-subtly whispering “LSD” into the mic. Yeah, we get it. Every stereotype of psychedelic rock is present on this album, and while I have to assume this was at some point novel and exciting, to me in the present day it just feels masturbatory and incredibly lame. Pass.

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

2/5

Listening to this album, it’s more obvious why the genre was called “trip hop” than when listening to later entries that are a bit more downtempo, more atmospheric, moodier. By comparison this is very jaunty, makes extensive use of sampling, and has much more rap/hip hop vocal stylings. But I just… don’t like it as much. Their slight reworking of “Be Thankful for What You Got” was enjoyable, but didn’t feel like enough of a departure from the original to really make sense on this album to me. “Unfinished Symphony” was probably my favorite track overall. I appreciate that this was a very influential early trip-hop album, but I really prefer the stuff that came later. I will not listen to this again.

Honky Tonk Masquerade

Joe Ely

3/5

This album was… fine? It’s unremarkable but it’s not bad I guess. We haven’t gotten many country albums in the 200 albums into this list so far and the handful we have gotten have been some kinda confusing choices. This is one of them. “Boxcars” is pretty good. I dunno.

S&M

Metallica

4/5

When I saw the premise of this album, I thought it was a bit gimmicky and felt that it’s not the kind of album that really belongs on this list. I’m still not entirely convinced a live album that’s almost like a greatest hits compilation is what I feel should be on this list, but I’m glad I listened to it. I also think it could be an album that appeals to those who don’t generally like metal, which maybe is a good reason to include it. I don’t know why I try to reason with this list anymore though. Anyway, I think Metallica’s songwriting lends itself really well to collaboration with a symphony orchestra and it feels like a thoughtful and well-done project. I think a lot of things like this are kinda half-baked, but this seems a bit more mindful. The choice of songs makes a lot of sense. Yeah. If you like Metallica, you will probably like this album. If you don’t especially like Metallica you still might like this album. I think it’s very pretty and enjoyed it a lot. It’s pretty straightforward and does what it says on the tin.

Hotel California

Eagles

3/5

I wish I could unhear all of the times I had ever listened to "Hotel California" to listen to it for the first time now. When you've heard a song a million times throughout your whole life, it's easy to not really appreciate all of the little intricate details that go into it, and there are many of these in its six and a half minute run time. I tried to listen to it as if I never had before and I reached the conclusion this song is something of a masterpiece that I never really appreciated before. That being said, I think it was a mistake to open this album with the title track. After "Hotel California", the remaining tracks on the album just seem kinda... unremarkable. Flat. Phoned in. "Life in the Fast Lane" is alright, and "Wasted Time" I like, but basically none of side 2 stands out to me. Maybe I would've liked the album better if it started with the other songs and finished with a stroke of genius rather than starting at its best and going downhill from there.

Rubber Soul

Beatles

2/5

In my head I remembered 'Rubber Soul' as one of the Beatles' better albums, but upon listening to it for the first time in many years, I can count on one hand the songs on this album that I'd particularly care to ever hear again and have a finger left over. A lot of the songs on this album are the annoying kind of early Beatles pop/rock sound that I just don't really care for. "Norwegian Wood", "Michelle", "Girl" (borderline), and "In My Life" are the only keepers.

Arular

M.I.A.

5/5

M.I.A. is one of those artists I love but tend to forget they exist for long stretches of time, so being reminded of this album and having a reason to listen to it was very welcome. This album is a BLAST and I'm not sure it's possible to listen to it and NOT dance. It's a strange and unique mix of so many styles and it's impossible to predict what is going to happen next, but you know it will be fun. This whole album is such a fun ride, but the lyrics are also substantive. Literally every song is a banger, I have no notes.

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

2/5

I thought I recognized the name Big Star, so I searched back and we have in fact reviewed an unremarkable jangly 70s pop rock that was, apparently, actually important to some people other than the guy who made this list. This album is apparently also a "cult classic"? Again, this is not anything that stands out to me. It is better than their previous album that we reviewed earlier. There are moments during this album where I thought to myself they sounded a bit modern and I could definitely hear some inspiration for some 90s/2000s indie acts, and I can give them credit for being ahead of their time in some aspects I guess. But overall, the sound isn't especially forward thinking or groundbreaking, and it didn't hold my attention especially well. Meh.

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

3/5

There are a handful of good songs on this album - "Wild World", "Sad Lisa", "Longer Boats", "Father and Son" (which, fun fact, Cat Stevens sued The Flaming Lips over because "The Fight Song" has basically the same melody). But something about this album annoys me slightly. It's kind of... ingratiatingly quaint. It's also a bit monotonous. I'm not sure how to explain exactly what it is I don't quite like about this album but the cover art kinda also adds to it. It's so... children's book cozy. Why. -_-

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

2/5

Album #200! Woo! Too bad it’s not a better one. Musically, I feel like this albums falls into a lot of 2011 indie music clichés and it really dates itself with them. Lyrically it’s a ridiculous paean to mother England. The other album we reviewed by PJ Harvey was a lot more interesting to me. Pass.

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

5/5

This kind of loopy, sample-based electronic music of some of my very favorite of all electronic music, and ‘Since I Left You’ is an absolute classic. It really doesn’t get much better than this. It’s sunny, it’s psychedelic, it feels both familiar and brand new at the same time, it’s incredibly creative, and it’s complex enough that it has a ton of replay value with something new to notice on many subsequent listens. One version of my perfect day involves an all-day pool party where everything is the perfect temperature and sunburns don’t exist and it happens in this album’s universe. 10/10

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

3/5

Early Coldplay are good for about 3 good songs per album. On this one it’s “In My Place” (which has annoyingly been stuck in my head for two days now), “The Scientist” and “Clocks”. Three pretty good tracks and a bunch of filler that I can’t remember any of 48 hours later. Meh.

Nevermind

Nirvana

5/5

What is there to say about albums that defined entire generations so much as did ‘Nevermind’? It’s Nirvana. Everyone likes Nirvana, except people who are really into 90s grunge and feel like saying they like Nirvana would be too basic. But there’s a reason Nirvana was so much more successful than all but one or two of their peers. This album is a hell of a lot more complex and interesting than, say, the Dinosaur Jr or Mudhoney albums we’ve reviewed for this project. You can hear the influence of bands like the Pixies in the variance in mood, tempo and volume, and Sonic Youth in some of the more droning sections. While all of these bands were pretty successful on their own, Nirvana managed to roll them up and add some special secret sauce that just really worked. It’s a remarkable album. The first six songs come out massively swinging, but my personal favorite is ending the album with “Something In the Way” into “Endless, Nameless”.

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

3/5

I was slightly disappointed to see we have a Lenny Kravitz album and it doesn’t have “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” on it. While that track is better than any from this album, there’s still quite a bit to like here. Musically there are some good ideas, a decent amount of variation, and a healthy dose of soul draped over the basic showcase of Kravitz’s multi-instrumentalist talents. I particularly liked the organ and strings throughout, although looking at the album credits it looks like those are the instruments he didn’t play. He still produced the whole album so I will give him credit for that. My major complaint with this album is that the lyrics are often simplistic and corny and his vocals are kinda annoying and cringey about half the time, which is a shame because I think the other half are pretty nice. Overall, I found this enjoyable enough to listen to and I buy Lenny much more as a musician than as a lyricist or vocalist. Would not listen to the full album again. Playlist pick: “My Precious Love”

Tracy Chapman

5/5

Wow... what a fantastic album. I was familiar with "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason", which are both immaculate records, but had never listened to a full album from Tracy Chapman. Her self-titled debut is full of substance beyond her most popular single and absolutely does not disappoint. To begin, the merits of her voice alone are worth highlighting. In the two singles mentioned above, Chapman works in a beautiful, rich contralto that is probably her "signature" sound, but on this album there is quite a bit of range. It's beautifully soft and airy on "Across the Lines" and "Baby Can I Hold You". Overall the breadth from tenderness to power in her vocals on this album are really impressive and wonderful to listen to. Something else I loved about this album is that it balances, in my opinion very successfully, the personal and the societal. It feels like a protest album at its heart but is interspersed with beautiful love songs, often tinged with at least a bit of sadness. It's a balance that I think makes the album feel more sincere, makes it less one-note for the listener, and lightens the mood a bit compared to an album that's all songs about war and poverty and racial injustice and domestic violence and other terrible things. Some songs like "Behind the Wall" and "For My Lover", and to some extent "Fast Car", mix the two themes a bit to great effect. This is the best new album I've gotten from the list in a while and will be in heavy rotation for the next couple weeks. Excited to listen to more of her albums. Playlist pick: I want to go with "Mountains O' Things", "For My Lover", or "For You", but it simply has to be "Fast Car".

One World

John Martyn

4/5

Oh boy. I've never heard of John Martyn but this album cover is something. Very 1977. So my jaw actually dropped when the vocals kicked in on the opening track, but luckily the weird growly rasping vocals aren't the style he uses throughout the whole album. The vocals on "One World", for instance, I found really lovely. The super dubby wet synths on "Smiling Stranger" are wild. Overall I preferred the back half of this album. "Certain Surprise" and "Dancing" were probably my favorite two tracks on the album. "Couldn't Love You More" is really sweet, and "Small Hours" is a really cool atmospheric meandering outro. This was a really interesting album. Very strange, and undeniably quite charming. Would definitely listen again. Playlist track: "Certain Surprise"

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

2/5

Of the dozens of albums in the first ~200 that have made me go "ugh, unfortunate that that will be in my algorithm", this album gets the distinction of being the one that actually made me seek out and find a way to rig up an incognito listening session in Apple Music. So congrats to the Kings of Leon for that. I have little else to say about this album. It's not bad enough to warrant a 1 star rating but it's very boring. There were maybe 5 minutes of this record that were better than the rest? Maybe "Milk"? I dunno. I'm glad that as a society we have moved past pretending these guys are anything special. Except the compiler of this list apparently.

Time (The Revelator)

Gillian Welch

5/5

Whew. If you were among folk/americana picking circles in the 2000s-2010s, you know the absolute chokehold Gillian Welch had on us all during that time. Her grip may have loosened a bit, but she is certainly still royalty. She was such a big deal because there were basically no recording artists doing what she was doing. Her first two albums feel like live recordings, made not in front of an audience of thousands but only to her fellow musicians or perhaps even to churchgoers; they are albums of stark, unadorned, sometimes bleak depictions of rural, often impoverished corners of America. But there is an overwhelming feeling on both of these first two albums that the songs are old-timey, so much so that I think a lot of people are surprised to learn that none of the songs on either album are traditional but in fact are all written by Welch and her musical partner David Rawlings. What makes 'Time (The Revelator)' so interesting is that it moves beyond the somewhat simplistic and anachronistic Welch had seemed to paint herself into up to this point. It deals with all of the same themes of religion, poverty, family ties, love and heartbreak, and isolation, but also sprawls to reach the sinking of the Titanic, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the migration of the Okies, the birth of Elvis the myth and the death of Elvis the man, John Henry and Casey Jones. If an alien wanted to become familiar with the historical and cultural events that make up the American mythos, I think they'd do well to study the lyrics on this album until they understand all the references within it. In addition to being a great americana album, I believe 'Time (The Revelator)' to also be a Great American Album à la Great American Novel. It is certainly literary and I truly feel it encompasses so much of what America is. Beyond all of that highfalutin' nonsense I think it's also just a really pretty album. "Revelator", "April 14th/Ruination Day", and "Elvis Presley Blues" are my favorite tracks, but "I Dream a Highway" is a stunning, massive piece of work. Playlist track: "Elvis Presley Blues"

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

3/5

I like Elton John as much as the next guy, but let's be real with ourselves; if "Tiny Dancer" weren't on this album, would it be on this list? I think not. It's not a bad album though. "Tiny Dancer" is obviously a classic and the most notable track on the album, and the following track "Levon" is also very good. The next two tracks are a bit meh. Starting off the second side we have a cinematic ballad about the plight of the native Americans. This comes across as heartfelt but perhaps a bit tone deaf, especially when the next song begins with how nice it is to be picked up in a limo from the Boston airport on your way to the Holiday Inn. Later on side 2 we get "Rotten Peaches", which I did quite like. This one seems to be a tale of an escaped prisoner on the run lamenting his past mistakes and time wasted in the pen. This feels to be in the same vein as "Indian Sunset" to me but more successful, imo. An enjoyable listen overall with the undeniable charm and excellent talents of Sir Elton John evident throughout the album, although on no track to do they shine so much as on "Tiny Dancer". Beyond that, "Levon" and "Rotten Peaches" stand out for me. Mixed results on the rest. 6.5/10

16 Lovers Lane

The Go-Betweens

2/5

Where does he find this shit?

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

4/5

This is an album that I had to listen to twice before I could make up my mind about it and I got held up on this review for nearly a week. Upon my first listen I felt it was a bit monotonous and campy and Siouxsie's vocals were a bit overbearing, although the overall sound and atmosphere is very forceful and unique in a way that is very interesting and appealing. But I also felt that I was missing something and it deserved a closer listen. I'm glad I did, because on the second listen I was able to better appreciate the musicianship and especially the guitar work on this album is very cool and impressive and, as far as I know, pretty unique for 1981. Their sound as a whole is remarkably cohesive and polished, as if it exists in its own universe, in a way that impresses me that this album was released in 1981. The first 5-6 tracks of this album are all really strong. They're dark and groovy and kinda funky and very catchy and just have this larger-than-life aura about them that really feels like some kind of magic was bottled in making this record. Unfortunately, I feel it kind of peters out on the last three tracks. By that point it's just a little too much of the same. Perhaps if I keep listening to this album, which I believe I probably will, I will come around to these tracks as well. I hope so, because for what it is this album is near perfect until the last three tracks. Playlist pick: "Spellbound" or "Halloween"

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

4/5

I wouldn't consider this live recording to be some of Johnny Cash's finest work musically, but what makes this album special is hearing Cash interact with his inmates at San Quentin prison. It's very fun to hear him work the crowd and play comedian a bit, but more than that, it is evident how much Cash genuinely cares about the prisoners. His belief is clear that regardless of whatever they may have done to have found themselves in San Quentin, they deserve to be entertained, to be respected, and to be treated decently not just by him but by the prison system. It takes some cajones to get on stage at an institution hosting you as a guest, where you are at the mercy of people as notoriously power-trippy and cruel as prison guards, and do a song as vitriolic as "San Quentin", not once but twice. It makes me wonder what Cash would think of the abhorrent living conditions prisoners in this country are afforded today; I'm pretty sure concerts from major recording artists are not so common anymore, to say the least. I originally listened to the LP cut of the San Quentin performance, which I would've given 3 stars. I just realized there is a "legacy edition" that is significantly longer that has a lot of tracks that I like a lot and I'm gonna listen to it later and go ahead and assume it's at least worth 4 stars.

Tapestry

Carole King

3/5

Soooo... I get it... Carole King is a good songwriter. She was one of the queens of Laurel Canyon. This album is her magnum opus. I get it... but I don't *get it*. I think this is a pretty good album, but I don't quite see what's so great about it. The best songs on this album are the ones you already know going into it ("I Feel the Earth Move", "It's Too Late", maybe "You've Got A Friend") and the covers ("Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" and "A Natural Woman"). Some other highlights on the album for me are "Where You Lead", particularly the backing vocals, and I did find myself quite liking "Beautiful" even if the lyrics feel a bit platitudinous. That leaves another handful of songs. "So Far Away" I think is kinda nice, but also kinda just... annoying for some reason I can't put my finger on. "Way Over Yonder" and "Tapestry" are pretty forgettable for me. "Smackwater Jack" is an oddball within the album as it's the only storytelling track rather than a first-person account of one's thoughts/feelings. It's fine. I like the backing vocals again and the sax. On the whole, I mostly think this album is... fine. It's good. I don't think it's a masterpiece. The instrumentation is at times pretty inspired. Carole's voice is at times a little annoying. Her lyrics don't really hit for me and I think this is the kind of album/she is the kind of artist where the lyrics really make or break it for you. "Snow is cold, rain is wet"... sure is, Carole. Sure is. That being said, the mega-hits from this album are very good songs. Playlist pick: "Where You Lead"

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

5/5

I've often said that salmon is fish for people that don't really like seafood. It has a nice soft and flaky texture that's not weird at all, a mild, sweet, inoffensive flavor, and it's commonly prepared in a wide variety of very approachable and crowd-pleasing ways. If you ask people who don't particularly like seafood, but don't dislike it, what their favorite fish is, there's a very high chance they'll answer salmon. In a similar fashion, I think Dave Brubeck is jazz for people who don't particularly like jazz. Much like all of the common ick factors of seafood are nullified with salmon, you won't find any jarring tempo changes, screeching horns, or atonal intervals in a Dave Brubeck album. It's approachable and easy to enjoy not "challenging". I don't mean this as a diss on either salmon or Dave Brubeck. I quite like both of them, and in fact together they sound like the foundation of a lovely date night. Sometimes things are well-liked and accessible because they are good, and in the case of art sometimes making something that is both accessible and not boring is actually quite difficult. I don't think think 'Time Out' was set out to be a particularly popular or accessible jazz record. It was intended as an exploration of unusual time signatures inspired by the quartet's travels to other parts of the world, which really sounds like it would be set up for quite the opposite fate. Perhaps thinking such an album wouldn't be successful is an underestimation of either the public's appetite for a bit of complexity in their music or the Dave Brubeck Quartet's ability to compose it in a digestible way. There is obviously the superstar hit "Take Five", a classic, a jazz standard, undoubtedly one of the most iconic records both in jazz music and in the world of unusual time signatures. This track is a five-minute masterpiece, with the thunderous drum solo especially noteworthy. But every track on this album is fantastic. The composition is thoughtful and smart and the playing is airtight, effortlessly cool, beautifully balanced between the alto sax wafting like smoke over the boom and crash of the drum and pianos as the bass quietly looks on and keeps time. Other than "Take Five", the most popular composition from this album is "Blue Rondo à la Turk", a lively and scintillating track that opens the album with a bang. But my favorite track is "Strange Meadow Lark", which I think is the hidden gem of this album. It is so soft and evocative and inspired and in some way I feel it is the emotional center of the album. You've also got "Three to Get Ready", "Kathy's Waltz" and "Pick Up Sticks"... there's no going wrong here. A flawless, landmark album from one of the most iconic jazz outfits, led by a visionary pianist, guided by an interesting creative purpose released in the year that remains the high water mark for jazz as a whole. A rare album that befits the designation of an album you must hear before you die. Playlist pick: "Strange Meadow Lark"

Mott

Mott The Hoople

2/5

Imagine taking David Bowie and getting rid of all of the redeeming qualities. Hackneyed english glam rock that absolutely does not need to exist.

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

3/5

The title track to this album is, of course, one of Dolly's all-time classics, and apparently this album as a whole is also regarded as such. I'm not sure if I am completely sold on the rest of the album quite so much. "My Blue Tears", "Early Morning Breeze" and "The Way I See You" I do especially like, and to a lesser extent "The Mystery of the Mystery". "Traveling Man" and "She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)" fall flat for me. The remaining three tracks I don't really feel strongly about. On this album we do have a song that is one of her most famous and one of the best showcases of her storytelling talents. There's also on several songs the lovely ability to evoke romantic and familial connections and connection to nature through very simple lyrics that I consider characteristic of Dolly's music, and her lovely voice throughout. But on an album that's only half an hour long, only about half of it is really good material to me, which seems like not a lot. Unfortunately I don't think I can go above a strong 6.5/10 here.

Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

1/5

This is a really bizarre album, which is usually something that I don't mind or even enjoy, but not in this case. Wanders all over the place without ever arriving anywhere. There's no clear reason for each side to be presented as one long composition, as there's no feeling that the disjointed sections of each part are at all unified into a greater, cohesive piece. Each part ends in a spectacularly annoying way: part one with someone calling out each instrument as they're added back into the soundscape, and part two with horrible guttural grunt-screaming interludes. Disastrous.

Scum

Napalm Death

2/5

This album is... kind of silly. I'm not exactly sure what the goal was here. On the occasion that a song is longer than, say, 90 seconds, they occasionally settle into some grooves that are actually pretty interesting -- "Scum" is the song that most caught my attention in this respect, mostly the first half of the song. Same goes for "CS". These two songs, like the album as a whole, become dramatically less enjoyable for me when the vocalist is involved. Overall this just feels extremely fast and abrasive for the sake of being extremely fast and abrasive, which... fine? if you're into that kind of thing? but no thanks.

Rage Against The Machine

2/5

So the crux of RATM's whole... thing is that they are very political. The words "revolutionary" and "radical" are often thrown around when discussing their music. But if one peels back the posturing and leftist braggadocio and stops to listen to or read their lyrics, it's pretty clear that there isn't any coherent ideology deep enough to stand in and get your ankles wet. Their world view can basically be summed up as "fuck you I won't do what you tell me" and "fight the war, fuck the norm", which are actual lyrics taken from this album. The track "Wake Up" is lyrically somewhat more interesting than the rest of the album, and "some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses" is admittedly a very hard line from the most famous song from this album, "Killing In the Name". But overall, it's easy to understand why the biggest appeal of RATM seems to be to angsty and angry teenagers who are grasping to form their own beliefs. That's basically what this album sounds like. Like Limp Bizkit and the Red Hot Chili Peppers had a kid and that kid is always wearing that one Che Guevara t-shirt.

Tago Mago

Can

3/5

What a very strange album. When I saw 1971 and that Apple Music just categorizes it as "rock" from a band I've never heard of, my hopes for anything enjoyable had fallen quite low. I was pretty surprised to find myself vibing with the first track. Kinda funky, kinda experimental, a little jazzy at times, very interesting in a way that doesn't compromise listenability. I was happy to find this continues through the first three songs. And then we get to "Halleluhwah" and "Aumgn", two tracks almost 20 minutes each that just go totally off the deep end. And I get that that's the point, but they're just... so long. There are enjoyable parts of each, and there are not so enjoyable parts, which is fine, but just... so long... ;_; it's so much to endure. It almost feels like a physical or spiritual feat of strength and endurance. You may come out changed for making it through the ~36 minute middle section of this album. Maybe that's the point. And then there's two closing tracks that are more in line with the opening three, but not quite as enjoyable. You've come down from your mushroom trip and things are back to normal. I'm not entirely sure how to rate this album. Roughly half of it is the two very long middle tracks, which I didn't necessarily... enjoy... but I do feel strangely richer, or a little more fluent in popular music history, for having listened to. The rest of it I liked, but didn't love. It was a wild ride, like a very weird dream. ???/10

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

4/5

In Zappa’s earlier work with Mothers of Invention, like ‘We’re Only In It For the Money’ which we previously reviewed, the listener kinda gets the impression that they’re on the outside of an inside joke about what is music, anyway? It feels strangely nihilistic, as if to say music is dead and we’re dancing on its grave. We’re reanimating its corpse in a grotesque way and we’re laughing at those who find it in poor taste. In this solo effort, I get no impression that Zappa is anything but sincere — this is music for music’s sake, and it makes it clear that the anti-music from Mothers of Invention was being driven by someone with a lot of musical intelligence and intuition. And Zappa is very much in charge on this album: in addition to playing guitar, bass and percussion, he is also credited as writer and arranger of all songs on the album and the album’s producer. The opening track, “Peaches en Regalia”, is a fantastic track, a fantastic opener, and I wish it were longer. I found this to be a theme throughout the album — my favorite tracks tended to be the shortest. “Little Umbrellas” and “It Must Be A Camel” are both around or under five minutes, and were both two other favorites from this album. That is probably my biggest complaint with this album—it spends too little time one really cool, jazzy, intricate songs like those and some parts of “The Gumbo Variations”, and more on blues rock extended jams like “Willie the Pimp” and most “Son of Mr. Green Genes” that I found to be slightly less creative although not unenjoyable to listen to. Overall, this album is just really fun to listen to and will catch your attention at several points in each song. Not your typical guitar album; high replay value. Strong 8/10 Playlist pick: “Peaches en Regalia”

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

4/5

In the mid-to-late 19th century, naturalists who had accepted Darwin’s concepts of evolution and the origination of species had begun to turn these ideas onto humankind, as we are wont to do. If more complex life forms arise from competition and natural selection among simpler organisms, where did we come from? While primates were generally accepted as the ancestors, there were competing schools of thought on how we got here. Darwin himself believed our humanlike ancestors came “out of Africa”, while German scientist-philosopher (things were different back then) Ernst Haeckel adamantly argued his “out of Asia” hypothesis. To settle this argument set off a paleontological scavenger hunt across all continents that continues to this day for the “missing link”—fossil evidence of an intermediate species between something like a chimpanzee and us, the bipedal, hairless, taxpaying, hot sauce-eating descendant. As we have since found out, there are several “missing links”—missing links between the missing links—and the concept kind of falls apart when evolution happens in a fractious, inefficient ratchet rather than an elegant and linear process as Darwin envisioned. There are many other scenarios, however, where one might look at something incredibly complex and sophisticated and compare it to the rather simple thing you’re told it came from, and wonder how it is we got here. One such case is the evolution of The Beach Boys from singers about surfing, cars and girls to the architects of ‘Pet Sounds’, one of the unique, iconic, unclassifiable pop records the world had ever seen at the time of its release. But in this case, the evolution does follow a fairly linear trajectory, and the missing link is ‘The Beach Boys Today!’. When this album opens, we get three songs that are fairly upbeat and straightforward, one about dancing and another about my baby, very much in line with their earlier work. The third is a little more thematically varied but sonically similar. These songs do, to their credit, have some very nice vocal harmonies. The fourth song on the album, “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)”, is the first sign that we’re going off book a bit. To begin, it just *sounds* different - there’s not really a verse-chorus-verse structure and the chord progression is strange. Lyrically, the narrator contemplates his future—will I be a good husband? Will my kids think I’m cool? Will still like joking and having fun? Will I be proud of the life I’ve led? It won’t last forever… All the while, the background vocals keep time as they count off the years: sixteen, seventeen… thirty, thirty-one… This is a track that could never have conceivably been part of any prior Beach Boys record. It’s far too interesting, musically and lyrically. Next is “Help Me, Rhonda”, one of their most popular songs, and “Dance Dance Dance”, another track cut from the cloth of their earlier catalog. “Help Me Rhonda” is a good song but I’m mostly going to skip it because I want to talk about the second side of this album. In the latter six tracks of ‘The Beach Boys Today!’, the mood and sound is entirely different. Rather than a simple guitar-bass-drums setup, we’re met with beautiful Phil Spector-esque arrangements that are lush and layered and rich and have essentially an entire orchestra of session players credited in the album liner notes. Rather than puppy love songs about sun-drenched affection, the lovers in these songs are paranoid, jealous, and quarrelsome (“Please Let Me Wonder”, “Kiss Me Baby”, “She Knows Me Too Well”, “In the Back of My Mind”). There is a level of self-awareness of maturity that’s leaps and bounds beyond anything they had released before. All of this over sublimely beautiful, intricate compositions that show the evolution of Brian Wilson’s creative genius. The last song (as in, actual song, not counting the yap session final track) “In the Back of My Mind” is possibly the strangest and most remarkable song on the album—fitting that it ends this collection of songs that shows their evolution from beach rock to ‘Pet Sounds’. Like a pristine fossil captured in amber, ‘The Beach Boys Today!’ is the missing link that shows us how the miraculous evolution from “Fun Fun Fun” to “God Only Knows” came to be. Rest in peace Brian Wilson.

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

5/5

I believe this is one of country music’s first true concept albums, and although far be it from me to speak for Willie Nelson, if I had to guess, I don’t think he would call it a concept album. I’d guess that he simply calls it storytelling, and the storytelling on this album is top tier. This album transports you completely to another time and place through its simplicity, and the purity of the folk and country music new and old interspersed with elements of Mexican music (“O’er the Waves”) and popular music (“Down Yonder”) breathes life into the western tale spun in the lyrics throughout the album. It makes it incredibly easy to imagine, to vividly watch as if the album is a fully produced feature film, the story of The Red Headed Stranger. Something that amazes me about this album is how few of the songs on it were actually written by Willie—he has a writing credit on 6 of 15 songs, three of which are variations on “Time of the Preacher” (the others being the “Blue Rock Montana” portion of the medley, “Denver”, and the haunting “Bandera”). To put together an album of this caliber is one thing, but to assemble it from disparate old country songs, Mexican waltzes, hymns, and popular music and weave them into a seamless narrative is truly a stroke of genius. For me, this remains one of the finest accomplishments in country music and the definitive Willie Nelson record. It doesn’t really get much better than this.

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

5/5

If you compare the Talking Heads' previous album, 'More Songs About Buildings and Food', to 'Fear of Music', the difference is remarkable. This is the album, in my opinion, in which they stop being just another cool, funky CBGB post punk group and become the Talking Heads, one of the most musically dynamic, interesting, complex, wholly unique popular acts of the 80s. The opening track to 'Fear of Music', "I Zimbra", is an excellent example of the kind of Talking Heads song that only the Talking Heads could've made. The guitar work in particular on this song is engrossing and this is probably my favorite song on the album. With the obvious afrobeat influences, it feels more like a test run for their next and best album, 'Remain in Light', than like it fits sonically and thematically with the rest of this album. While the rest of this album varies quite a bit in sound and style, from the frantic funk of "Life During Wartime" to the sedate almost-country of "Heaven", the unifying feeling of this album is anxiety. The subject matter ranges from pieces of paper to apocalypse prepping to the afterlife and many stops in between, but all of them are treated with an agita that bleeds over from the lyrics into the music. This is an incredibly cool album and occasionally quite funny ("Memphis, home of Elvis and the ancient Greeks"). Absolutely one of their best albums. Favorite songs: "I Zimbra", "Mind", "Cities", "Life During Wartime", "Air", "Heaven"

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

5/5

If you like Steely Dan, you're gonna love this record, cuz it feels like a long-lost Dan record that should've come after Gaucho (sorry, Walter Becker, you probably wouldn't like that take). At least, it has the jazz fusion sounds and incredibly tight production that you'd expect from a Steely Dan album, but 'The Nightfly' has some very distinguishing elements as well: it is nostalgic and hopeful and warm in a way that Steely Dan rarely was, instead veering towards cynical and sardonic. On its face, the opening track "I.G.Y." is the most hopeful track on the album by a long shot. It is named for and clearly inspired by the "International Geophysical Year", a collaborative project among scientists around the world running from 1957-1958 designed to see exactly how much we could improve the human experience through modern science. In the song are references to promises that never came to fruition--90 minutes from New York to Paris, the wheel in space, more leisure for artists everywhere--as well as things that have been realized, but hardly delivered on what we were sold. Most presciently, far more true now than at the release of the song, is "a just machine to make big decisions, programmed by fellows with 'compassion' and 'vision'". The song sounds so cheery and optimistic it fills you with a palpable sense of yearning for this vision of a future that clearly never will be, and I get the impression that the painful irony of that misguided optimism is the real "point" of the song. This irony and misguided optimist sentiment comes back in the form of "Cold War bedamned, we'll party in the bunkers if we have to" on "New Frontier". It's a strange sort of optimism, but it's optimism all the same, and it's an absolute banger. The rest of the album feels very nostalgic--the doo-wop of "Ruby Baby" and the bossa nova of "The Goodbye Look" harkens back to ~20 years prior to the album's release, and the rest of the album evokes a tale of a night shift radio DJ broadcasting jazzy lonely grooves out into the ether and reminiscing on high school sweethearts and lost loves along the way. This album is an incredible accomplishment. It feels like there are so many stories wrapped up within just 39 minutes of runtime, and it goes without saying that the music and production is second to none. True excellence.

British Steel

Judas Priest

1/5

Absolutely asinine. If this is what the new wave had in store, they should’ve let British heavy metal die with dignity. Meaningless lyrics and boring, predictable, uninspired guitar hooks. Hard to overstate how little I enjoyed this album.

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

Brian Eno

5/5

I remember the first time I heard this album. I had recently discovered ‘Music for Airports’ and learned that Brian Eno produced some of the Talking Heads’ best albums, and listened to his 2008 collaboration with David Byrne, ‘Everything That Happens Will Happen Today’. But this album is the only one of those I specifically remember hearing for the very first time. And maybe I had heard quite a few things like ‘My Life in the Bush of Ghosts’, but I had never heard anything quite like it, either. As I’ve continued to listen to this album in the ~13 years since, I still feel surprised by it every time I listened to it every time. I think this is an album that really has to be listened to 5, 10, 50+ times to be fully appreciated. It is a masterpiece.

Horses

Patti Smith

4/5

Listening to this record, it was a bit surprising to me that it ever got made, at least at the time that it did, in 1975. At a time when having a record deal and support from a record label was so important, at the height of disco and Queen, I was surprised that a record would throw their weight behind this album. This is an album starkly different from most anything I’ve heard before and especially for pre, say, 1995-2000. It toes a line between rock and spoken word poetry that feels as much like performance art and music. While it’s not something that immediately struck me as delicious upon first listen, it’s definitely substantive and interesting and definitely an album worth hearing. I’d put this somewhere between 3 and 4 ⭐️, but I feel the need listen to again and look forward to thinking more about it so I have to round up on that basis.

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

2/5

We’ve had one PJ Harvey album that I thought was pretty good and one that I really kinda hated, so maybe this one will provide a verdict on how I feel about this lady that the author of the 1001 list seems to like very much. My major comment about this album is that the mixing does an extremely annoying thing on almost every song where there are whisper-quiet sections that make you think you need to turn your volume up, but as soon as you do you will be accosted by a jarring throttling up of the volume. It’s super obnoxious and I have to deduct like 1.5 ⭐️ from the maximum possible score for this alone. Also the vocal track is very… muddled? muted? throughout and I have a hard time making out anything she is singing. Also very annoying. The last song doesn’t suffer these mixing maladies and also happens to be my favorite. Otherwise, this album is… fine. Didn’t suck but didn’t knock my socks off. I guess. I feel like I’m not even really sure what I listened to because it was mixed so badly.

Transformer

Lou Reed

1/5

Are you kinda curious about this whole “music” thing, but find it overwhelming and scary when people use words with more than two syllables? Do you think singing is overrated, and that simplicity doesn’t always need to be elegant? Do you think controversial lyrics are a good substitute for something approaching a point? If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, this might be the album for you! With such titillating lines as “the funny thing is what happened to her nose / it grew until it reached all of her toes / now when people say her feet smell, they mean her nose”, this album has the nutritional value for mind and soul as some oxycontin-laced children’s cereal poured with rotten milk.

Lam Toro

Baaba Maal

3/5

I enjoyed listening to this album but unfortunately I don't know much to say about it. I have very little context to understand it in, and there isn't much to read about it. But I enjoyed it. It does start to get a bit monotonous.

Happy Sad

Tim Buckley

4/5

As I understand, Jeff Buckley always lived and worked under fear of his father's shadow, which is a bit funny and ironic considering that when this album came up my response, as I imagine many people's, was "hey, it's Jeff's dad!". In his time, though, Tim was of course pretty successful in his own right and listening to this album, Jeff's fear makes more sense to me. This is a really beautiful, really cool album. There is a very rich use of percussion throughout the album that colors the songs with a particular kind of warmth and depth that most folk records just don't have. The songs are given the space and length to breathe and stretch their legs, and his lyrics, while not necessarily of the highest caliber, are nice and at times quite touching and pretty. The weak point on this album for me is "Gypsy Woman", in which the ample breathing room seems to have let the recording meander too long and too far and it loses the plot a bit, and I also find it to be the weakest song lyrically. "Buzzin' Fly" and "Dream Letter" were my favorite songs. His pain over being an absent father is expressed poignantly in both tracks and "Buzzin' Fly" especially is just a really cool song. I had never actually listened to Tim Buckley's music before and it was very much a pleasure. If "Gypsy Woman" were different this album would be a 5 ⭐️. I will probably check out more of what the elder Buckley has to offer.

All Things Must Pass

George Harrison

3/5

Several of my favorite Beatles songs are George Harrison compositions, and I like "My Sweet Lord", so I went in to this album expecting it to be a fairly pleasant experience. For the most part it was, but it is way too goddamn long. A triple album? Six sides? C'mon. It's a pretty cool collection of songs and it's interesting to hear what was bouncing around in George's head as the Beatles were falling apart. There's clearly a lot of influence from his time in India and adoption of Hindu beliefs, but there's also a lot of fairly conventional pop, folk, rock, and blues all blended together in a way that will sound pretty familiar to anyone well-acquainted with the Beatles discography. But it's just too long. By the time I got to "Apple Scruffs" and onward I was over it.

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

4/5

Something this project has taught me about the Kinks that I didn't know before is that they are rather concept-driven. While the first album we reviewed from them was a ridiculous hokey pastoral bygone-that-neverwas that very much fell flat for me that was musically as annoying as it was conceptually, this album is a lot more interesting in idea and execution. As the name alludes, the central theme of the album is the perceived demise of the British empire and its cost on the everyman as told through the perspective of one main character, Arthur. Arthur lost a brother in World War I and a son in the Korean War. In the economic aftermath of WWII, he struggles to maintain a modest middle class standard of living for his family, and his living son plans to move with his wife and children to the colony of Australia in search of better opportunities. As Arthur grows old and lonely, he is left to reflect on the sacrifices made by his compatriots in the name of their country--by his brother and son, their lives, and by him and everyone else, the austerity measures and shifts toward globalization during and after the war--and wonder who has it really benefitted and has it all been worth it? The plot, at least, is pretty well spelled out in the album, and the last sentence there is my takeaway from it. The closing track, "Arthur", almost feels like it could've been an anthem for Brexit (if it stuck to its economic message and hadn't been hijacked by racist and conspiracy theorist wackos) written nearly 50 years ahead of its time. So thematically I thought this was a pretty interesting record that has aged remarkably well. Musically, it very much sounds like British late 60s-early 70s rock, which is famously not my favorite, but I'd say this is on the better end of the spectrum. The Kinks are kind of funny because they had so many different sounds throughout their career and some of them are really quite bad, but I found this album to be surprisingly quite good. 4 Paddington Bears/5

Eagles

2/5

Hmmmm. After listening to this album, I better understand why 'Hotel California' was so highly praised. This album is... several notches below. "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Take It Easy", the best two songs on the album, were entirely written or co-written by non-members of the band (Jackson Browne being the co-writer of the latter) and none of the songs written by the Eagles really stack up. The most well-known is "Witchy Woman", which is a fine song, but in my opinion not really anything special. The remaining tracks range from forgettable to memorably kinda bad. "Chug All Night" is especially cringey, and Randy Meisner's lead vocals on "Take the Devil" and "Tryin'" are really unfortunate. This just feels like a really amateurish effort and I don't think the Eagles had really hit their stride yet with this album. Sowwy.

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

5/5

‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ is often cited as the first indisputably prog rock prog rock album. While I think it’s exceptionally rare that an art movement peaks at its very beginning, this album is, note for note, the greatest prog rock album of all time for my money. It’s probably a top 5 English album of all time and a top 5 album of the 1960s for me. No matter how you categorize this album, it is best in class. I put off writing this review for a long time because there’s so much that can be said and I worried about leaving out something that’s important to me, but it’s really time to get on with this project. I’m going to go song by song because that’s how I generally think about the album. I don’t think the album was written this way, but I think one way you can listen to it which I will explain below is that each track highlights an instrument/instrument section. “21st Century Schizoid Man”; featured instrument(s): guitar and saxophone I think guitar and sax as the featured instruments here requires pretty little explanation. This song kicks the doors down on this album with one of the most iconic guitar riffs of its time. I love this riff. The first six notes are evenly paced but the last three are slightly slowed; the effect is like being underwater and holding your breath, knowing you have to hold it for just a few seconds more but desperate to inhale. After two verses, lest you think this subtle tempo manipulation is all the song has in store, the first six notes of the song hurriedly transition into a completely frenetic, frantic, schizoid jazz break. The time signature has changed. There’s syncopation. The guitar and sax are together, they fall apart, they trade crazy solos. The entire time the bass is racing. Eventually it falls back into familiar territory with another verse/chorus repetition and the song is over. It is shocking and electric and there is nothing like it. “I Talk To the Wind”; featured instrument: flute & Mellotron After the opening track, it takes no more than a few notes of “I Talk To the Wind” to make the contrast between the two evident. The flute and mellotron immediately envelop you in… cashmere, quicksilver, a moonlit lagoon, tranquilizers… it’s the total opposite of “21st Century Schizoid Man”. The flute solo around halfway through and again towards the end of the song are beautiful. The composition of these solos has an obvious from classical music, which will continue to be heard throughout the album. “Epitaph”; featured instrument: vocals The mellotron continues from the previous track into “Epitaph”, and it’s very prominent in this track as well, but what stands out in “Epitaph” is the vocals. The singing is much more involved than on other tracks and uses the vocals as a melodic instrument rather than simply a form to deliver lyrics. The lyrics of the song, to be frank, I don’t entirely understand on their own, but the emotion of the vocals leaves no doubt, combined with the swelling instrumentals… lovely track. “Moonchild”; featured instrument: percussion & bass This song begins in the orbit of “music” for about 2 minutes, before it entirely drifts off into the vacuum of improvisation, largely led by some superbly creative use of drums and bass. What strikes me about this improv section is that the drums and bass, the “rhythm section” of the band, are used in an almost completely arrhythmic way. They flutter and flit around like moths in a dark empty room. Eventually, like from the chaotic and senseless primordial soup, rhythm—order, life—emerges. “In the Court of the Crimson King” On the final track, all the components of the band come back together in a beautiful symphonic reprise. It’s soaring and completes the album perfectly, so satisfyingly. The choral vocals and the mellotron together, the guitar solos, the flute melodies… it ties up like the ending of a smartly written movie. This album is not only ahead of its time, it exists outside of time. It is THE definitive prog rock album, but it exists outside of genre. RIP Berlioz, Grieg, Wagner, Mahler, Saint-Saëns, y’all would’ve loved ‘In The Court of the Crimson King’.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

1/5

“Wild Horses”: yes Rest of the album: no Album cover and title: god no

The Boatman's Call

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

I think the whole "postmodern cynic-crooner" schtick is one that may be a bit played out in the year 2025, or perhaps not played out but often done tediously, but Nick Cave has to be given a pass. Not only does he pull this off better than most, but I think he is one of the progenitors of the style. A thread can be drawn much further back, sure, but Nick Cave is one of the earliest, strongest, best examples I can think of and I think everyone who's done it since, whether they've done it well or poorly, owes him a small debt. On this album he oscillates between beautiful and sincere and caustic and misanthropic, occasionally even within the same song ("Far From Me"). The highlight of the album for me is the opening track, "Into My Arms", which is one of the more sincere songs on the album. There are bright points throughout the album at several points along the spectrum, though--some other favorites for me are "Lime Tree Arbour", "There is a Kingdom", "Are You the One I've Been Waiting For?", "Idiot Prayer" and "I Do, Dear, I Do". Musically, the sparse and somber piano accompaniment is an excellent foil to Cave's rich baritone and the lyrical themes throughout the album. My only complaint about this album is that it comes to feel a bit one-note, both musically and lyrically. But when it's good it's some of Nick Cave's best work imo. 8.5/10

The Rolling Stones

1/5

Can we please give up the collective charade that the Rolling Stones are some amazing band that deserve 5+ albums on this list?

Zombie

Fela Kuti

5/5

Not only is this a fantastically enjoyable album and one of the definitive afrobeat albums of all time, but this is such an important album. Fela Kuti's mother was thrown from a window and his studio + compound destroyed for the political statements made on this album. About as metal as it gets imo. Musically it's as groovy, jazzy, funky, hypnotic, exciting as you could ask for. It's one of those albums that just has to be experienced and it's exactly the kind of album that this list should be all about. More of this, less stale britpop please.

This Nation’s Saving Grace

The Fall

3/5

In the first five minutes of putting this album on, I was like "hey, we might be on to something really cool here". But then as the album kept going it just felt... repetitive and lazy. I feel like this was so close to something I could've really liked but they just phoned it in instead... and it kind of seems like the phoning it in instead of genuine effort was their whole artistic statement. Which, fair enough, whatever. But I feel like a disappointed mom/teacher/coach watching a talented kid squander their potential. 6/10

Fromohio

fIREHOSE

4/5

I knew I had listened to this album just before (because of it showing up on this list) or at some point during our long reviewing hiatus, but I didn’t have any recollection of it which didn’t make me particularly excited about listening to it again to be able to actually review it. But I found myself enjoying this album basically from the first track. Genre-wise I’d say it’s somewhere under the broad and nebulous post-punk umbrella but there are small moments that variously give tinges of jazz or folk or new wave. It’s a very interesting record but manages to be interesting in a way that’s not at all pretentious, academic or boring. 8/10 would listen again. I had never heard of this band before.

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

5/5

Amy Winehouse only put out two albums, and they’re both excellent. The other, ‘Frank’, we’ve already reviewed; it’s a bit jazzier and less polished compared to the more soulful sound and elaborate production of ‘Back to Black’. I think many would argue ‘Back to Black’ is objectively the better album, and that may be the case. But I personally feel that the slickness and wall of sound production, while very successful in its own right, comes at the cost of some of the magic of Amy’s music. Her vocals on ‘Back to Black’ are beautiful, but they sound much more rehearsed and I personally prefer the more improvisational or extemporaneous sound on ‘Frank’. All that being said, it’s impossible for me to listen to ‘Back to Black’ and not love every single track. In the writing and production, Amy, Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi do an excellent job of recreating a 60s soul/R&B/Motown sound, aided by fantastic musical accompaniment from Sharon Jones’s Dap-Kings and a full suite of orchestral strings. I think you’d be hard-pressed not to find someone of a certain age who couldn’t tell you what was going on in their lives around ~2007 if you played “Rehab” for them. It’s probably my least favorite song on the album but maybe only because it’s the most played. The other singles from this album, “You Know I’m No Good”, “Back To Black”, “Tears Dry on Their Own”, and “Love is a Losing Game”, are all beautiful songs I haven’t gotten tired of still. “Love is a Losing Game” especially is exquisite. I’d also like to shout out “Just Friends” for preserving some of the jazz flavors from ‘Frank’ and “Addicted” for having a chord progression so insane I’m not sure it even makes sense to call it a progression. If only everyone’s worst album were this good. 9.5/10

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

2/5

We continue to rate albums from The Prodigy that sound like I left open a menu screen from a 2002 video game for 55 minutes. For 2002 video game music, it would be pretty good, but as a full album to listen to for any licit activities before 2 AM in the year 2025, there’s no reason to listen to the full album. Keep “Smack My Bitch Up” and “Firestarter”, skip the rest. 5/10 rounded down

Dire Straits

4/5

I wanted to like this album from the first notes of the opening track, such is the persuasive power of Mark Knopfler's characteristic guitar style. I love that this album starts off in a quiet and understated way. While the guitar in particular seems to arrive to this debut album with a fully formed idea of how it wants to be in Dire Straits, I got the feeling, especially from the first half of the album, that the rest of the band wasn't so sure. It felt a bit like different musical ideas were being tried on. "Down to the Waterline" and "Southbound Again" felt like a foray into Bob Dylan's lane, for example, whereas I can hear Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" in "Water of Love", and "Setting Me Up" sounds like any routine in-house bluesy band. However, once the album rolled over to "Sultans of Swing", I realized the vocals still had the same Dylanesque sound, but the effect was totally different. Is it because I already know this song and it's a quintessential Dire Straits song? Maybe. Probably. But it shifted my viewpoint. In any case, I liked the second half of the album a lot more. All of the last four tracks are great. While I don't love everything about this album, the strength of Knopfler's guitar playing and a few standout songs make this an album I'd happily listen to again.

Moving Pictures

Rush

4/5

Canada's finest prog rock. This is a good album. "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight" were the lead singles from this album, and I'm going to start with them. "Tom Sawyer" is a great opening track and a great track in general. I think lyrics are a weak point for this song, but the musical tracks are just fantastic and Geddy Lee's singing is really fun. It's just a classic. "Limelight" has a lot of the same elements that make "Tom Sawyer" so great, and in isolation I'd probably like "Limelight" a lot more. But the way the tracks are ordered on 'Moving Pictures' puts "Limelight" right after the instrumental "YYZ", which is a far more complex, dynamic and exciting track for me. By comparison, "Limelight" feels very simple and poppy, almost like a musical theater number. But what cannot be denied of this or any Rush song is the quality and tightness of the production and instrument-playing. Other than "YYZ" mentioned above, my favorite track on this album is "Camera Eye". This is the only song on this record to get what I think the album as a whole suffers from: room for the songs to space out and breathe. This is the only major complaint I have about 'Moving Pictures'. An average runtime of ~4:30 per song on a classic prog rock album is just crazy to me. And they don't all need to be 11 minutes like "Camera Eye"... but 4:30?!?! When you listen to "Camera Eye", in my opinion, it becomes evident that allowing the other songs on this album to expand a bit more would probably make them better. The remainder of side two, especially "Vital Signs", is also quite strong. The low point of this album for me is "Red Barchetta" from side 1. Overall, I think this is a very good album, but I don't know if I quite feel that it enters the pantheon of all-time prog rock greatness that many seem to place it in.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

2/5

I will start by saying that I really like the production on this album overall, and I respect Ms. Lauryn Hill for spearheading the production herself. The use of classic R&B, motown and doo-wop sounds is done really smartly and beautifully. Conversely, I find the interludes of school children talking about love and life pretty annoying. I get that it's in keeping with the [mis]education thing, because how could you not?--it's not very subtle. Yeah, most of the instrumentals on this album I really like. I even really like her singing voice. Some songs where that's the predominant vocal mode I quite like--"Nothing Even Matters" and her cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" stand out. But I just don't like her rapping style. I also don't like her lyrics generally. I've always found "Doo Wop (That Thing)" to be just... I dunno... condescending in a weird way. The general vibe on that and several other songs is that everyone else is trifling and concerned with superficial things, but not Lauryn. Lauryn is enlightened and operating on a higher spiritual plane than the rest of us. I would give this album 2.5 ⭐️ if I could, but with the ratio of skips to songs I actually like I have to round down.

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

4/5

I went in to this album having no idea what it was or to expect, because I have to admit in my relatively surface-level knowledge of jazz, pianists are not artists I dwell on very much if at all. I was very pleasantly surprised by what was in store for me. I don't really have anything insightful to say about this album. I felt like it strikes a very successful balance of meandering and intense so as to both provide space for introspection and command your attention and thought, which is what I love about a good jazz record. Some really cool chord progressions. Definitely has replay value.

Foxbase Alpha

Saint Etienne

3/5

The smug girl on this album cover has been looking down her nose at me for months during our extended hiatus and she had cultivated in me an expectation that I would hate this album as much as I hate her stupid hat and her inexplicably obvious British aura. But I actually had a lot of fun listening to this album. Very vibes. Some of the samples border on so repetitive as to be a little annoying but overall the composition of this album feels thoughtful without losing some degree of playfulness. I don't think I'll listen to it on a weekly basis, but if it were put on I wouldn't object.

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

4/5

The general vibe of this album is excellent and it’s very enjoyable to listen to. The production is lush and Al Green’s voice feels expensive. Where it falls slightly flat for me is that there isn’t much variation across the album, and the best two songs are the two you’ve most likely heard going into it, the title track and the excellent Bee Gees cover “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”.

Repeater

Fugazi

3/5

At times this album will get into a groove I really like but it never stays there very long. These guys are clearly capable of more complex and interesting rhythms but seem to prefer a more … let’s say expressive … somewhat chaotic style. I can see why this band has such incredible appeal to so many people but it doesn’t immediately grab me. I certainly don’t dislike it though. I see a potential to like it. I would listen again. I didn’t really get any of the lyrics on this listen at all and my general impression of them is that it may make my opinion more favorable when I do. Placeholder 6/10 ⭐️

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

5/5

I love this album dearly. I think in his “cosmic American music” Gram Parsons unites American folk, country, rock and blues not just by some geographic ties that bind but striking right into the heart of their place in the tapestry of American music, myth and culture. If I had to convey America to aliens or an uncontacted civilization in one album, this would be a strong contender. The imagery and the poetry of “Return of the Grievous Angel” may be enough all on its own for that goal. What’s more, the sound of this album is truly timeless. It sounds both older than it is—songs like “Hickory Wind” and “In My Hour of Darkness” sound like traditional folk songs despite being written by Parsons—and also sounds perfectly at home in the world of contemporary americana 53 years later. The vocal harmonies between Parsons and Emmylou Harris are largely responsible for this I think. They sing with full emotion and completely without pretense, and their voices go from a complementary high and low to an inseparable high lonesome-style sound with such softness and ease. The pedal steel playing on this album also stands out as both excellent and transcending 1973 or any other year. It’s such a shame that Gram died so young. I think his concept of “cosmic American music” really becomes something special with this album and had he lived a longer life I can’t imagine what he might’ve done with it.

Berlin

Lou Reed

1/5

This was the closest I've come to just straight-up skipping an album that's been generated for us because, really, I think we've endured enough Lou Reed at this point. But we're barely a quarter of the way through this project so to already start skipping albums before even starting them seems to be in poor form. I thought of all the Lou albums we've been made to rate, this one was the least bad. I found it to only be distasteful and uninspired rather than actively terrible. I was waffling between 1 and 2 ⭐️ and actually inclined to round up until the gratuitous extended children crying sounds on "The Kids". No thank you.

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire

3/5

Nearly 20 years later this album and Arcade Fire in generic feels like the most quintessential and kind of boring late 2000s-early 2010s indie music imaginable. I'm not sure if that's because their music was always that way or they're something of a victim of their own success and their sound was so successful and oft-replicated that it now sounds this way. Either way I've never been a huge fan. The singles from this album, "Keep the Car Running", "No Cars Go", and "My Body is a Cage" are pretty good. I also liked "Ocean of Noise". I see the appeal this has for people but it doesn't evoke strong feelings either way for me.

1999

Prince

5/5

If you don’t have fun listening to this album, your pulse needs to be checked.

Technique

New Order

3/5

This isn’t an *unenjoyable* album to listen to, but I’m not really sure there was an original musical thought cover to cover. I would not listen to this again.

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

3/5

I feel like when I was a kid, disco was deeply uncool. It was a relic from past generations and the punchline of jokes, mostly relegated to themed parties. In particular there were a handful of disco songs that everyone knew—still knows—that have been endlessly adapted for TV commercials, overplayed at weddings, had their lyrics reworked for crude grade school rhymes, etc. “We Are Family” was (is) absolutely one of those songs, so when I saw this album name I expected some hokey clap-along disco. I was pleasantly surprised to find this to be more soulful and to have aged better than I expected. The vocals from the sisters Sledge are especially strong. I think it was a good decision from producer Nile Rodgers to actually put the lead single in the middle of the album, which was somewhat unusual for 1979. The most memorable parts of “We Are Family” have group-sung vocals which, in my opinion, really overpower the more sophisticated and sultry stylings found on the rest of the album. Being encouraged to get through the first four songs, at least, before getting to the blockbuster single both shows off the qualities of the other songs and frames “We Are Family” in a different light once you get there. I waver between 3 and 4 ⭐️ here, but I think I’m ultimately not very likely to listen to this album again (maybe “Thinking of You”) so I have to err on the side of 3 ⭐️.

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

3/5

It sounds like an Elvis Costello record. Does what it says on the tin. That sounds like I am being derisive but there is something I find undeniably charming about Costello’s music. On this album I especially like the songs that are … less … erm … spirited? frantic? ska-ish? and feel more cool, calm and collected. Again, I probably won’t listen to the entire album again so it tops out at a 3 ⭐️ but there were some songs I did quite like.

In It For The Money

Supergrass

3/5

I thought this was a fun album. I don't have a whole lot to say about it. It sounds like the kind of music that fictional bands in tv shows/movies play, but in basically the best way a band can sound like that.

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

4/5

Based on the apparent mix of French and German(?) orthography, my guess was that this artist was from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that was correct. I am satisfied to have won this game with myself. Anyway. I'm not even sure really what this genre would be called, but I really enjoyed listening to this album. The first song, "Papa Bonheur", specifically, gave the feeling of being in an open-air market in Little Haiti in Miami or basically anywhere where it's hot and humid and people are gathered to share food and music and try to catch a nice breeze. It made me happy to listen to. Generally I like that this album tends towards pretty long songs and gives tracks their time to settle into really nice grooves. I would happily listen again, though I'm not sure if I will.

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

4/5

Hey, I’ve reviewed this one already! (Reposted from before) I don’t consider myself a particular fan of grunge, but I know many people who do, and I’ve noticed they tend to make a point about how their favorite grunge band is one other than Nirvana. I think they do this because, at least in the greater cultural conscience, Nirvana is THE quintessential grunge band. And though they are the quintessential band of a genre typified sonically by heaviness and distortion, this stripped-down performance is what comes to mind when I think of Nirvana. One of the most striking things about this album and one of my favorite things about it is the number of covers. I love this for two reasons. The first is that it gives the listener very interesting insights into the way Cobain thought about music, both in the choice of songs to cover and the way they are done. Choosing to do three covers in a row of another band is a bold move that speaks to the respect and appreciation he held for them. The second reason is because they’re all very good covers. “The Man Who Sold the World” is one of my favorite David Bowie songs, and this version is way better. “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire” were always two of my favorite tracks from this album, even before knowing they were covers. Their rendition of “In the Pines”, styled after Leadbelly’s version, is very good as well. As for the original material included on this album, Nirvana decided to eschew most of their biggest hits, which is a decision I agree with for the format and again, I think it’s very interesting insight into how Nirvana—I’m assuming Cobain mostly made the executive decisions on the set list but I don’t know—viewed their own work. Although “Dumb” is lyrically one of my least favorite Nirvana songs, I can’t help but love this version, in no small part due to the cello part. The cello throughout this album is really beautiful. Another favorite is “All Apologies”, which I think is suited much better to this acoustic style than the album version. My favorite, though, is “Something in the Way” — this song has such a crushing, hopeless feeling, and the harmonies and its subdued nature just really set it apart for me. Obviously, the success and the impact of this album were hugely impacted by Cobain’s death before its release. It’s likely that this would have been true for any old string of mediocre recordings they managed to dig up, but for this posthumous release to be so intimate, so different from Nirvana’s other material, and so insightful into Cobain’s broader sensibilities as a musician is really wonderful. I can only imagine it must have consoled and comforted many people who felt the loss of such a massive (counter)cultural icon very personally. Regardless of his death, this is a fantastic album and one of very few live albums worth listening to imo. 9/10 ⭐️

Kenya

Machito

5/5

Yeah. Hell yeah. This is just excellent afro-Cuban jazz, no more, no less. This is the kind of album that makes me really glad to have undertaken this project. The horns! The drums! This reminds me of the music the Cuban guys who lived across the street from me in Tampa used to play at their fish fries every Friday evening. 10/10

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

2/5

Neil Young is probably the only artist we've been made to listen to more than Lou Reed and is only about 30% more tolerable. For that 30% I do thank my lucky stars, but I mostly am feeling bedraggled for having to listen to another. Neil. Young. Album. "After the Gold Rush" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" are alright. The rest is typical skippable Neil.

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

3/5

Elliott Smith certainly has a very distinct sound, so props for that, and it's a mostly enjoyable sound. My biggest complaint is that the songs on this album pretty quickly start to bleed together, and also the way he sings and the way the album is mixed makes it really hard for me to make out the lyrics. Overall I liked this less than 'Either/Or'. "Stupidity Tries", "Easy Way Out" and "Happiness/The Gondola Man" were my favorite tracks.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

5/5

What is there to be said about this album? It is momentous. If you don't love this album we simply do not agree on rap music or perhaps music at all. It achieves the rare feat of being both commercially successful with three huge singles--"Hey Ya", "The Way You Move" and "Roses"--and apparently going 13x platinum in the US, while also being astoundingly creative, defying categorization by genre, laying out lofty ambitions and exceeding them. A lot has been made of this album being a double album and that the two halves of it are essentially two solo albums from Big Boi and André 3000 each stapled together. At the time, many comparisons were drawn to John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's growing creative differences and diverging songwriting styles before the breakup of the Beatles. Big Boi addresses this directly on "Tomb of the Boom": "I say, 'People, stop the madness, 'cause me and Dre, we okay' OutKast: "Cell Therapy" to cell division We done split it down the middle so you can see both the visions Been spittin' damn near ten years—why the fuck would we be quittin'?" Interesting considering they did, in fact, break up shortly after and 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' was their last great album. I could go track by track but that would take a very long time. I love both halves of this album but I think Big Boi's half is kind of slept on. Thematically, I appreciate that it covers a lot more ground than 'The Love Below'. Highlights for me on the first half are "GhettoMusick" (FEELIN GREAT FEELIN GOOD HOW ARE YOU!!!), "Bowtie", "Church" (WHY ARE WE HEEEERE!!! WHAT ARE WE HEEEERE FOOOOR!!!!) and "Last Call". Musically, 'The Love Below' is just... brilliant. The frenetic urgent energy in "Spread", the rhythm of "Pink and Blue", the jazziness of "My Favorite Things" and "Take Off Your Cool". "Prototype" is as close as any song I can think of comes to what falling in love sounds like for me and it gives me a little bit of that blissful feeling every time I listen to it. Whatever "She Lives In My Lap" is? C'mon now. It's all so funky, so jazzy, so soulful, so entirely unique while maintaining such smart rap and pop sensibilities. It's truly remarkable. I don't think it's really possible to say enough good things about this album, the content itself or the impact it has had. If we send another disc of great human accomplishments out into space this should be in consideration.

The Trinity Session

Cowboy Junkies

3/5

I’ve definitely listened to this album before and I was waiting for the song to come on that would remind me why or in what context but that never happened. In any case it’s a nice album and the singer has a nice voice. Their covers are pleasant. It’s enjoyable but certainly not groundbreaking.

The Man Machine

Kraftwerk

4/5

When I think krautrock I think Kraftwerk, and when I think Kraftwerk I am having a good time. This isn’t my favorite album of theirs, but it’s still a really good one. It’s loopy ride of boops and blips that makes you feel like you’re stuck inside one of those computers the size of an oven with a black and green screen… but maybe you don’t want to go home.

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

5/5

I didn’t get a lot of exposure to jazz in my upbringing, but once I went off to college it wasn’t long before I was introduced to bossa nova. It seemed to be everywhere and I immediately loved it. Stan Getz and the incredible tone of his saxophone playing were my gateway into loving jazz writ large. This album was released two years before the massive ‘Getz/Gilberto’ but the music is every bit as great, perhaps better. The restraint and coolness in Getz’s playing and the amount of expression in it gives me chills, especially in “Samba Triste”, but throughout the entire album. I think this is kind of jazz for people who don’t like jazz in the same way that ‘Time Out’ by the Dave Brubeck Quartet is, which I think more than anything is a testament to how enjoyable it is.

Different Class

Pulp

4/5

Listening to this album it was painfully obvious that the whole “battle of the britpop” thing was painfully focused on the wrong bands. Who cares who is better between Oasis and Blur when this blows anything either of them ever did out of the water? Musically and lyrically this is by far the most interesting and dynamic britpop record we’ve been served up. The title of the album makes a clear reference to how much the album is concerned with social class, generally from the perspective of the immortalized “Common People”. Musically it’s a little all over the place but in a way that’s really fun to listen to.

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

1/5

God this album suuuuuuuucks. It took until 14 tracks deep to get to a song that I didn’t actively want to turn off, an under-two minute B-side (“Shaky Ground”) that was apparently bonus material. All of the actual original track listing of the album is grating 90s indie rock slop. Awful, awful.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

4/5

This is the first time I’ve listened to this album in full in a long time and I have to admit, for the way my opinion on the Beatles has largely soured in the past ~10-15 years, there is more to like in this album than I expected to find. To start with the negative: for its reputation as a groundbreaking album that crystallized the height of psychedelia in the anglosphere and is sometimes described as proto-progressive, there are a lot of songs that have an ultimately really boring 60s pop-rock structure. “With A Little Help From My Friends”, “Getting Better”, and “When I’m Sixty-Four” are the most obvious offenders. The chorus of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” falls in this category as well. Also John Lennon’s line about how he “used to be” “cruel” to his woman… 😒🤨 That being said there are several songs that are interesting, enjoyable, and when considered in the context of 1967, pretty novel I guess. “She’s Leaving Home”, “Within You Without You”, and “A Day In the Life” are the highlights of the album. The remainder of the tracks are alright. The production is clearly influenced by albums like ‘Freak Out!’ and ‘Pet Sounds’, which were both released just the year before. So while I don’t think this album was necessarily breaking new ground for the entire music world, it was definitely doing some new things for the Beatles, and I suppose it’s pretty bold to make such a radical departure from your image when you’re that popular and pursue something more experimental simply because that’s what you want to do artistically. This is definitely a top 5 Beatles album, but not a top 3.

New Wave

The Auteurs

2/5

More utterly forgettable indie pop-rock slop. At least this album is most just forgettable and not actively bad. This is the kind of album that gives me the strong impression that the curator of this list did little to no research in preparing it. I understand the list isn’t called “the 1001 most important albums in the world” or “the only 1001 albums to hear before you die”, but it frankly pisses me off that the author didn’t care to find anything they consider more essential listening than this. I’d rather he have just trimmed the fat and gave us 501 albums that are actually notable in literally any way.

Aja

Steely Dan

5/5

What a delight it is to listen to an album where every single note has intent behind it. My absolute favorite thing about Steely Dan is the level of thought behind everything they do, and perhaps on no other album is this more evident than on ‘Aja’. Without even starting on the music itself, the production value of this album is second to none and it’s a testament to the meticulous level of detail and the standards to which Becker and Fagen held this project. How lucky we are to be able to enjoy it. “Black Cow” is a master class in the music delivering the message of the lyrics. It starts off sparse and with a feeling of unresolved or mixed emotions from the mixolydian mode—but then we resolve to the major with “I can’t cry anymore!” as the chorus begins! With the resolution that this situationship isn’t sustainable comes a sense of relief! In the second verse we come back with heightened confidence or perhaps indignation backed up by the horns. “I can’t cry anymore” becomes “I don’t care anymore!” And we’re carried out by some retrospective saxophone and repetitions of “so outrageous”. Perfect songwriting. While “Black Cow” tells a story, “Aja” creates its own universe. It is a masterpiece and its ambition and execution only grows more impressive to me as I have gotten to know this song better over time. It’s the most complex and the jazziest song on the album and the drum and sax solos, the marimbas, flutes, the whistle… everything is just done to astounding effect. This song amazes me. Then we have “Deacon Blues”, which I won’t go into as much detail about because I think it’s pretty widely appreciated already. I will just say this song has some magical lightning in a bottle quality and a flamin’ sax solo. That rounds out an absolutely flawless side A. To begin side B is “Peg”, which is every bit as perfect as the first three songs. It has a magical mix of being both bursting at the seams with joyful energy while also being musically quite weird, with the famously complex vocal harmonies from Michael McDonald in the chorus and extensive use of diminished chords you just don’t necessarily expect in a song that sounds like 10000 watts of sunshine. De La Soul’s sampling of this track on “Eye Know” was actually my introduction to it and it’s such a good sample that it just deserves a shout out. The next two songs, “Home At Last” and “I Got the News”, are still excellent but I don’t feel as strongly about so I will just jump to the last track, “Josie”. I don’t have as much to say about “Josie”, either, but I think it’s worth noting how cool it is to close out your album with your grooviest, most danceable barn burner. Yeah. What can be said about ‘Aja’? It’s one of those works of art that almost feels so unique, so elemental, so necessary that it must have been discovered rather than created.

Tom Tom Club

5/5

Tom Tom Club was formed as a group and their self-titled debut released by Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads in 1981, just after the latter group’s three-album collaboration with Brian Eno. The culmination of this was 1980’s ‘Remain in Light’, a remarkable new synthesis of new wave, post-punk, funk, and most notably Afrobeat recorded in large part in the Bahamas. I think this background provides important context because all of these influences are so strongly evident in ‘Tom Tom Club’, as well as the obvious burgeoning influence of hip-hop seen especially on the most enduring tracks from this album, “Genius of Love” and “Wordy Rappinghood”. “Genius of Love” is an interesting case; the song itself is heavily influenced by the young hip-hop culture in NYC in 1981, but since its release, “Genius of Love” has more than given back its share of influence in the extent to which it’s been sampled and interpolated. Anyway. I think the Afrobeat influence is especially strong on “L’elephant” and “As Above, So Below”, which are also two of my favorite tracks. They make it clear that the direction Talking Heads went with the Brian Eno trilogy was not purely due to Eno and Byrne’s creative influence as many seem to believe. “Lorelei” and “On, On, On, On…” are so darkly manic and danceable and groovy and make an excellent showcase for some characteristically Tina Weymouth bass playing. I find “Lorelei” to be especially enchanting. And then we end with… a cover of “Under the Boardwalk”! Why not! The synth and steel drum reimagination of this song is a ton of fun and if it can’t coax you into some roller skates I fear the levels of whimsy in your soul are critically low. Yeah… it’s 1981 at its best. Creative and eclectic with a singular and distinctive voice while still being wholly fun to listen to and danceable. Tom Tom Club are underappreciated beyond “Genius of Love” compared to the cult status Talking Heads enjoy.

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

3/5

I guess my opinion of Rod isn’t super high because when I saw this album cover for today I think I winced a little, but I enjoyed listening to this album more than I expected to. On the spectrum of “British guy(s) go bluesy”, we have on one end the hokey caricature done by The Rolling Stones and on the other, the saccharine and soulless stylings of the early Beatles. On ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’, Rod manages to land somewhere squarely in the middle in a good way, with a sound that clearly is tipping its cap to blues and folk music and retaining some real character from those styles while also maintaining a completely distinct identity. The mandolin on “Maggie May” makes a lot more sense contextually when you listen to the whole album. Interestingly, Stewart only has writing credits on three of nine songs on this album—the opening title track, “Maggie May”, and “Mandolin Wind”. The latter two are both excellent and form an emotional and musical high point for the album in my opinion. The intro to “Mandolin Wind” weirdly reminded me of “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star? But the covers included on the album are smartly chosen, well-executed, and woven with the original songs to form something of a meta-narrative in a way that works really well. Also a big fan of the steel guitar on this album. My biggest gripe about this album is that almost none of these songs need to be longer than four minutes (I’ll give a pass to “Maggie May” and “Mandolin Wind” for five minutes) and quite a few of them are. Overall I’d rate this a 3.5 ⭐️ if I could, but considering the low likelihood that I will listen to the full album again, I will round down.

Cypress Hill

2/5

I really enjoy the sound Cypress Hill creates on this album through some creative mixing and sampling. I only wish the lyrics were as creative. It’s really all about smoking weed and shooting people and even to that end isn’t written in a way that’s especially engaging or surprising.

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