Nina Simone's voice is very commanding and demands the listeners attention. The instrumentation is grand and the swells add to the emotion of the singing and lyrics well. Some parts are a bit hokey, e.g. "my name is Peaches." Probably not very fair considering this was released in 1966 but it doesn't flow very well as an album, and some songs just abruptly stop which is quite jarring

I've tried to get into Nick Cave a few times but it's never grabbed me and to be quire frank, I don't think is going to change that as I'm finding it a little boring. It's almost entirely a showcase for Nick Cave's voice with minimal piano, guitars and drums backing him and I don't actually like his voice that much. It's fine, I don't hate it, but I don't like it enough to really enjoy it being front and centre. That serious lack of variety makes it feel like a slog. I found Far From Me to be the only time there was any sort of switch up as the instrumentation picked up the intensity a little bit I agree with another comment on here that said this feels like an oscar winning movie that people feel that they have to like but to each their own. 2.5 Highlights: Far From Me

Nina Simone's voice is very commanding and demands the listeners attention. The instrumentation is grand and the swells add to the emotion of the singing and lyrics well. Some parts are a bit hokey, e.g. "my name is Peaches." Probably not very fair considering this was released in 1966 but it doesn't flow very well as an album, and some songs just abruptly stop which is quite jarring

My immediate thought within seconds of pressing play is that this sounds like something that would play over a montage of Jimmy carrying out a scheme in Better Call Saul Nothing too crazy, just a nice relaxing time that settles into the background (in a good way). I find it quite hard to articulate what I like and dislike about jazz so I'll just say I appreciated the emphasis on the organ. If I had to guess, Jimmy Smith played a part in a lot of prog rock bands that followed shortly after this adopting the organ. Would give a 3.5 if I could

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Sounds surprisingly good for a live album in 1960. I had a preconceived idea that this was going to be quite slow so I was pleasantly surprised by the energy, like on I've Got My Mojo Working. It maybe does blend together a little bit but that's probably down to me having little exposure to this sort of blues

This is the first album I've heard before, though not that familiar with it and always meant to listen to Beastie Boys more. I like the variety in sounds between hip hop, funk and hardcore punk. It keeps the album from getting repetitive or stale and it still flows quite well Highlights: B-Boys Makin with the Freak Freak, Flute Loop, Heart Attack Man

I heard Sixteen Saltines on Rocksmith 2014 and liked it so expecting good things. Didn't like it as much as I remembered (still liked it though) and not a huge fan of the album as a whole. Often went in one ear and out the other. Felt somewhat derivative as well, e.g. Love Interruption is a bit like a weak knock off of Led Zeppelin III. Not bad overall though Highlights: Weep Themselves to Sleep, Sixteen Saltines

I don't need to listen to this to give it 5/5, it's been one of my favourite albums for a long time (I did anyway though). I wish they had done more psychedelic stuff like Ramble Tramble Highlights: Ramble Tramble, Lookin' Out My Back Door, Ooby Dooby, I Heard It Through the Grapevine

2 of my favourite bands in a row. Love this album, I've always thought of it as a bit of an overlap between Kyuss' heavy stuff and QOTSA's later catchy sound, with a little bit of Josh Homme's weirder side coming through like on I Was A Teenage Hand Model and You Would Know. Plenty of crunchy and off kilter riffs that I associate with Josh's style of guitar playing. I personally wish they had gone with the earlier version of If Only from the Kyuss/QOTSA split EP though. Highlights: Mexicola, Regular John, You Would Know, How To Handle A Rope

Ordinarily I find long, jammy live albums quite boring but this was good, great performances and it didn't feel too overdone. Nice as a bit of relaxing background music (in the best way possible, not an insult). I'd gove this more of a 3.5 buy I'll round up to a 4 Highlights: Trouble No More, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, You Don't Love Me

One of those acclaimed bands I never put the effort into listening to. Don't think I recognise any track titles but a little wary of it being a double album Not a huge fan really. Nothing particularly grabbed me and I caught myself checking when it would be over a couple of times, though to be fair I only managed a couple or listens. Maybe needs a few more listens Highlights: Sara, Sisters of the Moon

Pretty good, not really got that much to say. I'll need to come back and give this a few more listens Highlights: What's Happening Brother, What's Going On

Good lord another double album, struggling to catch up after a busy week as it is This is fine enough but it just makes me wish I was listening to the Allmans. And of course it drags on for far too long

Another classic album I've never listened to for whatever reason. Liked this one a lot more than Tusk, didn't realise how many songs on it I had already heard Highlights: The Chain, Dreams, Gold Dust Woman

Only a few tracks in but I don't think this is really my thing. As often as I found something I liked, something else I disliked kind of ruined it. I liked the drums around halfway through Ny Batteri, but the brass parts were sort of annoying and put me off the song again Only going to give one listen as it's not my thing and I'm not feeling compelled to put it on again. Respect it and see why it's acclaimed though Highlights: Olsen Olsen

A bit of daft fun, hardly the most original thing in the world but nothing to take too seriously. Justin Hawkins' vocals can be pretty funny but I'm guessing that was intentional, the whole thing feels pretty tongue in cheek. I doubt I'll come back to this anytime soon and the more I think about it I don't really understand why it's even on the list, but there's nothing actually wrong with it Highlights: Stuck In a Rut, Get Your Hands Off My Woman, Love on the Rocks with No Ice

I don't know anywhere near enough about jazz to articulate what I like and dislike about it, but I really like this. That's all you're getting Highlights: Part 2, Part 1

Hadn't listened to this one in a long time and expected to like it a lot less than when I was a teenager, but it's still class. I think my biggest issue with it is the gulf in quality between some of the best tracks and the weaker ones, it seems pretty big. I could remember exactly how most of album sounded, but the other few I had no idea. Not that those tracks (like Take It As It Comes) are bad, just a noticeable dip from the likes of Break On Through and Soul Kitchen. There seemed to be a bit of a recent trend of dunking on The Doors but after listening to this again I don't think it's warranted at all. Highlights: Break On Through To The Other Side, Light My Fire, Soul Kitchen

Probably more like a 3.5/5. This started pretty well, quite liked the first 2 tracks (especially the heavy surf rock kind of sound on the first) but it kind of trailed off and I wasn't as interested. Picked up again a bit on the last couple of tracks. This doesn't like The Smiths either and I could be making it up but I feel like I've heard the exact vocal melody of We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful on a Smiths song. Not a Smiths expert rough so maybe I've actually heard that same song before. Hearing "England for the English" on National Front Disco is also a bit uncomfortable with the sort of stuff Morrissey has been saying in recent years Highlights: You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side, Tomorrow, Glamorous Glue

I-m trying my best to write up something at least vaguely insightful on each album but this is just boring rubbish. The only song I felt actually stood out and I even slightly wanted to go back to is Part 2. If Do You Realise?? is supposed to be one of their most popular songs then I just don't get the appeal. I would write more but I just can't muster a second listen Highlights: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 2

I wasn't keen on this in the first couple tracks but it picks up. I think it's because of Young's quite shrill voice, which is front and centre, that I find off putting on the title track. That's not to say I don't like his singing, I generally do on the rest of the album. He kind of reminds me of Chris Goss a little bit, especially on Don't Let It Bring You Down too. I think the variety in sounds and instrumentation give this, between the piano and it prevents the album from becoming stale but none of it feels out of place. The guitar playing is inventive and Young plays some nice, catchy licks. Might need to come back to this later, really enjoying it Highlights: Don't Let It Bring You Down, Til The Morning Comes, Southern Man

I've never listened to Mudhoney, so I was hoping this would be more in the vain of Soundgarden grunge than Pearl Jam. Pretty simple and punky, the range is pretty limited but they're good at this style. A lot of people seem to compare this to The Stooges but I don't really hear it, it reminds me more of early 80s hardcore and early Nirvana. Good either way, surprised at the quite low average score (I listened to the 1988 track listing which is only 23 minutes) Highlights: Chain That Door, In 'n' Out Of Grace

Hip hop that goes for a cinematic style and utilises old film samples are so satisfying for me. GZA's smooth style juxtaposes with the aggressive and angry lyrics but I quite like that, the whole album is more lowkey in presentation than I imagined. Tracks like Cold World are overly complicated but they're still captivating, the simple, repetitive beat on that track could have backfired and gotten tedious but actually gives a more hypnotic effect. Highlights: Cold World, Duel of the Iron Mic

Don't know how to feel about this one. It's well done but it just feels too daft and silly, like half of the songs with the vocals removed would be the soundtrack to hijinx in some sitcom. I couldn't have said who A Message To Rudy was by but I've heard it in so many adverts, Sainsbury's ass song. Not sure if that's reflective of ska as a whole but if it is, it's probably not for me Highlights: You're Wondering Now

I'm a bit torn between 4 or 5 so I'll go 5 and say it should be a 4.5. Kicking myself for not listening sooner, there's a couple lesser known (as far as a Beatles song can be) that I don't think I've heard, like Something. I Want You (She's So Heavy) is right up my alley, providing a change of pace with smooth, slick verses and massive, atmospheric guitars in the second half. The clanging metal on Maxwell's Silver Hammer seemed like a good idea at first but it quickly grew annoying and it would have been a lot better without it. Octopus' Garden is a decent song, just a daft little thing but it's noticeably weaker than the rest of the album. Quite liked the second half as well which a lot of people seem to put down. There maybe aren't any particular standouts (though I like Sun King quite a bit) but it flows really well and offers enough variety to prevent the album from getting tiresome. Also, the production is class, George Martin was a genius Highlights: I Want You (She's So Heavy), Something, Sun King

I like Talking Heads quite a lot but I never want to come back to this one. There's something kind of annoying about it, With Our Love comes to mind when as the verses out me on edge (which im guessing was pribably on purpose) in a way I don't like and its not enjoyable to listen to. The first half relies a bit too heavily on staccato guitars and so a lot of it sounds quite samey. The album picks up a bit in the second half though, tracks like Take Me To The River are a lot better The subsequent 3 albums are leagues better overall though. 3.5 Highlights: The Good Thing, Take Me To The River, Artists Only

I groaned a little when I saw this was a double album as I feel they more often than not don't actually warrant being that long. Saturday Night's Alright caught my eye though, a GTA V classic I appreciate the pretty broad variety in sounds between songs, but I find the gulf between the best and worst tracks pretty huge. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is a winding prog pop epic, Bennie and the Jets features some great driving piano and synths and Saturday Nights Alright is a cool hard rocker. The honky tonk stuff towards the end made me roll my eyes and unfortunately Elton John also succumbs to the "white English guy doing reggae" on Jamaica Jerk-Off which I find so stupid (also what a name). Unsurprisingly, if this wasn't a double album with a lot of fat trimmed off I would probably rate it pretty highly. 3.5 Highlights: Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding, Saturday Night's Alright, Bennie and the Jets

I'm not the biggest Slayer fan in the world but this is a bona fide classic. A pummeling, nonstop 28 minutes that continuously punches you in the face and when it's done, you want to put it back on This also deserves respect for the massive influence it had on death metal (side note, Pleasure to Kill by Kreator should be on this list for the same reason) and setting such a high bar for thrash metal (along with Master of Puppets and Rust in Peace) that everyone has tried to meet for nearly 40 years This is absolutely the best produced 80s thrash album, it sounds fresh without sounding too sleek and lifeless like a lot of modern metal does Highlights: Jesus Saves, Raining Blood, Piece By Piece

I've always felt that I should like Foo Ifghters but their music too often feels a bit too safe to me and lacking in a bit of personality. I quite like a few tracks here and whilst most the rest are decent enough, I just don't have much desire to listen to them again. Unsurprisingly, I gravitated more towards the heavy and chaotic stuff on this like Weenie Beenie, which is class. There is something quite charming about this being recorded nearly solely by Dave Grohl though. I appreciate Dave a lot but more for work he's done with other bands (QOTSA especially) so I feel like I'm missing out Highlights: Weenie Beenie, Wattershed Good Grief

This should appeal to me and whilst it's not bad, it does feel a little bit unengaging. I appreciate how multilayered it is. Not a huge fan of the vocals but they do blend in well with the music and avoid distracting from it, which I suppose maybe was the point. This was a bit of a challenge so I can see this being the kind of album that needs quite a few listens to really get into, so I could see myself enjoying this a lot more later I wrote all of the above on the first couple of listens and was going to give it a 3 but I'm currently on my 3rd listen and it's clicking much more. I actually quite like it now Highlights: Living In Another World, Time It's Time

This is alright. There's some decent hooks and I quite like the production. Not a big fan of Chris Martin's voice at points, especially falsettos, but I wouldn't say he's a bad singer. It does feel a bit plain after a point, I've probably trained myself to let Coldplay go in one ear and out the other though Highlights: High Speed, Don't Panic

This came across a bit amateurish to me, like it was trying too hard and only further emphasised Suzanne Vega's inexperience. She does a weird talk singing with such awkward and stilted vocal melodies that just annoy me I read this described as stripped back but it's anything but. There's synthesisers and all sorts of effects all over that drown out the singing a little bit and take away from the lyrics. Especially on the first track, everything is just drowned in reverb to the point of distraction I'm not diametrically opposed to what Suzanne Vega tried to do here, the guitar parts are decent and the bass lines are quite good. I like how her voice sounds and there are some ambitious moments utilising various instruments but it comes off sloppy. I could see myself liking some of her later stuff if those issues were polished up a bit Highlights: Neighborhood Girls, Freeze Tag

Nice and pleasant. Well produced, especially for a debut. It sounds intimate but the slight reverb on the vocals helps give it a bit of a larger and more dramatic sound. A nice use of different instrumentation and creative harmonies too There is just something that's not quite grabbing me and compelling me to listen repeatedly though. I would've liked maybe slightly less emphasis on the vocals (which are good, mind you) and more instrumental sections to provide a bit of variety, give some breathing room and break the album up a little bit. Still good though Highlights: Your Protectoer Quiet Houses

My favourite pop album and probably one of my 10 favourite albums ever. Depeche Mode built on their very strong synth pop foundations and by giving a more prominent role to the guitars which adds that little extra something that was maybe missing from previous albums (which I love too, to be clear). Absolutely zero filler and is a joy to listen to from front to back. Very evocative through the moody and dark, but also kind of uplifting tone Best album I've had so far and one of the easiest 5's I'll give Highlights: literally everything but especially Enjoy The Silence, World In My Eyes, Personal Jesus, Policy of Truth, Clean

I had never heard of Penguin Cafe Orchestra and had no idea what to expect going in. It's pretty bizarre but there's a sort of simplistic and sober beauty to parts, like Giles Farnaby's Dream, a jolly little ditty, contrasted with some quite awkward and maybe even unsettling moments (Milk and Pigtail come to mind) Experimental music often turns me off because it's usually either pure wankery or the creator was obviously trying too hard to make something unusual but this comes across as sincere, like they really were just trying things to see how they sounded A challenging listen, but I enjoyed it. I can't imagine 'I want to listen to Music From The Penguin Cafe' will pop into my head too often so preferably I'd give a 3.5. 3 seems too harsh so 4 it is. Also I love the album cover Highlights: Giles Farnaby's Dream, The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and it Doesn't Matter

This is fine, nothing special. Feels like something I've heard a long time ago but I don't think I actually have. A lot of it just started sounding the same after a while. The female vocals are quite good though I really don't have much else to say about this unfortunately Highlights: Back To Life

I do try my best not to make sweeping statements like 'I don't like x genre' but The Offspring's brand of punk is not for me and it never has been, even when I was an angsty teenager. I've always gravitated towards hardcore stuff like Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat and Black Flag so I was pleasantly surprised that there are some moments like that on here. Bad Habit which is more in vain of the 80s hardcore stuff I like. Gotta Get Away has quite a bit of Nirvana in it too, that one's decent. It did get a bit tired towards the end though, it was starting to go in one ear and out the other and I was just looking forward to it being finished about 3/4 through The vocals are passable for the most part, but sometimes I can't really stand them. What Happened To You? came on and immediately reminded me why I don't really like this 90s style of pop and skate punk. Smash uses that awkward strained style of punk vocals that I can't really stand I don't see the point of the narrated parts either. I thought they were going to go for a Songs for the Deaf thing (why the hell isn't that on this list, by the way?) where it would recur consistently, but it's only at the start, once at the end of Genocide and at the end of the album. It didn't add anything and just felt like an afterthought Not a bad album but nothing special either Highlights: Bad Habit, Gotta Get Away

Musically this is quite decent, nothing mind blowing but for 1971 it was probably quite fresh. The drummer performs some nice fills and that weird, off kilter thing he does on En Melody is interesting. I like the bass too, some fun, prominent bass parts and the tone is good too.The strings add a bit of variety and dynamism so I'll give it that as well My main issue is the spoken word vocals whispering right inside my ear. I don't mind them when he actually sings but when he's just talking it sounds like a French car advert. It's also pretty annoying hearing 'Melody Nelson' every minute or so. Like i mentioned, I liked the instrumental of En Melody quite a bit (the drumming and bass are great) but the laughing and squealing halfway nearly ruin it I see why people really like this but I can't rate it very highly because of the incredibly distracting vocals Highlights: En Melody

I've tried to get into Nick Cave a few times but it's never grabbed me and to be quire frank, I don't think is going to change that as I'm finding it a little boring. It's almost entirely a showcase for Nick Cave's voice with minimal piano, guitars and drums backing him and I don't actually like his voice that much. It's fine, I don't hate it, but I don't like it enough to really enjoy it being front and centre. That serious lack of variety makes it feel like a slog. I found Far From Me to be the only time there was any sort of switch up as the instrumentation picked up the intensity a little bit I agree with another comment on here that said this feels like an oscar winning movie that people feel that they have to like but to each their own. 2.5 Highlights: Far From Me

It's okay. It isn't really anything that you couldn't find plenty of other 70s bands doing, besides maybe the organ, but even then Deep Purple did a much better job of blending organ into hard rock Credit where it's due, Traffic did make use of instruments atypical for rock (flutes, organ, saxophone) so that does provide some variety. Everything is executed well enough, the writing just isn't that compelling or memorable. In fact the most memorable part is how alike Steve Winwood's voice is to Peter Gabriel's, especially on Empty Pages. That could be viewed as a compliment but to me I'd rather just listen to Genesis Highlights: Glad

I was very surprised to read that Fiona Apple was 18/19 when she wrote and recorded this. She displays a lot of maturity through her songwriting and the performances here. Tidal is full of classy, driving piano interplayed with Fiona Apple's husky style of vocals. She incorporates songwriting elements that keep the album engaging, for example the dissonant piano at the end of Criminal. Very cool that she was willing to try a few different things on her debut, and more often than not, they work well. Higglights: Carrion, Sleep To Dream, The First Taste

I complained about sparseness previously with Nick Cave, but I like how Will Oldham uses it here. The space that the minimal guitar, bass, drums and piano creates a melancholic and introspective atmosphere that builds upon the lyrical themes and Oldham's vulnerable vocals. The instrumentation isn't always necessarily sparse, for example Nomadic Revery (All Around) actually has a pretty cool guitar solo towards the end, it's just unusually hidden behind Oldham's voice. Another Day Full Of Dread also features a solo, this time front and centre, which sounds full of potential to be a shredder but it's as though the player can barely get through it (in a good way, if that makes any sense, in that it adds to the downtrodden tone). Sorrowful but stunning at the same time I liked this quite a lot, it seems like something that may take a lot of time to sink in and could hit pretty hard at a low or vulnerable point for the listener. Wish this was on Spotify so I could listen to it from start to finish without stupid Google adverts completely ruining the atmosphere Highlights: I See A Darkness, Madeline-Mary, Another Day Full Of Dread

This is decent enough, but it feels like something is missing and I can't put my finger on it. It starts fairly strong but I lose interest by the end, which isn't great for a 37 minute album. Don't Lie To Me sounds a little bit like The Murlocs so I like that one. Feel is cool too, a little Zeppeliny to begin with and segues into what could be a Ziggy Stardust era Bowie glam rock tune I like In The Street musically but the vocals on the verse are pretty annoying, a nasally kind of wail that overpowers everything. I don't think I'd say I dislike anything but there's too much that doesn't hold my attention to rate it highly. Highlights: Don't Lie To Me, Feel

Another easy 5. For me, this is where Depeche Mode really hit their stride. Some Great Reward and Black Celebration before are great too, but Music For The Masses is where they really figured out their sound. I love the variety in sound, between catchy, straightforward pop tunes like Strangelove to more downbeat and morose tracks like The Things You Said. Never Let Me Down Again is pretty much perfect, I can't think of a better driving song and it's a little glimpse into where the band would go next. The album eventually leads into some quite eery tracks in the second half, like To Have And To Hold. I can see where Nine Inch Nails took influence from Depeche Mode here Excellent stuff Highlights: Never Let Me Down Again, Sacred, Strangelove, Behind The Wheel

I've heard 2 or 3 Stones albums before this list and I've mostly what I've heard, but I've never heard this one. This seems to be where they really found their footing and established themselves, but I was disappointed by it. I'm sure it was pretty notable when it released, but most of the album felt like second rate Rolling Stones, the sort of thing they would do later and do better. I always liked when the Stones do the country/southern rock sort of thing elsewhere so Doncha Bother Me is pretty decent. Paint It Black is a classic but I'm a bit tired of hearing it now. The lyrics on Stupid Girl are fucking shite. Gone Home was good for the first 5 or so minutes but it just kept going and felt like rambling nonsense at a point Overall a letdown. I have higher hopes for the others on the list. 2.5 (I listened to the US version) Highlights: Doncha Bother Me, Paint It Black

This is a bit mixed for me, theres some kind of boring, early 2000s indie kind of rock like Presidential Suite that I'm not too fussed about, but then you get some more weird and interesting tracks like Receptacle for the Respectable that starts laid back and sleazy and turns a bit gritty towards the end. You can't fault the dynamism, they definitely added plenty of layers and things going on A bit inconsistent in quality. Alternate Route to Vulcan Street is a cool, dynamic opener then I'm not crazy for anything for a few tracks until Receptacle. Good overall though, could be a grower Highlights: Receptacle for the Respectable, Alternate Route to Vulcan Street

A bit odd to see a soundtrack on here, didn't think there would be any. If this is the only one, why are there no others? I feel bad giving this a 3 because it's not bad. Overall it's a fine soundtrack and to be fair, I haven't seen the film, but detached from the visuals, it fades into the background and I find myself not paying much attention to it. If I were actually watching the film I would surely appreciate it much more. Even still, I know that Theme From Shaft is considered classic but it just reminds me of the Simpsons for whatever reason, feels a bit daft. I will also mention that I very rarely listen to soundtracks independent of the media they accompany, even if I really like them, so that will mark this down automatically for me. Again, don't really understand why this is on here Highlights: Do Your Thing

I liked this a lot more than I expected. I was never very fond of Rehab, think I've just been far too exposed to it for nearly 20 years and got sick of it. Nothing else was familiar though Amy Winehouse was clearly very talented, the gritty honesty of her lyrics coupled with the 50s/60s R&B, swing and blues throwback instrumentation (without blatantly copying it) come together very well. You can see where the influences on this came from but it still feels fresh, perhaps in part to Mark Ronson's punchy and dynamic production. Amy's voice and the instruments sound quite spacious, giving everything a bit of space to breath and distinguish itself, also adding to that atmosphere I'll say 3.5 for now Highlights: Some Unholy War, You Know I'm No Good

I really like this kind of pop. I thought I could remember listening to XTC a couple of years ago and not being into it at all but this is great. Doing my best to avoid seeming obnoxious but there's an esoteric flair to it that keeps it interesting but catchy. Each track is distinct enough but they manage to maintain a consistent atmosphere through the album A few other people have commented saying this sounds like worse Tears for Fears, and I suppose you could draw some comparisons as they were contemporaries in the same genre that both urilised synths, but that descriptor just feels lazy to me. XTC don't really sound like Tears for Fears at all, at least not on this album. They play around with more progressive, 'quirky' (for the lack of a better word) ideas, compared to Tears for Fears' bigger, almost epic style Great stuff. I want to come back to XTC's other stuff at some point Highlights: Another Satellite, Summer's Cauldron

This was always my favourite System of a Down album, because they focused on what I feel they were best at. Their chaotic, angry and heavy side is what they were far more suited to, later on they frequently slip into a melodramatic sound that I'm really not keen on (it's because of this I always preferred the other respectable nu metal band, Deftones, who should absolutely be on the list). They do do it on Spiders but that's it really, pretty easily overlooked That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the quiet-loud dynamic. They do it well on tracks like Darts or the intro of Mind, where heavy, chaotic segments are contrasted with quieter, but still eery, mood-building moments There's also no lead vocals by Daron Malakian here (that I'm aware of) thankfully, as I can't really stand his voice and he really ruins songs for me on later albums Peak SOAD Highlights: Suite Pee, War?, Know, Sugar

Pretty boring and generic, really. This just sounds like something that would play on basically any UK radio station (absolutely not a compliment) There are some interesting ideas, like the stop start acoustic guitar at the start of Tired Games or the jazz fusion style organ on Sanctuary but these unique moments are often quickly brushed over for more bland house beats. On the point of how bland it sounds, the 'strings' (if that's what they're meant to be) on Crazy Love sound directly ripped from a Sims soundtrack. It's pretty repetitive, if you listen to a handful of tracks you've basically heard the whole album. I swear I had already heard that exact intro when Slum King came on. And of course, as an early 2000s album, it's far too long Won't be returning to this Highlights: Rough Out Here

Station To Station and the Berlin Trilogy are where I feel like David Bowie reached his artistic heights. I like his glam rock stuff and recognise how influential those albums were, but I always come back to these albums far more The first half of Low is a bit like some of Bowie's previous catchier work, filtered through Brian Eno's keys. Despite the lyrics about trying to kick his drug addictions, the first half is a nice set of avant-pop. I love the little sounds that are just scattered throughout the album that add a lot of character, like the one in Sound and Vision that I've always thought sounded like a burning log crackling in a fire Brian Eno really comes to the forefront with the ambient second half. There's an eeriness to these tracks, especially Warszawa and Subterraneans, which are desolate and cold, even alien sounding. Bowie isn't even all that present on these tracks, only adding some vocalisations here and there, but that only adds to the atmosphere of the half A perfect album. It's crazy to see just how broad a range of artists this one album influenced Highlights: Sound and Vision, Speed of Life, Warszawa, A New Career in a New Town

I regret not listening to this sooner, always thought I wouldn't like it for some reason. A bit hard to describe why I like it as it's not 'musical' in the same way the rest of the list is. It's just some very nice ambience to have playing whilst doing something, it doesn't need to my full attention to be enjoyed Desoite being pretty minimal, it's very dynamic and move around various sounds and styles. Kevin James manages to switch the tone from laidback and relaxing to add a bit more tension and sort of sinister very easily between tracks, We Are The Music Makers into Schottkey 7th Path Some of it reminds me of the music Limmy makes between Limmy's Show and his streams so that probably helps endear it to me too 4.5 Highlights: We Are The Music Makers, Ptolemy, Xtal

I was hoping for more of a country sound, opening with pedal steel guitar on Firefly. Instead, this is more of an indie rock album with some sprinkling of country throughout. I don't really find much of this that unique, particularly the opener. To be fair though, it probably was for the 80s as I never would've guessed it was that old. Still, much of the album actually reminds me a fair amount of Wilco, who I'd prefer to listen to. More lowkey moments like Laughingstock and Pale and Skinny Girl are quite strong and manage to have some personality though, I wish there was more of that style. The vocals are okay, but they occasionally have a strained sound that I find slightly annoying when he's really belting out the lyrics (Now You're Defeated immediately comes to mind). Again, more toned-down moments like Laughingstock are where Mark Eitzel's vocals are at their best Not a bad album, just not that noteworthy Highlights: Laughingstock, Pale and Skinny Girl

This is pretty nice, I really like the lush production and atmosphere. There's a kind of familiarity to the style, although I think that's because I'm sure my mum used to play Goldfrapp in the car when I was little. It is kind of reminiscent of Cocteau Twins too My main issue is probably the pacing. The vibe stays pretty consistent throughout so it does sometimes feel like it's coasting a little bit, but I think the energy picking up a little bit towards the end and the runtime prevent that from being a dealbreaker. Alison Goldfrapp's airier vocals on tracks like Eat Yourself aren't my favourite either, although she does show quite a good, versatile range across the album so it doesn't bother me too much 3.5, pretty good Highlights: Happiness, Road to Somewhere

I've never even heard of this, but then I'm not that well versed in hip hop Got a bit nervous with some Owl City esque sounding keyboards on Be (Intro), thankfully that didn't come back. It's maybe vaguely in the Kanye pop-rap realm (unsurprising since he produced it), where I tend to prefer stuff like ATCQ, MF DOOM, but I like Common's voice enough that it kept me engaged. Kanye is/was pretty genius at sampling too so that helped keep my attention as well To be fair, I am a hipster with a humanities degree so it's unsurprising that I like this Highlights: Go!

I didn't go into this with expectations of how it might sound like Talking Heads but it does feels like a bit of a cheap copy. Obviously Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth played their part in forming the sound of Talking Heads but without David Byrne, it feels kind of second rate. Other than Genius of Love, the first half is quite weak. Wordy Rappinghood is pretty bad, very dated and kind of cringe 80s funk/hip hop thing. The second half is a bit better though Tina Weymouth isn't anything special as a vocalist. She's not particularly bad or anything but it feels like she's trying to replicate the awkward charisma of David Byrne and it doesn't really work for me. I much prefer when she just sings plainly like on Genius of Love Also I've heard Genius of Love somewhere before, like a game or film or something, but I can't figure it out for the life of me Highlights: Genius of Love, On On On On...

Got to give this 5. Blues rock isn't usually my favourite but Hendrix blends it seamlessly with psychedelic rock. The guitar playing is sort of raw but everything feels absolutely perfectly placed and executed at the same time. I also like little moments like Jimi saying "how was that?" at the end of Red House that were caught on mic and left in, it adds a lot of character to both the album and the band It's so clear how influential his guitar playing was on countless acts that followed him. I'm a big fan of stoner rock so I get a kick out of what is an extremely early root of the genre here as well Also have to mention his great vocals and the drumming. Everything comes together perfectly to create a seamless, unbeatable 38 minutes (going by the UK release) Highlights: Foxy Lady, Fire, Third Stone from the Sun

A lot of this is quite generic 60s rock and roll and country. I suppose that'd because of Elvis being a bit older here so he wasn't a pioneering force of music at this point, especially when The Beatles had already come and (nearly gone) by this point and Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones were coming up I like the keys/organ backing Gentle On My Mind and Wearin' That Loved On Look that adds a different sound to the album and gives those songs a more layered and unique sound This is right enough, just doesn't feel like anything too notable Highlights: I'm Movin' On, Gentle On My Mind, Suspicious Minds

I thought this was going to be peak shitty europop based on the name and album cover I do have a fondness for Daft Punk (one of my first favourite groups) so the house beats appeal to me. I'll give it up the album is pretty groovy and it can be quite infectious Unfortunately a lot of stuff on top of the beat feels a bit hokey and drags the songs down. There's too much going on, I think this would've worked better if it was a little bit more stripped back or downtempo. Some of the added layers like the ascending and descending bells (if that's what they're supposed to be?) on Smile On sound juvenile (I can't think of another descriptor that doesn't sound so pretentious) There are some good uses to these though, like the oldsvhool synth sound like Kraftwerk or early Depeche Mode on tracks like What Is Love? and ESP, or the funky guitars on Who Was That? The vocals aren't poorly done, but they're a bit schlocky and daft. I suppose to a lot of people these components are part of the appeal, but not to me unfortunately Highlights: What Is Love?, ESP

I was expecting this to pretty much be an Arctic Monkeys extras album. The cinematic, western style sound that runs through much of the album caught me off guard, in a good way There are probably glimpses of where Arctic Monkeys would go on tracks like Calm Like You, which I don't mind since I actually like their later stuff. My biggest complaint is that some tracks like Standing Next To Me can maybe be a little bit repetitive, but it isn't really a major issue 3.5 Highlights: The Meeting Place, Black Plant

Lot of people criticising Bruce's singing, but I quite like how raw it is. Lot of passion behind them There is a bit of a cheesiness to this but I think that's just to be expected with 80s rock. Although it can sound quite dated at points (the synths on Working On The Highway, for example) Pretty good, 3.5 Highlights: Born In The USA, Dancing In The Dark

Peak mid 2000s dross. The exact sort of thing I couldn't be arsed with even when I was 6. I'll give it that there's a couple decent beats here and there, but they're mostly lost in a needlessly 65 minute album that feels like it's never going to end. CeeLo Green's voice is grating right from the start let alone having to listen to it for over an hour A 1 is probably a bit harsh but I've not given one yet and I need to signify somehow that this is the worst thing I've heard to this point. I did not need to listen to this before I die Highlight: All Day Love Affair

One of my favourite live albums. The whole thing is dripping with atmosphere, between the crowd, Johnny's jokes and anecdotes and the warden announcements. There's something darkly funny about him singing "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die" and doing coke and shooting his wife and the crowd going wild, whistling and applauding. All of this could've detracted from the album but it actually completes it The actual performance sometimes isn't perfect either, but that just adds to the genuine atmosphere and the character of the whole thing, especially when he laughs in the middle of a song. A lot of the performances on here are the definitive versions of these songs, like Folsom Prison Blues Highlights: Folsom Prison Blues, Cocaine Blues, Jackson

Enjoyed this, good vibes all round. Nile Rodgers' guitar playing is great, no surprise there. The band added those extra little flourishes that round off their sound, like the piano and string parts, I really like that. It almost has a city pop style at moments I did think one or two tracks could get a bit repetitive, I'd occasionally check my phone thinking it was somehow repeating again but it wasn't a major issue Pretty good overall. Glad I heard it Highlights: Good Times, My Forbidden Lover

This is pretty fun. Instrumentation is tight all round, the bass player especially is a beast. I'm really fond of the use of Variation on a Theme as the intro and intro for whatever reason Some parts are vaguely similar to early King Crimson, with the flutes and brass, though this came it before ITCOTCK so maybe Robert Fripp heard this? Could also be because Steve Katz sounds ever so slightly like Greg Lake on Sometime In Winter Does occasionally feel a bit underwritten, like on And When I Die. There are nice ideas but it gets a bit repetitive, like they hadn't finished figuring out how to fill out and construct the song and keep it interesting. Blues Part 2 interpolating Sunshine Of Your Love was a bit distracting as well, though that's quite a nitpick 3.5 Highlights: Sometimes In Winter, More and More