The music is pleasant to hear. The lyrics have accessibility and individually each song isn’t bad on its own, but as an album run it blurred together for me. I used to find the cynicism entangled with romanticism charming but then I heard more than 3 songs he ever wrote and that wore off. If he wasn’t so convinced that his is the pinnacle of existential dread, then maybe he could rely on subtlety or variety more, but almost every song has at least one line about how he’s smarter or lonelier or deeper than everyone else. Even his love song is about how his lover thinks the same as him. Even when he values another’s opinion it’s because it’s the same as his. Morrissey could read his own diary in a double-blind experiment and still be convinced that no one has ever felt the way he does. And then he’d write 3 songs about it. Idk how to rate it but I give it a 2.

Chill vibes and I saved a few songs to stay in my rotation. Very much a band that found their sound but maybe doesn’t want to stray too far from it. There were a few times you could feel more energy creeping in and it’s almost like they noticed and intentionally went back to being blasé or nonchalant about it because that’s cooler. This is a headphones on in a crowded room album so that when someone asks who you’re listening to you can say you probably haven’t heard of them. Cigarettes and black coffee and the newest iPhone.

Not my first listen, won’t be my last. Obviously it starts with two certified hits but for a short album it’s really solid. Doesn’t feel preachy when she talks about revolution or reform and you really feel the experiences that have shaped her are genuine. Tracy Chapman is the type of person others pretend to be.

Part 1. I’m starting this review 2 songs in. I’ve never really liked Metallica. I don’t like the dudes voice, I don’t like the tone of the guitar, and I don’t really like the guitar riffs or the drum pacing. I am very singular in my metal tastes and I’ve tried a few times but Metallica has never done it for me. This album so far has not changed my preconceived notions. It’s a bias I can’t turn off because Metallica in particular has been a band I’ve built my musical tastes in direct contrast to. It’s fine I guess if you’re into them. A 9 minute song that doesn’t build that hard is wild, and if the titular song only delivers that much I’m not sure the rest of the album will sway me. Part 2. “One” is at least different. Finally some variety and melody. Still not my style but at least they finally played something besides choppy ass power chords. I skimmed the last few songs. They hardly stray from their core sound and it’s one I don’t care for. The whole thing reeks of body odor and Natty Light as far as I’m concerned.

Zed Zed Top both know how to and thoroughly enjoy rocking out. You can tell that some of the music is almost effortless for them. They find their groove repeatedly throughout the album and Sharp Dressed Man never gets skipped on my playlists. Southern Blues rock is hit or miss for me generally but they do it very well. Their style is iconic and idk who else was singing about 69ing in the 80’s but these dudes just ooze swag. The popping funk bass in Thug? They could’ve just stuck with their classic style but no, funk breakdown mid album. They can’t be stopped. I love some variety in skill and expression and they’re having fun with it the entire time. Like who tf writes a song about TV dinners but doesn’t phone it in. It’s a filler song clearly but it’s still groovy as hell. It’s a very strong 4 or a slightly hesitant 5. No flaws but I have other albums I would still put above it. Fun fact apparently my uncle who lives in Houston was their accountant in some capacity back in the day. I think they played his wedding lol but I could be mistaken it’s been forever since I heard the story. He’s got some connection though.

No emotion, no passion. I didn't even detect a running musical theme. The Taut and the Tame shows they kind of know what music is actually supposed to be which means the whole album was deliberately in the opposite direction. Whack af. “Overproduced, underproduced, a bad song’s a bad song” -Ice-T

As an earlier emo band I can see how people would be ride or die for this band, especially in 88. It has a little bit of that industrial kind of tone that is a bit harsh but is also kind of the point. Some of the melodies are pleasantly haunting and I feel like they both make music for others but also for themselves. I love a rhythm guitar that feels effortless, even if the riff is just hitting the same chord 16 times because even though it’s not perfect, it’s less wrong than the others, and you’re getting closer to what it is you feel. Overall it’s solid enough that I would go around again as an album. I wasn’t blown away really but enjoyed the ride.

Who hurt you Barry Gibbs. I googled it and I still don’t know. Pretty mild album with a few surprising songs. I’ve saved Remembering, When Do I, and Lion In Winter for future listening. I did seriously google each member and their potential divorces trying to figure out who made The Bee Gees so sad but in the process I found out they didn’t really get their iconic sound until about 6 years after this album so it’s not surprising to me that my favorite songs on this album are when they up the energy and lean into it more. A bit melancholy but perfect for staring at an old painting of a boat.

This is exactly the type of album I was hoping would be on this list. I have listened to it before and I likely will again. End of the World and The One I Love are just good songs. The album itself has some variety of sound and some clear devotion to a particular sound. If that makes sense. Like they know where they struck gold and mined strategically around that area. It just sounds good to me even before I dig into the creativeness of the music or lyrics or pairings therein and whatever. A band that can let its bassist shine is in my opinion one that has more than one ace up its sleeve. Individually the songs hold up and collectively I want to re-listen just to understand the political side of the lyrics more. It perhaps would be a 5 if I had reviewed more or even less albums but currently it’s a strong 4. Very solid with no notable flaws, but I tagged 5 songs I really like. I’ve got albums with 8-10 or more and I think I need to leave room for being blown away and not just impressed.

I mean it’s Led Zeppelin. They don’t miss. Stairway is a masterpiece and I mean that in the truest sense of the word. It’s the magnum opus of a band so talented that off the top of my head I could list 15 songs and 5 albums that are all amazing. Jimmy Page is a creep with underaged girls but he’s a guitar god. Robert Plant is a soulful sorcerer and JPJ and Bonham always deliver. I assumed I missed most of the well known stuff on this list but it is refreshing to no longer be debating what a 5 star album is. I’ve listened to this one 20 times at least and I’ve learned several of the songs in part or in whole on guitar over the years. I only do that with songs I love. It almost feels weird for me to type anything to try to justify 5 stars as it seems so painstakingly obvious in my soul.

Can one be objective when one’s sense of self and view of the world is so heavily influenced by the subject? I’m almost honor bound to just give a 5 just by looking at the track list. Unique sound, voice and lyrics. Not the most complex guitar or drums (Grohl admits he basically just bit a bunch of disco tracks but it’s still unique to apply them in such a way) but the bass does drive a lot of the music. Their impact is evident and there’s a reason a lot of people come across Nirvana early in their musical journeys. I’ve listened to this album a few times and while I have some songs I don’t keep on rotation I think that particularly because of the sound and aura that is Nirvana that songs like Breed kind of should be semi-indecipherable noise at times. It’s the song that keeps playing while you grab a drink after the mosh, the one you actually start doing work to when you convince yourself that music was all you needed to get motivated. You write it off until it’s over then you kind of wish you listened more attentively. I had 5 songs I had in rotation before this listen and I’m up to 6. It’s a frontloaded album for sure but as Archimedes said “give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it and I will move the world”.

What if Michael Caine had to recreate Sgt. Peppers from memory with nothing but the Muppets band? It’s weird and I’m not sure there’s any real depth to it but it’s kind of fun. It’s kind of groovy and the highlight so far me has been Clever Trevor but even then it’s like wtf are you talking about dude is this even a real person or are you just rhyming something with a name and calling it a song. He’s got a dope flow at the beginning of the song though. I think I’d like this whole album a lot more if it had some direction. Feels like they got close to a hit song with Wake up and Make Love to me and knew that there was something shiny in their sound but kept swinging and missing trying to find it. And I think that’s because none of it is serious or real. Pretty sure that was a fart noise in Blockheads. Some of the slurs in Blackmail man are not on the same level as the others lol. Plaistow Patricia should've been the song they built an album around and not the outlier.

I mean it’s music. I felt it started stronger than it ended and I saved the titular track and Down where the Drunkards Roll to see if they grow on me. I felt like those two had some legs. It’s within my style, and I would generally prefer it over silence lol that’s harsh but it’s just not reaching me all that much. Even though I think they’ve put some energy and passion into it it just doesn’t resonate with me the way I would want it to. Glad I listened once, won’t be listening a second time.

I love Bob Dylan and because his work is so prolific I tend to stick to my own playlist of like 15-20 songs and only that. It’s nice to hit some of the other songs that really help define his sound and style as well. Torn between a 3 and 4 simply because it’s good but bc it’s Dylan it doesn’t vary a ton. Bumping to a 4 because I already had 5 songs saved from this album and it ends on Goodbye Baby Blue which is one of my favorite songs by him. Just the passion he sings about the blues fading from popularity itself is such a poignant love letter to the genre. I’ve listened before and I’ll do it again.

Aretha Franklin is often about vibes to me. The album starts with Respect, an all time banger, but the rest is kind of just vibes to me. It could be on loop for 3 hours and I don’t think I’d be able to pick out more than 2/3 songs but I’d also be enjoying myself the whole time. She’s an artist I refuse to be underwhelmed by. If a song didn’t hit me the right way, I’m wrong and I missed something, or I need to recalibrate my sensors or something. It’s like no listen again and humble yourself bc Aretha is a goat for a reason. I’ve listened before, probably will again. Love the artist more than the specific song selection of this album.

I only know Sigur Ros from the Game of Thrones soundtrack where they did a version of Rains of Castamere. Kind of cool hearing a full album. Obviously I didn’t understand a word but it was cool background music to work to. Haunting and melodic is a great mix, and I actually fuck with music in other languages. It’s great to work to like I said and because I don’t speak Swedish my brain wants to match the speech patterns regardless so you end up having thought provoking music that is not too distracting. Saving it for a future work sesh where I don’t want silence but can’t devote too much headspace to the music. I dig the vibes. If Aretha Franklin was a high 3 this is a low 3. Hers was a better album but I can’t say I disliked this album at all so a 2 is out for me.

Bauhaus is alright. There were 3 songs I saved to maybe try again in the future. I get the appeal it’s just not for me and while I respect the depth of some the lyrics (Mask in particular) it’s hard to get into this music fully when I am not actively being rejected by both sunshine and society. And then wtf is Harry lol I didn’t think I’d be skanking at the warehouse vampire rave but here we are. Almost tempted to go to 3 because I appreciate variety and depth of skill and expression but it’s so out of place. I would’ve like them to meld their differing styles a bit. Feels like they all had caffeine and a good breakfast one day and forgot they were supposed to be gloomy but left it on the tracklist anyways. Maybe it’s the drum machine that takes me out of it. Their music overall feels disjointed and like it’s lacking some soul or talent. Like I can’t believe they were emphatic about any of the drums. Maybe it’s meant to feel hollow and inhuman or something but to me it’s lackluster and indicative of a lack of vision or execution.