Funky indie rock with tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Standout tracks: Take Me Out, Dark of the Matinee, '40, Tell Her Tonight, Come On Home.
Jagged, kaleidoscopic LP which meanders between Hip Hop, Folk, Grunge, and Pop. Lots of Breakbeats, Scratching, Riffs, Distortion, Samples. Standout Tracks: The New Pollution, Where It's At, Devil's Haircut, Lord Only Knows.
Mostly timeless electronic instrumentals, with ethereal, clear atmosphere, purposeful texture. Lyrics not my taste tho.
Standout Tracks: Waiting in the Night Enjoy the Silence, Clean
Classic jazz record, Davis' virtuoso trumpet playing and the different flavors of modality are something else.
Catchy lyrics and new wavey sound, though it sounds for my liking a bit same-same.
Standout Tracks:
Moving in Stereo
Post-Punk with driving basses, eerie textures and at times unconventional, yet intriguing melodies. Amazing lead vocals
Standout Tracks: Overground, Metal Postcard (Mittageisen), Suburban Relapse
Dense, dark, yet funky record with driving basslines. Sly Stone giving his all in his composition and in his voice, sometimes to the point of sounding hoarse and accompanying the resignation of the 1960s' decline. Standout Tracks: Thank You for Talking Africa, Family Affair, Time, (You Caught Me) Smilin' Again
Important work in the progressive rock canon, with amazing guitar play. Prog Rock needs more flutes and Aqualung is proof of it. (Listened to Steven Wilson Stereo Mix from 2011)
Standout Tracks: Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, Cross-Eyed Mary, My God
Great debut by Talking Heads, very upbeat and signature high-antics vocals by David Byrne.
Standout Tracks: Tentative Decisions Psycho Killer, No Compassion, Don't Worry About The Government
Somber, sad, lush string sections, gentle guitar-picking. It all sounds beautiful, but at times, the songs morph into one sorrowful mush. It feels like the record could be a couple tracks shorter and still fully convey the heartbreak and emptiness that Beck experiences.
Standout Tracks: Golden Age, Paper Tiger, Lonesome Tears, Sunday Sun
Important piece of New Wave. Debbie Harry's vocals has this cutting clarity with a bit of a growl, adding this menacing quality to some vicious lyrics. At other times, her high notes float effortlessly as exemplified in "Heart of Glass". The guitar-driven instrumentals with the punk-style drums create a fun and pulsing atmosphere.
Standout tracks: Hanging On The Telephone, One Way Or Another, Will Anything Happen, Heart of Glass
The pinnacle of grunge and sadly the last LP by Nirvana. Cobain's raspy voice really adds to the grittines and raw quality of the songs. Short, yet poignant lyrics, at times enigmatic. The stark contrast in the dynamic amplifies the bipolarity of the album.
Standout Tracks: Scentless Apprentice, Heart-Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies
Multi-textured strings orchestration and a devastated Björk, battling with the precursors and the aftermath of a breakup. Arca's production fits Björk's one-of-kind voice perfectly.
Standout Tracks: Lionsong, Black Lake, Family, Atom Dance
Admittedly, I only knew a handful of Bob Dylan tracks before and felt that he is overrated. Listening to this album changed my mind to some extent. Still not my favorite artist, but his ability to craft universally resounding lyrics is astounding. Sometimes witty and sarcastic texts, sometimes clearly political (where he is at its best in my opinion).
Standout Tracks: A Hard's Rain's A-Gonna Fall, Masters of War, Talking World War III Blues, Blowin' In The Wind
One of my favorite Radiohead albums. I used to listen to From the Basement set many times. The melancholic tracks like Nude, Reckoner, and Videotape really hit differently. The way the slow crescendos construct this overwhelming, yet beautiful atmosphere with strings, synths (in the case of Nude and Reckoner) or piano plus complex and ever-increasing druming patterns (Videotape) blows my mind every time.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi is probably one of my favorite tracks of all time. The base line, the lead guitar in the first part, and then the mood shift with Thom's deep voice - I could go on and on.
The more pulsing and dare I say upbeat tracks such as Jigsaw Falling Into Places or 15 Step are a great change of pace to give the album variety, yet retain the cohesion.
Standout Tracks: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Videotape, Nude, Faust Arp
P. S. Disk 2 is also worth a listen, esp. Last Flowers To The Hospital.
