This band was a recent discovery for me after I heard 'Brimful of Asha' a few years ago - I don't think they really "made it" here across the pond. But I like them. Bonus Punjabi content for the linguists! Listening to this album all together, the songs are pretty samey, rhythm-wise. But I like the samey that they are ["sleep on the left side" = "brimful of asha" = "mar mar o'sharle"] and it isn't boring for me (yet), as I've only heard their songs a few times. Good, chill vibes. Some of the tracks were a little bit filler-y, but they were pleasant filler and not annoying skits (:)) so I won't knock it for that. Highlights: 'Brimful of Asha', 'Good to Be on the Road Back Home', 'Norwegian Wood' (c.f. my earlier comments about Beginning Piano class)

This album cover makes me lol. I don't know if I've ever heard an Iron Maiden song before this. They sound a lot like a lot of other bands, some of whom are on this list (Rush, maybe?). But are they the leaders or followers? (Probably leaders?) Anyway, it's not doing anything for me, but it's not actively offensive. Like Muse, while there are a lot of guitars, the guitar is so constant that it doesn't upset me. Very even coverage with their noise-making. The lyrics are just silly. I never know how seriously I'm meant to take this kind of stuff. It feels kind of like the music they'd put in the English dub of a sports anime. Actually, after framing it like that, I like it a bit more. But I would simply never sit down and listen to this, so it's a 2.5 rounded down for me. Highlight: 'The Prisoner' (would fit right in to Sonic Adventure as a Sonic or Knuckles track!)

Wiki says Kate Bush's next album is called "Aspects of the Sensual World". How Chomskyan! This feels extremely of its time and extremely Kate Bush, which are not bad things, but make me smile in that way that things that are extremely how they are do. I like that she says sen[s]ual, which is apparently British. Highlights: 'Love and Anger' (my top 2 emotions), the first part of 'The Fog' that sounds like a 90s RPG 's town music. I'm starting to have a crisis of faith about the consistency of my ratings. But I think this was solidly "fine".

Never heard of this band before. I like the fonts on this album cover. Vocals are like Talking Heads but dialed up to 15 (and therefore pretty darn annoying). I cycled through {"I don't like this", "Wait, maybe it's OK", "I like this bit"} many times. The Sweet Home Alabama/Drunken Sailor song really took me out. '(Pa) Ubu Dance Party' was a high point, at least for a moment. What can I say? This sure is eclectic. But if I don't know if I like it, then I probably don't like it.

Wow, we're on a hot streak of modernity! I didn't realise Black Mirror (the show) was partly inspired by the Arcade Fire song. So, I like indie, Canadians, and baroque pop, but somehow Arcade Fire never really hit for me: the vocals are a little too muddled in the music for my preference, I think. However, I adore 'No Cars Go'; it's one of my favorite songs (in general, not just on this album). On the strength of that track alone this album gets a '4'. Other Highlights: 'Intervention', 'Black Wave/Bad Vibrations'

Better than I thought it'd be. Two radio hits -- feel good inc and 19-2000. Generally chill and jangly. I like "Rock the House", it's got horns in. "Starshine" is kinda cool electro. "Slow country" is like 311's Amber except with simon & carfunkel-esque toots and honks, which is hilarious. on the other hand M1 A1 is freakin' annoying and triggers my misophonia bigtime. D: (and makes me wish I were listening to M1 instead, a much better song!)

This isn't on spotify, so I had to go to YOUTUBE. That's a demerit. I like the name Funkadelic. Alas, I am prejudiced against all 70s music. Song #1 gets pretty hype like 4 minutes in though. I like that they say the title in the song. And the f word!? was this on the radio? no, wait a second... it's the word "funk". genius! I googled george clinton and discovered he is NOT who I thought. I wonder who I was mixing him up with. Sorry, george. In general, this was OK, some fun moments but ultimately I just don't love electric guitars.

A double album?! Really testing my motivation here. At least I know and (mostly) like Pink Floyd already. I think I saw some show on vh1 when I was a kiddo about their tragic dissolution and I thought "wow, that 'Money' song is fun". so there's your backstory. 'Breathe (in the air)' is a radio hit, or at least it's in a lot of sad movies. I like it OK. It ends very abruptly but I think that's Spotify's fault for leaving a small gap between tracks. The next song sure is a lot of noises, which maybe I would think was more fun if I wasn't in the throes of a constant migraine. For now, not my bag. Then 'Time' starts with even more noises. They sure made a lot of noises in the 70s, I tell you what. Alarms, triangles, creepy clocks, it's all here. Once the singing starts you're so grateful the noises are over! Maybe I should take a nap. But anyway, this song is a bit of a downer. It's fine. 'The Great Gig in the Sky' seemed promisingly mellow until the screaming started. 'Money' is still a straight banger. A classic bop that slaps. 'Us and Them's intro evokes Jimmy Eat World's 'Table for Glasses'. I am ready to weep, Pink Floyd, bring it on. But first, there is a saxophone. Apparently this was a single, but I've never heard it before. Or have I? I don't think I have, but let's be honest, it kinda sounds like Comfortably Numb with a saxophone in it. Which I like OK. 'Brain Damage' is fine. (lol). They say the album title!! They said the thing!! I'm impressed by how similar the two singers sound since wiki tells me this is a different guy than the other songs's guy. Maybe they're just British. 'Eclipse' is a strong ender. And omg, they reference the title again!! We love to see it. The 2nd disk of this album is just live versions, which is not my favorite due to the clapping and general muddling inherent in the medium. And they're probably not part of the original release (?) so I don't need to say any more about them here. But when did that ever stop me?! I did like 'Time' more the second time around (perhaps because I knew the oppressive noises were only at the beginning), and even though live 'Money' had some sax in, it also felt much longer, so that was worse. and hey I know I've given everything a 3 so far, but this is really more of a 3.45, if that helps. I wonder if there's a word limit on these notes...

my god... for the first time, I've actually listened to this album before! but it's yet another classic double album, which is quite a time commitment. fortunately though, i'm in my second lifetime beatles phase (the first was when my college bff was obsessed with them + the movie musical 'across the universe' came out (which was mid, but the soundtrack was fun)), and am presently in the middle of watching Get Back because several friends are deep into beatles fandom as a way of escaping from the world (whereas i personally chose to do this album project instead). anyway, the beatles lore goes insanely deep, and i like that. also, the songs are poppy and short and distinct from each other, and i like that too. i do think disc 1 is much stronger than disc 2. highlights: dear prudence, ob-la-di, ob-la-da (i never know this one had rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-esque parentheticals), blackbird (#basic), piggies (legitimately one of my favorite songs; i like piggies-the-animal, harpsichords, and chamber-pop vibes), i will (on many a mushy mixtape), good night (wholesome) ironic highlight: bungalow(!) bill lowlights: glass onion (although I like that paul's name's in there), wild honey pie (i guess i've always hated songs with weird jangly noises), happiness is a warm gun (i teach at a quaker school after all), rocky raccoon (my college bff's most hated beatle song because of the accent, but it is kind of stinker in its own right. although it apparently inspired the MCU's rocket raccoon, which i like), why don't we do it in the road? (we already have the musically superior 'the bad touch' and anyway i don't want to contemplate paul as a sexual being), julia (zzz), everybody's got something to hide except me and my monkey (hate monkeys-the-animal!), midlights/misc: 'honey pie' feels like it should be on a disney sing along songs compilation. 'revolution 9' makes me lol because i first experienced it via my parents saying 'number 9' a lot when i was a wee kiddo. not much of a "song", though, is it? really even the duds are listenable, just a bit boring. a solid 4 for day 4! bonus shameful confession: i have always struggled with if it's spelled 'beatle' or 'beetle' when i'm writing (for both the bug/car and the band) and i only just realised that they're... the beat-les. yes i am a linguist

this day 5 album cover is a 5/5. the "chirping" crickets? the guitars looking photoshopped? these guys squinting into the sun just like me? plus, every song under 3 minutes? amazing. is 'oh boy' a secret gay anthem? i know that's an idiomatic non-vocative 'boy', but what a fun ambiguity for our modern age! 'not fade away' must be a single because i know it. it's just OK. 'it's too late' is a highlight. very chill. and "please don't make me weep" is an eternal lyric. overall pleasant background music, i do like their sound but nothing especially grabbed me.

I have literally never heard of this group before. After a few songs I think I got why the album's called Haunted Dancehall. Not really my genre, but it's fine for what it is (straight-up electronica, I guess). I liked "Bubble and Slide II" better than "Bubble and Slide (I)". Even though there are a lot of noises here, they weren't noises that hurt my head -- just peaceful little clinklies and wooblies.

I know Jimi Hendrix is, like, a big deal, but even though this is from the 60s, it sounds like the 70s to me (full offense). Nothing particularly unpleasant, surely better than yesterday's weird electro instrumental, but for me this was just OK. highlights: 'Wait Until Tomorrow', 'You Got Me Floatin'', 'She's so Fine' (idk why a British man is randomly singing this one, but I was like a baby doing one of those phonology experiments where they put in a distractor sound. my head was turnt!)

Ahh, this one is relaxing. Smooth jazz for a rough day. I barely even noticed it's live, which is a compliment. Unfortunately, it mainly all just reads as "Linus and Lucy" to me. I am not a discerning jazz listener. Highlights: 'Solar', 'Gloria's Step Take 3' (Where is take 1? Also, these songs with the same name I would never match up in a million years, which either says something about jazz or something about me)

Noooo my lengthy review got erased! I feel like a rube. Here were the main points: -I like lady singers and the 90s, but Sheryl Crow is too country for my liking. -A lot of these songs are about escape and running away, but I don't know if that's in reference to a particular life event in Crow canon (also when trying to find out via wiki, I learned that SC dated a co-musician (of the titular Tuesday Night Music Club) who died soon after this, in his 20s, and then later, Owen Wilson) -One of the songs sounded like "Pinch Me" from the Barenaked Ladies, but I forget which one, but I liked it -One of the songs had what I assumed was a deontic modal, but I forget which one, but I liked it -One of the songs had an interesting syntactic construction, perhaps the 3rd to last song, but I didn't particularly like it However, we shall not mourn what we have lost, we shall move ahead into the thrilling and will-aspirationally-remember-to-copypaste-my-reviews-into-my-notesapp-before-refreshing future!

Fun fact: when I first pushed play I thought "this sounds surprisingly similar to Sheryl Crow", but that was because I was accidentally still playing yesterday's Sheryl Crow album. The actual start to this album is much more my speed on first listen (quirky, unique voiced-singer, jingle-jangly, references to the UK). But it never reached "I love this" status, sadly. No bops! Mild highlights: 'The Last Living Rose', 'In the Dark Places'

Who knew I'd be so happy to get a 1980 Talking Heads album? But I really liked when that guy was on SNL recently. He's definitely got a unique voice, and there's some funny little noises here too. A little bit of a modern poetry vibe. Highlights: 'Once in a Lifetime' (obvi), 'Seen and not Seen' (like, is this a Ted Chiang short story set to music?) Lowlights: The last 4 songs are "unfinished outtakes" and mostly instrumental. They're less compelling. 'Right Start' is my favorite of the four, probably because it's extremely repetitive.

I have this album! This is the first one I have listened to in its entirety before. Yay. Now, the age-old puzzle: Is it good because I know it, or do I know it because it's good? Well, I'm not sure. It's not my usual style (the lyrics are kinda ?? and there's certainly electric guitar), but I enjoyed listening again. As a youth there were certain bands that had serious mythos (aka they were on VH1 24/7), and Nirvana was one of those. Do kids of today learn about LFO and Amy Winehouse? They better >:( Highlights: 'Lithium', 'Polly', the line "I don't care what you think unless it is about me" Lowlights: 'Come as you Are' (always bored me), 'Stay Away' (same), 'Endless, Nameless' (I always hated hidden tracks, plus this one has a lot of yelling)

This is Stevie's *seventeenth* album!? Good golly. It starts off with a sudden burst of easy listening. Which is better than hard listening. Kind of like when one of your Sims turns on the radio and it blasts that Simlish pop. I liked it a lot more than I expected. Highlights: 'Creepin'', 'Bird of Beauty'

"songs heavily influenced by Lennon's recent primal scream therapy"? Uh-oh, thinks I. But in fact, this just sounds, um, a lot like the Beatles (with a little bit of screaming at points, but it is 60s screaming, if that makes sense). Highlights: 'Hold On', 'Love' Lowlights: 'I Found Out' (it's giving Rocky Raccoon), 'Well Well Well'

I love The Smiths, despite (and also because of) lol Morrissey. Not only were they formative for Britpop, but they were formative for 2000s era livejournallers, and therefore, me. Lyric-heavy, unique voice, emo. As the Brits would say: tick, tick, tick. One thing that stood out to me is the A-A B-B C-C kinda structure a lot of these songs have. The general theme of this album seems to be "punishment", broadly construed. Or maybe that's my internalized meat-eating guilt, idk. Highlights: 'I Want the One I Can't Have', 'Nowhere Fast', 'Meat is Murder'

This is so recent! 2020 is basically right now. I like the idea of Fiona Apple, although the reality of Fiona Apple is more hit and miss. Regina Spektory with a few goat yodels. Highlights: 'Under the Table', 'Relay' (relay-table), 'Drumset' Lowlight: 'Cosmonauts' (don't yell at me fiona!)

Yes!! Yes!! I already know this one. Takes me back to 2012, which was a great year for me. When this came out, 106 & Park was still a thing (but not TRL or the Rock Countdown or the VH1 countdown). Anyhoo, I've still got it in the rotation. Highlights: I mean, Kendrick's got flow. It's undeniable. Almost all of these tracks are great, especially 'Backseat Freestyle', 'Money Trees', 'good kid' (the line "from a function that tooken place"!), 'Swimming Pools' Lowlights: 'Compton', the Jay-Z version of 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe', and, as you might expect from the genre, there's a lot of slurs* on this album, which is why I can't give it a 5. Imagine a (good) slur-free rap. I wonder if you can ;__; *For the pragmatics fans out there, I admit I'm using "slurs" a little imprecisely -- this album really only contains the b-word (which many (IMO incorrect) scholars say is not a slur) and the r-less n-word (which I agree is not really a slur (see Smith 2019), buut I still don't like hearing it as a white). So as these things go, it could be way worse.

Noooooooooo. OK, I have a gut reaction of dislike for ZZ Top (and what kind of name is ZZ Top, anyway? More like ZZ Bottom. Hmph), and this low-res MS Paint album cover isn't changing things for me. The wiki genres ("Southern rock, blues rock, boogie rock, Texas blues") are similarly unappealing. I wonder if the "muddy water" lyric in 'Jesus Just Left Chicago' is a reference to Muddy Waters, who is I suppose like a slightly more enjoyable version of ZZ Top. And 'Master of Sparks' could almost be an Audioslave song. Heck, maybe 'Hot, Blue and Righteous' is about Gonzo from the Muppets (introduced in 1970). And I guess "I'll be where the big wheels keep on turnin'" in 'Move Me on Down the Line' is a CCR reference? Plus "I'll be ridin' on the bus 'til I Cadillac" is also an objectively funny line. So there are things to enjoy for me here, but the overall sound just isn't my style. The live tracks at the end don't help matters!

I had no idea Kraftwerk were from the 70s! That means I shouldn't like them. But of course I do. Unlike that Haunted Dancehall business, these songs are your (to me, prototypical) electro. The weirdest noises here are just, like, oboey synths. It's giving "early 2000s Sega Dreamcast soundtrack" and I mean that positively. What I'm getting from this album, thematically, is that these guys are really into trains. I now have learned all about the Trans Europ(e) Express (cool train) and that it now longer exists (sad). Highlights: 'Europe Endless' (makes me feel like Girl Who is Going to Be Okay), 'Franz Schubert' Lowlights: 'Metal on Metal' (can't argue with the name, but I don't like the vibe)

I knew nothing of Steely Dan except that they're for dads. (C.f. this recent article: https://www.vulture.com/article/john-mulaneys-son-learned-to-talk-because-of-steely-dan.html). This sounds to me like the type of music that would be on during a dentist appointment. So, it's fine. Not offensive, but nothing comment-worthy, which is a demerit in itself!

Don't yell at me ;___; I know this is acclaimed but it felt kinda generic. They sound a lot like someone else I can't put my finger on, but heck, maybe the someone is actually "Alice in Chains" and I just never bothered to learn their name. Maybe Soundgarden. Maybe Rush. Anyway, it basically sounds like what I'd hear on 105.7 The X, 20 years ago. Some fun dam~damn wordplay, I guess. I have heard 'Down in a Hole' before. It's fine. The fact that there's a song called 'God Smack' made me wonder if the band Godsmack is named after this song, but apparently (although they were "aware" of the song), the band is named after what they called a cold sore. So now I like Godsmack less, I fear. Maybe it's just because I'm thinking about Godsmack now, but 'Angry Chair' has a lot in common with Godsmack's 'Straight Out of Line'. Mashup potential! 'Would?' is a funny song title nowadays.

Funky. I like that there are some wind instruments. I like the album cover. I don't like the combo of a high voice and a slow tempo, even if the lyrics are good. Too operatic for me! Tangentially, there are so many artists with songs called 'Blue Monday', including Curtis here, yet there is not a lot of online clarity re: where this term originated. Some say it's from a travel company in the UK in 2005, which is clearly not the whole truth. The dictionary tells me it's from the 1800s, re: sad laborers, and I guess that's the intended meaning here. A term that endures!

I've heard of this album, at least, but I've never listened to it. Paul Simon is a likeable guy. I like his voice and the general vibe of these songs. Highlight: Oh, this has 'You Can Call Me Al'! That's one of the first songs I downloaded when I first got my own computer some 20 years ago :D 'Homeless' has Zulu in it, which is cool. There are clicks!

(Eek I'm so behind!!!) When I hear "Wilco", I think of the webcomic Questionable Content. I feel like that dude was obsessed with them, which made me think "this is likely not a band for me". My read was accurate. The name Jeff Tweedy (=the singer) is perfect for what this music sounds like. This is the rare band where I like the (instrumental) music much better than I like the vocals. Highlights: 'Monday' had good energy. I like that there is an 'Outta Sight' / 'Outta Mind' pair because it made me think "wait, I heard this one already". The strings in 'The Lonely 1' are pretty. Spoon: 'Why Would you Wanna Live' sounds like Spoon's 'The Way We Get By' at first, and Spoon would be a more enjoyable quirky 5-letter band for this list than Wilco. I guess they're fine though.

This is one of the albums I was dreading; I never liked Missy Elliott and she was on the radio all the time in my peak radio-listening era. Highlights: a sung "toot toot" always makes me smile. Taj from Survivor is in the video for 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)'. Lowlights: Typical hip-hop slurs. And in general the lyrics annoy me -- IDK why exactly -- they're like, a bit cutesy/cheeky but not enough to commit. The noise throughout of the entirety of the background of 'Beep Me 911' sounds like my iPhone alarm, which is very stressful.

Supposedly this is Queen's best album. Seems like they're excluding Queen's "greatest hits" from that ranking, but OK, I'll allow it ;P I like Queen a lot, obvi. But as is typical, I like the vocals a lot more than the (guitar-heavy!!) instrumentals. 'Death on Two Legs' is very Pink Floydy. Highlights: 'Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon' (Mercury sure likes bikes, doesn't he), 'You're My Best Friend', '39 (love a good shanty), 'Seaside Rendezvous' (love a silly mouth trumpet)

This is actually my least favorite Coldplay era. I do like some of their songs, but 'Clocks' especially is so samey and boring. The tempo is just too sloooow (making the name apropos). I guess it's a little bit nostalgic now, but c'mon, 'Yellow' and 'Fix You' and 'Something Like This' are all better Coldplays than anything on this album. Almost Highlights: 'God Put a Smile on Your Face' started very slow, but it picked up a bit. 'The Scientist' is my favorite of the singles. I like when they say the name of the album in the album.

I didn't know this was written to be a (Peter Pan??) musical, which is endearing. Also Max Weinberg played the drums on it! But even though they're fun, most of these songs sounded the same to me. Meat Loaf is a silly name and the songs are pleasant, but nothing especially struck me. (It's hard to be struck on a first listen, though, isn't it? I hope I end up giving something a 5 before this is all said and done!) Maybe it's just the word "bat" plus the idea of "musicals" but this kind of reminded me of "Bat Boy" the musical, which was similarly pleasant but ultimately I'd never buy that OCR, you know? Highlights: 'All Revved Up With No Place to Go' is the most of a bop. 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' is randomly a duet, and it's also boppish at points. And oh my gosh, it's where the Wand-Off intro is from (any RHAP fans out there???). The wiki for ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad’ says that the title is “66% is good enough” in Japanese, which is the sort of translation fun fact people like. I am people. (That song is just OK. 66% maybe.)

Never heard of this artist before! I like her voice; it's kinda like a British(/Kittitian?) Tracy Chapman. Some snoozers in the bunch, but overall pleasant.

Hooray! A Christmas Album...for me! (And everyone). I know a lot of these songs already, so of course I'm predisposed to like it more. Highlights: 'White Christmas', 'Frosty the Snowman', 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer', 'Christmas' (mainly because it's on the SNL Christmas special every year), 'Winter Wonderland', 'Sleigh Ride' (hehe horse noises), 'Marshmallow World' (spelled wrong on the cover? I never heard this one before, but it's not even necessarily about Christmas, which I like) Fun Facts I told my parents and now I will put here: 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' was written for Montgomery Ward! 'Silent Night' is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Site!! Phil Spector says "thank" with a voiced interdental!

I like Leonard Cohen; he's a lyrics-first guy with a distinctive voice. And this album is so sad, which is why I never listened to it ('til now). Still good though.

This album cover looks like one I'd create. Good font. Not too visually complex. 5/5 album cover. The tracks are eh. This album has mad acclaim, but I still don't like Tweedy's voice. It's too generic! How can I get into a generic voiced singer?! The lyrics are just OK. This feels a bit like a Death Cab for Cutie album but with worse lyrics, worse singing, and more creative (and usually better) instrumentation. The line "there's a war on" always read as British to me, but now I've learned (thanks to American Wilco) that it's just old-timey. 'Jesus, Etc' is a good song title, I'll give 'em that. 'Poor Places' started strong and ended with an aural assault! More like Alpha Hotel Hotel >:(

Nostalgia intensifies! When The Strokes were all over the MTV2 Rock Countdown, I was 'meh' about them, but now I just like them for being on the MTV2 Rock Countdown. They have a pretty distinctive sound, which means that all the songs sound the same (aka like 'Reptilia'), but again... it's very nostalgic. And all songs are under 4 minutes, which I like. Highlights: 'Is This It', 'Hard to Explain'

I haven't listened to much of this band before. They have good energy. Very "90s sitcom intro" vibe. I never noticed there's a "coo coo ca choo" in 'Mrs Robinson' before. Highlight: 'Confetti'

The title "Southern Rock Opera" is like nightmare fuel for me. Add in "Truckers" and "1.5hr runtime" and I've really formed some rock-bottom expectations. And those expectations... were met. The subject matter is respectable; the lyrics are engaging, but I just can't handle the presentation. They did a good job with the Lynyrd Skynyrding, but Lynyrd Skynyrding is like my anti-pizza (even when it's good, it's bad).

Evokes the feeling of watching an old Shakespeare movie in my middle school English class. Generally pleasant. The continued proliferation of musicians on this list referencing other musicians on this list makes me smile. Highlights: 'Cloudy', 'Homeward Bound'

Aw! I feel like I manifested this one since I've been talking about it a lot lately. I don't have this album, but my mom does, so I've listened to the whole thing before. It's got a lot of qualities I like: 90s, female singer, Canadian, unique voice, it's now a musical. Fun fact: Alanis (as God in Dogma) was the very first "celeb I was told I look like" (although I don't see it, I think we both just had very long hair). Speaking of long... this album is a little bit long. A little bit samey. But it produced a lot of hits, and I still like it. Highlights: 'You Oughta Know', 'Right Through You', 'You Learn', the line "you held your breath and the door for me" (I have a draft about these funny half-idiomatic conjunctions waiting to be published.... waiting....), 'Ironic'

Weird to listen to this album now! It's almost quaint. I can definitely see its influence. The VH1 hype machine really talked it up in the 90s-00s. As a listening experience, it's mostly fine. Fewer slurs than Green Day, props for that. Highlights: 'It's Tricky' (possibly due to SNL exposure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCUKya4gLFM ), 'You Be Illin'' (I'm always here for the lols), 'Proud to be Black' (satisfying rhyme scheme)

Lenny, we meet again! This is so old it sounds like Simon and Garfunkel. Very peaceful. Not a top album cover. Also not my favorite Leonard Cohen era, apparently, although maybe I'd change my mind if I listened a few more times. But as of now, it's a little bit boring, I fear. Highlights: 'Sisters of Mercy' (a bit like I'm playing a 90s RPG), 'So Long, Marianne' (classic)

Never heard of this band before. I like the fonts on this album cover. Vocals are like Talking Heads but dialed up to 15 (and therefore pretty darn annoying). I cycled through {"I don't like this", "Wait, maybe it's OK", "I like this bit"} many times. The Sweet Home Alabama/Drunken Sailor song really took me out. '(Pa) Ubu Dance Party' was a high point, at least for a moment. What can I say? This sure is eclectic. But if I don't know if I like it, then I probably don't like it.

A lot more artists started in the 60s than I'd realised. Gosh. Despite the name, this sounds more "oldies" than "country" to me, so I liked it more than I expected.

Got this one on annual "George quits the band" day! This album cover is the one that gave me the most trouble in college when I was trying to learn who was who, because hair is my major person-identifier. I think I've got it now though (Paul, Ringo, John, George, right? :p) Unfortunately I fear my highlights are just "ones I've heard before (minus 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'I Wanna Be Your Man')", which is all my brain can handle at this time. All the songs are relatively short and sweet though. Highlights: 'It Won't Be Long', 'All My Loving', 'Till There Was You', 'Hold Me Tight', 'You Really Got a Hold on Me' (adverbs!)

I have this album! (#2!) And I still like it just as much as I did when I got it*. After Luke Combs's's cover of 'Fast Car', I feel Tracy & this album are having a (small) renaissance, which is nice. The lyrics certainly still apply, which is not nice. *When I first heard Fast Car on the radio, before my Internet era, it was one of those ":o I must learn what this is" songs (and luckily it wasn't too hard to find out because my parents knew what it was when I asked about it). She had such a unique voice compared to the other songs I was hearing on pop radio. It did take me a while to appreciate the non-Fast Car songs, since they're a lot more acapella (which I found boring at the time), but I got there eventually. Highlights: 'Fast Car' (duh), 'Baby Can I Hold You', 'Why?', 'If Not Now...'

This is another one that I've never listened to, not because I haven't heard of them, just because I'm not a big hip hop head. My friend Alex was a fan of these guys, though, so I do have a positive association. They sound 90s, which isn't terrible (listenable, not offensive) but doesn't compel me either (am I looking for more edge? idk). Lucien *is* a cool name. 'Bonita Applebum' is referenced or sampled in so many other songs. Thus concludes my thoughts. Highlights: The line 'it'll take a minute rice', 'Can I Kick It?', 'Ham 'N' Eggs' (always here for the lols)

This is a funny album cover. I liked this album a lot. The first song is very evocative of space, and Elvis. Two of my recent interests. The title is from a nice book quote. I learned from reading about this album that Dr. John (neutral) is not the same person as Dr. Luke (bad). Also that "space rock" is an attested genre, and related to "shoegaze", which I always wondered about. I think I'm no closer to understanding it, but I do like space rock. The album felt very cohesive to me, which in theory is the point of albums, but in practice I rarely find to be the case. Highlights: 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space', 'Stay with Me', 'Electricity' (I want a mashup of this and the Schoolhouse Rock 'Electricity, Electricity'), 'Broken Heart' (very orchestral), 'Cool Waves' (very electro-gospel) Lowlights: 'The Individual' (most of the Noises on this album were acceptable to me, but all of the unacceptable ones were here, on this track, comprised of 4 minutes straight of BLRRRRRRZZZZ squeak squeak BLRRRRRZZZ)

I was excited for this (90s British lady "electro-folk"!) but it did not particularly resonate with me. Like a country-infused Alanis Morissette at times, a slightly cheerier Sarah McLachlan at others. Maybe my problem is with (a) the tempo and (b) the drums, such as they are? I dunno. Highlight: 'Couldn't Cause Me Harm' Lowlight: 'Stolen Car' (gave me a very bad first impression)

I always liked Nick Drake songs, from what I know of them. Which is not much, because I had no idea he died so long ago & so young (and from an amitriptyline overdose??!??!). Wikipedia never turns up good news on these [1001 album] people. So though you might think "ah, he's just famous because he died young", I had the benefit of ignorance, and point being I liked him before all that. Cheers to me. 'Hazey Jane II' has Belle & Sebastian vibes. 'At the Chime of a City Clock' does too, but it also has sweeping strings + jazzy horn*. B&S should take notes! 'Hazey Jane I' is one of the first Nick Drake songs I heard, so it feels very prototypical to me (and not at all B&Sey :)). Actually, listening now it sounds a lot like 'Orange Sky' by Alexi Murdoch. Speaking of Sky, 'Northern Sky' is also a lot like 'Orange Sky'. Vaguely uplifiting, but not too peppy. Nice album. Nice to hear a flute that isn't my neighbor tooting her little toots while I'm trying to sleep. Nice not to have any extraneous "bad" songs. *I had a crisis of conscience about whether a saxophone counts as a horn, but Wiki says it does.

This album cover is good. I've never heard of Jimmy Smith, but based on this, he's pretty cool. I like that there is a genre called "hard bop". If it were me I'd say these are more like "chill bops" though. Nothing super captivating, but I'm not mad at it.

Wiki says Kate Bush's next album is called "Aspects of the Sensual World". How Chomskyan! This feels extremely of its time and extremely Kate Bush, which are not bad things, but make me smile in that way that things that are extremely how they are do. I like that she says sen[s]ual, which is apparently British. Highlights: 'Love and Anger' (my top 2 emotions), the first part of 'The Fog' that sounds like a 90s RPG 's town music. I'm starting to have a crisis of faith about the consistency of my ratings. But I think this was solidly "fine".

I'm ashamed to admit that knowing Sting is in the Police is one of those things I think I've learned at least 5 times. They're just too firmly embedded as an "pre-me-listening-to-music" band, and inexorably linked with Genesis in my mind (because of an isomorphic "wait, really?" fact with Phil Collins, and, apparently, Peter Gabriel). I wonder if there are any solo artists who make it big and then go on to be a band, or if it's only the other way around. Anyway, I know 'Message in Bottle' already, which is a mid-level bop. I also like 'Walking on the Moon' because it sounds very similar to the other Police songs I know (and it is reggae-y). 'Contact' too. Lowlight: 'No Time This Time' (frenetic! not in a fun way!)

Is this the Offspring? That's my only comparison. Except they're Irish! Maybe that's why I'm somewhat compelled by this, even though the lyrics aren't doing much for me and the sound is, in some ways, generic. But they do sound to me like they're newer than they are, and there's some intriguing vowels. The 'Under the Boardwalk' cover isn't my favorite, but if I had never heard the song before, maybe I would like it. Vague Highlights: 'Hypnotised', 'Hard Luck' Vague Lowlights: 'What's With Terry' (just seems a bit mean, unless Terry is a famous politician I don't know about)

Like the Beatles, Oasis is currently having a major cultural renaissance in my peer group, so this is well-timed for me. Seeing 'Gary Glitter' as a writer for the first song was (yet another) 1001 albums "oh no" moment, but fear not, it was only the one song. I like the album cover. The songs themselves are fine, but I think Blur won the Britpop battle of my heart. Liam does sound remarkably John Lennon-y though, which is fun. Noel sounds more 90s to me. This has been my Oasanalysis. Highlights: 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger', 'Champagne Supernova' (duh), 'Morning Glory' (they say the album name !)

Flashback to Gossip Girl, which was my first exposure to this album. I don't usually like r&b much (too slow!) but this is a (mild) exception. I like the electro vibes. Plus Frank Ocean seems like a cool guy. (A cool guy who still drops a few slurs once he lulls you into thinking there won't be any, but nevertheless.) Highlights: 'Thinkin Bout You', 'Sweet Life', 'Super Rich Kids', 'Pyramid', 'Lost', the fact that 'Forrest Gump' "serves as a metaphor for the feelings Ocean still harbors for his first love, the man he wrote about in his Tumblr post"

This is a good one for me to listen to, because my priors were: I don't like Lauryn Hill (based almost entirely on one song that was popular), I don't really like 'Killing Me Softly', and therefore, I don't like the* Fugees. Even though I know they're highly acclaimed! I know! But I do like Wyclef Jean! Am I a huge sexist? I mean, the data speaks for itself. Anyway, so I had the impression they were mostly slow jams, and they are not: they are mostly raps. For me, this is an upgrade. Also they make so many media references, and since this is 1995, I know them! The slur count is nonzero though, which is a (near-inevitable given the genre) downgrade. Highlights: 'Ready or Not', 'Fu-Gee-La' (hearing the 8000 remixes actually made me like it more and not less, especially the ~global~ one), the line "lyrics fast like Ramadan", 'The Mask', 'No Woman, No Cry', the fact that 'Outro' is basically spoken credits Retroactively obvious realisations: omg, 'Fugees' is short for 'refugees'! *OK apparently there is no "the" in their name, which is something I always find grammatically difficult (I think we had another band like this, although I forget who it is -- (the) Talking Heads, maybe?). Anyway, if I had said "I don't like Fugees", now that I know "Fugees" is short for "Refugees", that seems open to problematic interpretation, so I put the "the" even though it's wrong. l a n g u a g e

Nothing like some "country rock" to make you appreciate all the other genres, you know? This guy (from the Byrds, previously) has a little bit of a Bob Dylan warble. Unfortunately he also has those twangy guitars. He died in his 40s, too. What a downer this list is! Actually, these songs are not unpleasant to listen to - nice and mellow. But they are also boring. Even 'Stand By Me' is like, 200% worse here. Highlights: 'One in a Hundred' (American Pie-esque)

Never heard of them, so no idea what to expect with this one. The good news is that they aren't boring and the noises (though there are noises, beep bloop), lyrics, and singing are acceptable to me. Still, I bet there are jokes in the other reviews about them rightfully not being the Alpha Band. And those jokes would make sense, because they aren't really tops, they're just okay. Highlights: 'Human Being', 'Dragon', 'Quiet' (the sun and the people DO blind me!!) Lowlights: the rhyme scheme of 'Life'

More Beatles! I bet all of their albums are on here. Lucky for me I don't actually know how many albums they have. Could be 900 more for all I know. I used to like 'Eleanor Rigby', but it was the soundtrack for a presentation I did in college and I listened to it at least 50 times in the process of getting the timing right, so now I'm weary of it. I do like the song with the sitar in it, but the title ('Love You To') is mysterious and despite the mountains of Beatles lore, I can't find a definitive answer to what the heck it means. George >:( I like 'Good Day Sunshine'. That's a peppy little number. Same for 'And Your Bird Can Sing'. And 'Got to Get You into My Life' (there're horns!) The rest of the songs didn't captivate me, which is possibly just because I haven't heard them before (except 'Yellow Submarine', which I do like, but if I heard it 50 more times I doubt that I would). So I think this is my least favorite Beatles album of the ones we had so far, although it's still a solid album, just not my style (=short poppy bangers).

I always used to mix up Bush and Rush. After listening to this album I don't think that'll be a problem for me anymore. Bush is the band I like, and Rush is the band who credited Ayn Rand in the liner notes. OK, that's a bit harsh (even if it's true). I do in fact like 'Tom Sawyer', which is Rush-not-Bush, although that's not on this album. Plus Geddy Lee is my hairdo twin, whereas Gavin Rossdale was simply Gwen Stefani's boyf. Anyway, starting off with a 20min guitar-heavy song here isn't really my idea of a good time, but I do find the mini-musical plot cute (and evocative of both Meat Loaf & Hedwig and the Angry Inch). They have a distinctive sound which is at the same time similar to other bands, but I bet Rush came before a lot of those bands, being from the 70s(!!). I appreciate that they aren't boring, but I also find it hard to take this kind of music seriously (and I'm not sure if I'm even supposed to). I never heard of "prog" before this website, and now it's font size 16 in my life wordcloud, but I still don't quite "get it". That's worth a 3 from me I guess.

Adele seemed much older than 21 to me at the time this came out, even though I was well aware of her age (which is indeed the same as my age). I didn't like 'Chasing Pavements', the single from her earlier album (too Norah Jonesy), but this is a big upgrade for me -- a quintessential "pop" album. Pretty catchy songs, solid voice, heavy media saturation. Highlights: 'Rumour Has It', 'Set Fire to the Rain', 'He Won't Go', 'Someone Like You' Lowlights: 'Take It All' (bit of a snoozefest), 'Lovesong' (hard to win me over with a cover, especially a way-smooth-jazzier one)

Darn it, I accidentally lost my notes again. And this album was so long!! But as Rihanna's tattoo teaches us, 'never a failure, always a lesson'. Anyway, I said something about how after Stevie's last album I was excited for this one, but the first song did not live up to the hype. Things picked up after that, but I didn't love this album as much as I hoped I would (even though it's never BAD). Highlights: 'Village Ghetto Land', 'I Wish', 'Pastime Paradise' (!), 'Saturn' (someone's gotta make a SZA mashup)

What a voice! Very British. If this is "power pop" I'll eat my hat. (Update: The wiki list of power pop artists is making me have to eat a lot of hats...) At first I thought I might like this, but it turns out I really don't. Too muddled. Highlights: 'Creature of Doom', the absurd line "I love my mother but I wouldn't want to have sex with her", 'No Peace for the Wicked', rhyming "calm" with "harm"

Sometimes described as "the Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop", eh? Probably by Jim Shearer, former host of the MTV2 Rock Countdown! The main Beastie Boys association I have is "that man sure loves the Beastie Boys". For me, they're kind of nostalgic, I guess, but that feeling only sustains me for a few minutes, and this album is much longer than a few minutes. Not really my thing, Jim Shearers aside. Lotta egg talk. Highlights: the phrase "bald feet".

Uh oh, I was in a fugue state when I listened to this. I like the Cure, so it was pleasant background, but none of the songs snapped me out of my "MUST GRADE 50000 PAPERS AHH" haze, so I don't think it hit 4-territory, which it might have done if it were a little more good. More gooder. On the high end of 3 though, much better than Wilco, here's hoping they have another album later that I can appreciate a bit more.

Childhood me mixed up Ice Cube and Ice-T all the time (not Vanilla Ice - he wasn't an actor!), just as adult me mixed up Rush and Bush. All that to say I was very much not in the loop when this album was happening. But I am now in the loop. Relatedly, I like that when you search for "Ice Cube or Ice-T" the preview of the top Quora result is: "Are Ice-T and Ice Cube related? Yes, as they both come from Japanese families where the family name (what Americans call the “last name”) comes first," :) I don't have much to say about this album. It was good, ignoring the copious slurs (which is hard for me to do with music I don't already like). Pretty solid 90s hip hop, good beats. Was surprised to discover this album is the origin of the phrase "on like Donkey Kong" although NOT the origin of "eat 'em up yum" or "#1 with the bullet" (I checked). And 'Check Yo Self' does NOT sample 'Shoop'?! Nor vice versa? How!?! 'It was a Good Day' is a classic. Unfortunately this album is an hour long so I had a lot of time to think "nope, these lyrics are not for me" even while the non-offensive bits are solid.

Another Beatles so soon! But I have it in my mind that this is one of my favorite Beatles albums... let's see if that's true. I did not realise 'Drive my Car' is from the lady's perspective! Suddenly, a relatable bop. Beep beep, beep beep, yeah. Wait, she doesn't even have a car and the car is a metaphor? Don't make it weird, Beatles. I first heard 'Norweigian Wood' from playing it in my "Beginning Piano" 2-credit fun course in college. After hearing 20 of us noobs slowly play our way through it, dozens of times? I still like it. I like all of their sitar songs so far! And ones with animals in? (birds, Octopus, Piggies...?) I also like 'You Won't See Me' (even if the title is similar to 'You Don't Send Me' and liable to be mixed up with that by me, a master mixer-upper). 'Nowhere Man' and 'Think for Yourself' are just OK. 'The Word' is not great. This is the doldrums of the album. I don't think I'd actually heard 'Michelle' before, but I like it. The idea of Paul McCartney singing in French makes me lol. 'What Goes On' is just OK. I like 'Girl', although that may be because it's in the lauded film 'Across the Universe'. 'I'm Looking Through You' is decent. 'In My Life' is great and makes me sad. 'Wait' and 'If I Needed Someone' are good. 'Run For Your Life' is of course lyrically bad, but honestly it's so jangly I kind of like it. Long story shorter: yes! I do like this album! my favorite Beatles yet. It still feels like it'd be too big of a deal for me to give this my first 5, but it's like a 4.5. (It's hard to calibrate my ratings when I don't know what's to come! Maybe Wilco is actually a 5! Maybe all my bad days are actually good!)

Here's a guy I've only heard the name of! I did not expect straight country. For the first two songs, I thought: his voice + the plucky guitar sound is something I associate with kids music, albeit beloved kids music, and I just can't get into it for more serious topics. The lyrics are good though. After a couple more songs, I got slightly used to it(?) and could appreciate it more. But then 'Paradise' was back into the 'Children's Favorites' style. I dunno. A bit of a (lowkey) rollercoaster all the way through, in this way. Never unpleasant, though. Big "it's not you, it's me" energy on this one.

Some artists are so famous that it's hard for me to assess them with a fresh eye! Like, 'Respect' is great, but it's "BBC Proms" great, not "listening while I'm driving" great. (Although "sock it to me" is a funny little phrase.) And so I enjoyed this album, but in the way I like watching an old movie once in a while, not the way I like binging a reality show always and forever. Highlights: 'Soul Serenade' (& learning that there is an instrument called the 'saxello'), 'Don't Let Me Lose This Dream' (like zippy elevator music)

Look at you in your little coat, Paul Simon! Writing songs named after 親子丼! Making up guys called "Lincoln Duncan"! Singing the classic lyric "Went to my doctor yesterday / Aaaah"! I like all of it, but other than 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard' (which is a 5/5 song), and 'Paranoia Blues', everything's just a little too mellow for my taste.

Hmm. Is this tango for the sake of tango, or is it actually good? Since I know nothing about tango, it's hard to say. But do I enjoy it? Eh, it's fine. Pros: I like instrumental music with strings and piano. It's pleasant and sometimes interesting. Cons: This is live (as you'd expect, I guess), so there's applause, which is distracting. And it turns out I am not a big vibraphone fan.

What on earth -- Emmylou Harris is this old!??!?! I thought she was like, 28. Maybe I mixed her up with the Vance Joy song 'Emmylou'. That's pretty bad if so. Well, this enterprise continues to be extremely educational. As for the main man: I had never heard of Gram Parsons before. More country. But sad duet country! (With Emmylou!) That's the pinnacle of the genre. However, pinnacle of the genre still gets a 3. Sorry. Highlights: '$1000 Wedding', 'Love Hurts' (another cover)

Well, I don't *like* the album cover, but it does look like a meme from Da Share Zone, so it has something going for it. Somehow I've avoided Megadeth until now. After listening, it turns out that was the right choice. But they honestly aren't that intense, just kinda... hard rock. I think I expected more growling. Either way, this much electric guitar is not for me. Not my scene! + Reading that the bass line from 'Peace Sells' (the song) was the intro to MTV news made me go "oh yeah!" but I don't think I would have noticed on my own. So, it's apparently not very distinctive (for me).

As a linguist, I like this a lot, because - quote from the band - "We always try to sing in as many languages as possible. The languages we speak every day are Songhoy, Bambara, French, and English." How many Songhoy language albums are on this list? I bet not a lot! (Although maybe I'm wrong, since I never would have predicted this one, either.) As a non-linguistic listening experience, it's chill & pleasant, but nothing that'll stick with me (even though the band's story is obviously compelling). A 3 with a side of respect. Highlights: 'Irganda', "Petit Metier' , 'Desert Melodie'

I haven't even rated 100 albums yet and I'm still thinking "wait, didn't we have this one already?". But I sure feel like I had this one already. Classic sweater cover. I was too tired to really focus on it, but this was pleasant. I liked the song about being a jam fan. And the hazy shade of winter one (don't tell me the title...). The zoo one is potentially good. Yep: pleasant.

This was also pleasant, although very hard to track down all the songs of online. I like the instrumentals better than the singing ones, but both are mildly enjoyable. I already know 'Theme from Shaft' because it's on some compilation CD (of movie/TV themes), so I particularly like that one, but whether it's due to familiarity or inherent bangerness, I cannot say.

They had indie rock in the 80s? Just kidding, kinda. This is so indie it wasn't on spotify! Unfortunately, I like it. A little bit of a folksy/country voice, but definite indie guitar and lyrics. 'Western Song' apparently is Nick Drake inspired, and I hear it, as well as Pearl Jam inspiring, which I guess I hear also. Pleasant. A nice pleasant streak this week.

I really know only the hits of Elton John, but I like them all moderately well. They do sound pretty same-y to me though. Pretty impressive that he managed to sound basically the same for so long! Highlights: 'Tiny Dancer' (with thanks for giving us a classic mondegreen example), 'All the Nasties'

Finally, an album that came out during my lifetime! I've never heard this one in particular, but I must have their first greatest hits (?) album, because I know a lot of these songs. Pretty, pretty good. Stipe also has such a unique voice that I know instantly these are R.E.M. songs, which actually isn't true of that many artists on this list for me. I find it comforting to know who I'm listening to. I like that there are lots of background strings. Feels very ~sweeping~. Apparently REM later thought 'The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite' was too light for this album, but that is one of the saddest songs here to me! Anyway, I like that one. (Wiki says 'Call me when you try to wake her up' is misheard as 'Call Jamaica'? Umm, OK. I could imagine thinking it's 'Go and try...", but I don't know where the people are coming from with that one. Not making my mondegreen slides, let's just say that.) On the other hand, 'Everybody Hurts' I guess is heavier(?), but is way more uplifting, at least lyrically. It's a fine song, but a little too sleepy for my preference. Feels like a spiritual counterpart to 'Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen', about which I have similar feelings. 'Ignoreland' is rough in every sense. 'Star Me Kitten'? What kind of a name is---oh I see. Highlights: 'Sweetness Follows', 'Nightswimming' 🥺, 'Man on the Moon'

Wow, we're on a hot streak of modernity! I didn't realise Black Mirror (the show) was partly inspired by the Arcade Fire song. So, I like indie, Canadians, and baroque pop, but somehow Arcade Fire never really hit for me: the vocals are a little too muddled in the music for my preference, I think. However, I adore 'No Cars Go'; it's one of my favorite songs (in general, not just on this album). On the strength of that track alone this album gets a '4'. Other Highlights: 'Intervention', 'Black Wave/Bad Vibrations'

Siouxsie Sioux! My middle school friend Melissa was very into her, so I learned how to pronounce that name at an early age, but I never actually listened to a single track until now. It's OK. Not really my thing, but I don't hate it. This is like a 2.5, but I'll round up because a lot of my favorite artists (and Moso) seem to like them. Highlight: 'Into the Light'

Wow, I'm so happy to get all these artists I actually know! Finally, things are coming up Milhouse. Now to be clear, I don't really like Linkin Park. In fact I made fun of them many times in the 2000s. The yelly rapping is not something I enjoy. But at the same time, C.Bennie's voice induces some serious nostalgia, because they were all over the radio and the rock countdown at a very formative time in my music life. I know people will disagree, and they may be correct to do so, but I think Hoobastank does this style of music better. :D: Highlight: 'In the End'

This band was a recent discovery for me after I heard 'Brimful of Asha' a few years ago - I don't think they really "made it" here across the pond. But I like them. Bonus Punjabi content for the linguists! Listening to this album all together, the songs are pretty samey, rhythm-wise. But I like the samey that they are ["sleep on the left side" = "brimful of asha" = "mar mar o'sharle"] and it isn't boring for me (yet), as I've only heard their songs a few times. Good, chill vibes. Some of the tracks were a little bit filler-y, but they were pleasant filler and not annoying skits (:)) so I won't knock it for that. Highlights: 'Brimful of Asha', 'Good to Be on the Road Back Home', 'Norwegian Wood' (c.f. my earlier comments about Beginning Piano class)

Yay! I have this album! (#3). Now that it's been 21 years (!) I can admit that I mainly got it because I liked the video for Mr. Brightside, and I thought the rest of their songs were just OK. (I still think "Mr. Brightside" is the best song here - it deserves its Millennial wedding crowdpleaser status.) This is also an aesthetically pleasing album cover. It's a pretty good album, though. A lot of hits, and the last-half relative snoozers aren't too bad. They should have kept it in the book! Also, reading that 'Mr Brightside' was played on & therefore overlapped with The OC is like those "the pyramids were built at the same time as the telephone" kinds of facts for me. How is that possible!? D: Highlights: 'Mr Brightside', 'All These Things That I've Done' (&"I've got soul but I'm not a soldier"), 'Andy, You're a Star'

Another 90s album! This one really sounds it, too. I don't have any Soundgarden albums, but I do have Audioslave album(sg.), so I was excited to hear this. This album cover is pretty unaesthetic though. Well, turns out I like Audioslave more than Soundgarden. The electric guitar + drums combo is a lot stronger here... you could even say it's something like a garden of Sound! I do like that all the wacky time signatures were apparently accidental. Highlights: 'Black Hole Sun', '4th of July', 'Like Suicide'

And back to traditional 1001 album fare we go. I like the album cover. This is my favorite S&G album so far, I think, in no small part because of 'Cecilia' (which is in no small part because of this beloved comedy video from my college era, 'Simon and Carfunkel' (bad for headaches though, honk): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5kBOZBxF5k ). I'm a little too sleepy to pay proper attention to this album, but in my defense, some of these (non-Cecilia) songs are very conducive to a snooze. Pleasant little snooze though. Wiki also says a lot of these songs are secretly about Garfunkel, which is cute/weird/interesting/sad. Highlights: 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Cecilia', 'The Boxer', 'Bye Bye Love' (which we had before with Ray Charles!)

I know exactly one Echo & the Bunnymen song: 'The Killing Moon', from Rock Band 3. That song is not on this album, but its essence certainly is. I deem this genre "80s Brit-goth". Enjoyable enough, but not remarkable.

So many people I could mix Buffalo Springfield up with... Rick Springfield, Buffalo Bill from the Beatles song 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill', Dusty Springfield, etc, etc. But it turns out Buffalo Springfield is actually a band and not a person! And one of the Buffaloes is Neil Young! Also, Stills is there. I don't know anything about Neil Young's whole deal (clearly), but this album did not make me want to learn more. It sounds old - not in a nostalgic way, but in a way I feel I must suffer through. Maybe the next 8 million Neil Young&co exposures will change my tune. I like the album title though. Highlight: 'Broken Arrow' (some nice elevator music moments in there)

(the) Pixies are another one of those bands I'm vexed there's not a "the" in! I should have started a list of those. Anyway, yay, a band I like. Maybe because I was negative years old when it came out, I never saw this topless lady album cover, so I wondered "was there a different version in the US?", but the answer is no. This makes the Strokes 'Is This It?' alt-US cover seem extra weird to me, but I guess it's more up to the artist & label than any album cover ~rules~. Also, going down this rabbit hole, I read that some scandalous albums were only sold in paper bags, something I just associated with alc 'til now. I wonder what other indecent things I haven't been buying that I could've gotten in a paper bag! Cigars?? Lottery tickets?? Anyway, speaking of things that are subjective, I enjoyed this album a lot even though I imagine someone else might think it's just noise. The tracks are short and nothing overstays its welcome. Highlights: 'Gigantic', 'Where is My Mind?' (great, but overused in media), the line "soy playero pero no hay playa" (the spiritual prequel to "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier") Lowlights: 'Something Against You' (OK, maybe this one is just noise)

U2 is a lot like Coldplay for me in terms of how I feel about them (vaguely annoyed, bored, well at least they're familiar). There are certainly a lot of hits on here. Highlights: 'Where the Streets Have No Name' (only because one of my favorite songs is "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and therefore I also like the Pet Shop Boys' 'Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)'), 'Running to Stand Still'

Hey, I like an album from the 70s! How bout that. (And it's a much more aesthetic topless lady album cover than the Pixies one... modulo the, uh, 14-yr-old cosplay.) I can't remember how I first got into Serge Gainsbourg, probably via Placebo, but of course I'm gonna like trip-pop en français. Maybe best that I don't think too hard about the lyrics on this one, though. The whole thing is like one long, chill song with pleasant string instrumentals. also, relevant tweet (from @tomwalkerisgood):: KOKO: Koko birkin bag. Practical Koko possession bag RESEARCHER: No, Koko. You can’t have a Birkin bag. KOKO: Good Birkin good Koko give beautiful Koko deserve gorilla RESEARCHER: Koko, we simply can’t afford a Birkin bag. It is an unjustifiable expense. KOKO: jealousy professor :)

Yeah, you know I used to mix up GZA, RZA, and SZA. I've got SZA down now, but maybe this'll help me flesh out the paradigm. Liquid Swords is a cool name, but the album cover is a little much for me. Put that one in a paper bag!! Anyway, on to the tracks. I would have sworn I've never heard this album in my life, but all the titles are super familiar, so maybe I've actually listened to it before, in college or something. Very clean flow, no songs I think sound *bad* - it's well-made, in other words - but there are plenty of slurs, which is still not something I want to listen to. I do kinda like all the Shogun Assassin samples, because it reminds me of a Robin Skouteris mashup. Lotta Medina talk. Highlight: 'Gold'

I don't know this album, but it's 90s euro-pop, so I'm bound to like it. Turns out I've actually heard a lot of these songs before, and Jacques Lu Cont (who I do know, mainly in his remixing capacity) has an absurd amount of aliases. Now one of the great things about music is that it can burrow into your sense memory to take you back to the moment you listened to it, many years later. But that is also one of the terrible things, because sometimes the moment is bad! Anyway - that's not this album's fault. Lowlights: 'Soft Machine' (bad lyrics!), the fact that a 'Juicy'/'(Hey You) What's That Sound?' mashup is gonna be stuck in my head for the foreseeable future Highlights: all the rest ('About Funk' & 'Sometimes' especially)! yep, even the quacky 'Disco II Disco' :>

Kendrick sure had a star turn (Superbowl 2025) since our last album from him. As before, I really like these songs, with one major caveat (=good tracks, S.L.U.r city). I don't have enough mental wherewithal to separate the message & musicality from my instinctive "augh" reaction every few seconds, so, this one gets a 3. Maybe in the future it'd be a higher score. I do appreciate how naturally each song flows into the next one - you don't get that too much with albums anymore.

UCLA sucks! ✌️ This album cover does not suck. Somehow I've never seen it before, but I find it extremely compelling. Tiny diagonal lowercase text, dog, shoe. The cornerstones of any major work of art. A double album is asking a lot from me, but this is actually just the length of a single album nowadays, so it's not too bad. I like Fleetwood Mac for many non-musical reasons (in addition to the album cover): 1. So much band lore!! (enough to inspire that bad(?) Amazon show?) 2. Multiple singers, including cool ladies 3. Classic Lindsay Buckingham bit on SNL 4. USC marching band plays many of their hits (and are literally on this album) ✌️ But as a listening experience, maybe it's not quite all that? I'm not sure. Folky pop-rock, occasionally feels like a proto-magnetic fields with fewer instruments. I think I actually like the Lindsay songs the best. Highlights: 'The Ledge', 'What Makes You Think You're the One', 'Never Make Me Cry' (Shirley Simms-esque!), 'Tusk' (duh)

42 songs?! 2+ hours?! 70s?! country!? In this economy?! OK, I'm gonna try to give it a fair shake. I like the idea of a compilation of a bunch of different artists, including at least, but I think also at most, one lady (Maybelle Carter). There are a lot of funny lyrics here; too many for me to list. I also burst out laughing at 'The Precious Jewel', which starts with some bants about how the first take is the best take, and then the singing is the most unlistenable warbly bay of all time. Took me right out. 'Dark as a Dungeon' is solid. 'Black Mountain Rag' is jaunty. Every Acuff song is an ironic delight. I mean, the vowels! I'm creishing out. I think the second disc is all instrumental. Wait, no, there's some more warbly singing. Whew, this is a long album. It just keeps going. Towards the end is 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken', which is pretty good. A lot of these songs are religious in nature, but Circle feels more like a straight gospel track then whatever else is going on on this album (the aural inspo for Disney's Fox and the Hound, maybe?). Then comes a total blindside in the form of 'Both Sides Now', one of my top songs of all time and also #1 on my "please play this at my funeral" playlist (which is a normal playlist that I'm sure everyone has!!). I was terrified to hear the Nitty Gritty version, but it was actually just instrumental, thank god. Extremely acceptable, even nice. Following it up with 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' is an upsetting tonal shift though. Overall, this album was better than I expected, but that was partially because my expectations were rock bottom. Still, the rush of finishing it counts for a 3.

This album cover really embodies my mental state these days. Like a goth precursor to 🫠 . It doesn't much match my perception of Peter Gabriel, who I know mainly from: the song 'Down to Earth' in the movie Wall-E, covering 'The Book of Love' in a sleepy way, and the romcom classic 'In Your Eyes'. This album starts off way more industrial and eclectic, which seems like a good thing, but I don't prefer it. Also, what's up with having 4 self-titled albums? Like you're trying to convey "I don't even care about album titles!" but of course everyone else bothers to use an album title, so what makes you so special, Peter Gabriel!? Things normalize a bit as the album goes on. He's got a unique voice, which I do like. I like the horns and the exact same drums on every track. Actually it's pretty good -- I started at a 2, but this is ultimately like a 3.5 for me. Highlights: 'Start', 'I Don't Remember' (relatable, also would make a good mashup with 'Hot Blooded'), 'Games Without Frontiers', 'Lead a Normal Life' (pleasant electro bits)

Elliott Smith was extremely popular on fanmixes in the early 2000s. Basically the Snow Patrol/Death Cab of its time. Nothing bad here, but it's so mellow I don't get much out of it. Dashboard Confessional-y but not emo enough to evoke any real emotion. You get the picture.

To me this feels older than 1977. 'Mannish Boy' sounds a lot like 'Bad to the Bone', but it turns out there's a whole list of songs from the 50s on that use the same riff. (Guitar stuff isn't my area of expertise!) Anyway, if I were in the mood to listen to "oldies", this would fit the bill. There's something sociologically interesting about the first track being all "I'm a man, not a boy" (valid) and the last track being all "little girl! I want to be your man" (hm), but no need to muddy the waters with all that.

My review got deleted again >:( Crucial (er... well... sorta) points: -This is the first parental advisory I noticed on an album cover on this site. They are rarer nowadays even though they were everywhere in my youth. Turns out that's because they only started in 1990 and are (apparently) optional! -"If you have to ask, you'll never know" was actually in a Rugrats episode *before* this album came out, but you'd never know that if you google "where did this phrase come from". -I do like the Chilis, but this is not my favorite album of theirs. It's kinda samey, and too much with the funk-rap for me. Also, and maybe this is just because I'm desperately behind, it felt kinda long. I'm between a 3 and 4. Highlights: `The Righteous & the Wicked', 'Under the Bridge', 'Apache Rose Peacock' (I feel like if someone wrote a parody of a RHCP song it would be exactly this), 'They're Red Hot'

This may well be "one of the best live rock albums in history", since I don't like any other live rock albums, either, but I sure don't like this one, too. Very southern guitary rock. I have heard of the Allman Brothers (Band?) before, so I know they're popular, but I have never heard their music before and I am now mentally sorting it along with ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, and other Zzz-inducing artists. Relative Highlight: 'In Memory of Elizabeth Reed'

I've never heard of Jane Weaver, although I have heard of her band Kill Laura (sorry Laura). This is so recent, too! I thought she must just be a British thing, except this album doesn't even have a wiki page, so maybe not. It's OK. Not enough electro for me to find it interesting electro. Pleasant but boring, kind of like Elliott Smith in vibes even if not in style. I do like that the album 'Modern Kosmology' contains a song called 'Modern Kosmology' with the lyric "Modern Kosmology". (Although why is Kosmology with a K? German influence? Gnosticism?) Highlights: 'Modern Kosmology', 'Slow Motion'

From the first hundred days of this project I learned that I like "space rock", but this first Pink Floyd album, though purportedly space rock, is pretty heavy on the rock and only medium on the space. Really it's more "eerie British children's programme rock", if anything. Relatedly, I like the song about a gnome and the song about a scarecrow. And 'Bike'. What I really like is the Syd Barrett song 'Dark Globe' (not on this album), and that has a very different vibe, but maybe I just think so because I heard it much earlier.

I know there are MJ songs that I like, but they aren't really on this album (even though I do know the singles). I feel like Michael Jackson was a huge pop culture figure throughout my life, until he died (and I still remember the moment when I found out) but I never listened to his music all that much. It's not particularly emotionally evocative, I guess, or at least this album isn't, but the sound is extremely pleasant, the tempo is good, and it's marginally nostalgic. I'm at a 3.5 but I'll give it a 4 since it was better than I thought (and certainly a step above Wilco, my canonical 3). Highlights: 'I Can't Help It', 'It's the Falling in Love', there's a song called 'Off the Wall' on the 'Off the Wall' album with the lyric "off the wall"!!

Wait, The Police is Sting? Why did I think the Police is Phil Collins?? Do I just constantly mix up Genesis and The Police?? [pause for me to look at my previous Police album review] Turns out: Yes. Maybe because Police and Phil both start with 'P'. They should be called Stinglice. I'll try to remember that in case they have a 3rd album on here. This album started unimpressively, but got better in the second half. It's like a... 3.25 (probably good there's only 5 star-options, I'd go nuts with more). Highlights: 'Synchronicity II', 'Every Breath You Take' (definitely overplayed but still pretty good), 'King of Pain' (good emo character song for Me) Lowlights: 'Mother', both musically and lyrically

I know 'Epic' and it's fine. The rest is similar. The album cover is nice; it reminds me of Green Day's Dookie. Lotta guitar and drums which isn't my vibe. Song called 'The Real Thing' on the album 'The Real Thing' with the lyric "the real thing" is very much my vibe. Feels more 90s than 80s to me, which is a compliment, but I still don't enjoy listening to it (too loud). I was surprised that I actually know 'War Pigs' too (presumably the Black Sabbath version). Feels like a 2.75 (I'll stop with the fractional ratings soon, I swear).

Our second, and, hopefully, final Steely Dan album. Again, it's aggressively fine. I think I've heard 'Do it Again' before, but it's so boring that I'm not even completely sure about that. I have definitely heard 'Dirty Work' before! It's not terrible. Still excessively chill, but at least the lyrics provide some emotive contrast. The fact that 'Only a Fool Would Say That' is about John Lennon is funny and good, but somehow the song itself is neither funny nor good. Yep, overall it's not offensive or unpleasant, and more enjoyable than their other album, but nothing I'd ever choose to listen to myself.

Of all the R.E.M. albums you could listen to, this is certainly one of them. I like how all the wiki descriptions are like "turns out this song is super vague and nobody knew what it was about... if it was even about anything at all". A real English major album. I found it very comforting background noise, kind of like a Steely Dan for moms without kids (me). But none of the songs stood out to me as ones I'd want to hear again and again, even though I guess there's a chance that could change if I listened more. The album cover is interesting. Highlights: 'Laughing', 'We Walk'

I had never seen a picture of Janis Joplin before. She looks very different than she sounds! This is not necessarily my style of music, but it's the least boring album we've had in a while, and I like her distinctive voice. I may or may not mix her up with Janis Ian (less tragic) or Janice the Muppet (felt).

I've only vaguely heard of them before, and I wasn't expecting a lady singer! Dream pop is a good name for what this is. I like it. Not very exciting, which is what I want right now. A nice short album, too. Good. Highlights: 'Cherry-Coloured Funk', 'Fotzepolitic'

Didn't realise Santana was around this long, although I guess it makes sense ('Smooth' was 25 years ago, after all). Cool enough, but the coolest part was reading about the various theories on the etymology of "Abraxas" (one guy thinks it's Coptic for 'the word is adorable', which is adorable but probably not correct). Anyway, I enjoyed this, and it wasn't too loud or anything, but it also wasn't as jazzy(?) as I was expecting. Another nice brisk album though. Good but not great (or maybe, good but not my style, but not NOT my style...) Album cover is a 70s monstrosity. Put it on a sofa and put that sofa in the trash. (Sorry Mati.) Highlights: 'Oye Como Va', 'Samba Pa Ti'

Trapped in the 70s... the opposite of the land of milk and honey. This band is new to me. They're punk alright. They're British alright. Songs are short. They all sound pretty similar, but that's typical for a first listen, I suppose. The idea of eye(part) transplants always unnerved me as a kid (and adult?), so I guess they tapped into something with that Gary Gilmore joint. Highlight: 'Bored Teenagers'

Sounds like the Beatles, but album cover looks like that weird long Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album. Confusing! Generally short and poppy and nice. Also, this album title is hilarious. The only way to improve on it would be to use a different band name. I assume 'Harry Rag' is Cockney rhyming slang, which is of linguistic interest. 'Tin Solider Man' reminds me a lot of Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera ("Hide your face so that the world will never find you"). I think 'Waterloo Sunset' is the only song here I've heard before. Not sure how to rate this one, 3 or 4. It's pleasant but the sound is so "old" that I don't think I'd ever listen to this on my own. Maybe we'll be generous in hopes of someday being able to give a rating of 5!

Practically modern after those last few albums! Well, the sound is extremely of-the-time(80)s, but the production feels more modern. And the depressing lyrics to 'Sign o' the Times', of course. A double album with no hits on it, though... that's rough. 'Housequake' feels kinda like a Talking Heads parody. 'Starfish and Coffee' is very cute. I'm not generally a fan of the "slow jams about banging" genre, but among them, 'Slow Love' is pretty good. Also, the lyric "your face is jammin'/your body's heck-a-slammin'/if love is good, let's get to rammin'" in 'U Got The Look' has a certain charm - maybe I should use that when I teach about valid and invalid arguments (maybe not). It occurs to me that Prince does a lot of different little voices for different songs, which is fun. Some gender stuff going on. 'I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man' is a mild bop (with the good line "she knew he was gone to stay"). 'The Cross' is apt for this Good Friday/Easter weekend, and also pretty good. I dunno, feels like a 3 to me, albeit a good 3. Sorry Prince! You seem cool!

Somehow, I have the stereotype that liking Beck is kind of an annoying trait. But I didn't hate this. All of the songs are like: "I'm a bit mopey, here's a sad song, look at the moon? I think I will." Basically like 'Bitter Tears' from the Magnetic Fields, but a whole album of it (there's even a song called 'Lonesome Tears'!). He's got a little bit of that Alexi Murdoch/Nick Drake voice, especially on 'It's All in Your Mind'. Certainly more my speed than the other Beck stuff I've heard. Highlights: 'Lost Cause', 'Already Dead'

I have heard of Brian Eno before but had no idea what his deal was. His deal is apparently Phil Collins drumming with some electronic woobly noises mixed in and occasional uncaptivating vocals. I like the album cover -- did it inspire Conclave (2024)? Highlight: 'The Big Ship'

I thought it would be hard to take this seriously (because Flavor Flav is to me a goofy vh1 personality), but actually it wasn't. He hardly even says "Flavor Flav" (although he does say it)! The worst part for me is the frequent noise that sounds like a squeaky toy making an ambulance siren. What is that? A record scratch? A modulated kazoo? I don't know, but I hate it passionately. The actual lyrics are fine, but the beats are, imho, wack. Speaking of beats, "Beat is for Sonny Bono (Beat is for Yoko Ono)" is a line that holds multitudes. 'Don't Believe the Hype' was inspired by Noam Chomsky, but I don't think it was "Syntactic Structures" that did it. Slur count here is low (just one carefully deployed n-word, by my estimate). Fun wordplay in the song titles too. I didn't at all enjoy listening to this but I can respect it! But, this isn't a respect ranking, so it's a 2 from me.

Joni! This kind of looks like the Brian Eno album cover. Is that just what 1974-1975 was like? I like the Canadian vowel raising on "flags". To be honest, 'In France They Kiss on Main Street' is giving SNL's Garth & Kat. And 'The Jungle Line' Regina Spektor. But the rest is more Joni, who I like, but don't love, because it's all a bit too mellow for me (right now?).

Yay, a second Pixies album. Surely Doolittle has got to be on here too, then? I guess we'll see. Anyway, the fact that these songs are so short makes the frequent loudness (which would otherwise bother me immensely) palatable. I like that they have so many songs with girls' names. Just some good ol' 90s nostalgia. Highlights: 'Velouria', 'Is She Weird', 'Ana', 'All Over the World', 'Stormy Weather', 'Havalina'

Noooo. But I knew it was coming; CCR are legit famous and also right in this project's wheelhouse. This album cover is moderately compelling and nicely symmetric. These guys sure like reduplication ('ramble tamble', 'ooby dooby'). They are one of the least objectionable bands in this style, I just really don't enjoy the style. But if you do, then you must love this! Lots of hits. Highlight: 'Up Around The Bend' (I didn't realise that's what they were saying until now!)

This is like CCR but a little more generic. Not really a win. I did, in fact, frequently mix up Jim Morrison and Morrissey in college (a lot of Jim Morrison posters in dorms, though not many Morrissey ones). Nowadays I know that one is bad* (musically) and one is bad (humanly). You can guess which this one is. Highlights: 'Ship of Fools', 'The Spy' *OK, obviously not bad, but really just not my style. When I think of 70s music I think of this stuff. Fine lyrics, fine human intrigue, but an awful lot of electric guitar. At least it's short and relatively non-objectionable.

Praise be. The great thing about the random album model is that just when you start to think "my god... will I ever enjoy an album again?!" they give you a classic like this. Thank you, website. Not loving the album cover, but everything else is a go. Apparently, this too is "dream pop". And unlike their later stuff, it's in Icelandic (mostly)! Ring-a-ding-ding. I remember in the early 2000s 'Svefn-g-englar' was everywhere, and I didn't really appreciate it then, I just thought it was sad, weird, and kind of boring. Now I'm grown and I think it's sad, weird, and kind of captivating. Or maybe it's just a nostalgia boost. Either way, I like this album. Strings, piano, hardly any unpleasant electric guitar. Definitely mood music. Highlights: 'Starálfur', 'Viðrar vel til loftárása', 'Olsen Olsen'

A very good pick for the last day of classes! Alas, would that school were truly out forever. It turns out Alice Cooper's views are pretty bad, but I always liked him as a vh1 talking head. I feel like, as these things go, I didn't really dislike school, but nevertheless the song 'School's Out' always spoke to me. Also, nobody uses pencils or books anymore. Really makes you think. "School's out completely" is a wild last line. I did not expect the West Side Story interlude, but I like it. The album is cohesive and pretty good. Solid cover. To me, feels more recent than it is. It's a 3.5 -- not quite 4 territory.

Oh, hooray! This is like the Californication album cover but with some dudes sitting there. It doesn't scream "Muse". But the album is great. Peak college listening. Come to find out this too is considered "space rock"!? I mean, I guess several of the song titles suggest space, but who knew that was my secret favorite genre? Although they don't shy away from an electric guitar, Matt Bellamy has both a unique voice and a 2000s-rock-countdown-coded voice. One thing I like about Muse is that their sound is very 'thick' -- no empty spaces at all. The orange juice of music. Also, the mashup 'Teardrop Madness' is one of my all-time favorites (although 'Madness' is not on this album). Highlights: 'Starlight' (very good), 'Supermassive Black Hole' (ruined and revitalized by Twilight the Movie and college acapella, not necessarily in that order), 'Invincible' (cringey lyrics, but I appreciate the positivity, plus it reminds me of silly MCR)

This album cover makes me lol. I don't know if I've ever heard an Iron Maiden song before this. They sound a lot like a lot of other bands, some of whom are on this list (Rush, maybe?). But are they the leaders or followers? (Probably leaders?) Anyway, it's not doing anything for me, but it's not actively offensive. Like Muse, while there are a lot of guitars, the guitar is so constant that it doesn't upset me. Very even coverage with their noise-making. The lyrics are just silly. I never know how seriously I'm meant to take this kind of stuff. It feels kind of like the music they'd put in the English dub of a sports anime. Actually, after framing it like that, I like it a bit more. But I would simply never sit down and listen to this, so it's a 2.5 rounded down for me. Highlight: 'The Prisoner' (would fit right in to Sonic Adventure as a Sonic or Knuckles track!)

No idea what I was in for with this one. Album cover is giving Aqua, but group name (with weird apostrophe -- is that meant to be plural or possessive?) is giving hip-hop. Wouldn't you know, it's kind of a mix of both. Electro-pop-hop? Trip hop? I've definitely heard some of these tracks before, but I didn't realise it because I was too wee and pre-internet. In retrospect, I love it. Very 90s. I actually considered giving this a 5, which is crazy for a band I've never heard of. Every song is so mellow but with a strong beat. And there's lyrics! And no slurs! I mean, if only everything could be as chill as this. On the other hand, it would fit in nicely as in-store music at a Payless ShoeSource, a store which apparently closed down 6 years ago. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Highlights: 'Connected', 'Pressure'

Wouldn't you know, I wrote an undeservedly long review for this one (mostly about how I didn't know there were *two* Dons in the Eagles, one being Henley (no direct relation to the shirt) and one being some guy I've never heard of, yet somehow neither is Don McLean (who I like fine, by the way)) and my computer restarted and I lost it. But that's fine because the Eagles are bad. My main points: - This is 70s country to me and IDK why everyone (wiki) calls it straight-up rock. - Vocalist ranking (based on these songs): Meisner > Frey > Walsh > Henley - Hotel California is probably my favorite Eagles song, but I still dislike it very much. Perhaps if they weren't as overplayed as they are, I'd give this a 3, but it is very overplayed and I've been hating the Eagles for a long time, so I give it a 2. Maybe I'm starting to get freer with the 2s. If there's another Eagles album (god forbid), maybe it'll be a 1!!

Another 70s album, but it's OK, Bowie doesn't feel like 70s to me. I have never actually heard any of these songs before, though. Kinda eclectic sound -- to me there are 50s elements (and apparently Bowie was a big fan of Elvis but never worked with him), 60s elements (at least in the sense that I'm like "oh yeah sure this is Beatlesy in terms of the backing music"), and modern elements (David Bowie still sounds basically like the David Bowie I know from my own era, even though he looks shockingly young at this time (somehow this is still his 10th album; they sure made albums fast back in the day)). Hardly any of that 70s rock here (although to be honest, there's a bit on the beginning of 'Stay', which I could do without!). Lyrically, lots of religion & despair & girl getting eaten by a TV, which I guess are pretty eternal themes. A 6 song album seems like each song might be 20 minutes long, but they aren't. Good! Apparently he was in his pro-Fascist era during this one (ahead of the times!) but since none of that made it into the album, I continue separating the art from the artist and give it a nice 3.5 rounded up to 4. Highlight: 'Golden Years' Lowlight: 'Stay'

Ooh, this has got to be the first "they're younger than me!" artist on here. I like Lorde, although I'm not convinced she's top-1001-album worthy. But as far as Jack Antonoff-produced pop girlies of the 2010s, we could do worse. 'Green Light' was already in my liked tracks playlist, but I'd never heard this album in full before. Lorde has a unique "husky falsetto whisper" voice, which ought to be a good thing, but for some reason (sexism? maybe) I find it kind of annoying. All the tracks feel samey to me because of it. This album is the rare case where I like the music a lot (pop electro) but the vocals are not my favorite! Kinda like if someone made a Macy Gray ~ Bleachers ~ Ben Folds mashup (D:). I also thought this, from wiki (about 'Writer in the Dark') was hilarious: "the singer said she felt she made the song unique by implementing words such as "pseudoephedrine", which she said would work better in a hip hop song; she enjoyed taking standard forms and putting "spiky bits on them". Reminds me of my students trying to seem edgy :') I realise it seems like I'm being pretty negative, but as a collection of singles, I like almost every song here. I just don't want to listen to them all at once! Highlights: 'Green Light', 'Liability', 'Hard Feelings/Loveless', 'Supercut'

Maybe? Nah. I liked the instrumentals, but the rest is too much in that Rush-Iron Maiden vocal/guitar-space.

I know what Rod Stewart looks like, and that he was famous at some point (before my time surely), but I guess I mentally classed him as a Fabio-type (that is, not serious). So I was mildly pleasantly surprised by this. Just sounds like generic "oldies". He's got a very raspy voice, but unlike Lorde, it isn't unpleasant. Hmmmm @ me. Nevertheless! Supposedly there are multiple covers on this album, but I couldn't tell, because they are all Old and Not Famous. One that seems to be a cover is 'You're My Girl (I Don't Want to Discuss It)', which is a hilarious song title on the surface (although somewhat insidious on a second thought). Album cover looks like one of my poorly rasterized middle school artworks. Overall this gets one big "I guess".

This album cover *also* looks like one of my poorly rasterized middle school artworks (mixed with Spongebob). Being from the 90s, that tracks. I mostly associate Le Tigre with the alphabetically inclined hit dramas The OC and The L Word, but I never listened to them (or Bikini Kill) straight up, mainly because punk has too much yelling for me. Not my favorite genre. Lyrics are good though. And I appreciate that the songs are short. So I will round up to a 3 (although I will never listen to this again) :) Highlights: 'Hot Topic', 'What's Yr Take on Cassavetes', 'Slideshow at Free University', 'Les and Ray' (all the non-yellers!)

Yay! Modernity! I associate Franz Ferdinand with my cousin Elaine and my friend Chyna, ergo I see them as a Scottish hipster band. I didn't like them much at the time, but with some distance, they've grown on me. I actually *have* listened to this entire album before, though I don't own it. Kind of like a less good, less-distinctive version of Interpol, although I do like a couple of the tracks. A real 3.5, but I'll round up for the nostalgia. Highlights: 'Jacqueline' (I also only work when I need the money (all the time)), 'Michael' (in many a LiveJournal fanmix) Lowlight: 'Take Me Out' (so repetitive and so overplayed - I never want to hear it again)

Yahoo! I have this album! (#4). I was never a big Radioheadhead, although I do also have "Pablo Honey" (thanks to liking 'Creep' like a million other normies, probably). My college friend Alex was super excited for this album coming out, particularly because Radiohead released it online under a "pay what you want" model (one of the first to do something like that). So I paid like a dollar and got my money's worth. This didn't convert me to Radiohead fandom, but I like the album a lot -- I feel like it has more melodies than their other stuff; it's very chill, and although it's apparently not space rock ("art rock", says wiki), I feel it has a similar ethos (album cover included). Also they performed with the USC marching band at the Grammys later on, which was cool. Briefly considered a 5, but I really only love half the songs, so it's a 4. Highlights: 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi' (they had me at "fishes"), 'All I Need' (one of my top songs ever), 'House of Cards', 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place'

This album cover looks like a middle school doodle. Somehow the art sold for like 2 million bucks, though. Not a bad thing, but just sayin'. I'm so over these 70s bands! What a snoozefest! And it's over an hour, too. I like the name "Layla". Nowadays the kiddos are calling their faves "Shayla", which is another 70s song, as I understand it. Anyway, many of the songs are love songs about George from the Beatles' wife, so that's fun I guess. A 2.5, but since it was so long I will round down. Highlights: 'Keep on Growing', 'It's Too Late', 'Layla' (another rare song where the music is actually more enjoyable for me than the vocals)

I could've sworn we already had this album, but no, that was "The Sensual World". At least this starts with 'Running Up That Hill', which is the only Kate Bush song I really know, even though I think it is inferior to the Placebo cover. Running up a building is a lot more impressive than running up a hill, you know, but nobody talks about that part. I liked the album OK. It certainly has an 80s witchy vibe, which I appreciate, but it didn't particularly compel me on a first listen. Highlights: 'Running Up That Hill', 'Cloudbusting'

As established previously, I do not like a live album. I do like Cheap Trick (or at least, I liked their singles). So, very mixed feelings about this one. As an album I would never listen to it, though, so I'll give it a 2. Does anyone even like live albums? (I guess they must.) Highlights: 'I Want You to Want Me', 'Surrender'

2 live albums in a row!? I must be cursed. This one was a little more enjoyable than the Cheap Trick one, I guess because it's more jazzy which seems more inherently "live" (idk). Like, there's actual crowd interaction, which I don't want to listen to, but at least it makes sense what the appeal is. Feels 50sish to me, like Drifters vibes. If it weren't a live album I would like it! Highlights: 'Cupid'

Aha! The Beatles are back, after a long pause. This is one of the album covers I studied intently in college when I was trying to learn to ID each Beatle from pictures. It took me a while just to get that all of the ones in each row are the same guy. Of course, now I know that they're George, Ringo, John, and Paul, from top to bottom. :) I actually watched this movie for the first time last year, and it was just as old and boring as I feared. But the songs are OK. Actually, on the Beatle scale, this is one of my least favorites. Still short and poppy, but no songs that I'm super into. (By the way, when we had Rubber Soul, I said I thought that was my favorite Beatles album, but it's actually Beatles for Sale, which possibly isn't on here. I feel like a lot of artists on this list have albums I like much more than the ones that are on the list! But maybe I just didn't get to those ones yet. We shall see.) Anyway, I'm stuck between a 3 and 4 for this. It's better than the average album but not as good as the other Beatleses I gave 4s to, so a 3 it is. Sorry, Beatles. Highlights: 'A Hard Day's Night', 'Tell Me Why', 'Any Time At All'

Flugelhorn is pretty fun, but the sax parts here are my favorite. This is kind of a long album, but it's background-able, so didn't feel too long. Then again, it's background-able, so how great an album (on my personal ranking) can it really be? Thus... 3. Highlight: 'Nomali'

A 90s band I don't know?! I feel like I've seen the album cover before, but that might just be due to the popularity of crab memes among the youth. Anyway, I quickly realised I actually just intentionally memory-holed The Prodigy at a young age. This wiki quote sums the situation up: <The National Organization for Women objected to the seeming misogyny of "Smack My Bitch Up", though the band maintains that its true interpretation is "doing anything intensely". Liam Howlett observed, "That record was for the fans. Only brainless people get some stupid message out of it…"> I have a lot in common with the National Organization for Women, I guess. Not that Liam Howlett is the first to throw some spuriously defended slurs in an acclaimed album ("it doesn't mean X, it just means bad!"), but it's a shame it had to happen to one with a crab on the cover. Other than that cursed single, I don't really even like the album that much. It's electro, but it's not chill electro, more like edgy rock-based electro, like if Linkin Park wanted to make a dance record (derogatory). I see there is some Beastie Boys & Pixies crossover on this album, which makes sense. 'Breathe' and 'Firestarter' are in a lot of media I've watched, so I guess they have a certain appeal. Not for me though! I'd rather listen to Wilco! Highlight: 'Narayan'

Solid air, huh? Nice font. Very literary. The titular song was written for Nick Drake, and it sounds a little bit like him, so that's nice. Unfortunately, this album is sooooo mellow. Bit of a snoozefest. Found it hard to believe the line "can't get enough of sweet cocaine", coming from such an artist. I thought the second half was a bit stronger. I enjoyed taking literally the lyrics of the paean to a jelly roll baker. Highlights: 'Dreams by the Sea', 'May You Never', 'The Man in the Station'

Is this cosmic punishment for saying the last album was boring? I've never heard of this band before. I do like some industrial, but this ain't it. Too much guitar, too edgy, not enough nostalgia. Maybe if I were 15 years older I'd like it? Probably not though. At least it's short.

Nick Drake existing in the 60s is mindblowing. Maybe I subconsciously still mix him up with Nick Cave. Anyway, to be fair, this album is also extremely mellow. Some might call it a snoozefest, but I think his style fits right in to the 90s OC-soundtrack kind of music, and not just because it's very Alexi Murdochy. So I find it very pleasant and nostalgic. Highlight: 'The Thoughts of Mary Jane'

A double Led Zeppelin album was probably doomed to fail (in my rating) regardless, but I have a headache, so I *extra* don't like it. It's not that they're bad or offensive, but this singing style plus the looong guitar parts are two things I have never been into, and this long album with its very long songs is not changing my stance. For a while I mixed up Robert Plant (this LZ guy) with Robert Smith (from The Cure), because I thought Robert Plant was a cooler name, so surely that would belong to the band with the music I liked. But it did not. Highlights: The song name "In my Time of Dying" (but not the song), 'Kashmir' (because the USC marching band plays it)

This is an eerie album cover. I've never heard of these guys, but they kept it nice and short, which is a virtue. Wiki says there were Bob Dylan comparisons, which I definitely hear (although maybe that's just all the "how do you feel"s in 'Are You Happy?'; like a rolling stone). David Duke plays French horn on this album. Highlight: 'My Old Kentucky Home' (a song with history!) Lowlight: 'Nine Pound Hammer' (nothing I like less than that hammer clinking noise)

I'm glad this is on here; SZA is one of my favorite current artists (although I like SOS as an album much more). I like her voice; I think it's very clear and pleasant. I also like this album cover, since it looks like something I would choose for an album cover myself. As for the album, it's a little heavy on the slow jams (and the slur count), so I don't particularly love it, but I am still a SZA fan -- just glad she moved to a more pop direction!

Neo-soul seems like it'd be cool, but turns out, I like regular soul better (just call me an [[old soul] fan]). Hate to be such a hater, but I didn't like Erykah Badu's stuff when she was popular 25 years ago, and my music taste hasn't really evolved much since then. The lyrics seem good (minus a few slurs), but they are too muddled up in the music for me. (Although I did catch the very meta lyric: "What good do your words do / if they can't understand you?") To be fair, the music itself is kinda cool and jazzy, but it's muddled up in the vocals! Much muddle. Highlight: 'In Love with You' (thanks to Stephen Marley, Delawarean)

A horrible album cover (unless this came out on Christmas Day), but a fine album. It sounds happy, which I like. According to Wiki, the producer (Jon Bon Jovi's cousin) was a real method-acting weirdo. It must be said: these guys really are into buildings. Highlights: 'Tentative Decisions', 'No Compassion' (very relatable! also, are there still analysts even?), 'Don't Worry About the Government' (also very relatable! would make a good Severance fanvid)

I already liked the idea of this album even before I knew it had goats on it! What a delight. Also, "Pet Sounds" is a great name because both of those words can be a noun or verb. A lot of these tracks were the first songs I downloaded when I got my own computer, and they still hold up. I guess they're a little samey, and certainly old-fashioned, but also very poppy and harmony-y and, dare I say, emo, with some funny little instruments thrown in. In a way, it reminds me of a slightly more normie Magnetic Fields. I was not expecting 2 instrumental tracks -- the first one didn't really hit for me, but they're pleasant enough, and written-for-a-Bond-movie 'Pet Sounds' does seem like it was written for that. I don't particularly like some other Beach Boys hits I know ('I Get Around', 'Good Vibrations'), but this album was cohesively flawless. I was going to give it a 4, but looking at my highlights list, maybe it deserves a 5(!!) Highlights: 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' (featuring a "12-string mando-guitar"), 'You Still Believe in Me', 'I'm Waiting for the Day', 'Sloop John B' (one of the most mysterious song titles of my lifetime; where's Sloop John A?), 'God Only Knows', 'Here Today', 'Caroline, No' (a mishearing of "Carol, I Know"! that's Mike Eindetitle), 'Hang On to Your Ego' (this isn't on the original version, but still)

In the 2000s when "The Osbournes" was a show, I found it very incongruous that Ozzy was in Black Sabbath because he seemed like a very unserious man. Not that I ever listened to Black Sabbath. I do not like an 8 minute song, but this album is mostly fine. Not my style but not the worst. I like that 'Paranoid' is Finland's 'Free Bird'. Highlight: 'Iron Man'

I don't think I've ever heard a Queen Latifah song before now (other than her movie ones). She's more of an actress to me! This album is from when she was 19, which is adorable. No slurs, so all hail the queen for that one. I find the whole "I'm the best at rhyming" plot to be so boring and played out, but considering this was the 80s, it probably wasn't actually that played out yet. I'll round up to a 3 because I like Queen Latifah and the occasional background sax/horns, but this isn't really something I'd ever listen to. Highlights: 'Come Into My House' (mentally dissertating about "What better off position can you be in?"), 'Ladies First' (likewise "I'm conversating with the folks who have no whatsoever clue")

I'm gonna choose to believe this is non-random because Brian Wilson just died :( If so, I hope that other people who hadn't already had "Pet Sounds" get that one! Seeing everybody talk about how great an album it is really validated my giving it my first 5, so yay for that. (Of course I also enjoyed revisiting the classic Brian Wilson Norbit and Don Henley stories: https://bsky.app/profile/itsdings.bsky.social/post/3lrduzwv5e22s ; https://bsky.app/profile/margareteby.bsky.social/post/3lree6mui4227 ) But this album seems much less good, maybe because I never heard any of its songs before. Some of the lyrics are a little more perturbing. 'Help Me R(h)onda' made me want a song from R(h)onda's perspective (perhaps titled 'Help yourself, bucko'). There are no instrumentals, but it does end with what must be one of the first skit tracks. Kind of interesting just because it's so old now, but otherwise very mysterious. Highlight: 'Please Let Me Wonder' Lowlight: 'Good To My Baby'

Not the usual 70s fare! Still got plenty of electric guitar though. Anyway, I appreciate the Brazilian Portuguese representation. This guy's really into history, alchemy, and futebol, huh? I enjoyed listening to this, more than I expected, but I'm not sure it quite reaches a 4, since it's something I view as more background music (probably because I don't speak the language). Chill and fun and pleasant, but the high pitched whistle-y noises are not my jam, and there are a lot of them. So that's a 3 for me. Highlights: 'Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu', 'O Filósofo', 'Taj Mahal'

I figured the Rolling Stones would be on here eventually. Alas. The best part about the Rolling Stones is 'Ruby Tuesday'. The worst part is everything else. Lots of (blues?) guitar, second only to the Beatles in popularity, some concerning lyrics. This is their ninth album, which doesn't bode well for how many albums might be left of theirs. Lowlight: 'Dead Flowers'

The Smiths are so funny. No one will ever confuse Morrissey for anyone else, which, again, is in my mind a desirable quality in a singer. Fall Out Boy and Panic At The Disco surely owe a debt to The Smiths's silly, long, emo song titles. I was starting to question if I even liked music at all until I listened to this album. (Still do, whew). I think this is better than "Meat is Murder", and so now that I broke the 5 seal, I'm going for it! 5 stars!! Highlights: 'I Started Something I Couldn't Finish', 'Death of a Disco Dancer' ("Love, peace and harmony?/ Oh, very nice, very nice, very nice, very nice / But maybe in the next world"), 'Girlfriend in a Coma' (I always like the incongruity of a jaunty island melody with unhappy lyrics. Almost sounds like 'Here Comes the Sun'), 'Paint a Vulgar Picture' Lowlight: 'Death at One's Elbow'

Never heard of this guy, but he is apparently an R&B nepo baby (not that there's anything wrong with that). Props to him for playing so many instruments. A perfectly serviceable album, but not very interesting to me. A bit sleepy at points. The Wilco of the 70s. The second half instrumentals felt very hold-music-esque (though perhaps the title 'Not Available' influenced that perception).

We had another Black Sabbath just last week! This one has the wiki genre "traditional doom metal", though, which sounds pretty cool. Lotta Satan and/or Gandalf talk, which I guess is (mount) doom-themed content. Unlike on "Paranoid", I don't think I've heard any of these songs before, even though one of the riffs is supposedly famous. But I don't know if there's any riff I'd recognise, to be fair. (By the by, for those wondering (future!me?), the etymology of "riff" is a mystery.)

Who knew Otis Redding looked like that? This album is mostly covers, which is good for me because it means I actually know the songs. Well, covers and songs that will later be covered, like 'Respect'. (By the by, there seems to be a lot of misinformation about where "cover" in the music sense came from; it came from "coverage", as in market coverage!) Double by the by, what's the deal with naming albums by colors? There's the Beatles' White album, which I always assumed inspired things like Weezer's Green album, Metallica's Black album, etc. But this album is older than the White Album! Of course I don't know if anyone called it Otis's Blue album, but surely it could have played some role in this tradition? It's a hard thing to research because colored vinyl records were also a thing, which may or not have had some influence (c.f. Bobby Vinton's 1963 "Blue on Blue", which was on blue vinyl). Highlights: 'My Girl', 'Wonderful World' (I also don't know what a good slide rule is for), 'Satisfaction' (only because it reminds me of Britney Spears, ha)

"Family Stone" is a weird compound word order, right? It's giving Sloop John. It's giving court martial. You get the picture. Anyway, this album isn't my genre of choice, but I do know it is a classic (at least according to the metric of "I listened to the best 500 songs as decided by Rolling Stone in high school and a few of these were definitely on there"). It is wild to see the n-word just in a title, uncensoredly (by the by, supposedly the euphemism "n-word" didn't come about until 1995!!! and now we've got r, b, c, f, gay f, simply all kinds of -words.) I like that there are multiple vocal-and-instrumentalists. I feel like 'Everyday People' would be a song I liked if only it weren't in a commercial I saw 50x/day at a critical period. Still, "I am no better and neither are you" is a linguistically interesting line. For that matter, so is "and they know what you're sayin' makes sense at all"! Did they not have negative polarity items in the 1960s? Non-NPI highlight: the line "games are to be played with toys, et cetera".

Someone save me from these old albums!!! This is nice and short, and has some big hits on it. But I don't like it. Even though 'Commotion' was in an episode of Parenthood. Fun fact: I used to use "there's a bad moon on the rise" being misheard as "there's a bathroom on the right" in my classes but I had to retire it because my students now have never heard of the song.

And I thought Black Sabbath had a lot of Satan talk! In this one, Satan gets they/them pronouns. Baphomet also receives several shoutouts. That's not why I'm giving it a 2, mind you; the lyrics are interesting enough. I just sure don't like this heavy guitar and this growly style of singing. Or the random foray into Literotica.com territory, even if it made me lol. Highlight: `[Countess Bathory]'s riff also bears resemblance to the intro of the 1991 Nirvana hit song "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Years later, Lant had the opportunity to ask Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, whom he collaborated with on Grohl's heavy metal side project Probot, if they had taken inspiration from the band's 1982 song. Grohl did not give Lant a response.' (from Wiki)