Dec 29 2024
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Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Classic, almost no skips.
5
Dec 29 2024
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Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
Phenomenal live rock album. I’m a huge Thin Lizzy fan so I was already familiar with the album. But this would be the perfect album to get into Thin Lizzy cause it’s a super clean live album with a crazy good tracklist.
5
Dec 30 2024
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Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Great guitar tones, chill choruses. Super underrated classic.
5
Dec 31 2024
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Pearl
Janis Joplin
Great album only lacking in variety of sounds. But the one sound that’s on the album is clearly heavily refined and clean. This was a good introduction to Janis Joplin.
4
Jan 01 2025
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Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Great jazz album. Jazz isn’t my first pick, and it is definitely not my favorite genre. However I really enjoyed this album. It was really great music to get work done to. I only wish I could give it a score somewhere between a 3-4.
3
Jan 02 2025
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Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
I was not familiar with Ray Charles (except for a few massive hits) and I was intrigued by the title. As it turns out, it is NOT a country album(or at least not a modern country album), which is a great turn. And the production on the album is spectacular. Like it basically sounds like an old school movie soundtrack cause the orchestra and instrumentation on this album is like butter on hot pancakes, it is silky smooth. Overall I wasn’t sure what to expect which I think helped the album, but ultimately it is truly a one in a million album even if it’s not chalk full of hit songs. Truly loved relaxing with this album and a nice joint.
4
Jan 03 2025
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This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
This album was interesting. It is a very early British punk album but it sounds so watered down (for lack of a better word). I liked the guitar playing a lot, but some of the songs were painfully repetitive in both lyrics and instrumentation. I really enjoyed L.A. but I didn’t really love the album as a whole.
2
Jan 04 2025
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Aja
Steely Dan
This album is a great yacht rock album. If you like other Steely Dan albums, you will probably love this album. I really like this album and my favorite thing about this album was its length, it’s fairly short so it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. If someone hadn’t heard of steely dan before and they could not find a best of album, I would recommend this one cause it is very chill.
4
Jan 05 2025
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The Score
Fugees
A hugely influential and impactful jazz-rap/R&B this album is a classic. It’s not my favorite genre but holy shit is this album great. It’s so smooth and catchy, and features a few huge hit songs. This is the album I’d recommend to people who are not familiar with R&B classics, cause there’s no doubt this album is a classic. It does feature a skit that would offend the easily offended, but that’s not an issue for me. Overall a top ten R&B album.
4
Jan 06 2025
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Legalize It
Peter Tosh
So just off the cover I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from this album which I think both helped and hurt it. For example, I knew it was gunna be a groovy reggae album based off the cover and album title, which put me in the right expectations but it also limited the album. Because it is the most stereotypical reggae album out there, the title track is the first song and musically and instrumentally it doesn’t steer very far from that first song, which I liked but after 5-6 songs it started to get tiresome. And by the time I hit the pseudo-religious song I lost all interest in the demos and remixes that were 2/3 of the album. So honestly I really enjoyed it at first and then I got “reggaed” out. I just couldn’t finish the album. I did in my defense listen to all the original tracks, I just turned it off once I got to the demos. Overall this was a forgettable album, but a chill and relaxing forgettable album.
2
Jan 07 2025
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Blackstar
David Bowie
Super powerful album about a man struggling with his mortality and the existential nightmare surrounding him. I fucking loved this album. My only critique is that I preferred the later part of the album despite all the “hits” (⭐️ and Lazarus) being at the front of the album. Girl loves me, Sue, and dollar days being my favorites. Can’t recommend this album enough, definitely check it out if you haven’t.
5
Jan 08 2025
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The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
I liked this album. It’s very pop rock, but I liked it cause it has the tinge of indie rock. The singer has a great voice and the music is great. I feel like it was alittle bloated. Like a lot of the songs were a lot of the same, which I makes the album feel longer. I did like that they had two singers, which adds some nice variety, however the female singer was still the stand out star of the album. I would definitely say that I enjoy it, but I wasn’t blown away to the point of looking into their other work. However on the plus side, if I saw this album on sale I’d have a hard time not buying it. Overall a strong 3.
3
Jan 09 2025
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Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces
Ok I’m alittle biased because I adore psychedelic rock/metal, those are probably my favorite genres. And while this is a very early psychedelic rock album, it genuinely holds up today. It is not very heavy or dark, but it’s whimsical and free sounding. Obviously with psychedelic rock you get a healthy dose of crazy good instrumentation and that is no different here. Overall I thought the album was a great hidden gem that I had never heard of before and now I have a brand new artist for myself to look into. Idk if there were enough like “hits” on this album to give it a perfect 5 but this is definitely an above average 4.
4
Jan 10 2025
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Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
So I don’t have a lot to say about this one. I like Elvis Costello but I don’t love his voice. So for a pop rock band to have a singer who is just ok makes those songs that are not catchy hit songs even more forgettable. This album just kinda disappointed me, I was excited for what it was gunna sound like cause it has a GREAT album cover. But ultimately I just wasn’t really blown away. Perfectly in the middle not bad and not great just kinda forgettable. Weak 3/5
3
Jan 11 2025
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Hunky Dory
David Bowie
I’m super biased cause I adore David Bowie, but this is probably one of his more mainstream albums. This is a total classic, maybe two skips, but a nearly perfect album all round.
5
Jan 12 2025
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Cut
The Slits
Very surprised by this album. In a vast contrast to the Peter Tosh album, this album sounds nothing like I would’ve expected. It was kinda ska and also punk. It had a lot of forgettable skips, but the 3-4 songs that stood out were great. Really enjoyed the vocals on their songs and my favorite thing was how random and silly the instrumentation is. There’s slide whistles mixed ska guitars, wild stuff. Big fan, definitely gunna check out their other albums.
4
Jan 13 2025
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Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
LOVE THIS ALBUM. I was introduced to this band by a former coworker during a secret Santa gift exchange. I played this album on repeat for several weeks after that. This is not a word I use to describe music very often, but this album is truly hypnotizing. It definitely works best in the background while you’re working on something cause it can be super super repetitive if you’re paying too much attention, but it’s infectious. Like it grows on you and gets better and better with every listen. Definitely check this album out, it’s my personal favorite of their whole catalog.
5
Jan 14 2025
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Dummy
Portishead
Wow, talk about being stuck under a rock. I’ve seen this album several times, usually on lists of best/popular albums. And I don’t know why but I never really looked into this album and that was a major mistake this album is great, it’s haunting and beautiful. The instrumentation is wonderful and of its time but in a pleasant way. Honestly I go on and on about this album. Go give it a listen.
5
Jan 15 2025
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Protection
Massive Attack
Very good album. Wasn’t blown away but I did really enjoy it. It’s got some pretty great songs on this album but it definitely has a lot of skips as well. I liked the beats and the production on this album, as well. I looked into some of the bands other singles and this band’s composition really shines. Definitely check them out.
4
Jan 16 2025
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Rapture
Anita Baker
I enjoyed this album. This is not a genre I listen to often, but when I saw that Whitney Houston was a big fan of Anita’s I was definitely excited to listen. I always say how much I love short and well produced albums that are not bloated to pad out run time. And this is a great example of how short albums can make the experience better. If there was ten more song this album would be grading. But overall I really liked this album and while I won’t be able to listen to it on streaming, I enjoyed searching for it and finding it.
3
Jan 17 2025
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Eternally Yours
The Saints
I had never heard of the saints before and I was definitely impressed. This punk/alternative rock band is wonderful. Their instrumentation is super fun and usually pretty upbeat. They have a couple really catchy songs on here. It is a bloated album however with a TON of forgettable songs that all kinda water each other down. But the beginning of the album is super strong and I would definitely recommend. But the album unfortunately overstays its welcome by being WAY too long.
4
Jan 18 2025
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3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
Man what’s there to say, classic r/b album. Velvety smooth instrumentation, and some funky hit songs create a nearly perfect album.
5
Jan 19 2025
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Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
This album is very folksy but despite that I really enjoyed a few songs on the album. There’s plenty of songs that didn’t really make an impression but I really enjoyed the songs that did make an impression.
3
Jan 20 2025
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Technique
New Order
This is a super fun and silly new wave album. Nearly to the point of being comedic. Loved this album, added a lot of songs from this album onto my main playlist. Definitely worth your time.
4
Jan 21 2025
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Disraeli Gears
Cream
I was very excited for this album. I had never listened to the full album, just the huge hit song off the album, so I was excited to find some other gems and I was sadly disappointed. It’s not a terrible album but there’s no variety. You get one core sound throughout the whole album and it gets dry very quickly. I’d still recommend this album to somebody who had never heard of them or “sunshine of your love”, but I wouldn’t buy the album and I did not add any songs off the album to my main playlist. So ultimately, not great, not terrible.
2
Jan 22 2025
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Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
This album is definitely a “where have you been all my life” album. It’s a psychedelic funk album…. What’s more to say? It’s fucking awesome and your wasting time by not listening to it right now!
5
Jan 23 2025
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The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
This album was fun and it was funky, both positives. But for a short album such as this, I expect/hope that the vast majority of songs are great. Sadly this album only had like 2 great songs and the second one was pseudo religious and that’s always a huge turnoff for me personally. So overall I thought the song that worked was great but if an album is being carried by ONE song, it has to be one of the greats, and sadly “it’s nasty” is good but not one of the greats.
2
Jan 24 2025
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People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
This album is great! I love the beats and the production on this album. I was blown away that this was debut album. Genuinely an amazing rap album. You will definitely know the hit off this album “can I kick it?”, but there’s a ton of gems on this album especially “I left my wallet in El Segundo”. If you are a rap fan (especially alt rap) you will love this album.
4
Jan 25 2025
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Rubber Soul
Beatles
This is a super underrated Beatles album. It’s not my favorite but it’s still worth your time. I never liked this one as a kid but it’s aged well and has grown on me. There’s a bunch of good songs on this one even if you don’t like the big hit on this album.
4
Jan 26 2025
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Ingenue
k.d. lang
This album is hard for me. The singing is excellent, the production is crystal clean and inspired, the instrumentation is creative. But despite all these things I just love this album. It’s too slow for me which is more an indictment of myself than the album. I liked the last song on the album and also the first song. But ultimately I just wasn’t a huge fan of the album as a whole.
2
Jan 27 2025
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Gold
Ryan Adams
Just not for me. I hated the sound of the production almost immediately. It’s just so radio friendly and boring and it basically put me to sleep. The only thing stopping this from getting a “1 star” is the one hit song on this album is ok. But honestly the whole thing is easily forgettable.
2
Jan 28 2025
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I Should Coco
Supergrass
I liked this album. Fun and punky, the first half of the album is better than the second half but I enjoyed it, overall a good album that’s just a little bloated with too many forgettable songs. Just good enough to not be a 2 star.
3
Jan 29 2025
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The Cars
The Cars
LOVE THIS ALBUM!!! It has something really special about it. It was technically released in the seventies but it sounds quintessentially “80s” which says a lot about how influential the album was at the time. It’s wildly catchy and fun. The production is excellent, and it’s definitely dated but in the best possible way. Nearly everything on the album is a “hit” song. This is probably The Cars best album (the two following this one are both great) so definitely worth your time. Oh and it’s like the perfect length, does not overstay it’s welcome at all, not bloated just to pad the run time. Perfect album!
5
Jan 30 2025
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Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
If you like classic “rock n roll” then this album is definitely for you. I grew up listening to Elvis Presley a lot as a kid so this type of music is super nostalgic. I wasn’t blown away by the album necessarily but I saved a few songs off the album. Overall a good rock n roll album with a few hits.
3
Jan 31 2025
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The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
Ok wow. So this is the first album I’ve gotten, after 34 straight albums, where I actually hated it. The songwriting is so boring and cliched, the production is clearly well done but his voice is not mindblowing and it’s not horrible, it’s just completely unremarkable. Honestly I had alittle hope a few songs in cause I like the instrumentation of “worlds apart” but that quickly falls apart cause once you get to the self-righteous lyrics and boring vocals the song just fades away into the repetitive mess that the rest of the album contains. I’m just so disappointed by this album. It’s also super long with 15 songs that make for a nearly hour and a half snore-fest. Honestly if you remember how bad radio music/rock was in the early 2000s, this is just more of that. Just skip this album, it’ll save you an hour of your life.
1
Feb 01 2025
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Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
I’m not much of a Bob Dylan fan, but i definitely enjoyed this album. The production is great, Dylan is a great musician which really shines in this album. His voice is still pretty grading, but enjoyed a lot of the album. Definitely worth checking out, this album has most of his biggest hits so it’s a good jumping off point into the rest of his career.
3
Feb 02 2025
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Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
I was not familiar with Buffalo Springs as a band until today. I had heard a few of their largest hits before however (one of which is on this album). But I really enjoyed this album. It has a lot of variety for an album from the sixties. The song “good time boy” was a super refreshing diversion from the rest of the albums sound and is probably my favorite song on the album either next to or behind “Mr.soul” which is also an amazing song. The album really screams the 60s for better or for worse, but I’d still definitely recommend it to someone who likes softer psychedelic albums.
4
Feb 03 2025
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The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
This album is fucking tits! It is so good and I had heard of prodigy before but i definitely regret only discovering them now. Wow this album is so much fun and it’s fast. Super fun dance album but also like a perfect 90s hacker movie score. I wish I had a better way of describing how great this album is, but trust me if you like electronic music or dance music, you will adore this album!
5
Feb 04 2025
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The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
What’s not to say about Kraftwerk?! This legendary band does NOT disappoint. They have one of the most original sounds of all time and nearly 50years later, no one sounds like them. Yes they sound alittle stereotypical for electronic music but that because they literally created the genre. And this album is probably their most popular album. Super atmospheric and entrancing, this album will have your brain going on a sci-fi adventure across the future with robots and huge neon cities. This is not my favorite album by them but it’s definitely the most accessible. And we are all thinking it so I’ll just say it. Anyone who doesn’t enjoy this album doesn’t know how to have fun.
5
Feb 05 2025
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Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
Well, considering this is a French album. It kind of limits how much I can process. Like I have no idea what any of the songs are about. Literally the only thing I can even critique/comment on is the music and instrumentation. Thankfully psychedelic rock has a long history of being performed by wildly talented musicians and that is no different here. The music is engaging and creative without being silly necessarily. There’s variety, not a lot, but definitely a lot of variety for its time. Honestly this album ages super well and it’s because the music and instrumentation is so good. Just a few songs in and you think you might have a good idea of what this album has to offer and then you realize don’t when you get to “Adeus Maria Fulô” which I can only describe as jungle-rock. It’s so fun and enjoyable, I’d highly recommend this album to somebody with tolerance for not understanding the actual lyrics/message and an interest in psychedelic music.
4
Feb 06 2025
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Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
The album is actually pretty slow for me. I always struggle with slower songs. But the upbeat songs like “boogie on reggae woman” are great, those were by far my favorite tracks on the album. Even the songs I don’t love have great production and sounds. Overall this album is jammed pack with funk, r/b, and soul. But sadly half the album was alittle too slow for me personally. (Small side note: GREAT album cover!)
3
Feb 07 2025
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Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Wow this album is great!!! Definitely not for everyone, but this album is why I started following this list. This album is an all time great for me now and yesterday I had no idea who they were. If you like things that are weird and different you will like this. My only complaint is I can’t give this album a 6 out of five.
5
Feb 08 2025
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The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
This is my second Bob Dylan album that I’ve actually listened to front to back. And it wasn’t as grading as I thought it would be, but it also didn’t blow me away. Like I can appreciate the political commentary being made on the album but sonically the album is a lot of the same. The tone changes throughout the album but the sound doesn’t. My favorite song on the album is the biggest departure in sound out of the whole album, honey just allow me one more chance. I really liked how this song seemed whimsical and silly while the rest of the album was somber and pointed. This seemed to be the only song that was almost aimless, and I appreciate that. Sadly I can’t rate the album off of one song alone.
3
Feb 09 2025
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Hysteria
Def Leppard
If you like hair metal, this is as good as it gets. The album is chock full of hits. This is Def Leppard at the absolute height of their popularity and power. Great album with catchy lyrics and music. Honestly this is what I listened to when I was a kid so it’s kinda hard to rate cause I’ve definitely outgrown it but I still appreciate it.
4
Feb 10 2025
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The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Genesis
So I was pleasantly surprised at first, not because I dislike Genesis (I actually LOVE the invisible touch album) but because I didn’t expect this album to be so psychedelic and progressive. I really liked the first like 6ish songs but like most albums this long (23 songs!) it’s just bloated and too long. Like it really overstayed its welcome. I had to try and listen to the second half of the album twice cause I thought maybe I was being too critical but the later part of this album doesn’t really add anything substantial, where I. Contrast the beginning of the album is great. Honestly had this album been edited down to just like 12-14 songs that would’ve pushed the album to a four.
3
Feb 11 2025
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In Utero
Nirvana
This album is one of the all time greats! Almost every track on the album is hugely popular and influential. The production on this album is shockingly clean, and the lyrics are as raw as it gets. Genuinely one of the best albums ever, if you haven’t heard this album go listen to it.
5
Feb 12 2025
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British Steel
Judas Priest
Absolute classic. This album has two of Judas Priest’s biggest hit songs and the other songs on the album are good but not great. They kinda feel like filler unfortunately. That’s what makes this album really hard to review, it has music that I grew up listening to and loving a lot, but the album as whole is not perfect. It gets alittle stagnant after “living after midnight” but honestly I’d still recommend it.
5
Feb 13 2025
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Eagles
Eagles
This album is chock full of hits. For a debut album, this album is stellar. The problem is I can’t review this album unbiasedly, because this is one of those albums where it contains songs that were played over and over throughout my life. So despite how catchy and memorable the songs on this album are, I am just sick to death of them. I can appreciate how solid this album is and I found a few songs on it that I didn’t know and I liked. However this album is really hurt by the radio effect, so many of these songs are just so over exposed that it makes the album tiresome.
3
Feb 14 2025
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Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
this album is stacked with talent. From one of the greatest guitar players of his generation (Clapton) to Ray fucking Charles this album is bursting at the seams with talent. And there’s a bunch of catchy songs on this album, but really this album shines in the instrumentation. The guitar playing is so remarkable you could cut out all the other instruments and singers and this album would still be amazing. Seriously if you like old school rock n roll, this album is for you.
4
Feb 15 2025
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You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
This is why I follow this list. This album is awesome! And even though I’m familiar with a few songs idk if I ever would’ve listened to the full album in its entirety. And this album is amazing, it’s fun and silly and really creative. Honestly this album is just a no skip experience. Go listen to it.
5
Feb 16 2025
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Who's Next
The Who
No doubt this album is a rock classic. Super influential album with a lot of fans, however I may not be one. My favorite songs are the first track and then the last 3 tracks. All 4 of those songs are awesome and super memorable. That’s the problem, the meat of this album the middle three albums are just so meh. Sadly forgettable, I do think this album is worth listening to in its entirety. I just don’t think I personally care for anything other than those few songs.
3
Feb 17 2025
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Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
This album is one of the greatest rock operas of all time. Every song is memorable and epic in scale and tone. The instrumentation is insane, there’s a whole orchestra essentially on this album. As always I struggled with the slower ballads cause I don't typically latch onto slower music, but not a single song is worth skipping. This is basically white people gospel music.
5
Feb 18 2025
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Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
I was not very familiar with Sly & The Family Stone, like I had heard of them but I never heard their music. Well this album is a great jumping off point cause it’s super funky and powerful. There’s some songs in this album with VERY powerful lyrics and topics. But the thing that grabbed my attention the most was the music. The music is so good I would’ve been cool with the second half of the album being instrumental versions of all the songs on the album. Even though it wasn’t like a perfect 5, I’d still recommend this album to someone unfamiliar with it.
3
Feb 19 2025
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Timeless
Goldie
So to preface, I am not very familiar with drum and bass music. When I was a kid exploring music on newgrounds, the drum and bass music section always seemed repetitive and boring. So ever since then I’ve never taken time to listen to any professional/established d’n’b artist, until I got to this album. And I really enjoyed the first song. It’s TWENTY ONE MINUTES LONG, but it somehow manages to not over stay its welcome. It has a multitude of beat switches and tone changes, and it keeps finding ways to maintain your attention. Genuinely a great song. I also liked the third and twelfth song, but this is where the problem comes in. In-between those 3 songs are just a mess of the same sound. Like it’s not nails on a chalkboard offensive to the ears, but it’s so atmospheric that nothing stands out about the other tracks. They all blend together to create an hour and 18min long loading music for the 35mins of music that’s truly remarkable. Strangely however, I don’t hate this album, it’s very relaxing and “sound-scapey”, it’s grand and epic in tone. I just think that the atmospheric background music just overstays its welcome. Like if the album was 6 songs and just under an hour long, I think this album could’ve been a 4 or even a 5. But I think this album is definitely worth your time if you already are a big fan of drum and bass or if you have never really listened to it before. Goldie is probably the way to go for an entry into the genre.
3
Feb 20 2025
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Cupid & Psyche 85
Scritti Politti
Ok I’m alittle biased cause I LOVE 80s new wave, like there’s just something about it that scratches an itch for me. My biggest problem with this album is I don’t LOVE the singers voice, it’s perfectly fine, but not like memorable or remarkable. This album is ALL about the instruments! I would buy a record of this with just instrumentals and I would probably enjoy that better. But regardless of the singer, the music is awesome! Super funky and of it’s time, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this band before. (Just looked it up, they were huge in the UK, that explains that). But seriously if you like new wave, this album is for you.
5
Feb 21 2025
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Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
I had never heard of Dusty Springfield before, so I was not sure what to expect. I didn’t have anyone in my life that was a big enough fan to show her to me, but she is wonderful. Her voice is so pleasant and soothing without being showy or dramatic. Genuinely love this album from start to finish there was almost no skips at all. Plus the production on this album is insane, it sounds so heavenly and also mildly psychedelic at moments. Also I had actually heard one of her songs before, the song called “son of a preacher man” is actually super popular and you might have heard it before it’s very old school but that works in its favor. Definitely check this album out, it made me a big Dusty fan.
5
Feb 22 2025
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It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I was stoked for this album originally cause I got “the yeah yeah yeahs” confused with “the gimmie gimmie gimmies” (which you should look into if you like female singer rock bands). But despite the mild confusion, I loved the first 3 songs. It kinda fell off after that. But it’s still a solid modern rock album. The singers voice is great, really liked what she brought to the songs and I also liked the instrumentals. Really my only complaint is the album as a whole is kinda forgettable. Love the album artwork as well but ultimately this is a solid 3.
3
Feb 23 2025
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The Healer
John Lee Hooker
Going into this album I was not familiar with John Lee Hooker at all. I had never heard his music before so I had no idea what I was in for. And I really enjoyed the music. The instruments are all so sharp and clean. You can hear everything it’s so clean. And the production and number of musical celebrity guests is crazy! Bonnie Raitt, Santana, George Thorogood, just to name a small few. My only problem with this album (and it’s a big one) I don’t really like John’s voice. He doesn’t have a voice with a great presence and there’s not a lot of diversity to his vocals. Honestly this album is worth your time and if you are a blues fan, this is an essential album. But honestly the guests and instrumentation wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of vocal charisma.
3
Feb 24 2025
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En-Tact
The Shamen
So right off the back I really liked this album. It starts really high with by far the best song on the album and everything after that is downhill. I actually counted how many songs I liked enough to add them to a playlist I listen to, and how many were like nails on a chalkboard repetitive, and 2/3rds of the hour long album were not just forgettable and skippable, but they were actually grading to listen to. It’s really a shame because based off of the first two songs I thought this album would be a “dancey” new wave album. It is not really new wave sounding after the first two songs (maybe the last one too, that song has a new wave vibe to it). But ultimately if it weren’t for the 5songs I did like this album would be my second album to get a one star review.
2
Feb 25 2025
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Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I wasn’t really blown away with this album. I guess you could say when I saw it was a Bob Marley album I was excited cause I don’t listen to him and I’m not familiar with very many songs. And I found a couple songs on this album I liked to its credit. But the problem I have with this album is sonically it’s very one note. There’s not a lot of variation of sounds on this album, and that always hurts an album for me personally. Along with the other type of songs I struggle with, slow songs. There’s a lot of slow songs on this album. So I feel like despite everything this album had going against it, I still found a few songs that I liked. I’m not sure if I would recommend this album however.
2
Feb 26 2025
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Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Wow this album is great! I have gotten a yeah yeah yeahs album already through this list (it’s Blitz!), and I liked it but I felt like most of the album was forgettable and didn’t stand out. With this album is entirely unique and intriguing. I love the singers voice, they work so well with the modern rock instrumentals. But that doesn’t take away from the music, which is stellar. My favorite thing about this album is the variety! That’s probably the most important thing to me (which is also why my favorite band is ween) but this album has plenty of variety while also not losing its identity. This album honestly is a nearly no skip album. It’s also a great length at 12 songs for 36mins. I love short but sweet albums.
5
Feb 27 2025
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The Predator
Ice Cube
This is probably one of ice cube’s best solo albums. The samples are powerful and entertaining. The beats are super chill, and the rapping is super memorable and almost catchy. Not to mention this album contains one of his biggest hits “it was a good day” which is also my personal favorite song of his. My only complaint about this album is it is not a no skip album. Despite how much I like the samples, they take the place of interludes in this album and a lot of them overstay their welcome. Near the end of the album I started to think “should I find a playlist of this album that excludes the inserts?” Which was only because I wanted to give this album a higher score. But that wouldn’t make sense cause it’s a core part of the vibe of the album. Overall I think even if this album didn’t have the inserts (or just less of them) it’s still as close to a 5 as you can get without actually being a 5 star.
4
Feb 28 2025
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Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
So I had never heard of Billy Bragg before, and honestly I had mixed opinions. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of variety on this album. There’s some rock, country, slower ballads, etc. my only real complaint is that his accent is so distracting. Genuinely I had to listen to this album twice cause I felt like the first listen I was being unfairly harsh cause I was so distracted by how thick his British accent is. But on a second listen I started to enjoy it more. Really the star of this album is how great the guitar and piano playing is. I think if you are looking for something alittle different and slightly challenging, this is the album for you. Very interesting album.
3
Mar 02 2025
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Foxbase Alpha
Saint Etienne
This album was great. Super chill and atmospheric. This is an ideal album to put on while working or cleaning cause it’s super relaxing. It’s not a perfect album. It doesn’t have a lot of variety and sonically it’s very specific and doesn’t deviate from its sound. Also there’s a few skips so not a perfect give unfortunately. I think if it had a little more variety or if it had one really adventurous, out of the box song that really deviated from the norm it n this album it could’ve easily been a five. But I think this album is totally worth your time, and I’ll be on the lookout for this album on vinyl.
4
Mar 03 2025
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Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Nails on a chalk board. Obviously reviewing music is subjective, like I could listen to this album maybe on another day when I’m in a better mood (for the record I’m not in a bad mood I’m just not in a jubilant mood) and maybe I’d be more open minded about grading folk rock. But I hated it, I played it twice in one day and then I waited a few days before reviewing it so I could listen to it once more to see if I truly did hate this album as much as I thought. But at the end of the day this is an edgeless album. It’s just fluff and sorbitol, no natural sugar. I really mean that, this whole album is boring and melodramatic. It reminds me of people who are narcissistic sociopaths who don’t realize how shallow and vain they are. The most accurate description of this album that I could give to convey both the music and the whole vibe around it would be: “you remember the character from animal house that’s sitting on the steps of the fraternity trying to swoon college girls with his acoustic guitar before Bluto uncontrollably smashes it to pieces. Yah imagine if bluto never saved the day and that same guy got a full studio to make an album. That’s this album.
1
Mar 04 2025
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Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
This is actually kinda embarrassing, I had no idea that the Foo Fighters had a self titled debut album. For some reason I genuinely thought the colour and the shape was their debut album. So I was excited to learn there was FF music I hadn’t heard yet. But like all wildly successful radio rock bands, I actually was already familiar with a few songs on the album. “Big me” is an all time classic rock song. I love that track as well as floaty and watershed. However I thought as a whole the album was underwhelming. It definitely peaked 3 songs into the album and only just recovered with 2 more songs of note. They do sound like they are trying to discover themselves which is fascinating to listen to, and they definitely have a strong garage rock sound on this album. My biggest complaint is there wasn’t enough variety on the album, which made some of the songs forgettable. But I still think, despite this not being one of FF best albums, that this is a solid modern rock album.
3
Mar 05 2025
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Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
One time while I was working a minimum wage job in college I had an argument with a coworker over the beastie boys. His problem was that he thought the beastie boys were slow and terrible rappers who weren’t musically gifted. This is obviously a terrible take but I always assumed it’s just because to him, someone who grew up listening to modern rap music since he was in grade school, he saw the fundamentals of what the BB did in their music done faster in the music he liked. Like how when you hear the original blues version of a classic rock n roll song and it just sounds slower and “less fun”. That’s how I felt about this Run-D.M.C. Album. You can so clearly see the building blocks in this album that will get used to nauseam by other artists. It’s genuinely fascinating in that sense cause you can hear the history and imagine how the other artists discovered this music and then basically sampled it to death. But that’s sort of the problem. I can’t see past that or imagine myself in a world where this music hasn’t been sampled and borrowed from to death. The album came across as exhausting and boring. I’m sure this album was revolutionary for its time, being one of the first actual rap albums but sadly this grape did not age into a fine wine but into a box of raisins that are warm from being left in the car. If you love rap and rap history, this album is for you. If you love modern rap music and what that sounds like today, skip this album. TLDR: the album is dated AF.
2
Mar 06 2025
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E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
Big fan of sonic youth. Great band but I’m not super familiar with their discography outside of goo. But clearly I’ve been missing out cause this album is great. Shockingly haunting for a punk album but that’s really more of an accomplishment than a deterrent. Seriously if you are not familiar with SY I’d highly recommend them, but I would not recommend starting with this album. This felt like a more challenging album than others. It had a lot to offer to the listen as far as variety and creativity. But it’s still not the most accessible album to new fans. Really the only criticism is that I felt the middle of the album sort of meandered. Honestly though, this album is worth your time, super different.
3
Mar 08 2025
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Either Or
Elliott Smith
So I had a lot of conflicting feelings about this album. For example, I appreciate that for a folk album, there was a lot of different instruments and the music was very melodic. But the main singer uses a filter on his voice for most of the album and I hated that. In fact,I specifically hated the way the instruments sounded with this fake sounding voice tone. And as always I struggle with songs that are slow, and a good majority of these songs are slower. The biggest positive of this album is the guitar playing. It’s so smooth and flowing but also pointed when it needs to be.
2
Mar 09 2025
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Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
I think this album deserves more time to get a review. It has only been one full day since I listened to this album but it feels like a lot of this albums charm and appeal comes from really getting to know it. Like all my favorite rap are my favorite because I know them so well. Knowing the bars and keeping up mentally is like the whole appeal of rap music. So when it’s brand new, it’s never gunna hit as hard as it does when you have been listening to it for years. I guess what I’m saying is I like the beats, I like the lyrics that I understood, but I just need more time with this album for it to sink in. I can’t find any fault with it other than it didn’t completely blow me away.
3
Mar 10 2025
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The Dreaming
Kate Bush
Ok wow, I need to start listening to Kate Bush cause this album is crazy. Like sonically it sounds like someone made this album high on adhd meds cause it’s wild. It’s kinda silly at parts, and at other parts it’s very brooding and emotional. And what Kate does with her voice on this album is super unique I’ve never heard an album that sounds like this and I ADORE it!
5
Mar 11 2025
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Moving Pictures
Rush
Classic progressive rock album. No skip album. A lot of people may claim bias, but honestly I never grew up with rush. But if you like progressive rock, this album has it all. It’s got my two of my most important aspects of an album, it’s relatively short, and most importantly, it’s got variety. If someone had never heard of rush or progressive music, this would be the album I would give them.
5
Mar 12 2025
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Live!
Fela Kuti
I was replay blown away by the first two tracks. I’ve never heard afrobeat music before so I was blown away by the horns and the drums. My biggest problem with this album is that it’s a lot of filler. Everything after the first two songs were alittle over repetitive and forgettable. But I loved the energy of the album.
3
Mar 13 2025
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Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
First off, great album cover, I really love how wholesome and nostalgic this cover is even though I’ve never been there. But with that out of the way the album didn’t blow me away, but I was super interested in the artist herself. It inspired me to look deeper into her as an artist as a whole and she seems like a super cool cat. My favorite songs on the album are drunken angel, 2 kool 2 be 4-gotten, and can’t let go. Honestly this album would probably be higher on my list if I could tolerate country for long periods of time. But this album was nearly a full hour long and that’s just a lot of country for me.
3
Mar 14 2025
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Live Through This
Hole
I had very mixed opinions going in the same way I have mixed opinions about Courtney Love. And that’s sorta the sad thing is that she is such an infamous person that her personality/controversies dominate all the music. That aside, I really liked this album. I was expecting cringy vanity project or clear copy cat of the more prominent grunge bands. And I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was wrong. Right off the bat it has my two favorite things, it has a respectable amount of variety in sound, they might not be trying to write a ween album but for a Seminole 90s grunge album is does have a lot of variety. The second thing this album has is it’s short but not too short. This album kinda flew by but on the second listen it seemed like the perfect amount of time before I wanted to listen to something else. Once again I have mixed feelings about Courtney, but I actually kinda love this album.
4
Mar 15 2025
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The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
I’m amazed I’ve never heard of Janelle Monáe. This woman is wildly talented. There’s so much going on in this album. Genuinely there are so many things to address in this album. The biggest and most important thing to me when it comes to an album is variety. It doesn’t have to be nonstop changes in genre like a ween album, it can be as simple as a punk band throwing in a ballad or trying their hand at a ska song. Just something to change the tone from time to time. And this album EXCELS at that. Sometimes not even for the better, but it doesn’t matter how little interest I have in 57821 because I appreciate the risk involved in making “weird” songs. There’s so many on here that are noteworthy, for instance it starts with an interlude that leads into a fast bombastic dance song with squeaky clean production that could clean your dishes, then there’s like a “Latin rock song” (for lack of a better word) called “come alive” that’s wildly different than everything else on the album, and it even ends on a sharp turn when “BaBopByeYa” comes on and becomes a spy thriller opening number. All the weird stuff is what I fell instantly in love with, however the actual “hit” songs on this album are what’s going to interest most people cause they are legitimately catchy pop songs that have been all over the charts. And while those songs didn’t really blow me away I could appreciate that these are the songs that actually sell the album. But seriously this is a super underrated album. Its clearly part of the vision behind the album from artwork from the gatefold to the actual cover, but it honestly sounds like an amazing and epic soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist. It’s got alittle something for everyone.
5
Mar 16 2025
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Parachutes
Coldplay
If you’re struggling to sleep. Here’s your solution. Exhaustingly droning vocals surrounded by edgeless and uninspiring instrumentals. Honestly I feel like I went into this album with a good attitude. I was excited to hear their debut album, but my god thiw album is so shallow and boring. Seriously a great sleep aid if you need one though.
1
Mar 17 2025
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Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
This album is super old school. I love early 90s rap cause there’s this intense nostalgia for it. Even in the case such as this where I’ve never heard this album before but it still somehow reminds me of THPS soundtracks and Sonic adventure soundtracks. That being said this album is not faultless. When I say it’s old school I mean OLD school. When you compare this to modern rap music, the biggest difference is just the tempo and speed. This album almost feels like crawling it’s so slow. While I enjoy the slower pace I could see how younger people could see this as just “boring”. Honestly that’s really the biggest takeaway, if you like old school simpler rap music then this album is for you. If you prefer modern huge production rap, sadly I don’t think this album is for you.
4
Mar 18 2025
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The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
So as most know, this album comes out with a bang! Like that’s first song isn’t just the best song on the album, it’s also one of Eminem’s best. Great super catchy rap song and along with most of the album the humor still holds up. It thankfully hasn’t become like cringey and uncomfortable. The production on this album is also really extraordinary. It’s so crystal clear and sharp. My only complaint about this album is I feel it slowly burns out as opposed to an explosion. I feel another aspect holding this album back is the tone. There’s some pretty dramatic changes in serious and comical moments. That’s not necessarily a negative though, it just shows that this album is a rollercoaster. It doesn’t have a lot of variety but that’s to be expected on most rap albums of this time. Seriously though this album is an all time great.
4
Mar 19 2025
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Sheet Music
10cc
I was very impressed with this album. It has two of my favorite things: it has a lot of variety and it has a reasonable runtime. I wasn’t blown away by every track and there was like a few tracks that weren’t as strong as others. But this made me look deeper into this band and they are definitely interesting. That being said by the next day I had forgotten most of the songs on this album. Still enjoyed it but wasn’t life changing.
3
Mar 20 2025
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Mask
Bauhaus
I didn’t immediately love this album. I had to listen to it in full like 2-3 times. I saved a few songs off the album but what I really appreciate is how far ahead of its time this album is. A goth album in ‘81? That’s kinda crazy to think about. My biggest problem with this album is the ambition of it surprisingly. This album is the definition of style over substance. They have a very specific vision of what they want to sound like and they put all their eggs in that basket. They didn’t try and right like a catchy song or a “hit” punk song. Like had they just added alittle variety I think that would make me happier but I’m positive that would have compromised their vision so what do I know. At the end of the day I’d only recommend this album to people who were already fans of goth punk and wanted to see where it all came from.
3
Mar 21 2025
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Stankonia
OutKast
This album is unbelievable. It’s a nearly no skip album and it has a ton of tracks. It also has a ton of interludes and they are not all super memorable, but I really loved this album. It’s crazy funky and that’s pretty consistent throughout the album. The album also has a couple underrated gems like “snappin & trappin”, “gansta sh*t”, and “red velvet”. This is a must listen album for sure.
5
Mar 22 2025
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Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
I felt like I had heard of Jurassic 5 before but wasn’t sure where, but then when I went to put on the album I noticed I already had a song saved from this album (A day at the races) and I knew I’d be in for a treat. I really loved this album. The sampling and the beats are amazing. As with all my rap album reviews I really feel like you need more time to fully digest them, like with a catchy pop song, your brain is fully digesting it on the first listen cause it’s simple and catchy. However rap music takes more time to fully process. I don’t really have any major complaints, just needed more time for these songs to become iconic.
4
Mar 23 2025
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Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
Wow I had the wrong impression of Amy Winehouse. I never really heard any of her music, I only knew girls who were obsessed with her and let’s just say those women are not the most endearing representation of Winehouse. Based off my wrong impressions I kinda thought she was a low effort, low talent, singer who manifested a specific image cause I thought it was just an image. But I was clearly wrong, she is wildly talented. Her voice is incredible and she clearly likes to show some range cause there’s a shocking amount of variety in this album. It’s almost a perfect album, I do feel there’s a few skips on this album so it can’t be 5 but this album is as close as you can get to perfect album.
4
Mar 24 2025
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Slipknot
Slipknot
I’ve never been a huge Slipknot fan but I’ve always been a massive metal fan since I was a kid. So I’m very nostalgic for a bunch of their singles like “duality”, “before I forget”, “psychosocial”, etc. But here’s my biggest critique of them as a band: they are not great at making an engaging full length album. They tend to jam their albums full of filler and songs that sound like more walls of sound. However, their self titled album is the exception to this rule. It’s the most complete package. It feels like it had real direction and creativity as opposed to the later albums where it feels like they are trying to regurgitate themselves. It reminds me of KISS in the sense that a lot of their music is trying so hard to keep their established fan base happy that they box themselves into specific ideas for what the band is supposed to sound like and how far their sound can grow in any direction. This album is a nice view of what this band was like before the “box” was in play. It’s not a perfect album however. For example there’s plenty of skips and filler on even their best album, but it’s still a solid staple and foundational pillar in the metal community and for good reason.
4
Mar 25 2025
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Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
Genuinely a masterpiece. From start to finish it is fully original and authentic. The beats are amazing and the sampling is super creative. Basically a perfect rap album. I don’t know that it’s my favorite beastie boys album, but it’s definitely in the running.
5
Mar 26 2025
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Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
I like Tom Waits even though I’m not familiar with his whole catalog, just a few songs here and there. However, I can tell that even for him, this album is a real hard left turn. It’s sonically super weird and different. I can’t pretend like it’s catchy or get stuck in your head, but it’s genuinely fascinating and intriguing. Because of the bold music choices, this album has a ton of great variety. Despite only saving a few songs from the album, I’d say the album as a whole was a great listening experience. I’d definitely recommend this album to people who want something super weird and different.
4
Mar 27 2025
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(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Now this is a hard album to review. It’s very polarizing to me. It’s an album chock full of huge hit songs that are timeless classics. However I’m super biased and I hate Lynard Skynard. I band members are douchebags, their unapologetic love for the south is a huge turnoff, and most of all they have the most overrated lead singer of all time. But despite all of that, this album is a genuine classic and the songs on this album are classic and super nostalgic for millions of people. I’m even guilty of being super nostalgic for tuesdays gone because of Happy Gilmore. But regardless of your reasons, this is probably one of the greatest debut rock albums of all time.
3
Mar 28 2025
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Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
I’ve been spoiled lately cause I’ve gotten a lot of album I’m already a fan of, this one included. It’s got a lot of influential psychedelic rock and the guitar tones and solos are earth shattering. The thing this album doesn’t get enough credit for is how good the band is, like the drumming and bass playing are stellar and probably way ahead of their time. Honestly this album has a few too many skips, but I still love this album.
4
Mar 29 2025
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White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
Absolute classic. Tons of hits. One of the white stripes top 3 albums easily. It still is super bloated and long however. But still a must listen, and most likely you already have.
4
Mar 30 2025
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Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
The album was a pleasant surprise. I had no idea what to expect with this album. It’s fun and loud and also emotional and moving. It’s instrumentally perfect, the music is like drinking water it’s so smooth. Honestly I don’t have the vocabulary to fully describe what makes this album special outside of being an amazing Cuban band that plays Latin music. Seriously though, if you are not normally a Latin music person I still think you should listen to the album, it’s honestly a lot of fun and I think that aspect of this album is universal.
5
Mar 31 2025
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The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
I’m not sure what to say about this album. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have the vocabulary to fully explain why something doesn’t work. It’s much easier to describe why something is good as opposed to finding fault with it. So here’s the positives, this band is a super group you might have never heard of before but it features the lead singer from The Gorillaz. Which is great cause he brings a great vocal performance. But that’s where the positives drop off. I actually spent two days listening to this cause I disliked it so much on first listen I thought I should give it one more chance in case maybe I was just in a bad mood for listening to new music. However I found the music to be grating and sonically I didn’t find the it original or interesting. I didn’t think this album was garbage. But I genuinely never plan to listen to it again.
2
Apr 01 2025
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Machine Head
Deep Purple
This is an absolute classic. If you like hard rock and early metal you will love this. It starts with one of the greatest rock songs of all time highway star. And then it also contains the most played chords of all time with smoke on the water. I’m pretty positive that what like 80% of people learn on guitar first. Great album, they got a lot to offer other than the two massive hits. Don’t sleep on this classic.
4
Apr 02 2025
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Different Class
Pulp
I really liked the music and instrumentals. But I wasn’t really blown away by anything. I also wasn’t really into the singers voice and I didn’t connect with the lyrics. This is a hard album to review cause I don’t have very strong opinions on it one way or another. It’s not great but it’s also not terrible. I find albums like this very difficult to review when I either haven’t added any songs off this album, but also didn’t hate it. I feel like 1s and 2s are for albums I either don’t like or I can find objective faults with it. This album doesn’t fall into those categories. But this album is super forgettable.
3
Apr 03 2025
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The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
So I wasnt familiar with Sioxsie and The Banshees outside of one song I had saved to my phone (“Monitor” off Juju). But I always thought that song was super ahead of its time. And that applies to their debut album as it turns out as well. It’s not a no skip album, in fact a lot of the songs sonically sound very similar to each other. But the songs on this album that do stand out feel like they could’ve been written last year. They legitimately sound like modern alt-rock, which is wildly impressive. I feel like this is an incredible debut album but not a perfect album. This album is a great jumping off point though cause now I want to go listen to their other albums in full. Definitely check this band and album out totally worth your time.
3