Jan 10 2025
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Revolver
Beatles
A tricky album because it is neither my favorite Beatles album, nor is it the one I consider to be their "best" (however arbitrarily that would be decided) yet I do believe it to be a masterpiece in its own right.
This album is stylistically diverse, including new Indian inspired influences, but still has a twinge of early Beatles flavors. Rubber Soul and Revolver are simultaneously transitionary LPs but also some of the best material the band pulled together front to back over the course of their catalogue.
"Here, There, Everywhere", "Good Day Sunshine", "Eleanor Rigby", "Taxman" "And Your Bird Can Sing" are some of my favorites
4
Jan 13 2025
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
This is by no means gods gift to music in the way some people who wear a dark side of the moon t shirt think it is, but I must admit: Sometimes there is a reason the classics are the classics.
The album is bold, almost brooding, and even feels a little avant garde after all of these years. Of course, Pink Floyd’s style of psychedelic rock has stood the test of time, and these tracks rock while also being layered, ethereal and introspective. Essentially the best of both worlds.
5
Jan 14 2025
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Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
Hauntingly Intimate. Lyrical poetry & and a beautiful voice, coupled with strong guitar.
This album is so tonally specific and it transports me: I feel like I'm sitting in a cottage in the woods in the fall, at dawn, sipping some coffee and burning a candle.
4
Jan 15 2025
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Smash
The Offspring
Not sure I think this album is a 2 straight up, but in the context of 1001 albums you must hear before you die, it feels appropriate to identify it as the lower end. I respect the significance of what this album + Dookie (which is the better project by a country mile, IMO) did for punk pop in the mid 90's but nothing is all that impressive on this LP.
Middle school me enjoyed this type of album heavily- and to its credit, the raw, youthful, spit in your face energy is probably far and away its best quality. BUT, rather than being nostalgic, I think I just find myself glad to have outgrown the Green Day/Offspring phase.
2
Jan 16 2025
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Brothers
The Black Keys
Another album that middle school me loved. I still have the CD, even. I do like some of the music here, but the lyrics are kind of weaksauce across the board.
Definitely not a bad album. Feels like whitewashed blues pop rock music. I'd liken The Black Keys to being the Target or H&M of Blues Pop Rock, broadly appealing, not much breadth or depth past the surface.
3
Jan 17 2025
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After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
Wow. This kinda blew me away. As a Neil Young rookie, I've heard some of his greatest hits in passing, but haven't been an active listener thus far. After a couple listens to the LP today, I'm really struck by this album as an body of work.
It's clear that the 60/70's had some all timers. Neil's voice is raw and almost fragile, but so well accompanied by the piano, guitars and other instruments that show up here. "Birds" is a song I might need to be played at my funeral... Lots of emotion on this one.
4
Jan 18 2025
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Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Late 2000's indie folk goodness. Fleet Foxes is comfortable on this debut. I really like the harmonies and it is sonically pleasing.
A couple songs (Ragged Wood, White Winter Hymnal, Blue Ridge Mountains) really stand out, and then the vast majority of the tracklist is just good not great.
4
Jan 19 2025
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Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
Definitely a new artist/project to me. A little long winded, but I began to appreciate the sounds and things I’m hearing here the more I listened. When I’m typically inundated by US and UK artists, it’s refreshing to try new things out even if it isn’t my favorite
3
Jan 20 2025
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Vulnicura
Björk
Bjork’s music is easily identified as avant garde and cinematic, but is admittedly still a little over my head.
Definitely enjoyed some moments on this one, but found it a bit challenging to really dig in and get a full listen front to back. Pretty sick break up album, though.
3
Jan 21 2025
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Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones seem to find a consistent groove on this LP as they play their way through blues, rock, and country inspired cuts. It’s a solid project that has some toe tappers, but I really didn’t feel deeply connected to much of what I listened to here. A little disappointing considering the group itself is so heralded.
3
Jan 22 2025
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School's Out
Alice Cooper
Unexpectedly liked this one a lot.
4
Jan 23 2025
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Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
Unique, layered , and worth revisiting
3
Jan 24 2025
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Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
quintessential jazz for someone who enjoys the genre but has very little knowledge of the intricacies
4
Jan 25 2025
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The Wall
Pink Floyd
I get why this album gets the praise it does. It is a wee bit bloated but as a front to back experience it’s pretty magnificent
4
Jan 26 2025
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Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
His voice is not THAT annoying. Just a classic brit (but Anna and I have also been rewatching the Harry Potter series recently so maybe that contributes.)
This is just some classic, political, salt of the earth folk. Really enjoyed this and was unfamiliar with Braggs work prior.
4
Jan 27 2025
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The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Dare I say folk Dylan at his best. High highs on this joint, with some of his best guitar and voice only songs- girl from the north country, don’t think twice it’s alright, a hard rains a’ gonna fall, masters of war, blowin in the wind: just there that’s about half the album!
Sure, some fo the other cuts on this LP lack the same strength/staying power, but as a front to back listen they slot in more than fine. The covers at the end are solid, too.
5
Jan 28 2025
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At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
Now this is some no frills Blues. Gotta respect Muddy playing “got my mojo working” a second time. Energy really amps up on this album as it goes. Safe to say Muddy Waters has found himself a new fan
4
Jan 29 2025
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Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
first impressions were: this was groovy, White Stevie Wonder!? But ultimately not nearly as great as Stevie himself, and the Jamiroquai frontman kinda seems like a POS after a quick google search.
3
Jan 30 2025
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Scream, Dracula, Scream
Rocket From The Crypt
Not really for me. Shouty but somehow didn't really feel the energy that typically accompanies this type of music. Probably the first album on this list that was truly a slog to get through. Largely forgettable post punk with a couple of decent tracks ("Come See, Come Saw," for example)
1
Jan 31 2025
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Kimono My House
Sparks
Glam. Rock. Vocally pretty interesting, kind of freddie mercury esque vibes with such an unwavering falsetto. I got more into this one as it went on.
3
Feb 01 2025
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Eagles
Eagles
Enjoyable debut from the Eagles. Sees the Country rock group in its infancy, it’s an easy (ironic, given two of the best songs on the album have "easy" in the title), appealing listen on the whole.
The best songs on this album are the hits, keeping things safest cuts: "take it easy," "Peaceful easy feeling"
But I found myself enjoying songs like "Take the Devil" and "Most of Us are Sad" which were a bit different sonically than what I typically associate with the band.
3
Feb 02 2025
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Let It Be
The Replacements
The Replacements show up with some range here. “Androgynous” is not a song I expected and this album but was pleasantly surprised. “Unsatisfied” and “I Will Dare” are solid rock staples. Even the goofy songs ‘Gary’s got a boner’ and ‘Tommy gets his tonsils out’ aren’t bad or lacking.
3
Feb 03 2025
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Atomizer
Big Black
The Beats are creative, but as soon as the singing comes in it loses me. Respect what is going on here but not really for me personally
2
Feb 04 2025
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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust is a tour de force. Anything Bowie is going to be unique, yet at only 40 minutes, it's digestible and fairly accessible to the uninitiated. The opener, the closer, front to back this is a gem. Without question, a legendary album that just plain rocks.
5
Feb 05 2025
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Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
Nah man. Just nah
1
Feb 06 2025
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Permission to Land
The Darkness
Without context, this album sounds like it came straight from the 70/80s. Then I see it was released in 2003! It is very faithful to the genre and takes the best parts of its predecessors. This is a fun, cheeky record. Would be grasping at straws to find a lot of deeper meaning but the album rocks and its an easy and fun listen.
3
Feb 07 2025
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Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
Weird, prog, expansive, grand, self indulgent. I enjoyed it. Definitely not for everyone, but I found it to be refreshing and unique. So many sounds and wacky choices on this record but that feels like the point
4
Feb 08 2025
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Doolittle
Pixies
Unfamiliar with this one going in, a massive fan coming out. This album rocks. Insanely hard to decide whether I love the vocals or the guitar work more. Feels really original and earnest. The various sounds they are experimenting with work in tandem to create an masterful final product.
5
Feb 09 2025
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Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
Lupe Fiasco
Love the youthful energy on this one. Beats are interesting, features add nice choruses/accents to the wordplay Lupe is laying down. Nothing wrong here, but missing that x factor to make it a 5 star
4
Feb 10 2025
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Heroes to Zeros
The Beta Band
nothing wrong here, but nothing that moves the needle for me. Bland semi decent Brit rock.
3
Feb 11 2025
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The Clash
The Clash
You can feel the energy boiling over in each song. Raucous stuff right here. Can you imagine listening to this as an angsty teenager? Here I am at my corporate desk job in the USA toe tapping like a buffoon, I certainly wasn't who the Clash were making this for.
4
Feb 12 2025
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The Last Broadcast
Doves
This wasn't bad but I have a really hard time believing this is one of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die...
To me this is album is the epitome of a CD you had in your car in the 2000s where it would autoplay on your commute and you were like "oh this is solid!" but you never gave it any thought past that. Driving background fodder. Coldplay vibes too
3
Feb 13 2025
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Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
I enjoy the atmosphere/sonic choices that were introduced by recording in a church. The usage of ann organ winds up being a really unique piece and creates a hollow and distinct sound across several of the songs.
This album is 2000’s indie to the core, and while it is a worthy effort, I think its aged a little poorly and at moments feels fairly mediocre compared to other early Arcade Fire projects.
3
Feb 14 2025
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Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
Nothing really to say, not bad, not memorable. With a couple exceptions, ambient music is more about the connection you create with it in my eyes
2
Feb 15 2025
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Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
jazz at its finest (in my humble opinion) accessible but also just a solid as hell outing. Definitely in the jazz album pantheon and deservedly so
5
Feb 16 2025
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Risque
CHIC
had fun with this one, pleasantly surprising. too often people label a genres like disco as outdated. While disco certainly is centralized to a time period, the music itself stands up isolated from the context with which is was born.
3
Feb 17 2025
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Odelay
Beck
So much I like about this album right alongside so much that doesn't really work for me. Definitely experimental, but pretty longwinded and onerous in spots. I want to LOVE this album, but it's just a like for now
3
Feb 18 2025
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All Directions
The Temptations
Sometimes you stumble on to something that ticks all the boxes. "All Directions" is that kind of album for me. Has funky ass instrumental sections, the vocals are raw and powerful, slower jams, uptempo cuts, and I'm a sucker for doo-wop, no matter the naysayers! This album is a new favorite!
5
Feb 19 2025
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Hms Fable
Shack
This is so mid. And truly the definition of the word. not bad, not good. just okay. I half expect these songs to play in an episode of Scrubs or something. 2000s sitcom written allll over them. Moody, sad, right before the voiceover kicks in.
2
Feb 20 2025
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Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
3
Feb 21 2025
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Protection
Massive Attack
3