As someone who has always admired Björk from a distance but never listened to much of her music I read all these comments calling this a pretentious mess and thought "Ha! I bet they just don't understand REAL art. I'm sure I'll appreciate this!" But yeah, no, sorry, I think it's just pretentious. Personally I blame Arca, the production is just a total casino of noise, at times unbearably so. Sorry Björk, I want to love you but not like this... Not like this.

Honestly don't know if this is supposed to be a satire of the sort of music fascists like, but if its such a good one its basically indecipherable from the real thing does it even matter. Physically uncomfortable to imagine teenage Til Linderman pleasuring himself to this in in his childhood home.

Maybe the easiest 5* so far. No question. Don't need a moment to think. If you hate this you are a bad person and should feel bad.

Picture this: It's a cold November morning, the intersection between autumn and winter. There's a chill in the air and frost on the leaves but it's still pleasant in a refreshing sort of way. You step outside and inhale a deep lungful of crisp, clean air. You see your breath plume as you exhale. The sun is shining through the trees and a mist lies in the air. You step inside and put on the kettle. You hit play on the speaker and this comes on. It is the perfect album for this mood. It is crisp, and refreshing, and smooth. You make yourself a cup of tea, look out the window and observe the morning frost turn to dew, and listen. You feel joy and contentment. In this moment, life is good.

Mr. President a second Christina Aguilera record has hit the list.

AC/DC really had one idea for a song and then recycled that one idea endlessly their whole career. I mean it's fine, I just don't know if I need a whole albums worth y'know?

Never heard of this before! Good bashy fun. My ex would hate it.

5* What am I, stupid?

I do not like that man Van Morrison. I do not like his nasal voice. I do not like his vaccine choice. I do not like his whiny blues. I do not like his social views. I do not wish to hear no more. His music is a total bore.

Truly the unbuttered toast of music. Maybe even untoasted toast. I'm sorry Michael Stipe, I do not like your voice.

5*, duh.

I would like to shout out the man who made this website for giving us the ability to edit ratings. Can you believe I gave this a 3* on first listen? 3!! I guess I was being fucking stupid. Anyway. 5* What am I, fucking stupid?

5*, duh.

First Peter Gabriel album. I like it. It is good. It can stay.

Freddy was an absolute king, but unfortunately that does not mean I have to like Queen.

Sure, I guess.

Mr. President, a Christina Aguilera record has hit the tower.

One of my favourite discoveries of the project so far. A whiskey and cigarette stained voice, that somehow equal parts evokes cowboy and Geography supply teacher. Really enjoyed this one.

I think this was the first album I ever remember loving and that fact has not changed in 20 years.

My god... The instrumentation... The lyricism... The musicality... It's all so indescribably awful. Please never make me listen to it again.

Well this is absolutely beautiful.

Astonishing.

They're still just shit Radiohead and I want to fight Matt Belemy but Knights of Cydonia is a pretty good song so...

A sort of placeholder for rave culture, an interim between more exciting periods of music, but I'll take it over one hit wonder 80s bands and bland 90s sadboys.

Always thought these guys were a bit of a one hit wonder joke but this is actually pretty good you know!

It has The Boxer which is a strong contender for best song of all time so what're you gonna say...

As someone who has always admired Björk from a distance but never listened to much of her music I read all these comments calling this a pretentious mess and thought "Ha! I bet they just don't understand REAL art. I'm sure I'll appreciate this!" But yeah, no, sorry, I think it's just pretentious. Personally I blame Arca, the production is just a total casino of noise, at times unbearably so. Sorry Björk, I want to love you but not like this... Not like this.

Cool, punky, weird.

Clean, slick, smooth.

Absolutely dynamite! How have I never heard of her?

I guess they're a one hit wonder for a reason.

A passionate love letter to a genre of music I cannot stand.

Damn these beats are fire, should get someone to rap over these.

Vibes

Ok, I guess I'm fucking stupid after all...

Ace.

The mood is irresistible. I wish I could drink this album.

I am really, really not enjoying these one hit wonder bands.

Starting to get the intense feeling this list was written by a white British man who grew up in the 80s... More like 1001 Albums You COULD Listen To Before You Die.

Yeah it's just not my thing, sorry team.

Looks like the found some butter to put on that unbuttered toast. Watch out, if you're not careful they may even discover seasoning next.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

Oh now THIS is a discovery. I name I have heard over and over again and somehow just not gotten round to. I love everything about this, high concept, high orchestration, high everything. Queen shit.

Undeniably good, but it still feels like they haven't quite found they're own sound yet. So much of it sounds like they're slightly aping Beatles and Stones vibes. Really good but not their best.

I would probably go nuts over this live but this style of jazz never quite hits the same way for me on vinyl. Still a banger though.

I ran twice my best previous distance (nearly 10k) listening to this. Absolutely electrifying. Go crab go!

Was so ready to hate on this, but it's just good ol' boys having fun and who can hate that?

Sublime. Exactly what I signed up for. A band I'd never heard of that blew me away. Absolutely slaps.

Redefining the concept of meh.

Feels weird to put two AC/DC albums on this list given that every one of their songs (except Hell's Bells) sounds the same. Like what more are you gonna get out of listening to a 2nd AC/DC album that you didn't get from listening to the first one. That said this does have most of their best songs on it, so I guess listen to this one? Or don't. It won't change your life either way.

Ooooooh them duke boys are at it again!!!

Ok metal you go sit over there in the corner with all of your friends thrashing and bashing and I'm going to be all the way over here listening to literally anything else.

Excellent background music. That's not an insult. Good background music is an art form.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

I feel like a lot people don't understand this album. This is the woman who wrote The Muppets soundtrack. The woman who's married to Andy Samberg. She's that woman. Do you see now?

Oof. I like Peter Gabriel. I like Phil Collins. I like new-wave Genesis. But prog-rock Genesis? No merci.

Jeez, I'm sorry fella :(

When this album came out I was about 12-13, just old enough to start understanding the fucked upedness of the world and get angry about it. So when this came out it just hit. My whole family loved it. I remember blasting it on road-trips singing Holiday and American Idiot. I remember seeing them in Wembley, my first big arena concert. I will defend and love this till my dying breath. It's sensational.

Pass.

It's fine but it never really goes beyond fine.

I know Nick Cave recently retracted his critical comments about this band, but I stand by them; "I am forever stood next to a speaker playing shit music, and it's always Red Hot Chili Peppers."

Found an album that matches my freak.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

Continuing to redefine the concept of mediocrity. Are there really multiple AC/DC, Deep Purple and R.E.M records on this list and only ONE Prince album? Jesus wept.

It's not the apex of the new wave era, but it's a key player and for that it has my admiration.

Get this man a xanax or something, my ears hurt.

I mean it's quite noisy and messy, but Just Like Honey is one of the best songs I've ever heard so I can forgive it.

I still think these boys rock much harder live than on vinyl but I still enjoy the beautiful memories this brings back.

This is definitely one of the albums of all time.

Damon Albarn is so insufferably annoying. Insane to me that the man behind this could also produce the genius records of Gorillaz. Can we have one of those next?

Extremely fun, some of the biggest bangers around. I distinctly remember being sat in the back of the car on the way home from school after hearing this for the first time trying to explain to my parents what "Fatboy Slim is fucking in heaven" was called without cursing. It didn't go well.

This one really flies under the radar, can't remember ever hearing of this band or this record, but I'm certainly here for it!

I know I should hate this. I know it's total hypocrisy for me to hate all the other things I hate and give this a pass. I know rating this higher than Nirvana is sacrilege. And yet here we are.

I can see why this is playing in James Murphy's house, its fucking fire.

Oh so this is where all the music I like comes from.

I actually wrote off Beach House as just being banal background music, but this was actually supremely lovely. Kinda wish I didn't skip seeing them at a festival literally two days ago.

These men are very angry.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

You can hang out with Basement Jaxx in the mid-rave music basket.

Such a shame that at midnight on December 31st 1989 the entire music industry got hit by a train and forgot how to make music that sounds good for a whole decade. Just 10 years of the most hideous garbage you've ever heard. I hate the 90s.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

Definitely in like the Top 7 Best Beatles albums

Horrid.

Influential, strange, intriguing.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

Oh just fuck right off with this shite.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

Sgt. Peppers isn't even as good as just the second half of this album. This is as close to perfection as it gets boys, girls and nbs. Enjoy it.

Another band I had a vague prejudice towards only to be confronted with the fact that... I actually really vibe with it.

Yes he's an absolute piece of shit and if you peak even a little under the surface it's a vile record, but if you just scrunch your ears and try not to understand the lyrics it sounds immaculate.

RIP Brian. We'll remember you for better albums than this.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

This is really not my favourite Beach Boys record, but even their more lacking ventures have some real highlights.

The kind of angry young men I can get on board with!

Le freak? C'est chic!

I find most Beatles solo projects have the signs of that undeniable genius that went into their collective projects, but just lack that magic touch that occurred when they all worked together. Still better than most other albums but not quite what I'm after.

I went into this expecting fairly little, mainly due to my dislike of the song Imagine and dislike of John Lennon as a person, but I shouldn't be surprised that in the end his absolute genius songwriting wins out and I did end up enjoying this a lot.

Not to brag, bu I didn't like Morrisey before it was cool.

Wall to wall lesbian anthems right here.

Oh come off it Eileen

Do what he says!

I apologize Janis Joplin, I was not familiar with your game.

Not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but not good by any means.

Apparently this helped to birth the grunge genre? In that case I wish it had been aborted.

Look I don't even ride that hard for this band but this album is pretty spectacular.

Oh well Whatever Nevermind...

A lovely little pallet cleanser after a string of rather unpleasant records.

Honestly don't know if this is supposed to be a satire of the sort of music fascists like, but if its such a good one its basically indecipherable from the real thing does it even matter. Physically uncomfortable to imagine teenage Til Linderman pleasuring himself to this in in his childhood home.

Old school cool baby.

My mum loves this album. I also think it's very nice.

Incredibly dumb and extremely fun.

I can't believe how much I enjoyed this. Could be 8 hours long for all I care. Good ol' boy music.

Look I know I'm giving this 4* and even I think that's sort of sacrilege. I just slightly prefer Blond and never quite clicked with all of this, but it's importance in shaping modern music can not be overstated. All the cretins in the reviews talking about degeneracy and other racially coded terms to describe this record, we see you, we hear you, and we hate you <3

Oh no. I thought I'd enjoy this. But then I didn't.

I like that song from the Shrek soundtrack?

I am surprised just how much I enjoyed this, but I somehow ended up listening to it multiple times in one day and I could honestly listen to it again right now. This could so easily unbearable but somehow the stars align and I did in fact find myself floating in space. Will definitely be checking out the rest of their work.

Insane aura of this album. What rippin rockin rollin good time.

Sweet Dreams (Are Not In Fact Made Of This)

I'm sorry buddy

Good ol' boys at it again.

My favourite thing about New Order is just how outrageously they have to cook with the production to compensate for the fact Bernard Sumner can't really sing.

I have an inexplicable fondness for Black Sabbath. I don't really like hard rock, I hate metal, but something about this band does it for me every time.

Canonically horny.

This album is good for exactly 36 seconds before turning into wet hot garbage. Fuck I hate Metallics so much. Just an actual war crime against music. Absolutely fuck this band now and forever.

Angry.

Not this though.

Masterpiece.

On fire.

Who hurt you sad boy?

I just think it's neat.

Masterpiece (c'mon)

Would like this if I was a drunk texan.

Interesting, unusual, influential.

Smooth.

Sublime.

If I could just exchange every whiney 90s "alt-rock" band on this list for one of the countless black artists that have been omitted i would be having a much better time. Gonna go listen to some Chuck Berry to wash the taste of this out of my mouth.

Tragic.

Joyous.

Still holding out for a 5* Rolling Stones album.

The progenitor of video game soundtracks.

Fun as hell.

Lesser album by the greatest artist.

Mr. President a second Christina Aguilera record has hit the list.

This some gourmet avant grade shit.

Oh no Iggy, I thought I'd like this more.

That Alex Turner can write a song.

If Reflektor isn't on here I'm gonna be so mad

God please lord let there not be another album by this fucking band on this list, or I'm going to have to kill the men who wrote it.

I absolutey loved every minute of this until he started singing which was so bad it nearly ruined the whole thing but fuck it still 5* because this thing is just wild.

Is being unreasonably eccentric like a requirement to make music in Scandinavia or?

Definitely cool, but me personally I prefer when he gets a little freakier.

*to the tune of No More Parties In LA* "No more 90s alt rock, please god no more 90s alt rock"

I really got monkeys pawed here for wishing for less American 90s alternative rock... That said I'd still take this of Smashing Punpkins, Nirvana, REM or any of that ilk. Not really fun to listen to but certainly an... experience?

Men will literally build a whole rap career around getting shot instead of going to physical therapy.

Damn it. I think this list has turned me into an Arcade Fire fan. I used to always think I never really understood the hype around this band, but after having gotten The Subarbs, Neon Bible and now this is quick succession... They're actually incredible. And then Reflektor is like the cherry on the ice cream sundae, that album is just killer. Shame it seems to have gone down hill and the lead singers a creep but Ive definitely come around on their music.

Good grunge? What is this witchcraft?

Neither.

More like The No Album.

When do the drugs kick in?

Joan deserves better.

We're certainly cooking, just not sure it's quite with gas yet.

Energetic.

Deserved.

I see what she's going for, I'm just not sure I want it.

One the greatest things to ever happen to music.

Masterpiece.

I know it's all a bit on the nose, but at this point I feel like we need a sledgehammer to get the message through to people.

We've had bad U2 so long people forget we used to have good U2.

This is it. This is the coolest album of all time.

Just so over the top I almost can't hate it.

Feet.

Thank God Zaheer discovered air bending and chilled tf out a bit.

Clean.

Maybe the easiest 5* so far. No question. Don't need a moment to think. If you hate this you are a bad person and should feel bad.

u-huh?

I think it's good, but I don't know if it's GOAT.

I think the term "background music" is generally misunderstood. It's mistaken to be something pejorative, describing music not worthy of your full attention. I absolutely love good background music. I love music that I can put and just creates a wonderful mood and atmosphere without needing to dominate my complete attention. I think it is every bit as important and valuable as any other kind of music. And in terms of good background music, as my friend Jules would say, this some real gourmet shit.

You don't have to like this, but I like this.

Good ol' boy music

Well... at least I know they get good later.

Tom Waits really feels like one of those artists I should love and just... don't.

Did not know what if Elvis made dance punk was a question I needed answered but here we are.

This truly was a smooth operation.

Loud.

Still looking for that 5* Rolling Stones album.

Diet Kate Bush

Every time I hear Willie Nelson I imagine Ron Swanson listening to these records to drown out the noise of his coworkers bitching, and I feel the same deep sense of peace and calm he did.

Fear Of An Overly Long Album.

Smooth operator.

Oh geez, I don't know about this one guys... I think I prefer them covering other artists.

I know it's illegal not to like this but I just don't really like this...

Not my favorite of theirs, but still what a debut! Alex Turner's poetic take down / send up or British lad culture is astoundingly complex for a teenager. The rest of the band already sound so refined. Really came out of the gate swinging on this one.

Not really genre defining as much as artform defining.

Nick Cave once described Cosmic Dancer as the happiest song ever written. He's not wrong. What an immaculate record.

Redefining the concept of smooth.

Great, a bit long, occasionally dives into incel territory.

Too 10 Album

18th best album of 2004 huh? Yeah that sounds about right.

Ever so slightly worse than mediocre.

The year was 2020. It was summer and COVID restrictions had just been rolled back for the first time since lockdown began. I used the opportunity to visit my parents. One evening we end up going one of the strangest establishments I've ever visited. An American 1950s diner, located in a small town next to a motorway junction about 20 minutes outaide of Cologne, Germany. For some reason this bizzare little oasis was exactly what my heart and soul needed at that moment. On the drive home, full of burgers and milkshakes, American Pie came on my dad's playlists. All three of us belted out the chorus at full volume only to realize we didn't know a single verse. We also quickly realized the song was much much longer than any of remembered. Cue 9 minutes of alternating between total silence and us screaming "Bye bye Mrs. American Pie" at the top of our long. It's one of my favorite memories with my parents. The song is biblical. The rest of the album ain't bad neither.

Comprehensive, strange, innovative.

Picture this: It's a cold November morning, the intersection between autumn and winter. There's a chill in the air and frost on the leaves but it's still pleasant in a refreshing sort of way. You step outside and inhale a deep lungful of crisp, clean air. You see your breath plume as you exhale. The sun is shining through the trees and a mist lies in the air. You step inside and put on the kettle. You hit play on the speaker and this comes on. It is the perfect album for this mood. It is crisp, and refreshing, and smooth. You make yourself a cup of tea, look out the window and observe the morning frost turn to dew, and listen. You feel joy and contentment. In this moment, life is good.

Legacy.

Of all the jazz-funk-soul greats of the 20th century, Stevie Wonder is the only one who just never really resonated with me. I swear if you took away the singing half of these songs sound like Nintendo Wii lobby music.

I'm starting to think the only 5* Rolling Stones album for me would be the greatest hits ones. All of their biggest songs I think are just excellent but everything between them on these albums does very little for me. Also having now listened to three of their albums on this project, they all just sound kind of the same to me. I think I will forever be in the category of like, not love, with this band.

The only kind of Axis I can get on board with.

Not bad just a bit elevator jazz.

I see Bob Dylan really liked this and I can see it. It is a bit of a hick Bob Dylan, not that that's a bad thing. I don't think it has quite that same legacy aura, but I definitely enjoyed it.

This is my second The Band record and I think it's enough for me to conclude they're not really thing. In the same manner as Black Country New Road I just think there's too much going on. For me it all sounds chaotic but not in the wild electric freedom of say a jazz band freestyling, more in a clustered, claustrophobic way that I feel overwhelmed and eventually unengaged. Not bad by any means, just not my thing.

Yeah it's ok I guess

Haunting, elevating, beautiful.

This is a weird one because I find normally when I give something 3* it's because I think it's fairly mediocre, not bad, not offensive, but not really interesting enough to merit praise either. In this case however I think I'm giving it 3* because I really got pulled one way and then the other on this record. When it's at its best, it's being original and interesting. The songwriting sounds inspired by the sounds of the 60s, but with a contemporary inspired twist. Tracks like the opener and the title track really embody this well. Unfortunately the other half of the time it doesn't sound like it's inspired by the 60s, it sounds enslaved by them. Some of these songs are aping what made those artists special in a manner that reeks of desperation and is frankly a little embaressing I think when I heard the line "No one's writing songs like they used to, so I guess it's up to me" I finally lost patience with it. I'm sorry Belle & Sebastian, Simon & Garfunkel you are not. You're not even a Poundland Nick Drake. Stick to trying to create something new, that's what your strengths are, not recreating something that has passed.

Very here for the wandering, magnificent psychedilia of The End. Less here for Jim Morrison singing about little girl's back doors...

I did not know punk could be so dull...

Electrifying, energizing, galvanizing.

The search for the 5* Rolling Stones album continues, but we're getting warmer... How many of them are on this fucking thing anyway?

Excellently cool

I'm capable of appreciating what it's doing, I just don't think I'm capable of enjoying what it's doing. That being said I did listen the whole thing, I wasn't bored, and at least its unique and interesting and not another Metallica album.

Brian Eno at some point must have realized his strengths lie primarily in composition and soundscapes and production, not in songwriting. That fact is mirrored in this album, as it's definitely the stranger, more sonically experimental songs that shine whilst the more conventional pop-rock tracks just really fall quite flat.

It took me longer to come around to this than some other Beatles records, but now I'd count it amongst my favorites. The melodies and harmonies on this are incredible. Imagine being a girl called Michélle when this came out, must've been wild.

When this popped up my first thought was, if I never have to see the words 90s, American and alternative-rock together again I would die a happy man. But I was wrong. This record is fantastic. It has the same wild frenetic, raw, angry spark of a young P J Harvey or Liz Phair. Really, really enjoyed this one, so much more than i thought.

This is just an entire vibe isn't it!

The greatest of all time, no doubt about it, but it's just not my scene.

Having lived in Berlin for many years, I can confidently say this is an accurately portrayal of that experience.