This was a good album, but I couldn't help but find it was all over the place, some real bangers alongside some rougher listens. I may have to give it more listens to really appreciate it, but I don't have a strong desire to return to it yet.
I don't think this one was for me. I think Bjork's voice is very interesting and I can see the influence of this album rippling through the next three decades, but I found the tunes uninspired and the lyrics kinda terrible. Sorry Bjork!
This is an album I'm going to have to return to later in the challenge - I could appreciate a lot of what was going on, and didn't find myself disliking any aspects of the album, but nothing about it really stuck with me.
I couldn't give this one the attention it deserves, just due to its length, but what I did hear I liked. Definitely the type of album I'm glad this challenge showed to me, otherwise I may never have listened to it.
Challenging, gripping, I listened to this while making loaded potatoes and spent the entire time bopping. I can immediately understand why this isn't everyone's cup of tea but I loved it
This is another one that's going to require more listens from me, but as of right now, I've really enjoyed it and plan on returning to it soon.
This one grew on me as I listened to it - I was originally going to rate it as a 2. There's a lot of great songs and brilliant ideas on here, but I found that, as an album, it fell short and felt too disjointed to be as enjoyable as I would've liked.
The temptation to rate this one higher than I am was strong, but I recognize that a lot of my positive feelings about it are tied to either liking Black Hole Sun, or reminiscing about listening to a lot of these songs with my dad two decades ago. That being said, listening to it now, a lot of it didn't quite click with me. I would rate this a 3.5 if I could.
This is the first of the albums where I found myself immediately wanting to dive back in and listen again. Earnest and whimsical.
I really didn't like this one. It felt boring, flat, and I really didn't understand why it even made this list at all. :(
I liked it, but I don't think this is one I'm planning on diving back into any time soon.
I don't think this was quite a five for me, but it was damn close. Something that's been a pretty strong indicator for me so far has been the desire to return and listen again - and this one successfully pulled me back in, twice. Not an album that I'd say changed my life, but it's still a phenomenal collection of music.
The Arctic Monkeys are phenomenal - but this is far from their best work. Even beyond AM. Favorite Worst Nightmare AND Tranquility Base both deliver more well-rounded and experienced performances.
That being said, this is still the sound your Monkeys are known for, and it does still deliver those sweet sounds I crave.
Easily the best of the albums I've listened to as part of this challenge so far - made me feel disappointed that I hadn't listened to this band before. Songs like We Are The Pigs, Daddy's Speeding, and The Asphalt World were all standouts to me. Bust out a nice pair of headphones if at first it doesn't quite click with you!
This feels like the type of album where I would've much preferred it in a different setting, maybe a bar or a restaurant, or listening to it live. As if right now it didn't resonate with me
I could barely make it thought more than a few songs and found this extremely unappealing. Sorry!
Now this is jazz. Great listen, I loved this.
My immediate impression of this album was that it didn't sound like The Who I knew. Reading into a bit of its history, it didn't surprise me at all to learn it was mired by shitty band dynamics, the worst of the music industry, and the desire to chase the next Beatles-like hit. The Who has some great music - this isn't really that.
I've listened to this album a lot growing up. There are some real hits on here for sure, but every song starts to melt together into a pretty boring mess of sound and vocals who's novelty wears off pretty quickly.
This album lives up to its name. I was very, very tempted to give this a 4 - there's a lot here that I think is phenomenal, and I can mayyyybe see myself returning to it in the future, but it's just not quite there. I hope to see more like this on this list in the future.
Definitely a fascinating album, and ahead of its time, but much like a lot of things that are ahead of its time, it's a very unrefined mess. Every so often, there would be a glimmer of something awesome shining through, but it never really transcended past the sound of a live rock album performed by a group of pretty okay musicians.
This was bound to happen with a large number of these albums - but I didn't feel particularly strongly about this album one way or another. There were some decent songs, and it was largely inoffensive, though the vocals do start to lose some of their appeal by the latter half of the album. I would rate this a 2.5 if I could.
Very authentic, raw album. Unfortunately I don't think a lot stands out from it, but Alexander Spence is clearly a talented musician considering this is a solo work. There's a charm to it I can't shake.
There isn't a question in my mind that this is one of the best albums of all time. I wouldn't be surprised if this was in my top 5 albums of this whole list. Some of the songs present are phenomenal pieces of work, but even the "filler" present is top notch. I don't know what else I can say about this one.
This is certainly a better album than Beggar's Banquet. The sound palette the Stones went for here is imo much better with Mick Jagger's voice, and a few standout songs like Wild Horses really hit well. That being said, his voice really isn't for everyone.
I wish I liked this one just a bit more! I like funk, but nothing about this particular album really stood out to me.
On my first listen, I found myself liking this one - but in hindsight, I don't think I can give this more than a 2 in good faith. There isn't really a single track on this one that I want to return to any time soon (yes, even the title track).
What happened here? I genuinely found the first half of this almost unlistenable, and was almost content just giving this a 1 and moving on. Then the album hits you with Maps and Y Control. If the whole album sounded like Maps, this would be an easy 5.
DNF. Genuinely, I thought this sucked. Jagger grunting in my ear about how badly he wants to go home and screw his woman for ten minutes is not how I wanted to start my morning.
Just go and listen to Wild Horses.
I really didn't get anything out of this one. In the end, every song blended together into one big mess and the singer's accent wasn't helping. That being said, I can see its influence.
The musicians in this band are extremely talented. As much as I want to like garage punk, "Howlin' Pelle Alqmvist"'s vocals made me wish my head would explode and take me out of my misery. The talent on display here can't trump my personal taste in the end.
I really deliberated on this one for a while. But I can't help but give this a five. I was listening to it in the shower and couldn't help but feel alive. One of the greatest songwriters of our lifetime for sure.
Really not sure what to make of this album. It's cromulent, has a bunch of interesting moments, but nothing really stands out to me. It feels like an odd choice to include on a list like this. Overall pretty neat though!
I can understand that the repetition of the same drum or bass line throughout each song is a very explicit choice from the style of music this is - but it made me feel impatient and frustrated more than anything, waiting for a chord change that was never going to come. Really wish I liked this, the talent on display is strong.
This one caught me completely off-guard and I adored it. It's nice to hear this type of sound without it being parodied into the ground.
I could listen to Miles Davis play the trumpet for 12 hours
Having a really hard time rating this one properly. I loved it all the way through but nothing specific grabbed out at me, and the vocalist - despite having a very lovely voice - was completely gibberish to my ears for most of the way through. I'm excited to return to this one eventually.
I keep returning to this one. Every song is a vibe that's really resonating with me - I think I'm learning that I love soul.
This one was a lot of fun. Funk and soul brothers for life. But besides a few great moments I just don't see myself returning to it any time soon.
Wanted to like this one so bad but I think I just can't match its energy. Madonna does so so many cool things on this album but it far overstayed its welcome both in album length AND frequently song length.
The last thing I expected this to sound like was Mitski. A phenomenally crafted vibe the whole way through, and the perfect album to show someone who "doesn't like country".
Nothing stood out to me, but for once, I'm more than okay with that. This feels like the type of album you want to let wash over you as it carries you down its river for an hour. I wish it were a bit more gripping, but it was still lovely.
Impossible to rate this album without first addressing the elephant in the room - this feels like they stuck two different albums together. The more country sound does them a huge disservice. Their punk and psychedelic sound is incredible. If this was an album where all the songs were like Plateau, Aurora, Teenager(s), and The Whistling Song - this would be an easy 4. But Split Myself In Two was one of the worst songs I've heard in this challenge.
Better than My Generation, but you can tell The Who still haven't found their sound. "Our Love Was" is an incredible standout track, and the concept is pretty cool.
If this album has one downside, it's that it can't be enjoyed through singles. A meticulously crafted masterpiece through and through. There's genuinely nothing else like it.
Elvis Costello sings with the confidence and style of someone who loves the sound of their own voice - which makes the fact that he sounds like your friend's overconfident dad performing at the summer barbeque even more grating. Even the best song on this album ("I Want You") falls apart at the first scrutiny of its lyrics, which seem to be about being cucked?? What's up with that??? I wish I could concentrate on the music at all to give a real opinion but it's completely overwhelmed by Costello's squawking. Did not enjoy!
Failed to click with this one, though that feels like it could be a skill issue on my part, not the album's. Nothing really stood out to me though!
Unfortunately this one didn't really make much of an impact on me. It was okay, and probably the best "no-name" random rock group from the 80s or so that I've heard from this list so far - but that doesn't mean much.
There were a few tracks on here that I thought were lovely but I'm having trouble feeling particularly locked in. I'd rate this one a 3.5 if I could. Definitely need to return to it!
The first half of this one deceived me. I didn't have a lot of context about David Bowie as a person going into this one but I could tell this was a tumultuous time for him and his creative process. That being said, the second half of this is different and incredible. While I can't see myself revisiting this whole ride, I'll definitely have the back half as something to return to.
Really couldn't get into this one, despite wanting to. I feel like a lot of music in this genre is carried by its vocalists and this one didn't do it for me.
So much fun. For an album and band called Garbage, this was surprisingly easy listening. You could feel the 90s dripping off of it. Definitely want to return!
Favorites: Queer, Only Happy When It Rains
Like just music from the 60s, it's deeply inoffensive and a little simple. But it still put a smile on my face - and sometimes that's all you want music for.
I was genuinely not expecting to enjoy this album as much as I did. It's so varied, textured, and beautiful. So many songs immediately demanded I put them on repeat. And it genuinely feels ahead of its time for the 70s. Loved it.
I was very very curious about this one and desperately wanted to like it more than I did. It felt like holding a masterwork of some instrument or tool that I could appreciate the beauty of but would never actually want to pick up and use. The craftsmanship is beautiful but not for me.
I can really see why people like it, but it ain't for me!
This album has some good songs. I'm still not entirely sure why it's here, though!
Did Dirty Projectors pay to be on this list or something?
If you thought this album was boring but that they had some neat ideas, check out their song Break-Thru, it's great.
I feel like this could've been a 5 if it came to me at the right point in my life. I've got a huge soft spot for earnestness in music and this has a lot of it. Plus the production value and all of the guests is awesome.
I thought I liked the 90s. Guess not. This left no impression on me and I just found it boring. Sorry Sugar, this one's not so sweet!
So many cool ideas on this one. But I just don't think my pallette is really attuned to it. Certainly on my list of albums I'll probably give another shot once this challenge is over, but it's not entering my regular rotation.
I don't think this is the best of Neil Young's albums, but it's no doubt to me that, even here, he captures something that folk artists have been trying (and often failing) to recreate to this day. Definitely returning to this.
An interesting look into the precursor to a new genre. While it's nothing to write home about now, the first thing I thought about when I heard it was "this is just proto daft punk", and for that I'm really glad this exists.
This kind of scream-y vocal style just doesn't do it for me, and while the drums are impressive, they ultimately just gave me a headache. Really not for me.
A lot of fun, but very unlikely to enter my regular rotation.
It would be disrespectful of me not to rate this as a 5 when for almost every song on the album I found myself going "YOOOOOO" like a giddy teen. Van Halen was my dad's favorite band growing up - so I heard them every day - and it's crazy how many of their hits and bangers come from this specific album.
What a weird album! In a very positive way. Lots of great earworms, fantastic energy, and an interesting sound that almost reminds me of RHCP. Super ambitious too.
Started off thinking this was okay. Slowly started hating it more and more as the album went on until I just couldn't really finish it. Music shouldn't annoy you!
I have no idea what to make of this one. Were there good tracks? Absolutely. But this album was so all over the place. Very very weird one. I am glad I listened to it, though! This would be a 2.5 if we had half stars
I'm not fucking around when I say it's maybe the best album of this challenge so far, about a tenth of the way in. I'd give this a 6/5 if I could. This is the type of jazz I'd call captivating. It made me want to lie down and close my eyes to take nothing but the music in. The second time I listened to it, with my headphones, I felt like I was being carried away. Impeccable.
I did like this one better than the other Kraftwerk album we've had so far, it's very vibes, and was a nice listen while I was working. That being said, it was a little simple.
Some rock and metal albums feel relentless - and while I understand the appeal, and why people like these types of albums, they've just never resonated with me. This is one of them. I can recognize why it's good, and even actively enjoy some bits of the tracks, but it left me exhausted a bit more than it left me thrilled. Those of you who love Maiden, shred enough for the two of us.
Just tight vibes out the wazoo. It didn't change my life or anything, but I very much enjoyed it.
When listening to the first track, my first thought was "this was ahead of its time, this probably knocked the socks off some grandmas, but it hasn't aged well." This made it all the more surprising when, after a few tracks, I was still feeling it was ahead of its time - but in the type of way where there's some really clean and interesting sounds on here. Not what I would have expected from the 60s. Ultimately this only really took the album to a three... But still, the first track is deceptively simple.
This goes into my list of "bands that feel like the Rolling Stones but not quite", and while this is significantly better than them, I still am not much of a fan of the Stones. I did appreciate how bluesy some of this got, though I wish it didn't feel so rambly.
This would be a 3.5 if given the choice. Lots of very weird fun cool stuff in this album, I don't think it quite makes my regular rotation but I found myself really enjoying a lot of it.
One of the most deserving albums to be on this list? Oh yeah certainly. Maybe one of the most important musicians of the 20th century, just in terms of influence. But this music is just fine! I don't think I'll ever seek Elvis out intentionally outside of New Vegas.
I really, really, REALLY don't know how to rate this one correctly. There are some great songs on this album without a doubt - but this is also, in my opinion, far from the Beatles' best work. It may just be because of my own personal history with the Beatles and the people I knew who liked them, but a lot of their more drug-propelled albums (which I know is most of them, but this one wears it pretty heavy on the chest) always felt cheesy and never quite clicked with me. I'm so, so close to rating this a 4. But I know that outside of a few singles, I'm probably never picking up this specific album again.
Artistically this is a 4, but musically this is often stuck somewhere between a 2 and a 3. Cool album, but not something I enjoy musically.
A little too samey and boring for my tastes. I know I like some Beck songs so this one did frustrate me a bit - it said a lot that this album seemingly had no big hits. I hope we get something more interesting from Beck in the future.
This challenge has been a bit of a dry spell for 3s for a while now, and I feel like this isn't an exception. It's good easy listening, but nothing I would ever seek out. Not quite my kind of jazz.
It's crazy to me that, despite having maybe the greatest collection of singles and hits of ANY rock band, and having the type of sound where any live cover of any of their songs likely result in thunderous applause, they were just inept at putting together a truly compelling album. There is some treasure here, but songs like Good Company ruin what could easily be a 5 with their level of talent.
This really teeters the line between a 4 and a 5 for me - in the end I've bumped it up to a 5 because I've been thinking about it, a lot. Some beautiful layered instrumentals here, an interesting voice, lovely juxtaposition, and some fantastic vibes.
This one caught me off guard. I'm normally not a fan of "metal" (and yeah I know it's a wide genre !), but the heaviness never felt overbearing here. Instead we got some intense almost-leading bass guitar and some really fun vocal harmonies that never felt like too much for me. This is teetering on a 4, and the only reason it doesn't quite hit that mark is because I don't really see myself returning to it. But very cool!
I love Led Zeppelin. That being said, the quality of their hits vs their chaff is very noticable on this album, it's crazy that something like Four Sticks is followed up with When The Levee Breaks. Still a great album, but I know this isn't their best.
I found this abysmal and couldn't finish it. Like just could not get through it and found the whole thing grating.
Some jazz is deeply complex and requires your undivided attention to listen to. Others create a beautiful soundscape that whisks you away and carries you gently down a stream. Kind of Blue is, in my opinion, the best album of all time in that second category. And best of all, it does that without being simple, it's layered and technically proficient and beautiful. Thank you Miles Davis from Jazz.
We had Disintegration on the list before this one, and while both have been my first forays into The Cure - I think I might prefer this one just slightly, despite the other one being an arguably more refined piece of work. Great album I'd love to return to. The band sure does know how to craft a vibe. Not much else to say.
This is a beautiful, beautiful set of songs. Elis Regina has a gorgeous singing voice, and you can really feel the influence of countless different styles from around the world on so many of these tracks. I do think it falls short, however, because of the elephant in the room - Elis passed away young, and this was a posthumous collection of her works, not an album, and unfortunately it really feels like a compilation. This didn't stop it from resonating with me, but I feel like this could've been something truly beautiful, if things were different.
I was so close to liking this. The instrumentation on the first track was phenomenal and never really got worse. Even the vocals were out there, but not bad, and I've learned to love some weird vocals in my life. But then the actual lyrics... I swear the chorus of half these songs was just repeating the same line a dozen times until I felt borderline claustrophobic. Took me completely out of this. Sorry Joy Division.
This simply did not hit for me.
Very pretty, and I loved the style, I just wish there was something that felt just a bit more unique or attention-grabbing here!
I probably would've loved this in high school or college. Squares in particular was a standout. But it never really sticks the landing, unfortunately.
I'm not usually crazy about live albums, and was surprised to see this one on here - but my girlfriend loves Johnny Cash and I was ready to give this a shot. I really loved this - so much heart, laughter, and energy. Learning about the background of this album was really cool too. Can't wait for more Johnny Cash!
I've listened to 100 albums for this challenge so far and this one is maybe the most forgettable. I can't understand why this is on here when it's at most cromulent - this is supposed to be a must-hear?
I know I'm not much of a metal fan, so that definitely covers my review a bit here. But - and I mean this with no disrespect to the late Ozzy - his delivery on a lot of these tracks detracted from a lot of these for me. This is insanely groundbreaking for 1970, which is why I'm still giving it a point, but it's nothing more than that to me :(
Crazy album. I had to give this one a five on merit of the production value alone - I think I'd describe this as a "perfect" album just in terms of sound and consistency - but it also crafts a vibe that I think other albums have been struggling to emulate for decades.
I really appreciate this album for being as weird as it is. That being said, most of the weird stuff was surprisingly just ok! Didn't feel crazy about this in the end.
I still don't get Bjork but this was not nearly as bad as her debut and I found myself liking bits and pieces of it. I really do appreciate her whole schtick even if I can recognize it's not for me.
So close to a 1. I couldn't even finish it, but the only reason I'm bumping it up to a 2 is because I know, as far as this genre is concerned, these guys are good, just incapable of making music that sounds appealing to me.
If you would've asked my before I dove into this album, I probably would've told you something along the lines of "I really like U2 but I'm only really familiar with their singles". And while their singles are good - the rest of this album doesn't reach those heights. There were a song or two that caught my ear, but it never really crossed the threshold past pretty good.
Easily one of the rawest albums on this list. Fiona lays a lot bare here emotionally, and her vocal style is just great. An album that well deserves a lot of the praise it receives.
I had a good time with this but it definitely over-stayed its welcome a fair bit. Not bad music to work to though!
Music to torrent a cracked edition of the Sims 2 to
There were some cool ideas here, but overall I found it overstayed its welcome and didn't leave a strong enough impression on me for me to ever want to return to it.
This is chock full of fun, creative, expressive beats by a team of people who clearly are both really passionate and talented about their craft. This is really teetering on the edge of a 4 for me. It's just not quite there.
I've heard a few pavement songs before, and liked them - which is why I was surprised to find I really didn't care for this one. Just kind of felt boring and messy and disinterested.
I wish I liked grunge and could form a real opinion on this. As of right now it's just washed over me. I can certainly see why it deserves a position on this list though.
There is some cool stuff on here, and I really respect the talent on display, but the reality is that I just don't like metal all that much! There's nothing really here for me. War Pigs is a great song but nothing else really stands out.
This album took 5 years of production to release, and probably needed another 5. I'm not sure if I just don't get it, but I found the verses bad, the beats boring, the skits awful, and the overall core of the album shallow and uninteresting. There was nothing here for me.
A pretty cool album, I quite liked the beats, but good lord the lyrics consistently took me out of the experience.
Haunting. Made me want to jump off a bridge (positive). Great stuff.
Maybe the most 3.5 album I've listened to on this list so far. The hits are good, the music is fun, the instrumentation is tight, but as an album it falls flat and fails at being a certified classic outside of getting really excited about playing Take Me Out on the bar jukebox. It just kind of unfortunately overstays its welcome and gets a bit annoying like a guest who's had a bit too much to drink and isn't taking subtle hints that the party is over.
Surprisingly rich and mellow for a punk album. I knew I'd like this one soon after I put it on and went "wait, I should return to this when I can listen to it more actively". I still haven't fully digested it I feel. Very cool stuff here.
Nothing here wowed me, but I did have a great time with it. Perfect 3.
This would've been a 4 without the context, Jesus. Play your shit Keith.
if this actually played in airports I'd be significantly less anxious about layovers. My job requires a lot of sitting in silence crunching numbers and this is perfect music for that.
What a phenomenal album. So many things off here that I knew but didn't even know I knew. Great stuff.
Van Morrison is really one of the greats when it comes to early blues rock, and frankly I'm a sucker for the whole genre. I grew up hearing a lot of these songs. I wish he had just a bit more hit power, though - some of these songs so blur together in the end.
Okay, I can hear some cool and interesting sounds here, and I can recognize this album is important for the history of psychadelic rock. That being said, if I hear the sound of the electric jug going bulululululululululu again I'm going to commit a felony. And any novelty or appeal this had 60 years ago has just been outclassed - the only reason to listen to this over something better is to appreciate history.
I'd be lying if I said I went into this album with as open a mind as I should've - a completely unknown dreamy indie album didn't instill a ton of confidence in me - but I still wanted to give it a try. After the first few songs, though, this album was doing absolutely nothing for me. And worse, I could feel this growing resentment about the fact that it was on the list at all. It wasn't influential. It wasn't popular or successful or acclaimed. It wasn't relevant enough for more than a sentence on the artist's Wikipedia page. I can't understand why it's on this list at all, when I'm not even sure it would make the top 100 "indie" albums of the last decade.
I'm giving this a 2 because a few tracks had some neat ideas but even those it kinda failed to follow through with. Really frustrated with this one though!
I wish this album had just a bit more going on! It's good, but never hits great
Really liked this one! I thought it was a very nice, relaxing listen. I can certainly see myself returning to this.
Really groovy, fun, interesting album that constantly switched it up and kept it interesting. Definitely really want to return to this one!
I wasn't really familiar with this album, or even really much of Kendrick, before this challenge. I knew he was talented and beloved, and it was impossible to escape the radio playing "Not Like Us" for months. I don't think I would've ever seeked this album out, I don't often go hunting for new music and hip-hop has never been actively on my radar.
It's with all that context in mind that I say it's being exposed to masterworks like this that makes this challenge worthwhile. The only thing I can even think to say would be that it's a little long, but even then it's never dull. It's beautiful, it's filled with variety, it's heartfelt, it's hype. I heard that RYM ranked this as the best album of all time and while I don't agree I get it.
I get why people like this, and I did enjoy a ton of it, but it definitely feels extremely dated to a point in history. Man's got a talent but it isn't aimed at me even when It's at its best
I listened to this a few days ago and didn't rate it right away. It was fine! I think it's telling that I remember literally nothing from it, though.
Great album that I think just unfortunately loses its steam towards the end. Jackson undeniably puts out some great grooves though!
Controversial but I feel like I got Bowie LESS after this one. It never quite hit the highs the singles I know from him do, and it never really landed on how "out there" something like Ziggy Stardust or the end of Low. There were still some great songs on here, and I can see myself putting it on if I'm craving some Bowie, but it was missing something that made a lot of the rest of his work more memorable to me.
This is a great album, all bangers. Incredible vibes.
Just unfortunately did not click with me - felt like listening to an inside joke I wasn't a part of. Which is a shame, I really want to like Zappa!
I love and respect Blondie's energy but good lord it's hard to match it. I don't really see this going into my regular rotation, but I really admire how much fun she seems to have! Also it's a shame this one doesn't even have my favorite Blondie song on it :(
Vibes vibes vibes. Not quite perfect but great music to chill out to.
Instead of listening to this one right away, I actually went ahead and checked the movie out first. And the first thing I noticed was that the movie was fine, but the soundtrack was BANGING. then I went back to check out the album and needless to say it was also banging. Overall? Banging.
This one is weird for me because I'm aware this is some of Radiohead's arguably weaker stuff (compared to OK Computer and In Rainbows, which usually have more acclaim) but at the same time it's got so many impeccable memorable phenomenal tracks. I'm almost hesitant to rate this a 5. But it's truly wonderful.
