Didn't realize this was where where My My, Hey Hey was from. Iconic track.
A few solid tracks on here, but about the same number of duds. I did generally enjoy the instrumentation and Neil Young's singing and folk+rock sound.
Beginning and end of this album were solid. Maybe I lost interest part of the way through and picked back up towards the end, but the first three tracks (Hotel California, New Kid in Town, and Life in the Fast Lane) felt solid, and the final two (Try and Love Again, The Last Resort) felt similarly. Of songs I have not heard before, my favorite was probably The Last Resort.
Really strong album top-to-bottom. I didn't love every song, but the album as a whole gives some iconic 70s sound wrapped around some solid ballads, funk, and social protest songs.
Not my favorite kind of classic rock. There are a few bops in here but it's not to my taste so far. "I Can't Explain" is decent. The song Tattoo sucks. Also not into Young Man's Blues (lyrics are alright). Happy Jack is fine. I don't hate this outright but it feels very much like a 2 star album.
I had this album in college. I've liked it since then, so this one should be easy. Even the songs I don't love as much, like Daylight, are still strong. It's also hard to beat the run of Politik to Clocks for five-track groups.
It's been a long time since I've listened to the album all the way through, and this listen caused me to pick up on the time and longing themes that seem to cycle through the album. Lots of ideas about missed opportunities, rewinding time, and a clock motif in multiple songs (also reflected in the rhythmic instrumentation in songs like A Whisper).
I liked Sunday, Bloody Sunday, but every other song slid right off me. It sounded too samey across the album.
This was a trip. I realized as I started this album that even though I knew of the Velvet Underground and I knew of this album from the artwork, I'd never actually LISTENED to it. I enjoyed basically the whole thing! There were a few sections that went into noise rock more than I like, but there are definitely songs on this album I can see myself coming back to. My favorite was probably Venus in Furs.
Production values are excellent, and the musicians are clearly talented. However, Steely Dan just isn't my vibe. I don't mind the jazz elements, but it's very soft rock for me.
Fun little bit of synth-pop. Had a few catchy tunes but it lost me pretty quickly.
Very cool album and one of the greatest final albums by an artist ever. I don’t love everything but it’s solid for sure and I should go back and listen to Lazarus more.
Very cool bluegrass album. Pretty languid though; I wanted more variance in the tone and pace.
Classic Elvis. I don’t love everything here but most of it’s very good.
Oh hell yeah this album rules. What a bunch of bangers.
The groove funk on Maybe Your Baby is impeccable. But nothing tops the groove of Superstition.
Revelations for me are Maybe Your Baby, Big Brother (the transition from Superstition to Big Brother whips), and Blame It on the Sun.
I Believe is such a good album closer, man.
The riffs are good but I cannot deal with the singing/talking on every track. It just does nothing for me at all and makes the tracks a chore to get through. I could see myself enjoying it more in a different mood maybe, but generally? No thanks.
Beautifully aching Americana in this album. Oh My Sweet Carolina hits a sweet spot of longing country and folk/blues.
Sounds like a British 80s band. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t do a lot for me.
Crossing punk rock and folk/Irish music is always going to hit a sweet spot with me. And what an album! Great songs from start to finish.
The greatest revelation for me was the track Metropolis. As soon as I heard what was happening, I smiled and said “this is so cool.” Crossing Irish reels with echoes of orchestral pieces like Powerhouse and similar city/industrial evocations of the big band era, with half-tone movements happening on horns. Very cool piece.
Very cool album. I don't see myself going back to it too much, but the joyful soundscape created made for a really pleasant listening experience all the way through. Heroes and Villains is probably my top track.
Fascinating bit of soul music. Meanders a bit, but that's rewarding if you just let yourself follow the movement. The singles still stand out to me more than the rest of the tracks, but it's solid.
This is my era of rock/alternative music. Never heard Oasis's first album before; it's really solid. Good tracks on here that sound quintessentially like Oasis. I really liked Supersonic, Columbia, and Slide Away.
Fun stuff from Van Halen. Their debut album is one of those places where, culturally, you can hear a transition to an 80s rock sound starting to happen. It got a little samey for my tastes toward the end (although Ice Cream Man was a nice break-up of the usual sound).
Cool funk/jazz sound, but isn't really my speed.
An album full of fun bangers. It's playful throughout while dishing out solid, head-bobbing rap.
I'm not a big jazz person, but this was a cool album. It feels like a very complete work. The last track felt the best to me.
What a fun album. That is all. Just pure funk and dance vibes.
This album is incredibly catchy all the way through. I'm really enjoying the non-singles much more than the tracks that were singles, but there's a number of songs I can see myself going back to again and again. Best of the singles for me are probably Style and Bad Blood. Having never listened to the album itself it's much better than I had been anticipating. I think this gets a 5 from me.
Haha, the Jack Antonoff-produced tracks practically struck me in the face with their Jack Antonoff-ness. But I did like them. Standout non-singles. Out of the Woods and I Wish You Would.
First song was enjoyable, but then everything else sounded like it. The only song that switched it up was 1959, which I didn't care for.
One of the best live albums I've ever heard. Cooke crushes it here, working the crowd and delivering a sizzling performance. Absolutely worth a listen.
Putting aside the person Kanye has become, this is a great rap album. Not exactly sure how much I'll go back to it, but there's a couple of tracks (Power, for example) that I can't help but put on sometimes.
Very much late 60s/early 70s folk. Nick's voice is very pleasant to listen to, and if you don't mind a very "of its time" instrumentation then you'll enjoy this. I thought it was decent.
I dunno about this one. “Common People” is a classic, but I don’t vibe with the overall sound of the album. Much of the sound reminds me of New Wave, with a slightly updated poppier feel. Though the sound doesn't work for me, I do appreciate the themes and lyrics of the songs; there's a strong current of pushing up from below, straining against a world built for the wealthy.
Not doing much for me. There's some cool atmospheric moments on this album, but I don't vibe with the way the lead singer sings and the general sound isn't working for me.
Music to groove to or zone out to. This is just some solid house music to enjoy; it can be actively listened to or thrown on in the background and each experience will be rewarding in its own way. "Come Together" into "Loaded" is a great two-song combo square in the middle of the album. Solid all the way through.
25 years on, this album is just as aggressive, transgressive, and fun as it's ever been. I don't think the skits have aged particularly well, but I could listen to almost every other track on here on repeat.
Hard not to rate this stone-cold classic a five. It's early Beatles, but honestly? I'm a big fan of early Beatles.
Interesting melange of sounds. Fundamentally, the flow is good, and some of the tracks really hit. But I'm not all-in on the avant-garde hip-hop sound. And as it went on it dragged for me. Feels like 2 stars.
Fun album with a few good hits on it. Not an all-time favorite, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless. Has strong blues/southern-rock vibes to it.
Ah man. I don't hate them by any stretch, but I've never been a big Foo Fighters person. I'm trying to give this album an honest go.
But ultimately, most of this just isn't doing anything for me. At least it has Big Me on it, a song I do legitimately like.
Queen's theatricality and rock sensibilities on full display. For me, Queen is something to take in small doses, so listening to the entire album is a bit tiring and overwhelming. But there are some good individual tracks - the best discovery for me was probably Dear Friends.
I can't stress how much most of this isn't doing a darn thing for me. I think a lot of it is the singing. I do appreciate The Weight as a classic rock song with a good blues groove. But the rest of the album has given me a headache.
Oh hey a cover of Long Black Veil! That's a good song.
Fun rock/punk. It feels like a good rock album to have on in the background as you do other things. Nothing stands out hugely, but the vibes of the album are very good.
I'm enjoying this more than I thought I might based on the opening track. That track, "Dealer," didn't do much for me, in part because I didn't like Martyn's singing style on it. However, there's some chill jazz grooves on the remainder of the album, and Smiling Stranger is really good proto-trip hop.
The final track, "Small Hours," feels like something straight off of a Sigur Ros album.
I'm not a huge soul person, but so far I appreciate the big sounds of this album. The first track really hits you with the dynamics. You definitely get the funk/jazz sounds from this album. I don't love it, but it's certainly a strong representative of its genre. I enjoy "In Love With You." Good duet.
Strong opening to this album with Tiny Dancer and Levon. I enjoy Elton John's style, and this album is full of it. I saw the album described as done in a prog rock style, and I can hear it, especially in Madman Across the Water. Second half of the album didn't do as much for me, although "All the Nasties" was decent.
Yep, this is definitely Radiohead. There’s always a few tracks off of their albums that click for me. I think this will need to be a repeat-listen album, because right now this is 3 stars, but I could see it going up as I get more familiar.
Whole album sort of ran together for me. Not bad, but felt pretty forgettable.
I've never listened to this album all the way through, and it really is full of bangers. War Pigs, Paranoid, and Iron Man being three of the first four tracks is just an absurd packaging of great tracks, and the fourth of those tracks, Planet Caravan, is a terrific tonal switch to keep things interesting and stop the sounds from running together.
Really solid album.
Cool jazz album. Very much of the big band singer era. Sarah Vaughan's voice is warm and just slightly smokey. Her sound is exceptional. This isn't an every day album, but if you're in the mood for some singing in the lines of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan certainly delivers.
YES! I love R.E.M. These songs are, for the most part, melancholy and bittersweet, and I've loved this album for 20+ years. It was a treat to revisit it.
Really excited to have gone from R.E.M. to this album. Two incredible albums back-to-back. I love the minimalized sound of this album, and the lyrics are aching. This is the album of working people trying to make their way in a world that is often against them.
Cool jazz. Iconic. But not my personal style of music.
You get a real jazz/funk fusion vibe from this album. It's neat, but I still am not a big jazz person, and many of the tracks ran together for me. It's a fine vibe, but not usually the mood I'm going for when I put on music.
The background about this album is fascinating, so it was good to listen through knowing the controversies and the way the audience reacted. It's a sort of window into mid-60s culture and the changes happening at that time.
As to the sound itself, it's all solid early Dylan. The acoustic set is pleading and folky, while the electric set is raucous. I do think I would've been better served listening to the album in pieces rather than straight through, as at some point I got a bit tired of it.
I feel like this album misses the arrangements of Brian Wilson. And though the themes are darker and more serious than early Beach Boys, that does not by itself make this album great. Honestly, for me, this album is fine at best. Lyrically, a lot of the songs feel weak to me, and the harmonies just aren't as robust as they are with Wilson.
Cool album. The singles stand out, of course, but I had never heard "Today," and I quite enjoyed it (though apparently it was a college radio staple back in the day! I wasn't aware of that).
Embryonic Journey was also a cool folksy instrumental. I'd listen to that track again for sure.
Having now listened to one of Nick Drake's other albums, this is obviously very reminiscent of that. Nick Drake sounds like Nick Drake. However, I do appreciate the more stripped-back sound of this album. It's more intimate, and it makes the songs feel more like themselves, if that makes any sense.
Well, that was an experience. Wasn't sure what I was listening to until I checked the Wiki on this. It's cool that Holger was one of the first people to mess around with sampling, but the album doesn't do a lot for me. Coolest track was probably Persian Love, as the use of the sampled singing was enjoyable, and the soundscapes built around it were interesting.
Another album where I find the singing incredibly grating. It distracts me from both the lyrics and the instrumentation. I gave the album an honest go and listened to the whole thing, it's just not for me, I think.
I'm liking the folk singer-songwriter sound of this. And importantly, the sound feels modern; there are a few tracks where the instrumentation places it firmly in the 70s, but many of these songs feel like they could've been produced today.
Classic outlaw country; this is a great live album due to the reaction and energy of the crowd. "Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart" is a genuinely amusing track.
The experimental nature of this album is neat, but a lot of the sounds just aren't to my taste. I might re-listen to this later, but for now it's just too much noise.
Yessss more Springsteen. Great album, great songs. The high-energy songs like Badlands are stadium-rocking classics, but I've really found an appreciation for the slower tracks on this one, things like Racing in the Streets.
I've never listened to much Costello outside of his singles. This is a fun and careening pop album. I can see where fans dig into his sounds and lyrics. Not sure that I'm fully a fan yet, but I appreciate what this album has going on.
What a great album; the compositions are what make me want to listen to tracks again and again. My sentimental favorite will probably always be Sloop John B, but God Only Knows, You Still Believe in Me, and Wouldn't It Be Nice are all fantastic tracks.
This album feels more accessible than Black Star, but it also isn't doing much for me. It's distinctly Bowie, but also feels aggressively "fine."
Odd album to see on here. There were a few good tracks, and a number of songs that I'd like to hear covered by other artists because I don't care for the Bee Gees singing style on all songs (it just doesn't fit a lot of the slower tracks).
What a wild album. It's like it initially breaks in your ears with pure chaotic noise before moving through some more seemingly "composed" sounding pieces that move between jazz and chaos.
I also switched to headphone halfway through, right about the time the album shifts slightly, and that helped immensely to enjoy the base and drums rhythms under the saxophones riffing. I don't know if I'll go back to this album, but I'm glad it exists and I'm glad I gave it a listen.
Neat little blues album. Layla still feels like the standout, but there's some good blues jams on here. Key to the Highway and Thorn Tree in the Garden were my key discoveries here.
Heavy album, very intense. In ways it feels very of its time, but I do still enjoy a lot of this album. The industrial "wall of sound" vibe informs so much stuff that came after this album.
I’ve been in a rap/hip-hop mood lately, so this hits at exactly the right time. Intense, thudding production behind raps that still hold up. You can practically measure the timeline of rap by if an album came before or after this one.
Enjoyed the vibes of this album. Just cool, relaxing bossa nova jazz. You can actively listen and enjoy, but it's also a great album to just have on in the background.
Reggae! Never heard this before, but it's got a good groove to it. This is reggae that feels definitively reggae, not too commercial, just sounding like itself. Themes of social injustice and spirituality weave throughout.
Very good album. I already enjoy CHVRCHES and was a fan of The Mother We Share, but hadn't heard the rest of this album. Strong tracks throughout, though I will always prefer the ones with Lauren Mayberry doing lead vocals (thankfully that's most of them).
This was a nice, easy one to listen to. Another album where I've enjoyed singles from it for years, but never listened to the full album. I was pleased by how well all the songs fit together and transitioned one to the next. The music feels melancholy, almost aching, with lyrics that are shockingly relevant right now. As AI alienates more people I can see this album's relevance only increasing.
Solid pop album that lets you see the bridge from 70s pop sounds to Jackson’s later albums. Some good hits on here, but also a few tracks that lost me.
Good country/folk album. The lyrics have a Dylan-esque quality to them; I could see going back to a few tracks on here.
Though the sound is squarely 60's, I can hear so much modern signer-songwriter in this. It's remarkable to listen to. I get very strong Tori Amos vibes from several of the tracks.
Album is much more straightforward than The Velvet Underground and Nico. I think I like that album more overall; the production on this album being more subdued is fine, but I don't love it. There's some solid tracks here, like What Goes On and Pale Blue Eyes. Lyrically the album is as good as anything else by TVU. There's even a decent prog track here in the form of The Murder Mystery. After Hours is a very sweet album closer. I thing this is an album that's easy to like but hard for me to love.
Cool album. I knew the singles but not the rest. The slightly grungy rock-blues vibe is very good across the whole album. Just a good album to throw on and groove to.
The generator really wanted to give me all three Nick Drake albums before I hit 80 albums in total in the project. Wild. Well, this IS more Nick Drake. It's good; my favorite song on the album is probably Day Is Done. Of the three albums, my favorite is probably either Pink Moon or Bryter Layter, leaning towards Pink Moon. None of it bowls me over, but I do think it's reasonably good, forward-looking folk.
First time listening to any Suede. I like the first track! Overall I like the sound and the riffs throughout, though the album does lose me somewhat in the back half.
This one was okay. Couple of tracks got me into it, but I also feel like ti generally went on too long. Nothing really switched up the tone for me, so it all ended up blending together.
Heck yeah, GREAT album. Back-to-front great. The first half of the album is the most recognizable and still feels the strongest, but the back half still has some great tracks that I've grown to appreciate more over the years.
Another album I've loved for a long time. Every track is a banger. Bombtrack is a great opener, and Freedom is a solid closer. I also think Township Rebellion is a sleeper great track.
This is a good one. Probably my favorite of the ex-Beatle solo projects. It feels expansive, forward-looking, and fun. In contract I find some other Beatle solo-work to be a bit too navel-gazing. This is definitely one to revisit. The spirituality of the album isn't smothering, but rather feels genuinely positive and welcoming.
Interesting bossa nova album. Some good tracks, mostly chill vibes throughout. Bebel Gilberto's voice is excellent for this and really lends a cool flare to the entire album.
Sort of a junk food album, but you know what? Junk food is good sometimes. That's how this album feels. You can see punk coming out of it. It's not the most amazing music in the world, but the attitude, humor, and fun totally sell it.
Good sound, the vocals are very 60's folk. You can hear where later indie bands would be inspired by this sound. It definitely scratches an itch of indie-folk-pop that I enjoy.
Is it weird that the synth-instrumentals on the back half of this album might be my favorite part of it? Of course the title track, Heroes, is iconic and a great song. But the things that made me sit up and take notice were Sense of Doubt going into Moss Garden. Ah, and Neukoln continues it. I'm sure these are not the most popular tracks, but I'm really enjoying the the soundscapes they're creating. I also enjoyed The Secret Life of Arabia.
This album is a jauntier and more fun pop album than I was expecting. It's catchy and an enjoyable listen. Didn't realize "Without You" and "Coconut" were from this album. Those are certainly iconic tracks!
So far this album is very cool. The riffs and instrumentation are great, and I really like Baaba's singing.
Classic album. Maybe it's because I've heard plenty of CSN, but as good as the album is it doesn't do a lot for me anymore; it's pleasant to listen to, but doesn't evoke a deep desire to tune in and enjoy.
Fun album! Lots of hits here, and even the other tracks are fun bops. There's some stuff that I think lyrically isn't great, like "TV Dinners," but the whole vibe of the album is enjoyable.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS. God this album rules. Every track is fantastic, and some, like The Chain, are on my personal list of greatest songs ever recorded. This is an all-time great album and likely to be one of my absolute favorites of the entire project.
Fun album, but feels a bit samey as it progresses. The singles are good, but most of the rest of the album is aggressively "fine."
This album was a pretty good punk album, especially for something more modern. It didn't bowl me over, but it was fun and easy to listen to.
Randy Newman sounds like he's writing songs for a musical that doesn't exist.
Crooner jazz as only Billie Holiday could deliver it. Her gift as a singer is on display here, though her voice has lost some of its earlier beauty. However, that translates in practice to a melancholy delivery of these ballads that suits them incredibly well.
Fun, largely instrumental, seventies rock with Mexican guitar flair.
I'm not always a prog rock guy, but this album is pretty cool. Biggest discovery for me was Yes's cover of America, which I thought was really well done; they took that song in a completely new direction musically and it sounded awesome.
I enjoy Talking Heads later stuff, but I got tired of this album quickly. Felt samey across the whole album. The standout was Take Me to the River.
I’m enjoying this more than I thought I might. Some legitimately fun bops here.
It’s not terrible, but this really isn’t for me.
Cool album; Smooth Operator is an all-time R&B jam. This has a smooth blues feeling to it.
Interesting afrobeat/jazz album. However, I'm not sure I'm into the added 16 minutes drum duet. Whatever you need to have inside you to appreciate that, I don't have it.
Pretty cool atmospheric album. I think it’s about 5 tracks too long, though.
Another banger Springsteen album. Definitely his biggest, most well-known album. It's primarily arena rock, but every track is great. My personal favorite is "I'm Going Down," but there really isn't a weak spot in the whole album.
Fun listen, and a couple really good tracks on here. My favorite is probably Earth People. It does start to wear thin after a while, but overall decent.
I was in the middle of Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair when I knew this was a five star album. I realized I knew of Nina Simone but hadn’t really listened to her, and her voice absolutely blew me away. Just some of the held notes absolutely sold me on her artistry and this album’s merit. I got the same feeling listening to this as I have listening to Bing Crosby: I’d listen just for the voice.
Pure punk. Anarchic lyrics and fun grooves throughout. Cool album, even if it's not completely my jam.
Sounds like 90s indy/grunge/garage rock. While I generally like that sound, some of it was too discordant to me, or just uninteresting. There were a few really good tracks though, in particular: Soul and Fire, and Think (Let Tomorrow Bee).
Strong album. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the tracks (particularly the singles) off of this one. It's a pure hit of grunge nostalgia for me all the way through.
This one has surprised me with how much I've enjoyed it. Really liked (Drawing) Rings Around the World, It's Not the End of the World?, and No Sympathy. But all of it is pretty solid.
I don't always love the Pixies, but there's some good tracks here. Some of the known singles are enjoyable, and generally I think their rock riffs are strong. OK, wait, Silver is great. Making a Western/country song for this album is out of left field but really, really cool. Overall, feels like a decent-to-good middle of the road album for me.
Interesting album. I was familiar with The Cisco Kid, but nothing else. Progressive funk/jazz which is cool to groove to. I didn't love it, but I did find it an impressive work.
The lyrics are a bit cringey, but maybe that's because they're the genesis of so much black metal aesthetic. Music overall was fine but I couldn't help but largely find the songs almost parody-like in their content.
Reminds me of the country music I would listen to with my dad as a kid, during the heyday of Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson. I don't remember the name Dwight Yoakam, but I'm sure I heard some of his songs on country radio then, too. Even though I don't recognize any songs on this album, it induces a sort of nostalgia in me.
I enjoyed the album. The first track, "I Got You," feels the most like a standard country radio hit, a love song layered with wry humor. The album gets darker until it hits Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room, a murder ballad. It's a good song. I liked the sound of I Sang Dixie even if I don't think it holds up quite as well as a social commentary anymore. Generally positive on this album.
Love how chill this album is, which feels embodied in the well-loved single Can I Kick It?, which is still a great track. I also really dug the fun weirdness of Ham 'N' Eggs.
I liked this album more than I thought I would. I was familiar with Celebrity Skin and Malibu, both of which I think are decent tracks, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first four tracks of the album as a set. Favorite songs that were new to me are Awful and Northern Star. I might put Awful in my general rotation of favorite singles.
An iconic album. It's not my absolute favorite, but it's hard to give this album anything less than 4 stars.
Cool album, feels very jazz-inspired. You can also feel what a deeply personal album this is for Kendrick; it's both self-reflective and a meditation on the world he came up in. The tracks are full of bits and pieces of black American music, and on top of that you can really hear how talented Kendrick is as a rapper. Favorite tracks here are King Kunta, Hood Politics, The Blacker the Berry, and i.
Good album. Some notable singles on here. The Rolling Stones are classic, but not everything about their sound does it for me. Lady Jane and Out of Time were my positive discoveries from this one.
This was enjoyable. Understandably mellow throughout, considering its subject matter of heartache and loss. Lost Cause is still probably my favorite track, but the whole album is easy to listen to.
Another classic Springsteen album. The arena-rockers are all here, but there's really something to be said for songs like Meeting Across the River. Hard for me to add anything else; this is a rock classic in my household.
What a pleasant surprise! Might be my favorite new finding of the over 100 albums I’ve listened to for this project so far. The music is tightly composed, yet often almost whimsical, and fun to listen to throughout. The lyrics are those of a storyteller, and each song seems to transport you to a specific time and place. There’s also a wry humor to the whole thing. I really enjoyed this one and will absolutely be coming back to it. I think the title track (and one or two others) may even make my regular favorites rotation.
I enjoyed this one much more than I expected. Just some good vibing R&B. The way Joan's voice works with the instrumentation is sublime.
Classic album. Almost every track is gold. Gotta be a 5.
This album seems...fine? Like the music is alright, but nothing to write home about. Sort of catchy but also feels pretty forgettable.
The album is good, but it may be time for me to admit to myself that I'm just not a huge Bowie fan. Most of his music doesn't do a lot for me.
This was what electronica sounded like in the early 90s. That’s all I’ve got. It was fine.
Incredible voice from an iconic performer. This has some of her most well-known hits on it. Very good album.
More Bowie. I could never deny the craftsmanship of Bowie's music, but I'm just not that into him (I think mostly due to his singing style).
It's Yes. It's prog rock. If you like prog rock, you'll like this, and if you don't you won't.
In all seriousness, I think I liked side 2's "And You and I" more than side 1's "Close to the Edge." But prog rock is really hit-and-miss for me.
Cool album. Fiona Apple has a real talent for channeling angst, uncertainty, and anger into music. I was only really familiar with Criminal; my favorite discoveries off this album were Sleep to Dream and Never Is a Promise.
I enjoyed this one. British hip-hop certainly has its own sound, and it was fascinating to hear one of the early progenitors of that sound. Not all of the tracks hit for me, but I enjoyed the ones that did. The samples are for the most part very sparse and focused on the rhythms, which feel aggressive and choppy.
What a voice! This is the reason I’m doing this project; discovering artists I was previously unaware of who charm me with their talent and music. Makeba’s soulful take on African folk music is captivating. I don’t own or collect vinyl, but this album made me think “I want to own this on vinyl.”
This was alright. Favorite here was probably Glittering Prize. In my (simple) mind this is sort of what all early-to-mid-80s music sounds like. I think that speaks more to it being highly influential than to it being derivative.
I don't know if this album is as strong as her later albums, but it's definitely cool. Human Behavior, Big Time Sensuality, Violently Happy...there are some real hits in here, and Björk is very good at being playful with the album's production and the club-inspired sounds of the songs. I really like the production choices on songs like There Is More to Life Than This; you get the sense of Björk singing right at you, and the end feels like you're walking out of a club whose party is still raging. I think Björk, albums, generally, are just easy to listen to AS ALBUMS. You can just play them and let them wash over you.
Another classic Beatles album. You can really get a sense of the art pop/prog rock sound being formed. But the best thing about the album is how eclectic it is; the sounds really move between a crazy variety of sounds, influences, and themes. This album also fully plays in the space of "themes that just were not explored in pop music at the time" (She's Leaving Home is a great example of this).
Album was better than I was expecting it to be. I'm not generally big on the post-Beatles solo projects of any Beatles members, but I found swaths of this album to be fun, jazzy, and strangely catchy. The lyrics weren't always on par with the sound, but I couldn't resist the grungy production of Let Me Roll It or the energy of Jet. I do think the album drops off a bit after Mamunia though.
Plenty of bops on this album. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of 90s R&B. That said, the first several tracks are a heck of a run of songs; the album just sort of blends together for me after that. The gospel song near the end is a nice refresher. Plenty of talent on display here, and even with me not loving the general style it earns a reasonable rating based purely on those early tracks.
It may be a long album, but it's chock-full of great bluegrass. I tend to prefer the instrumentals here to the songs with lyrics, but even so you get some good lyrical songs like the titular Will the Circle Be Unbroken. I don't think this is an album you listen to straight through in the normal sense of an album; I think this is one to take in bits and pieces, enjoying as you go.
Some classics on here, and you can feel the blues-to-psychadelia happening throughout the album. Generally a good listen straight through.
Good sound, a classic album of the early-to-mid 2000s. I admit the whole thing runs together a bit for me, though. Not one I see myself going back to frequently, but good enough.
Perfectly fine album. Doesn't feature any of the KoL songs I know, but I liked the general tone of the songs.
Great album to jog along to. 2Pac’s flow feels so good against these beats, even if the whole project feels perhaps a touch self-absorbed.
Talking Heads are very hit-or-miss for me; the opening two tracks were musically interesting and were things I was happy to listen to. But then we got into what I consider the “usual” sound of the Talking Heads: David Byrne drone-talk-singing over music that does just enough to drown out any attempt to understand what he’s actually saying. And that just doesn’t work for me. This almost inches to 3 stars just for the first two tracks and the final track…but the middle is just too Talking Heads for my tastes.
What a great album. Tracy brings a beautiful soulfulness to her folk music and creates something that feels profound. Of course Fast Car is an all-time great song, but you also get Across the Lines and Mountains o' Things, among others. When one of your two weakest songs is Talkin' 'bout a Revolution, a song I genuinely like (the other being Why?, maybe the only miss on the album), then you've done really well.
Really good album. Lots of strong singles that I remember from high school and college came off of this one. I don’t absolutely love it because it gets a bit samey in the middle for me, but it’s strong. Biggest revelation on listening was Andy, You’re a Star; I wasn’t aware of this song before and it caught me off-guard with how much I enjoyed it.
Ok but actually why is this album included on this project? It’s not awful, but it’s basically just disco. I guess maybe they needed an emblematic disco album? Also, At Last I Am Free was genuinely annoying.
This is a weird one. It’s certainly interesting, and initially I really didn’t care for it. But as I listened it grew on me a little.
Heck yeah, what a great Christmas album. One of the very few “essential” Christmas albums in my opinion.
This was fine; didn't love it, didn't hate it. There were a few good surprises on the album for me; The Hanging Garden specifically was very enjoyable.
Fun album! Very distinct late-80s hip-hop. Latifah has a good flow. My only issue is a I think some of the tracks just go on a little too long. Highlights are Latifah's Law and Ladies First.
I thought I’d like this album more than I did. You can tell Metallica are talented, and they make sure to mix it up in their songs so that the riffs don’t get stale. It’s this close to being prog metal. But unfortunately for the most part that doesn’t do a lot for me.
Most of this sounded samey and droning. A few tracks at the end caught my attention, but overall I felt like I had nothing to latch onto when listening to this album.
Good album, but so strange to see an album with multiple covers of songs that are better known by other artists. The Isley Brothers did a commendable job with them, it just struck me as odd. You do get to hear That Lady, which is a classic.
Cool world music. Great rhythms, just an enjoyable background listen for me.
This is an interesting one; to my ear this album sounds like a midway point between The Velvet Underground and The Strokes. I'll have to give it a few more listens to really find my footing with it, but my initial impression is that I do like it. The interplay of the riffs between various instruments combined with the slightly esoteric lyrics give it a vibe that makes it feel more modern than it actually is. It's a cool album.
I really enjoyed most of this album. Felt like proto-Oasis in its sound. This is one that may deserve multiple listens, and that I could see wanting to bump up to a 5 later. The guitars and the riffs did it for me on most tracks, but honestly the track that may have sold me was the 0:53 track Elizabeth My Dear, which used the Scarborough Fair melody.
Its prog rock. It's mostly instrumental. The tracks get progressively longer. It's fine. Did I mention it's prog rock?
It was fine. I think I prefer early Bowie and very end Bowie to most of his middle stuff.
Pretty good. Tom Sawyer is still a stand-out track. The rest is very prog rock, which I’m not always high on, but there are a few tracks (especially the last one) which I could see myself coming back to.
A fine album, but it is shocking that Nevermind lost to it in Spin's albums of the year in 1991. There's some parts that are good, and I like the sound of 90s rock/alt, but it also didn't stand out in any amazing way.
Good album! I've never really listened to The Smiths, but there were multiple tracks where I really enjoyed the dark humor and 80s pop-rock vibes. I'll be revisiting Girlfriend in a Coma and at least a few other songs.
Album was decent. I like the 90s rock sound, but it didn't blow me away by any means. Lots of the songs ran together. I did like the lead singers vocals, though.
