I’m very pleased with this as my first Simon and Garfunkel album. It’s a lush, pretty and witty folk album, that has aged well and shown me a side of an artist that I wasn’t aware of. Aside from some songs that I just couldn’t connect to, and the closing track which feels a little heavy handed and clunky (if somewhat effective) in its messaging in 2025, I thought this really comes together and creates a super immersive experience.

At the end of the day, this is a good singer-songwriter/rock album that is harmed by being tethered to The Beatles. Imagine is more self serious, less adventurous and less colorful than The Beatles best, and it shows that The Beatles really were a balancing act between four individually flawed men. Despite this, I did enjoy Imagine, it’s fairly consistent and hits a high streak during the run of its last 3-4 songs. Some of the political commentary on this has aged awkwardly in the way that a lot of political music of the early 70s has, but a lot of these songs do present their topics in an interesting way. Overall, not bad.

This is a super cool album I probably wouldn’t have checked out otherwise. You’ve Come A Long Way Baby kind of secretly has its fingers in a lot of different pies. The aesthetic base here is Big Beat/UK techno, but on a few levels, it delves into some really interesting spaces. You have some clear hip hop influence, as well as jungle, which all still kind of slots nicely together, however the way this album incorporates sampling has a really unique effect. Some of the sampled passages on here are in-tact enough that they can kind of be enjoyed as they would have been in their original context. This results in moments across this album that I can enjoy like (for example)a funk, psych or surf rock song, in a way that almost reminds me of plunderphonics. This is all incorporated into some super fun, groovy songs that are consistent across the project. I think I see how something like this could be seen as repetitive, but while the arcs of the songs are kind of repetitive, they transform subtly in a way that rewards close listening. Not to mention how dense and detailed this is on a moment to moment basis, so I didn’t think this was too repetitive at all. In Heaven is maybe a little annoying if you aren’t that into vox, but I think that even that song has a strong core. Ultimately, this was a really fun, exciting and rewarding listen.

I was excited to hear this, I have a history with swing dance, and I wanted to hear what a bona-fide big band swing album released in the era of hard bop, modal jazz and free jazz sounds like. I am pleased to say it sounds very good, this is effectively a perfect swing album, with incredible performances and great pacing. Most importantly, this release captures the joy of swing as an artform very nicely. I’m kind of torn on what to score this, but I’ll settle on a 4, although it’s a 5 if I’m listening to it while dancing.

While I love Nick Drake and have listened extensively to pink moon, I’ve just never had a chance to give Bryter Layter a shot. While it may be my least favorite Nick Drake album, that’s almost a completely meaningless thing to say. For anyone who was somehow unaware of Nick Drake before this, the story is that he was chronically underrated while alive, released only 3 albums, then died tragically young. To the right person (as I’ve just discovered: me) these 3 albums are about as close as anyone has ever come to creating a truly spotless discography. In a sea of English folk singer/songwriters in the ‘70s, Nick is set apart by his unique presence, his intricate fingerpicking, and most importantly, his absolutely *incredible* songwriting chops. His singing and guitar playing has a distinct chilly-ness and purity that lends his recordings a certain difficult to define quality. On Bryter Layter, in an effort to pull off all the stops, Nick is contextualized by incredibly lush backing that really emphasizes his classical and jazz influence. The compositions and arrangements are surprisingly intricate and dense, and the result is absolutely gorgeous. All the while, that subtle chill that Nick brings gives these songs a distinct tension, and for some reason, it makes me think of a windy spring day. At its best, this album’s approach gives us songs like Northern Sky that are almost supernaturally beautiful. All that being said, I do think this may be my least favorite of his 3 albums yet I still truly think I want to give a 5 on this one.

It's always been an uphill battle to get myself to listen to a Steely Dan album for whatever reason. I have no reason to be Steely Dan averse, they've done nothing to me, and I even like a lot of their bigger songs, but frankly, I'd rather just think about the insane origins of their name than actually listen to them (look it up if you're curious). Anyways, sometimes the generator wills it, and here I am. Honestly, this wasn't bad, there are some really great highlights like Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Night By Night, and Charlie Freak, but as a whole I just kinda think this was pretty good. This isn't to say that I think Steely Dan sounds generic, they definitely have their thing going on, I just that I can't see what makes this essential listening in the wide world of '70s rock. Anyways, its a matter of time before the generator conjures more Steely Dan, so we'll meet again someday.

What is most striking to me about Seventeen Seconds is how far removed it is from Three Imaginary Boys. In just one year The Cure went from a relatively normal post-punk band to a fully fledged goth rock group. I bring this up in part because of how easy it is to forget. Seventeen Seconds makes perfect sense in the context of The Cure's whole discography, especially because it's the first album in a semi-official trilogy that repeatedly doubles down on the sound here, but when considering The Cure's origins, it feels like a small miracle that the atmosphere distinctive of their other early goth albums is largely nailed down here. From start to end, Seventeen Seconds sounds mysterious, dark, foggy and strangely pretty all with The Cure's sort of X-factor holding it together. Additionally, stand-outs like Play For Today, At Night, Seventeen Seconds, and especially A Forest (one of their best songs ever) make this essential listening for anyone into The Cure. That being said, I do have a couple of nitpicks. Firstly, this may just be me, but I don't love the drum sound here, it sounds a little tinny, and I think the drums could benefit from some extra 'oomph'. I also think the sequencing and pacing is a little odd, for example, Three and The Final Sound being sequenced next to each other makes it pretty clear that they are both sort of mood pieces as opposed to full songs. Also, this album is a little back loaded, the last four songs contain most of the album's best songs. While there are some Side A stand-outs, I think the first half of this album is generally a little less memorable and impactful. Individually, these wouldn't really be an issue, but all together I have to deduct a couple of points. That being said, I still think this is a fantastic album, and if this website let me give it a 4.5 I would.

I had never heard of this band before this, which was honestly surprising when I saw how popular they are, maybe they just never really escaped the UK. Post Orgasmic Chill is largely an alt metal/alt rock album, and this is kind of a genre of music that's very hit or miss to me, and that I think has a capacity to age really awkwardly. That being said, this album certainly has some flaws to me, but there's a lot it does that is super unique and interesting too. Firstly, a lot of the late '90s alt metal staples are here, quiet/loud verse chorus structure, crunchy riffs, and some more melodic ballad tracks, but Skunk Anansie also brings some distinct UK flair, there are songs here where they seemingly incorporate UK techno and trip hop influences and they actually meld really well into this sound when they show up. I kind of wish these influences pop up more because of how well they work, but I'll take what's here. I'm also a fan of the performances here, everyone sounds great, but the real stand-out star in this band is their vocalist, Skin. She is an incredibly talented singer and a really compelling figure, and has a lot of really interesting lyrics across this album about her intersectional experiences as a Black, Queer woman in living the UK. Her presence on songs is unique and genuinely exciting, and she keeps me invested during moments where this album almost loses me. Speaking of which, I did say I think this album has some flaws: Firstly, the production on this is *very* clean, and while it gives a lot of these songs a kind of arena rock feel, I think the heavier songs on here could have benefitted from a little bit of a dirtier sound, even though these songs themselves are good. Second, this album has quite a few more melodic, ballad-y tracks that I alluded to earlier, and on their own, they're all at least decent to great, if occasionally carried by Skin. A bigger problem is that a lot of them are bunched up near the end of the tracklist, and when several are put next to each other in a row they can kind of run into each other. There are a good few I kind of can't keep separate in my head, and I honestly think that one (*maybe* two) of the weaker ones could be cut. That being said, it certainly doesn't ruin the album, and I can see the justification for putting this on a list like this. I am glad I heard it, and there are some tracks I can see myself going back to.

As most of my Yeah Yeah Yeahs experiences have been with Fever To Tell, this one took me a minute to adjust to. This is effectively an electro-pop album with sort of a punk-y tone, and I think it more or less works. That being said, I can't fully divorce It's Blitz! from what I was wanting from a Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, so part of me certainly wishes this had some more teeth. Despite this, what is here is catchy, groovy and focused, and I did enjoy my time with it.

Todd Rundgren is a name I probably could've pulled out of a hat before this, but I don't think I had heard a single song of his, and didn't even *really* know what his thing is. As I queued up Something/Anything (after some very brief cursory research) I was tentatively excited about the kind of art pop aspect, and at least a little scared of the 90 minutes and 25 songs long aspect. I am pleased to announce that, even for the length, this one was well worth my time. Before I dive into what this actually sounds like, I did a little more reading while listening and it helped contextualize this a little bit. Firstly, in modern publications, it seems to be required that I mention the influence of Ritilin on this album, which Rundgren claims is how we ended up with a 90 minute, 25 song long album in the first place. Additionally, Todd recorded everything on the first 3 sides himself without session musicians, so in some circles this is sort of hailed as a DIY adjacent achievement. Finally getting to the music, there's a very particular structure to Something/Anything that Todd lays out in the liner notes. The 4 sides of this album (as it would be experienced on vinyl) are all loosely themed and all veer into some different ideas. This is laid out mostly in the sides' titles, which, after listening, I think I can approximately lay out. Side A is mostly more conventional '70s pop songs. Side B is more of an art pop sound, embracing some strange, psychedelic sounds and odd structures. Side C is a little looser, but it seems to have a sort of jam slant, and side D is a self-contained mini rock opera with a rawer, live studio sound and a full band. In this framework, a lot of ground ends up covered. Throughout this thing, you get pop, blues rock, psychedelic, R&B, an occasional smattering of avant-garde, and some stuff I'm sure I missed. The fact that this all sounds more or less natural on here (if not necessarily cohesive) goes to show the interesting place that the pop world was in at the time. And if you take this lens further, you can kind of see this as the world of early '70s popular music in a microcosm. Given this all, I am amazed at how good a most of these songs are. Through the (again) 90 minute runtime, this album doesn't ever really lose me. In fact, of these 25 songs, I can probably count the misses on one hand and have a spare finger or two. While I probably can't give it a 5 (yet at least) the ambition of this project, coupled with its variety and incredible consistency has won me over, and I am very glad to have discovered this.

It's a question as old as Hotel California itself: What *is* Hotel California? Is it purgatory? Is it addiction? If you ask me, I'd say it's a 1976 studio LP by American rock band Eagles. With that out of the way, I can't say this was truly terrible, I just really don't care about Eagles. I mean, to list some positives, the title track is really great, yes its kind of played out, but it really is sort of an all-timer. Evocative lyrics and a hell of a guitar solo seal the deal, but I don't have to tell you this, you have definitely heard this song. While I don't agree with the seemingly extremely common belief that this is the only good song on the album, I think the gap between it and second place, Victim of Love, is noteworthy. Victim of Love is a pretty good rock song, its catchy and driving and whatnot, its just no Hotel California. Aside from this, Pretty Maids All in a Row is a pretty decent ballad, but the rest of the album just doesn't really do it for me. Eagles hit a kind of perfect commercial rock sweet-spot on this, as far as generating hits goes, but its just not a formula that I think results in a particularly interesting album.

It turns out that this sort of easy listening music is not really my thing. Maybe its just this album, since there are some weird things with this one, but we'll get there. Firstly, I looked into Dion, and he seems to be mostly known for '50s and '60s Doo-Wop albums (I listened to some of it, this stuff is actually pretty fun), but on Born To Be With You, he slows things way down and focuses on writing heartfelt songs with some (admittedly) very nice vocals. However, this album is probably more well known for being produced by Beatles collaborator and genuine menace to society Phil Spector. While there are moments where his production *sorta* works here, he was a bizarre choice for an album like this, and it really doesn't do it for me. Most notably are songs where, to my ear, it really feels like Phil decides to assert himself, (He's Got) The Whole World In His Hands stands out in particular. It really feels like he just kinda brickwalled it, and while the result is interesting, almost psychedelic, it just is not what this album needed. I also sort of have an issue with a lot of the songs here on a sort of construction level. For the length and slow pacing of a lot of these songs, they just aren't strong enough to carry the album. There are moments that stand out, like I mentioned earlier, I like his vocals, and I think the sax parts on this are great. I also remember a lot of the lyrics being pretty interesting. This isn't enough to carry the album though, from what I've read, it seems that Dion himself has kind of disowned it. I didn't absolutely hate this, I just don't really see myself returning to it.

I am aware of The Beastie Boys, just about everyone is, and I love just about everything I've ever heard from them. However, due to some trespass against all things good and kind, I had somehow not listened to this album from front to back before this, and I am *very* glad that the album generator spirits made me. Firstly, I'd like to start by saying that while listening to this, the revelation that no one really thinks of the Beastie Boys as "white rappers" struck me. Like, at this time, you had Vanilla Ice getting bullied constantly by the hip hop community (rightfully so, if I may add), and even when Eminem broke big, the "white rapper" shtick was something he certainly leaned into, but The Beastie Boys were able to just kind of completely stay out of these discussions (to my knowledge). I think I've decided the reason for this is that they jumped into hip-hop with an understanding of, and respect for the culture, without really changing who they were or trying to be people they weren't. And, of course, being unbelievably early to the game, and thus helping to shape the culture helped. Although, with all that said, the bow on it all is just they they were fucking *good*. I'm gonna show my hand early, this is a damn near perfect hip hop album, and if you have any interest in the genre whatsoever, you owe it to yourself to spin this one. Ill Communication sounds very distinct from hip hop at large at this time, like it really feels like the Beastie Boys kind of paved their own road into the '90s, they still kind of have an '80s thing going on in a way that hip hop at large at this time didn't, and their kind of punk origins are incorporated in some really cool ways, from their super energetic delivery, to their approach at writing some of the more rap rock songs here, and even a couple of straight punk tracks. It's not even an album that really fits into what rap rock would settle into shortly after this, Beastie Boys were really in their own lane here. The Beastie Boys' energy is genuinely infectious across Ill Communication, their intense delivery, distinctive flows, and great lyrics just completely grab me. And even though they aren't exactly the most technically gifted rappers in the world, they are witty, thoughtful, and genuinely funny, and its just a blast to hear them do their thing. I also absolutely need to talk about the production here, these songs sound groovy, and super organic. I know there are some live overdubs on here, and its obvious on the rockier songs, but it really sounds like some of the other parts are recorded as overdubs too, like I really don't know where the samples start and stop here, not to mention the incredible scratching here. This all even makes the instrumental songs exciting and interesting. Also, I am required to mention Sabotage, the biggest single here, I can almost guarantee you've heard it. Even though it may be a little overplayed, hearing it in the flow of the album totally revitalized this song for me. There is a real argument that Sabotage is the best rap rock song ever recorded, maybe its just been hitting today, but the energy is incredible, I'm ready to mosh here, now, alone, in my bedroom. I don't know what to score this, on one hand, I can't really think of any real problems I have here over the hour long runtime, but on the other, I just don't know if I want to jump straight to a perfect 5. I'm settling with a 4 for now, a very *very* high 4, but if I revisit this a couple times and I'm still this excited, I'll probably just bump it up. Edit: This has just been sticking in my head for so many reasons, to hell with it, I'm still calibrating what a 5 looks like on here, but I think this is in the club, its just cool as Hell. Honestly, the clincher here is in the details, the Q-Tip feature, the drop from Sabrosa into The Update's *insanely* good drum groove, the beat switch on Bodhisattva Vow, the Beastie Boys' chemistry, etc: it all just works. Also, quick aside "Perfect hip-hop album" may have been incorrect on my part, its almost more of a perfect alternative album in some ways. The foundation here is hip hop, but there is real crossover appeal here just with how The Beastie Boys have incorporated their very wide range of influences.

Oh wow, this was kind of a jumpscare. I Knew Sgt. Pepper was in here, I just didn't think it would come up so soon, but it seems I now find myself reviewing one of the most awarded, acclaimed, and discussed albums *ever*. I find myself wondering if it is even possible to say something original about The Beatles in 2025, let alone *this* album, although my delusions of grandeur have carried me this far, and I see no reason to pull on the reins now. Although I have some hope in my heart that I can at least get close, somehow, I have never heard this album from front to back. I've heard some songs from it, and I've heard other Beatles albums, this one has (shockingly) just escaped me. Anyways, while I get why The Beatles are so often considered the greatest band ever, they've also historically done less for me than they seem to do for others. You may say I'm something of a Beatles skeptic, and as such, this album's reputation is sort of head turning to me, and I'm very interested in seeing how I feel about it. With all that said, it turns out that Sgt. Pepper *is* very good, however it is nowhere near the top of the list of my favorite albums ever. A lot of this album's reputation is based in its historical significance, but I think the reason this has stayed so potent for modern listeners is because, if you get The Beatles' sort of pop music, this is pretty close to 13 flawless pop songs in a row. That isn't to say I think its perfect, but it is to say that there really aren't many failed ideas or executions anywhere here, and I understand how someone could think it to be perfect. The overall sound of this album is pretty much iconic, the super bright, psychedelic atmosphere, the incredibly dense arrangement, and the kind of (generally) light, fun, and bubbly Beatles songs across this are pretty much the sound of a generation or two. Songs like Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and With A Little Help From My Friends are incredibly tight and catchy. Songs Like Fixing A Hole and Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite! are really interesting experiments with sound palette. And while this album's brightness and optimism is almost overwhelming at times, it can usually swing the pendulum back a little with some more tense passages and intricate songcraft. My favorite example of this is on When I'm Sixty Four, when we start with the pluckiest, bounciest little Paul McCartney ditty, and just before it almost loses me, it swings back with a super compelling sort of B section, and this makes the whole song just work incredibly well. That being said, there are songs here that just don't click for me. I'm not that into Getting Better, the melody just doesn't do it for me, and while I'm sure it would have been read differently at the time, I just don't buy the lyrics in 2025, knowing what we know about John Lennon. I also think Lovely Rita is just fine, and Good Morning Good Morning doesn't feel like it adds much here except for the fascinating intro. That being said, the worst song in my opinion, and the only one that I would argue may actually have anything wrong with it is Within You Without You. I love George Harrison as a songwriter, but I am just not that into his songs where he experiments with Indian music. The dense atmosphere is extremely cool, but for this song's length, I kind of think it may be a little under-developed. Although, I will say that Sgt. Pepper definitely sticks the landing. A Day In The Life is my absolute favorite song on here, its basically perfect, and ending the album with it is genius. At the end of what is so often considered The Beatles' psychedelic masterpiece, they bring the listener back to Earth with A Day In The Life, its earnest and almost sobering. After the experience of the rest of this album, The Beatles put you back into a realer world, acknowledging the sadnesses and beauties of day to day existence. Overall, I understand the reason this album is regarded the way that it is, and while it doesn't *quite* get me where it seems to get a lot of people, I do like it a lot!

I don't believe I hadn't heard of this. This is absolutely in my wheelhouse, I love strange, raw music earnestly exploring uncomfortable emotional states, and Oar fits this description to a tee. Alexander Spence came from the world of psych, and at the time, the dominant culture in this space was optimism and righteous anger and bacchanalian consumption of psychedelics. However, a figure like Spence highlights the darkness running underneath it all. His story (much like the more well known Syd Barrett's) serves as a grim reminder of the casualties of this culture, people who broke down under it all and were left to be forgotten at the fringes of society. This is why albums like Oar and other more formal outsider albums are so important, they provide a voice to their creators who may well not have one otherwise. With that being said, what does this album actually sound like? It is a fragile, occasionally haunted and surprisingly varied singer-songwriter album encompassing folk, psych, and late '60s rock music. For the reputation this album has, the songs are actually very good. If you can get into the kind of performances that are across this album, the music at the core here is well written and consistently interesting, with really compelling lyrics. Some of this stuff sounds pretty ahead of its time too, a couple of songs here sound uncannily similar to the music that Leonard Cohen would later make, and this may just be me, but some of the kind of slanted rawness here almost makes me think of the kind of thing that some lo fi indie songwriters were trying to achieve in the '90s. But honestly, the performances are what makes this come together for me, difficult as they may be. I really feel that Spence is baring his soul across this, and the cumulative result, within the context of his life, is kind of profoundly sad. I have a lot of respect for the list's inclusion of this, placing an album like this in the sort of publication that "1001 Albums..." is works towards legitimizing it in the broader music world and, ideally, will help people to see this as a worthwhile piece of art even without its context. I really love this.

The hat trick is complete, this makes three psych or psych-adjacent albums in a row, and damn me to hell, I liked all of them, spoiler alert for this review I guess. The main impression I get from Love, a band I hadn't really heard of before this, is that they *must* be (secretly) wildly important in the grand scheme of rock music. This album just has that feeling, this is some very ahead of its time early psych. The psych pop songs here are about a year ahead of their time, with Orange Skies, Que Vida!, and She Comes In colors (coming, themselves from '66) sounding straight out of the summer of love. These songs are colorful and breezy and pleasant, but they aren't the most interesting part of this album to me. That would be the more rock cuts, Stephanie Knows Who, The Castle, and *especially* Seven and Seven Is. These songs all highlight extremely forward thinking rock songwriting and aesthetics, and tie it all together with intense performances, especially Arthur Lee, who absolutely *rips* into these songs with his vocal approach. This is all best exemplified on Seven and Seven Is, an absolute proto-punk barn burner. The bottomless well of covers of this song (by artists such as Alice Cooper, Rush, Robert Plant, Deep Purple and more) go to show how much impact this song had on the development of rock music as it leaped into the '70s. Now, this is all well and good, but these songs are all on the first side of the album, the second is one song, Revelation, an 18 minute monster of a psychedelic jam epic. When half of your album's runtime is a single song, that song better be *good* and Revelation delivers. Lee's vocal approach slowly cranks itself to eleven between an onslaught of creative and compelling solos from the entire band. I don't have much else to say, its really that simple, and its awesome, never before has 18 minutes passed this quickly. This album is a lot better than I expected, I can't tell if I just like psych, or if I'm just getting really lucky.

I absolutely love Joanna Newsom's whole thing. I am more familiar with Milk Eyed Mender, but I have heard this before, and I think this album is spellbinding. Firstly, and most controversially, I love her voice. I can see it being grating, but it just works for making the music seem like its in its own self contained world. This is the Ys' strongest factor to me, it is like Newsom builds this fey kingdom and invites the listener in. This is further achieved with the instrumental palette, all harp and violin and accordion, to name a few. Not to mention the detailed, lengthy compositions and vivid lyricism. I have no complaints about Ys, and I absolutely love it.

Dookie did not invent pop punk, not even close, but was a before and after moment for the genre, and it's a perfect encapsulation of the appeal of it. If someone wanted to know what pop punk is, you could do a hell of a lot worse than just showing them Dookie. This is a record full of frustration, anxiety and suburban ennui. Songs are about getting crushing boredom, getting mad at your parents and trying to find your way in the world. Billie Joe Armstrong sounds distinct and snotty and maybe a little bit obnoxious. And the songs are perfect little blasts of pop songwriting: simple, catchy and energetic. Basically, Dookie is the perfect album to capture the attention of a wide audience of disillusioned teens. If you found this in the right place, at the right time, I can see it being an all time favorite for you. That being said, while I understand the appeal of Dookie, and I do like it more than I don't, pop punk just kind of isn't my thing, but I can understand that this is a masterpiece of the genre. Besides, I can throw it on and bob along from front to back, so I can't complain too much.

The Doors have never sat in my mind as a band that fit nicely into the musical landscape of the '60s. Often, they just kind seem to me like a good bluesy psychedelic rock band, but they have some songs where their kind of obscure mystical image seeps a little deeper into their music and they get pushed into being one of the most interesting bands of the '60s. That's kind of how this album feels to me in a nutshell, we have a good current of bluesy rock here that is occasionally put into overdrive. These songs define this album to me: Break On Through has some real momentum to it, Light My Fire is allowed to grow into something greater than its pop appeal and End of the Night sounds woozy and disorienting. Of course, The End is the centerpiece of this album. It really feels like The Doors tap into something dark and esoteric here. Jim Morrison's vocal performance is incredibly dynamic, and the song's release of its slow building intensity is one of '60s rock's defining moments, in its own strange way. Overall, while I understand the importance of this, its underlying blues rock aesthetic only does so much for me, but every once in a while something here is truly fascinating to me. Read this score as a pretty high 3.

While it's kind of interesting to hear The Stones at their earliest, and this is technically fine, the fact that its mostly a covers album kind of makes it tough for me to rate this highly. The covers are fine, if not especially transformative, and the performances are pretty good. Like, they are tight, and I like the harmonica, and that is clearly Mick Jagger, but it only does so much. The three original songs on here (two are written under a pseudonym) are kinda duds, which really doesn't help this album's case. Compared to their later works, there just isn't much of value here, and I'm not sure its position on the list is fully justified.

I've never quite settled on an opinion on dream pop, but I've heard some songs from this, and I was pretty confident I would like, but not necessarily love it. However, Cocteau Twins proved me wrong. From the start, the sound of this hooked me, Heaven Or Las Vegas sounds glassy and almost futuristic. It just has a kind of ethereal sheen that I liked a lot more than I thought. Although what I really ended up staying for here is the songs. I had a slow, creeping realization that song after song, Cocteau Twins were sticking the landing. The worst songs on here are engaging and catchy, and the best are really genre defining. The bow on the whole thing is that we end with one of the stronger songs, Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires. One other thing I'd like to mention is that the vocals and "lyrics" here are fascinating. The vocals are *very* ethereal, to the extent that almost no lyrics are comprehensible, and in fact, the lyrics aren't published anywhere (again as far as I know). This frames Elizabeth Fraser's voice as an instrument in a way that I usually see in more extreme genres of music with less conventionally sung vocals. Hearing something like this in a context like dreampop achieves a really interesting effect. I really don't have more to say, I was shocked by how much I loved this.

Illmatic has its reputation for a reason. Honestly, the reason this is so good boils down pretty simply, this is 40 minutes of engaging, detailed storytelling over unbelievably consistent beats. I'd even say Illmatic as a whole is about as consistent an experience as they get, there's really no space for me to complain. There aren't any lazy verses, or so-so interludes, or annoying features, or throwaway cuts. Illmatic is lean, and it reflects the care and attention to detail put into it. If Illmatic sounds like it took 4 years to write, that's because it did. Nas would make other good albums, but never again anything like this. This is a one of a kind piece of perfect rap music, from front to back.

I expected to like this, and I just kind of don't. It's almost frustrating, like I can't really articulate why. I think I'm finding out that the style of blues rock that runs through this isn't really my thing. That being said, I honestly can't say its bad per say. I like a lot of the lyrics across this, and I see the appeal of these songs. Despite this, the parts of this album that appeal most to me are the little detours, the more folk or country moments mostly work for me, but that also may have something to do with the greasy Bob Dylan fingerprints that seem to be all over these songs in particular. Of the bluesy-er songs here, I will say I do like Chest Fever quite a bit, and I think the New Orleans blues passage comes out of no where, but really works. Regardless, this whole thing has moments, but it doesn't really work for me as a whole.

While the cover art did not make me expect good things, I do like Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley, so I expected to have at least a little fun here. Unfortunately, I just did not like this, and I think there is a reason this isn't brought up a ton any more (at least in spaces that I'm around). Like I said, I feel like I should at least be having a little fun here, and a lot of these songs aren't terrible, but there's almost *always* something bugging me about this thing, just getting in between me and enjoying this almost constantly. Firstly, the overall sound of this is *very* dated, this is not my era of music, and it isn't quite old enough or good enough that it sounds truly classic to me. This probably wouldn't be a problem if one of these songs came on in public or in a car or something, but when listening to this as a whole, it really becomes apparent how stiff and sort of awkward even some of the better beats sound. Now let's discuss CeeLo Green himself, I do not like his presence on here. It feels like his approach should be interesting, he is kind of getting into a pocket with a very sing-song-y cadence and a lot of push and pull. However, to sell some kind of soul adjacent persona, he gets like really growly in a way that's sort of hard to explain, but as a consequence his annunciation on here is awful, especially when he hits faster flows, and it all just turns to mush. Additionally, he is usually mixed *bad*, like way to low, it feels like he is competing for space in the mix with the beat most of the time, which compounds with the cadence to make his presence *super* grating. Additionally, his singing voice itself is really not that good, sometimes it sounds fine, but on a song like All Day Love Affair, he doesn't sound confident and, sometimes, especially on the first verse of evening news, I'm not even sure if he's in key. It's also worth noting that his lyrics don't do much for me, he isn't saying much that's especially interesting, and especially when he's in double time flow he even gets into a "spiritual lyrical miracle" pocket every once in a while (on I Am Selling Soul he kicks off with "I am the actual and factual supernatural sight and surrounds..."). Also, it feels kind of weird and awkward whenever he tries to get kind of sensual on here because of his allegations, it just rubs me the wrong way. Now, usually, only one of these things is bugging me at a time, but there are a couple of songs here that are, at times like *bad*. Some minor offenders include the off singing on Evening News, and the extremely obnoxious, blown out chorus on Scrap Metal. However, the worst song on here is *easily* Childz Play. I understand this is going for a particular tone, but it just isn't pulled off well, and I think it sounds *awful*. The like, toy store xylophone beat is grating and unnecessarily busy, and the effect is like jaw dropping, it's like circus music, I'm baffled. Then CeeLo comes in with mushy double-times for like the whole song, and he even hits what sounds like a Carol of the Bells interpolation in the chorus. Even more annoying, the Ludacris verse buried on this song is one of the very best verses on the entire album. He is charismatic and fun, and there's like a beautiful 30 seconds during his verse where the worst tendencies of the beat drop out and its like the only part of the album that I can just enjoy. Speaking of Ludacris, the other features on here are *all* better than CeeLo Green, with the notable exception of Timbaland, who starts his verse with "Here comes Timbaland, I'm also from the South" which is one of the most clunky, inelegant ways anyone could ever start a verse. This album's final crime is the 75 minute runtime, which is not warranted, especially after you realize that there are really only like two main types of songs here. Like I said, most of these songs aren't independently terrible, but as a whole, there is almost nothing here that I can just sit back and enjoy. While I am calibrating the lower end of my scale, I found this a *lot* less enjoyable than the 2s I've been giving, I think this may really get a 1 from me.