I liked the first four songs Album tended to be interesting yet not enough to have me return to some tracks. Very atmospheric and experimental approaches, but barely anything to come back to. Best: Walk Of Life Worst: One World

Reminds me of what I was listening to during Phish Mondegreen Festival. I really mess with the kind of vibe that has. I may not understand what's being sung but the music is more than enough. Very fine-tuned stuff. It gets the head moving. Some highlights: Ponta De Lança Africano, O Filosòfo, A História De Jorge, Zumbi

The title track builds to a great upbeat dance. The story behind this album is very fascinating. Bowie was on Coke. Golden Years continues this upbeat sound. Word On A Wing: Wow. Just wow. This is really something. I was pleasantly surprised by how great this was. The first 5 for sure.

BITCH IMMA KILL YOU! I heard a good part of this album in middle school. I am an adult now, so I can hear this album without being secretive. I think beyond the fact that Eminem is shocking with what he says, some of these songs have depth to them. Stan is one of the most captivating rap songs of all time. For that storytelling to come from someone like early Eminem was proof that he was more than a threatening misogynist asshole. There's a good reason why this album was at the forefront of the culture in the year 2000. I like the commentary angle Eminem takes on most of these songs. Kim is wild however. Realistically it’s a 7/10 album but it gets a 4 here.

Hotel California (the song) is a classic that though isn't my weapon of choice most days, still has my respect. It's by the best song on the album compared to the rest. I think the problem I have with the deep cuts on this album is that there's ideas and bits that I dig but the execution isn't for me. As a result, this tends to be a massive mixed bag of boring rock ballads that I don't care much for. I can understand why old dads eat this kind of stuff up, but as for a young college kid like myself, it's not something I would return to. The title track will always be iconic and the rest will always be the rest. This is an album meant to be commercial and it shows.

I tried listening to this in 2021 and I believe I fell asleep. I was tired, it was a 16 hour road trip. I've always liked two of the songs on this: Sleep To Dream and Criminal. The rest, I'm not as familiar with. Sullen Girl took me by surprise and I believe that the slow atmosphere is something that I can understand better at this age. Shadowboxer puts her voice front and center. For her young age, she definitely had a voice that could move mountains. I'm not saying that to be cliche or some shit, I do mean that. What I recognize about these outro sections so far is that they bring in moments of solos from these instruments with "quirks" to their sound before fading out. Just as this album begins to make more sense to me, Criminal comes in and steals the show. This is a good sign. Slow Like Honey is probably the first skip but it's a natural comedown from Criminal. The First Taste brings it back up. It's one along with Criminal where Fiona shows this more ferociously naive attractive side of her rather than just pure anger and piano. I may not even know what I'm saying. Never Is A Promise has excellent lyricism, straight up. This girl can sing, damn. It's such an engaging song that the next two songs don't matter as much to me. There's about 3 skips on this album. That doesn't discredit how impressive this is for a debut at this age, it's just that some of the songs I don't vibe with as much. At the very least, this album has a strong closer in Carrion. Why isn't When The Pawn on this list? 7/10 (but 3 stars here as I feel I enjoyed the MMLP more)

This cover always had quite the impression on me. But I had never taken the time to sit down with the music behind, so here I am now. The first track is quite good from the get go. By track four (with an open and unfatigued mind), the album proves to be satisfactory. That bassline on Out of The Blue makes the song. After that, the back-half varies with some songs that pass me by and some that I do enjoy. The arrangements on this album are ambitious which is a word I can use to describe Roxy Music as a whole. But I don't know if this record has tons of staying power besides a handful of tracks. By the end, I feel as if I could've gotten more besides the tits and bush on the cover. Prairie Rose does end well however.

Well that was an hour and three minutes I’ll never get back. This is why this list is a challenge. It exposes you to albums you wouldn’t be caught dead listening to. While I am no stranger to some well known electronica and ambient music, this album is nothing but boring to sit through. Some songs do make small impressions (the opener was promising) but today was not the day for this downtempo slug. Here’s to better music tomorrow. 2/10

Won't you look at that? The Tom Tom Club! As a big fan of the Talking Heads for a while now, this band consisting of bassist Tina Weymouth, and her husband, drummer Chris Frantz has always been known for their big hit sampled by other well-known artists years later. And without a doubt, Genius Of Love is a great song through and through even threatening to steal the show during Stop Making Sense. The rest of this album I didn't know about, so now is my chance to hear what else this band's got. I should highlight the fact that this record was put out a year after the release of Talking Heads' Remain In Light; a record which further integrated funk elements into the group's sound. So I consider this as Tina and Chris' own take on that style of music. The real perk of this album is that it lets the great Tina Weymouth be the center of attention for once. On Wordy Rappinghood, the groove builds to something you can't resist shaking your head too. The rapping (Dr Seussian?) even resembles David Byrne's brief rap on Crosseyed and Painless. The rest of the album serves as passable funk grooves with Lorelei being the highlight after the big hits. I wouldn't say it's a must-hear for the average Talking Heads fan, but if one wants to listen to more of a joyous take on Remain In Light's funky style, this exists. A better album than yesterday.

It's probably a coincidence but getting a Talking Heads album right after reviewing Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's band is really something. I'm already somewhat familiar with this record but I haven't heard it in five years. What I hear all these years later is a band that has something special and is slowly figuring out what it is. There's some good points and not so noteworthy points on this album, but overall they can play. The real good songs on this album are just that: really good. The opener, New Feeling, No Compassion and of course Psycho Killer are all great. It's an extremely solid debut album that pales slightly in comparison to the more ambitious works found on their subsequent music. However, it's a promising start by a band that is finding its way. When you have a song like Psycho Killer on your first record, you have something special. A fine end to the week. 7/10 (4/5 on this scale)

I'd like to view this album from a past perspective and a current perspective. In the past, Arcade Fire was one of the few bands that I obsessed over for months on end. I had first heard their debut "Funeral" in September 2019, and soon after, moved over to their sophomore effort "Neon Bible". In those late months of 2019, I had developed a hard infatuation for the string of albums the band had put out between 2004-2013 as well as for front woman Régine Chassange. At the time, Arcade Fire were a year removed from the disappointment of their 5th album "Everything Now" but it felt like the band could rebound with their next record. There was still hope for this band in my eyes. I knew that they could make another album like "Neon Bible". "Neon Bible" was to me, an outstanding work that only stood in the shadow of their phenomenal debut. A lot of these songs were my jam back then with their compositions and lively melodies. I absolutely loved this thing years ago. So at a time where the band still seemed alive after one misstep, I trusted that they could re-channel that energy and make another great album like this one. It is 2025. I am six years removed from my Arcade Fire phase, and despite a promising debut single for their next album WE, the Arcade Fire hype train has greatly declined. What was once one of the most critically beloved indie darlings that rose through the ranks of popularity through their collaborations with Neil Young, David Byrne and David Bowie. Their multiple appearances on Saturday Night Live. Their albums which would make multiple top 10 lists and earn dozens of awards including most infamously when "The Suburbs" beat Eminem, Gaga and Katy Perry for AOTY. A band that was on top of their creative game has now dissolved into something that feels forced. The allegations against Win Butler didn't help either and it lost them a lot of popularity amongst fans and critics. With the release of "Pink Elephant" earlier this month, I look to Arcade Fire now and realize that they will never reach that peak that they had during this or Funeral or The Suburbs. When I was given this album today, I knew that I would like it a lot. This album already wins in nostalgia points, but I write this as a reflection to what this band used to mean to me. When I hear such great tracks such as "Black Mirror", "Intervention", "Ocean Of Noise"and "Antichrist Television Blues", I wonder how and why this band went to shit. It's really a shame to be honest. I had to hear this album twice just to get a grip on it and that's odd because I know this album. I own it on both vinyl and CD. I know it's great, but perhaps I was searching for some kind of satisfaction again. A satisfaction that I will probably never get from this band again. And yet, this album still lives. (I'm sorry if this didn't make sense) 8/10 (4/5)

So I knew this would be good. I just hadn't listened to it all the way through until today and honestly, its greatness is something that I've had to sit with and examine. I've had to think about how significant this record is and what it's done not just for me but for hip hop. And what I've discovered is that it deserves all the praise it gets. It is without a doubt a masterpiece of its time and I have no other choice but to accept it. 9/10 (5 on this scale)