1001 Albums Summary

a mixed bag of corny lines and good turns of phrase. the beats are servicable.

an engaging, dynamic jazz album with an impressive dialogue between flugelhorn and piano.

an emblematic piece of 70s folk rock - acoustic instrumentation with an eager wind section

what stands out most to me in this record is the drumming - complex, catchy rhythms underpin almost every song. but otherwise it doesn't do much for me; tracks overstay their welcome in pursuit of a buildup where the payoff isn't always worth it.

peaked at the first track - the 10 minutes psychedelic excursion was the highlight of the album. the funk side wasn't nearly as gripping.

heartland rock with lots of character and energy. springsteen's energy is infectious; it's hard not to feel invigorated after listening to this album.

it's called bayou country because it dunks you into one. please bring me back to land. (the blues guitar is servicable, but not particularly impressive in the modern day. and especially as a non-american, music with a strong country influence is more of a miss than a hit; the country-adjacent music i like, i enjoy in spite of the country elements in their work.)

energetic, youthful punk rock full of the countercultural zeitgeist of the landscape from which they emerged. it feels like it could have been elevated even further to be truly incredible.

tacky and trite lyrics dripping with era-typical misogyny + overwrought delivery + unremarkable instrumentals. get me out of here.

it's finally something i've listened to before! (i've listened to around 10% on the albums on this list for what its worth.) r.e.m. was always on my radar for a period of time, but i never picked them up until recently (think, like, three days before writing this review). i picked this album as my first foray into their expansive discography because i heard a cover of "the one i love" from a very early sufjan concert while he was touring michigan/seven swans (so, prior to the release of his most acclaimed album illinois, which i'm also looking forward to getting as my album of the day from this website). i was intrigued and decided to give it a shot - and i enjoyed this album a lot more than i expected. "the one i love" is my favourite off this album, but i also enjoy the entire package of post-punky guitars, pleasing vocals and witty lyrics. i'm a huge fan of the tracks with a moodier sound; probably a deeply unpopular opinion but "it's the end of the world as we know it" grows more annoying as i listen to it once more.

70s weezer with better lyrics.

i've never really dipped my toes into non-instrumental hip hop (so, i'm familiar with the likes of dj shadow or j dilla, but not ice cube) but this was a fun listen, with good flow and wordplay. i also appreciate the skits being shorter here compared to some other hip hop albums.

quite possibly the most renowned breakup album, but i was unparalleled levels of drama throughout every track. other than the few tracks with clear country influence, it was a really enjoyable listen.

how fitting that this is my album of the day on the day of brian wilson's passing. like many, i'm only familiar with pet sounds; a deep dive into their legendary discography is long due. the album is impressive, especially for its harmonic complexity, but it's sadly standing in the shadow of pet sounds, which is the fully realized version of the sound brian wilson was going for in this record. (also, what's with that unnecessary last track?) absolutely mad that this was recorded on a 4 track. RIP Brian Wilson - your legacy will be forever bright.

i heard this several months ago and fell asleep to it. let's see if it holds my attention this time... trip hop is a hit or miss genre for me. i adore massive attack's mezzanine and enjoy most of their 90s output, along with tricky's maxinquaye. but the appeal of dummy has always eluded me. i wonder if it's the textures. i appreciate it for its ambition more than actually enjoying it.

loveless didn't really click with me the first time i listened, but i'm able to better appreciate its textures now. but when it comes to shoegaze, i tend to prefer much smoother sounds than this.

despite the chaotic, in-your-face loudness of the cover, its sound is rather subdued and orderly; eric clapton sings over consistent rhythmic instrumental lines. there's a bit too much repetition - some songs can definitely be trimmed down - but it's still a good listen.

90s britrock, emblematic of the time it came from.

70s blues rock. surprisingly fun.

don't trust anyone who tells you that this is bad or too chaotic. the drums are lightning fast but methodical and rhythmic. the two saxophones may be screaming for their lives but they still have their moments of relative calm. it's fun!

everything this album is striving towards has been done better before them.

every repeated listen brings a new detail to the forefront - an interesting texture i missed the previous time, or something subtle hidden beneath the layers of harmony.

a bit too quirky.

now that's what i call country music. the energy of this live album (performed in a prison for inmates!) is unmatched; it's witty, catchy and you can tell just how much the audience are eating it up.

this album feels like it should be right up my alley, but it feels too lush and peaceful. too much of a good thing?

proto butt rock. 👎

i'm a huge fan of their post-punky sound, but siouxsie's voice takes me out of it, somehow.

the album doesn't stray too far from its core sound and ends up slightly too long, but it's still a great listen

it's surprisingly good. gotta hand this to them

an extremely unique album fusing jazz improvisations, folk instrumentation and a dark, foreboding atmosphere. it manages to pull this off excellently especially on "alifie". when it clicks, it clicks.

quirky synth album; deeply rooted in 80s futurism and its influence in current retrofuturism is strong. i would prefer more varied synth timbres though.

the massive issue i have with the album is that while adele's voice is clearly impressive, that's really all that the album has going for it; it's otherwise bland and uninspired, especially when it comes to the production, and the songwriting isn't exactly a homerun either. but i suppose that's what gives this mass appeal - a general public trained to venerate vocal ability above all else thanks to shows like american idol and the voice, horoscope-vague song lyrics and easily digestible pop ballads.

it's kind of like watching a harmless hognose snake flatten to mimic a cobra.

not as bad as expected, but "goon squad" is unintentionally hilarious in 2025.

too long. impressive musicianship though.

yes. it is it (highly overrated)

lives up to its name - listening to this album is like floating in a half-asleep dreamlike state, pleasant and untethered to reality.

fun and carefree.

it's pretty interesting but there are one too many indulgent guitar solos (an inescapable part of this genre, i suppose.)

fantastic rock album with real heart.

i just don't get reggae.

it may be hypocritical of me to question why this album is so long when some of my favourites run past the 70 minute mark just like this, but... why is it so long?! it's really more for the jam band fans at this point; there isn't enough meat to justify this run time.

more hard rock. (seriously, there are too many of these albums with a similar sound in this list...)

wankery topped off with an annoying vocalist.

it's very 90s indie rock, coming across as a slightly less ragged beat happening-esque sound.

a worse "remain in light".

yet more quirky indie rock. i'll remember "remember me" for being hella gay.

too many skits.

fun rhythms, thoughtful lyrics.

"the love below" clears "speakerboxxx" by far.

too long, and the mixing gave me a headache.

energetic punk rock but kinda wears out after a while.

pretty fun jazz!

essentially an edgier pet sounds

energetic, almost frenetic guitar playing and singing. gets a bit too jammy for my tastes, but still good. RIP Ozzy.

liked this a lot! first time listening to aussie punk rock!

melancholic singer-songwriter acoustic guitar music are a dime a dozen today, but great ones? those are rare and i get addicted to them. it's basically drugs. and this is one of the greats.

kind of messy but fun.

a lot more subdued than expected, but still catchy.

not a genre i usually listen to but it's pretty nice. summer days is insanely catchy.

based off the wikipedia blurb, the albun is a lot more fun live.

ren faire music. (i've never been to one, neither do i live in a country where we have ren faires, but i know people who do, and this is the kind of music they listen to...)

finally, a jammy album that doesn't overstay it's welcome and does interesting things! that said everything else other than the last track feels like padding.

are 90% of the albums in this list just 70s hard rock because it's getting harder to differentiate them.

some classics (thriller, beat it) and absolute stinkers (PYT, the girl is mine). and those stinkers smell even worse in light of his later "activities".

too many repeated segments. it sounds like a looping video game soundtrack.

exciting and dynamic yet never frantic. great jazz rock.

terrible person, decent album.

not much a house music person. it's servicable as background music i suppose.

fela kuti is held in high regard and it's not hard to see why. funky and jazzy but also with well-written lyrics - it's not like the typical jazz albums i've been exposed to so far.

poetry is his forte. the harmonica, not so much.

the definitive soundtrack for dimly lit hotels with neon signs down an empty street.

nostalgic 70s piano rock.

really vibe with the 2nd half, starting from Broken Drum.

sounds more like a 2002 album than 2012.

pretty good but the sound is incredibly emblematic of the 60s.

both the music and story are riveting - never dwelling too long before moving on. it's just a tad too long.

some absolute classics (heart of glass, one way or another), but mostly filler. if only call me was on here too.

interesting concept but it could have been half the runtime.

probably one of the best folk albums i've ever had the pleasure of listening to. unlike the stripped-back pink moon, the addition of chamber instruments fleshes out his sound and adds an atmospheric layer to the music that complements his soft voice perfectly. his songwriting ability is also showcased excellently on this album. every song feels cohesive, yet they are able to differentiate themselves from one another. and the lyricism is concise, but effective. what more can you ask for from a moody singer-songwriter folk album, really?

a "classic" hip hop sound, in the sense that when i think of hip hop, i think of verses and beats like this.

this album has probably soundtracked countless beach parties where everyone's dancing while somewhat tipsy. as music, it's pleasant, but blends together.

the album quickly establishes a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere to act as a foundation for this trip hop record. it's good, but it's no "mezzanine".

not for the lactose intolerant - nothing but cheese

a prime example of good songs in search of a better singer.

firstly, the delivery is so flaccid. even if it's an artistic decision, it sounds so unenergetic. secondly, the lyrics are dogshit on so many levels. i know the 1001 list overrepresents british music by a lot but how did THIS make the cut?

yet another 90s britpop album. oasis and blur are probably enough. people who love those bands will seek out more on their own. the overrepresentation of britpop is frankly staggering, at the expense of even other influential british acts like spacemen 3. this album just sounds like watered down R.E.M. it baffles me how this is in the list.

a supergroup album that is less than the sum of its parts.

really wish the entire album sounded like the last three songs.

middle part of Djed (around the 12 minutes mark) is a clear pastiche of music for 18 musicians, but it's a great piece of music so it's not a complaint

it's not my thing on paper but this album is just so fun.

definitely dad rock. still good though.

good jazz samples, good flow, but some of the lyrics... yikes.

the music isn't charting new territories, but the background of the album's creation is interesting and sad.

not the best that the talking heads have to offer, but what we have here is still pretty good, and psycho killer is nothing short of a stone-cold classic. (fear of music and remain in light, the latter of which i own on vinyl, are their best - a popular opinion but for good reason.)

it's kind of giving mambo number 5 in terms of lyrics and spirit, if not sound.

it's more dad rock. literally. my father listens to rod steward (but not faces though, first time i'm hearing of them).

it's pretty average alt rock tbh.

listened to this once before but i wasn't that wowed, but giving it another chance allowed the post-punk bite to shine through. still a bit halloween-core though.

it's pretty good synthpop i guess, but not really my genre.

the first half is pretty fun, even if it's not really my thing, but the second half is the meat of the album. it's crazy that a commercially successful artist was allowed to put that out. very steve reich-influenced, and thus i like it a lot. music for 18 musicians should be required listening for anyone seriously interested in the history of modern music - its fingerprints are all over everything today.

I have a high tolerance for "whiny" voices but this is too much.

not a big fan of the vocals and the quirky saxophone(s).

not millennial enough to truly enjoy this imo

it's the 80s alt rock/punk sound to a T - based on the blurb for this album, it's probably because the sound has been copied and imitated by countless acts.

i only knew the song "blue suede shoes" from the ace attorney games. anyway, it's servicable, but dated, and imitated/referenced/served as inspiration countless times by now.

the eagles aren't "bad" but they are certainly overrated to a hilarious extent.

dull and boring. a real snoozefest. all songs keep the same guitar tone, and the vocals are grating.

grating.

it loses so much steam by the end of the album.