244
Albums Rated
3.27
Average Rating
22%
Complete
845 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
16
5-Star Albums
3
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Band
The Band
|
5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
|
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
|
5 | 3.45 | +1.55 |
|
Blue
Joni Mitchell
|
5 | 3.49 | +1.51 |
|
Marquee Moon
Television
|
5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
|
Stankonia
OutKast
|
5 | 3.55 | +1.45 |
|
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
|
5 | 3.61 | +1.39 |
|
Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
|
4 | 2.61 | +1.39 |
|
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
|
5 | 3.63 | +1.37 |
|
Station To Station
David Bowie
|
5 | 3.69 | +1.31 |
|
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
|
5 | 3.7 | +1.3 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
|
2 | 3.8 | -1.8 |
|
Metallica
Metallica
|
2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
|
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
|
2 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
|
Follow The Leader
Korn
|
1 | 2.66 | -1.66 |
|
Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|
1 | 2.64 | -1.64 |
|
Moving Pictures
Rush
|
2 | 3.57 | -1.57 |
|
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
|
2 | 3.56 | -1.56 |
|
Queen II
Queen
|
2 | 3.49 | -1.49 |
|
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
|
2 | 3.43 | -1.43 |
|
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
|
2 | 3.4 | -1.4 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 3 | 4.33 |
5-Star Albums (16)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
American Music Club · 1 likes
2/5
A collection of songs that aimed to be great, but alas.
Derek & The Dominos · 1 likes
4/5
Ah Eric Clapton, we meet again. Despite the general disdain for this man, Layla... is a good album -- probably some of the best blues rock by anyone not named the Rolling Stones. "Live"-like instrumentation and lush experience.
1-Star Albums (3)
All Ratings
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Supergrass
3/5
Witty lyrics, but the music sometimes fails to sell the story. Strong 3*
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Beautifully tragic
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
In 2025, the Boss' words resonate more than ever.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Pretty fun, but can be more musically developed(?)
The Velvet Underground
5/5
🍌
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Where the parts are greater than their sum
Radiohead
4/5
OutKast
5/5
Funny and funky
The Clash
4/5
Seminal punk
Meat Puppets
4/5
Surprisingly fun album that gets better deeper into the tracks... might check out the expanded release
Brian Wilson
4/5
Magic in a bottle (album)
Snoop Dogg
3/5
The sound aged well, the content less so
Billie Holiday
3/5
An unfortunate swan song that could not live up to a legend's legacy
Living Colour
3/5
Solid jammers
N.W.A.
4/5
Straight Outta Compton seems to be the album that aged the least well amongst the "Golden Era" cuts; but it's still damn great when it hits
The Band
5/5
Actually better than I remembered
Sonic Youth
4/5
Daydream Nation feels very much like haphazard punches from Sonic Youth -- but they work
The Kinks
4/5
Ray Davies is such a damn fantastic writer he made me care about a bygone England
David Bowie
3/5
It is a Bowie album alright; "Fame" is a choice cut
Kings of Leon
2/5
Nothing awful, and nothing praiseworthy
Missy Elliott
4/5
Surprisingly fun album -- would warrant a closer listen
4/5
Cheesy lyrics, but gosh the hooks are effective. Won't pull this out usually if I want to listen to music, but a karaoke night? Heck yes
Queen
3/5
Queen is clearly a talented band, but they spend most of their talents on ecletic "experimentations" that more often than not misfire. Sheer Heart Attack is... not one of those albums; it's more like a musket... a novelty today that served its place in history, but should not be anyone's top choice of firearm.
Napalm Death
2/5
I wasn't sure what to expect going in, and wasn't too sure what I listened to afterwards.
Rush
2/5
When you prompt the AI: "Make me complex rock music with deep lyrics"
Steely Dan
4/5
If we review albums by starting at a 10 and then subtracting points from it with every misstep, Aja would be the world's best album. Good thing we don't do that. Aja is good album, but it offers little beyond its "perfection" (Deacon Blues being the one outstanding exception, possibly the best among Steely Dan's catalogue).
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Leonard Cohen was at his best when singing about sex, God, and death. He didn't always do that.
Violent Femmes
4/5
I... like it? The music and singing are "not good", but that only makes it better
50 Cent
3/5
"Patiently Waiting" and "In Da Club" are the two clear highlights for me; by the second half, 50 Cent is die tryin'
The Cult
3/5
Almost a parody of itself
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
A very clever album. I am not too sure if I agree with it.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Credit where credit is due: witty, snappy, angry, nasty -- all rolled up into one album
Johnny Cash
2/5
Cash had the charisma, charms, and singing chops; but the album is too thin for him to work with.
Nico
3/5
Haunting tunes, marred by baffling arrangement choices and subpar production
David Bowie
4/5
A Bowie classic heralding music to come
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
2/5
A collection of CSNY's middest hits
Kanye West
4/5
The The
3/5
Too British to be good, too anti-Thatcher to be bad
U2
3/5
All in all, a solid worthwhile rock and roll album
John Martyn
2/5
I don't think I hate it, but the suaveness just lingers in my mind long after I've heard the album
John Lennon
4/5
The greatness of Lennon's songs is inversely proportional to how much of a prick he is in them.
Radiohead
4/5
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Beautiful and magnetic
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Good: the definitive 80s hard rock album
Bad: the definitive 80s hard rock album
Fats Domino
3/5
A convincing performance
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
An album that represents Nick Cave well, perhaps too much so
PJ Harvey
4/5
Visceral
New York Dolls
4/5
Fuck songs, if the "fuck" was screamed out loud.
Pink Floyd
4/5
There is no dark side in the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark.
Radiohead
5/5
Everything in its right place
Black Sabbath
4/5
A tour de force
Marvin Gaye
4/5
The frustration with Gaye's album is how singles-focused they are -- when they're good, they're GOOD
Dusty Springfield
3/5
A pleasant welcome. Dusty delivers a convincing performance, though the songs and production may not always be up to par.
The Police
3/5
The Police has the wits and charms and self-indulgence
Neil Young
3/5
"Harvest" is a pretty album, but it might also be the least substantial of Young's classic 70s outputs.
Alice In Chains
3/5
Powerful and angry
Julian Cope
2/5
Maybe about 60 minutes too long, but the remaining moments are surprisingly decent.
Common
3/5
Inconsistent, but pretty fun album overall
Jane Weaver
3/5
I think there is some inherent expectation for albums on this list to be influential and game-changing. Modern Kosmology may not be one of these albums, but it is still very much an interesting listen I'm glad to have discovered.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
The album's biggest fault is that it can be better (which CCR pretty promptly resolved)
Kelela
3/5
Some great tracks at the start but tapers off towards the end
Pavement
4/5
Rough and polished; blunt and charming.
De La Soul
5/5
Banger
American Music Club
2/5
A collection of songs that aimed to be great, but alas.
R.E.M.
4/5
Probably the album that turned R.E.M. from a good band to a great band.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Thought I would hate it reading about the album. Honestly, more enjoyable than I expected with some creative bits (beats).
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
So messy and so great
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
This would probably be a crazy experience if I actually saw them live; an album just can't quite do the same.
Big Star
3/5
Well-written, but inconsistent
Beck
4/5
More confident and unapologetic than it has any rights to be -- and it's pretty decent anyway.
ZZ Top
3/5
It's an album you listen on repeat for one month and then never listen to it again.
Judas Priest
3/5
Kinda cheesy, kinda cool
Frank Sinatra
4/5
An album of angst and melodrama that Sinatra pulled off with unbelievable maturity.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
A fun album -- that said, I might be more impressed by its technicalities than musicalities
Public Enemy
4/5
Track for track, Apocalypse 91 fell short of Public Enemy' previous albums. That said, as a complete album experience, I think Apocalypse 91 competes with its predecessors.
Elton John
3/5
I want to like it. And there are some great songs here (particularly sides one and four). But does it have to be a double album?
Isaac Hayes
3/5
The elements of greatness are there -- but they come too performative altogether.
Tito Puente
2/5
It was quite challenging to find translated lyrics for the tracks, so my thoughts will be largely based on the music alone --which is fine. I do think the music somewhat struggles to keep itself inventive as the album goes on. As a collection of presumably dance/mambo tracks? Perfectly serviceable. But I hoped for more as an entire album.
Korn
1/5
I don't get it. What are its messages? Who are its audience? It's not even actually shocking, if that's what the album was going for. Sure, it's influential -- unfortunately.
James Brown
4/5
A little slow to start, but the second half is pretty good.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Likely the epitome of classic hard rock
Solange
4/5
Solange is not breaking new grounds when it comes to her music, but her reflexivity and vulnerability elevate the songs to a higher level.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I do think this is Arcade Fire's best album: grand, ambitious, and unafraid. But alas
Meat Loaf
2/5
If 'The Room' were an album, this would be it. It's fucking terrible, but I don't hate it.
5/5
If there was any album that I wished I could have made, it's Sgt. Pepper.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
There was some good humour on the first half that wore down towards the end.
David Bowie
3/5
Following up Ziggy Stardust is no easy task. And honestly? Aladdin Sane is a pleasant surprise for me. Perhaps not enough to be a Bowie great, but somewhat neglected in the public conscious (save the iconic album cover).
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Some fun, quirky tracks sprinkled here and there made the album sufficiently enjoyable
Gram Parsons
4/5
I must admit, I have a soft spot for country rock, and especially the Burrito Brothers. Some beautiful storytelling here
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Springsteen's songwriting is sharper than ever, although the music here lacked the "Boss energy" that elevated some of his other albums.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
There are some great moments here among electronic music's best. Unfortunately, it drones on boringly for much of its runtime.
Love
2/5
There are signs of a great album to come. But for now, it's mostly uninspiring rock music.
Motörhead
3/5
If the Motörhead were gamblers instead of musicians, they would be awful because they kept nothing up their sleeves. A bulldozer of an album, nuance be damned.
Sade
3/5
I am both disappointed and impressed? Sade may be an one-trick pony, but it's a good trick (+ variants) to keep the whole album enjoyable.
Little Simz
3/5
GREY Area is somewhat in an awkward spot -- bold and confident, but its potential not fully realized.
Michael Jackson
4/5
A pop classic limited by its insistence in being radio-friendly
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Great idea but less so the execution. Lauryn Hill's singing did not always hit the mark and the album as a whole was dragged down by some superfluous skits.
Guided By Voices
3/5
The tracks might not always hit but they stayed interesting enough throughout
Bert Jansch
3/5
A mix of lovely and dull writing
Beatles
4/5
Number 9 Number 9 Number 9 Number 9 Number 9
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Thin Lizzy's greatest hits with an extended jam -- a fine listen but not breaking any new grounds
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Nebraska is Springsteen's attempt in creating an American folk classic album. He's good enough a songwriter to make this a solid output, but the record lacks the bite that characterises Springsteen's best works.
Supertramp
2/5
Crime of Supertramp: far too cheesy, unserious music discordant with the subject matter. And the songwriting is not good enough to pass it off as "urggg Bri'ish humour".
Muddy Waters
4/5
Some really solid blues track with Muddy Waters putting on his A-game
Killing Joke
2/5
I am slightly disappointed? There are some stand-out tracks but the album seems divided between its punk and industrial influences.
Megadeth
3/5
TIL it's Megadeth and not Megadeath
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Free Bird (it's just alright) being the most recognizable song is a disservice to the rest of the album.
Television
5/5
Masterpiece of music and playing
Fred Neil
2/5
Some great moments here clearly influential for many future folk musicians. However, even for this relatively sparse album, these moments are few and far between.
Haircut 100
2/5
Haircut 100 came up with one great musical idea and squeezed it dry
4/5
PJ Harvey's most complete album -- might be a bit tad too long, but sometimes that excess is justified.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
A solid rock album more challenging than the music suggests
Miles Davis
4/5
Bitches Brew is monumental -- so tremendous it struggled to carry its own weight.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Captain Beefheart is not a captain and his Magic Band is not magic.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Some brilliant synth-pop sections here limited by its excess
Paul Simon
4/5
Some of the most rhythmic music set to Paul Simon's writings
George Michael
3/5
I get the (sex) appeal. Nice songwriting coupled with a smooth voice, but I am not convinced of anything more.
Neil Young
4/5
For an album titled "On the Beach", that was kinda bleak.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
The only real value of this LP is probably the words ELP set to Mussorgsky's piano suite -- and the value is probably close to 0 anyway. Everything else is kind of atrocious. Also, Ravel's orchestration literally exists.
Goldie
2/5
Truth to be told, there were some gems buried under this monstrous album, though most of the tracks -- especially the vocal-focused ones -- were lacklustre.
Lou Reed
3/5
Lou Reed charms but does not transform
Mj Cole
1/5
Unseasoned chicken breast-ahh music
The Stone Roses
3/5
Solid album from a solid band that's somewhat overrated
Anita Baker
2/5
Anita Baker has a nice voice, but the tracklist became weary before the halfway mark.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian were not pushing any boundaries musically. But the interplay between each instrument and improvisations on each other made this a fascinating listen.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
James Murphy's lyrics made him sound like an arse but his music is class
Dr. Octagon
2/5
It's weird. Some great beats with interesting musings on top -- but still weird. Runtime might be a tad too long. Did I mention it's weird?
Coldplay
3/5
Well crafted, but it's not going to blow your mind
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Consistently strong vocals in an inconsistent track list.
MGMT
3/5
My streaming service crashed in the middle of "4th Dimensional Transition", which was coincidentally where the quality of song nosedived.
The Cure
3/5
The Cure's appeal is clear -- technically adept music and highfalutin lyrics -- but I cannot muster enough interests in their nothingness.
Moby
4/5
A genuine pleasant surprise -- earworms that dig far deeper into your brains than they should
Barry Adamson
2/5
"Oedipus Schmoedipus" presents more like a collage than a true album -- some good, theatrical moments mixed with less inspiring muzak meant a somewhat disappointing listen.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
An electronic album that stayed appealing, though not impressing.
The War On Drugs
3/5
A solid rock record that unfortunately never reached the height it promised
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Paul Simon has his way with words, but 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme' is still clearly a novice work.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
How I expect an album by a band with the name "The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion" to go
Jacques Brel
3/5
Competent
Pixies
4/5
Unpolished? Perhaps. But otherwise, a compact album full of energy and vigour.
The Temptations
3/5
What you'd expect from a mid-60s Motown record: well-produced, pleasant vocals and swooning lyrics in an attractive package. But it never quite grabbed your attention
Circle Jerks
3/5
Was a fun listen not gonna lie -- an exhilarating 15 min sprint through rough and rowdy terrains
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Ocean of emotions encapsulated in a little over half an hour
Steve Earle
3/5
A middling concept that's executed well: solid production, engaging lyrics, and sufficient enthusiasm to convince me it's worth revisiting.
Queen Latifah
3/5
Some really strong and anthemic tracks to seal Queen Latifah's status, but also some real snoozers that weighed the album -- and its themes -- down.
Blondie
4/5
What I come to appreciate most about "Parallel Lines" is how relentless it is: poptastic tracks one after another.
Talking Heads
4/5
I've listened to "Remain in Light" multiple tines and thought it was just ok -- despite it's reputation on the internet music space. But sitting down to really focus on the music and lyrics did reveal its brilliance: mystical, groovy, and funny.
Burning Spear
4/5
Morrissey
3/5
Morrissey is fucking insufferable, but I can't deny he made some good music.
Ramones
4/5
Rough sounds but clean sounding; blunt delivery but sharp lyrics.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Wacky album for sure -- I do think the second half is weaker than the first, whether is it due to the novelty wearing off or just straight up better execution.
Morrissey
3/5
Second Morrissey album in a week? The horrors! The shock! The agony!
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Side 1 is great, side 2 is bad, side 3 has "Mr Blue Sky", side 4 is ok. Verdict: could've just been a normal-length album.
The White Stripes
3/5
Interesting pick for a White Stripes album. A very solid output (as expected), but it never reached the heights it could.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Perhaps the best Stones album? It never quite reached the range and peaks of their other albums, but it also knew what it wanted to be -- consistently great rock and roll.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Probably some of Johnny Cash's best -- magnetic
Mekons
4/5
I must say, this is a pretty fun album with quite a lot of depths beneath the guitars and violins
Can
3/5
Some lush sounds here and there across the album, but I think there's just not enough merits to justify it's length.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
This album would be life-changing if I were 15 years old -- I am no longer 15. The lyrics are sophomoric, and the music self-indulgent. But isn't that what makes this music so great?
Fugees
4/5
I think the trio's performance can be somewhat rough around the edges, but damn is it a beautiful album
Venom
3/5
I kinda want to hate it, but it is probably one of the funniest album I've ever heard.
2Pac
3/5
I can see why 2Pac is influential -- and it's not because of his music
R.E.M.
4/5
R.E.M. never seems to come up in the conversation of best rock bands. Their run of albums through the 80s and 90s is genuinely impressive, but they never quite have that one masterpiece. I have been enjoying Automatic For The People more with every re-listen -- maybe one day I will see it as that masterpiece?
The Boo Radleys
3/5
I think the album can definitely be edited down -- trimming some of its superflous portions. But the core of the album is solid enough to warrant a listen
The Icarus Line
3/5
Nasty rock very emblematic of early 2000s
Funkadelic
4/5
A fun and tight album
3/5
My opinion flip-flopped between "this album is a bomb" and "this album is the bomb" -- often times within the same track.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Sometimes enjoyable, but doesn't provide more than a couple of jingles
The Fall
3/5
Amongst all the British punk rock bands, The Fall is one of them. The avant-gardish playing set them apart enough from other bands, but not enough to elevate this to a great album.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
A genuinely pleasant discovery: soulful tunes with fun guitars
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
i love feminism now
Britney Spears
2/5
it's britney bitch
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Darn great preformance by every member of the band
Lambchop
3/5
I definitely did not expect this. A nice, inoffensive album -- but perhaps without too much to offer.
TLC
4/5
Album name checks out
Ray Charles
4/5
Rating early albums is challenging given the format of "albun" then -- that said, Ray Charles impressed here with his delivery and infectious energy.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Simple storyline with catchy hooks -- the quality of the songs varied throughout, but the album remained effective.
Tom Tom Club
2/5
Some cool sounds scattered throughout
Butthole Surfers
3/5
It's bad. But also good.
The Beach Boys
2/5
There are some beautiful tracks here but I just don't think it works as an album. The message and theme unfocused and disparate, and the tone is all over the place. Consequently, the stand-out tracks (I'd say Disney Girls, Take a Load Off Your Feet and the title track) did not elevate the album, but lamented how great the Beach Boys could be. Alas!
Deep Purple
3/5
Yes, it is a classic. But apart from the tracks you already know, the deeper cuts really do not provide anything much.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I'd say that this is a pretty fun album -- good vibes. Nothing that pushes it to a great album, but consistent songwriting throughout.
Van Halen
3/5
Guitar screeches. Wee wee wee wheeeeewwww
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
The DNA of psychedelic rock -- but the building blocks themselves cannot sustain a whole album
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Quite a funny album. Really weird but also earwormish
Funkadelic
3/5
A fun album that trips occasionally
Cream
3/5
Cream just seems like a less interesting of a band to me over time. Technically proficient but many of the songs are too heavy-handed with the instruments.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
David Bowie
5/5
I'd say this is Bowie's best album -- glamorous yet vulnerable -- with some of his best vocal performances.
Tim Buckley
3/5
A fairly complicated album. Less interesting than the jazz music that inspired it, but there are some profound moments scattered throughout that warrant a further listen -- perhaps.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
The Flaming Lips's albums are cases where the sum is greater than its parts -- not all the tracks are impressionable, but enjoyable enough to highlight and elevate the focal songs.
Stan Getz
2/5
Pleasant bossa nova tracks but hardly interesting
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
I guess it's better than I expected
Public Enemy
4/5
The production of the album easily dates it back to the late-80s/early-90s, but the lyrics and delivery are incisive as ever.
Janet Jackson
4/5
Perhaps underrated by Janet's standard -- i.e. this album is never brought up when talking about her classic, even though it could easily stand among them. Freeing album with strong vocals and lush production, even if the latter might be excessive.
Talvin Singh
2/5
I guess I do respect the album? Some moments of interesting and enjoyable materials, but -- surprisingly for its subject matter -- bland and mediocre for most of its runtime.
Various Artists
4/5
Defining the sounds of Christmas since 1963
Talking Heads
4/5
I think I get it. David Byrne's endless musing over obsessive Afrobeats. They shouldn't work together, but the album is delectable.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
There's country and there's rock, but no one does country rock quite like the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Ryan Adams
2/5
Ryan Adams is advertising his concert in my area. I will not be attending.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
The key tracks on the album -- special shoutout to "The Boxer" -- are great. The challenge is in the remaining tracks. Not Paul Simon's strongest writings, and the production can be overblown.
k.d. lang
2/5
k.d. lang threatens to be interesting. It's nice sounding but nothing memorable.
Fela Kuti
4/5
A searing Afrobeat from Fela Kuti; strong thematically while maintaining its addictability.
Prince
4/5
I will get the problem out of the way first: I don't think that whatever Prince sings about is really that interesing lyrics-wise; if you've listened to one song, you've basically listened to all (most) of them. But what makes Prince really shine is his performance -- instrumentals, vocals, and the exuberance -- which is on full display in Purple Rain. Who cares about what he sings anyway?
Paul McCartney
3/5
Jingle-jangle
Dire Straits
3/5
Coworker music but the coworker's a chill dude
Gotan Project
2/5
Tango music, except it's electronic now. Not bad but also not memorable.
David Bowie
4/5
I prefer the art rock Bowie over the glam/space rock Bowie. Low is probably the best embodiment of the former -- it does get self-indulgent towards the end, but that's what makes Bowie Bowie anyway.
The Associates
2/5
Not awful, but also not good. Some jingles are nice enough, but largely forgettable as a whole album.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Rambunctious
Patti Smith
4/5
Guns blazing
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
Still great technicality wise, but its overall theme and messaging have overstayed their welcome.
The Specials
3/5
Quite a fun album -- weird but also a number of earworms
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Whilst not the most consistent, catchy hooks and introspective lyrics throughout the album made it a pleasant surprise.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Now this is real coworker music. I remember enjoying the singles off this album, but writing this review a few days later, I recall nothing.
The Fall
3/5
Despite its name, not actually a live album -- although some of the same ethos remained
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Ah Eric Clapton, we meet again. Despite the general disdain for this man, Layla... is a good album -- probably some of the best blues rock by anyone not named the Rolling Stones. "Live"-like instrumentation and lush experience.
The Doors
3/5
I realized that I may not have listened to a Doors' in its entirety -- sure this album changes that, but I am not convinced to listen to more. Absolutely amazing at its peak, but numerous forgettable tracks too.
Dr. Dre
3/5
A west-coast classic: but save for Dr. Dre's slick production, nothing much impress
The Prodigy
3/5
Not quite I was expecting from the album cover...
Ice Cube
2/5
An ANGRY album -- that is, an one-note album that provided nothing much. "It Was a Good Day" is the clear stand-out track.
Louis Prima
3/5
A fun swing album, even if not an essential listen
Björk
3/5
Mich of Björk's sounds are already solidified in this first album -- though I don't quite think the mix of electronic instruments and her voice are done as consistently well as her later albums.
Al Green
4/5
Al Green is an absolute master of the soul genre. I don't quite think this album -- with its restrained range -- is up there with his best, but it's still a pleasure to listen to.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Ghostface's masterful rap coupled with immaculate production. There are some stumbles here and there, but Fishscale is a worthwhile listen.
The Who
4/5
A The Who classic that came in swinging
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Quite a pleasant discovery I must say -- Kiwanuka provided beautiful music throughout the album and supplemented them with his lyrical reflections.
Metallica
2/5
Sometimes I think I might be unfairly harsh towards Metallica, and then I listen to their self-titled and nah I'm completely justified. Mid.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
Competent blues, but not outstanding compared to other blues music in the same era.
Beatles
3/5
'A Hard Day's Night' is a more sophisticated album in its writing and arrangement than the Beatles' first two albums, but also lacks some of their simple, infectious charm.
XTC
3/5
The album was initially sold to me as a spritual successor to the Beatles' and the Beach Boys' catalogue -- which led to much disappointment when I first listened to it. Because there are some genuinely good and interesting songs when judged on its own merits, particularly in the first half. However, XTC ran out of gas towards the end of the album, concluding with an uninspiring last few songs.
Queen
2/5
Queen II's iconic album cover shows the four members of the band, which is a pity because they really should have a fifth member as the editor. There are lots a great ideas here that kinda goes nowhere, buried under even more mediocrities. I have tried to like this album for a long time, but I just can't.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Dylan writes well, but I think what really sets Highway 61 Revisited apart from his other albums is the instrumentals to tie everything perfectly together.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Don't do drugs
Elliott Smith
4/5
The songs on Figure 8 may be simple but they are not straightforward. It's a beautiful album, but also a sombering and haunting one.
The Smiths
3/5
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
The magic is in the dose. Catchy hooks + vaguely meaningful lyrics + whatever instrumentals = apparently an enjoyable album?
Beatles
3/5
An oddity in the Beatles' discography perhaps, as this album showcased the Beatles not as great songwriter (though their sings are still fine) but great performers. The cover songs on the album are often a delight with the Beatles' vocalizing harmonies and energetic rhythm section.