Solid work. Very familiar with their better known songs, but hadn't listened to a lot of their deeper cuts. This album sounds like classic CCR. One might wish they mixed up tempo a little bit from time to time, but it's pretty enjoyable.

Jack White might be a guitar virtuoso, but holy shit, I can't finish this album. It's so boring. Jack White has always been pretty hit and miss with me, but apart from the familiar song or two from this album, it sounds like a bunch of album filler. It's not that this record is out and out bad, per se, it's that I can't keep myself engaged enough to finish it. Every song feels like background noise. Admittedly, I've always been annoyed by Meg White's drumming, but I don't think this explains why I find just about every song so grating. I like some of Jack White's solo stuff, and he really is a fantastic player, but after listening to most of this record, I still don't understand how this band has garnered the popularity and success they've achieved. This, one of their most critically acclaimed records, is a hard listen for me.

I've heard some of Sufjan's work over the years and always found him to be interesting and lyrically insightful, yet his music has never really "clicked" with me. At about the 1/3 point of this record, I still feel the same way. He does some really cool stuff with instrumentation and arrangement, and his lyrics have some great depth, and yet, I'm looking forward to listening to something else. I kind of wonder if this isn't one of those records that needs a couple spins before it grabs your attention? I likely won't find out, though I will put forth a concerted effort to finish this one.

This one was a bit of a surprise; I thought I’d kind of hate it. Although I don’t think I’ll revisit it, I quite enjoyed the Gershwin’s music. Ella Fitzgerald is very talented, even if she didn’t feature for the first third of the record. The production is first rate. The problem is that I don’t feel like the record gives me a compelling reason to listen to it again; I guess that’s to say that, as enjoyable as its constituent parts are, I don’t care to dive back in repeatedly. They can’t all resonate with me, I guess.

Ugh. I like old U2 alright, but this is the album I checked out on this band with. It might not be their fault, other than that they wrote this album full of hits that I’ve heard soooo many times that I just can’t handle them anymore. I’m probably leaving this record an unfair 2, but a 2 nonetheless; it’s just that everything on this record is just. So. Boring. And off-putting.

The track that the Spotify linked to sounds fun, but it wasn't the full record. So, who knows if the whole record is any good, cause it seems extremely difficult to find, at least on Spotify.

I've never sat down and listened to this record, but much of it is familiar. I don't generally love an over emphasis on synthesizers and drum machines and what not, but this record does all of that really right, and there's at least 3 tracks on here that I already revisit somewhat often. For me, this record is creeping up on a 4-star rating because I genuinely really enjoy parts of it and will listen to those tracks again. I think I give it a 3 because there aren't quite enough of those to qualify it as a hard 4, but this is probably my favorite record presented in 1001 so far, with the exception of Wish You Were Here, which is a hard 5 star record.

Really just not an interesting genre for me. Didn’t finish the record.

First thoughts as this album gets rolling: this might require the kind of patience that I don’t have. By Relax, I’m still not into it. Not gonna finish. Life is too short, and there’s 1000 records here.

Love The Beach Boys harmonies, but if you’ve heard one record, you’ve kind of heard all of them (Pet Sounds probably being the exception). Their hits are fun, the rest feel a little filler-y.

Love this record. As far as I’m concerned, Offspring could have started and finished their career with Smash (Ignition was good too, but no Smash); after that, I lost a lot of interest as Offspring really started to pander to their audience and seemed very concerned with writing hits to get them on TRL, but Smash is awesome.

Big Aerosmith fan, mostly of this era (though Permanent Vacation is fun and Pump is my favorite as a whole record). This record has some of my favorite Aerosmith songs, but there are a couple tracks that bog down the record a little bit. Even still, Joe Perry is an incredible guitarist and there’s some cool instrumentation on this record; Aerosmith is the quintessential “rock star” band, and Steven Tyler is a classic front man. Toys in the Attick is a classic.

Really? This is one of the 1001 records I NEED to listen to before I die? Didn’t finish.

This one was a bit of a surprise. I’ve liked what little Count Basie I’ve heard in the past, but never really sat down and really invested. I really like it in the background, and will probably give it another spin at some point. I wish the mix was just a bit more bottom heavy, but the music is fun and lively and interesting.

Note before I start this: I don’t think I’m gonna be able to make it through this. I kind of hated Elephant, and I don’t expect this to be anything different. But, we’ll see. Alright, this is better than expected. It’s far more varied and interesting than Elephant. Alright, the more I listen to this one, the more I like it. Funny thing is that I don’t remember this album getting nearly as much attention as Elephant, but it feels like a more fleshed out, mature White Stripes. I recognize some of the songs, but the other songs that I don’t recognize because of the radio are so much more interesting than the filler on Elephant. I’d listen to this record again, though I don’t love it so much that I’d put it on repeat. This is probably a solid 3-star approaching 4-star record for me, which is probably high praise considering how bored I was with Elephant.

"Move Any Mountain" I'm familiar with, but I never much cared for the song. 90's dance music was never a genre that resonated with me at all, and this record, I can already tell, is not going to be the one to make me rethink that position. I won't be finishing this one.

I always liked the Who alright. Never been a super fan, but loved the hits. This record feels like it’s somehow avoided most of those hits. It’s not bad, but it’s easy to lose focus. I am gaining more awareness and appreciation for John Entwistle’s bass lines, which come through the mix pretty clearly. Keith Moon is a beast. Townsend is great. Still kinda bored though. Don’t hate it, probably a hard 3, but will likely never revisit just cause if I need to listen to the Who, I’ll find a different studio record or something.

Honestly I’m sort of annoyed that a compilation record counts as an “album that must be listened to before I die”. That said, I don’t hate the songs on here at all, but I’ll never search them out. This record feels like the equivalent of not changing the station when something comes on that you don’t care about, but you just quit paying attention instead of putting in the hard work of changing the channel. I dunno. I feel like this is just on the cusp of being enjoyable, but just falls short for me. The only thing that would probably save this for me would be a nostalgic connection, but I don’t have that, so, maybe this is a sort of disingenuous 2 for me. I feel like it’s not actually bad enough to warrant a 2, but it’s not a 3 for me either. 2.8, maybe? I just don’t want to round up.

Love the music, hate Morrissey’s voice. And his persona. And his lack of interest in song structure. He’s sort of just singing his shitty poetry over jangly music; the Smiths has always felt like a band doing something totally different than Morrissey is doing at any given point. I’ve heard plenty of the Smiths over the years, but never sat down to try and tolerate my way through a whole record at once. Well, here we are. It sucks every bit as much as I remember, but now it sucks for 39 minutes straight. I don’t understand how Johnny Marr can be so badass, but Morrissey sucks so hard that he actually ruins what Johnny Marr is doing. Fuck, this is terrible. 1, and only because Morrissey’s self-absorbed caterwauling ruins all the good things that the rest of the Smiths do. Morrissey is so much worse than the Smiths are good.

Fine in a jazz bar in the background, don’t want to listen to it for fun. Pretty bored.

Fucking hate Neil Young’s music. Don’t need to listen to this record to know that it’s going to get a 1 from me, and I’ll save myself the frustration of wondering why the world regards his work so highly.

I was genuinely excited to start this project, but I’m about 25 records in and I’ve been less than impressed with a lot of what’s been presented. Case in point: Destiny’s Child. Really? Does the world REALLY need to hear Destiny’s Child before we all expire? Is it really imperative that I spend an hour of my life listening to this—I’m sure—groundbreaking work? What did this group contribute to the American musical lexicon that 400 other shitty girl groups in the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s didn’t already? Sincerely, if these girls weren’t easy on the eyes, would we have ever heard of them? I’d wager no. Are any of these songs works of lyrical brilliance or musical ingenuity? Fuck, no. Do any of the songs on this record express an artist's deep longing for meaning? Do any of the songs on this record communicate a sincere and authentic desire for belonging, or perhaps a question about the writer's existential position in the universe? No. Instead, we get lifeless, digital rhythms overlaid with these types of heartbreaking works of staggering lyrical genius: "I don't think you're ready for this jelly, my body too bootylicious for you, babe." I'm not suffering under some delusion that art necessarily has to be profound to be art; I think that art can exist to simply entertain (although that does bring up a question of whether GOOD art simply entertains). But, Survivor is prefab, corporate dipshittery that some team of talentless hacks got hired to write and produce, then peddle to the masses via these easy-on-the-eyes industry plants. I hated this banal shit when it was popular on the radio and MTV the first time, and the 25 years since this record was released has not softened my outlook on this completely generic dreck. Perhaps the most confounding aspect of Survivor being showcased on this platform is that I'm forced to acknowledge that this record managed to sell eleventy billion copies. I don't understand how; Survivor is just so, so bad. Truly, I don't understand the lowest common denominator of the American consumer market. Does nobody listen with discernment? Is everyone so easily entertained? Evidently, I'm the one who is out of touch. Be that as it may, I am quickly losing faith in the critics who took part in selection process for this project. I can’t believe this record was allowed to take up a spot, even just one of 1001, over some real musician’s work. Shame on you, album generator. Shame. Also, now I wish I could go back and readjust all the 1s I’ve given out. I don't think I'm able to give a record 0 stars, unfortunately, and so this record is flattered by the 1-star review I'm forced to give it. It's really unfair to all the other 1-star reviews I've given out, which were at least concerted artistic efforts by actual musicians, even if I found them to be largely unlistenable. Destiny's Child's "Survivor" is not just unlistenable, it's insulting that it is presented here alongside some truly remarkable records. What an unadulterated piece of shit this record is.

Finally, after days of slogging through records I haven’t much cared for, there’s Dookie. I don’t think Green Day has ever reinvented any wheels (though this record probably had a big part to play in popularizing the genre at the time), but they really never needed to. Dookie is full of super catchy songs played by pretty talented musicians. Billie Joe Armstrong is a great songwriter, Mike Dirnt is a bit of a gem in a genre that doesn’t typically showcase great bassists, and Tre Cool is a probably pretty underrated drummer. Everything on this record works. More important to me is that Dookie fires off all sorts of high school nostalgia. I liked Kerplunk, Nimrod might be their best album front-to-back, and American Idiot is great, but Dookie came out at the right time and has all sorts of memories attached to it. I don’t miss high school too much, but listening to this record tricks me into thinking I do. 4.6/5.0

From Wikipedia: “Darkdancer is the second studio album by Les Rythmes Digitales, released in 1999. It peaked at number 53 on the UK Albums Chart. In 2005, it was re-released with an additional disc that included remixes, unreleased tracks, and music videos.” Lol. “Peaked at no 53 on the UK albums chart.” Seems like another winner… Fuck, I don’t care about this at all. Maybe someone who’s a fan of the genre would appreciate it. I’m two tracks in and so, so bored. Why is there so much edm in 1001? There have to be better options from 1999. Anyway, for what’s it’s worth, it sounds a little different than what I expected. But I just don’t care. It’s boring and I don’t want to listen to any more of it. Skimmed through first 3 tracks. Still better than Destiny’s Child “Survivor”. 1.3/5

It’s been years since I heard this record, and when it popped up here, I really couldn’t remember it apart from the two hits. I always liked Belinda Carlisle’s voice, and there are plenty of Go Go’s and Belinda Carlisle songs I like. But there are only two of those on this record. It’s not that the record is bad, but it doesn’t offer a ton outside of those two songs; there are a lot of mediocre and filler tracks. I guess I can understand why this record was highly touted for its time (though I am scratching my head at Wikipedia’s assertion that this was an early new wave record), but it maybe it’s a little forgettable by now. 2.7/5 - have to round up

lol, I have no idea what’s being said, but I’m kind of digging this. Sounds industrial, sort of. And it’s sort of weird. I can’t tell if it’s a big joke. Even if it is, it’s well executed. By track 2, I’m almost certain it’s a big joke. But I love it so far. I don’t know how many replays it’ll get from me, but I will tell my friends who are into weird shit. Someone commented that it’s like Rammstein sung by Cookie Monster, which is pretty accurate. But it also incorporates weird synth horns and strings. It’s actually sorta catchy, despite this dude grumble-singing about someone getting him a light beer. Honestly, this sounds a little like a Mike Patton project. I have no idea how to rate this record. On the one hand, I doubt I’ll come back for too many re-listens. On the other hand, I can’t turn it off. I feel like I’m on a journey here. This might be the weirdest 4 I rate, because 4s and 5s are usually things that I’ll listen to repeatedly, and this isn’t that kind of record, but it’s also pretty interesting in a psychotic sort of way and I respect the weirdness. 4/5

Pre-listen notes: I fucking hate the disco genre, so I reckon this will be a big ol’ goose egg for me. But I guess I signed up for this, and disco was bound to show up eventually. I’ll be a sport and give it a shot, but I don’t expect to finish this one. Just getting into the record: I don’t hate the bass lines and the jazzy guitar bits. The drums (riding the hell out that hi-hat) are kinda killing me; I think this is generally what makes disco a challenge for me. The unchanging repetitive nature of the drums just drone on and drive me crazy. Actually, I’m 2 tracks in and finding these songs to be overlong because of the repetition; why say in 2 minutes what can be extended to 10? Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it doesn’t feel like it. That said, I’m not dreading continuing this just yet. There are some redeeming qualities in the musicianship and production; this record, so far, is clean and tight. I actually like some of the instrumental sections for the jazz licks. “Savoir Faire” is a highlight. But, this record is really not my style, I guess. Tight musicianship, and the bassist is really killer, but the music itself is pretty tough for me to get through, and I’ll not be revisiting it. Disco just sucks. 2.5/5

I love Nick Cave so much, but this not actually a record I’ve spent an overabundance of time on. I really love his early work, with Henry’s Dream, Let Love In, and Murder Ballads being the real sweet spot in his body of work for me. I kind of checked out with him post-Boatman’s Call, so I’m looking forward to this one since I really haven't listened to it more than once in the past, and that was probably 20 years ago. Just finished. What a baller record. I can’t believe it’s taken me 20 years to come back and sit with this record. I checked out after No More Shall We Part. After the weepiness of Boatman’s Call (which was good, but not my favorite side of Nick Cave) and leaning more into that with NMSWP, I gave up the proverbial ghost with Nick Cave. I’d even listened to bits of late records where he just seemingly quit giving a shit about rhyme schemes and writing songs that were pleasant to listen to. But this record fits, probably most sweetly, into that sweet spot. It has balls and heart. It might be one of his most “front to back” listenable records. He has written a good many songs that surpass many on this record (though there a few that hang with the best of his songs), but this is one of his best records as a whole. I will be putting this in my regular rotation. 5/5

Latin African jazz. Dammit. Without listening yet, I know I’ll enjoy the musicianship but have my serious doubts that anything here will resonate with me. And, within seconds, I know that I’m right. The drums might give me an actual panic attack. The horns sound like a high school marching band (to be fair, an extremely talented one). The talent here is obvious, and I don’t hate this at all, but I can’t find a reason why I would ever listen to this by choice. Undoubtedly, this will appeal to a lot of music lovers because it really is well done. Very talented, tight musicians, and top notch recording. I am listening to something that I would never find on my own, and I appreciate that. But, this is just not my preference, and I’ll rate it as such. Solid work, just don’t care that much. These drums might give me a stroke. It’s all so frenetic. 2.8/5-too well done to not round up, but I’m doing it begrudgingly because I will never think about this record again.

Pre-listen notes: I never really spent any time with Jonathan Richman. I know that he’s something of a cult hero, but my only real experience with him was through There’s Something About Mary and a Nerf Herder song about him (“please, God, don’t let me end up like Jonathan Richman…”. I never really understood the reference, though I do love Nerf Herder). So, I’m kind of happy to take the time here. Listening notes: This record reminds me of a Doors-y Velvet Underground. I’ve never been a big fan of either of those bands (though I like a few songs here and there of both). So, this record is probably falling a little flat for me. But it’s not without its merits. I appreciate the groove some of these songs settle into. More importantly, this record gives me a greater appreciation for that aforementioned Nerf Herder song, "Jonathan Richman." I always liked the song pretty good, but I did not understand the lyrics at all, and I guess I could never be bothered to look up the references. Well, they're all here in this record, and that song makes a ton more sense now. And it's actually pretty funny. Parry Gripp is a treasure, and I wish one of his records would crop up in 1001, but I kind of doubt the world sees it that way. Destiny's Child? Sure, the discriminating listener definitely needs to hear that played-out, busted piece of shit. Nerf Herder? Too silly to be taken seriously, I'm sure... Anyway, I probably don’t have loads to say about Modern Lovers. It’s listenable, but I’ll probably never come back and revisit it. It’s probably the definition of a 3/5. There’s nothing really offensive about it, and it’s sort of enjoyable, but not enjoyable enough to invest real time with. I’m not sure why it’s in this list, honestly. But it’s definitely not the worst thing that’s been selected. 3.0/5

I was not super looking forward to this one. The only Randy Newman songs I’ve ever heard were the sorta cheesy ones from the Major League soundtrack and Toy Story soundtrack (actually, in searching his catalogue, it looks like he’s put in a ton of work on a ton of different soundtracks, which I was not aware of). If I would have been pressed to describe his sound, I might have said something to the effect of, “the drunk sounding guy that plays ragtime piano.” I still kind of feel that way. Randy Newman has a really unique voice that can be a little much (don’t know if I’d qualify it as “drunk sounding” at this point thought…yet it’s still not totally inaccurate…I dunno), and some of the music does have a sort of ragtime vibe. But I’m actually digging this record. The arrangements with the strings and horns is really great, and I like his songs when he’s not singing about how “you’ve got a friend in me”. I guess that’s to say, this record is way less cheesy than I predicted. Some of the songs would fit right in with some of Tom Waits’ early drunk jazz bar records, but with more orchestration. I still prefer Tom Waits - though, to be fair, I prefer Tom Waits to just about anyone - but I will listen to this again. I could actually see sinking into this record. The lyrics are sometimes darker than I would have expected, the music is interesting and sometimes sad, and I think there’s enough to chew on for repeat listens. This record is a happy surprise. 4.0/5

I don’t know how much I have to say about Simon and Garfunkel. I love the way they harmonize, and they’re great musicians, but the songs themselves, at least on this record, don’t do a whole lot for me. I know, I know, that’s damn near sacrilege to say. I’d probably spend some time with their greatest hits, but this record is legit pretty boring up until the last three tracks. 2.5/5 - and I’m probably only rating it this high for the last three tracks…though I’m rounding down to 2 stars. I’m really disappointed with this record, to be honest.

So, I’ve never really sat down with a whole Black Crowes record, and for the life of me, I don’t understand why not. This record released right as I was getting into hair metal, followed quickly by grunge. I always liked the radio hits in this record, but something about the southern gospel blues grooves didn’t resonate with me enough at the time for me to invest in the Black Crowes. I see now that I was a fool. The only real complaint I have with Shake Your Money Maker is that a couple of the songs (Sister Luck and maybe Seeing Things and Stare It Cold, but I need to listen to those two again) drag a little bit for me…but they’re not even bad songs, they’re just not quite as good as everything else. This record is so solid, and I’m kicking myself for waiting til 2025 to spend some time with it. Cripes, it’s a genre I actually really like too. I guess I had to grow into it. Better late than never, I suppose. 4.8/5 - Happy to round this up, and I would say the only reason it’s not clean 5 for me is cause of Sister Luck, which might be the only track I’d skip just to get to the next one more quickly.

This is a tough listen for me. Someone described this record as “menopause core” and I don’t know that I can come up with a better description. Thing is, ok, these songs aren’t designed to be sung along to; they don’t follow the whole verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus template of pop music. They’re more like paintings set to music. I can appreciate what Joni is doing here, but I’m not enjoying it at all. It’s tough to relate to, and when I can’t relate, being able fall back on pop song structures helps. Plus, her voice kind of drives me nuts. This one’s just not for me. 2.0/5

Nirvana has always been a weird band for me. Nevermind was huge, and it released as I was turning into an angsty teen…also a teen that was turning into kind of an elitist jerk about music. So, I loved Nevermind up until Nirvana turned into “the voice of a generation” and got played non-stop on radio and MTV. Then I hated Nirvana; for one thing, you couldn’t escape hearing it and it got real old, but also because when the jock and rich kids in your Christian high school start really getting into a band, that band loses one of the big things that made it special to you in the first place. Of course, that’s really pretty dumb, but that’s where I was in high school. All that’s to say, I didn’t listen to much of this record when it came out. I heard the hits, but had moved onto “cooler” pastures by 1993. Eventually, I grew out of this elitist jerk nonsense, realizing that it wasn’t really fair to me to deprive myself of great music on the basis of other people enjoying it also. After all, there’s usually a reason why good music is popular, and why should anyone else’s enjoyment of something affect my enjoyment of the same thing? If anything, joy becomes increased when it can be shared. So, after Kurt’s death and after growing up just a little, I followed back up with Nirvana and found that I loved them again. They’re not one of my all time faves or anything, but I do have a big soft spot for Nirvana and a nostalgic connection to them, and I’m sad that I deprived myself of enjoying them for a few years just cause I was kind of a dick. Anyway, In Utero rules. And I think I prefer it to Nevermind (just barely) because of the rawness of the recording. This album feels angsty like Nevermind, but with more abrasive urgency or something. Probably doesn’t need to be said at this point, but I’ll say it anyway: I still blame Courtney for Kurt’s death. 5/5

I’ve listened to bits of Iggy Pop here and there over the years, but never really spent a lot of time with the Stooges. I always appreciated his persona as something of a wild man and he’s a consummate performer, but the Stooges were far enough before my time that it was easy to miss the proverbial boat with them. And this is why I like the idea of 1001 albums generator, because now I have the opportunity to circle back and catch some of the stuff I’ve just missed out on. There’s a lot to like about Funhouse for me. This record feels raw and energetic, and I bet their live shows were killer. It sounds simultaneously a product of its time, but also probably ahead of it too; much of this reminds me of the Doors at their most drugged-out and aggressive, but without the Ray Manzarek keyboardiness. I did appreciate the application of the saxophone in some of these songs, which is something I almost never say. That said, I probably won’t rush to circle back to it any time soon. I like this record, but I wouldn’t say I love it. I like the energy, but I wish there were some changes in tempo or song structure for me to really connect with it; melody is in short supply on this record. 3.4/5

Well, I don’t hate this record, but it’s not for me. I don’t love the singers voice (at least the singer on the second track…it seems like they change), and the music might be really interesting if I was tripping balls, but that doesn’t really ever happen anymore, so I can’t see me finding out. As it stands, I’m just not super interested. 2.4/5

Super fun record. When American Idiot came out, I remember being not too fussed about Green Day. Dookie was a classic, and I loved Nimrod, but Insomniac was largely terrible and they hadn’t really impressed me with Warning or Shenanigans. At that point, I’d figured their best years were long behind them. And when this record was released, they had become MTV darlings (which has never been an indicator of quality for me), and besides that, I never get too jazzed about overtly political commentary from entertainers whose opinion on political and world issues doesn’t need to concern me; for instance, just because Taylor Swift can write a record that sells a billion copies does not mean that she’s qualified to weigh in on things of social or political importance, or that anyone should take her opinions seriously, even when they’re said from a stage or put to music. Of course it’s her prerogative to wax intelligent about things outside of her area of expertise—or in this case, Green Day’s—but I don’t need to support that artist by buying the record or paying any attention. So American Idiot, released sometime around the Bush election, seemed like it was going to lean in that direction, which I find obnoxious. Im glad I circled back to American Idiot a few years later, because this record turned out to be fucking awesome. From a pop punk perspective, it’s pretty much a landmark achievement to write a punkrock “opera” concept record that works on a storytelling perspective and remains listenable…and really, not just listenable, but super enjoyable. I don’t even care much about their “message” here, and I’m not even super sure there are more than a couple songs that are overtly political. American Idiot bleeds feelings of disenfranchisement and cynicism and confusion, but it doesn’t seem like it harps on one particular political pet peeve, thankfully. More importantly, the songwriting is a big step forward for the band; the arrangements are interesting and the songs all flow together, but they’ve obviously borrowed some conventions from showtunes as well, which really work. It feels like everyone in the band was likely stretched here, but they still sound like Green Day. As a whole, this record is a front-to-back, no-skips record. 5/5 It’s funny, this is not my favorite Green Day record, but probably the one I’d rate the highest. I didn’t actually intend to give this one a 5-star rating when it got assigned. I loved it years ago, but thought of it as a 4-star, or even a 4.5-star listen at a push. But, after this listen, I do think it’s their best work, even if I would still probably revisit Dookie and Nimrod first. This record is a damn treasure, and probably their best effort front-to-back.

I don’t know if I’ve got it in me to get through this whole record. I don’t understand how a band can showcase so much obvious musical competency and still be so boring. It’s like they’ve made a concerted effort to avoid catchy melodies. They’ve found a way to sing around any actual melody, yet still harmonize with each other really well. But it’s not just vocally; the guitars sound like they’re being operated by talented guitar players whose talent is primarily expressed through one player mindlessly noodling over a go-nowhere chord structure. It’s really impressive except that it’s so hard to listen to. My dad would be so disappointed with my take on Crosby, Stills, and Nash—Cripes, even their band name is painfully tiresome to say—but I’m just so tired of listening to this record, and I don’t think I’m even halfway through at the time of this writing. I’ll try to get through more, but I doubt I’ll finish. Life’s too short to waste a bunch of time on a record that I know won’t connect with me. 2.5—and I’m probably only rating it this highly because the talent behind this album is obvious. I can’t bring myself to round up though.