My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Apple Venus Volume 1 XTC	5	2.83	+2.17
69 Love Songs The Magnetic Fields	5	2.85	+2.15
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle Bill Callahan	5	3.02	+1.98
Slanted And Enchanted Pavement	5	3.04	+1.96
Dig Me Out Sleater-Kinney	5	3.07	+1.93
Technique New Order	5	3.18	+1.82
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco	5	3.31	+1.69
Dirt Alice In Chains	5	3.46	+1.54
Illinois Sufjan Stevens	5	3.5	+1.5
Marquee Moon Television	5	3.5	+1.5

Album	You	Global	Diff
Brothers The Black Keys	1	3.55	-2.55
Tommy The Who	1	3.32	-2.32
Toys In The Attic Aerosmith	1	3.25	-2.25
Only By The Night Kings of Leon	1	3.23	-2.23
Hysteria Def Leppard	1	3.2	-2.2
Traffic Traffic	1	3.07	-2.07
All That You Can't Leave Behind U2	1	2.98	-1.98
Larks' Tongues In Aspic King Crimson	1	2.98	-1.98
I See You The xx	1	2.98	-1.98
Destroyer KISS	1	2.85	-1.85

Deerhunter

3/5

Pleasant indie rock that's enjoyable enough, but Deerhunter has never been one of my favorites from this era of indie. The first half is sometimes jangly and sometimes hypnotic, with the jangly songs not sounding different from other artists and the hypnotic songs not making an impression. Things turn around with Desire Lines, which feels more immersive than the other tracks. The album continues to be much better after it; Coronado has some great horns and there's cool drumming on the closer (though that one does kind of overstay its welcome by getting repetitive by the end). Would get a lower score if it didn't pick up by the end.

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

2/5

8 or 9 nicely written pop folk songs with a few more songs thrown in. While the songs are nice I can't help but find them a bit schmaltzy, even Father and Son. Stevens also doesn't have much, lyrically of musically, that makes him unique, and I find the louder moments with drums to mostly not work. An exception to all of that is the opener, Where Do the Children Play?, which I like quite a bit and which climaxes nicely. Otherwise it's mostly forgettable. (I also can't help but agree with folks who say that Wild World comes off as condescending, and even if that was intentional it doesn't make me like it more.)

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

Incredible funk and soul album. What I like most about this album is how it mixes some great pop tunes with longer funk rock jams like Don't Call Me and Sex Machine. The ending run is especially great, with the 5/5 song Everyday People giving way to the disgusting (in a good way!) extended jam of Sex Machine. Just when you think the album has nothing left to offer besides that guitar and harmonica it hits you with one last solid pop song as a parting gift. Throw in some social commentary and this still holds up as a hard hitting album over 50 years later.

Funeral

Arcade Fire

5/5

Arcade Fire were part of a wave of bands that brought large line-ups and chamber music to indie rock, and they inspired many more such bands. But few if any did it as well as they did it on this album. The piano and strings perfectly compliment the guitar and drums, resulting in an album that's lush but still rocks at times. "Wake Up" is the big hit, but the first three "Neighborhoods" and the closer are even better. Speaking of the closer: the lyrics on this album can have a beautiful subtlety to them, something that's missing from the band's later albums. At no point does this show better than "In the Backseat," where metaphors hide the themes of growing up and taking control of your life as your parents and relatives disappear.

1984

Van Halen

2/5

You likely know two or three songs from this one even if you haven't heard it, but all three of those songs already have major flaws. "Jump" and "Panama" are both catchy but a little too simple, while "Hot For Teacher" is less a song and more a show of the band's instrumental prowess over some hastily written lyrics. I might like "I'll Wait" more than any of those songs, but all of it is pretty standard 80's hard rock fleshed out with some synths. A little more variety or better lyrics might save this a bit. As it is this is the same so-so formula repeated for pretty much every song.

25

Adele

2/5

There's more variety here than the piano ballad "Hello" would initially lead you to expect. The next track does kind of an alt pop thing (though even that sounds pretty much like any other alt pop you'd hear on the radio), and there are a couple other left turns throughout. But there are still a lot of piano ballads with dramatic vocals. It wouldn't be such a drag if Adele didn't seem allergic to injecting any kind of personal touch to her lyrics. Everything is vague concepts and ideas, no specific details of break-ups or love, which is universal yes but also uninspired. The vocals? They're good, if a little overdone at times, but they don't make the music more compelling.

Rum Sodomy & The Lash

The Pogues

3/5

There are a lot of great Irish folk instrumentation on this album. There are also a lot of mid-tempo drinking songs that kind of crawl by. When the band really lets it rip like on "Billy Bones" it's a great time, and even when the songs are slow the backing music and vocals are always great. The highlight is probably the closer, where the story and emotion makes up for the slower pace. With a little more energy this could have been a great album, but as it is there are definitely some songs worth skipping.

A Little Deeper

Ms. Dynamite

2/5

The main word that comes to mind while listening to this is "safe." When Ms. Dynamite gets more assertive, like on "Put Him Out" or "Now U Want My Love," her songs have a lot of personality. But on other tracks, that personality doesn't shine through, resulting in songs that feel anonymous. On those songs, the lyrics feel more played out and the laid back singing can make for forgettable songs. The beats don't change much during the course of a song, which can make them tiring, especially when the drums sound a bit thin. When the songs get funkier or try new things, like the reggae influence on "Now U Want My Love," they're much more engaging. Unfortunately that's just not always the case.

Diamond Life

Sade

4/5

Delightfully smooth. While the sax and piano are great my favorite part of this may be the lazy, rhythmic percussion. Nowhere is that demonstrated better than on the closer, which is my favorite song on the album. I love the pace at which the song moves - it feels like a slowcore song to me - and I think it has Sade's most longing vocals on the album. Sade's music got more nuanced after this but this is my favorite album I've heard from them. It's great for late nights and puts a lot of 80's sounds in a more refined, relaxed package.

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

3/5

When this albums rocks - like on the title track or "Keep on Growing" - it rocks. When it moves in a more bluesy direction, it suffers. This is partially because I find Clapton's voice a bit weak for conveying these emotions, and partially because while the guitar is great it doesn't have the soul of the best blues I've heard. I'd also be lying if I said it wasn't hard to take the songs about love being so hard and his woman cheating on him seriously given the album's most well-known song is famously about wanting to sleep with his friend's wife. Even then it would all be fine if this album wasn't 76 minutes long; after the first four songs the only new sounds on it are the title track's second half and the short (and limp) closer. A forty minute version of this with the best material might get a 4.

Cross

Justice

3/5

This album is exhilarating. And somewhat exhausting. My ideal house music has bouncy drums and something light over the top with cut up vocal samples. The tracks on here that sound kind of like that - like "D.A.N.C.E." - are great. But most of the others put way more emphasis on the synths than the percussion, and when the beat primarily comes from those distorted synths it's harder for me to get into. The first track is a good example of that - I'm not sure how I'm supposed to dance to that mid tempo synth line. By the end the noise overwhelms me, especially on "Stress." And I'm someone who likes noisy sounds in noise rock and other genres! I just done want it in my dance music.

Tommy

The Who

1/5

For the most part, the playing on this is great, especially Keith Moon's drumming. But it suffers from the lengths to which it goes to tell its story. The choruses on so many of these songs are simple and lame, presumably to make sure you know what's happening. The pacing suffers from multiple minute-long interludes and a 10 minute one that seems to only exist for the "Underture" wordplay. The story ranges from goofy to hard to take seriously. The worst moment is when we hear about abuse by Tommy's uncle in the painfully annoying "Fiddle About" chorus, which is quickly followed by a song about how Tommy is super good at pinball. Talk about tonal whiplash; there are themes here that are worth exploring, but they aren't treated with any care. The biggest problem is simpler though: none of the songs, even "Pinball Wizard," are really all that good.

Aja

Steely Dan

3/5

Slickly produced to within an inch of its life, even compared to earlier Steely Dan records. And I think it fits the laid back nature of the songs. The songs are mostly long and expansive, leaving room for those impeccable guitar parts, drum fills, and horns. But it still leaves me cold, and I think it's because of the songwriting. The Dan's earlier work was tighter, which allowed for more hooks and grooves. Here the grooves are looser and the hooks more spread out. While the instrumental flourishes sound great, I find myself wishing there was less space between them. "Peg" is the outlier, and the best song, as the melody continues during the verses and makes the song interesting throughout. I like parts of "Black Cow" and "Deacon Blues" too, but I find myself wishing the songs were shorter and hookier.

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective

4/5

Less energetic and freaky than the Animal Collective albums that came before it, but the many layers of synths still give this a ton of complexity. There are a lot of different sounds, from the watery to the bouncy, that wash over each other and provide a lot of melodies to follow. I'm most immediately drawn to the poppier songs, especially "Summertime Clothes," and sometimes I wish there were more moments like the chorus of "Daily Routine" that really popped. But I also know an entire album of that would get tiring, which makes me appreciate the more hypnotic moments of songs like "Guy's Eyes" and "Brother Sport" more.

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

4/5

I absolutely love "We Will Not Be Lovers." I love the bassline combined with the folk instruments, especially that fiddle, and the momentum it carries throughout. Like much of the first half of this album, it expertly mixes Celtic folk into rock songs. When they're not as tight as that one, they're loose and free, like the "Sweet Thing" cover. There's real longing and emotion in the title track and "Strange Boat," which recalls The Pogues' "Thousands are Sailing." The second half is much more straightforward folk, and for a stretch of three or four songs loses what made the first half interesting. "The Stolen Child" recovers things at the end though, bringing back the lush sound and emotional atmosphere. While there are a few songs that could be trimmed, the range of folk sounds really helps to sell this as an homage to a land's traditions.

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Rap has come a long way since the 80's, and a lot of once-classic albums sound a bit weaker next to what came out even in the 90's. This is not one of them. Yes, the rhyme schemes are pretty simple, but the energy the MCs bring is top notch, and they're even able to sell a song about nursery rhymes. The beats hit hard too, they're very percussion-heavy and sometimes fairly complex. A few of the tracks mix in some rock elements, and it feels more seamless than some rap rock tracks made 30 years later. There are a lot of fun ideas here on tracks like "You Be Illin'" (let's forget about "Dumb Girl" though, yeesh...). This definitely sounds like an 80's rap album but turns those elements that are no longer in fashion into something great.

Gold

Ryan Adams

3/5

Ryan Adams can undoubtedly write a song. Most of the songs here have a pleasant hook or melody. The problem is that he's written too many on this album, and too many of them are ballads. "Firecracker" has some great country twang and the kind of hook that makes Adams's best songs great. But it's the only song of its kind here. So much of the rest of this album is slower, aiming for a kind of melancholy or nostalgia that just doesn't come through. "Sylvia Plath" is the worst example for me, there's almost nothing there musically and the lyrics are weirdly parasocial. There are some rock songs that get things going a bit, but they all feel like they're cut from different clothes and don't belong on the same album. A prime example of an album being less than the sum of its parts.

Street Life

The Crusaders

2/5

Impeccably played jazz funk, but to what end? The title track, the only one with vocals, puts you in a world of a late night in the big city, down on your luck or worse. The whole album feels very nocturnal, but the title track is the only song that makes full use of that feeling. The other tracks fade in and out without sounding all that differently, and while they sound good I can't call out anything that differentiates them from other jazz funk tracks. They mostly play it safe; the funk isn't that deep, the solos are short, the grooves nice but not challenging. I do like this, but there would never be a reason to put this on over similar albums.

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

4/5

Raucous folk punk celebrating life in the face of death. If you just listened to the music while ignoring the lyrics you might think this is a happy album, but far from it. There are lots of songs about death, dying, and uncertainty. But the joyful music adds to the lyrical nuance about celebrating one's culture and family in the face of tragedy. It starts with a bang with the terrific first two tracks, "Fairytale," and "Thousands are Sailing." After that I do think the new ideas wear a bit thin, but the upbeat folk sounds mean it's never boring.

The Score

Fugees

2/5

Great performances by all three MCs here, especially Lauryn Hill. There's urgency behind their rapping, and I enjoy the conscious lyrics. That consciousness sometimes slips into a holier-than-thou attitude though, which means this isn't always a positive album (and it's thus a bit ironic when stuff like that Chinese restaurant skit is included here). And speaking of urgency: I wish that was reflected in the beats. These beats are laid back, almost to a fault. The sung covers switch things up, but those songs are also pretty subdued. I think this could use some more energy or variety - there are two MCs here who excel at both rapping and singing, but they rarely do so on the same song. For an album lacking in hooks, that seems like a missed opportunity.

Shake Your Money Maker

The Black Crowes

2/5

Bog standard blues rock, but that doesn't mean it's all bad. If I was at a state fair and I had a couple beers in me, I'd be super into this. But I don't think it rewards a casual listen that much. If there was something more to this, like more keys or more variety, maybe it would. Though maybe not on the variety front, since the acoustic-heavy "She Talks To Angels" is actually one of my least favorite tracks; the singer's voice seems more suited to rock songs. "Sister Luck" was probably my favorite song, it's slower too, but more of a power ballad. I kind of wonder if this would be as loved if it came out in my the 70s and wasn't seen as a throwback, because I don't think there's any doubt this is inferior to bands like The Rolling Stones.

Technique

New Order

5/5

Of the New Order albums I've heard, this is the most consistently engaging and upbeat, and also the best. The songs have a lot going on, but it's never overwhelming. The opener almost gets to that point, with all the synths and guitars flying around in the beginning, but the way it moves from one set of sounds to the next keeps it moving nicely. Elsewhere the bass thumps, the synths sound bouncy, and the guitars compliment everything well without taking the focus off of the grooves. The lyrics are mostly ignorable, but lyrics have never been a strong point for the band. It's hard to pick highlights as it's so consistent throughout, but "Run" and "Vanishing Point" are definitely two of the best songs. All in all just a fun album that brings together a lot of different influences well.

Disintegration

The Cure

5/5

A swirling ocean of immaculately produced ethereal post punk. It surrounds you with feelings of longing that almost drown you. The lyrics are dripping in that melancholy, but they never feel overly dramatic or inauthentic. They feel real and honest. Each song feels carefully crafted, with intricate synths and guitars that compliment each other perfectly. And there's so much range here: the regret of "Pictures of You," the sinister "Lullaby," the pulsing, desperate "Fascination Street." On a different album "Love Song" would be a thoughtful pop tune, but here you begin to second guess whether it's also somehow a downer. Whenever the album gets to those last 5 long songs I always think they're going to drag by, but each has such a lovely, enthralling melody that I feel disappointed when each song ends.

Crazysexycool

TLC

3/5

Super smooth and enjoyable R&B, but I can't help feeling it would be better if it tried more things. The most well-known songs are great: "Creep" has a nice and funky vibe and "Waterfalls" is the catchiest song of the bunch (not surprising since it was the big hit). There are a few good rap verses, both from TLC and also from Phife Dawg and Andre. Outside of those moments, it's largely filled with slow jams. These songs aren't bad, but there's also not much to separate them from similar songs from the era. Like "Red Light Special" is a good song, but it sounds like a song many other 90's R&B artists could write. Definitely has a nice vibe, but there's also not enough unique about it to make me want to come back.

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

3/5

I like the driving basslines on this. I like the guitar tone, although on some songs like "Halloween" it's a bit too high pitched. And most of all I love the thudding, tribal drums. Yet put it all together and it sounds a little...thin? That bone dry guitar tone may be one reason. I also kind of wish it was more menacing? "Spellbound" is basically a jangle pop song and "Arabian Knights" feels like a standard post punk song. So is "Sin in my Heart," but it's faster and more urgent. "Into the Light" is a good example of a more interesting song, the angular guitar on that one is incredible. And the closer is a nice way to end - very drawn out and climactic - but it also feels like it's missing something. I think that as dark and gothic as certain elements of this are, it doesn't feel meaty enough to really get that atmosphere across.

Bad

Michael Jackson

3/5

A mix of good songs and songs that aren't good enough to overcome the 80's production. Most of them are good though! "Man in the Mirror" is my favorite Jackson song not named "Billie Jean," "Smooth Criminal" has those sinister verses and big climaxes, and "Dirty Diana" has some great guitar. There are three other #1 hits on this album, but of those I really only care for "The Way You Make Me Feel." The rest of the songs suffer more from the percussive synths that are all over this. "Speed Demon," is the worst example, it sounds so clunky. Compare that to "Man in the Mirror" and the smoother sound. The vocals are great throughout, but they can't change the fact it doesn't always sound as full and lush as dance pop should. Worth a listen for the best singles, but there's not much more to it than that.

Slayed?

Slade

3/5

Hell yeah rock out man! I'm not always the biggest fan of hard rock, but when it nearly borders on garage rock like this does I can get into it. I like the vocals and how keeps its foot on the gas until the end. My two favorite songs both have "Crazee" in the title; I especially like the keys on the second track and how they flesh things out a bit. Now, the fact that this doesn't let up also means there's not a whole lot knew thrown into the mix once you've heard a couple songs, and like all but the very best such albums I suspect that means I won't be coming back to it much. But it's a fun listen for sure.

The Libertines

2/5

I don't mind sloppy music. Sloppiness can make a ramshackle song sound more cathartic; if the energy is coming through, I don't mind if you miss a few notes. But this album is the bad kind of sloppy. As in, it sounds like the two guitarists aren't on the same page about which song they're playing. I do like the rawness and energy in places, but it's often hard to discern any kind of melody because one guitar is kind of trying to play some chords and the other is noodling over in the other channel. I'm not asking for this to be a pop album, but a catchy riff would be nice - even the garagest garage rock usually succeeds because it's catchy. It feels like the band thinks that rawness is enough to carry them despite the weak songwriting. Given that you hear nothing about this band's legacy or influence these days, I think it's clear that's not true.

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

4/5

A live album where you can really feel the energy of both the performers and the crowd. I struggle with the blues because the focus is on the guitar chords and vocals instead of the songwriting, which typically follows the same formula. I do like the sound of electric blues guitar though, and here it's accompanied by raucous drumming, a piano, and a harmonica, the last of which sometimes steals the show. Waters's vocal performance is fantastic; I especially like his word-less ad libs on "Mojo." I do find myself wishing for a bit of variety at points, but the playing is so good and the energy so high that those thoughts quickly go away. This isn't rock music, but it certainly has the swagger of it without losing what makes the blues great too.

The Clash

4/5

As far as no frills, not hardcore, just straightforward punk rock goes, this might be the peak. There are all kinds of great melodies on this to enhance the snotty vocals and fast, simple songs. And there's political and social commentary, but it's not overwhelming. Despite all that my favorite song may actually be "Police and Thieves." It hints at the band's later work with its not-reggae-but-definitely-reggae-sounding-ness. There's only so much you can do with the simple punk formula and while the rest of the album is also great, it's nice to have a groovy left turn in the middle of it.

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liars

1/5

There's groundwork for an interesting album here. But for an album inspired by witch trials and which tries a lot of things, it's also surprisingly boring. The vocals sound emotionless; on the first track the singer drones "blood" a bunch of times - are these witches scary or not? Musically there's a lot of empty space here between the noise that makes me wish there was more happening. There is some cool stuff! But it's very fleeting. An abrasive noise on the 3rd track gives way to a super simple beat. There's a nice vocal melody on the last track that fades into nothing. The 8th and 9th tracks have the most interesting, rhythmic percussion, and the 8th track pairs it with hard hitting noise to create what's easily the best track. But so much of the album is atmospheric without getting any kind of eerieness or dread across, and more engaging moments may have helped.

Tuesday Night Music Club

Sheryl Crow

2/5

There are a couple interesting left turns on this, but the majority of it is a kind of country-pop-rock thing that sounds very similar to other artists with this sound. Her voice fits the songs well - it's authentic and not over-polished. The lyrics are a mixed bag; I like the chorus on "Strong Enough" and the specificity of songs like "All I Wanna Do," but "The Na-Na Song" and it's we-didn't-start-the-fire-ness is a bit grating. The melodies are nice, but rarely better than nice, which is the biggest problem. My favorite songs are the ones that are more daring, even if they don't always work. "Solidify'" is my favorite with its funky groove. "We Can Do What We Can" doesn't work as well, but I still appreciate the jazzy night club vibe it's going for. Replace some of the slower ballads like "No One Said it Would Be Easy" with more adventurous songs and this would be a better listen.

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

2/5

If you can get past the over-singing and the often inane lyrics, this is an enjoyable heart-on-its-sleeve rock album. When I can get past those things, like on "Slide Away" (the best song) or "Live Forever" (the best hooks, even if I hate how the lyrics react to Cobain and his music), I'm right there in the pit singing along. When I can't, like on "Shakermaker" (with it's clunky melody) or "Supersonic" (the worst lyrics of the bunch), it can get a bit tiring. This is right on the edge of a 2 and a 3 for me as an album full of brash songs that are almost too much to take in all in a row. The guitars sound great, but they're so loud the songs have very little room to breathe. It doesn't help that some of them, like the opener, go on for way too long. In the end I can't get past the lack of depth and loudness, though I can't deny it's catchy.

Traffic

1/5

An album that sounds great but isnt very enjoyable. The instruments really pop - I love the thumping of the drums, and the addition of organ, harmonica, horns, and especially flute really gives this a lot of life. But the songwriting is full of moments where the pace of the song changes suddenly, which can be jarring. And then a harmonica or organ will be thrown in, but not in a way that really matches the rhythm. It reminds me a jazz album a bit. "Feelin' Alright?" avoids this and is the most immediately enjoyable song. Then again, it also sounds like a generic 60's rock song, so I guess you have to pick your poison there. The worst thing about this is the lyrics, they feel like they were written because they had to be and are full of forced rhymes and psychedelic rock cliches. Key examples are the goofy opener and the sun/fun rhyme on "Pearly Queen."

Bummed

Happy Mondays

3/5

A fun party album from a band that sounds like they're still finding their footing. While I like the atmosphere here, it is a bit one-note and the songs blur together a bit. The grooves on songs like "Wrote for Luck" are great, but other tracks feel a bit anonymous. If there were more hooks or things were tightened up I think this could be great. The closer feels like an early sampledelia track with its Beatles interpolation, but it's the rare track with a real memorable moment. I don't hate the vocals, but I don't feel that they contribute much. Sounds like they're going for a drugged out haze but they just sound sloppy. I do like the lyrics on the first track though, sounds like a defiant party anthem aimed at the upper class.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

2/5

This starts off well with "Mother's Little Helper," one of the best songs from their early period. It's perfectly dark despite sounding cheery. And then it goes straight into a goofy pop song that almost sounds like a joke and a sappy ballad. At least after that one "Under My Thumb" has the catchiest melody on the album (if you can ignore the lyrics). From there there's very little that's worthwhile. The main problem is that it's too long, both because of the interminable, unchanging "Goin' Home" and because there are too many songs on the second side that don't add anything new in terms of songwriting. If this was trimmed down it might be pretty good, because the additions of new instruments and inclusion of some psychedelic elements make even the least interesting songs listenable.

Rising Above Bedlam

Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart

2/5

I was vibing to this during the first three or so tracks. I would definitely prefer to listen to all of these styles and genres separately than as a mishmash like this, but I liked the percussion and vocals enough to get enjoyment out of it. However, it gets less interesting as it goes on. This is partially because I prefer the house-influenced beginning to the dub-influenced end. But as it goes on it also feels more and more half-baked, with the genre influences being used in predictable ways. Ironically it may be more interesting if there was less variety and a smaller number of sounds were explored in more different ways.

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

3/5

Mitchell's previous two albums incorporated jazz into a mix of folk and pop. On this one the jazz is the centerpiece, and it's a sparse collection of guitar, bass, and drums. It sounds good, but it leads to a collection of songs that end up blending together a bit, as it lacks memorable choruses of instrumental lines. I like Mitchell's vocals on this a lot; it has a reputation of coming out at a point where she had ruined her voice a bit but it fits the music well even if it's not as technically impressive as her earlier work. The lyrics I've heard are quite good, but I find it a bit hard to focus on them given the subtlety of the music. This is definitely an album I want to like more than I do, but I've found it difficult to crack so far.

Brothers

The Black Keys

1/5

I've always thought it would make sense for The Black Keys to make raucous garage rock like their two-person band counterparts The White Stripes and Japandroids. Which makes these mid-tempo, safe songs sound pretty jarring. Even once I adjust my expectations, it's hard for me to find anything special about this. The production is clean enough to remove most of its edge outside of the vocal effects that make it feel "old." It lacks memorable riffs and impressive instrumental moments are rare. And the songs mostly stick to the same formula. Which to be fair, is also true of the blues this is emulating, but this lacks the passion, grit, and vocal emotion of blues. I'm not even a blues fan and I'd rather listen to any classic blues over this.

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

2/5

Like most people, I like listening to Jimi Hendrix play the guitar. Unlike a lot of people, I don't like listening to his songs. Pretty much every guitar solo on this sounds great, but many of the songs are held back by clunky choruses or verses. It's telling that the song that's the most immediately enjoyable (though not the best!) is "She's So Fine," the only one he didn't write. Hendrix's songwriting is less polished, like he didn't know how best to work his guitar into the songs. The first few songs especially suffer from this, but the second half is much better. The closer succeeds as a psychedelic jam where precious songs failed, and "One Rainy Wish" is another highlight.

Talk Talk Talk

The Psychedelic Furs

3/5

A fairly standard early 80s post punk album that's elevated by the horns and noisier elements. The angular synth that opens the album is one example of the sounds that give this a bit more edge than you'd expect if you'd just heard "Pretty in Pink" (which is still quite good!). The highlights are "Into You Like a Train" and "All of This and Nothing," with the former being one of the catchiest songs and the latter the lushest and most expensive. I don't love the vocals though, as they don't really fit the music. They feel too harsh, which is weird since I like the harsher musical elements. It doesn't help that the lyrics aren't very good either, with a lot of moments when they should rhyme but don't. I don't mind that if it's done for a reason, but the ones on "I Wanna Sleep With You" just make the lyrics sound lazy.

Virgin Suicides

Air

2/5

This is a tough one to rate as an album given it wasn't written to be listened to on its own. As a result the majority of songs are really just sketches, many based on the same theme with the same mood. The opener works best as a "real" song (probably because of the vocals), though "The Word Hurricane" and a couple songs near the end also exhibit some evolution throughout. The rest mostly just build on the same melody until they end. Of course there's a reason for that, so the question is how much should my rating account for the fact you're missing something by just listening to this. In the end I'm going with a 2 because I wouldn't want to hear this again, though I can't deny that it sounds lovely and is well produced.

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

3/5

Like always, the duo bring some pleasant folk harmonies. They also attempt a song cycle about aging on the first side. It's a shame it doesn't work; the sequence is too short and not obvious enough to feel like a progression. The sound collage experiment with old people's voices also doesn't add anything. However, "America" is a beautifully devastating song and "Old Friends" is lovely as well. They play the hits on the second side, and the ones that aren't about breakfast foods and zoos are great. Overall it's a bit uneven, but there's some good stuff here and the experiments make it more interesting than their contemporaries.

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

3/5

A fantastically written pop rock album. It tries a lot of styles, both old and modern (for the time), and pretty much nails them all. There isn't a bad song in the bunch, and the lyrics range from nostalgic to the cutting satire of "Yes Sir No Sir". And yet, it leaves me a bit cold. Despite the consistency there are no exceptional songs - "Victoria" or "Australia" are probably the closest. It's almost as if the album is too well-written. This sounds ridiculous, but sticking so tightly to its formula of crafting a distinct sound for each song makes it feel a bit too calculated. There's no room for these songs to breathe, and the tightness turns into stuffiness. It doesn't help that outside of "Some Mother's Son" most of the topics seem approached from a distance rather than feeling personal. This is about as close as possible to a 4, but the fact I don't really care to hear it again keeps it at a 3.

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

4/5

The album on which Bowie took what made Ziggy Stardust great and made it rock. When it works, like on "Watch that Man," it produces some of the most infectious rock songs he ever wrote. When it doesn't, like on the Stones cover, it sounds like someone who has no business writing rock songs. But it works more often than it doesn't. The horns and piano add a ton to these songs; the horns really flesh out the opening song and the jazzy piano solo on the title track is my favorite moment on the album. It still has the grand concepts of prior albums on songs like "Drive-In Saturday" and "Time." The last three songs dip in quality a bit, but overall this is still an important part of Bowie's glam rock period. Apparently critics didn't like Bowie taking influence from American rock, but he was always a chameleon and this is just another style he took and made his own.

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Richard Thompson

4/5

There's a sharp contrast here between the lush, lively folk tunes and the stark, slow ones. It's a contrast that works well; many of the lively songs have a depressing undercurrent as well, and it makes for a more interesting album than if all the songs were of the same variety. It's all very intricate and well-played, with moments where the guitar is allowed to shine as well as some where other instruments take center stage. Both vocalists and great and their interplay adds even more variety. The best songs are the most strikingly sad ones, "Has He Got a Friend For Me" and "The End of the Rainbow" especially.

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

4/5

If Aladdin Sane was Bowie building on Ziggy by turning everything up to 11, this was him carefully exploring the ideas that would become it. Of his classic albums, it's the most playful, having an almost twee sound at times. But it's also one of the sparsest, being dominated by piano and acoustic guitar with some string flourishes. This formula usually succeeds; "Life On Mars" is a top five Bowie song, "Changes" and "Quicksand" are highlights, and his Dylan and Velvet Underground impersonations near the end hint at the range he'd display later in his career.. But a few tracks, like "Kooks" and "Fill Your Heart," feel a bit too light and airy. It all comes together into a transitional album that exhibits his best qualities without the variety or excitement he'd showcase later on.

The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan

3/5

There are some cool sounds on this album. But there aren't enough sounds. Not even cool sounds, just sounds. "Cars" is the highlight, a bold minimalist synth pop song. But "Observer" sounds so similar you expect the "Cars" chorus to start in the middle of it. Elsewhere, the synth sound from the opening track pops up fairly frequently throughout. There are probably other albums that use a consistent sound palette like this, but the fact most of these songs run their simples melodies into the ground makes it stand out a lot here. Most of the songs are good - "Conversation" stands out as one that does evolve as it goes - and the synth sounds are lovely, but by the end the similarity and simplicity of it all becomes a drag.

Clube Da Esquina

Milton Nascimento

2/5

Some of the songs here are lush or psychedelic, and those are the best songs. But they're the exception. The majority are simpler pop songs centered on the acoustic guitar. There are traces in those songs of all the genres and influences that inspired this album, but they're pretty subtle. Or, like on "Dos Cruces," they take too long to show up. If you enjoy acoustic guitar and appreciate those subtle influences, this is probably an enjoyable album. If you don't, the hour run time becomes a slog. If it wasn't obvious from my rating, that's the side I fall on. I can't help but wish there were more upbeat songs on this. There's also definitely a language barrier here, but even incredible lyrics wouldn't make it more enjoyable.

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

4/5

This is the band's highpoint, a perfect balance of raw guitar scorchers and experiments. The rock tracks rock, whether it's because of the riffs ("Expecting") or the general rawness ("Gentleman"). "Fell in Love With a Girl" is the song every new throwback rock band have been trying and failing to write for the last 20 years. The attempts to switch things up, like the beautiful "Friends" or the upbeat "Hotel Yorba" provide a nice respite from the rock tracks. The band tried these kinds of detours on other albums but they never worked as well as they did here. The quality dips a bit by the end and I think it could have been even shorter than its brisk 40 minutes, but it's good enough to not feel feel like it overstays its welcome.

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

5/5

Some of the most beautiful songs ever written, from the danceable to the devastating. Some of the most clever and touching lyrics. Really just one of the best albums, period. Some of these songs are just transcendental, and some are just really dumb. But so is love. Stephen Merritt claims that this album isn't about love, that it's about love songs. And a lot of these songs do feel like they're mimicking love song tropes or even specific love songs. But you can't pretend to write about love songs and not know anything about love, and that leaks out in all the gorgeously relatable moments on this album. I would never claim it's too long, though it does drag in places. But even then that's crucial to the concept here - there need to be lows so you can recognize the highs. And you need 68 other love songs to help you realize that the 69th is the one that was meant for you.

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

The Dandy Warhols

3/5

The Dandy Warhols are an American band, a fact that could be missed if you'd only heard this mix of Spiritualized and Oasis. It's a good mix; the guitar tones are interesting and there's a good balance of spacier moments and straight up rock. "Every Day is a Holiday" is a standout. The songwriting is a mixed bag though. There are too many songs like "Orange" that are slow and spacey without being interesting, and ending on 10+ minutes of instrumental noise is kind of a letdown. It's enjoyable but it doesn't use its influences in an interesting enough way to be memorable.

Who Killed...... The Zutons?

The Zutons

3/5

Classic rock filtered through the lens of turn-of-the-century indie rock. The horns on this are a real treat. This is at its strongest when it leans into its quirkiness, like the angular riffs on "Long Time Coming" and the percussion and jaw harp on "Nightmare Part II." When it hews closer to classic rock riffage and vocals like on "You Will You Won't," it's weaker. It's a fun listen, but even the more interesting moments don't quite have the hooks to fully sell this sound.

Synchronicity

The Police

3/5

The Police's final album is a tale of two sides: eclectic, rhythmic post punk on the first side and sleek, 80's pop on the second. Despite the musical prowess of their members, the second side is much better. On the first side, "Walking in Your Footsteps" has really satisfying percussion but awful lyrics, from asking a brontosaurus if we'd be dumb for using the atom bomb to the creature/future rhyme. Tracks 3 through 5 aim to push the band past their usual sound, but they either don't work or don't fit into the album. The second side however is beautifully written, with four essential Police songs. Yes it has their Big Hit, but "Wrapped Around Your Finger" is been better. Altogether it's an album that's more interesting than their previous work but which still confirms they're a singles band.

Peace Sells...But Who's Buying

Megadeth

3/5

Riffs and solos...but no songs? Ok that's a bit harsh, but there's some truth in it. The playing on this is great, but the songs can be structured in odd ways. The opener is a good example: short verse into a riff that repeats for way too long into a solo, then a riff switch at the end that makes it sound like another song has started. The title track is a good example of when a song flows well and you can sit back and head bang to it. Now, thrash isn't exactly a genre known for songwriting and the messiness is kind of the point, but this is also lacking in memorable riffs and the vocals and lyrics are bad. So I think better structured songs would make up for those deficits. As it is, the music is heavy and fast but hard to get into.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

4/5

One of the lesser great Radiohead albums, but still a great album. The band brings back the guitars here and mixes them in with the electronics, though it's rare that the two really get going at the same time ("Where I End and You Begin" is one song where they do). It ends up being a nice set of songs that rock while still having a lot of little details in the background. "There There" and the closer are the major highlights, but "Sit Down. Stand Up." and "Myxamatosis" are great too. It's main problem is it's length and the number of subpar songs on the tracklist, with "We Suck Young Blood" chief among them. There's an exceptional 40 minute album in here somewhere, but even as it is it's still great.

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

4/5

In retrospect this feels like a build-up to the album that followed it, with the groovy jams and African influences on tracks like "I Zimbra" sitting next to the quirky new wave of their previous albums. Despite that, the songs here are strong enough to stand on their own. The jams - "Cities" and "Life During Wartime" - are the highlights, tracks that could be double their length and not get old. But the other highlight is "Heaven," which is much more subdued; the band's lyrics were always good, but this one shows they could carry a song. The last three songs are a bit weak ("Drugs" is ok as a closer, less good as a song), but everything before it is good enough for this to get a 4.

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

3/5

Miles Davis pushes the limits of both jazz and listenability on this album. He breaks the former (in a good way) but not the latter. There's 90 minutes of music here, but it doesn't feel too long. There's so much going on - piano, electric guitar, horns, drums, bass - but it never feels chaotic or overstuffed. There are subdued moments, but there's always enough going on that you're not waiting for the next loud moment. It's a true jazz odyssey...I'm just not sure it goes anywhere. Having been stitched together from live sessions, it feels like a long jam that doesn't build from or to anything. It's just 6 great jazz tracks. Which can probably be said of many albums, but I think I need to rewire my brain for jazz before this goes from being an album I admire to a personal favorite.

Casanova

The Divine Comedy

3/5

There's an easy comparison to Jarvis Cocker here, both because of the vocal style and because the third track is about the middle class. But it's not quite apt - Neil Hannon's performance here feels much more like a stage show. I don't know how much of this is tongue-in-cheek, but at least 50% of it is, maybe 100%. Combine that with the lavish horns and strings, and on tracks like "A Woman of the World" you can practically see him strutting around on stage. "Middle Class Heroes" may be the highlight, it's dark but still a bit funny. Your enjoyment of this likely depends on how much you can stand the smarm. I usually can, but the spoken transitions between tracks and high brow literary references sometimes make it too much. Combine that with songs that all play with similar sounds and this just falls under a 4 for me.

With The Beatles

Beatles

2/5

If this isn't The Beatles' worst album, it's at least their most inessential. The original songs aren't much of a step forward from their debut or early singles. The best of them, "All My Loving," doesn't do much that "She Loves You" didn't already do. There are also quite a few covers, which don't do much to transform the source material. Despite all that, the album is well produced, and the first few tracks are catchy and punch. As the album goes on though it gets more and more tiring as you long for something new to happen. It's never bad, but it gets at least a little annoying. It's hard to fault the band given they were probably being asked to make more hits, but this is proof that even the most celebrated discographies aren't always free from duds. And if this is your dud, you're doing something right.

Heroes

David Bowie

4/5

Heroes follows a similar structure as it's predecessor, and my unpopular opinion has always been that this is a better album than Low. Both sides are better on this. The rock side contains some of Bowie's most sonically interesting material, with rhythmic songs that grind away and so many cool things going on at once. That includes his best song, the title track; that piercing synth that permeates the whole song and those beautiful lyrics ("cuz we're lovers, and that is that") build to an amazing climax. The second side is mostly ambient-adjacent electronic, bookended by a Kraftwerk-sounding song and a rocker to close things out. I like that ending - it makes the album sound more like a rock album with an ambient interlude and less like two albums smushed together. Overall it's not one of Bowie's very best, but the highlights are enough to push it to a 4.

Dummy

Portishead

2/5

This album never achieves the haunting atmosphere it seems to be going for, instead settling for a kind of monotonous darkness. Every track follows a similar formula: take a drum beat, add one or two elements over it, and repeat until the end. A few of the tracks add new elements (the guitar during the chorus of "Glory Box" is the most effective example), the drums sound nice, and the occasionally jazzy elements are welcome. But it's not enough for the tracks to feel like they're progressing, and this becomes more obvious the longer the album goes on. The vocals also don't help - they feel detached and uninterested, rarely communicating the emotions of the lyrics. The chorus of "Sour Times" is one of the exceptions. This was definitely meant to be a drag, but I find it to be a drag for a different reason than intended.

Screamadelica

Primal Scream

4/5

Drenched in the rave music of the early 90's, and detractors will point out (rightly) that it never reaches the heights of the best acid house. But this isn't just an acid house album. It's also heavily influenced by classic rock and gospel, which makes for a very interesting set of sounds. Heck, the first song is basically a Rolling Stones song. The second, the best one, is a 13th Floor Elevators cover that shows off the hypnotic trippiness that's present on the more low key songs. "Come Together" combines all these influences, even clearly referencing the Beatles in its title. The slower moments aren't always as interesting as the ones that are full of keys and gospel vocals, but the album is rarely truly boring. It admittedly may not work great on an actual dancefloor, but it's a unique enough mixture to be a blast in other settings.

Very

Pet Shop Boys

4/5

While maintaining the elegance of Behavior, Pet Shop Boys bring back the house beats. The result is a combination of dancey and subdued songs that give the album a lot of depth. Songs like "A Different Point of View" and "The Theatre" have so much going on, but they never sound cluttered or overdone; the vocal flourishes on the latter are some of the best moments on the album. The lyrics are great too - Pet Shop Boys were always an introspective group (no pun intended), but songs like "To Speak is a Sin" demonstrate the way they can subtlety pack a lot of emotion into a song. The highlight is probably "Young Offender," a lyrically detailed song that's also one of the catchiest on the album, though in a more restrained way. And it ends on a triumphant Village People cover that's one of the few upbeat moments on the album not backed by cleverly dark lyrics.

Be

Common

4/5

This is a perfect example of a rapper doing exactly what his beats required. Common's performance on this is not incredible. It's very good! But his lyrics are pretty standard conscious rap stuff, despite some great rhymes and a very good flow. It doesn't matter, because these beats are incredible, and Common putting on a good but not otherworldly performance on top of them lets you soak them in. The opener may be one of the best hip hop beats ever, and that's just the intro! The entire thing is incredibly smooth, with hooks and earworms everywhere. It's also a very joyful album, for the most part, both because of the lyrics and the lush beats. And the incredibly optimistic and heartwarming closer ties a nice bow on it at the end.

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

3/5

Bratty, snotty, and (intentionally) annoying. Beyond that style though, there's very little substance. Musically it's the same chords bashed out again and again; it takes until "Submission" and "Pretty Vacant" for interesting chord progressions to appear. This might work if the lyrics had a purpose behind them, but they're only vaguely political and more often confrontational just for the sake of it. The antichrist / anarchist flip is really clever and the most effectively rebellious moment, but very little else comes close to it. Elsewhere things are more tiring than exhilarating - by the 10th time Lydon has snarled "problems" you just want him to shut up. In a way this rocks, with the overwhelming vocals and simple loud songs. For the same reasons, it's hard to get through all twelve songs in a row.

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

3/5

This is a cool mix of power pop and 50s rock, it feels like it could be playing at a diner in an old movie despite obviously sounding more modern than that. Costello's voice really sells the songs and his cutting lyrics. I've never quite understood Costello's reputation as a lyricist though. As far as I can tell, he's just really sarcastic and make a lot of sexual innuendos on this one. There are some great lines ("there's no such thing as an original sin"), but it wears thin by the end, especially on "Mystery Dance." It wouldn't matter as much if there was more musical variety, but as much as I like the style the actual songs are fairly straightforward. And a lot are pretty similar; "Sneaky Feelings" and "Pay it Back" are almost identical. Some songs sound a bit different, in a good way ("Alison") or a bad way ("I'm Not Angry"). A fun enough listen, but in the end there aren't enough surprises.

Done By The Forces Of Nature

Jungle Brothers

3/5

Smooth, lush beats that sound ahead of their time, with elements of funk, jazz, and house. The album just slides from one song to the next. The rapping is more obviously from the 80's. The rhymes are good, but pretty much every song has the same flow. That, combined with the similar beats, means the album kind of stays in the same lane for an hour without a whole lot of memorable songs. The one with De La Soul, Tribe, and Queen Latifah is quite good, and the Afrocentric lyrics on a few other tracks show this is a smart, fun album. But because it's so laid back it can be hard to engage with it. Good for a few songs, less good as a 60 minute album.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

2/5

Alice Cooper straddles the line here between a hard rock album and a campy theatrical album. Musically, it works better as the latter. The songs mostly settle in the medium-hard range, with some good guitar solos but a dearth of interesting riffs and soaring choruses. The most over-the-top tracks, like the closer, are more effectively sold. But therein lies the biggest weakness of this album. It seems to strive for a goofy horror vibe, but it's surprisingly tame in most places. There are songs about such shocking things as...performing on stage, running for president, and not helping ladies across the street anymore. And then the closer pushes things way too far in the other direction; it's definitely gross, but not in a funny way. Maybe when this was released it was more shocking, but listening to it now, most of the things it tries don't quite work.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

The Tribe's emerged nearly fully formed on their debut. Q-Tip's lyrics are smart and focus on the positives. His storytelling can be a bit awkward - see "I ordered enchiladas, and I ate em" - and his flow doesnt vary much, but his performance is still very good. The beats are tinged with jazz and hit well on a track by track basis, but there aren't enough surprises for the hour of music to not drag a bit. Despite that there are some classic tracks, with "Can I Kick It?" and "Ham n Eggs" chief among them. That latter track shows the biggest thing the album is missing: Phife Dawg. "Ham n Eggs" is a playoff back and forth between Phife and Tip that shows the way they can play off of each other. Outside of that song, Phife has only 3 verses on this. More variety, from beats, flows, or rappers, would elevate this, but there are enough great tracks to make it worth a listen.

Dirt

Alice In Chains

5/5

Maybe the heaviest album from the Seattle grunge scene, if you can even call this grunge. A song like "Dam That River" just crushes you with its riffs, while the slower songs feel like wading through waist deep mud. The lyrics are intense, with stark descriptions of depression and drug use. The imagery on the title track has to be some of the most shocking on a mainstream rock album. Despite all this its biggest strength is that it's actually quite accessible. As uncompromising as they are, these songs are still catchy, from the melodies of "Down in a Hole" to the hooks of "Would?" Layne Staley's voice is a pleasure to listen to and it really sells moments like the soaring chorus of "Rain When I Die." The heaviness of the album is impossible to miss, but it's still always a pleasure, not a drag, to listen to.

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

3/5

Even if this wasn't released between two masterpieces, I think it would still be a bit overlooked. It seems to be aiming to perfect a single sound rather than tackling a bunch of them. It's a very smooth, soulful record, with no bad songs but certainly some anonymous ones. Tracks one and three are a little sleepy despite having great vocals. "Boogie on Reggae Woman" brings a funky groove to show the infectiousness that Wonder is capable of, but even it feels a little restrained, burrowing into your ears instead of bowling you over. "You Haven't Done Nothin" brings in the horns and it's like wow, where have those been this whole time? The whole album seems to alternate between smooth and funky songs, and I'm left wishing there were more of the latter. A good album, but a rare one from Wonder that sounds like something another soul singer could have made.

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

3/5

It's hard to find anything to complain about for any one song on this album. Sinatra's voice is of course very good, and the perfect fit for these swinging songs. He's loose and able to make the songs feel effortless and airy. The music is jazzy and light. The lyrics are quite good, with the opening lines of tracks 4 and 5 especially standing out. A couple tracks near the end feel a bit quaint 70 years later, but the music otherwise doesn't sound dated outside of inspiring a subconscious association with old movies. So the songs are good, but as an album? A little variety would certainly help, as by the end it feels like you've already heard these songs before. This would be great to listen to in an elegant ballroom at a party. But just sitting down to listen to on its own? It doesn't work quite as well.

Back In Black

AC/DC

2/5

These songs rock non-stop, but like even the band's fans will acknowledge, AC/DC really only has one song. It's a good song, but it makes the non-stop rocking a bit much. The album starts well with "Hell's Bells," which is the best song on the album because of its guitar riff. The songs that have longer riffs like it are the best ones, while the ones with shorter, choppier guitar riffs don't flow very well. "Let Me Put My Love Into You" tries to imitate "Hell's Bells" and ends up sounding too much like it. Maybe every song but the title track uses the title as the chorus, and this only works well on a few, like "Shoot to Thrill." I don't mind the vocals (they fit the songs well!), but the lyrics are undoubtedly obnoxious. All in all, while I can't deny that the album rocks, there's only so much of it that I want to listen to at a time.

James Brown Live At The Apollo

James Brown

2/5

Listening to this, you can tell what a great performer James Brown was. His energy, charisma, and voice are all off the charts. His band is great too. Somehow though, this album still falls flat, and it's because of the songs. The beginning of the album is full of what feels like snippets of songs, with each one ending before Brown can really get to work on them. Then comes "Lost Someone," which Brown sings the hell out of, but which drags on much too slowly. The medley that follows it is the best part of the album, the energy really comes through on that one. By that point though it just can't save the album. This was probably a great show, but in recorded form it ends up sounding surprisingly thin and slight.

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

3/5

The best word to describe Motörhead is "pummeling." Their songs flow from verse to chorus to guitar solo with no breaks in between, just heavy riffs into shredding and then back. The one-line chorus of "We Are the Road Crew" stands out because it's maybe the only time the band stops to catch their breath. Is there a ton of variety here? No. Does it matter? Only a bit. Sometimes I'm looking for music that satisfies the monkey part of my brain, and unrelenting riffs and lyrics about being a badass work perfectly for that. Still, I wouldn't say that this album does anything that's truly amazing - outside of the title track none of these riffs really stick with me - and while it was heavy for its time it's been out-pummeled since. This is on the edge of a 3 and a 4 but that plus some of the lyrics bump this to a 3.

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

2/5

A mixture of prog and pop that would work better if it wasn't so stuck to certain definitions of both of those genres. Its idea of prog is long songs that jump between ideas, and its idea of pop is big choruses. These make for strange bedfellows; most of these songs start out as quiet and piano-driven before bursting abruptly into the choruses. The slow parts are uninspired and forgettable. The choruses are the best thing about the album: the horns on "Hide In Your Shell," the groove on "Rudy," the climax on the title track. Given the overwrought lyrics and unnecessary prog passages it feels like this was trying to be more than it needed to be - it could have just been a good pop album. As it is, the pop parts are the only thing saving it from getting a 1. (Granted, "Dreamer" is the one song that sticks to just being pop, and it's the most obnoxious, so maybe that's not true.)

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boy

3/5

An album that doesn't seem to want to sit still, always moving onto new sounds and ideas. An indie folk base is layered with horns, strings, banjos, and more, creating something that feels extravagant but yet still ramshackle. As interesting as the sounds are, that unpredictable nature takes a toll on the songwriting, which lacks engaging moments. A song like "Once Around the Block" attempts to have two melodies at once and kind of ends up having none. "Cause a Rockslide" seems to have what other songs are missing with its galloping rhythm, but the way the song falls apart (maybe as it turns into a rock slide?) makes you wish it had gone on a bit longer. If the vocals were better or the lyrics more interesting they could maybe make up for these things, but as it is this gets a 4 for ideas but a 3 for execution.

All That You Can't Leave Behind

U2

1/5

All of this album's singles are jammed right at the start, giving you the impression that the album is going to be fine. It doesn't sound like the band is trying anything new, sure, but maybe it will still be a pleasant listen. But "uninspired" quickly turns into "bland," which highlights the album's negatives. Like how Bono sounds too earnest and strained on the weirdly soul "In a Little While." Or the clumsy lyrics, from Bono defining grace to rhyming "mole in a hole" (to give one example of a distractingly obvious rhyme among many). By the time we get to "Peace on Earth" things sound like a parody of the band. There are some good melodies here - "Walk On" has my favorite - but as a whole it's painfully one-note.

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

4/5

Of the Steely Dan albums I've heard, their debut is the best because it best combines their meticulous songwriting and arrangements with pop hooks. The band gets associated a lot with dads and yachts, but that's mostly for their later albums. These songs are tighter, and feel more similar to an earlier, more laid back version of The Cars. The choruses on "Midnite Cruiser" and "Reelin' in the Years" are huge, some of the best pop hooks of the 70s. Even the more subtle songs like "Brooklyn" have hooks that worm into your brain. At the same time, the music is layered and jazzy, with a lot of small details to get lost in. "Do It Again" is a great example of this with its shuffling rhythm and guitar solo. The Dan may have gotten a bit more ambitious after this one, but if you're looking for slightly out-of-the-ordinary pop rock it's hard to beat this.

Psychocandy

The Jesus And Mary Chain

4/5

A huge influence on both noise pop and shoegaze, and still better than most albums in those genres. The most immediately striking thing about the album is the noise slathered across its tracks, which can both give the songs an edge and wrap the listener in a fuzzy blanket on tracks like the standout "Just Like Honey." But what really makes this work is its pop sensibility. Without the noise these songs could almost be pop songs from the 60s - "Never Understand" sounds almost like early Beach Boys! And "Cut Dead" shows the melodies are lovely and work even without the noise. There's not a lot of variety in sound or songwriting here, but I think it works to the album's benefit. I'm not a big fan of less structured shoegaze, and the short rhythmic songs keep this from meandering. And it's short enough that it's over before the formula wears thin.

Purple Rain

Prince

4/5

A showcase for a bunch of forms of pop music: dance, funk, rock, you name it. I do feel there's only one truly amazing track on this, and that's "When Doves Cry." It's groove is the most infectious thing on the album and Prince's swagger really sells it. The title track is a great album closer, but only a very good song; it's a bit too slow and dramatic for me to want to listen to it on its own. Otherwise the album is made up of good songs, but the variety helps to make sure it never drags. Prince was a great showman and this really does feel like him trying every form of 80's pop music and succeeding at them.

São Paulo Confessions

Suba

3/5

The bossa nova and samba influences on this are so striking that you'd never guess Suba wasn't Brazilian. A few of the tracks sound like bossa nova with electronic beats underneath, while others have a nocturnal downtempo feel with samba drums. The percussion is the most interesting thing about this, with tracks like "Antropofagos" and "Pecados de Madrugada" in particular having interesting beats. Unfortunately, both tracks are also a bit flat outside of the percussion. And that's the album's biggest weakness: when the tracks have less going on, it kind of fades into the background. "Abraco" shows that when there's a lot going on - horn stabs, rapping, singing - it can be really engaging. And the closer shows that a more minimal song that slowly evolves can be exciting. But too often the songs get stuck in rhythms that, while pleasant, don't justify their runtimes.

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield

3/5

A lot of very good elements come together on this album to make a final product that is merely good. Dusty is a great vocalist, but outside of "Preacher Man" and "Don't Forget About Me" she rarely reaches the passion of the soul this album was inspired by. In many places her singing is so subdued that the arrangements take center stage. Those arrangements are lush, almost bordering on baroque pop in places. But that's mostly in the hooks. Outside of those swelling hooks, the songs largely sound the same and are less interesting. It all adds up to sound like an album very focused on producing a certain sound but lacking in emotion; the fact that these are all covers also adds to the feeling that Dusty is a performer here, not someone feeling the weight of the songs. It's enjoyable to listen to, but not very rewarding.

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

3/5

Due to the synth and drum sounds, this is reminiscent of a bunch of other 80s pop rock. But then you realize this was released in 1980. That's years before Synchronicity, "Forever Young," or So, just to compare it with some similar "artsy" 80s pop. This doesn't make it better necessarily, but supports what you can guess from the music: this isn't just a trend-hopping "rock musician goes pop" album. Most everything here is subtly groovy and smooth, nothing is overblown or clumsy. The best tracks are the groovy ones, especially the first three and "Night Train" (shame about the lyrics on "Second-Hans Woman" though). The slower moments like "Slowdown Sundown" work much less well, though the closer's smooth hooks end the album on a high, though sad, note. This is really close to a 4 and might get there if it had just a bit more of a groove in its duller moments.

Exile In Guyville

Liz Phair

4/5

Brash, unapologetic, and sometimes still genuinely shocking more than three decades later. Phair's deadpan vocals suit these lackadaisical songs perfectly, sometimes coming off as sarcastic, sometimes indifferent, and oftentimes both. Similarly the lyrics range from obviously confrontational to subtly angry. These topics have been explored in indie rock since, but in 1993 the genre was even more of a boy's club than it is now, making the album feel all that more impressive. And that indie rock - mostly of the slacker variety - is the heart of this album, but there's a lot of experimentation within the genre here too. That makes the pure rockers - "6' 1", "Fuck and Run," "Divorce Song" - hit even harder. But of course the experimental songs are important too; this album wouldn't be the same without "Flower."

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

2/5

Despite the names involved, this comes off as a pretty unremarkable folk rock record. It doesn't do anything all that new musically, so you'd hope for the songwriting to be top notch. But the songwriting isn't all that special either. The group members' harmonies are pleasant, but they're not present on every track. Outside of "Helpless," which sounds like a classic if by-the-numbers Neil Young song, the slower songs aren't that moving. The more rocking guitar moments are fun, but those moments mostly just act as accents for songs; the one song that does get into a guitar groove is a Joni Mitchell cover. Other songs like "Almost Cut My Hair" just sound clumsy, lyrically and musically. While this was probably a big event album at the time and signaled some kind of turning point in rock music, it hasn't held up as noteworthy all these years later.

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

2/5

This got lumped in with the dance punk revival wave in the 2000s, but it lacks the immediacy of the best acts from that era. There's no obviously danceable "Take Me Out" or "House of Jealous Lovers" here. In a way it's closer to art rock, with creative drum beats buried under piano and guitar. Everything besides the drums are fairly uninteresting though, outside of some angular riffs near the end. It seems to want to make up for this with quirkiness, but everything that tries to be quirky - the lyrics, sudden rhythm changes - grates instead of excites. "Gravity's Rainbow" is both the most immediately satisfying track but also one of the most normal. There's probably a lot of fun to be had with this if you think the zaniness is done well, but I just can't get there.

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

5/5

So many things about this album are over the top: it's full of strings and horns, there are songs with titles that take longer to scroll across your phone than for the song to play, it basically has three opening tracks, and it's crammed with instrumental interludes. But it's also such a touching, human album. It dwells on evil and wonders how much of it lives inside of all of us ("John Wayne Gacy Jr"), celebrates the joy and fear that come with independence ("Chicago"), and mourns the moments we weren't able to be ourselves ("Predatory Wasp"). And in its most heartbreaking moment it strips the flourishes away and tells a story of loss that doubles as a question about what faith is. It's this deep, nuanced exploration of life that makes the grand instrumentation shine instead of overwhelm and the amount of material feel like a gift with so many sounds to explore.

Vincebus Eruptum

Blue Cheer

2/5

Oh how I wish I could go back and listen to this when it came out with no knowledge of what was to come. I wonder how heavy it would sound then. Now it doesn't really sound like much of a step up from Hendrix or the Electric Prunes. It's still plenty blistering though, just not enough to cover for the songwriting. The jammy moments and solos of "Doctor Please" rock, blasting the drums and chords into your brain. But the verses are clumsy. "Summertime Blues" and "Parchment Farm" sound similarly awkward with their transitions from verses to noise. In general the original songs - written to sound like this - work better than the covers. In its best moments this sounds like it could still rip your face off, but those moments don't last long, and what's left instead ranges from boring to ugly.

Blunderbuss

Jack White

2/5

Jack White takes a tour through 70s rock on his first solo album. It gives mixed results, but it gets off to a roaring start. The piano on the second half of the opener rocks and rolls, while the next two tracks absolutely rip. "Sixteen Saltines" is the closest thing here to his White Stripes material, and perhaps selfishly I think it's the best track; it's at least the most exciting. After that it's hard to find a rocking moment here as he focuses more on piano and folk rock. This didn't need to be all rippers to succeed, but if it was going to focus on more subdued songs I think the songwriting needs to be top notch, and it's not. "Blunderbuss" is such an odd title for the title track given how limp it is. By the end there's not much new or exciting left. White is a good songwriter and I appreciate him providing all this variety, but it's not a cohesive album and most of the songs leave you wanting.

The Modern Lovers

4/5

There's not one single thing that makes this album great. The repetitive chords give it tons of energy as the songs chug along. The lyrics are largely weird and zany, with weird concepts or choruses on songs like "Pablo Picasso" and "Girlfriend." And for an early not-quite-punk album there's some nice variety with upbeat songs and slow ones. But one thing that really elevates all of that is the organ / keyboard from Jerry Harrison. It makes these song sound really full and dynamic, contrasting them with some of the other proto punk from this era. And that era is really the early 70s, given when these songs were recorded. How innovate an album is doesn't usually impact my rating, but I was more impressed when I realized this predated New York Dolls, Patti Smith, et al. There's an easy comparison with the Velvet Underground here, but the Velvets rarely sounded this fun or carefree.

Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith

2/5

Soulful jazz elevated by Smith's organ playing. Without that organ it would be difficult to distinguish this from similar jazz, and while it's rarely all that impressive it at least gives the songs some nice swing. Still, the highlight of the first track is when the sax comes in and you think what had been a bit stagnant will become more dynamic. But things don't really change - it's the same song, but with a sax. The rest of the songs don't change that formula too much. While this is a pleasant listen it's not engaging, and hard to recommend to anyone who's not a big fan of jazz unless they're looking for an album to soundtrack a casual dinner party.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

3/5

My most controversial music opinion may be that I think the title track here is a Bad Song. The lyrics are good, but it's so slow and sleepy and the ending climax feels overdone and unearned. Luckily the album picks up after that, turning into what is probably the duo's most diverse album. After the opener come the lovely "El condor pasa" and the hand clapping "Cecilia" - only three songs in and we have three distinctly different tunes. There's some pretty standard folk pop from the duo after that, but a few more left turns as well. It's pleasant, but that's as far as I'll go. The band has trouble nailing a middle ground between the too-quiet songs like "Frank Lloyd Right" and the too-loud ones like "Keep the Customer Satisfied." The best of both worlds is "The Boxer," which is good but not amazing. A pleasant pop album for sure, but not one that's hit after hit.

Only By The Night

Kings of Leon

1/5

The big riffs and solos on this dress it up as a rock album, but strip away those elements and it would probably sound a lot more like Imagine Dragons than you'd think. The pop elements - shimmering guitars on "Be Somebody," a big pulsing back beat on "Crawl" - are just as big. Almost everything about this album is big though; it's clear it's trying to be an album of anthems and meaningful songs. It sometimes succeeds, like on "Sex on Fire," which gets into a good groove and has a chorus that feels triumphant. But elsewhere, like on "Use Somebody," it feels overwrought, like it's trying too hard. The vocals are dramatic and cloying, sometimes strained. It works at times as a pop rock album, but it usually doesn't have the songs or ideas to back up the feelings it's trying for.

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

3/5

Missy puts in a great performance here. Her lyrics are funny, smart, and have a good balance of shit talking and meaningful moments. The spoken passages can get a bit long, but all the talk about wanting to make an old school rap album that stands up for women and the original spirit of hip hop is backed up by the fact that she did just that. Timblaland's beats are good but maybe a little sparse in places. "Work It" is of course a classic it how it manages to be both very weird and inviting. I wish there was more of that overt weirdness here because outside of some ear catching lyrics it doesn't have much else that makes it unique. And the sparser beats means there are no songs on the level of "Work It," though a few are very close (the tracks with Jay-Z and Ms Jade perhaps come closest). Definitely worth a listen though not quite a classic despite how great Missy is here.

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

1/5

Most of the big bands from classic rock's golden era have something that makes them unique, but I struggle to find what that is for Aerosmith, if it exists. "Adam's Apple" has some cool backing horns, but most of the songs follow the standard rock formula and are indistinguishable from most songs on rock raido. The guitar solos are good, the best part of the album; they're enough to trick you into thinking a song is decent. There are some good guitar licks, but no memorable riffs and almost no memorable choruses. Steven Tyler's voice is raspy and a bit grating, and the lyrics rely enough on innuendo for it to get old. And of course there's a sappy overdramatic ballad at the end. There is good rock from this era but this album is proof there's also stuff that's not worth remembering.

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

2/5

Time has not been kind to this album. Its melodies, hooks, and pop sensibilities are still obvious today, but if it ever sounded like it rocked that has all been lost. This kind of thing happens to most genres, but compare this to Chuck Berry. His songs, with their big guitar riffs, are easy to trace to what we think of as rock now. With this, the lineage is foggier. Still, it's a fun listen, and while it sounds quaint musically the themes still resonate today. "Not Fade Away" has a good rhythm and "That'll Be the Day" swings. There's a bit of doo wop on this too, which also makes it feel closer to pop. Which is probably the way to appreciate it, but there's not quite enough variety for it to feel essential as a pop album either.

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

4/5

Pretty much a perfect example of pop rock, emphasizing both the pop and the rock. The guitar on this is fantastic. It makes the rockers rock but is at its best on the acoustic "Never Going Back Again." On the flipside, "Dreams" is a great slinky pop song with that dreamy guitar in the background, while songs like "Don't Stop" expertly mix the rock and pop. Of course the thing that's talked about most with this is the division in the band and how it's great despite that, but it's also great because of that. The absolute spite on the opener is hidden a bit by how danceable it is, but it's not truly lost. Those feelings also give my favorite track, "Go Your Own Way," its edge. This does fall off a bit in the back half of the second side, which keeps it from getting a 5, but it's never less than enjoyable.

Moondance

Van Morrison

3/5

Impeccably played jazzy folk, but it lacks soul. Musically this album sounds meticulous, with horns and pianos coming in at just the right places. It's almost so perfect as to feel stuffy. The title track has a jazzy interlude that's a joy to listen to, but it's the only moment on the album where it unbuttons and lets loose. Some of the tracks have moments that make them stand out - the "Radio!" bit on Caravan and the la-la-las on the closer - but even those moments feel restrained. Van's a great singer but he rarely puts a lot of emotion behind his voice. It's kind of odd that this came after the free flowing Astral Weeks, as it feels like a trial run for that album's adventurousness. "Into the Mystic" is a good example of a song that could use the Astral Weeks treatment; it has a good melody but feels too short and straightforward to make use of it.

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

4/5

A lot of 50s rock albums have lost their punch over the years, but this is not one of them. The furious piano, burly brass, and especially Richard's piercing voice still hit today. He's obviously the star of the show, yelling and hooting and bringing tons of energy to these songs. I haven't heard anything like that on a record this old, and it clearly paved the way for more vocally emotive genres like soul. The best songs here are the ragers, but the slower songs provide a nice contrast to them. On that topic, this is still a 50s rock album, so the variety is limited. There are at least three songs that follow the same formula as "Tutti Frutti," and many of the others can be grouped by style as well. Still, the short length and piano / horn interludes keep things flowing and make sure the album never gets boring.

Manassas

Stephen Stills

3/5

A tour through blues, country, and traditional folk through the lens of 70s rock. I get the sense that this was meant to be a polished album that shows off a lot of styles. The instruments sound great, the drums and guitar solos really pop. While it sounds nice, I'm not sure it had the ideas to fill a double album, as most of the songs are pretty safe. "Move Around" is one exception, it has a psychedelic, almost synthy sound that gets into a nice groove. But the rest of the jams are just plain ol' rock jams, inviting but not original. Another issue is that I'm not sold on Stills as a singer here. His voice sounds a bit weak and strained on the louder songs, and he leans much too heavily on rock tropes in his lyrics (so many songs mention "rock n roll"). This is never boring and doesn't feel its length, but there's also not much that's exciting enough to bring you back.

Antichrist Superstar

Marilyn Manson

2/5

If you like heavy music with dissonant guitar, you'll probably like this album. But if you're less enraptured by it, or are more picky about it, you'll likely find it to be a slog. This is 70 minutes of industrial chug, and while there are a few atmospheric tracks it mainly just comes at you with a bunch of rock songs. And there's so much happening in those songs. I like dissonant, industrial sounds when the music really focuses on them and you can appreciate their tones. But the amount of layers on these songs makes them sound muddy, and they start to bleed together. Some songs like "Wormboy" have a guitar that's really clear, but those are the exception. I do think the themes on this album are interesting, and maybe even more relevant today, but the lyrics are vague enough that it often just comes off as generally angry without anything too insightful to say.

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

3/5

B.B. King is an expert showman during this performance. I like how the songs flow into one another as King introduces the next song. The crowd is going wild and he seems to feed on that. His band is great, but I find myself a bit disappointed with the makeup of the songs. The lead instruments in most spots are the piano and horns, and while they sound great it leaves little room for King's guitar. The guitar interludes are some of the highlights; the other moments sound more like big band or jazz than the blues. It has the pain of blues, and the vocals are great, but it almost feels too big for those emotions to connect.

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

4/5

There are arguments that this album is both more and less than the sum of its parts. On the one hand, it has none of the band's biggest hits, but it's still one of their best albums. On the other hand, while it has a lot of great songs, it still feels overlong and disjointed. The best songs find the Stones in dirty blues rock mode, which is my favorite sound of theirs. "Rocks Off," "Happy," and "Tumbling Dice" are absolute bangers. Any time the horns come in is a treat. While the blues and gospel tinges add a lot of depth, the songs that lean heavily into those sounds find the band out of their depth. Around "I Just Want to See His Face" is where the album starts to drag. This could have been pared back into a tighter album, which keeps it from being their best, but the variety and excellent songs sprinkled throughout make it worth the longer listen.

The Sun Rises In The East

Jeru The Damaja

3/5

Very good hip hop album with beats that are ahead of its time. Jeru references Wu Tang and Illmatic on this album and it very nearly reaches the level of those albums. Jeru's lyrics are smart and generally positive - he can border on preachy but that's really hard not to do in conscious hip hop. Tracks like "Mental Stamina" show off his vocabulary and "Ain't the Devil Happy" hits hard. That said, the majority of his topics aren't that unique and his flow isn't as smooth as the best rappers of his era; t's unfair to hold him to that standard but when you're referencing Illmatic the listener's going to notice. The beats here are also a bit too minimal for my tastes. The piano and horns hit hard but I wish there was a bit more going on. An album that doesn't quite match up to its contemporaries but which still shouldn't be forgotten.

m b v

My Bloody Valentine

4/5

After a 22 year wait, My Bloody Valentine returned with an album that picked up where Loveless left off. Fans may have expected something fresher after such a long wait, but for me it's forgiveable given that nothing sounds quite like Loveless and having more of that in the world is a gift. And besides, "Only Tomorrow" stands along their best songs. Also, after the first three tracks the album starts to veer in a new direction. The middle is lighter and dreamier, and while "Is This And Yes" is a bit too minimal the next couple tracks are enchanting. The ending is completely new, going in an almost drum and bass direction. It hinted at a new sound, and it's a shame we may never hear what that would have been. A pleasant album for fans of the band that is mostly comfort food but which has enough surprises to be interesting.

So

Peter Gabriel

3/5

This album floats between two worlds. One is a sleek, sophisticated take on 80s synthesizer pop. The best songs - "Red Rain" and "In Your Eyes" are in that mode. These songs are also weirdly empty though. The synthesizers are smooth, without intricate accents or percussion. This is most apparent on the pretty but overlong "Don't Give Up." The other world is big 80s pop, like on "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time." Weirdly, those songs feel less hooky than their more subdued albummates. Maybe they sound too big next to the more subtle tracks? This is an interesting one because it presents the sounds of the 80s next to what the 80s could sound like with more sophistication. It's nice, but both sounds are lacking in their own way. Which is a shame - an album that's all as good as the chorus of "Red Rain" would be incredible.

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

4/5

Just a 40 minute party. No ballads or slow songs needed here, just a bunch of jams. This has a real tropical feel to it, at least in part because of that chirping cuíca drum that's on most of the tracks. Yet it also feels familiar to an American listener with its electric guitar and funkiness. I think it does a good job of integrating non-Brazilian sounds without losing the samba rhythms and other traditional Brazilian music at its core. "Taj Mahal" is the clear standout, though many of the tracks do blur together a bit. This limits my enjoyment a bit but not enough to give this a solid 4.

The Wall

Pink Floyd

3/5

I think this concept of feeling discouraged and beaten down by the world and wanting to retreat had potential. "Mother" is lyrically the highlight as it approaches that idea in a very relatable and nuanced way. But Pink Floyd had to go and make this album literal: this dude has actually built a wall for isolation. It makes it all feel a bit silly; but the time we reach "The Trial" it's as goofy as it is meaningful. Musically the album is focused on Gilmour's recognizable guitar, which is great to listen to but which provides diminishing returns as the album goes on. More left turns like "Run Like Hell" would benefit it. And of course the album is long - some of the shorter interludes are nice but many add very little and could have been trimmed. To enjoy this you have to really believe in how grand the presentation is, and I can't quite get there.

A Night At The Opera

Queen

3/5

A mix of hard rock and music hall that ends up as over-the-top as that implies. When it works, you get one of the best rock songs ever in "Bohemian Rhapsody." Musically, only the part-doom metal, part-a capella "The Prophet's Song" comes close to matching the creativity there. But another key is that it has a good mix of serious and silly. Too many songs here lean too far in one of those directions and end up sounding like novelty tracks or sappy ballads. The guitar work is good, but often these goofy solos pop up and ruin the flow of the song. "I'm in Love With My Car" is much-maligned but really isn't any sillier than the other songs here, it's just more straightforward. It's hard for me to hate this because Mercury is an incredible vocalist and the playing is impressive. But I do wish there was more of the quality of "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is obviously easier said than done.

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

4/5

While not as sprawling or diverse as Stevie's masterpiece, Innervisions is still a great album in its own right. "Higher Ground" is the hit and the funkiest song, but the more jammy funk tracks like "Living for the City" are better. That one in particular shows how Stevie could weave social commentary into his songs and keep them hard hitting and danceable while not losing the message. I'll never be as big of a fan of his smoother soul songs, like "All in Love is Fair," but there's only a few of them here, and the album closes on a strong run; "Don't You Worry About a Thing" is just pure joy. No one blended funk, soul, and rock quite like Stevie, and though this isn't his most adventurous album it's a more condensed, jam-packed display of this vocal and musical talents.

Dr. Octagonecologyst

Dr. Octagon

4/5

Oh shit there's a horse in the hospital! Having already pushed hip hop boundaries in Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith created something even more futuristic here. His flow is wild, refusing to stay on the beat, spinning ridiculous body horror tales and throwing out words that only barely relate to each other. While this was bettered by later alternative hip hop artists with tighter flows and smarter lyrics (and who weren't just making poo poo jokes half the time), there's still a joy in listening to this untamed craziness. The beats have also not aged a day. Spacy and surreal, they add to the disorienting atmosphere while the excellent scratching gives the album a firm hip hop foundation. Uneven and silly because of the chances it takes, but still a blast.

Bert Jansch

3/5

Sparse acoustic folk, just a finger-picked guitar and Jansch's voice. It sticks closely to folk traditions, alternating between instrumental and vocal songs. Jansch's playing is lovely, and his lyrics are great, especially on "Needle of Death" and the protest songs. But his adherence to folk traditions means the songs all play out about how you'd expect, with few surprises. Your interest in this one then likely depends on how much you like the acoustic guitar or can appreciate the intricacies of his playing. I'm neutral on the former and have no experience playing so I can't evaluate the latter, so for me this is just a pleasant album that passes by me without leaving much of a mark.

British Steel

Judas Priest

3/5

A fist-pumping, heavy-riffing metal album...for the first four songs at least. Those four songs have everything you could want from an 80s metal album: catchy choruses, frantic drumming, and ripping solos. Then we hit "United," which leans way too far into a commercial metal sound. The sing-a-long chorus is incredibly limp, especially next to the other songs here. Elements of that sound are present in the choruses of other tracks too, though the other tracks usually have a solo or riff that rocks to make up for it. Overall this is an exhilarating listen - it falls short of the band's best albums, but it's a quick enough listen to not wear out its welcome.

Low

David Bowie

3/5

Low follows a similar structure as its successor, and my unpopular opinion has always been that this is a worse album than Heroes. Both sides are worse on this. The rock side is full of interesting sounds and perfectly produced bass and percussion. Despite how nice it sounds though, the songs feel underdeveloped, with few memorable melodies or choruses. "Sound and Vision" is the exception, it slowly builds into the best song on the album. The second side is ambient-adjacent electronic. Even if I was a fan of ambient I'm not sure I'd want to listen to it after the rock side; "A New Career in a New Town" acts as a decent transition but the two sides feel a bit like two albums smushed together. Maybe Bowie's best sounding album, but not among his best overall.

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

2/5

Playful saxophone, strummy guitar, and layered percussion. The most interesting part of the album is the saxophone, as it provides most of the memorable melodies. It's nice to listen to, but not amazing. The percussion is the most Brazilian part of the album, and while I like the layers it's not too discernibly different between the tracks. The guitar has the same problem. Like a lot of softer jazz albums this would provide a nice backdrop for laid back activities, but active listening is less enjoyable for a non-jazz fan. Still, this is a pleasant listen, and easier to follow than more traditional jazz albums.

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

4/5

Before arguably pioneering post rock on their next album, Talk Talk took the same attention to textures and atmosphere and applied it in a pop context here. The result is one of the most stately and meticulous pop albums I've heard, and an album that still manages to be catchy and exciting despite that. These songs take their time to unfold, luxuriating in the carefully layered percussion and guitars. When they hit their groove, with a wide range of instruments - piano, harmonica, cow bells - in the mix, they feel like a tasteful version of 80s pop excess. Despite everything going on, it always feels lively and never feels overengineered. The vocals drip with yearning and passion. Maybe not as immediate as a lot of 80s pop, but definitely more rewarding when you get lost in it.

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

3/5

Recorded with Bowie around the same time as Heroes, many of these songs have the same almost mechanical guitar tones as that album. The first four tracks take these sounds in a garage rock direction, but the energy is too low for anything outside of the drums on the title track to sound all that exciting. On the fifth track the album moves to a more post punk sound, and it produces the album's two best songs in "Tonight" and "Neighborhood Threat." The former sounds like a Bowie song, to the point you wish he was on lead vocals instead of backing. "Turn Blue" apes Lou Reed instead, and its spoken word rambling makes it the album's worst song. Most of the album's lyrics were written at the last minute, and this is often apparent. Caught between punk and pop, this is a nice album with weak enough writing that it pales in comparison to both Heroes and the Stooges.

Frank

Amy Winehouse

2/5

Winehouse's undeniably great vocals make it so that even the weaker songs here have something that's worth listening to. Musically the album sits somewhere between traditional jazz / pop and neo-soul, kind of moving from the former to the latter as it goes on. It also gets stronger as it goes, feeling freer and less restrained by traditional pop conventions, though it never quite carves out its own sound. Winehouse's lyrics revel in being a mess, focusing on relationship drama and never caring about what others think of her. This attitude is mostly a positive, but it does sometimes cross the line into tiring, like when she calls her boyfriend gay or throws out some slutshaming straight out of a 90s hip hop album on "Fuck Me Pumps." This is worth a listen if you're a big fan of vocal prowess, but outside of that it's just another soul album.

Imagine

John Lennon

2/5

Some nice melodies on this one, but most of the songs are too simple to leave a mark. A lot of them are ballads that just repeat the same chords the entire time. If the lyrics were good there would be a beauty in this simplicity, but the lyrics are also simple without much depth. The lyrics contain such controversial statements as "I don't want to die" and "give me the truth." "Crippled Inside" switches things up, but its jaunty melody and breakdown at the end just sound goofy. "How Do You Sleep" is likely the best song musically, though its vitriol contradicts the whole "brotherhood of man" thing from earlier. "Oh Yoko!" might be the best song, as it's got a carefree melody and there the simplicity is beautiful. And the title track? Pleasant, not bad, but not as deep as it thinks. Like most of the album really.

Triangle

The Beau Brummels

3/5

A nice little folk and country rock album that sounds almost exactly how'd you expect a psychedelic rock album from the 60s to sound. The songs are loose and fun, but not so loose that they fall apart. There's some brass on a few tracks that acts as a nice accent to the guitars. The lyrics are pretty standard 60s psychedelic stuff with wonder and mysticism. That hints at the album's biggest weakness: there's almost nothing about this album that sounds unique to the band. The lyrics are standard, and the music takes influence from plenty of other 60s acts. It feels like half the other songs are about some mystic entity: the keeper of time, the painter of women, the wolf of velvet fortune. The lyrics on the last song are a bit more interesting, but it's not enough to separate this from the pack. It's an enjoyable sound with decent depth, it's just not even close to being the best of its kind.

Timeless

Goldie

2/5

This jumps between stretches of spacey synths and bursts of rapid percussion - an odd combo given engaging dance albums and slow burns usually take different mindsets to enjoy. Every synth lead-in finds me wishing the exciting part would start. "Sea of Tears" is a good example of a song where the drums and bass really come together for a moment, but the ambient portions go on for far longer. Any variations in the atmospheric bits are fairly subtle, and while the percussion is also all pretty similar to the untrained ear that's less noticeable because those parts are a joy to listen to. The vocals don't help make the slower bits more interesting and (like on most dance albums in my opinion) could have been cut. Lacking many memorable melodies or hooks, the 2 hour runtime here is a slog unless you like spacey synths.

Parklife

Blur

4/5

Probably Blur's best - Modern Life is Rubbish is close - and possibly the peak of Britpop. This is a very British album, with all kinds of references to culture and places. But unlike certain songs by The Kinks that celebrate the country, it's not cloying or overly sentimental, it's just charming. And unlike music from a certain other (inferior) Britpop group, it's proper pop music. It's got hooks, like on the opening track. It's got lovely melodies; my favorite might be "Clover over Dover." And the entire thing feels fun and effortless. There are some weak tracks, especially in the middle, and it could be about 10 minutes shorter. But it's always charming to listen to and doesn't feel dated despite being a very 90s album

Destroyer

KISS

1/5

This is a very uncool album, with every song being about rock n roll despite the music delivering a fairly pop version of the genre. But is it a bad album? The first three songs lead you to believe it's not. The opener has great drumming and "God of Thunder" is reminiscent of doom metal with its big riffs and chorus. After that though things plunge straight into cheese with the dramatic "Great Expectations." The album picks up a bit from there but then gets to "Beth," a limp ballad with lame lyrics about ruining a relationship because you want to play rock with the boys. "Do You Love Me?" isn't much better - it's clear at this point the band's only subject matter is being in Kiss. This isn't mean to be a deep album, but the formulaic songs and choruses that are driven into the ground mean it's not very fun either, despite having a couple legitimately good songs.

Disraeli Gears

Cream

2/5

Proof that incredible musicianship does not always lead to an incredible album. Clapton's guitar work is great, swirling around unpredictably. Jack Bruce's drums are even better, providing the main draw on songs like "We're Going Wrong." It all feels very disorienting, in a good way. The big problem is that none of these songs are long or interesting enough to make full use of that feeling; they're all fairly short and mostly pretty standard from a songwriting perspective, without long jams or unexpected elements. This often makes the psychedelic elements feel like more like something that's preventing the song from really getting into a groove. The vocals are also fairly weak, and the final track, while not ruining that album, certainly sounds terrible. The playing almost pushes this to a 3, but the songwriting barely keeps it at a 2.

Station To Station

David Bowie

4/5

After a brief dalliance with soul, Bowie continued his move away from glam rock by getting funky. I'm not sure if this is Bowie's weirdest album now, but it was at the time, with long songs mixing elements of funk with bouncing piano. This doesn't stand up to true funk rock in terms of funkiness, but there's an undeniable groove on most of these songs. The title track makes good use of its ten minutes, building from a tentative opening to a raging dance number highlighted by the piano. I do kind of wish more of these songs had the energy of the second half of that one, but there are enough layers and hooks to keep me satisfied throughout. It's also clear Bowie's interest in soul was still there, given the soaring vocals on many tracks and the great cover at the end. Definitely one of Bowie's best and most unique albums.

GI

Germs

2/5

Being one of the first hardcore punk albums, this likely packed a bigger punch when it was released than it does today. In a world with more abrasive forms of music, the screechy guitar and unhinged vocals aren't enough to make up for the fact that most of these songs follow the basic hardcore formula. "Lexicon Devil" is probably the best song, but it's not different necessarily, it just has a more interesting vocal melody. The bass is a strong point, especially on the final track. That one does deviate from the formula; it's a nine minute plodding nightmare where the comparatively tame vocals sound more sinister than the shouts on the rest of the album. This is a nice history lesson for punk rock, but it doesn't do any thing unique enough to make it worth revisiting.

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

3/5

John Lydon's first post-Pistols album is a challenging listen, but overall it's better than his old group's lone album. One big challenge is the opening and closing tracks. The opener is a long groove with pleasingly mechanical guitars and heavy bass, but it meanders a bit too much. The closer turns a similar groove into a send-up of a dance song that just ends up sounding goofy, and it's the album's one real miss. But in between those bookends is a satisfying set of angular punk that is both harsh and a bit fun. "Public Image" is the catchiest track, but "Annalisa" is probably the best. Lydon's vocals come right up to the line of being annoying without crossing it. Other bands, notably Gang of Four, would improve on this sound by making things a bit more immediately pleasing despite the noise, but this is still a fun enough listen.

Killing Joke

3/5

Cold, mechanical post punk with riffs that worm their way into your brain. This is both aggressive while also being relatively accessible. Maybe the most notable thing about it is the almost industrial guitar tones, which were definitely novel in the genre at the time. Underneath those tones though the songs aren't all that special. Many of them use the same riff for most of the song; I like how the repetition drills the guitar into your head but it does make the songs feel as they don't go anywhere. Take away those tones and this might feel like a pop album. In fact, the synths on the opener make it sound almost like a new wave song. And of course it succumbs to the early post punk trope of having a slow, plodding overlong song that goes nowhere. A nice listen, but the genre has done better.

All Directions

The Temptations

3/5

This feels like two albums in one. The first side is a good funky time. It's got a fairly standard but groovy funk tune, a hard hitting socially conscious message, and a satisfyingly drawn-out funk soul jam. The second side leans into a smoother soul sound and feels a bit sleepy. The music is pretty, but too slow and empty. It would be alright if the vocals were amazing, but they're merely good. The closer is the most interesting song on the second side as it gets back into the realm of funk. A 4 for the first side and a 2 for the second, so a 3 overall feels about right.

The Trinity Session

Cowboy Junkies

3/5

This was recorded in a church around a single microphone, and it sounds like it. It takes basic elements of country - twangy guitar, harmonica, heartbroken lyrics, an affinity for covers - and removes everything else until what's left is a fragile echo of the genre. It's beautiful. And a little hard to listen to. Because it's so skeletal, you have to listen closely or it risks fading into the background. But all of the tracks are so similarly stark that as the album goes on very little that's new happens. Some of the tracks have harmonica, some feel more bluesy, but they're all quietly haunting and deliberate. Even as a fan of slowcore, I find it hard to stay invested. The Hank Williams cover is great (and maybe better than the original), as is the storytelling on songs like "Misguided Angel." But it's a bit too long for an album so dedicated to sounding this hauntingly monotonous.

Black Monk Time

The Monks

2/5

If everything here had the same energy and attitude as the opener, this would be the lost classic that it's hailed as. The opening lyrics are great. "My name's Gary!" "It's monk time!" "Why do you kill all those kids over there in Vietnam!" It's a skeletal, blunt force protest song years before the summer of love and "Fortunate Son." The bare bones, repetitive instrumental hits hard. But after that the lyrics instantly get let interesting, and some of the tracks just have nonsense lyrics. It's only thirty minutes long, so the one-note assault of organ, guitar, and electric banjo doesn't get old. But there's very little substance, and not enough interesting hooks or riffs. The Modern Lovers stand out as a band that took this framework - complete with organ - and churned out some great songs with it. Ahead of its time and worth hearing the opener, but only kind of interesting as a full album.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

The Stones' tightest dirty blues rock album, and possibly their best - it's a close call between this and Some Girls. Similar to Exile on Main Street, the album works best when it's loud and filled with horns. "Bitch" is one of their brashest songs, and "Can You Hear Me Knocking" shows they can jam. But the best song may be "Sway," I love how the melody of the chorus rolls right back into the verses. These highs are up there with the highs on Exile, but this album has much less chaff. There are a couple tracks that are too bluesy and sound weak next to the rest of the album, but it concludes on a very strong run highlighted by the country rock of "Dead Flowers." As far as 70's blues rock goes this is really hard to beat - it's got the grit of the blues with all the catchiness of rock.

Olympia 64

Jacques Brel

2/5

Traditional pop that's limited by the confines of its tradition. Brel is great here; his vocals - especially on the opener "Amsterdam" - carry the performance. He injects every song with a dramatic flair that elevates the music. That music is pleasant, but it lacks variety. There are ballads and more upbeat tracks, but they all feel somewhat predictable. Of course the focus here is likely on the lyrics - I don't speak a lick of French but from reading about chanson the story and poetry of the lyrics seem to be the most important part of the songs. Regardless of lyrical quality, this makes for songs that are often hookless and just a vessel for those stories. And without some kind of variety, it can feel like the same song with different stories. Probably a great performance in 1964, but I would long for something exciting to happen if I were to see it today. I like the accordion though.

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

2/5

An almost unclassifiable mix of rock, pop, funk, and R&B. Unlike a lot of modern acts that blur those lines though, this isn't just a bunch of hazy ballads. It's constantly hitting you with new sounds and is always upbeat. Because of this though, it very rarely gets into a groove. The rock influence mostly comes in the form of short guitar riffs, which make the album bouncy but not really danceable. "Maybe" is one of the few songs that feels like it's going to have a memorable chorus, but then like on most of the tracks it ends up clashing with the rest of the song. There are good elements here - the guitar on "Thrasher," the funk on "She Wants to Move," the unpredictable vocals on the title track - that don't quite come together into great songs. I can't help but feel this would be more successful if each song used one or two of these influences rather than every song using all of them.

Rings Around The World

Super Furry Animals

3/5

There are a lot of ways to describe this: 60s psych rock filtered through 90s alternative, Welsh Flaming Lips, etc. But it's hard to describe it succinctly without referencing earlier psych acts because it jumps between a lot of different sounds. Many of these sounds are exciting. The best moments are the trippy synths and complex percussion, and the backing vocals are also a treat - the third track almost sounds like the Beach Boys in places. But much of this is long psych rock tracks that don't evolve much. "Run Christian Run" is seven minutes of the same tempo. The first half of "No Sympathy" is similarly one-note, but it's saved a bit by an electronic freakout in the second half. The best track is probably "Juxtapozed With U," it uses strings and effects to create a really pleasing pop song. Some fun stuff, but also a lot of more normal stuff in between.

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

2/5

There are elements of rock on some of these songs, but even adjusting for what "rock" meant in 1964 this is a disappointingly normal soul album given the title. Burke has great range, capable of smooth crooning and hitting deep notes. But his presence is a bit lacking, and you can't hear the pain in his voice like you can with the greats. His range does allow him to excell at the traditional pop-sounding "Just Out of Reach" and a couple other notably different songs, but the majority of this is well-produced and well-played soul that doesn't stand out in the genre. Little Richard was not a soul singer, and Burke has a more technically impressive voice, but if you want the energy of rock and the passion of soul, Richard had that years before this album.

Slanted And Enchanted

Pavement

5/5

Possibly the platonic ideal of noise pop. Throughout the album the fuzzy guitar and lackadaisical vocals are fighting with the fact that this is full of blissful pop hooks. Sometimes that leads to noisy freakouts like "Conduit for Sale!" Other times it leads to perfect pop ditties like "Zurich is Stained" and "Loretta's Scars." But the best songs are the ones where those sounds meet. "In the Mouth a Desert" has two or three hooks, and the guitar that makes up the last one is one of the best guitar tones in indie rock. The thumping drum sound is even better, especially on the album's best moment: the end of "Summer Babe." The lyrics are often obtuse, but when they coalesce into something relatable like the downtrodden opening of "Here" they elevate the album to another level. A perfect mix of sadness and coolness, and one of the best rock albums of the 90s, if not all time.

American Idiot

Green Day

2/5

A statement album meant to expand the band's sound that really just ends up sounding like mainstream rock. The big swings are the two nine minute songs, which to their credit don't feel their length. But the transitions between each part are often too subtle, and they're lacking the big climax that would turn them into epics. Outside of the intro to "Extraordinary Girl" there's nothing here that strays too far from pop punk and alt rock. The straight-up punk tracks, like the opener, pale to most songs on Dookie. And for me the lyrics never come together. Most of them are pretty vaguely about depression and being an outcast and don't feel specific to the political era the album was rejecting. I'm sure a lot of people who grew up with this album will still vouch for it, but outside of "Boulevard" I'm ok leaving it in 2004.

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

3/5

Ignore the band name, because this is a rock album through and through. The middle has some funky elements, but there are more big guitar riffs than there are juicy funk licks. The hooks are in those riffs, not in the choruses or grooves. The middle is good, not amazing, but it's the bookends that make up most of the album's runtime. Despite its reputation, I feel that the title track is the album's biggest weakness; the guitar solo goes on for too long without doing anything new, and the second half in particular is so atmospheric that it borders on noodling. I much prefer the closer and its loud, jamming rhythm (I could do without the sound effects though). There's a bold, brash energy here, but I wish the styles were blended better. A mix of rock and psychedelia with a little funk would work better than a long psych jam followed by a bunch of rockers.

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

3/5

Hounds of Love is divided into two parts, and the parts differ in style and quality. The first five songs are some of the best pop of the 80s, with fantastic synth sounds and big hooks. "Running Up That Hill" is great of course, but "Cloudbursting" is nearly as good. "Mother" slows things down, but all of the little details make it a great listen as well. The second part is more experimental, featuring a lot of spoken word and sparser songs. While I don't mind the departure into something less immediate, the lack of percussion and the slow pace of many of these songs make them hard to latch onto. When the drums come in on "Waking the Witch" the song becomes noticeably more engaging. "Jig of Life" and the closer are highlights of this part, but tracks like "Hello Earth" drag. A big swing, and some immaculate songs, but it doesn't come together as a full package for me.

Arular

M.I.A.

3/5

An intriguing mixture of western hip hop and sounds from around the world. While this pulls from a lot of influences, each one is subtle enough to not overwhelm the songs and to create an album that has a consistent sound. This is a bit of a detriment too though, as it causes the songs to blur together a bit. What hooks there are sound fairly similar. While some songs like "Amazon" and "Galang" contain a lot of layered sounds, others like "Sunshowers" are more minimal. The minimal songs lean more towards hip hop than dance or pop, relying on M.I.A.'s lyrics and rapping, which aren't anything to write home about. On her next album M.I.A. created lusher songs with more hooks; those things are largely missing here, so while the sound is still interesting it creates very few memorable moments to come back to.

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

4/5

A lovely collection of lush Christmas songs. Because of the artists involved and the overall sound, this feels like a very 1960s album. But it also feels timeless. There's a nice variety of Christmas classics and lesser-known songs, which makes the album sound fresh and not just like a collection of covers (even though it kind of is). The production is great and the effects, like sleigh bells and horse clopping sounds, add a lot. And the one original song, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is the best Christmas song of them all, with a killer performance from Darlene Love. It doesn't stand up to albums with more depth that sound good year round, but it's definitely worth breaking out once a year to enjoy.

Stankonia

OutKast

4/5

On one hand Stankonia is a big what if. There's an amazing ten or twelve track album in here if you strip away not just all the skits - which are rarely funny or even interesting - as well as longer failed experiments like "Toilet Tisha" and "Stanklove." On the other hand, the remaining tracks are so good that they make up for it. There's a great mix of classic rapping hip hop like "So Fresh, So Clean" and "We Luv Deez Hoes" and weirder stuff. "B.O.B" rightfully gets a lot of attention, but "Gasoline Dreams" and "Humble Mumble" also mix in rock elements in a fresh and exhilarating way. While it's not as good as Aquemini, this album still finds the duo pushing their sound forward and displaying their talents in a variety of ways, and I'd rank it as their second best. Just be ready to have your finger on the skip button. Break!

Playing With Fire

Spacemen 3

3/5

Heavy on build-up but short on payoff, this album makes me long for what it's missing. The melodies here are very pleasant, and the patterns are busy enough that it never gets boring. When the guitars get louder and noisier, like on "Revolution" and "Suicide," the album is at its strongest. But those songs, like all of them, lack variation, be it subtle evolutions, a climax, or a denouement. That last one is most lacking from "Revolution," which has a hypnotic groove but an incredibly abrupt ending. I prefer this formless psychedelia to psychedelic rock, but there's just not enough to make the tracks feel satisfying. The quieter tracks especially suffer from this. I can hear the influence this had on other acts - the softer, almost gospel tracks remind me of Primal Scream's "Damaged" - but those acts provided more than the skeletal guitars and organ found here.

Chris

Christine and the Queens

3/5

Chris is more consistently upbeat than the previous Christine and the Queens album, as it skips the traditional French ballads and focuses entirely on synth pop. His version of synth pop is restrained and intricate, providing a lot of subtle synths and keys rather than big obvious sounds. It suits the lyrics and themes of the album well - there's a lot of subtley in the lyrics that feels at home in the twinkling sounds. While the album is never boring, it does lack surprises after the first few songs. Every song has a refined but catchy hook and is of a pretty standard format, with no extended instrumentals or anything to break the mold. By the end the formula has worn thin, but it's still enjoyable. This both stands out among a lot of lesser pop music from the 2010s and is overshadowed by the decade's true pop masterpieces.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

5/5

Fractured echoes of country music drowning in a sea of keyboards and synths. The catchy songwriting from Wilco's previous album is still present here on tracks like "Jesus Etc" and "Kamera," not to mention the almost-out-of-place "Heavy Metal Drummer." But the songs are sparser, with blips and bloops adding lots of little details over the barest traces of guitar twang. This happens all over the final two tracks, which play as one big comedown, but it's most obvious on the masterpiece "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart." Every pained verse of that song gives way to a different interlude before the song collapses on itself. The lyrics beautifully reflect the downcast nature of the music; the chorus of "Reservations" is a highlight, as is "I shake like a toothache when I hear myself sing." Indie rock rarely, if ever, got more layered than this while still being so poignant and immediate.

Gasoline Alley

Rod Stewart

2/5

This gets off to a strong start. The opening track is an entertaining folk tune with mandolin that really suits Rod's raspy vocals. "It's All Over Now" may be the biggest rocker on the album, with a really fun piano throughout. It goes on for far too long though; a couple minutes could be removed from the end without losing anything. After those songs it starts to feel like the album is unsure what it wants to be, with a mix of ballads, country tunes, and one more rocker (which also goes on for too long). The ballads are alright, but they don't feel like Stewart brings anything unique to them. The Dylan and Elton John covers in particular are snoozers. The music here is nice enough - the musicians all do a great job - but the material they're given is lacking, and it feels pretty anonymous next to other rock from the era.

Dare!

The Human League

3/5

The Human League do a good job here of walking the line between an artsy and a hit-chasing synth pop album. The best songs here combine a lot of different synth sounds into detailed pop songs. The opening track is a really good example of this, as is "Do or Die" with all the different percussion sounds, including some that sound like steel drums. Yet on most tracks the choruses and hooks are also catchy enough to get stuck in your head. The only real experiment, and obvious miss, is "I Am the Law," a slow tedious song about...why having police is good? Luckily the album recovers from there, ending with "Don't You Want Me," which is obviously very good (though weird as an album closer). This is fun, but it also fails to stand out in the crowded field of 80s pop. If it had a couple more standout songs I might rate it higher.

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

4/5

A rough, almost lo-fi set of songs that perfectly mix psychedelic and blues rock. The guitar tone is trippy, but the songs are not meandering or loose. Instead, they're mostly meaty blues rockers. Janis Joplin provides excellent vocals, carrying the couple of blues tunes included here. The highlight is "Piece of My Heart," but "Oh, Sweet Mary" is also great and is the most psychedelic of the bunch. The album is not without its drawbacks though. The rough mix can bury Joplin's vocals at times, making them lose their power (this is especially true on the first track, which to be fair was recorded live). And I can't help but wish the nine minute closer had some of the guitar freakouts that the opener has instead of being one long blues cover. But overall the album has enough energy and variety to make it worth coming back to.

Raw Power

The Stooges

4/5

Not the most chaotic Stooges album, but definitely the loudest, provided you're listening to Iggy's superior mix. There's a real classic rock feel to this given some of the riffs - especially the one on the title track - and choices like the slower, crooning "I Need Somebody." But at the same time one of the guitars is just doing whatever the hell it wants, providing a noisy, always invigorating sound. "Search and Destroy" is of course a classic, but I may prefer "Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell" because of how off-the-rails it is. The slower tracks like "I Need Somebody" and "Penetration" provide a nice respite from the noise, and the album being only 33 minutes long helps as the sound is a bit played out by the end. Still, this is a really fun album that sounds better and more exciting than much of the punk it inspired.

Parallel Lines

Blondie

4/5

This has some of the meatiest guitars you'll find in new wave while still having plenty of pop sensibilities. It starts off with the meatiest cuts: "Hanging on the Telephone" is an excellent short opener, "One Way or Another" has almost angular guitars, and "Picture This" has a great climax. The second half contains the poppier songs, like "Sunday Girl" and "Heart of Glass." By the end things have worn a bit short, partially because the Buddy Holly cover could have been cut; I like the old school rock sound on the opening cover, but it works less well here. Still, this stands out in the new wave / power pop scene because of its variety and its many hooks.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

4/5

This album deserves its classic status, even if I don't love it as much as many do. It's biggest strength is how it mixes detailed instrumental passages and experimental sound recordings while still being accessible. The sound of the organ is great, and every time the saxophone comes in is a treat. The long spacey passages are pleasant and engaging, and it has plenty of climaxes like "The Great Gig in the Sky" acting as a coda to "Time" and the ending pair of songs. "Us and Them" may be my favorite song, as it brings everything great about the album together and has the highest highs. It's not a perfect album - it takes a little bit to get started, "On the Run" is too long, and "Money" is good but doesn't quite fit in with the other songs - but it's a great example of a band taking experimental elements and turning them into an engaging rock album.

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

3/5

There are some great tunes on this, and the album's biggest weakness may be that most of them are all in a row. The first five tracks are all fantastic, especially the opener and the title track. They're funky, detailed, and perfectly produced. After the title track though the album plummets into the weirdly silly "Girlfriend" and the ballad "She's Out of My Life," which is not bad but painfully ordinary. After that only "It's the Falling in Love" really excites. It also should be noted that most of the upbeat tracks play with the same formula, meaning they blur together a bit. When a set of songs are as good as these it doesn't matter much, but it does make it hard to point at the tracklist and identify what makes each song great individually. Undoubtedly a fun album but one that's missing just a bit of variety to really be special.

Gorillaz

2/5

This is an almost unclassifiable mix of genres, which would be admirable if it were an interesting album. The main elements here are rock guitars and hip hop beats, but most of the songs just end up sounding like late-era Blur songs with rudimentary hip hop drums and record scratching over them. There are some good tracks: "Sound Check" and "Slow Country" have a lot of interesting elements that are mixed together well, and "Latin Simone" adds horns for an early Portishead sound. But on the other hand tracks like "Double Bass" don't evolve much as they go and just sound like interludes. Even "Clint Eastwood" is pretty standard musically with only Del's rapping setting it apart. What could have been a daring experiment ends up sounding pretty samey and flat, with few surprises over an hour runtime.

Tracy Chapman

3/5

I'm not sure how responsible Tracy Chapman was for the wave of folksy, earnest, often socially conscious acts that were popular in the 90's, but it's hard not to see this as a precursor. The album's biggest strength is how every song has its own sound and world; there's a lot of folk and acoustic stuff here, but songs use those elements in different ways to stand out. "Behind the Wall" is nearly a capella, and "Mountains O Things" has some cool percussion. The songs are never boring, but rarely very engaging, as they're mostly calm and straightforward. "Fast Car" is great of course. The subtle yearning in its lyrics and vivid storytelling is enthralling, but when the lyrics get more direct, like on "Why?", the personal touch is lost. A pleasant set of tunes that feels a bit too normal despite being moving.

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

3/5

The Beatles' first album of all original material is also a big improvement over their previous album. While most of the songs follow the same formula, it also has a bit more variety, with "If I Fell" and especially "And I Love Her" being slower and looser than their typical pop rock sound. "Can't Buy Me Love" is probably my favorite song here, as I like its doo-wop feel and its lyrics. The first side is definitely stronger than the second, and by the end the variety has waned and its worn out its welcome. None of the songs are bad necessarily, though the lyrics on "You Can't Do That" come off as a bit controlling. This is probably their best album before Help even if it doesn't quite hint at the heights they'd eventually reach. This is a low 3, but it's a 3.

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

2/5

There are signs here of the eclectic band that Queen would become, but the majority of this is hard rock with a bit of a theatrical feel. The first side is the harder side, with the unpredictable "Brighton Rock" and a set of songs that all flow into one another. I like the idea, but each of the songs are so similar that they just all kind of blur together. The second side contains a lot more variety, with a couple slow dramatic songs ("Dear Friends" and "She Makes Me") and a couple quick frantic ones ("Stone Cold Crazy" and "Leroy Brown"). Neither sound works for me; they all lean too far in either direction and just end up sounding boring or silly. There's some enjoyable stuff here, but I don't find it memorable and often find it annoying. The band would do better when they took bigger swings.

The Rolling Stones

2/5

There's not much that's all that interesting about this, but at the same time there's nothing that's outright bad. It's basically what you'd expect from a debut album of mostly covers from the 60s: a bunch of covers played straight that don't give you any idea of where the band would go in the future. Jagger's voice is more restrained than it would eventually be, and there's very little notable about anything musically. "Mona (I Need You Baby)" stands out as having some cool guitar and percussion. The one original song is slow and kind of sappy and overstays its welcome. This is a tough one to rate because while its unremarkable and inessential it's not an unenjoyable listen. Its a 1 in concept - any of these songs are probably best listened to in their original form - but a 2 overall.

Future Days

Can

2/5

Future Days is almost always interesting, but almost never enthralling. The best part of the album is the percussion, which is layered and unpredictable. I like how some tracks have multiple kinds of drums. But the percussion is also a bit subtle, meaning to fully appreciate it you have to really focus on it. The guitar is similar - it's a bit funky and makes interesting sounds, but nothing gripping or hypnotic. I'm sure there are people who can listen to this and really latch on to the subtleties and get lost in it, but my brain isn't wired that way. It's not that I think this needs to be louder or rock harder, it's more that everything is so loose while somehow also feeling restrained. And with how jammy it is, there's very little to distinguish the songs. Not a satisfying album, but not a boring one at least.

The Band

4/5

This album feels old. It doesn't sound old. In fact, it's held up better than a lot of 60s albums that were cutting edge at the time. I suspect it feels old because it felt old at the time too. Between the rustic tales of farms, boats, and bourbon and the blend of country and roots rock, it feels like music from another time. But it's also proven to be timeless, a tour through classic Americana styles. It's a very comfy album. The songs are fleshed out with subtle highlights like fiddle or piano that really make them pop. I like that the vocals are traded off between members. The album does lack true highlights; "Up on Cripple Creek," the closer, and "Dixie" (even if I can't bring myself to care about a southerner during the Civil War) are the closest to great songs. It also boasts no bad songs though, which is enough to make this a comforting album to come back to.

Low-Life

New Order

3/5

A reliably fun album from New Order, if one that lacks the heights of the band's best albums. The album starts and ends really well. "Love Vigilantes" has a cool synth that kind of sounds like a harmonica, and "The Perfect Kiss" is a lovely tribute to Ian Curtis. The closer has a fun bouncy synth that really pops. But the middle of the album drags, sticking too closely to similar sounds and lacking memorable riffs or highlights. It's also very loud; with the exception of "Elegia," which doesn't go anywhere and feels like an interlude, it's one big beat after another. A slower or more subdued track would potentially help make the middle seem less anonymous. The lyrics don't add much and are a bit clumsy, as is typical for the band, with the lowlight being the laughable "pleasure zone" line. A good album, but the band has a couple better ones.

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

2/5

The core sound of this album is early aughts southern hip hop, but a lot is done with that sound. There are smooth tracks, and bangers. There are also some adventures, like the techno opening to "I Am Selling Soul" and the late night jazz of "Evening News." Cee Lo's vocals can't quite keep up though. His singing is great, and there are times when it mixes well with the rap verses. But his rapping is a mixed bag. The second half of "I Am Selling Soul" is fiery and creative, but more often his flow is choppy. The lyrics cover standard hip hop tropes without much of a personal touch. This is a fun album, with some surprises, and it doesn't sound dated despite being very influenced by the sounds of its time. But there's not enough substance to sustain it.

Peter Gabriel

2/5

Proggy and genre-hopping, this is an album that never sits still. The first four songs alone take you through a range of sounds: prog rock, folk rock, stadium rock, and musical theater. "Modern Love" is a highlight, and "Solsbury Hill" is pretty if not very exciting. Tracks one and four come off as a bit goofy though. The middle of the album is the weakest, as it's made up of mostly slower and subdued songs. This culminates in "Waiting for the Big One," a plodding jazzy blues number that takes forever to both start and end. Luckily the next track, a funky jam, immediately improves things, and the album ends on a high note. The variety is sometimes enough to give you whiplash, but just as just as it varies in sound it varies in quality. There are some good highlights, but the weakness are too much to make up for them.

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

3/5

A free flowing, adventurous album that's a bit too long for the number of things it tries. The first song is great, driven by horns and covering lots of different rhythms and melodies. The second track slows things down and explores empty spaces, and the piano there is lovely. Much of the rest of the album covers the same ground in different ways, and the keys especially have diminishing returns. The big surprise is the final song, with African rhythms and vocals. It's definitely an outlier and it may be the best song; if it's not, it's at least the most hypnotic. Nowhere else are the drums as exciting as on that track, not even on the drum solo about halfway through. There's nothing bad here, but to justify the runtime I would have loved to hear more surprises like that last song.

xx

The xx

2/5

It's not a good sign when an album's intro is its most enduring track. An intro is supposed to hint at the possibilities of an album, with the later tracks building on that sound. Here, that build-up never comes. Pretty much every song has the same minimal, melodious sound of the intro. To be fair, there's probably a song here that's better than the intro, but most of them are so similar that it'd be hard to pick one. Choruses are subdued. Vocals lack emotion. Some songs, like "Fantasy," are barely there. And yet, I can't dislike this because it is all very pretty. It's a little hypnotic when it's on. The melodies are attractive, even if they're simple. Still, real catharsis never comes while listening to this, leaving an album that hints at the heights that indie rock can reach without ever reaching them. It's nice. But it's forgettable.

Fromohio

fIREHOSE

2/5

Half funky 80s college rock, half...Eagles? An easier comparison would be the Meat Puppets due to the acoustic guitar and alt rock combo, but there's a distinct classic rock feel on songs like "Time With You" that's key to this album's sound. The acoustic guitar is an interesting companion to the funky bass that's prominent on tracks like "Whisperin While Hollerin." It's a cool combo, but the album mostly leaves me thinking about what could have been. Much like the Minutemen's songs, the tracks here feel more like sketches than songs, playing around with cool sounds and creative playing but lacking memorable or exciting moments. The desire to experiment also comes through on the drum solo and instrumental folk interludes, though those also don't add much and kind of disrupt the flow. A lot of interesting ideas here, but not all that much substance.

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

3/5

It would be crazy to call this album safe given its 80 minute runtime, song concepts like "If I Was Your Girlfriend," and the variety of sounds and production techniques on it. And yet, I can't help but feel like it never really lets loose. These songs have nice, tight melodies, but they're often very linear and don't build to anything. It's funky, but the funk isn't very deep. Songs like "Hot Thing" and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" are catchy, but they feel like they're missing something. This all may be misguided because the one song that does go big - "Housequake" - is one of the worst, and the most dated. Still, it feels like there's surprisingly little ground covered here despite every song feeling distinct. There are no bad songs here and it doesn't feel its length, but for an album with such a grand title that feels like a big swing, it's lacking the impressive memorable highlights.

The Contino Sessions

Death In Vegas

2/5

The first three tracks here all follow the same pattern: take a downtempo beat, put a noisy guitar riff over it, and repeat. Sometimes there are lyrics about insects laying eggs in your brain. "Dirge" does have a big build up, but the sound palette is the same throughout so it doesn't feel like all that much is changing. The next two tracks are more fleshed out; "Flying" has some banjo and "Aisha" rises and falls with some keys and more interesting guitar. After those tracks though there are a couple more songs that just sound like interludes. The closer has an interesting climax in the second half, with sitars and horns. It's probably the best moment on the album. There are interesting sounds on this, and I like the mix of electronic and psychedelic rock well enough, but there are very few moments where it's truly exciting.

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

5/5

Punk didn't get much better than this in the 90s. It's ferocious, driven, and - most importantly - filled with catchy hooks. The band is capable of screaming ragers here, like the climax of "Turn It On" and the chorus of "Not What You Want." There's maybe no more exciting moment than that first snare hit in the beginning of the title track, and none more than cathartic than the burning collapse of the closing track. But the melodious, intertwining guitars are a joy too. "Words and Guitar" is basically a pop song. "Dance Song 97" combines those pretty guitars with a soaring chorus creating my favorite song on the album, the best of both worlds. Add on the fiery, meaningful lyrics and this becomes one of the best rock albums of the 90s.

Odelay

Beck

3/5

30 years later, this notably weird album sounds weirdly normal. That's less of a knock on the album than it is an acknowledgement that the rest of the music world caught up to Beck's eclecticism. Still, for every weird blues meets hip hop track like "Hotwax" there's a pretty standard slacker rock song like "Lord Only Knows." "Jack-Ass" is basically a Pavement song plus a few weird flourishes. And "High 5," the most hip hop song of the bunch, doesn't do anything that actual hip hop wasn't doing better at the time. Still, there are plenty of interesting sounds here. "Derelict" is a bit sleepy overall, but it has some cool hollow percussion and an industrial feel. Samples are used well in several places. And even if it is often just a kind of weird alternative rock album, it's a fresher take on alternative rock than what other bands were producing at the time.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

4/5

No individual part of this album will blow you away. The beats are fresh and slightly jazzy, but they can be a bit simple and rarely wow you. Outside of Chali 2na, with his deep and effortless flow, none of the rappers stand out much. Despite all that, the album's atmosphere and message carry it to greatness. The constant mic passing gives this a real communal feel. Rarely does a rapper stay on for what feels like a full verse, which makes it feel like the album is always moving forward. The exceptions are a few guest verses, including a great one from Big Daddy Kane. There are creative songs concepts like "Thin Line" and positive messages like "I Am Somebody." The conscious topics aren't always unique, but they're rarely preachy. While short on can't-miss songs, the beats and vibes make this feel shorter than its hour runtime.

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

Messiness defined Neil Young's best albums, so a loud, ramshackle, messy Neil Young album is automatically going to be enjoyable. But his best albums - even the ones with Crazy Horse - always had a tension between noisy guitar and softer, beautiful moments. This is an hour of guitar solos and fuzzy chords, and it doesn't take long for the songs to blur together a bit. There are some highlights here: "White Line" is a nice short tune and "Love to Burn" has great lyrics. But there's nothing here on the level of "Down by the River" or "Southern Man." There's not even much on the level of "Rockin' in the Free World," though "Mansion on the Hill" has some immediately enjoyable riffs reminiscent of that one. It ends on a song that I find both moving and eye-rollingly on-the-nose. This rocks, but it's a bit too much of the same for an hour of music.

It's Too Late to Stop Now

Van Morrison

2/5

Like many live albums without new material or transformative versions of an artist's best material, this falls into the "for hardcore fans only" bucket. Yes, the band is tight, and yes, Morrison's voice is excellent, feeling more free than on his often reigned-in studio material. But this is filled with covers and lesser-known songs and - more importantly - showcases very little variety. There is soul, blues, and jazz, but all have the same sound palette from Morrison's admittedly very good band. Only on the extended, free-flowing tracks like "Listen to the Lion" and "Caravan" does the band loosen up and make full use of the live setting (though the overlong version of "Cypress Avenue" is too loose and easily worse than the original studio version). Almost everything here is good, but ninety minutes of it aren't going to convince anyone that isn't already a Morrison fan.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

2/5

Like the follow-up with Neil Young, CSN's debut undoubtedly captures the sounds of its era while at the same time failing to do anything exciting with them. The opening track hints at a desire to write adventurous songs, but it ends up covering very little ground despite its length. The weakest songs are the straightforward folk songs; "Guinnevere" and "Lady of the Island" aim for a peaceful hippie haze but just sound sleepy. The vocal harmonies are nice, but they're subtle and often feel like they're used in place of real hooks. Where the album does shine is its rock tracks. "Wooden Ships" has a trippy guitar and does go places, and the closer is the most immediately interesting song. If there was more of that this album might be pretty good, but instead it feels like just another hippie album 50 years later.

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

2/5

This feels like a debut album, which is both a statement about its quality and an acknowledgement that Missy went on to more creative things. This one though sounds like an artist finding her voice, and it's similar enough to other R&B acts of the era as to feel a bit anonymous. I say R&B because there may be more singing here than rapping. Missy's not a bad singer, but she's not such a great singer that her singing can carry the album. Maybe it could if the beats were great, but they're also merely good. Their biggest problem is that they're very minimal and don't change much; the actual ideas in the beats are quite creative, but those ideas just can't sustain the songs for their entire length. Especially in the second half, which is mostly slow jams. An enjoyable enough album that just goes on for too long without doing enough special things.

Floodland

Sisters Of Mercy

3/5

Nocturnal 80s synth rock that sounds exactly how the cover looks. It starts strong out of the gate with a driving, dramatic goth rock song that has a thrilling climax; you need to remember when and where this was recorded to realize just how dark the lyrics "mother Russia, rain down" are. While the album never strays from that dark sound, it does pack quite a bit of variety. "1959" is just vocals and piano, "Flood II has a prominent acoustic guitar, and "This Corrosion" adds harsher elements that make it the fiercest song. While the variety keeps the album from getting boring, it also never reaches the heights or melodrama of that first song. It's also so familiarly 80s with its drum machine and production that it's hard to point out anything that's unique about it. A good album, but it doesn't compare to The Cure or The Chameleons.

Microshift

Hookworms

2/5

This feels like synth pop or dance filtered through turn of the 00s pop indie - think Phoenix or Passion Pit. There are grooves on some songs, but it all feels sweetly poppy, never quite leaving conventional rock or pop completely. The longest songs are the best. "The Soft Season" is a dull, empty ballad, but it flows right into "Opener," which builds nicely. The opener, which isn't "Opener," also has a nice build-up, but it feels very indebted to LCD Soundsystem while being solidly less interesting. Similarly, "Ullswater" has a big obvious Gary Numan synth while never reaching the stark heights Numan did. There's more variety in addition to those - an ambient track and some rock songs - but that also prevents it from really finding its footing or establishing its sound. It's nice enough for what it is, but it's hard to point to anything it does that another artist didn't do better.

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

2/5

Elvis's return to music after his acting career feels a bit like an album out of time. It sticks closely to 50s soul and rock and roll and doesn't attempt any of the sounds of pop or rock that were big in 1969. This makes a lot of the material sounds a bit limp, with quite a few of these songs being slow and sleepy. But there's also some interesting stuff here. "Power of My Love" rocks pretty hard and "Gentle on My Mind" is almost funky. Both are relatively short though and don't feel like they reach their full potential. "In the Ghetto" has great lyrics and is probably the best vocal performance on the album. Outside of those songs there are some good hooks and moments, but no songs that are all that compelling. This feels like a bit of a step forward as an artist, but a fairly small one.

Imperial Bedroom

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

A more varied outing than Costello's first few records; this album is still rooted in new wave but uses elements of chamber music and jazz in different ways throughout. It makes for an album that is always moving somewhere new, but which is a bit difficult to latch onto because of it. The songwriting is strong, though it lacks hooks. The flourishes like keys and strings are used sparingly on each song, meaning they don't overwhelm but also that they don't contribute quite enough to really elevate the songs. I don't typically care for Costello's lyrics, but they're very good here. I can't say the same for the vocals, which sound weak on tracks like the opener. If this cut some of the songs like "Almost Blue" that don't go anywhere and had a few knockout songs, this would be one of Costello's best. As it is, it's stuffed with ideas that don't quite pan out.

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

5/5

Dylan's best, and deserving of its reputation as one of the best break-up albums of all time. Dylan's vocals are full of pain and regret, perfectly communicating the emotions in these lyrics. "If You See Her, Say Hello" in particular is a highlight in that regard. Dylan's lyrics are more direct than usual here, often focusing on stories and specific details. This is a big positive; sometimes his lyrics are a bit too dense and the simplicity lets the painful and cutting moments come through stronger. "Idiot Wind" is the album's centerpiece, with the highlight being the final chorus switch-up as he turns the attack on himself as well. This may also be his best musically, with songs like "Tangled Up in Blue" showing some of his most natural blending of folk and rock. The highlight of an impressive career and an ageless depiction of what love can do to you.

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

4/5

Like the band's debut, The Suburbs is a coming of age album. But instead of focusing on the notable, impactful moments of one's life, it focuses on the mundane. There are references to the suburbs here - the sprawl of houses, dead shopping malls - but many of the themes are more universal. "Ready to Start" tackles not just alienation but also trying to fit in amongst your peers. "Suburban War" recalls friend groups we grew apart from over the years. Musically this is more straight-up rock than the band's typical fair, though it still contains a lot of chamber pop flourishes. The synths on "Half Light II" are a highlight, as is the unexpectedly danceable "Sprawl II." Despite its length it does cover very few ideas musically, and the third quarter of the album drags a bit. But there are enough highlights and poignant lyrics to carry it.

London Calling

The Clash

5/5

One thing that makes London Calling great is how it effortlessly fuses global genres with punk rock. But a more important factor is how it does that. There's so much variety in how those genres, mostly ska and reggae, are used. There's the groovy "Rudie Can't Fail" and the sinister "Guns of Brixton." The huge "Right Profile" and the loose jammy "Revolution Rock." And of course there's the fierce, snotty punk of the title track, which puts an exclamation mark on the themes of punk in the 70s. With all this variety each song is a new world to explore, and while there are definitely a few I wouldn't miss there are no bad songs. It helps that the whole thing is a blast - "get that cheese grater going!" - and it ends on its strongest song with that irresistible riff. One of the best, if not the best, punk albums ever.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

3/5

The Stones were nearing their peak on Let it Bleed, which opens with their best song. "Gimme Shelter" has it all: groovy guitar licks, harmonica, and fantastic vocals from Merry Clayton. The tracks after it feel like whiplash though; the energy is immediately lowered for a couple blues and country tunes. And those songs are the norm for this album, which hews very closely to the blues side of blues rock. "Live With Me" is a rocker with dirty horns that hints at the direction they'd go in for Sticky Fingers, but it kind of just sounds like a trial run of "Bitch." "Midnight Rambler" has some interesting stuff going on, but it goes on for much too long. The closer is great, but by that point there have been too many lesser tracks. Everything sounds good here musically, but the blues sound just isn't convincing or gripping enough for this to match their best albums.

Rock Bottom

Robert Wyatt

2/5

In some ways, this album sounds like nothing else. It meanders like jazz but has the song structures of something that vaguely resembles rock. Its lyrics are often impenetrable, with wordless vocalizations often taking over. It's repetitive in a kind of minimalist way, with parts not really repeating but circling around the same idea in different ways. It's bursting with creativity. It's also a bit of a chore to listen to. The free-form structures make it hard to latch onto anything, in part because all the unique stuff is so subtle. There are no hooks or really even repeated parts on this, just quiet horns and small jazzy flourishes here and there. It sounds really nice - everything is crisp and clear. But it defies anything but a close listen that focuses on every part of its world. I'm not surprised many enjoy exploring that world, but it's not for me.

In Utero

Nirvana

5/5

The raw sound on In Utero feels like how the band should have sounded all along. Their songs were always rough around the edges, but Steve Albini's production provides an extra roughness that almost makes Nevermind look weak in comparison. Outside of a few moments - the stomping "Scentless Apprentice," the feedback on "Frances Farmer" and "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" - this doesn't approach the messiness of Albini's rawest projects. But it adds that edge to songs that are accessible in their angst, making something that's the best of both worlds. Cobain's lyrics show a knack for fitting meaningful phrases into opaque stream-of-consciousness. And the pretty moments on this, like "Dumb," "Pennyroyal Tea," and "All Apologies," find beauty in plain sentiments and cleaner sounds. An alt rock masterpiece and Nirvana's clear peak.

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

4/5

Given the band's consistent greatness, picking a best Iron Maiden album is difficult, but Number of the Beast is definitely in the running. Like all of the band's work it's undeniably heavy, but also theatrical and wordy, with lots of detail in the lyrics. Bruce Dickinson's excellent vocals make it feel even bigger. The album actually gets off to a bit of a rough start, with the weak "Invaders" and the ballad "Children of the Damned," which isn't bad but feels misplaced as the second song. The next six songs are pure power though. "Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills" explore evils both imagined and real. But the highlight is the closer, the band's best song. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is a nuanced look at faith and fear, with a suspenseful build-up and a roaring climax. One of the best, and honestly one of the most fun, metal albums ever.

Kala

M.I.A.

4/5

M.I.A. packs so many things into these songs: guess vocalists, sampled voices, interpolations of indie rock classics, choruses made up of sounds effects, instrumental flourishes pulled from styles around the world. That it all comes together into songs that are not just catchy but which have undeniable hooks almost seems like a miracle. The reason it works is that everything is well-balanced. Sometimes there's a lot going on, but other times she lets the songs breathe, like on the long, building intro to "Bamboo Banga" that layers on more sounds as it goes. The percussion is a highlight of every song and is never the same. And the lyrics balance political messages with lighter topics, making sure the album is always a blast but is still meaningful. An unpredictable album that still feels fresh almost twenty years later.

Birth Of The Cool

Miles Davis

2/5

When this was released it was so revolutionary that one critic said it wasn't even jazz. This is difficult to imagine today given that this is basically what I think of when someone says "jazz." It certainly is more melodic and song-based than a lot of jazz. And it's a bit surprising there are nine musicians on these tracks given how stark and empty a lot of it sounds. Most tracks focus on Miles's trumpet, and sometimes the drums do some cool stuff, but the other instruments are mostly in the background. Largely it's too simple for my liking, but livelier tracks like "Budo" are interesting. This is likely more interesting for jazz fans who can point out all the things that made it revolutionary than it is for the average person.

Suede

3/5

A brash debut from a Britpop band that rocked harder than Blur and sounded like they were having more fun than Oasis. The guitar tones on this are strong and crisp, providing a glammy feel that sometimes hints at psychedelia. When those guitars swirl around, like on the shoegaze-adjacent "Pantomime Horses," the album is at its strongest. But on the louder songs, the guitars lack memorable riffs. For as much power as there is behind this and as transgressive as the lyrics are, the songwriting can't really keep up, creating a set of songs that are at the same time exciting and a bit anonymous. Fun enough, but similar sounds were done better by both contemporary bands and bands this was influenced by.

Run-D.M.C.

2/5

What a difference two years make. The band's Raising Hell holds up as a hip hop classic. This one? Not so much. It's still fairly easy to hear why this is loved and influential - the beats hit hard, and there's audible joy shared between two bandmates trading rhymes. It's an 80s hip hop album, so yes, the flows are outdated, but I think a bigger problem is the pacing. The rapping on long tracks like "Wake Up" and "30 Days" is so slow that it makes the songs feel even longer and saps the energy from the beats. Those beats can also be a bit simple and stark despite sometimes having cool things going on. "Rock Box" is the exception, with a guitar-driven beat and more energy in the performances. There are some cool lyrical ideas here like on "Wake Up," but this one feels like a blueprint for a much better album.

Teen Dream

Beach House

3/5

Fifty minutes of blissed out dream pop. While there's not much to differentiate the tracks, each one is pleasant in its one way. It's both a positive and a negative that there's no song that stands out as great or awful. While I wouldn't necessarily expect big hooks on an album like this, I do wish that it instead felt layered or hypnotic. But it's also lacking a swirl of sounds that really draw you in. Most tracks have a single synth or guitar that's too clean or anonymous to really smother you. Victoria Legrand's deep vocals provide a nice weight to the album, but there are times they sound clumsy, and the lyrics aren't anything to write home about. Still, there's nothing here to drive you away, and it's a peaceful listen while it's on. Just don't expect to hear anything that sticks with you.

Siembra

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades

3/5

After a minute-long funky disco fakeout, this turns into a danceable jam of jazzy samba. As a big fan of interesting percussion, there's a lot to like here. Songs effortlessly move from one idea to the next, accented by big horns. While there are clear verses and choruses, there are also some jammy parts. As free as it sounds though, it never really lets loose into something truly amazing. And all of the songs are mostly the same tempo and energy level, which makes things blur together a bit by the end. Still, this is a ton of fun, even if it's not something I'll be dying to hear again soon.

Larks' Tongues In Aspic

King Crimson

1/5

This is an exploration into dynamics and contrast, but one that feels just about as clumsy as possible. After the twinkling, ambient opener of the first track it shifts suddenly into metal riffing and then just as suddenly into a jazz party. None of these ideas are built on enough to make them feel worthwhile. "Easy Money" has an out of place chorus that clashes with the verses, and then as if to taunt us ends with a "boing!" sound. Tracks like "Book of Saturday" have a pleasant folk rock feel, but the weak vocals and meandering nature mean they also don't hook you. The mathy riff of the last track is a highlight, and while the song does build on it there are still jarring shifts throughout. An album for listeners who enjoy surprises and exploration at the expense of songs that hit a groove. I am not one of those listeners, and these songs almost never draw me in.

Stephen Stills

3/5

Like the other albums I've heard from Stills and his supergroups, this is an album that's hard to pin down because of the variety of styles on display. There's some gritty rock. There's some blues, both a bit trippy ("Go Back Home") and more traditional ("Black Queen"). There's some flute on "Cherokee." And, in contrast to all of that, there's some pop stuff. The opener is the hit, and it's got big backing vocals. "Church" and the closer are big songs with strings, kind of touching but also bordering on sappy. All this variety is nice, but the mix of stark blues with the more produced stuff makes it feel like the album doesn't know what it wants to be. An enjoyable listen, but also - again like the other albums of his I've heard - unimpressive compared to what similar artists were doing better at the time.

Black Sabbath

4/5

There were heavy albums before this, but this is probably the first one that is recognizable as metal today. And it still holds up as one of the best metal albums despite all the innovation since. That's crazy - that's not true of early rock, hip hop, or electronic, to give some examples. The opener is a quantum leap in heaviness and atmosphere over anything else rock had done at that point. While proto-metal had often opted for fuzzed-out blues, the title track is crisp and clear, but slow and sinister. "N.I.B." is another highlight with its pounding riff; it genuinely sounds like it could have come out recently and has effectively dark lyrics. Some of this, like "Evil Woman," is just loud blues, but even those tracks are mostly great. Ozzy's vocals are excellent and Bill Ward is one of my favorite drummers. Few albums this innovative still sound so fresh 20, let alone 50, years later.

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus

2/5

This feels less improvisational than a lot of jazz, with clear movements and an almost narrative progression. It's almost like the soundtrack to a play that you can't see. Though that also makes it feel a bit like something is being lost; parts like the short flamenco passages indicate something is happening, but it's not clear what. While the music is relaxing and moving I also fail to be too impressed by it. There's a cool moment where a trumpet sounds almost like a human voice and some other memorable moments, but largely it doesn't sound very unique to this jazz and classical novice. I'm sure there's something that elevates this above similar works to make it so beloved, but I'm not able to hear it.

Hysteria

Def Leppard

1/5

Is this a metal album or a pop album? I'm not sure it matters, because either way it's a bad one. Its riffs and solos are too flaccid and cookie cutter for it to be an exciting metal album. And its hooks are too clunky or slow for it to be a fun pop album. The biggest thing holding it back is its pacing. At over an hour long with only twelve tracks, the average song length is over five minutes. And they don't earn their length; there are no surprises here, with midtempo verses and choruses interrupted by a guitar solo before the chorus continues until the end. Songs like "Love Bites" are so empty, ballads with nothing interesting going on. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is one of the worst rock radio staples off all time. Obnoxious vocals, uninspired lyrics - despite some catchy moments this is all of the worst things radio rock had to offer in one album.

Elvis Is Back

Elvis Presley

2/5

It's hard to point to anything that's really bad about this album, but it's hard to point to much that's all that great about it either. Elvis's vocals are good, but they're not that good. Like, compared to a soul singer, this is kind of a routine, emotionless performance. The upbeat songs here are fun, but they're not memorable and feel weaker than stuff Buddy Holly was recording a few years earlier. The slow songs are the biggest knock against it, as they all sound similar and aren't interesting. The most interesting - though maybe not the best - song is "Fever, a stark, almost vocal jazz number that puts all the emphasis on Elvis and none on the music. More variety would maybe have helped this feel less inessential. As it is, it feels like a label playing Elvis's return safe with decent but very forgettable material.

Boston

3/5

When I think of 70s radio rock, this is basically what comes to mind. That speaks both to its high quality and the fact it doesn't do anything unique enough to separate it from the pack. Still, the first side is the peak of AOR. The first two songs deserve their classic status, with massive hooks and a pristine sound. "Long Time" is also great, but its hook isn't quite as good. And that becomes a theme. "Rock and Roll" almost rips off "Piece of Mind," and the hooks get less interesting from there, which reveals something about those first two songs: the riffs and lyrics are kind of bland. And once the hooks disappear on the second side, that blandness becomes more obvious. The quality is still good, and it still sounds immaculate. But there are only so many songs about playing rock and roll and love one can listen to before craving something with a bit more substance.

Marquee Moon

Television

5/5

Released before the debuts from The Clash and Sex Pistols, Marquee Moon was so far ahead of its time that it borders on post punk before punk had even broken. While punk at its core, its so far beyond it in complexity and structure. This is full of entrancing intertwined guitars, infectious melodies, and blistering solos. But it never feels too technical - it's loose, fun, and rhythmic. The vocals dance lightly on top, always changing form; the different inflections in the chorus of "Prove It" or the backing "Huh?" on "Venus" are a couple highlights. "Venus" and the title track are examples of the vivid imagery in the lyrics. It would be one thing for this to just be a showcase for Verlaine's guitar, but for it to shine in so many other ways and boast songwriting that spans from the epic title track to the tender "Guiding Light" almost feels unfair.

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

3/5

A relatively fun set of hard rock that'll keep your attention but won't blow you away. The two big hits are the highlights. The chorus on "Surrender" is the best hook here, even if I've come to find the lyrics on the verses a little clumsy. The extended "Need Your Love" is another highlight. Other than that this is punchy, catchy hard rock with a ton of energy thanks to the live setting. That live setting does mean the recording quality is not great, though it doesn't detract too much. Parts of this do feel a bit corny - especially the "hello" and "goodnight" songs - though the energy and commitment makes some of the corny bits work, like the grandfather clock solo on the closer. If you're a Cheap Trick fan this will probably be a blast, and if you're not you at least won't be bored.

OK Computer

Radiohead

4/5

All these years later, this still sounds like the future. The themes of technology and its impact on the human experience are no less relevant today; the paranoia and claustrophobia has only gotten worse. The music is just as evocative, with a mostly familiar take on alternative rock layered with unique elements. The beautiful melody of "Let Down" and the solemn piano of "Karma Police" are at once comforting and distressing. While this coldness is what gives the album its impact, songs like "Paranoid Android" - while impressive in its format and complexity - can keep me at arm's length rather than inviting me in. Still, there's something so satisfying about the guitar tones and all the little details, not to mention the interplay between the louder songs and solemn ones, that makes coming back to it worthwhile.

Rip It Up

Orange Juice

3/5

Orange Juice's second album strays wildly from the jangle pop of their debut early on. It opens with a quasi-disco song with scratchy guitar and some saxophone. After that is a groovy song that borders on afrobeat. Unfortunately after that things settle into a more traditional new wave groove. The disco influence comes back on the sixth and seventh tracks, which also have some sophisti-pop smoothness. And "Hokoyo" brings back the groove and displays a lot of influences. At its best, this variety is exciting and all the little details, especially the creative percussion, make for interesting songs. But too many of these songs are lowkey and not interesting outside of the clean sound - the band definitely does not "rip it up" on those tracks. A really good listen that I wish had a few more great songs.

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

3/5

Sex, drugs, and...annoyance with bureaucracies? 14 songs in about as many minutes, and they're all short, fast, and angry. The songs are either about shocking subject matter or displeasure with the world, but despite that there's a surprising amount of ground covered for such a short album. I bet you didn't expect to hear a song about the benefits of vasectomies on a punk album! Still, musically the songs all just run chords into the ground, and it's genuinely shocking when a song like "I Just Want Some Skank" switches up the progression halfway through. This lack of development hurts the album a bit because some surprises would make the album even more impactful. As it is it's a quick easy listen that leaves me wanting for more creative hardcore punk.

Tapestry

Carole King

3/5

A lot of folk and soft rock from the 70s feels very easy to pinpoint as being from that decade, but this feels much more timeless. The emphasis on piano and beautiful production makes everything feel crisp and clear. King's lyrics are vivid and her voice very good. The album's big weakness is that it's full of the kind of strong songwriting that produced ten or so songs that are all cut from the same cloth rather than songwriting that produced surprises. All the variety is in subtle differences in melody or lyrics, which makes a song like the opener a welcome change of pace. That opener, "It's Too Late," and the title track are probably the strongest songs, but even they are just very good. If King's voice was more impressive it could maybe carry the songs farther. But instead this album tops out at being a pleasant one that's worth a listen but is wanting of really impressive moments.

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

2/5

A pretty standard late 60s San Francisco psych rock album without much that makes it stand out from the pack. "Somebody to Love" is the highlight thanks to Grace Slick's vocal performance. "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" is also enjoyable and the most roaring rocker of the bunch. The psychedelic feel comes primarily from the lyrics - which often, even on "White Rabbit," can be more silly than trippy - and the echoing effect on many tracks. And on some tracks that feel is missing entirely, including the limper ballads and pop songs that make up the back half of side one. It's nice to hear flute on some of the sparser tracks, but it doesn't add enough to make them interesting. Lastly, "How Do You Feel" sounds distractingly like "Ticket to Ride." A decent listen, but this scene produced better albums.

Histoire De Melody Nelson

Serge Gainsbourg

1/5

Ignoring the lyrics - I don't understand them and feel that reading a translation can only make me like this less - this album's biggest problem is pacing. There's some interesting stuff happening musically that feels very ahead of its time. Free-form guitars that aren't playing any riffs dominate, and the bass is almost funky. But the songs are either too long and stagnant (the bookends) or too short, ending before they feel like they've offered anything. This is really more story than album, but the shifts at different events are subtle, much like the music. Only at the very end does it reach any kind of climax. The vocals are fine, the music is at least intriguing, but the slow, flat pace makes it go by without me enjoying it. And even if I don't understand the lyrics, the female vocals on "En Melody" are enough to make me feel uncomfortable.

I See You

The xx

1/5

This is both less stark and more varied than the xx's debut. Somehow, it's also duller. While the melodies on their debut were simple, they were also crisp and very engaging. Here the melodies are less intriguing and buried under a lot of added synths. The additions are often flat and rarely very detailed, so they don't really enhance the songs and instead just make them more anonymous. Many of the songs here would slot in perfectly on the local "alt" radio station that plays Hozier and Mumford. The added elements also make the subdued vocals fit in less. "On Hold" stands out as being the most engaging song, but it's balanced out by the absolute slog of "Performance." This probably isn't bad enough to deserve a 1, but the way it tries to expand their sound while making something much less unique than their early stuff pushes it down.

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

3/5

Despite his weakened voice, Cohen is a commanding presence on this album. His vocals are careful and measured, thick with the wisdom and weight of a life and career that was reaching its end. The way he rasps "hineni hineni" on the title track is so visceral yet satisfying. Lyrically the album reads as someone reviewing their life and making peace with it; the lyrics are good if not terribly deep or clever on every song. "Treaty" is a highlight, second only to the incredible title track. I do wish the album was more interesting musically, as outside of the fiddle on "Steer Your Way" everything is fairly minimal and sticks to similar sounds. Still, when the closing strings come in, sounding like more than just the end of an album, it hits hard. While I don't enjoy this enough to give it a four, it deserves the praise it gets as an incredible final statement.

Abbey Road

Beatles

4/5

The Beatles' final (recorded) album continues the band's exploration of different styles that ran wild on the white album. The material isn't quite as varied here, but this one boasts a much higher hit rate. All four members contribute great songs. "Something" is beautiful with a stunning climax, "Oh Darling" has tremendous vocals, "Octopus's Garden" is fun and silly, and "I Want You" is heavy and hypnotizing. The medley at the end takes a few songs to really get going, but once it does it turns into one of the best sides on a Beatles album. It's not quite a perfect album - "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is too silly and I've never found "Here Comes the Sun" more than good. But this is very comfortably their second best and a masterclass in songwriting.

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Adam & The Ants

3/5

The best part of this album is the drums. I really like the tribal rhythms and how hollow they sound. But this being a new wave album, the focus really isn't on the drums (outside of the title track). Over those drums is a new wave sound that is fun but not revolutionary. The album does have a ton of wackiness - there are at least four songs about ants, a song with Latin influences, and a pirate song. Many of the songs recall early career XTC. It can be a blast, or it can be annoying, like on "The Magnificent Five." Overall this is good more often than it is overwhelming, but a lack of a real stunning song and a number of songs with disappointing hooks keeps it at a 3.

The World is a Ghetto

War

4/5

There's a satisfying funk sound to much of this album, but it's also so much more than that. There are heavy notes of jazz, soul, and psychedelic rock. The two long jams are the highlights, with long instrumental passages that introduce different instruments, from harmonicas to saxophones. The drums are great throughout, providing a steady back beat that keeps the songs tight and not too jammy. "The Cisco Kid" is also great - it may be the dirtiest of the funk songs and has the most Latin flair. The other short songs are decent, but the one real drag is "Four Cornered Room," which is almost a blues song. It commits the sin of slowing things down to a crawl between the two of the most fun songs. Still, it's mostly a pacing problem, and it doesn't stop the album from being musically infectious while also containing a lot of important social commentary.

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

3/5

This album gets weaker with every side. The first is very strong, containing the band's best horny jam, an extended blues epic, and my favorite Zeppelin song, "The Rover," which is smoother and hookier than a lot of the band's work. The second side is nearly as strong. For me, the dirty funk rock "Trampled Under Foot" is the highlight. Side three ventures into prog rock territory, and while some songs like "In the Light" are interesting I feel this is where the album starts to run low on ideas. The entire fourth side could have been cut. It's not bad necessarily - outside of the lyrics on "Sick Again" - but it does nothing the band hadn't done better before. Put it all together and this feels overstuffed despite containing much of the band's best work. A trimmed down version would be a masterpiece.

Me Against The World

2Pac

3/5

2Pac had one of the best voices in hip hop history. His voice was deep and carried the weight of his words, and his flow was buttery smooth. He had a real knack for rhyming too, and while he didn't have the wordplay many of his peers did, he was able to tell stark tales of his life in creative ways. What this album shows though is that these things alone aren't enough to make a memorable hip hop album. As good as Pac's flow is here, it's also not all that adventurous. The G-funk influenced beats are pretty good, but they also don't really stand out for the time. Those things, combined with the fact that there are no true standout songs here - "Dear Mama" or "Lord Knows," with its incredible imagery, are the closest - make the album drag a bit by the end. Nothing here is bad or boring, there's just too much very good without enough great.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

Despite being very laid back musically, Catch a Fire is very upfront lyrically. The lyrics are often vivid and full of creative wording, not something you'll often see on an album that mostly seems to want to create a single hypnotic vibe. The first two songs are especially a highlight in this regard. Even when the songs are more laid back and about love, the lyrics remain strong. That laid back vibe is always a joy, especially when the vocal harmonies come in. I do find myself wishing it wasn't so clean in places though. I'm not a huge reggae fan, but I typically prefer the dubbier side of things. Outside of the guitar on "Concrete Jungle" though this is very clear, which doesn't help the fact that there aren't a ton of surprises in these songs. A great album to put on during a sunny day and relax to, but for me it doesn't hold up under a close listen.

Apple Venus Volume 1

XTC

5/5

A late career masterpiece from XTC that eschews most of the band's zaniness in favor of stately, lush chamber pop. While this is certainly a more mature album than the band's early work, it's no less creative or varied. There's tasteful orchestration on many of the songs, with the horns and strings providing subtle additions that give the songs depth without making them sound too big. But there's also a fair bit of pop - the intricate opener into the hooky "I'd Like That" shows the differences well. As does the slightly humorous transition from "Your Dictionary" into "selling my fruit, selling my fruit." "Greenman" splits the difference as a catchy song with layers of sounds and ends up being the best song because of it. The back end of the album dips in quality a bit, missing a real standout song, but like the rest of the album it's full of ideas and sounds incredible.

Eliminator

ZZ Top

3/5

Of all the 70s rock bands that embraced synths in the 80s, ZZ Top may have sounded the most natural doing it. The core of Eliminator is still their meaty guitar riffs, and the album has a boogie rock swagger that isn't interrupted by big hooks. The synths subtly bubble under the rock, to the point where you can almost miss them. The hits here are good, even if I can't hear "Give Me All Your Loving" without picturing an 80s movie montage underneath it. The non-hits...mostly sound like the hits. As much as I'm down for a turn-your-brain-off rock album, the songs here aren't quite good enough and the 80s polish is a bit too clean for the lack of variety to not show. And songs that do switch things up, like the slow "I Need You Tonight," don't always work. Undoubtedly fun but undoubtedly lacking substance.

Van Halen

2/5

At this time, this likely sounded like a fresh take on hard rock. In retrospect, it's hard not to hear it as a precursor to hair metal and all of its excesses. The musicianship is certainly impressive, and when it's paired with good songwriting and interesting ideas like the doo-wop interlude on the "Hot For Teacher" dry run "I'm the One," it's a lot of fun. But "Eruption" is a guitar solo yearning for a song to go with it, and other songs also lack good choruses or riffs to bring things home. "Running with the Devil" and "Janie's Crying" predict the slow, sing-along choruses of 80s metal. "Ain't Talkin Bout Love" is the one song where all of the pieces really come together for me. There are some good moments here, but I'm left wishing it had a little more edge.

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

3/5

The first two songs here sum up this album and its highs and lows fairly well. The opener is a funky blast, with energetic percussion and multiple guitar solos. Track two slows things down and is a fairly generic soul song, with none of the excitement of the opener. There's really not much to criticize here, as the vocals are great, and songs are lush and well-produced. At the same time, there's nothing here that elevates this above its peers and it kind of just sounds like a classic soul album. That's a little unfair because artists like the Isley Brothers defined that sound, but outside of the opener and "Summer Breeze" there are no real standouts here. Great for a summer cookout, but also surpassed by similar albums with deeper and groovier funk.

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

3/5

Donald Fagan's debut solo album carries on the gloriously sterile production from the two Steely Dan albums before it. But it abandons the drawn out songs for a set of nocturnal pop songs. As with those Dan albums everything here sounds really nice, and most of the songs are pretty catchy; the title track is the highlight in that regard. The sophisti-pop sound suits Fagan's voice well, but it doesn't always suit the production. Where the best sophisti-pop is colorful and dynamic, the clean production keeps all of the guitars and horns sounding the same gray color as the album cover. Something like the harmonica on "New Frontier" should jump out but instead just kind of blends in. Because of this the album never achieves the dingy night-time vibe I think it's going for, but despite that it's hard to resist the pop songwriting here.

Fishscale

Ghostface Killah

4/5

Ghostface's mile-a-minute stories and free associative lyrics, which make him one of the most fascinating Wu Tang Clan members, are on full display on Fishscale. But here he trades in the minimal beats of his early albums for lush, layered beats from a variety of producers, and they fit his rapping so much better that this is easily his best album. The hook on "Kilo" and the chopped up Sly Stone sample on "Dogs of War" are two of the best moments. Some of these songs - "Back Like That," "Big Girl" - are basically pop songs, but the rapping is still so good that the hooks don't make the songs sound less gritty. "Shakey Dog" is the total package, an exhilarating beat and one detailed, crazy verse that lasts for the entire song. This could be shorter and would benefit from fewer guest verses on the back half, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best Wu solo albums.

Get Behind Me Satan

The White Stripes

2/5

The White Stripes were no strangers to experimentation at this point, as their previous two albums contained a fair number of detours. This one pushes even further beyond garage rock, but it mostly just proves they're better as a garage rock band. There is some good stuff here: "Little Ghost" is a fun folk romp and "Take, Take, Take" adds new elements to their raw rock sound. But a lot of the rest of the songs fall flat or are underwritten. "The Nurse" just doesn't work, the piano songs all kind of blur together, and "Instinct Blues" sounds goofy despite its dirty blues. That goofiness also does the album in, as many of the songs here attempt a quirky or cutesy feel, to mixed results. Kudos to the band for not writing another "Seven Nation Army," but this one just doesn't come together cohesively.

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

2/5

It's rare for a rock album to make the lead vocals the centerpiece as often as this one does. There are some nice instrumentals here - "Crystal Days" has satisfying clattering drums and there are some scratchy guitars I like. But when Ian McCulloch is singing everything goes quiet: the guitars are fainter, the drums are sometimes imperceptible, and a nocturnal ambience prevails. If the lyrics were so impactful as to carry the songs this would make sense. But McCulloch doesn't quite have that presence, despite the frequent Jim Morrison comparisons. "Killing Moon" stands out as a fuller post punk song, but all too often songs stick to jangly acoustic guitar and thumping bass. While the vocals are strong, they don't quite fill the gaps this seems to have.

Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized

2/5

Spiritualized pick up about where Spacemen 3 left off, with hypnotic melodies and dreamy soundscapes. Things are a bit looser this time around, with less repetition and more space. The second track demonstrates the best things this album has to offer: three repeating melodies of bass and guitar with fuzzy textures. But a lot of this is so spacey it may as well not even be there, as the looseness turns into songs that float by without leaving much impression. It undoubtedly sounds nice, but it's too devoid of memorable moments or even those where you feel like something new is happening. Great for lying on the couch drifting off, but not much else.

Scissor Sisters

3/5

"Tits on the Radio" and "Filthy/Gorgeous" are a couple of fun and campy disco pop songs. It's a shame then that so much of the rest of this album just sounds like Elton John. Even at their worst these songs are at least creative and memorable, but the personality of its best songs is often missing. Instead, the glam and piano rock sounds like a throwback without a fresh spin. Maybe the most intriguing song is the Pink Floyd cover. Such a catatonic song is an interesting choice to turn into a synth pop song, but I love covers that completely reimagine songs into the covering artist's style. Even if it doesn't quite work because of how rushed it feels, it's a big swing fitting of this glammy sound. If there were more big swings like that and fewer piano ballads, this would be a lot more memorable.

Sea Change

Beck

2/5

Cynically, I can't help but feel that a big reason this is acclaimed is because it's a "weird" artist making an introspective album. But not only is Beck's earlier work more interesting than this, there are plenty of better downcast folk albums than this. The album opens strong. "The Golden Age" is a beautifully lush country song. "Paper Tiger" almost feels like a deconstruction of a folk song, with strums here and there mixed with big strings. After that the cracks start to show. "Guess I'm Doing Fine" is pretty, but as the album goes on it's clear there's very little variety in the songwriting. By the end, the songs offer nothing that earlier songs haven't already tried. I'm also not a fan of the vocals, they don't fit the mood at all. While there is some beauty and emotion here, there's too much uninteresting stuff in between.

The Stone Roses

4/5

One of the jangliest jangle pop albums, this updates the pop rock of the 60s into something dancey and psychedelic. It sounds a bit like a bridge from the Smiths to Britpop without actually sounding like either. Tracks like "Waterfall" have a cascade of guitars that wash over you. Oddly, the two best songs may be the two that sound the least like the rest. "I Wanna Be Adored" is a gripping opener, a sinister, egotistical song that bubbles up and eventually climaxes without really having a chorus. "I Am the Resurrection" continues that self-centered attitude but under the guise of classic rock. The chorus is one of the album highlights, but the four-minute guitar solo full of of bouncy drums that sends the album home is even better. There are a few weaker songs here that keep this from getting a 5, but the crisp guitars and strong hooks always make this worth coming back to.

Blood And Chocolate

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

I think this is the kind of album that fans of an artist will love but that won't convince any non-fans. Outside of some raw guitars at the beginning, which become less pronounced as the album goes on, Costello doesn't really try anything here that he hasn't done on earlier albums. It starts off fine, with songs that are enjoyable but not amazing. The middle of the album is the worst, with the overlong and uninteresting ballad "I Want You" and overly bitter "Honey are You Straight." But the album picks up from there, as "Battered Old Bird" may be the highlight and "Crimes of Pairs" is quite good too. As a Costello skeptic I rank this below a few other albums of his that I don't quite love, but I can't deny that it's still an enjoyable listen.

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

2/5

Time Out is notable for its use of unconventional time signatures, influenced by the music traditions of Europe and Asia. Given that, it's surprising how normal this sounds for a jazz album. True, it's hard to look back and evaluate what was cutting edge at the time, but this was released the same year as The Shape of Jazz to Come! This is mostly piano and sax over quite bass and drums, non-offensive enough to easily soundtrack an elegant ballroom. Perhaps someone trained in music would catch the abnormalities more than I can. For me, my main impression is that the album feels more academic than emotional. The piano is enjoyable but cold. The sax warms things up a bit, but is never that exciting. A pleasant listen, though I don't feel I know enough about jazz to unlock its secrets.

There's A Riot Goin' On

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

A murky, dirty funk record that bears little resemblance to the band's prior effort. This was famously subject to extensive overdubs to the point where the quality declined in some places, producing a sometimes muddy sound. But that dense sound fits the themes of the album: the optimism from Stand has been replaced by pessimism and fear. The songs here blur together, and the vocals sink into the mix, but it's still a compelling listen because of how interesting all these sounds are together. And of course the funk is deep and satisfying. "Family Affair" is a masterpiece and "Runnin Away" is a brief cheerful-sounding moment as long as you ignore the lyrics. Sometimes this becomes a bit too much of a slog, but overall it's an album that hits deep musically and thematically.

1999

Prince

4/5

Maybe Prince's funkiest album, and also maybe his best. Most of these songs are quite long, luxuriating in their rhythms and melodies without changing all that much. The funk is light and bouncy but still quite quite hard-hitting on songs like "Delirious." And it has "Little Red Corvette," which may be Prince's best song, the perfect combination of a catchy song with dirty funk guitar. Not all of the songs work; "Something in the Water" and "Free" are a bit too limp and make the long running time drag a bit. But the majority of this is quite strong and an interesting exercise in grooves over songwriting. While only a few of these songs are truly amazing, most have something that makes them interesting.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

3/5

Leonard Cohen's debut features the trademarks that would be common on this albums. The music is minimal, with repeated melodies backing the songs with little interruption. The trumpet on "Master Song" is subtle but stands out due to the lack of such flourishes on other songs. The lyrics are detailed and evocative, coming across as poetry set over music. That density makes me feel this would work better as poetry than music. The lyrics are great, but so complex that digesting everything while listening is difficult; I'd rather read these words and have time to let them sink in. "Suzanne," especially the second verse, is beautiful, and the backing vocals on "So Long, Marianne" are also a highlight. But too much of the rest sounds too similar and slight.

The Velvet Underground

4/5

The Velvets' first album without John Cale is much less experimental than its predecessors. This is the type of self-titled album that feels like a reinvention. The band weren't strangers to pretty songs, but "Candy Says" and "Pale Blue Eyes" are basically pop songs, and beautiful ones at that. Not everything here is a departure; "What Goes On" recalls the band's garage rock riffage and "The Murder Mystery" is a big risky swing like the band took on their first two albums. I do find that the latter doesn't quite work - there's too much going on and not in an interesting way - and some of the lighter moments are too lightweight. But the closer "After Hours" ends things on a lovely note. While this is less exciting and adventurous than the band's earlier albums, the songwriting is still strong and it's charming in its own way.

Franz Ferdinand

3/5

"Take Me Out" is still thrilling over two decades later. The way it plays mellow indie rock into stomping dance rock is like a shot of adrenaline, and it spawned countless imitators that never matched it. Its energy is all over this album, even if the riffs never get quite that big again. Songs like "This Fire" and "Michael" are frantic and jagged, always moving forward. While there's nothing here that's boring or bad - "Tell Her Tonight" and its unfortunate placement as the second song is the closest - it does feel like it's missing a few more big swings like "Take Me Out." And I think that's what makes this feel more like a snapshot in time than a timeless record. It's a great mix of indie and dance, and it comes very close to a 4 for me. But the similarity of many of these songs limits my excitement just enough to keep it at a 3.

Ray Of Light

Madonna

3/5

This album sounds more like Massive Attack than it does Madonna's 80s albums. While it's full of interesting sounds and songs, I can't decide if it's aged well or not. On one hand, it still sounds immaculate. On the other hand, it sounds very 90s. That's not a bad thing necessarily - the writing elevates this over similar music - but I suspect this once sounded futuristic at the time and it does not anymore. The energetic songs here are great, especially the title track and "Skin." I also really like "The Power of Good Bye." But too many of the slower songs blur together. With some trimming - "Shanti" has definitely not aged well and several other songs could be cut - and maybe a bit more variety this could be a 4, but there are too many songs that just don't really move me.

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

2/5

Speaking as someone who is often turned off by the twists and turns of prog rock, this album flows really well. The title track drifts between different sections fluidly, and in a lot of cases the transitions between songs are so smooth as to be unnoticeable. The harder tracks, like the title track and "Locomotive Breath," have some good riffs. I'm less of a fan of the folkier songs though, as they meander a bit and lack those interesting riffs. They also reveal that the entire album is a bit hookless, relying instead on constantly evolving songs to draw you in. If I liked the lyrics more - they alternate between silliness and not-as-deep-as-they-think religious musings - it might succeed. But as a whole there's not enough that interests me to get past those lyrics and difficult songwriting.

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

2/5

Let's Get It On is so smooth and fluid that it washes right over me without making an impression. The drums and strings sound impeccable, and the songs are largely formless, buoyed by Gaye's vocals. Despite that, I find this fairly lightweight musically; nothing jumps out at you and there's very little distinctive about it. The formlessness of the songs can go from relaxing and hypnotic to meandering. Of course you're not here for the music, but as impressive as Gaye's vocals are they're also very polite and reined-in. If Gaye is as horny as these lyrics imply, I wish a little bit of that passion would come through. There are plenty of soul albums with more feeling behind them than this one. If you're a fan of pretty voices and laid-back jams, this album is for you. But I find it a little too similar to other smooth soul to get hot and bothered by it.

Ctrl

SZA

4/5

Crisp, laid-back alt R&B that you can get lost in. While this was pretty typical for this sound at the time, it stands out for how stark it is. Often tracks consistent of a just a guitar loop and drums, creating pleasant sounds but letting SZA control the songs. She does this expertly, deftly jumping between high and low notes and floating between different vocal melodies with ease; those melodies are what give shape to the more formless instrumentals. Some of the songs like "Drew Barrymore" and "Prom" are more straight-forward bangers, but she's excellent on those as well. The lyrics can be confident but she also shows a lot of vulnerability on songs like "Normal Girl" and "20 Something." Not over-produced and down-to-earth, this is some of the best alt R&B you'll hear.

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

2/5

The Chili Peppers had enough musical talent and melodic songwriting chops to write a hooky, funky alt rock album. But this, like all of their albums, is not that. There are some good songs here! Like usual, the more mellow songs like "Scar Tissue" and the title track are the best, though "Otherside" is also pretty good. The louder songs often feel clumsy, with riffs and choruses that feel sudden or out of place; the back half is full of interchangeable tracks like that. And of course this is very loud, to the point where Frusciante's riffs get lost in the noise. As for the lyrics: Kiedis's stream of unconnected topics works well on "Scar Tissue," but elsewhere - like "Get on Top" - it's ridiculous (the title track falls in the middle). If this was pared down and more restrained it would be fun, but as it is the good moments are lost in the noise.

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

3/5

This definitely has a throwback soul feel. While there are some modern production touches, the songwriting and elements like the backing vocals recall the 70s. The highlight is the fuzzy guitar tones. The opening track is highlighted by that guitar and some rhythmic drums, and it's the highlight. There are some other meaty tracks here, but also a lot of slower and smoother ones. Kiwanuka's voice is great, though I find he's often not the center of attention, instead letting the psychedelic sounds around him take charge. When the songs are strong, this works. When the songs feel less creative, it makes the songs feel like they're missing something. I like this overall, but I wish it had more exciting songwriting or Kiwanuka had a bigger presence.

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

3/5

Steve Albini has produced some of my favorite albums, and his touch made those albums better. I cannot say the same thing about this one. This is a ferocious album, with fierce vocals and gnarly riffs; the guitar on the second track almost sounds like Slint. I wish I could hear all of it better. The hollow drum sound on this is great, but the guitars almost sound muffled. The opening track should have these big explosive climaxes, but the quietness robs them of their power. While crisper production would help, the songwriting is also a bit thin as well, with too many songs that go on for too long without enough happening. Lyrically this rivals Exile in Guyville in the depths of feminism it explores, but the music doesn't quite match its anger.

Water From An Ancient Well

Abdullah Ibrahim

2/5

Pretty and laid-back, this jazz album takes its time to unfold. Mostly driven by piano, its songs feel like twinkling sounds soundscapes. The highlight is the 11 minute title track, which feels like a journey. In particular I like the saxophone solo in the middle. When the saxophone gets going, like on that song and on "Song for Santhima," the songs feel like they're going somewhere. More often though this feels a little static and stuck in the same sounds. This is definitely a nice listen, but I don't find anything about it to be all that unique.

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

4/5

As far as psychedelic rock albums go, Fifth Dimension feels like it should get more recognition. Not only was this released before the summer of love, but it also feels trippier and more psychedelic than a lot of the acclaimed albums from the San Francisco scene. The guitar on tracks like "I See You" is are wild an untamed, bouncing every which way. The beautiful vocal harmonies rival Simon and Garfunkel and add depth to the songs. At the same time, this feels weightier than a lot of the strummy strum stuff from Laurel Canyon. The lyrics are appropriately disorienting, touching on war, nature, space, and more. The band makes each of the non-original songs their own, though some of the originals feel a bit short and light. Still, the shortness of the tracks makes this a really easy listen with a lot of different sounds.

Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

Public Enemy

3/5

The big difference on Public Enemy's fourth album is the beats. Their previous two albums were defined by their chaotic collage of samples, but this features more traditional, almost funky, beats. In some ways this works better, as the songs have more room to breathe and the energy is still cranked to the max. Outside of that change this is still Public Enemy doing their thing. The lyrics are as direct and detailed as always, tackling subjects no other group was. Chuck D's flow hasn't changed a bit, which is good but also makes the album drag a bit because the songs blur together a bit. And I think that's my main takeaway here: while this still hits hard, the group isn't trying much that they haven't tried before. "Night Train" and the rock-influenced "I Don't Wanna Be Called" are great, but none of this touches their best songs.

Machine Head

Deep Purple

3/5

Deep Purple fit in a weird spot between hard rock and heavy metal. This album rocks hard, with big riffs and rollicking guitar and organ solos. "Smoke on the Water" of course has the most famous riff, but "Space Truckin" is the most complete song. At the same time, it never feels truly heavy. It's slow and plodding like heavy music, but without the heft behind it to really knock your socks off. There isn't a bad song here - "Lazy" is the closest because it's too long and the lyrics are lame - but all of the songs are also similar enough that unless you're really into that sound things are going to grow a bit old. This was hard for its time, but with the benefit of hindsight I find it not quite hard enough.

Music

Madonna

3/5

Conceptually this feels like a continuation of Ray of Light in that Madonna is working with the latest musical trends. Note that I didn't say she's making them her own; the approach on this album feels a bit incohesive. Her previous album focused on downtempo and trip hop, while this one often goes for bigger dance beats. That doesn't stop it from also including a few slow songs and some that heavily incorporate acoustic guitars. The bigger songs are typically better, though the highlight is the downtempo "What it Feels Like for a Girl" with its shuffling beat and poignant lyrics. Weirdly, outside of that song Madonna herself feels a bit anonymous on this, not offering much lyrically or vocally that other artists couldn't. While this is another example of Madonna adapting with trends, and the variety does fit the album's title, it jumps around too much to ever draw you in.

Coles Corner

Richard Hawley

3/5

I really like this kind of baroque, modern take on traditional pop, and this is one of the best examples of that sound I've heard. These songs are big, with deep, up-front echoing vocals. But they're never overwrought, with the layers of sounds adding depth but not melodrama. There's nice variety between the more baroque pieces with big hooks and the country-tinged ones, making this a bit of a trip through the sounds of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. My big knock against this is that the country pieces are all pretty similar and linear, and by the end I'm a bit tired of them. The instrumental closer is a really nice comedown though. These are some great sounding songs but they're missing something unique that makes this more than just modern versions of older styles.

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

3/5

Calling this "the wildest" is an exaggeration, but this is definitely a spirited set of swing songs. The biggest highlights are when Prima and his wife trade lines back and forth, their chemistry is a ton of fun. There's a lot of humor throughout, and the playful closer is the highlight in that regard; who among us hasn't had a friend whose meatball-stealing tendencies have annoyed us? The fact that the vocals are the most interesting part of this naturally means that the instrumental songs fall a bit flat. While the music here is swinging, there's not enough to make it noteworthy on its own, at least to someone who has heard Little Richard run laps around the wildness on display here. Definitely a fun set of songs, but it's limited by the energy being medium high, not high.

Palo Congo

Sabu

2/5

As a fan of polyrhythms and quick percussion, it's hard for me to not get at least a little enjoyment from an album that's centered on those things. The congos are the star here, and on some tracks there's nothing but congos. While those tracks and the ones with only call-and-response vocals over the top are interesting, it's also hard to not want at least a bit more over their long runtimes. "Choferito-Plena" and a few other songs add jazzy, staccato guitar over the top, which fleshes things out but also fails to add any sense of progression to the songs. I imagine this would be a blast in a live setting, maybe played by street performers. I don't think the recorded version captures the energy well enough, and listening to the entire thing highlights the lack of variety. The performances are great, but it doesn't quite work in a casual setting.

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

3/5

This is like 80s pop with all the excess wringed out of it, until all that's left is the bare essentials. Bright staccato synths make simple melodies, occasionally highlighted by shimmering accents. The songs are catchy if not extremely so, with "Absolute" and "Wood Beez" having the strongest hooks. The vocals are high-pitched, maybe artificially so, and while I don't love them they fit with the kitschy vibe the music gives off. There's a lot of similarities to Michael Jackson or Prince here, not to mention turn-of-the-millennium boy bands, but also a lot of simple bedroom pop that feels like it has to have been inspired by this. This isn't all great - the slow "A Little Knowledge" is a drag - and that plus the lack of true highlights keeps it at a 3. But it's certainly a fascinating, unique album..

The Dreaming

Kate Bush

2/5

The Dreaming is less of a pop album and more of a soundtrack to an imaginary - and insane - musical. While Bush is best known for the huge hooks on her next album, there's basically nothing similar to that here. Choruses are subtler, songs are more formless, and the production is layered and borders on messy. It's an impressive package, but one I find fairly difficult to swallow. The theatrics fall flat for me; it feels like there should be a story running through this, but if there is, I've missed it. The wild vocals on the title track are probably exciting if you've bought into the sound, but if you haven't they're just grating. There's just to much going on here without identifiable hooks for me to find anything to grasp onto. Braying like a donkey doesn't automatically make a song bad, but it's certainly not going to win over anyone that wasn't already in love with this.

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

3/5

This is one of those albums where you get exactly what you expect, no more, no less. It's a little over thirty minutes of smooth vocal jazz. The live setting provides a bit of improvisation; I love when Vaughn admits she messed up on the second track but keeps going anyway, or riffs on Billie Holliday on the closer. I wish there were more of those moments though, as the songs are played straight and are often indistinguishable from studio renditions. The instruments are quiet, to the point where you can forget about them and just listen to Vaughn's voice. But what a voice it is! Even when she's just singing standards straight it's lovely. But to be truly great, this needed something to add a little zest to these songs.

Your Arsenal

Morrissey

2/5

Your Arsenal runs through a variety of sounds. It starts with a couple glammy, almost hard rock songs. "We'll Let You Know" is atmospheric, with almost military drums, and nearly veers into dream pop by the end. After that is a run of upbeat jangle pop songs; "We Hate It" is probably the best, but it feels too short. The last three songs are dramatic ballads, with "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" feeling a bit like a worse "I Know It's Over." A lot of this gives off a similar vibe as that, where Morrissey's lyrics touch on the same themes but with diminishing returns. I like the musical variety - as opposed to just a bunch of indie rock tunes - but very little truly hits, making the album feel a bit scattershot. Plus, "National Front Disco" and "we are the last truly British people" have aged poorly, to say the least. A sometimes good but rarely fun album you could easily skip.

1989

Taylor Swift

3/5

The difference in quality between the biggest hits and the deep cuts here is almost impressive. "Blank Space" is a lot of fun, but both "Shake it Off" and "Bad Blood" border on obnoxious, focusing too much on the public's perception of Swift, which is not an interesting topic. Outside of those two songs though this has an argument as some of the freshest pop of the decade. Songs like "Style" and "Wildest Dreams" bubble and flow beautifully, while "Out of the Woods" and the aforementioned "Blank Space" are great upbeat numbers. My main complaint with the deep cuts is that things get a bit too similar after a while; there are times when I think "I Know Places" is going to melt into "Wildest Dreams." With a little trimming this would be an easy 4, but as it is it's too patchy despite some very high highs.

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

4/5

Of all of hip hop's foundational albums, this may be the one that sounds the least like where hip hop went in the 90s. The chaotic, sample-heavy production is much busier and less beat-driven then their contemporaries, and this sometimes sounds more like rock than hip hop. Despite this, or maybe because of it, this has aged well and retained its power. Chuck D's booming voice delivers compact, clever rhymes, and while his flow is a bit limited his presence makes up for it. Flava Flav plays an important role as hypeman. The lyrics are still relevant today, standing out from the typical boasting or wordplay of the time (I could do with fewer Farrakhan references, but Public Enemy are hardly unique in that regard). While this could use a little variety, the fact that so many lines from this are still referenced in rap shows how much of an impact it rightfully had.

Step In The Arena

Gang Starr

3/5

Gang Starr may be the hip hop group with the biggest gap between how impressive I find their music and how much I enjoy it. Guru's flow is tight, his rhymes come in bunches; "spectator" / "slayed or" / "gladiator" is a particularly good trio. His lyrics are thoughtful and clever. DJ Premier's beats are layered, twinkly pianos and thumping drums. It's all very good, but it almost sounds clinical or sterile. None of the beats hit you hard or sound all that different. Songs are short on hooks. Guru's flow sounds tired after a while. Even at 50 minutes, almost short for a hip hop album, the album drags during the last few songs. From a technical perspective I only have good things to say about this, but it just doesnt have enough unique moments to work as an album.

Connected

Stereo MC's

2/5

I think an initial reaction to this might be that it feels very of-its-time, reflecting dance music still in its infancy. But by the time this came out, New Order, Primal Scream, and Massive Attack had already created house-influenced music that was more layered and - crucially - more varied (to say nothing of the actual house artists making more vital music at the time). There are some good beats on this, but they're rather simple and don't show much evolution over their runtime. The pace is steady and relatively slow, the vocals laid-back to match. Outside of a flute that pops up occasionally, there are few music surprises that really pop. This is fairly catchy, so I find it impossible to outright dislike, but it's too short on exciting and unique moments for me to really like either.

Repeater

Fugazi

4/5

Sometimes angular and sometimes groovy (and sometimes both), Repeater feels like a true post-hardcore album. This isn't just punk with creative riffs, it's a a full rethinking of hardcore that turns it into something new. In fact, the riffs aren't the centerpiece of many of these songs. Sure, the jagged riff of "Turnover" is the first sign you're hearing something special. But on a lot of these tracks, the bass stands out even more. "Brendan #1" is basically carried by the bass and drums with the guitar only providing accents. The two vocalists both bring different things to the table and provide variety that highlights all the different things happening underneath them. While I do wish there was more energy in places, the off-kilter rhythms and tones are more than enough to keep this interesting throughout.

Murmur

R.E.M.

3/5

Miles away from their biggest hits, R.E.M.'s debut is dense and enigmatic. Jangly guitars abound, and lyrics are cryptic or indecipherable. The album somehow manages to be both tight, with those guitars taking up nearly every second and often changing melodies, and loose, with verses and choruses that blend together and feel ready to fall apart. There are some great songs here. "Radio Free Europe" deserves its status as a highpoint for the band, "Catapult" has a catchy hook, and I love the urgency on "West of the Fields." At other times the songs blur together with their similar sounds or feel too loose; the chorus of "Moral Kiosk" is almost a chorus deconstructed, reduced to vocalizations instead of words. I like how fresh and free this is, but I find myself wishing for more well-defined songs and memorable moments.

...And Justice For All

Metallica

3/5

Perhaps to avoid repeating themselves after two incredible albums with a similar thrash sound, Metallica's fourth album makes everything bigger. Riffs are knottier, songs structures are more complex, and everything is longer. It leads to some great songs; "Blackened" and "Harvester of Sorrow" are tight and gnarly slabs of thrash. But it ends up being too much. The main talking point here is always the bass, and the inaudible lower frequency does result in a very tinny sound that saps the music of its power. However, the bigger problem is songs that overstay their welcome. Songs like "To Live is To Die" just refuse to end, and by the end the album's runtime feels padded out by similar songs. It's telling that "One," far and away the best song here, is the most similar to their last two albums. I'm glad they tried something new here, but it doesn't reach their old heights.

S&M

Metallica

2/5

The tightness with which the orchestra weaves into Metallica's songs here is impressive - it doesn't just feel like they're backing up the band. I'm not sure any of these songs are improved by the collaboration though. Largely the orchestra serves to accentuate the riffs or add unneeded flourishes; rarely does it take over and provide something the band couldn't have. Even on "For Whom the Bell Tolls," where the string shine in the empty spaces and add a sense of grandeur, I find myself preferring the original. An hour of this would be fun, but the album is over twice that length and missing some of their best songs because it's loaded with 90s material. Two hours of chugging hard rock and Hefield's overwrought vocals is too much. A hardcore Metallica fan will probably eat this up, but it feels skippable for anyone who isn't tired of their studio material.

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

3/5

Al Green is pretty much exactly what comes to mind when I think of soul music: passionate vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and smooth, groovy music that doesn't get in the way of the vocals. That's a positive and a negative thing. As far as this kind of straightforward approach to soul goes, this is pretty close to the peak. But that straightforward approach also limits the possibilities. There are no surprises here; some songs like "So You're Leaving" get into a good groove, but there are no challenging song structures or topics to be found. And that's not a bad thing! Green's voice and lyrics make this impossible to dislike. But I also find the whole package a bit too simple to truly love.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

3/5

Everything on this album is excellent. The songs are tight and lively. There's audible joy in the studio chatter between songs, as you can hear the excitement of the performers being able to play together and record their traditions. Put together though, this is less an album and more of an encyclopedia. Music fans will be familiar with a lot of these songs, either because they're ubiquitous or because many of them have been covered by big names in folk and country music. The renditions are great - "Dark as a Dungeon" stands out as my favorite - but they're all played straight with no fresh takes or cohesive sound. I appreciate the desire to record the classics, but nearly two hours of it becomes a fit too much of the same. If this was just one of the two discs, I'd likely give it a 4.

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things

2/5

This is one of, if not the first, rock operas ever recorded. While the concept would become synonymous with long overwrought albums, this one is just a normal psych rock album with a story. That story is quite overwrought, though maybe difficult to follow through the lyrics. The album's strength is the psychedelic feel it achieves. The vocals are whimsical, sounds pan from side to side, and the instruments - woodwinds on "Private Sorrow," piano on "Trust," a long drum solo on "Baron Saturday" - are varied. The songwriting doesn't quite keep up though. There are some twists and turns, but they often feel abrupt and many of the choruses blur together. Definitely not a bad album, but it's hard to separate it from other psych rock of the time.

The Downward Spiral

Nine Inch Nails

2/5

While it's certainly dark and deprived, I can't help but feel that The Downward Spiral isn't as intense as its reputation suggests. It's full of grinding, industrial sounds, but there's also a lot of empty space and slower moments. The lyrics on tracks like "Heresy" and "Closer" really aren't that much more shocking than what the industrial underground had been doing for the last decade. Even adjusting for expectations, there aren't many riffs that I find compelling or sounds that I find exciting. The industrial tones almost sound flat compared to what Steve Albini cooked up in his various bands. The one track that I think works is "Hurt," as it's nicely layered and the creeping pace lets the lyrics sink into you; it also has some of the album's best vocals. The rest is a barrage of noise that rarely forms an interesting song.

21

Adele

3/5

My opinion on 21 more or less mirrors the critical consensus. The vocals? Great! The songwriting? Not very adventurous! In a mathematical improbability, 21 is greater than 25 because there are a few songs that really stand out from the pack. "Rolling in the Deep" is the main one, with its soaring chorus. "Set Fire to the Rain" is another, even if it has a bit too much of that 2010s adult alternative sound to it. "Rumor Has It" leans into that sound as well and suffers from it; it's almost got that Lumineers / Black Keys stomp. Some of the rest leans into a more classic soul vibe, with "Lovesong" sounding straight out of the 60s or 70s. There are some heartfelt lyrics here and almost every track has some impressive vocal moment, but there's just not enough variety to keep it from dragging. For me, "Take It All" is where the album starts to become a chore.

The Infotainment Scan

The Fall

3/5

The Fall keep up with the times with a sound (and album cover) befitting of the Madchester scene. This one is built on riffs and grooves that lean into dance and, in the case of "A Past Gone Mad," border on techno. It's still undoubtedly the fall though with Mark E. Smith's monotone shouting over the top of it. Nearly all of the riffs here are interesting, but they don't change much throughout the songs and can get a bit stale. "It's a Curse" is a great example of a song that sounds great at the start and has worn out its welcome by the end. Smith's lyrics often amount to an internal monologue more than anything else, and while I don't hate them they don't add much to the songs. Basically a set of infectious grooves that aren't infectious enough to carry these songs for their runtimes.

Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan

5/5

Maybe Callahan's best album in a career full of great ones, Eagle is both lush and organic. Strings and keys accents the crisp, tender guitars; despite this beautiful layered sound, this is one of the most "outside" albums I've ever heard, with everything sounding natural and fresh. Callahan's barrel-aged baritone narrates long songs that take their time to unfold, sometimes luxuriating in one rhythm and other times slipping into the unexpected. The lyrics combine peaceful thoughts with tales of loss and anxiety. "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" has incredible lyrical depth, and the skipping drums of "All Thoughts are Prey" are a fitting backing to the pained pleas at the end. It wraps up in the gloriously slow "Faith/Void," which highlights the need for simplicity and calm despite the world's confusion. Rarely has such a gifted songwriter put together a set of songs as inviting as this.

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

3/5

The Temptations' first album that goes beyond the group's typical Motown sound does so with mixed results. The opening track is the clear highlight, a funky-yet-depressing soul cut that makes good use of the group's vocals. The nine-minute "Run Away Child, Running Wild" is the clear attempt to try something psychedelic, with the varied production and long instrumental breaks. It ends up feeling weirdly empty though and is only sometimes interesting. The second side is fairly straightforward Motown soul that is good but not great. The group went onto move adventurous things than this, and while it doesn't really stand out from the 60s soul pack it's at least a pleasant listen.

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield

2/5

This album is a bit hard to pin down, which is a polite way of saying it's a bit of a mess. The opening four songs see the band going from a take on British rock to Laurel Canyon folk to some kind of jazz rock to a dramatic string ballad. The second side contains a couple songs reminiscent of 50s rock. Some songs, like "Sad Memory," are dull and barely there. The closer is an interesting collage of song pieces that stop and restart. My main takeaway from this one is that there is a definite sound of "something happening," where these different sounds are coalescing into a scene. And you can hear a couple great songwriters honing their craft. But to me this one sounds like that young talent still coming into its own without any great songs worth coming back to.

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

3/5

The country sound on Grievous Angel is fantastic, and I wish the album had the songs to match it. The twang and pedal steel are both excellently balanced against the rock sound, combining to form something to satisfy both rockers and country traditionalists. The album's (not so) secret weapon is Emmylou Harris, whose vocals improve every song they're on. But the songwriting contains such a lack of variety that the album becomes a drag. Most of the slow songs contain a similar pacing and progress linearly with nothing but lyrics to separate them. For every amazing "Love Hurts" there's an overlong "$1000 Wedding." The upbeat songs feel a bit too gimmicky, and while country is not always a serious genre they stand in stark contrast to the druggy depression of the album's best songs. Worth listening to for the best songs, but I can't put this alongside the best country rock has to offer.

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

Maxwell

2/5

The slick intro "The Urban Theme" only slightly hints at what's on the rest of this album. True, the entire album is well produced with a shiny, groovy sound. But the intro is also highlighted by a sleek saxophone. Largely, that kind of bold instrumentation isn't present elsewhere. Instead, the songs ruminate on a single sound with subtle changes. The beginning songs are a bit groovy and funky, but around "Whenever Wherever Whatever" the sound becomes much smoother. That's where the album really starts to drag; without much to separate these songs it starts to feel like an album of one long song. Maxwell's vocals are great, this clearly influenced 2010 alt R&B, and these songs would be a great background for certain activities. But for a casual listen there's just not anything new here.

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

3/5

The vocals on this are really lovely, it has the feeling of a girl group album with its vocal harmonies and the trading off of lead vocals. The lush arrangements and nice and give the songs some depth. "Monday, Monday" is the strongest song for me, and "Spanish Harlem" is really interesting with the very up-front vocals. Despite its strengths, it's held back a bit by the hooks and songwriting, which are only OK and a bit predictable, respectively. Under the vocals and strings is some pretty standard 60s pop rock - pop rock that can be a bit slow and sleepy at that. Those elements certainly do elevate it, but not enough to make this with hearing outside of a few songs.

Infected

The The

2/5

After opening with a typical 80s drum machine that makes you think you're getting a standard new wave album, Infected gets as weird as its album cover. Clattering drums and layers of guitars make for chaotic post punk tracks with an occasional sophisti-pop undercurrent. The vocals are just as manic and sometimes get theatrical. It reminds me less of other English post punk and more of Australian noise rock like early Nick Cave and Foetus. While it's definitely unique, there's often too much going on to really catch the groove of the songs; there are no easy rhythms or obvious riffs or hooks here. The lyrics seem to be political but can be hard to make much sense of. Definitely interesting, but also just a bit too much.

The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

The album where Tribe came into their own. The big change from their debut is the even split of verses between Q Tip and Phife Dawg, and the two MCs are perfect compliments to each other, both vocally and lyrically. Phife's fun and brash persona is the perfect counterpart for Tip's measured approach. There are tons of quotables on this, especially on "Buggin' Out," and "Scenario" is one of the best posse cuts ever. The beats are chill and perfect for a summer day. If I have one complaint with the album it's that the beats get a bit too similar after a while. They're pretty far from what I think of as jazz rap now, being very bass heavy. When horns show up, like on "Butter" and "Check the Rhime," they massively elevate things.

Young Americans

David Bowie

3/5

Bowie ends his glam era with a pivot to soul. It almost feels like a pastiche at time, with a plastic sound, tacky saxophones, and tons of background vocals. But calling it a pastiche ignores the fact that it often sounds very good. The title track and "Fascination" are lively, flowing jams with great vocals. "Fame" is irresistibly funky even if it feels a bit skeletal. Most of the other tracks feel inessential though, without enough going on. The Beatles cover is too similar to the original while also being just different enough to sound off. On his next album Bowie expanded on these sounds and turned them into something new. For an artist of Bowie's caliber, this one sounds a little tame.

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

3/5

Sleater Kinney in the 80s? OK, no, but this is closer than you might expect. If I had to guess when this was released, I'd guess the 90s before I guessed 1981. I suppose there's a through-line from the Ramones to this, as both are punchy and a bit fierce while also kind of being pop music at their heart. But this feels much closer to what punk music turned into. "Tonite" has a riff that's reminiscent of melodic hardcore; if you sped it up it would sound like a Bad Religion song. While it feels very ahead of its time, I do think it either needed more variety or bigger hooks to really succeed. The songs all short and fast verse-chorus-verse songs with no surprises. The group vocals are a nice touch, but the lyrics are nothing special. A really interesting album chronologically, but it doesn't quite come together for me.

Transformer

Lou Reed

3/5

Transformer has some great songs, but also enough middling ones to bring its overall quality down. "Perfect Day" is beautifully insincere and detached, "Walk on the Wild Side" has tons of swagger, and "Satellite of Love" is a tender ballad with a jarring bridge. Much of the rest puts a glam rock spin on the choppy rock Reed made in the Velvet Underground, with sometimes confounding results. While Vicious recalls Bowie's best work, "Andy's Chest" is spoiled by distractingly nonsensical lyrics. Overall, the glam stuff never feels as loose as the rest of the genre. And while I typically like Reed's deadpan style, it gets annoying on "New York Telephone Conversation" (most of the second half of this is pretty inessential). There are some good elements here, but it doesn't quite come together.

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