Jul 14 2025
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
Gives me flashbacks of the mid and late 00s, in clubs in Tokyo and Rhode Island. Not all of the memories it brings up are pleasant ones, though I suppose I have the music to thank for making me sort through them again.
4
Jul 15 2025
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
Better than I thought it would be but I still had to listen to it in shifts. The memory of the songs of theirs that I really like... Hazy Shade of Winter, Cecilia, Sound of Silence, 56th St Bridge Song... propelled me through, and I do like their vocal harmonies, but I think this is one band where I can honestly say I like their greatest hits, and not much else. Respect them? yes.
3
Jul 16 2025
25
Adele
Liked the deep cuts more than the singles, though that could also be because of over-saturation. I think this one is winding up in my regular playlist.
4
Jul 17 2025
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
I remember liking this as a teenager and being fascinated with the videos, but I rediscovered it again as a young sailor in the 90s, a year or so before Bat Out of Hell II came out. It's nice re-rediscovering it again and falling into the uber-dramatic lyrics.
5
Jul 18 2025
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
Oh man… why didn’t anyone tell me that “Living For the City” was such a banger? (Okay, I might not have listened…) And the chord progression and piano melody lines in “Misstra Know It All” are amazing. I already knew how good “Higher Ground” was, but I definitely didn’t know that was not the best song on the album.
4
Jul 19 2025
Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
Not bad. I still think I prefer trip hop but this is worlds better than the albums on either side of it. I wish they’d kept on going in this direction.
It definitely belongs on a list of great sophomore albums.
4
Jul 20 2025
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
Pretty decent. I knew the first song of course, and I remember reading about "CTA-102" in Carl Sagan's discussion of the discovery of that pulsar, but the rest was new to me, and better than I had expected. I'd probably give it 3½ stars, but I decided to round up.
4
Jul 21 2025
Untitled (Black Is)
SAULT
Innovative and well-made, but it just wasn't terribly exciting. I could use this as background music but not for intentional listening. It reminds me of the difference between Moby's *18* and *Play.* *18* is not bad at all, but it doesn't make me drop everything and pay attention like *Play* does.
[LATER] On the other hand, I couldn't shut it off, either. I carried my phone around until the last notes of "Pray Up, Stay Up" played. Maybe I liked it more than I initially thought.
4
Jul 22 2025
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
Starts strong, and I found at least one or two songs that I probably wouldn't turn off if they came on. Otherwise, the album just didn't do much for me... though as depressed and negative as I was as a teenager, I'm sure I would have LOVED it then.
2
Jul 23 2025
Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
#10, and the second one that I own. The first half (ESPECIALLY "Fountain and Fairfax') is still more powerful than the second, but I'd also forgotten how much I like "My Curse" and the last song. Great listening to this again.
4
Jul 24 2025
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Had to dig through my album stash for this. I've been listening to Black Sabbath for just about 40 years, since I picked up a cheap cassette of *Black Sabbath Live at Last* at K-Mart. Their first seven albums have followed me ever since. Still, this and *Never Say Die!* might be the albums I've listened to the least, so I'm glad to give it another few spins today.
5
Jul 25 2025
16 Lovers Lane
The Go-Betweens
Not bad jangle-pop but nothing stood out for me. I wouldn't turn it off but I probably won't go out of my way to play it again, either.
3
Jul 26 2025
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Listening to this right after 16 Lovers Lane was a night and day contrast for me. I knew the name but I'd never much listened to anything of hers. I will fix that. This is music that sounds like it might get put on to relax or to have something playing in the background, but within a song or two, it takes over everything else.
5
Jul 27 2025
Yeezus
Kanye West
I have trouble giving this four stars, since I'm Jewish and also not a fan of attention whores. But, I have to vote the music, and the music surprised me with how well-made and entertaining it was. He sings and composes pretty good for a man with his head up his ass.
4
Jul 28 2025
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
I kind of liked the Flaming Lips before I bought this album in '99. I kind of liked their stuff after this. I love every single note of this album, and I think I still would even if it weren't drenched in nostalgia.
5
Jul 29 2025
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
Oh man, where do I begin, besides that I really wish I'd heard this in the 00s. Bands like Sophe Lux and Dresden Dolls always struck me as "almost there," and not until today did I realize that THIS is what I'd been looking for. Five stars, easily. Also, I'm glad I listened to the EP first... I sought that out before listening to the album.
5
Jul 30 2025
Seventh Tree
Goldfrapp
I'd heard their earlier stuff and didn't think much about it. This is pretty interesting, and I think it's going in my regular playlist.
4
Aug 07 2025
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
I'd never sat and listened to this one before. I can't say it's my favorite Bowie album, but I like it better than some, and I can see where some of my favorite ones came from, now.
3
Aug 08 2025
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
Grew up hearing the first record of this two-record set on the radio, but this was the first time I'd listened to the whole thing. I don't know if I'm going to go out of my way to listen to the second record again, but I will say that he and Taupin crafted some amazing songs for the back half of this set.
4
Aug 09 2025
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
I have had this on cassette, special edition CD, and vinyl. It is tied for first place with *Meddle* for the title of "Favorite Pink Floyd Album." I will never be upset about the opportunity to listen to it again.
5
Aug 10 2025
Scott 2
Scott Walker
Reminds me of the baroque pop my Mom used to listen to in the mid-70s. I might have liked it a little more had the lyrics been like Scott's. Also, I can definitely hear the influence on bands I liked in the 90s like Divine Comedy and Pulp. ("Live Bed Show" would fit unnoticed on this album.)
3
Aug 11 2025
Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
I'd only heard *Trout Mask Replica* and I have to say, I wasn't a fan, so I was a little apprehensive going into this listen. I needn't have worried. THIS was great. I thought it was a fun slab of blues rock with just enough weirdness to make it stick. I might have to get this album myself.
4
Aug 12 2025
Dookie
Green Day
I was living in San Francisco and going to a lot of East Bay shows (Berkeley Square RIP) when this came out, and, for better or worse, this record is a snapshot of what the scene was like. This is definitely closer to what club shows sounded like than two other bands that came out of that time period and region, Third Eye Blind and Train. I don't think I've listened to this from front to back since the late 90s, but it was a pleasant return.
I preferred "The Mr. T Experience," but that's a story for another time.
4
Aug 13 2025
The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen was always one of those artists that I could listen to in the background but never quite connected with. I'm not even sure I knew that this album existed, though I do remember him playing in the post-9/11 concerts. My review, though: it's not bad. I could see having it on once in a while, I suppose.
3
Aug 14 2025
Clandestino
Manu Chao
Well, apparently my Spanish is better than I thought… I could understand quite a bit of this, or at least get the gist of what he was saying. I’ve rated some other albums on this list, 2.5% of the way in, as “good background music.” This album starts that way but it’s insidious in how it works its way into the foreground. Also, the rapping on “Lágrimas de Oro” is insane.
4
Aug 15 2025
Ghosteen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Gorgeous, but I don't know if I can finish it. I made it through the first disc alright, but I had to stop during "Ghosteen." I'm going through a bit of depression myself, and hearing him sing about his son with such a heartbreaking voice is a little too much for me right now. I suppose that means it's definitely a great album.
4
Aug 16 2025
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
I'm pretty sure I saw this movie back in the early 80s, but I've never sat down and listened to the soundtrack. I'd put this up on the same shelf as Marvin Gaye's *What's Goin' On.* They're both great explorations of the scene in the early 70s. Now that I think about it, they would probably make a great double album together.
5
Aug 17 2025
British Steel
Judas Priest
I still think I like *Screaming for Vengeance* more, but that could also be because that was my first Judas Priest album. Also, that album might not exist without this one. "Living After Midnight" is still an awesome song, but, like Kiss's "Rock and Roll All Night," the album version sounds like a demo compared to how it's played live. Still a great album, though I'm wondering if I'll run into *Vengeance* later, as that's not only a fiercer album, it marked when they captured MTV.
3
Aug 18 2025
Back to Basics
Christina Aguilera
I remember when her cover of "Lady Marmalade" came out. I was struck by the quality of her voice but thought the whole song sounded neutered and tamed compared to the original. The song is about a New Orleans prostitute and her rendition just sounded like it was from a music class. I feel the same about this album. Her lyrics and singing voice is impeccable, but there's just something that doesn't quite grab me.
3
Aug 19 2025
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
I grew up with two parents who loved the Beatles' early work, but while they wouldn't turn off a solo Beatle song on the radio, they didn't have any of their records, either. I have to say: I'm really enjoying these. More important than The Beatles' albums? No. Better? You know, maybe.
4
Aug 20 2025
Forever Changes
Love
I don't remember if my Dad ever listened to this, but it sounds mostly like something he would have sang along to. The part that doesn't is the early bits of noisy guitar and feedback that creep in from time to time.
I'll have to give this another spin later.
4
Aug 21 2025
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
I still think "Hell's Ditch" is their best album but I understand why this is their most popular. Unfortunately, I'm going to be singing "Sally MacLananne" in my head the rest of the day. Though I will say that "And the Band Played 'Waltzing Matilda'" might wind up in my History curriculum sometime in the future.
4
Aug 22 2025
Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
My first impression was that this was alright, something that I wouldn't turn off but also wouldn't go out of my way to play. Then the last four tracks started playing, what would have been the second vinyl disc. I can understand why they weren't released on their own, but they were incredible, from Cold Irons Bound to Highlands. I'd say 4.5 stars... 4 or even a high-3 based on the first seven songs, and 5 for the last four.
4
Aug 23 2025
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
Better than I remember it being. Of course, the popular songs (Walk of Life, Money for Nothing) were overplayed, and I wasn't in the mood for the deep cuts. It definitely hit differently now than when I was part of the MTV/ College Rock generation.
3
Aug 24 2025
Bright Flight
Silver Jews
Not bad but I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this one. Except for “Transylvania Blues” the album reminded me of second or even third rate Nick Drake.
2
Aug 25 2025
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
I listened to it twice, back to back, and then went on to his next solo album. I knew two of the songs from growing up in the 80s but I'm not sure I'd thought about them since. This album is in my permanent list, now.
5
Aug 26 2025
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
I remember listening to this in 1981 and liking it, but then I got hardcore into heavy metal and punk (and later, jazz) and decided that it wasn't cool to listen to it. I got it again about ten years ago, though, and I still think it might be his best album from cover to cover. *Thriller* might have a few better songs on it, but this album doesn't have a single weak spot.
5
Aug 27 2025
Want One
Rufus Wainwright
Some of the songs reminded me of Billy Joel B-sides, or even tracks that he'd left in the vault on purpose. Some were amazing. I'm going to listen to this one again to see if I come around about the songs I didn't care for as much.
4
Aug 28 2025
Welcome to the Afterfuture
Mike Ladd
This was hit-or-miss for me. Some of the songs I really liked, and some I'd definitely skip if I owned the album. It was better than I thought it would be, though. For that matter, I might have to actually get the album... "Wipe Out," "Animist," "To the Moon's Contractor," and "Feb. 4, '99" were definitely highlights for me.
4
Aug 29 2025
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
I've mostly listened to Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play over the last decade, but this was the album that I used to play a lot my Senior Year of High School, and I'm sitting here wondering why it's been so long since I've really played it. "My God" and "Hymn 43" are amazing still... maybe even better than I remember them.
5
Aug 30 2025
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
Wow. Just wow. I don’t know how I made it this far not hearing this before. (Except for Night Train.) I can’t imagine how awesome it would have been to be at this show.
5
Aug 31 2025
Talking Timbuktu
Ali Farka Touré
Ry Cooder helped midwife an album better than Buena Vista Social Club and Let It Bleed? Who knew?!?
Another one I'm glad I discovered through this list.
5
Sep 01 2025
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
As a big jazz fan, I've always been okay with saying that, while I love the musicians he recruited and got into the mainstream (John McClaughlin, Herbie Hancock, for starters), I never much cared for his own music, with the exception of *Kind of Blue.* Well... it looks like I have to say I like TWO of his albums, now.
5
Sep 02 2025
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
RHCP was always decent background music for me in the 90s. I think the only album of theirs I bought was *One Hot Minute* but I also think I donated it. I knew the first four songs on here, though, plus the singles, and, well, it's not bad. I think I like it better than their other 90s albums... at least, from what I can remember. "Emit Reemus" was a standout for me during this listen-through.
3
Sep 03 2025
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
I knew of Graham Parsons before... "Crazy Eyes" by Poco is probably the best progressive country rock songs ever. But, this was the first time I really sat down and listened to him. In a perfect world, this would have been the western country rock that took over the world, and not whatever slop the Eagles put out on vinyl in between world tours and coke benders.
4
Sep 04 2025
Konnichiwa
Skepta
The melodies and the raps were pretty good, but the spoken interludes ruined it for me. It would have been a high-3 or 4 stars even, but that dropped it down to 2 for me.
2
Sep 05 2025
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
I got this album when it came out and quickly decided that it had a couple of good songs and a lot of filler. My opinion hasn't changed. Not bad but not my favorite either.
3
Sep 06 2025
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Decent. It's in the category of "records I wouldn't shut off but won't go out of my way to listen to."
3