Genre: Synthpop Was not familiar with Hot Chip except by name only, and I was very pleasantly blown away. Big-time heavy, electronic production throughout, with lush synths, big, heavy drums, and easy, simple melodies, Hot Chip crushed it here. A very enjoyable listen overall, and one I will continue to revisit! 4/5
Genre: Psychedelic Folk Had never heard word of this album, or this band, but after a nice couple of listens I can safely say the first 4 tracks are great, and side B is so-so, a lot more sitar noodling and instrumental work. Loved the 12-min A Very Cellular Song, very prog folk. 3/5
Genre: Glam Rock Like John Lennon said, Glam Rock is just rock n roll with lipstick on it. T. Rex rips it on this, showcasing blues and straightforward rock with just a twist of glam. Really nicely done. I enjoyed this quite a bit. 4/5
Genre: Samba-jazz About as elevator music as jazz can get. Technically very good, very well recorded, but certainly not the lost exciting release in history. Solid cool jazz album, if you like that sort of thing. 3/5
Genre: Hip Hop This was a very “hip hop” album. Sounded a bit like late 80s-early 90s, but it came out in 2002. Post 9/11 rap shouldn’t sound like Will Smith. It’s not bad, and there are a couple total bangers, but it’s overall just enjoyable. Doesn’t feel like it changed the form very much. 3/5
Genre: Garage Rock Revival One of Britain’s greatest rock albums of the 2000s. Lots of energy, lots of spunk and youth. I’ve listened to this album umpteen times in my life by now, and I’ve yet to get sick of it. It’s not totally perfect, but it’s a real gem, and an interesting little time capsule considering where the Arctic Monkeys have gone since. 4/5
Genre: Heartland Rock This album is almost bite-sized compared to some of the behemoths within, and I appreciate it. This is a color-by-numbers, pop rock album, with a big hit (American Girl), that is inoffensive and very easy to listen to. Some people will herald this as something truly essential. I don’t buy it. But it’s not bad. 3/5
Genre: Grunge Noisy, abrasive, aggressive, and probably the greatest thing Nirvana ever did. Shortly thereafter, Cobain would kill himself, ending Nirvana in a tragic and unsettling way. Their music lives on. In Utero is full of powerful emotion and some of Nirvana’s best songs, like Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies, both amazing tracks. A really great album, and one that will continue to surprise newcomers. 4/5
Genre: Chamber Pop An 18-track semi-slog, featuring lots of copies of 60s and 70s groups that preceded our Badly Drawn Boy: The Beatles, The Zombies, The Moody Blues, etc. It’s not a terrible record, but it’s a bit overlong, and a bit too worried about being pretty rather than being captivating. Interesting listen. 3/5
Genre: Heavy Metal Black Sabbath are true forerunners. These guys played a massive part in not only developing the sound of “heavy metal”, but they also laid down some of the genre’s most essential listens. The title track, Black Sabbath, is a quintessential example of what heavy metal can do, musically and emotionally. Ozzy’s vocals (and harmonica), Iommi’s guitar playing, Geezer’s bass, and Bill Ward’s drumming all throughout are still regarded as examples of what to do right on a heavy metal record. Up and down they’re challenging the form while making sure to respect the rock and blues that made their sound possible. A wonderful record. RIP OZZY :( 5/5
Genre: Synthpop Was not familiar with Hot Chip except by name only, and I was very pleasantly blown away. Big-time heavy, electronic production throughout, with lush synths, big, heavy drums, and easy, simple melodies, Hot Chip crushed it here. A very enjoyable listen overall, and one I will continue to revisit! 4/5
Genre: Folk Pop (Singer/Songwriter) If you’ve got a mom raised in the 70s, chances are this is one of her favorite records (I speak from experience). A warm, folksy, sweet and earnest little record, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens crafted a very wonderful album. Full of emotion and passion, this is one of those albums that will continue to sound good for years to come. Miles from Nowhere crushes me, as does Father and Son. Great stuff. 4/5
Genre: New Wave A fun time is always had when one listens to The Police. Bouncy reggae-style rhythms and guitar licks, Sting’s classic vocals, and slick 80s production has always made these guys a joy. There are big hits (Message in a Bottle) and also some solid deep cuts (The Bed’s Too Big…). The album does a great job of showcasing the group as a whole, with very technical, but measured approaches to their craft. Great record. 4/5
Genre: Disco Michael Jackson’s first massive LP release, Off the Wall, is a classic. Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough and Rock with You is one of the best 1-2 punches in disco history. There are some other great disco jams (Get On the Floor), but also some ballads (She’s Out of My Life) that unfortunately dampen the experience a bit. The disco is fun, and jaunty, but it sags a bit on a slower B-side. Great album, though! 4/5
Genre: Pop Rock In all my years of being a fan of the Beatles, there’s only one album that speaks to the true capacity of their talents and efforts, in my view: The White Album. An all-encompassing, all-you-can-eat style record that was the first of its kind. Albums had more than just “songs” on it up to this point in music history. In fact, The Beatles were forerunners in terms of changing what an “album” was, even going as far to create an entire new concept band in Sgt. Pepper’s. But then, they changed the form again. Within the contents lie a true mixed bag of Beatles sorts. You have every flavor imaginable: Paul’s granny songs, John’s psych rock, George’s emotion bombs, even a couple solid Ringo joints, including his first solo song credit, Don’t Pass Me By. You get it all, and most of the time it’s amongst their all time best. Dear Prudence and Happiness Is a Warm Gun are two of John’s best ever, as are Paul’s Martha My Dear and Helter Skelter. George comes in swinging as well with While My Guitar Gently Weeps, probably the albums most famous song, a classic in every sense of the word. An album that wears its faults on its sleeves, only for it to show that what’s surrounding it is some of the best music the 60s has to offer. A great fucking album. 5/5
Genre: Pop Rock I like Steve Winwood. My dad was a Spencer Davis/Traffic guy, so Winwood has always been around since I was young. But this album is pretty mid. There are moments here and there that pulled me back in, but overall, a pretty bland experience. Very odd, kind of niche, choice for this book. Won’t revisit. 2/5
Genre: Trip Hop An album I was thinking I’d be more of a fan of (considering the internet’s undying love for it), it’s moody, it’s certainly an album that served to be incredibly influential (read: Damon Albarn’s entire Gorillaz career), but not one I feel like I’d personally come back to again and again. Fairly mild in terms of its overall presentation for me, and perhaps a little too sad and moody. Some nice moments here and there, but altogether not my favorite. 3/5
Genre: Country One of the best live albums of all time, and one I’d almost consider to be a concept album (“what if we did a live show in a prison?”), presented in a way that humanized one of country’s biggest stars, and put him back on the map. For a time. Johnny Cash has some of his best moments in this record. Beautiful ballads, moments of pure comedy, tremendous takes on true classics, all with the backdrop of a gaggle of prisoners laughing and cheering. The warden sometimes steps to the mic to address certain inmates, while the band resets behind him. It’s such a rewarding listen each and every time, and Johnny Cash’s beautiful bass voice and the easy country stylings make it even more so. 5/5
Genre: Alternative Rock I did not particularly enjoy this listen. I like some of REM’s songs, but this one felt like it was an album to be an alt-rock album. It was 1988, and this was the music that impressed at the time. I like Orange Crush, but that’s about it. Stipe’s vocals aren’t for me, and the music doesn’t do much for me either. 2/5
Genre: Folk Baroque (Singer/Songwriter) This album is about as Bert Jansch as an album called Bert Jansch by Bert Jansch could be. Just feels like this is very of the name. Like Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. In all seriousness, this is an easy-to-listen-to, mid-60s folk record. Not bad. 3/5
Genre: Alternative Rock I was aghast listening to this. I’m surprised at how unenjoyable I found this record to be. A lot of the production and arrangement choices on this album really bugged me. I can hear why some people enjoy this record, but man, it just did not click for me. I will not be listening to this again. 1/5
Genre: Pop Rock A very solid, very well-produced and engineered (shoutout Beatles legend Ken Scott), and very enjoyable pop record. Bowie was hitting his stride in the early 70s, and was primed and ready to release some of the decades most influential pop and glam rock. This is an album that has some great pop classics (Changes), some great Bowie classics (Life on Mars?), and some really great deep cuts (Kooks, Andy Warhol). Really good stuff from Bowie, and it’s nowhere near his ultimate best. 4/5
Genre: Indie Rock Just in case you didn’t have enough Alex Turner in your life, The Last Shadow Puppets are there for you. Taking his rock approach to a bigger, cinematic kind of sound, with lots of reverb and big Western-style instrumentation, this is an interesting look into what Alex truly was looking to make at the time. Not bound by the shackles of Garage and Indie Rock, but able to flesh out his ideas in more of a lush manner. Some really great stuff here, and definitely one I’ll come back to again. 4/5
Genre: Experimental Rock (Singer/Songwriter) This was a very interesting listen. I want to say this is my second time trying this out, and I don’t think I found it more enjoyable than the last, but I understood it more. Sort of a series of musical vignettes, different characters, different forms of sleaze and grime taint them all in unique ways. All are brought to life by Tom Waits incredibly unique growl. It’s for some. But not for me. Might go back to relisten one day and appreciate it more. 3/5
Genre: Folk Rock This is one of these albums in the list that seem to be there because the artist/band name was very silly, and he existed around the same time as some other heavy hitters. This is a decent rock album, but it’s totally inconsequential. Just another decent rock album from the late 60s. Note: A majority of the original tracklist is only found on YouTube. Annoying. 3/5
Genre: Heartland Rock The lead singer fancies himself a mixture between Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, two of the more boring rock icons of all time. The music turns out pretty okay, though. Not as jangly and overbearing as Bruce, not as prickly and indiscernible as Bob, with big early 00’s production. Some of these songs drag on unnecessarily, riding the same 3 chords to death. Not bad, though. Enjoyable. 3/5
Genre: Alternative Metal Oh yeah, this thing fucks. I wish the production had a little more low end and wasn’t so tinny, because oh man this thing fucks. Really great alt-metal/funk-metal grooves all over this thing, really interesting vocals from Mike Patton that make each song pop even more, and some solid songwriting make this a very enjoyable listen. Epic is awesome, From Out of Nowhere is awesome, and some of the deep cuts hit nice and hard. Solid record. 4/5
Genre: Blue-Eyed Soul Sort of a forgettable, sort-of bland take on soul and soft rock, bookended by two absolutely powerhouse Bowie classics, Young Americans and Fame. There are some other good ones here (Win, Fascination), but the rest isn’t anywhere close to his best. Seems like a Bowie album that’s extracurricular, except for the two bangers. 3/5
Genre: G-Funk What a good fucking time. A great rap album with some big hits, funny skits, and some incredible production from Dr. Dre. An album one could listen to every day and never really get tired. Snoop’s voice is absolutely adorable here, sounding young, spry, and full of energy. Very solid record. 4/5
Genre: Alternative Rock An album that was very pleasantly surprising! Only one big hit (…When It Rains), but an album full of great production choices and some really interesting songwriting choices. 12 cohesive songs, but each with their own big 90s flair to them. Very listenable, very good rock/pop record. 4/5
Genre: Conscious Hip Hop I mean, good Christ. Every time I take a break from this album, I come back and I leave more impressed than the time before. From A to Z, this album blows me away. Tremendous lyrics, tremendous live instrumentation but when it goes electronic it’s still tremendous, the entire narrative spun throughout with the poem 8/ tremendous, it’s overwhelming how wonderful this album is. Over the years, this has been heralded has the greatest album in music history by some. I’ve probably even said those words out loud. Is that the case? Perhaps. But is this album in absolute triumph of music and sound? Yes. Will this album always have its detractors? Yes. Are they wrong? Yes. :) 5/5
Genre: Alternative Rock Heavy, loud, and full of great energy, Rid of Me is not the sort of album I usually gravitate towards, but I did enjoy it. I feel like the mixing is weird, though. I can barely hear PJ on some of the tracks unless she’s really going for it. Probably won’t revisit this, but it didn’t offend me very much at all, either. 50ft Queenie was great! 3/5
Genre: Progressive Rock Maybe Yes’ 4th/5th best album, The Yes Album is still one I’d consider a prog rock classic. Doesn’t quite reach the heights of even their own later efforts, but it’s got some really incredible tracks. Yours Is No Disgrace and Starship Trooper are two of Yes’ best, and they’re on the same side of the LP. Tremendous work, but not their best. 4/5
Genre: Minneapolis Sound One of the better albums the 80s has to offer, and it’s not even his best. 1999 is a total dance party: 70 minutes of funk, sex, and grooves. A bit spotty overall (a double album is bound to have a dud or two), but there are some really great tracks up and down the tracklist here. Let’s Pretend We’re Married and Lady Cab Driver are two fav deep cuts of mine from Prince. Prince rocks. 4/5
Genre: Jazz Fusion Elevator music turned up to 11. Weather Report had a big hit with the opening track on this album, Birdland, one I was unfamiliar with (surprisingly). It’s pretty good, as are the rest of the tracks. Some great playing, and some solid moods, but not totally for me. I know a number of people eat this stuff up, so I’m happy for them, because this is pretty solid. 3/5
Genre: Rockabilly An album your grandma would’ve loved (or dubbed sacrilege), Buddy Holly’s first album is charming, inoffensive, and totally prehistoric. Adorable, in fact. I know the kiddies must’ve loved this, and I know so many were inspired by the fact he wrote a lot of his own material, but it’s so dated that it truly can only serve as a classic example of what the late-1950s sounded like. Sweet record. 3/5
Genre: New Rave A more electronic take on the Dance-Rock/Punk coming out of England at the time. This album wasn’t bad, but I honestly think there are much better examples from this time period that they could’ve added. Makes me wish The Fratellis were somewhere in the book. There were some big musical highs, but some duds on the tracklist as well. An interesting listen, but not essential. 3/5
Genre: Neo-Psychedelia A more mellow, more arranged take on the aughts Indie Rock boom, this had some really solid tracks, but wasn’t altogether my favorite listen. Will look to revisit, as Desire Lines and He Would Have Laughed were wonderful, so perhaps a 2nd listen will do this one better. For now, this was pretty good. 3/5
Genre: Country Rock Gram Parsons’ untimely death is one of country’s most tragic tales. What Gram was looking to do with the genre was bring it back-to-roots, but also bigger, more colorful, and more rockin’. Him and Emmylou do an absolutely amazing job singing on this record, and the tracks they sing are vibrant, well-arranged, and full of life. Taken from us too soon, but not before giving us some absolute heat. 4/5
Genre: Indie Rock Decent record, with some big production and some pretty good songs, but with vocals that lack luster. Everything in 2010 had to sound like this: reverb-y, songs progress almost like a Bruce Springsteen song, and everything gets real big. Some songs do it great, others are okay. Decent album. 3/5
Genre: Jazz Pop Norah Jones kind of fucked the game up with this. The musical landscape was becoming dominated with electronic and hip hop sounds, but then here came Ravi Shankar’s daughter from the top ropes, with acoustic, jazzy ballads. This shit was everywhere. I can’t believe how many copies of this record have sold, it’s staggering, and listening to it nowadays…you really had to be there, I guess. Norah’s got a great voice, and the singles still hit like they did when I was a kid, but this album is pretty meh. Good for Norah, though. 3/5
Genre: New Wave This is probably the 6th time I’ve listened to this, and the closest I’ve got to “getting” it. The Clash pull every single move out of the hat (so we thought, check “Sandinista” for the redux), and while it’s hit-or-miss, it’s very interesting to hear them try so many styles. I don’t know if I *love* this album, but I enjoyed this listen more than I have before. Lot of great deep cuts, but the singles fucking CRANK. 4/5
Genre: Piano Rock (Singer/Songwriter) An album that surprised me big time, with big sounds, confident vocals, and lush production, Tori Amos crushed it here. A woman who knows what she’s talkin’ about, and doing it in a way that’s introspective, but is full of confident, bold sounds. I loved this listen, and it’s an album I’ll definitely look to come back to. 4/5
Album: Indie Rock A very solid effort from Arcade Fire. An album full of big anthems, very well produced and arranged, with some passionate vocal performances from husband/wife duo Win and Régine and some really great instrumental work. A good listen if you need something big, loud, anthemic, but not over the top and overblown. Great stuff. 4/5
Album: Contemporary Folk Dylan’s second album, but his first in his confident, fully folk self, full of original compositions, is enjoyable to listen to. Before his voice really took off and became over-the-top, the 21-year old Bob Dylan sounds like someone who knows what he’s doing. An album that might not be my favorite genre, but one where you can really hear how influential this must have been when it was released. Not a listen I’d choose, but it’s very good, all things considered. 4/5
Genre: Alternative Rock Hell yes, x1000. I absolutely adore the first two Jane’s Addiciton records. Both are totally stellar installments to the genre, and Ritual takes their proggy elements and cranks the dial big time. These guys came to play, and they play hard, fast, and fucking awesome. Three Days is a total triumph. It’s like a prog-alt metal total jam fest, split into 3 easily recognizable sections, each rocking harder than the last. But that’s just one of the songs. The rest of the album is a total jam sandwich, and a riot to listen to A to Z. 5/5
Genre: Funk Sly and the Family Stone wasn’t always political. There was once a time where they played more Soul Pop stylings, and they made their way to the forefront with a vibrant, dance-heavy sound. This here record, though, dark, funky, with a smart, conscious and thoughtful underbelly. Really great stuff, and such an interesting change of pace from their first few records. Loved this. 4/5
Genre: Chicago Blues I like the blues as much as the next guy, but I feel like this album is sort of an odd selection. I feel like picking one of Muddy Waters early, more influential releases makes sense here, and not his “return-to-form” record. This book kind of has a weird obsession with those. “Woah, this artist came back when they were older and made a hit album” is not necessarily deserving of the “essential” title. This is a fine record, with some songs that go on far too long for what they’re doing, but it’s fine. It’s the blues. You’ve heard it all before. 3/5
Genre: New Wave A very pleasant surprise. Great vocals, some really great full band playing, and a decent collection of late 70s/early 80s sounds. Chrissie Hynde, lead vocalist and lead songwriter, does a really great job throughout the album providing all-star vocal performances and some great songwriting variety throughout, from pop rock to dub. Really solid! 4/5