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