Hard to separate the music from the mega-mega star. I’ve always been kinda agnostic about T-Swizzle, not worth the effort to be a hater, but always found pop music I enjoyed more. But I have to say this is full of bangers, and totally enjoyable front to back. Catchy and fun, I found my head bobbing almost every track. Dinged it a star for the lyrics and rhyming schemes getting a little predictable and cheesy by the end of the record.

BELIEVE THE HYPE

Stone cold classic. Marked the re-birth of rock. Perfection.

Enjoyed every song. Just know they have better records coming, and a lot of sections are a little too Sgt. Pepper rip-offy.

A joy to listen to. Funky and fun with razor sharp production.

So fun, so much energy. A building block for the genre that’s still enjoyable and fresh.

Probably a 4 on a general scale; but I’m rating on the Bowie scale. This was a nice surprise, as I only gave it a few spins back when it came out. An excellent late-career entry worthy of his legacy.

Sounds like 5 shitty, totally unrelated songs being played over each other. And oh yeah, it’s almost 2 hours of this nonsense. Don’t do drugs kids. A torturous cacophony of misplayed notes and unharmonious “experimentation” disguised as high art. I don’t trust anyone that says they genuinely enjoy this.

No surprise that the singles were great. Little surprise that the rest was mostly forgettable, if pleasant, filler.

Wish I could do 3.5. But screw it, I’m in a generous mood so I’ll round up. The highs are gorgeous. Some memorable, emotional folk. “The Calvary Cross” is one of my favorite folk-rock songs ever. Just a couple skip over tracks, and knowing this isn’t my favorite Thompson album drops it a tiny bit.

A bizarre inclusion. Good record. But kinda a boring, meandering, and uninteresting entry in a great Blur catalog. 2.5/light 3 is my real score. Nothing to dislike; but they have some awesome records, so there’s really no reason to waste time with this one.

Funk/disco isn’t really my scene, but this is a fun record. Some really good, danceable tunes, loved a lot of the guitar work.

An absolute classic. From the songwriting, to the pacing, to the production, and most importantly, my favorite vocal performance on record, this album is perfect. Jeff’s voice absolutely soars. A key cog in the discussion of 1994 being the best music year, Grace is in my 90s top 10 and likely one of my overall top 20 albums.

A fun listen from an artist I wasn’t familiar with. Seems pretty cutting edge, pre-Avalanches sample based dance. Surprised and impressed with how engaging the tracks were.

A good record, but hard for me to distinguish or remember any specific tracks other than “Good Times.”

A no doubt 5 starer. The beacon or 90s narrative hip-hop. In a brisk 39 minutes Nas takes us through every nook and cranny of his environment. Every second is maximum engagement. Potentially matched by some early Wu Tang projects, but it will never be outdone. Just more fuel for 1994’s “best music year ever” fire.

I’m sure they’re great musicians, but this is brutal. Boring, cheesy, elevator music. Nothing to connect to emotionally, and with vey dated production. Sounds like what’s quietly playing in the background as you walk around an 80s mall.

A lovely little record from Simon that I wasn’t familiar with. It’s quirky, honest, and very re-listenable. Some experimentation that adds valuable flourishes without taking away from the songwriting. If this was the debut from Joe Shithead from Brooklyn, it’d be 4 stars. But need to grade compared to the rest of this list and his catalogue. An exciting discovery nonetheless.

An all time favorite and as easy a 5 as there will be on this list. The textures and production are still unmatched. It’s an album that you don’t really hear, but feel. Birthed a whole new world of sounds that no one’s been able to replicate. In my top 20 all time and my top 10 for the 90s.

A blast. This is how I was my rock and roll. Loud, lewd, and loose. Banger after banger. All killer no filler. All hail Iggy!

I appreciate the musicianship and impact, but my western brain just doesn’t connect emotionally to this. It’s pleasant, kinda shoothing really. Just not my journey.

Such a great record. Great, Stonesy guitar licks. Perfect 90s slacker attitude and delivery. Self-effacing, honest, funny, and sometimes shockingly vulgar lyrics. It all comes together in a terrific indie rock package.

They’re talented, but this just isn’t my preferred rap style. That jazzy, super aware stuff comes across as so corny. J5 are for someone, just not so much for me.

“Superstitious” is outstanding, but other than that, there just isn’t much here for me to engage with. I know Stevie is exceptionally talented and important, but this just didn’t connect with me. No relisten.

Hard to separate the music from the mega-mega star. I’ve always been kinda agnostic about T-Swizzle, not worth the effort to be a hater, but always found pop music I enjoyed more. But I have to say this is full of bangers, and totally enjoyable front to back. Catchy and fun, I found my head bobbing almost every track. Dinged it a star for the lyrics and rhyming schemes getting a little predictable and cheesy by the end of the record.

I just don’t get it. Seen a lot of people give this 5 and have seen it on best of lists as long as I can remember. But after the first song it’s just some idiot squealing randomly on a flute while his friend practices seemingly unrelated guitar scales at the same time. Absolutely nothing here after track one for me to engage with at all. Not my thing.

Spectacular. Not a single quibble on songwriting, performances, or production. Just gorgeous stuff. Still the gold standard for dream pop. Sorry Beach House.

Pretty stereotypical 70s singer-songwriter stuff; soft vocals, bongos for percussion, heavy lyrics, lush acoustic instrumentation. Having said that, it’s a very good version of those tropes.

A stunning record. Haunting and beautiful, JD’s growth just from their debut the year prior to this is still shocking. It’s spooky, atmospheric, and ultimately a devastating look into the doomed psyche of Ian Curtis. In my all time top 20 and 80s top 10.

These building blocks of rock and roll albums are always a lot of fun. Fats rules.

A terrific record. I typically don’t love the “step up in production quality” records from artists that thrive with a raw sound. But PJ’s songwriting and performances are of such high quality the crisp production lifts rather than stifles. Just killer art rock.

Maybe the peak of the first wave of solo-Wu releases. Deeply lyrical, amazing flow, great featured verses from the rest of the clan, incredible thematic consistency, all combine for a stunning classic.

I hadn’t done a full listen in years, as when I’m in the mood for the National, I usually go with Alligator or Boxer (both 5 stars in my opinion), and I really enjoyed it more than expected. The reputation I gave it as quality, but a little sleepy, was unmerited. The songs and lyrics are honest and gorgeous. I must be more patient as I get older because I had no problem with the pacing either. Brought back some wonderful memories from this era also - it’s what this project is all about.

I’d rank this #3 in his Ditch Trilogy, but it’s still getting a 5. This is my favorite era of one of my all time favorite artists. Raw and vulnerable, Neil is on the edge of losing it. Absolutely vital.

This album rules. I’ll always take their thrash stuff over this (Morbid Visions, Schizophrenia, Arise, and Chaos A.D. are all 5 stars to me). But their full embrace of Brazilian percussion and rhythms here is so powerful and just so damn interesting. Metal, more than other genres, seems to have the ability to adjust to geography in really special ways, and this is maybe the best example. Really influential too, seems like most of these riffs ended up on the first couple Slipknot records. More of this! 🇧🇷🤘🏽

This prog/psychedelic scene just isn’t for me. Clearly great musicians, but self-serious to the point of unintentionally sounding like a joke. 2 stars because when the band actually just rocks out, it can be pretty cool. But those parts are too few and far between.

Heard these tunes a million times, but damn, most are still pretty good.

Just 70s dentist waiting room soft rock dogshit. Everyone’s tastes are their own thing, but I just can’t imagine a world where this vanilla lame fest is “essential” to anything.

Tough to grade. The trip-hop type tracks are pretty enjoyable and engaging. The other artsy-fartsy high brow stuff is very much not enjoyable. A 3 is most fair, but it didn’t garner a relisten, which means a 2 on my scale.

No need to overthink this one. Every song is good, some excellent. This is vital new wave/power pop/punk.

This is when I really wish we could do halves. 3.5 with a bullet. This isn’t typical the kind of music that grabs me, just sounds clinical in a way, a little soulless. But as a life long shitty guitar player, I just so respect what Knoffler can do. The guy’s playing is unique and incredible. I’m not going to deny DS a good review. I enjoyed the record.

One of the small handful of records I use as the measuring stick for a 5. It’s perfection. All aspects of the band are at the peak of their powers here.

Cohen is a master songwriter, just wish the musical accompaniment on this one was a bit more varied.

Little overstuffed, but obviously some classic tracks and they really paved the way for other rock operas that I just musically enjoy more.

A prefect album by an all time favorite artist. Everything positive anyone has said about this is true. Exceptional.

A light 2. There are some catchy songs, but the cheesy mid-70s radio rock thing just doesn’t do it for me.

And early hip-hop classic that delivers on its reputation.

Sorta the un-hip cousin to “Exile in Guyville”, Jagged is rammed with hits, most of which hold up well. She still puts on a great live show too. 3.5

Fine I guess, but they got the wrong NERD album. No track on here is nearly as cool as anything on “In Search Of”

I prefer the Bruce era, but this is a genre classic that set Maiden on a path to glorious heights.

Pushing boundaries and blowing minds right to the end.

Super fun record. The inspiration I need to finally do a Roxy deep dive.

Way better than it has any right to be. Very cool to hear unique versions of the classics. And even better, the expanded arraignments really elevate the much weaker (shitty) Load and Reload material to new heights.

Knew the name but never listened. Absolutely love it. Kinda like a mix of Spiritualized and Strerolab but with more pop sense. On my second listen now and can’t wait to deep dive. What a fun discovery.

The hits are undeniable, but the rest is a lot of filler. It’s my lease favorite production style, and just hasn’t aged well sonically. Dude’s a pervert too. Pass.

A wild, noise-rock masterpiece.

BELIEVE THE HYPE

Been 20 plus years since my last full listen. Enjoyed more than I thought I would - “When the Levee Breaks” rules.

A chill electronic classic. Air make electronic music that’s engaging, catchy, pleasing, and so very French.

As easy as this gets. Every track is an unimpeachable stone cold classic. The biggest, most important building block of metal. I’ve heard these songs 1000s of times and spending the day with them yesterday was still a thrill.

Fun blend of east meets west. Soothing and enjoyable.

I tried. I really did.

A thrilling, fully engaging techno classic.

A brand new discovery. Really enjoyed this set; beautiful classic country with great storytelling. 3.5 now, but I feel like this will grow to a four with more time spent with the artists.

Gorgeous album. A classic for a reason, Joni’s voice is unique and her lyrics insightful and heartbreaking.

When I was 14 I thought these guys were cool. Now I’m 41 and think they pretty much suck. The singles are solid, “Under the Bridge” is still great. But the rest oscillates between totally forgettable and downright embarrassing. Anthony Kiedis may be the worst lyricist in rock history.

Teetering on 5. A tense, electronic album with perfect production and pacing. Having vocals on most tracks keep me engaged throughout and the singles brought back memories of a great era. Breathe with me!

Fun record, just tough to get a real vibe on YouTube with adds. Also a little disappointed that “Our House” is so far and away the best track here. I’ll revisit later.