Sep 26 2025
Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
Talking Heads that sounds urban and downtrodden at times. It's an unvarnished sound compared to future works, less syncopated and more groovy, strummy. Great album. Will listen to again.
All tracks great. Standouts:
I Zimbra
Cities
Life During Wartime
Memories Can't Wait
Heaven is amazing
Animals is RAW and frenetic.
4
Sep 29 2025
Parachutes
Coldplay
I took a piss
I took a piss on you
It's what you told me to do
And it was all yellow 💛
...I think it's hilarious. I can't be the only one who's made a similar rhyme to this song.
Was actually surprised at how much of this album I remember, as it was played by members of my friend group at the time of release. I've always thought it was rather tepid music for responsible adults (which made it weird when certain friends would play it as everything else was bangin' electronic music or punk or hip hop, etc.), and my opinion really hasn't changed.
Not the worse music in the world, but does absolutely nothing for me, save for the fun of replacing lyrics with piss pig themes.
2
Sep 30 2025
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
"Natty Dread is the seventh album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1974. Previously Marley had recorded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer as the Wailers, and this was his first record without them."
Good album. Seems like cornerstone Reggae shit that anyone who loves Marley would want and need in their life. I'm always way-more into skanky and/or out-there, heavy dub laden with crazy mixing and space echo and all that shit, so the sound on this album doesn't hold my overall interest as much as it's very straightforward and honest in it's presentation, which itself isn't at all bad and absolutely well-played throughout. Plus Marley's backup female singers are always great. Won't likely be something I'll play again, but essential for anyone into Reggae.
Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)
Natty Dread
Talkin' Blues
3
Oct 01 2025
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
Really interesting time-signature tweaks and breaks. Pockets everywhere of energetic bursts. There's lots of turns and quick transitions, with enough overarching themes or motifs to keep everything cohesive and moving. Everyone on this is very evidently locked in. Solid as fuck.
5
Oct 02 2025
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
It's hard for me to listen to jazz, but if one is going to do so, this is the album. Has Coltrane on as well. I just don't get it.
But it's cool. We don't have to talk about this. And please don't tell anyone about what I said above. And also: please make sure no one sees this review.
3
Oct 03 2025
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
C'mon. What can even be said about this album?
The production is like a West Coast-flavored Bomb Squad, not as followers but as true peers to the Bomb Sauad. The way the sampling is cut, the overlay of real-ass sounding dramatic spoken dialog, big-ass bass kicks with tight-ass high end elements. It's so goddamn sparkly and hi-def. The dynamics are all sloted together, each element occupying its own space in the frequency spectrum. It's that magic Dre touch. This album is absolute proof of Dre's utter prowess, his ear and ability to fill out the whole space and sound clean as fuck from the top to big-ass bottom.
And Eazy-E is the fuckin' star. Everyone on here is great. Eazy just brings that shit every time.
Second-half isn't as crazy as the first half, but still good shit. Tracks are a bit more minimal. Ends on some Freestyle type shit, like you'd be watching some break dancer silhouettes against a golden So Cal sunset backdrop in the hood while the credits for the album roll. Interesting where this album begins and ends.
Classic as fuck album.
5
Oct 04 2025
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I don't know what to give this album. Like it's not the worse thing ever, but this was such a disappointing album when it came out. I was enormously into Show Your Bones (still love many tracks on the album) as well as loved much of Fever To Tell. This album was a big departure from their sound when I feel they should have kept going forward with what they had on Show Your Bones, that there was still a lot of meat on those bones. This album feels like they threw that away when there was more to eat! They can have such a great heavy sound.
Instead it's this all over the place album that has no core, no sequence, no identity that feels genuine. This album sounds like what a solo Karen O album would be expected to sound like. Like dance-y, different vocal stuff, more fluff, less meat. It'd be okay if that's what it was.
I don't feel like it does what it's doing very well, or at least I don't find it compelling. It's kinda see-thru, like you already got it figured out before it finishes telling you. It's like "oh okay, it's this kind of thing..." to each track, even though these tracks vary from one to the next, which is part of the issue: each track is another thing that sounds like it's part of something larger, but that larger thing isn't here, so you just have a piece of that larger thing; it's an album that is a collection of these disparate parts and pieces.
I'm still salty 'cause I bought this album outright when it came out thinking there'd be no way I wouldn't like it, then was greatly let down and out whatever it cost (I bought it through a friend's Apple Music 'cause my broke-ass didn't have a computer at the time). My life was in a low place too. Not good associations going on. And I tried listening to get something it of this album and never could.
That's it: 2 stars (tempted to go 1 star, but there's still way-worse music than this that I want to save 1-stars for). I don't like this album. I'd be okay never hearing it again.
2
Oct 05 2025
Nevermind
Nirvana
Another album that's almost difficult to comment on 'cause it's so deeply embedded in my conscience. Listened to a million times and love every second of it. Upon re-listen after many years, this album still flies by so quickly, constituting the only "fault" of this album: it's so fucking good that it never lasts long enough. I was already on Polly and I'm like "wait wait, we can't already be most halfway through! It's been like 5 minutes!"
Production seems to eschew punk purity ethics to do what's right for the music itself. What I mean is so much of the guitar here is effect-laden (which is all Kurt) and the rest of the instrumentation seems built around that. The drums and bass are like a structure around this alchemical sound generation coming from effected guitar and oft effected vocal doubling. There's no fear of overdubs or risking overproduction and it's all the better for it. Not that these songs wouldn't play great in raw form. But Vig's hand all over these tracks create this lasting monument, heavy and powerful, noisy but on-point, magical, confident without being an asshole. There's balance here without ever becoming stale. It's been said plenty times before, but if there was to be declared what the quintessential 90s "rock" album is, this is absolutely it.
Incredible how this album front loads all the singles on side one, keeps the deep cuts on the second, and neither side is better or stronger or more energetic than the other (that said, the tracks in the second side hit so damn good, holy shit: Drain You, On A Plane). This album just keeps feeding you with goodies the whole way through, and like I said, the only drawback is it's all over too soon. Gotta go back to the front and start the smorgasbord all over again, which I've done many, many times.
I've fuckin' aged but this album never will.
5
Oct 06 2025
Next
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Fuckin' gross. "Gang Bang" is particularly disgusting. This album should be forgotten forever. There's no need to keep this around for any reason. It's so gross.
Rompy, bawdy 70s rock. Lots of butt-ass swagger here. Some of the tracks start out decent if not totally by-the-numbers stock 70s rock, but the singer comes in and farts all over the place with his repulsive, overbearing, overconfident schtick. He almost sounds like a wannabe and very unconvincing Bon Scott. There moments where things gets almost showtune-y and it's fucking awful. This guy swears he's got this big charisma but it's just overbearing sexual harassment. This guy is seriously a creep.
A lot of rape-y lyrics. Like, a lot.
Terrible. Fuckin' awful.
(I listened to this album before reading about the album/band as I want an uncolored listen the first time around, and turns out this Scottish band influenced AC/DC [which does make sense, though I would take Bon Scott any day])
1
Oct 07 2025
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Used to love this album when I was 12. Doesn't do quite the same for me now, but can't deny it's greatness in what it is. If I didn't have a previous connection with this album, I'd probably give it a 3. Having a past connection and perspective of the milieu in which this album was released, I easily give it a 4 and would understand someone else giving it a higher ranking. It's a great album, I just don't relate to it. It's cool though.
4
Oct 08 2025
Out of Step
Minor Threat
I can't comment without complete and total bias 'cause I love this shit all the way to my core. Have to ask someone else for a critical view I guess. I'll never stop listening to Minor Threat. So far as I'm concerned, this is perfect music.
5
Oct 09 2025
The Man Who
Travis
Singer is on some Thom Yorke shit for sure. It's hard to hear anything else, not that there's a whole lot to listen to. Sounds like a diluted, safe take on Bends-era Radiohead. Very boring. Very white people-sounding.
2
Oct 10 2025
Hotel California
Eagles
Never noticed the reggae touch on Hotel California.
Second song confirms Eagles is not the spot to be in.
Probably the most aggressively-Boomer music out. Life in the Fast Lane has that bigtime Boomer energy, like a Boomer literally driving in the fast lane in some oversized vehicle at some annoying speed, bumping that shit on their way to Home Depot.
I don't haaate Don Henley, or really any of them individually I guess (I was thinking about that Heat Is On song from Bev Hills Cop...I'm mean, it's got a lot of energy), but whatever happens when the Eagles form isn't something I've ever needed or wanted to involve myself with. It's like hanging out with my dad and/or someone my dad would know. Different frequencies, that's all. Probably different political views as well. Be really weird if our political views actually aligned. I'd have to check my damn self.
Victim of Love is pretty good.
Pretty Maids All in a Row takes forfuckingever. I almost died while listening to it 'cause it nearly took my entire life to listen to it.
Try and Love Again is whatever and no one gives shit about this song.
The Last Resort also takes forever. I feel like what Henley's lyrics are saying is not actually what the majority of Boomers would choose to hear. What I hear is him basically singing about is how white people came and fucked everyone over all while believing that their path was justified within their particular Christian worldview. What Boomers would hear is the heroic and Jesus-sanctioned realization of what was always rightfully theirs. The lyrics can cut both ways, especially if you're an asshole and actually believe in some type of manifest destiny shit. Kinda interesting how this song shows up on this album and eludes to whatever environmental activism Henley would become involved in later. Still a boring-ass song.
Uhh, overall this was exactly the fuck as I expected.
Hardcore Boomer shit though. Savagely Boomer.
2
Oct 11 2025
Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
Firstly, gotta say The Police is one of the worst band names. But that aside...
Growing up, me and my sisters heard "Send Renata S.O.S." as we had a relative named Renata and assumed it was the cleaning product S.O.S. that would presumably be sent to her. But that aside...
"Message in a Bottle" is great and I love it.
I relish a lot of Andy Summers' guitar work, here and throughout The Police's catalog. Melodies are usually fantastic. His percussive style of playing, rhythmic skanky strummy, use of effects, it's energetic and varied and often carries an emotional charge.
Stewart Copeland is (obviously) great, which goes without saying.
I mean, they come out with this album that translates to White Reggae or Reggae in White, so I guess they aren't hiding what their doing. I think that garners them some points, at least enough to forgive some of Sting's fake patois (it can be a bit much still) and let the music itself come through. The music itself, on this album and much of Police's work, is cool. Even Sting's bass isn't bad; it's kinda more of a functional bass element, but fits in where it needs to.
"On Any Other Day" has the fun lyrics:
'My wife has burned the scrambled eggs
The dog just bit my leg
My teenage daughter ran away
My fine young son has turned out gay
And it would be okay on any other day'
Dorky song, but still alright.
Kinda seems like the songs ascribed to Copeland lean more new wave-y, whereas the songs where it's Sting or collab Sting and everyone else, lean more Jamaican-influenced.
"Does Everyone Stare" doesn't need to be here.
"No Time This Time" is a weird track to end the album on, but Copeland's drums are fucking ridiculous. It's a bit unfortunate they aren't more upfront in the mix, with overlay of Sting's vocals taking most of the space. I feel like this was an intentional move, but still want to hear more of what Copeland is doing 'cause he's going off.
Production on this is really good. Very present. There's parts that are tight and parts that are big. The only "shortcomings" are really more mixing decisions that I would've made different (if I could arrogantly put myself in that role), like I said with some of the drum levels being background where I would have pulled them forward, but that's more a me-thing.
Anyways, this album's really good. I mucho enjoyed it.
4
Oct 12 2025
Timeless
Goldie
I love Drum & Bass. Like, I LOOOOOVE Drum & Bass. Just need to make that absolutely clear.
THAT SAID, I can't say I'm crazy about this album. Actually, I straight-up DON'T like this album.
Metalheadz is huge and vitally important, representing a standard in Drum & Bass that still endures. There are many, many classic as fuck tracks and artists under the Metalheadz banner. The Metalheadz logo is itself iconic and has long represented the sound and feel of Drum and Bass.
What we have here is that mid-90s era where beats are a bit slower than where they'd end up by the end of the 90s. That's okay, but the play time on these tracks is excessive. Like the track "Timeless" is over 20 mins long when it could have been 10 and would still be a long-ass song. This album is close to 2 hours long.
I absolutely appreciate what is done with 90s electronic music production given much of the limitations imposed, particularly with regard to limited sampling capacity. And this album obviously seeks to take it's time and create immersive soundscapes. The synths and atmospherics on this are often great. The drums are mid. I feel this way about most of Goldie's work, that the sound and atmospherics are great, but the drums aren't ever fully doing it.
"State of Mind" is very adult contemporary jazz. Feels weird listening to it. Hard to get through.
"This Is a Bad" is aptly-titled and could also be named "This Is a Mess" 'cause the the drums are seriously all over the place and not in a good way. This sounds like it shouldn't have been pressed, but rather the file should have been deleted. Holy shit. Sounds like no one wanted to tell Goldie that it's fucked up.
"Sea of Tears" sounds like a home studio buff who started dabbling in breakbeats, with a lot of guitar on top and a baseline that's too loud in the mix. Song is fuckin' 12 minutes long.
This album is a hard listen. I try to stay committed to keeping other activities limited when listening to an album off the list, but I had to get up and do shit while this played. Fuck man.
Feel like I can't give it 1 star 'cause I do like a lot of the sounds here. Like I would love to have access to the samples and synths used 'cause they could be turned out proper. But I don't ever want to listen to this again.
Shouldn't be on this list. I know critics never pull the best Drum & Bass to represent the era, and I know that this album is a piece within the whole Drum & Bass story, but fuck. I would hate for this to be someone's intro to the genre. This is so boring. Sooo boring.
2
Oct 13 2025
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
I always remember the drums on this. So much drums. Apparently referred to as Burundi beat.
Love all the elements thrown in. There's like a t.v. cowboy twang throughout, a televised "wild frontier" character. Thematic elements abound, but never gets bogged down in a linear storyline. It's all adventure everywhere. Adam Ant as mixture of swash buckler, native face paint, cowboy kitsch, jungle drums, plus a band of scallywags chanting and marauding throughout. The description itself sounds ridiculous, but it all works; not only works, it bangs the whole damn time.
The rampant pastiche and nonstop vigor culminates in a truly original, one of a kind sound and presentation that can never be recreated.
Love this album!
5
Oct 14 2025
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
It's interesting listening to Elvis songs that aren't the standard songs you usually hear. Seems like this first album is slightly less refined (in a good way) than the 4.8 million albums that followed. I dunno, but this alright. It's fun.
3
Oct 15 2025
Elastica
Elastica
When you compare "Connection" to Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba," it does sound remarkably close. And one can only assume the band heard and were likely major fans of Wire. Their whole sound is basically Wire's "Pink Flag" sans the grit and weight of Wire's heavier tracks, which leaves us with what Elastica is: palatable post-punk power-pop (how's that for alliteration!), molded in the sound of Wire's first stuff.
It's not bad. The music video for "Connection" played non-stop back in the day and likely sparked some of my high school girlfriend's lesbian inclination (she would go on to marry a woman and currently has two kids with said woman, which is great and I'm honestly very happy for her). Said girlfriend had this tape, and while I never minded it, it also never did anything for me. I feel the same now.
Ashamed as I am to admit this: I didn't actually get into Wire until I was in my 30s. I know. It's fucked up. Once I actually heard Pink Flag, I knew I'd wasted years of my life fucking around not listening to Wire. Better late than never I guess, but WTF? It's one of the few bands where I seriously missed out when they should have long ago been on my top list. Weird thing too is when I was a kid, my uncle had "I Am The Fly" on 45 and we would listen to it often and I loved it. It wasn't until like I said years later that I realized it was Wire. Again, better late than never, but what the fuck. Anyways, let's finish up here...
Not bad, but nothing stands out besides thinking of plagiarizing Wire and my high school girlfriend's emerging lesbianism.
3
Oct 16 2025
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
First side starts all rock 'n roll, then halfway turns into wizard music. Tolkien vibes are heavy. Didn't know "The Battle For Evermore" is a duet with singer Sandy Denny (who I should probably look into) - thought Robert was just gettin' it with the vocals. Stairway takes forever and is basically more wizard music.
Second side is the preferred side for sure.
"Going to California" is so damn good and I only wish it lasted a lil' longer. Brings a tear to my eye.
"When the Levee Breaks" is the best shit from beginning to end. HEAVY. And of course the initial 2 bars of drums are absolute legend. One of Zeppelin's best tracks. Can listen to on repeat and totally be good.
Not the first Zeppelin I turn to. Obviously a huge, indispensable record, but I'm good with just the second side dawg (no dis to the first side, just not usually where I'm coming from).
4
Oct 17 2025
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
I have honestly never listened to a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album or really much at all (which I really should have by now). This is like a whole different type of music. I really fuckin' like it.
Listened to on good headphones first time and glad I did as this album has crazy-good production. Like holy shit.
Every song is an entire story with incredibly rich writing. The music is ridiculously well-made. I'm floored.
Not surprising, but I really have been sleeping on Nick Cave. Maybe now is the right time in my life for me to finally get down. Whatever it is, I want more 'cause this is like no other shit.
5
Oct 18 2025
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
Actually didn't mind it. "Waiting for the Bus" has a cool sound to it. Most other tracks are bluesy and it's alright, but I kinda stop following along. Good music for biker people.
3
Oct 19 2025
Paris 1919
John Cale
Very nice. All very pretty, soft and picturesque. Strings come in and layer scenes with richness. "Macbeth" then turns it up with some rompy glam that sounds really good. Drums get heavy on this track.
Second side is a bit less dreamy and more cognizant (though "Half Past France" still floats away in a cloud). Still very picturesque throughout.
Cale's singing kinda reminds me of Eno's. Like it's not "good" in technical terms, but it's very sincere (and I mean all that favorably). This whole album has an Eno quality, and I don't think there's any way Eno didn't hear and wasn't affected by this album.
Lovely production. Beautiful record.
4
Oct 20 2025
Music
Madonna
I always liked "Music."
"What It's Like for a Girl" is really sweet and beautiful. Ngl, brought a tear to my eye. Melancholic and moving.
Not bad, but a lot tracks, especially on first half, kinda mush together. Production is very early-2000s, which isn't bad in-itself but kinda feels generic and pre-set heavy. Very in-the-box.
Second half gets a bit more interesting and diverse. "Paradise (Not for Me)" is cool. Last song doesn't sound like a Madonna song. It's okay.
I wouldn't mind if someone else put this on. I'm not likely to ever put it on again, but it's not bad. Just not a whole lot of distinction between tracks.
3
Oct 21 2025
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
First moments on this start hella disco funky and it sounds great. It quickly changes to Salsa and stays on Salsa. I don't know what to do with Salsa music, but this isn't bad.
3
Oct 22 2025
Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon
Cool indie guitar rock. I can see why they're so big. Probably not going to return to it but nevertheless enjoyed it while it played.
4
Oct 23 2025
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
Amazing. It's impossible to conceive modern music without it. One of the albums that truly altered everything. Plus it's just great to hear Jimi sing...and play of course. One thing to note is the drums on here are also rather ferocious throughout the whole thing, like dude is going off the entire time. The entire album and everything about it is great and we're all lucky to have this.
5
Oct 24 2025
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
One of the greatest albums. Probably best Iggy album. Will forever be playing this album. "Dum Dum Boys" and "...Mass Production" are deeply satisfying epic songs.
I listened on good headphones for this listen I think for the first time ever, and it's actually quite a different experience! Incredibly textures. I'm hearing shit I've never noticed before. There's a lot of detail in this album, a lot of tucked away or low-key touches throughout as well as interesting multi octave multilayering of Iggy's vocals.
One of the best.
5
Oct 25 2025
Moving Pictures
Rush
"Tom Sawyer" is so damn good. The synth, which I think without looking is the Oberheim OB-X that Geddy uses a lot. Fuckin' love the OB-X. Love "Limelight." Enjoy all the rest as well. Rush makes me feel really comfortable. Even too comfortable for certain company. If I'm alone, Rush is like pajamas and a blanket. Cozy and nerdy and satisfying.
4
Oct 26 2025
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
It's aiiight. Some interesting vocal delivery here and there. It's like palatable folky soft rock with a personal touch and a slight edge. It would sit comfortably next to Carole King but with a tiny bit more grit. It's overall whatevs for me but could be legit for someone else.
3
Oct 27 2025
Scott 4
Scott Walker
"The Seventh Seal" somehow doesn't sound serious. Or sounds like he was rushed to make something and came out with a mediocre story song that shouldn't and doesn't need to be happening. He sounds like a fill-in singer, like a better singer would come later and do the real vocals.
Sounds like made for TV music. Like you'd hear a song on here and you'd be like "oh shit, that's the theme from that one fuckin' show, this is what it comes from."
Dude's vocal delivery sounds like he's trying to sing. Like he wants to sound a certain way and is trying to sound like whatever that is. I just ain't buying it.
Intro on "Boy Child" is cool. Then it gets theatrical and I dunno...like trying to be magical or some shit. The plucky instrument is nice though. "Hero of the War" has him sounding a bit more in a mode that suits him. He sounds more relaxed on "Duchess" as well. I guess on the second half he sounds a lil' more like he's actually singing. I dunno. Probably had to be there.
Not for me.
2
Oct 28 2025
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" is one of the best songs EVERRRRR. I don't know how you make a song so fucking good. Gotta rewind 'cause it's never enough just one time. I'm happy to be alive just so I can hear this song.
I enjoy this album a bunch. There are certain tracks I'm not totally-totally into, but still those tracks lend themselves to the overall theme and place of this album. Some songs I absolutely love, like the aforementioned as well as "Ready to Start" which is also an exceedingly-good-ass song.
I enjoy this album. I will play it again as I have.
4
Oct 29 2025
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk are supreme. Nothing can fuck with Kraftwerk.
Fuckin' love this album.
Listening on headphones is a treat with this one, as is of course listening on any legit system. Shit, I'll bug out on Kraftwerk playing on anything.
KRAFTWERK ARE THE GODS. BOW DOWN.
5