T. Rex, I apologize. I've never been big on glam rock, I generally ignored you guys just assuming there wasn't much to dive into. Thoroughly enjoyed this one though. Strung-out, with shades of Grateful Dead and Bowie. Just awesome top to bottom.
Post-punk sound, really cool alt-rock vibe. Great melodies, very eighties, driving bass. Really enjoyed this one, seems like a great precursor for some later 80s alt. Sleater-Kinney esque, garage-rock/punk/post-punk. Really like it.
A personal favourite that I've listened to more times than I can count. Always amazed at how much I find to enjoy each time through, as well as that they were all ~20 writing this album. It's got an air of amateurishness (complimentary) and garage rock mess. Songs are all tight but loose. Intricately layered, noisy, twitchy, and full of brash, youthful energy. Alex Turner is at his fast-talking best as he sings about being young and stupid in the UK. Love this one all the way through, an easy five stars and a truly great album.
A great one, top tier album with so many great tracks.
T. Rex, I apologize. I've never been big on glam rock, I generally ignored you guys just assuming there wasn't much to dive into. Thoroughly enjoyed this one though. Strung-out, with shades of Grateful Dead and Bowie. Just awesome top to bottom.
I gotta give this one another listen. I want to like Springsteen, he’s undeniably talented, evocative, and all that. It just never seems to really speak to me. I dunno, try again see if it clicks more.
It was fine, I guess? Melodically it was easy listening. Breezy country-pop with a few frills but nothing that seemed especially interesting. Lyrically it was drab. I didn't find much that jumped out to me on listen number 1, and more regularly I felt it was quite basic and lacking in emotional heft. I don't know, I didn't hate it. It was a decent enough album to listen to on a drive, I just don't think it will get any replay value from me.
I wouldn't consider myself a jazz officianado, but have done enough of the classics to know a little bit. This was an incredible listen. Just top tier stuff through and through. If you're not a "jazz person" go in with an open mind. It's pretty accessible as instrumental-based jazz goes, and really is just an incredible performance top to bottom. Loved it.
Gorgeous songwriting. Maybe a little overstuffed with strings and other instruments here and there, but largely pretty clean. Awesome listen!
It's got some good melodies. It shows its age periodically. Nothing in here that's especially groundbreaking listening in 2025, but it's still solid listening.
Enjoyed this, by and large. Even though I'm usually a punk guy I actually enjoyed the second half of the album more. The ballads and more New Wave sound worked quite well and were just a bit more interesting to my ear than the punk numbers. If I had to pick I would probably put "Kid," or "Lovers of Today" as my favourite tracks. Thought Chrissy Hynde's vocals were awesome throughout, just falls a little short of a five for me, but will definitely be giving this further listens.
Great album. Doesn't quite hit the heights of Either/Or for me, but the songwriting remains top-notch and sonically this has some really interesting layers. Always impressed by his ability to make songs that are far more "rock" than his reputation. Songs like "L.A." while not heavy, are definitely crunchier than one expects to see on an Elliott Smith album. Lyrics great as well.
I tried to go into this with an open mind, as I do not enjoy Queen's music very much. They've got some hits that I enjoy in the right setting, but their whole style of rock has never appealed to me. Sheer Heart Attack has not changed this view. This has all the Queen stuff, theatrical, bombastic arrangements. It's all very dramatic, tightly wound. Freddie Mercury is an incredible vocalist; Brian May, an incredible guitarist. Still, it just doesn't connect with me. Over-produced, and technically proficient. They're all tremendous musicians, but the sum of the parts consistently falls short for me and this album was no exception.
I have a lot of personal admiration for Springsteen. As someone who loves punk music and ethics, I've always appreciated Springsteen's focus on working class life. His heartland aesthetic is something I really have wanted to enjoy, but he's also someone who has never featured in my musical listening. The anthemic rock that he puts out has never really been my cup of tea. Still, this is the second Springsteen album I've gotten on this project. Both of them within the first two weeks of listening. I've really tried to go in open-minded with him, and its starting to click. I've given Born to Run a few play-throughs since I got it last week. What started with an "eh not for me" is becoming more compelling on further listens. With Darkness on the Edge of Town it's clicked into place more easily. I think this album feels a little more stripped down. It's got a darkness to it that Born to Run didn't quite have. Heaps of religious imagery, some slower ballads as well. Springsteen is also harnessing his vocals a little more here. Less belting out the chorus full-tilt. As a result he's more dynamic. The soulfulness is on full display. I still don't think it's quite a five for me, but hats of to The Boss, and to this project. This was the whole point, exploring artists you've missed out on and never quite given their time. The guy is great and I'm going to keep listening to this one as well.
Moody, piano driven, evocative. I liked it. This is my first experience with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and it was a largely good one. I thought listening through Elliott Smith earlier in the week was a bit of a downer. This outdoes that. It's shades of Leonard Cohen, and generally philosophical, literary, piano-driven singer-songwriter stuff. It mostly worked, though I think an album like this likely has far more layers than will be revealed on a first listen. Will give it more spins, for now 4 stars.
Never really been my thing. Enjoy the hits on this one, and there's some nice moments I hadn't heard before but largely forgettable for me.
Not my first listen through of Lust for Life, though it's been a few years. Always love Iggy's range and charisma. Endlessly provocative as he oscillates between punk sneer, freaked out vocals, and then dropping into a Bowie-esque baritone all over heroin shrouded blues rock. The Bowie influence is audible on just about every track here, and Iggy's flair carries the album. His willingness to explore is so fun. Great performance top to bottom and musically more ornate than you would think for a guy who started in proto-punk and is known to self-mutilate on stage. Love this album.
Fun enough. I can't say I was floored, though this was very new to me. As a Talking Heads fan I found it interesting to hear so many guitar riffs here which have similar sounds to what they were exploring. Obviously they were influenced by Afro-beat and not vice versa, but always to see your favourites' influences. Happy to see some world music on the list, this was the first artist I've gotten who had never even heard of and likely never would have listened to.
Starts out breezy, dancey, and so very 2000s, then grows moodier as it progresses. You can hear the Atlanta influences. It's creative and funky, but maybe lacking some of the chaos of Outkast and darkness of CeeLo's work with Goodie Mob. Generally fun and interesting record. I had a good time.
Unbelievably soulful, tremendous guitar (and musicianship in general) throughout. Just mad I've never listened through this before. Will be giving the Isley Brothers more listens in future for sure.
I'll need to give this one another listen. Even though I'm generally aware of Floyd I've somehow never given The Wall a spin until today. I'm not sure it's entirely for me, a little overly long. Some really gorgeous songs in there, I'm sure more layers get revealed the more you go through it. 3.5 stars but I'll round up to the four as I know albums like this are impossible to give a fair appraisal to on one listen.
Just such an enjoyable listen. Maybe easy to classify Raggae as "easy listening" given the upbeat musicality, but there's a lot going on beneath the surface here. Marley's explorations of faith and liberation are fascinating. The laid-back instrumentation propels it along. Who knew personal and political struggles could sound so easy-going and hopeful? Five stars for Mr. Marley. Just had a great time.
*Sigh* These are the albums I was dreading the most I think. The "Dad Rock" staples. Does this belong on the list? I guess. It's absurd popularity guarantees that. On musical merit? No, not really. Unless you're that high on Hotel California as a track. After the conclusion of the title track there's a lot of mediocrity and downright corny country-blues-rock. I know a lot of people love "Life in the Fast Lane" but it and "Victim of Love" are absolutely grating blues-rock riffing as far as I'm concerned. "Pretty Maids All In a Row" and "Try and Love Again" are melodic, but bland and clichéd. Then the closer "The Last Resort" is another overwrought, inauthentic, ballad to end things on. Generally that's my big issue with Eagles (no "The"). They have an uncanny valley feeling to them. Maybe my awareness that they've long been accused of being poseurs colours my analysis. But damn if you can't just hear it on every track here. They have enough of an ear for melody that they're bound to write a few tracks that make you go "yeah, that sounded good." but there is no interest at all in taking a risk, or doing something genuinely artistic. It's formulaic country-rock, with the edges that earlier, better musicians had shaved off so it can be packaged for mass-consumption. Rock music for people who don't actually like rock music. In-all, a begrudging two stars for an acknowledgement that, yes, some of these songs are catchy, but on the whole, possibly the first listen on the list I've genuinely not enjoyed.
The last few years have seen me listening to more country. I've largely avoided Steve Earle because I'm not actually a huge fan of Copperhead Road, and country-rock generally, even though I really liked his acting on "The Wire." Is this album a little cheesy? Yep. A bit clichéd? Also yes. I still had a good time. Its rootsy, melodic, lyrically basic, but I think does a good line of straddling that country-lyric line of being simple but evocative. Earle's got a good ear for storytelling, so if you enjoy that part of country there's stuff in here you'll enjoy. There are also elements that sound a bit bluegrass-y to my ear. Mandolin and harmonies that are very in that old school country-ballad tradition. All in all a very solid listen. Lots of fun, 4 stars.
I remember feeling very lukewarm about this album when it was released. The hype surrounding it was tremendous. TDE was the dominant force in hip-hop and SZA the next big thing. However, my first listen through I didn't connect with it. I still don't know that SZA is a must-listen for me, but her work, and this album have grown on me over time. It's got some missteps (Love Galore) that I've never reconciled with, but have a lot more time for her melodic runs, the sleepy production, and atmosphere than I once did. 3.5 but I'm rounding down to a 3 because I don't know if the replay value is there for me.
While I don't ever recall actually hearing this, my Dad's love of UK punk and alternative made this feel strangely familiar. So many songs I remember playing at home as a kid had similar production, vocal oddities, coarse and provocative lyrics and damn if I didn't enjoy this one. It's got a charm to it. Amateurish, and DIY throughout, just gleefully odd and ecclectic. Your local pub band experimenting and having fun. Tracks like "My Old Man" are downright groovy, then you get ridiculous follow-ups like the carnival-inspired "Billericay Dickie," full of cockney rhyming slang and monotoned spoken-word lyrics. Instrumentation is generally a strong point. Drury's voice may not transfer across genre well (though Blockheads shows some different shades), but with this sort of pub-hooligan-stoner-funk-punk stuff its absolutely fine. Lots of interesting musical changes as well. I don't know what y'all are on about. This was great. Possibly the most fun I've had during this experiment, and one of the first artists I've got I had never heard of prior to today.
This was fine, I don't know why it's on the list. If you're telling the history of modern rock music do you need to include Jack White? Yeah, but as a member of the White Stripes. Does his perfectly fine, but kinda derivative solo-project blues rock need to be on the list? Nope. As a listen, this was fine. It's more expansive instrumentally than any of his work with White Stripes. I felt like this eliminated some of the more interesting, grungy, and garage elements that helped make the Stripes so good. It's got all the Jack White frills otherwise, but just with way more piano. Screeching guitar solos, whacked-out, rapid-delivery lyrics about... something... I dunno, it's fine. I listened to this when it came out and went "eh, sure, whatever" and today re-listening I do the same thing. Given it's on a list of albums to listen to before you die though, I do start asking questions about why it got selected. Is it because it's blues rock and a certain type of music critic gives that a huge leg-up? Not quite as bizarre as "Brothers" by Black Keys being on this list, but when you think of some modern albums that this displaced (21, Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Lemonade, The Suburbs) it just seems stupid. Anyways, my perfectly fine listening experience got slightly derailed by thinking too hard about why in hell this album is a "must listen to before you die" album. 3 stars.