1001 Albums Summary

Album 1 Top 3 faves off the album: Hot For Teacher, Top Jimmy, I'll Wait I'm going to try reviewing albums in a way I don't usually do; that is, by yapping about them to the best of my ability. Maybe by the end of this, I'll have something to say! Van Halen has always been a household name for me, but I haven't gotten around to listening to them in-depth until now. The pacing of this album was well done, stepping off the gas pedal between some of the most driving tunes without losing the energy at the heart of it all. I wish I had something insightful to say about the drumming and guitar, but everything has been said already. They're phenomenal. Lyrically, I think this one falls on the lower end of middle ground. As far as this project goes, I currently have nothing to compare it to. As an avid music listener in general, though, I've heard far worse, *and* far better. Time will really tell where this one falls in the total ranking, but I doubt it's going to be above the midpoint. Overall, this was a solid start to the journey, and an enjoyable listening experience!

Album 2 Top 3 favorites off the album: Pulling Teeth, Coming Clean, All By Myself Every so often, I listen to an album that makes me realize that maybe I'm not as far removed from my angsty teenage self as I think I am. Life runs in cycles, some ages feel closer to others, etc. etc., whatever you want to say about it. Not every song hits the same as when I first came across Green Day, but I was surprised by how many did still resonate in some capacity. Maybe your early 20s aren't so different from your early teens... Self-reflection aside, a few songs sound quite a lot like each other, not just in a signature band way. It's all Very Green Day, but some songs are Very Green Day in a way that's more similar than other Very Green Day songs. Not necessarily a bad thing; it just makes me go, "oh, this isn't the same song as a minute and a half ago!" I'll always love early Green Day for their energy, though, so none of that bothers me. Green Day was the first band I decided to like by myself. You know how you grow up listening to your parents' music, and you like some of it and don't like other parts as much, and one day you're digging through their CDs and records and you find a title or a band or some album art that piques your interest, and it's *your* discovery? That was Green Day for me. I was an angsty middle schooler, just about as un-punk as you can get, and I found a copy of American Idiot on the CD rack. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I haven't listened to this album before, so instead I'm just going to be honest: I'd never listened to this album before! It was exceptionally difficult to pick my top 3 favorites! This is an excellent album to drive to! Traffic had nothing on me!

Album 3 Top 3 favorites off the album: Down to Zero, Love and Affection, Save Me What a voice! Loving this as a different sound from the last couple albums. Reminds me of Tracy Chapman, loving the guitar. Each track has a different sound while still maintaining the warmth and soulful qualities! I was a little surprised to enjoy the lyrics as much as I did (more on that below). It's not exactly my go-to flavor, but I'm actually a lot less of a hater than I pretend I am. TLDR: I love love. I feel like I talk a lot about me in these reviews, so much so that it feels like another diary. If you're reading this, that means you're bored or you actually give a crap about what I say. Cheers to both! That said: I. Adored. This. Album. I loved it. I tend to scoff at love songs because obviously I'm above mushy, public declarations/discussions of affection. Deep, deep in the depths of my disillusioned, overly pessimistic heart, though, I love love. This album reminded me that I love love. The way Armatrading writes about it, the ups and downs, lost and found, it's something pretty special.

Album 4 Top 3 favorites off the album: People Get Ready, Good to Me as I Am to You, Groovin' Oh, Aretha Franklin, my beloved. Is there really anything to be said? A fantastic voice, an album that makes you get up and dance, it's always a treat to listen to her. In the interest of saying something else, the bass across this album is delicious. If loving lower voices is a crime, lock me up and throw away the key. The horns are also clean as hell. I loved the funk in some of these tracks! I'm used to hearing more of her soul stuff, so that was neat! A very satisfying listening experience. I always smile when songs just fade out at the end. It's always amused me for some reason, practical though it is. A lot of smiling this album. Anyway, I think my soul ascended. That's all for now, folks!

Album 5 Top 3 favorites off the album: Train Leaves Here This Morning, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Nightingale Good variety in sound. I can appreciate an album that flows well. Unfortunately, I'm just not that into country rock of this flavor. Things I will give credit: 1. They can do a solid guitar solo. 2. I like the banjo, and there was an acceptable amount of banjo in Earlybird. 3. There are delicious vocal harmonies which make for fun musician listening. Lyrics for this one sit in the middle for me. Some songs hit, others don't. Maybe I'm just a hater. Funnily enough, my mom was just listening to The Eagles in the kitchen. One of my middle school friends loved them. I never got into them. Can't say this album has changed my mind, but I enjoyed Train Leaves Here This Morning enough that this was a decent experience. Probably won't come back to this one, though.

Album 6 Top 3 favorites off the album: Metropolis, Neon Lights, The Robots Kraftwerk has been recommended to me by friends before this, and I did give them a listen before now. I liked the song recommendation from then, and thoroughly enjoyed listening all the way through this album. It's excellent for late night public transportation vibes. This isn't something I'd normally seek out for myself. As far as electronic music goes, I'm gonna say this is my favorite type I've encountered! Maybe that will change! For now, I like how... bouncy the album is. That sounds like a juvenile description, but deal with it. It's bouncy. And smooth. It's all of the above. It's like contemporary art. There are doohickeys and whatchamacallits and gloopy sounds and growls, and it's all very exciting for me. Thank you. I particularly enjoyed Metropolis for the siren quality of some of the synths. Some of Neon Lights reminded me of Bob Hund. Does it make sense? Not even a little. Can I tell you what song or why? Maybe. Something off Omslag: Martin Kann. Possibly "Reinkarnerad exakt som förut." Might be owing to the tempo and pronunciation of "lights" and the like. Other than that, no similarity. But here we are. I liked this one a lot! I've been saying that a lot! I'll keep doing it!

Album 7 Top 3 favorites off the album: Tears Dry On Their Own, Back to Black, He Can Only Hold Her I remember thinking the first time I heard something off this album that Amy Winehouse was from a whole lot earlier than she was. 50s, 60s. I was surprised that I was old enough to remember hearing she had died. I think the album has a good sound. I like the saxophone. Winehouse has that gravelly vocal quality and lower range that I dig. I guess I had the album built up in my head, and everything inevitably falls flat when you do that. It's not one specific thing over another, which may seem unfair. This is unusually short for an entry. I don't have much else to say. Definitely a good album, and makes me wish I could rate in half stars as well.

Album 8 Top 3 favorites off the album: Tango Till They're Sore, Time, Clap Hands My first thought was, "bizarre," and then I listened to the whole album and really, really enjoyed it. It *is* bizarre. Waits doesn't spoon feed you meaning; I had to think about this one. Still thinking about it, really. Sonically and texturally, this album is unlike anything I have ever listened to. There's a gritty feeling to the whole thing, but often something lighter in sound floating over top. Another short one for today, but only because this is one I have to revisit when I'm not at work. There's a lot going on, and I'm intrigued.

Album 9 Top 3 favorites off the album: Minor Chant, When I Grow Too Old To Dream, On The Sunny Side Of The Street Un-shrimped my posture at my desk when I heard Chopin quoted in Minor Chant. It seems silly to do 3 favorite tracks because it's 5 tracks long, but what the hell, right? This was good background music. That Chopin really did catch me. I was grooving. It was nice! I love how smooth the album was as a whole, huge fan of guitar in jazz, and this album had a nice warmth to it. I was in a good mood listening to it. I think I will also go back to the chicken shack for another listen.

Album 10 Top 3 favorites off the album: A Case of You, All I Want, The Last Time I Saw Richard Mitchell is an excellent storyteller. The vulnerability and humanity of the lyrics with the spare instrumentation make for a deeply personal album. There's a hand to hold there. Also, ouch! At 9 a.m. on a Tuesday! I've been reading a poem every morning from Devotions by Mary Oliver, and I initially thought this album and Oliver's work lived in similar spaces. Both, in my opinion, have a lot to say about the experiences of love and loss. There's joy and sorrow, but there's joy again after sorrow, and so on. After some reflection, I think Mitchell's work leans more into the sadness/loss whereas Oliver embraces the entirety of human experience. Both give me a feeling of being held, though. I can see this album being one that takes on a different meaning throughout life. I think I understand it well now, but maybe with more life I'll find new things.

Album 11 Top 3 favorites off the album: Dance Indra, Light My Fire, Metamorphosis Fusion for the win! I'm a fan of the sitar, so this was a treat. The mixture of original music and covers made the album an interesting listen. Not necessarily an album I'm always in the mood to listen to, but it was not unpleasant. I'm on the more neutral end of positive, if that makes sense. I like the pieces individually, and the album is good, but the pieces that make up the whole are better than the whole. That sounds like nonsense. I'm slacking today. I have little else to say. Sitar fusion, yum. Good listen. I wish I could go back to my world music class and write another paper about musical fusion. Manifesting acceptance into the master's program I applied for + funding so I can snatch an ethnomusicology degree.

Album 12 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Green Eyes, The Scientist I get The Scientist stuck in my head sometimes, not even the lyrics, just the melody. That said, I cannot believe you are making me listen to Coldplay. In fact, I was so disinclined to do so that I put it off a whole two days. Maybe I'm just one of those attention span-lacking numbskulls, doomed to spend the remaining 50-55-ish years of my life scrolling endlessly through Instagram reels that will all be AI slop that's become so short we can gain nothing from them but 0.2 seconds of relief from the man-made horrors well within our comprehension. All I'm saying is 54 minutes of Coldplay in 2026 feels like so much more Coldplay than I ever signed up for. Really, this is going to be an unfair review. 8 a.m. is not the time to listen to this album. I'm not going to go back and do it again, though, and if I don't get past this one, I'll hit a total stop. I should just call it mid and move on, but I won't. Guitar beating eighths in 4/4 time. Drums 1, & of 2, and 4. Some piano noodling. Some Chris Martin going into falsetto. The occasional cymbal... tap. Not crash. Never too much. Lyrics that exist. A slow build to a mezzo-anything, a stripping back of instrumentation, then the sudden re-entrance of everything all at once. Repetition of one or two lines for the last 45 seconds of the song. Formulaic. To say something requiring more brain power, the album has a dark quality to me. Dark and cool. It should be a relief to listen to. Instead, the rush of blood to my head inspires a headache behind my eyes and a despair unlike anything I've felt during this project thus far. Long may I remain as unbothered as I was before. I want to feel something about this. It's my general shoulder shrug of neutrality that really gets me. I almost don't have the energy to hate it, which makes me hate it. Nonsense, yeah. But true. I just keep rolling my eyes. I guess I'm just too old to be listening to this flavor of love song now. I try to put myself in my angsty teenage shoes, or even my younger young adult ones, and I just can't really romanticize lines like "And honey, you should know/That I could never go on without you" anymore. Now, don't misunderstand: I can absolutely get behind the sentiment when it's said in a way that's more flowery. I can be as sappy as the next person. I swear. This album feels more like being beaten over the head with a hammer. Why didn't we put A Rush of Blood to the Head at the end?? I really think it was a better choice for a final tune. I was glad to hear it, but then there was one more song, and it was slow and quiet, followed by a sudden 50 SECOND INCREASE IN VOLUME straight back down into the same quiet. It belonged earlier in the album. Imagine Dragons did Amsterdam better, I fear. Crazy thing to say? Maybe. But as an avid former Dragons listener, I'm pretty qualified to judge. Sigh.

Album 13 Top 3 favorites off the album: Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats, In the Cage Here Comes the Spiritual Anaesthetist It was hard to pick 3 favorites because the album flows song into song into song so seamlessly. It's been so long since I've listened to an album like this. It's one of those where I want to say something new and meaningful, but I'm not convinced I can. Maybe it's enough to just enjoy it. I did more reading about this album than I have about any other album thus far. Also, I have decided that I am not going to resist my natural inclination towards enjoying slower, quieter songs anymore. I always tell myself that I should pick more upbeat, loud, bright songs. I do enjoy some. But you know what? More than anything else, I enjoyed Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats! I did! The variety of directions this goes sonically could have made this feel unapproachable, but it was so carefully constructed that it didn't feel jarring. There was humor. There was meditation on the human condition. There were sounds in The Colony of Slippermen that scratched my brain. There were funky time signatures. What a listen. This is one that you have to sit down and really pay attention to, not listen while doing other things. My parents love Genesis, and I am a Peter Gabriel enjoyer. Perhaps this wasn't the best album to start with. That's not to say it was an unpleasant experience; now I know I can handle an hour and a half of Genesis! It was just... much. This is the first full rock opera I've listened to. Andrew Lloyd Webber, I'm coming for you next.

Album 14 Top 3 favorites off the album: Leaving the Table, String Reprise/Treaty, Traveling Light Good day to have never gotten over anything ever! And the album right after I decided to let myself enjoy the music I enjoy, too! The opening of the album gave me goosebumps. The choir and cantor were exceptional. I've always liked Cohen's Sprechgesang; it lends an even more personal touch to what's already bare and vulnerable. Hello, strings! Did you say, "sit down and practice later"? As a sucker for gravelly voices, too, this was a good listen. This is a deeply introspective album. It stays fairly sparsely orchestrated and down tempo, but that doesn't take away from the variety Cohen is able to explore. There are tunes to dance alone in the kitchen to (yes, from experience. Mind your own business), there are tunes to make you sit on the floor and stare at the wall (your own business, I said), and in every thread there is love that doesn't blame, resent, or make excuses. The romantic part of me wants to believe that it's most people's goal to find and embody a love like that, and preferably well before the end of their lives. I don't think this album treats it as a matter of perfection, either. It's honest. I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of Cohen's discography. I'm absolutely kicking myself for not having done so sooner. Better late than never.

Album 15 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Bubblegum, Madonna, Sean, and Me; Shadow of a Doubt In an honest attempt to be fair, I'll keep this short. It was noisy in a way that was grating. It felt long even at 39 minutes. I put off listening to my next album to listen to some of my favorites instead because I didn't enjoy this one. I did like In the Kingdom #19. Very visceral and interesting. I also liked Bubblegum because it was the end of the album. I tried to appreciate this. At least it isn't Coldplay. Won't be coming back to this one.

Album 16 Top 3 favorites off the album: Rent, Heart, What Have I Done to Deserve This? SaLTbuRn ReFerEnCE???!??!?!?! (I initially hesitated to see it, but the number of times I've seen it now is... many. And I'll do it again.) It was pop. It was danceable. I'd probably be a lot more likely to hit the club if this were what they were playing. If you know of a club that is playing this, please find a way to let me know. We can go together. It'll be great. I'm neutral leaning enjoying. I was bopping at my desk. Lyrically pretty simple, but it still slaps. Cheers!

Album 17 Top 3 favorites off the album: Bring It on Home, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker First, it is beyond important to say this: I accidentally listened to Led Zeppelin III instead of II because somehow my autocorrect got III and my eyes did not process it. I was going to start this review with, "alright folks. This is the album that changed my mind," when actually it was Led Zeppelin *III* that did that. Maybe it was divine intervention because—hand to God—I did not like what I had heard of Zeppelin before III. I didn't. Not at all. Crucify me, draw and quarter me, pear of anguish, whatever. I'm not taking it back. It was true. You'll just have to believe that my mind has been slightly changed. Had I begun with this album, that might not have been the case. I like what's going on melodically. I like the drumming. I don't feel much of anything about the lyrics. They're there. Really, I think I'd enjoy this more without lyrics. The singing itself is fine. I think we've figured out through this project that I'm not much of a rock and roll enjoyer for the lyrical content. Maybe one day I'll turn off the part of my brain that rolls its eyes. That day isn't today. In a shocking departure from my usual preferences, I don't care much for the slower, quieter stuff (that part of What Is and What Should Never Be). Surprise, everyone!!! I probably won't come back to this one because I much prefer III. This wasn't a bad listen, though, and hasn't made me swing fully back to being an avowed Zeppelin avoider. That's progress, yeah?

Album 18 Top 3 favorites off the album: New Intro, Hand Over Fist, Here Come the Rome Plows I balked at the run time on this one. I'm no stranger to long albums, but I made the choice to look at the reviews of this one before beginning it. "Loud," "noisy," "too much screaming," and so on and so forth. I was nervous. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the opening. After that, the album became a little grating in how repetitive some tracks were (4 songs in). The guitar became a little too gritty for me, and the screaming wasn't the kind I enjoy. I don't think Super Unison needed to be *that* long, but I willingly listened to Rundgang Um Die Transzendetal Saule Der Singularitat (girl where are all the umlauts and proper capitalization at?), so it's probably just a matter of, "I don't like this song very much so it feels longer than it is." Unfortunately, that was how I felt about most of the album. No beef with it, just not my thing. I've heard worse, I've heard better, this wasn't a bad experience. Also, that one review that says, "I think I love my parents too much to fuck with this album" is phenomenal. Short and sweet.

Album 19 Top 3 favorites off the album: The Court of the Crimson King, Moonchild, I Talk To The Wind I'm feeling uninspired today, so another uncharacteristically short one. This was a good album. I like the blend of jazz and rock and such, and liked the variety in instrumental breaks. I think most tracks were the appropriate length, though a few came close to feeling almost excessively long (looking at you, Moonchild). Despite that, I found myself enjoying all the ground covered in those longer tracks. Overall, a good listen, and one I might occasionally come back to.

Album 20 Top 3 favorites off the album: 666 Edit, Progen 91, Lightspan Having hit the club... once? Twice? Thrice, perchance? I cannot really speak to whether I would enjoy this in the club over what they play at the club I've been to. I think... maybe some of it? I'm going track by track now on whether I would get down to this at the club. Enjoy. Move Any Mountain - yes, good groove Human NRG - no, not so much Possible Worlds - for a minute or two, only after a healthy amount of making fun of the lyrics Omega Amigo - no Evil is Even - no, but I'd dance by candlelight in a circle like a crustacean at the next girls' night function Hyperreal Orbit - no, and it got on my nerves Lightspan - weirdly enough, yeah. Sure Make It Mine - yes Oxygen Restriction - no Hear Me - no 666 Edit - no, but it goes reeeeeally hard Make It Minimal - no Hyperreal Selector - no, and this is the second use of "hyperreal" in a title this album... why? Lightspan Soundwave - yes, even though it goes on forever Progen 91 - over Move Any Mountain? Maybe. On its own? Sure Some certified booty shakers for sure, but overall not my jam.

Album 21 Top 3 favorites off the album: Georgia On My Mind, All of Me, Moonlight in Vermont This is a bit of a rambling review (which ones aren't, though?), so bear with me. A pleasant listen, as usual. It was fun to listen to a full cover album! I don't do much of that! Everything was fairly relaxed as far as tempo, and Nelson's reimagining of these songs gave them a different life. I especially enjoyed All of Me; while I'm not always a country enjoyer, I have to give it credit for being a genre that is fairly adaptable and has been pretty good as a vehicle for a lot of different types of fusion. I *am* an avid jazz enjoyer, and happily give it credit for the same. Put those two together, and this take on All of Me is just phenomenal. Don't Get Around Much Anymore reminds me of music at the Stardrop Saloon in Stardew Valley. I am a casual Willie Nelson enjoyer, and he's an artist my brother and I have in common. He also reminds me of a gift from my best friend. Yay Stardust! Yay good music!

Album 22 Top 3 favorites off the album: Red Eyes, Disappearing, An Ocean In Between The Waves I will begin by saying that I love it when neither the name of an album nor the band whose album it is gives me an idea of what style to expect. This was one of those albums and bands. This style falls under some of my usual tastes. It's fairly cool, consistently smooth, the kind of thing I enjoy listening to at night. I'd put it on a playlist with Cigarettes After Sex, maybe. One of those albums that's distinctly That Band in a repetitive way. I think it's probably a combination of... the everything. We've got very similar drumming for entire tracks, a sort of wall of sound without much adding or dialing back of instruments across tracks or the album as a whole, not much variation in vocal technique or even volume, a consistent few drones on synths and guitar in some cases, all of it contributing to that smoothness/consistency but taking away from the overall musical interest. The most interesting tracks came around the halfway point to the latter half of the album, especially those that felt more country (?). Eyes To The Wind had a slightly different sound that I enjoyed. The lyrics aren't bad (I've been really bad about giving them all the attention they deserve these past few albums... oops). Very summer night vibes, very background music. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. Really, truly neutral on this one.

Album 23 Top 3 favorites off the album: Pharaoh's Dance, Spanish Key, Miles Runs The Voodoo Down If it's a crime to be this biased, once again, lock me up and throw away the key. You can't stop me, I won't stop me, there is nothing that can stand between me and this album. I'm not normal about this one. I'm not even going to pretend to be. It's albums like these that make me wish I had taken up a "jazz instrument," and then I remember that I could simply: a. do that, or b. become a jazz musician on the cello and join a musical tradition that is so diverse and vibrant that there's absolutely space for me in it. New 2026 resolution? How can you get bored of tracks even at 20+ minutes long? There's just so much going on as the track flows. We've got solos that take us way up into the stratosphere and tumble back down, solos that dive way down into the depths and slither back up, dizzy circular figures, smooth sailing, growls, shrieks, harmonics, it's bright and then dark, smooth, jagged, bold and brassy, spare and resonant, hot, cool, EVERYTHING!!! This album is EXCITING!!! And that's just the first track!!!!!!! Bitches Brew itself is ominous and chaotic in the best way. In the interest of time, I won't go into everything else, but WOW. Easiest 5 I've ever given. This album is something special.

Album 24 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Flight of the Rat, Into the Fire, Living Wreck Another neutral leaning dislike, unfortunately. I'm not super inspired by this one either, so another short review. I don't mind screaming, really, but this one just got on my nerves. I didn't even realize it had ended and moved on to another album. Whoops. Suffice to say, the vocals were not my favorite. It's like a bad imitation of rock 'n' roll screaming, but not intentionally. I liked the guitar, some of the organ, and the drumming.

Album 25 Top 3 favorites off the album: When We Get By; Shit, Damn, Motherfucker; Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine This was a smooth listen, kind of to the point of being boring. I'm not super well-versed in R&B, but I've always liked the warmth that the harmonies bring. D'Angelo has a good voice. The album as a whole flowed into one looooooong track in my head, only really broken up by the first two of my three favorites. Lyrically, some things hit, others didn't. It's a matter of personal preference, and a lot of this just wasn't mine. I'd still rather consume all these lyrics in this genre than in a lot of other ones, though. Points for that! This is good background music for me. I will come back to this one, just not all the time!

Album 26 Top 3 favorites off the album: Silas Stingy, Tattoo, Heinz Baked Beans For a good minute and a half, I seriously considered consuming the super deluxe edition of this for shits and giggles. 5 hours and 41 minutes of The Who? All in one sitting? I chickened out, and just tackled the expanded edition instead. This was interesting to listen to. I grew up listening to more of their later stuff (late 70s into the 80s), so the difference in sound felt pretty big. I like the radio broadcast and ad style of some tracks. I also appreciate bangers of track titles like Heinz Baked Beans. I like that some of these songs tell a story! I don't often get to listen to albums with many tracks that do. Thinking musically, most of what's on here is pretty light. Not a lot of distortion on most tracks, drums stay on the quieter side, tempos are middle-of-the-road, lighter on the vocal side of things, etc. For maybe the second time in my career with this project, I find myself wishing for something with a little more weight and forward motion. Nothing so heavy that it gets bogged down, just something to generate a little more momentum here and there. Whenever I ask my dad, "who is this?" to a song on the radio, he responds, "this is NOT The Who!" Whenever he is browsing the radio and asks me, "who's this!?" to a band I don't know, the answer he is looking for is most often The Who. It is simultaneously one of my favorite and least favorite routines. It is funny most of the time. It is less funny when I actually want to know who an artist is before the song ends. Long may the game continue. This has absolutely nothing to do with the review. Maybe you find it entertaining, maybe not. Doesn't matter. It's MY public diary and I'll write what I want to.

Album 27 Top 3 favorites off the album: The O-Men, Human Cannonball, Kuntz On today's episode of, "WHAT IN THE ALBUM TITLE?!" : this. For years, I have failed to actually listen to the Butthole Surfers. Every time I hit my favorite record store at home, I see the section for their music and I have a good snicker. Today is my day. Let me say this: I cannot wait to make my exclusively country-loving brother listen to this by adding it to the playlist I am constructing for him. I swear to God, I don't know if he will ever let me recommend music again. It will be so, so worth it. I've gotta be honest: I'm not sure I'll ever let me recommend music again, either. I'm torn between giving this a low rating because my ears kind of hurt, and giving it a middle rating because it's something different that I wouldn't call enjoyable but I appreciated it for what it was. And then Human Cannonball came on. That was basically the whole listening experience: tracks that made me question it all, punctuated by one banger that renewed my will to carry on listening. It's the music equivalent of watching Bottoms, except Bottoms sucked. What the hell was going on with The O-Men? I couldn't stop listening. I actually had fun! This was a noisy album, and I'm not mad about it. I'm surprised to be giving this the rating I am. Weirdly enough, I actually will listen to this again, and am adding songs to my playlist to ward off The Horrors as we speak... write.

Album 28 Top 3 favorites off the album: Hotel Yorba, The Same Boy You've Always Known, We're Going To Be Friends This one was the right amount of heavy! Or maybe I'm just in the mood to listen to it today... jury's still out on that one. I forgot they did We're Going To Be Friends, so feeling nostalgic. Happy to say that the rest of the album was enjoyable, too. This is criminally short, blame it on... I don't know what, inability to form a real thought. Once again for myself, it's my public diary, so it doesn't matter!

Album 29 Top 3 favorites off the album: Caravan Girl, Clowns, Happiness I had no expectations going in. It was an interesting blend of soothing and charged without ever getting too hot. It didn't feel cold, but there was something cooler about it. Good mix of acoustic leaning folksy with electronic. Different vocal quality than a lot of what I normally listen to (not a bad thing), some of this album reminded me of Kate Bush. It was a combination of instrumentation, form, and vocals. I haven't listened to enough Kate Bush to say for sure, but there were bits here and there.

Album 30 Top 3 favorites off the album: Oxygène, Pt. 5; Oxygène, Pt. 6; Oxygène, Pt. 1 Okay, this one started and I immediately thought of the Nintendo DS homescreen music. Holy nostalgia, Batman! This album has a cool sound (temperature-wise). Part of pt. 1 has sounds like guinea pigs. I'm consistently surprised by how much I've enjoyed the electronic music on here. I'm not mad about it. Just not something I expected to occur. This was funny to me to review because it's in parts, so I get to rearrange the numbers how I want. It's not *funny* funny, it's really only funny to me. 5 is 1, 1 is 3, it's like a big electronic music salad. Yum.

Album 31 Top 3 favorites off the album: Willow Weep For Me, How High The Moon, Be Anything But Darling Be Mine I'm sorry I haven't heard of Sarah Vaughan before. What a warm voice! I don't often listen to live albums, so the background noise and stage commentary were fun. I particularly love the end of Willow Weep For Me. They're musicians and people who knock things over and make mistakes and laugh about it with each other and the audience. I love jazz!

Album 32 Top 3 favorites off the album: Adam's Apple, Big Ten Inch Record, Sweet Emotion I liked this one more than expected. I figured I'd be meh on the lyrics, I was largely correct, but not so much that it took away from my general enjoyment of the album. There's a good drive to the album that isn't exhausting or repetitive. It feels fresh across the whole work.

Album 33 Top 3 favorites off the album: Proud Mary, Bootleg, Born On The Bayou Another name I've kept forgetting to listen to. Unfortunately, ended up being a little disappointed with this one. It's not that it's bad, it's just not my thing. The album had a good groove for the most part, though I really started getting antsy with the longer tracks. Keep On Chooglin' had a really strong start, for example, but it lost me for the last 2-3 minutes. Oh well.

Album 34 Top 3 favorites off the album: House of Suffering, Re-Ignition, Hired Gun I need to stop doing this at work, really, but the time after work isn't much of an option, so here we are. Another one I was a little apprehensive about reading reviews (another thing I need to stop doing). I'm still figuring out what *exactly* it is that I don't like about some albums that is my jam with others. This one is hard. Literally. It's in the genre name. Usually, albums that sound Like This are not my thing. But where I haven't enjoyed others, I enjoyed this one. Why? Beats me.

Album 35 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: I Want You, Fourth Time Around, Obviously Five Believers Nah. I could just leave it at that. Nah. Crucify me if you want. He's not my thing. His voice was grating. He has the cadence of a mix of Mr. Boss and Allan from Smiling Friends. It's not really singing so much as it is sliding around in a way that's trying to be musical but just ends up being like an even more untuned slide whistle or one of those sticks that you flip back and forth to get the funny noise. Bob Dylan choose a note and stick to it challenge: impossible. Bob Dylan make it interesting to listen to challenge: impossible. Contrary to what other people think, though, I consider this to be the appropriate amount of harmonica. The harmonica actually saved this for me. I nearly faltered with the beginning of Temporary Like Achilles; I had to turn down the music momentarily, but I stand by my harmonica appreciation. At least it isn't his voice. Oh, and let it be known that Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands would normally be my flavor of song, but: 1. Bob Dylan is singing it. 2. It is 11 minutes of Bob Dylan singing it. So, my marriage to the nearest brick is sealed with a sudden, passionate kiss. I'll give him points for some of the lyrics. Absolute minimum, to be clear, but still a crumb. There is some artistry here. Again, SOME. Crumbs. My lovely mother told me that Peter Himmelman is his son-in-law, I grew up listening to Himmelman when my parents had it in the car (My Best Friend Is a Salamander, anyone?), so I'll stick to him instead.

Album 36 Top 3 favorites off the album: Wake Up, Hard Times, 30 Days A bop, I'm afraid. Lyrically simplistic, musically as well, it all starts sounding the same around 3 tracks in, but I enjoyed the rhythm. This is an album I'd put on to distract myself from The Horrors if I were spiralling.

Album 37 Top 3 favorites off the album: Gospel Plow, Halo of Ashes, Dime Western Initial response: yeah good driving music Like 2 minutes in: SITAR?!? Banger. This cooked. Loved it. Particularly enjoyed the end of Gospel Plow. Unfortunately, I listened to this at work and so have nothing profound to say. Just know I liked it.

Album 38 Top 3 favorites off the album: Oye Como Va, Se a Cabo, El Nicoya THE LICC SIGHTED IN THE FIELD Smooooooooooth. Even when it's moving, it's smooth. Loved the variety of instruments and blending of styles. Solid album.

Album 39 Top 3 favorites off the album: In My Mind, Time With You, Vastopol Initially read the title pronounced as you would Pinocchio. Realized it was From Ohio. Stared at a wall for a minute. Moved on. Goooo Midwest!!!! I think I've heard them before? They feel so familiar. Didn't expect that. After the first tune, the feeling went away. After a second partial listen, I think they reminded me of REM. I was surprised by the funk in some of the tracks. Excellent work on the bass in general. This was a good album!

Album 40 Top 3 favorites off the album: Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse, The Paris Match, Here's One That Got Away Strong start. I love some jazz. It stayed fairly strong throughout with the exception of the rapping. Tracey Thorn has a lovely voice, and then The Paris Match is followed up by a dude whose voice I don't like all that much. Oh well. Funniest song title goes to Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse for sure. Much to everyone's shock I'm sure, I didn't vibe as hard with the bouncier tracks. It may be because I am sitting at a desk rather than driving or cleaning my house (definitely the case with Here's One That Got Away), but I'm unwilling to seek those tracks out again later to test that theory. Another album I wish I could give half stars.

Album 41 Top 3 favorites off the album: Nevermore, March Of The Black Queen, White Queen (As It Began) Have heard Queen many times before, but nothing off this album. It has the usual theatrical qualities characteristic of the band, but felt different somehow. I don't hate it, I don't love it (something I never thought I'd say about Queen). Neutral. I've been slacking off on my reviews, so I'll try to give something worth reading here. More sitar, yay! I can't remember which one, but there's at least one track in here that reminded me of Peter Gabriel during his time in Genesis. Some of this interested me lyrically, other things not so much. Since this is the first Queen album I've listened to all the way through, it was fun to hear Roger Taylor on The Loser In The End. This won't stop me from listening to Queen, but I might not come back to this album for a while. We will see.

Album 42 Top 2 favorites off the album: By The Time I Get To Phoenix, One Woman Only two favorites today because 3 of 4 seems like cheating. On second thought, I'll just do a definitive ranking: it's the order of the album backwards. Ta daaaaaa. Alright, so I didn't love this one sound-wise, but I did like the story in By The Time I Get To Phoenix. I think Hayes has a good voice. It was actually the instrumentation in this one that didn't wow me, particularly on the first two tracks. Something about the theatricality of Walk On By just didn't appeal to me on this album. 45 minutes for 4 tracks... did it need to be 45 minutes? Not sure. I was falling asleep (partly my own fault for the time I went to bed, but there wasn't much that excited me about this album). I usually like soul. I don't know what happened here. I don't think I'll come back to this one.

Album 43 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Complexity, Something In The Way Of Things, Rock You This is the only album where I've skipped a song halfway through. I skipped Water after under 5 minutes. There were some decent tracks, but on the whole I didn't enjoy this one unfortunately. I suppose I just can't relate to the experience of turning around and finding Pussy Galore. Skill issue, honestly. Truly my own fault.

Album 44 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Strung Out (Edit), I would enjoy this at the club with the right group of people for maybe an hour if this is all they were playing. If they were mixing it up, it would be longer. I snorted so hard it hurt when You're Mine started. Every song was about 2-3 minutes too long. Everything has the same drums. It's all the same track with another vocalist or two. I can't do it, bestie. I can't. "Do you feel the vibes?" Yes! If the vibes are meant to be staring at a fucking wall for over an hour listening to the same song over and over again! I feel something! I hated "I See." I did. After that point, I was grinding my damn teeth, because why was the album still going? Fuck's sake. Please. This is what they play in hell, mixed in with Bob Dylan to really keep you guessing. I'm incapable of being kind today, this album got on my fucking nerves. And then Strung Out (Edit) hit, and I wept tears of joy because I love cello, and I wept tears of anguish because nothing would compare to it after it ended. There was no coming back after that one. If I hadn't already been done for, that is the point at which I would've been done for. Screw literally every other song on this accursed album. It's funny; the more I hate an album, the more I have to say. Sometimes I have more to say than I do about albums I love.

Album 45 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Double Bass, Dracula, Tomorrow Comes Today Another one that grinds my gears. I've never been a fan of Gorillaz and after this album I'm still not. There were a couple tunes I was neutral towards, but the sound just isn't my thing. I think it's a matter if the vocals getting on my nerves than the rest of the instrumentation (Man Researcher (Clapper) for example). I enjoyed tracks with bare minimum vocals the most, too, (Double Bass), so there's another point. The concept of the band itself was vaguely interesting to me when one of my best friends was into them, but never enough to get me to listen extensively. Now that I've done my due diligence, I intend on returning to my former habit of not listening to them at all. Thank you.

Album 46 Top 3 favorites off the album: Golden Hair, She Took a Long Cold Look at Me (Take 4), It's No Good Trying (Take 5) Lukewarm on this one. I actually liked the extra takes at the end of the album more than I liked some of their fully fleshed out equivalents. Golden Hair felt different than the rest, kind of dreamy in a way just slightly off, like a liminal space of a song. I dig it. Again with the wishing I could give it half stars. I don't hate it. I don't love it. I can't remember which one I didn't like, so I'll leave it be.

Album 47 1 bearable track off the album: Better Off Dead Nah. Important conversations about racism, violence, and the effects of growing up/being constantly subjected to those things. I understand why it's an important album. The misogyny was Much.

Album 48 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Why Are People Grudgeful?, I'm Going to Spain, It's a Curse Jury's verdict: æt's ^ kiːaːsɒ. ɒpaːeɪʃɒnɒ. maɪndfɒkɒ. (It's a cyuuuurrrrrssssuhhhh. Operationuhhhhhh. Mind fuuuuucccck-uhhhh.) Every time I come across an album that has a male vocalist sliding around doing shitty not-Sprechgesang and delivering monotone garbage, I'm gonna call them Bob Dylan. It's all Bob Dylan to me. Bob Dylan but make it heavier. Bob Dylan with even less melody. Can we have a decent melody in the vocals, please? Maybe a discernible one? Can we pick a note and stick to it for longer than a second? Not in a monotone way? Lost in the Music made me laugh because of the squeaking. Same with I'm Going to Spain. It's a Curse had... interesting lyrics. Fiiiiiyuhwuhhhhks. Ovuh rivuhhhhhs and bridgäääässsuh. I would get down to League Moon Monkey Mix at the club. Sad that it was the end of the album. Could've had it earlier and then just stopped there. Confession time: I may have finally reached the level of just pretentious enough to like some of the lyrics on this album. They ramble off in unexpected directions that tickle my brain. Back to the point at hand: why am I still listening to this shit? The instrumentalists are doing pretty well. Someone should have just duct taped the vocalist to a chair and rolled him out of the recording booth and let the band jam. We can do an interesting lyric/poetry reading without him. Big Crap's agenda is to make you listen to this and then the bands and the critics who recommended this split the proceeds. Hard to believe this one has any proceeds to split, but someone out there is foaming at the mouth reading this review. Guess what? It sucks.

Album 49 Top 3 favorites off the album: Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy, Love Interruption, I'm Shakin' I liked it! I think it got really fun when it hit the tracks that felt more like swing (not that the rest of the album wasn't also good). I was going to concern myself because Love Interruption was going to be the top of my list. Love as destruction... I rebuke this energy, may it never find me. In all seriousness though, I enjoyed this one a lot. Another case where I like it enough that I don't have many notes. Cheers!

Album 50 Top 3 favorites off the album: It Must Be A Camel, Peaches En Regalia, Little Umbrellas 6/7 OF THE LICC SIGHTED IN THE FIELD??!!?!?!!? I wasn't expecting his voice to sound like it does. I didn't actually have an idea of what it would sound like, but my lack of imagination didn't imagine it as that. This was a jam heavy album. I can get behind that in general, but a lot of this jamming went on a little long for my taste. I like that one effect that I can't describe right now, on the bass, the sploinky one. That's the technical term, too. Peaches En Regalia had an old videogame feel, like something I'd hear in an old Pokemon game. I liked it. It Must Be A Camel was fun for the polyrhythms. He named his daughter Moon Unit. He named his son Dweezil. I can't decide which is worse. At least if you're Moon Unit, you can shorten it to Moon which is nice. But Dweezil??? After listening to this album, I think I understand why, fundamentally as a person, he did it. In conclusion: 50th album? Not bad.

Album 51 Top 3 favorites off the album: Jo's Lament, Only A Hobo, Lady Day He cooked with the variety of string instruments on this one. Big fan. Also a big fan of folk and bluesy sounding things, so this hits pretty well. I also enjoyed the storytelling in some songs. Not much else to say, though. It's good, not great. It was fine to listen to. I could revisit it, but I probably won't.

Album 52 Top 3 favorites off the album: Policy of Truth, Blue Dress, Enjoy the Silence This feels like cheating because it's one of my favorite albums. I do think I'm a little more fair now than I used to be in that I don't love it as much as I used to, but it's still up there in ranking. We all know I love an album with a dark quality to it. We know I like the 80s thanks to my parents. Lyrically, not overly complex. I still enjoy it. I have to tell you that I clicked "synth pop" to see what albums await, and I saw Taylor Swift on the official list, and buddy, my soul died a little. Welp.

Album 53 Top 3 favorites off the album: Alaska Street, Belladonna, Keeping Pigs Together House party music. I can think of the exact people I know who would put this on. To be clear, it is not clubbing music; it has that specific LED strip lights, weed and vape scented, light on above the kitchen sink in an apartment with carpeted floor in beige feeling. Generally speaking, I like that vibe. I prefer to listen to it with other people, though. Nothing huge to say about this.

Album 54 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Tangled Up In Blue, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts; Idiot Wind It's Bob Dylan, but he kind of almost carries a tune in some spots sometimes. If he weren't the one singing it, I think I could appreciate it more because the lyrics are decent, he tells a fine story in some places. But it is Bob Dylan singing it. And the lyrics are just decent. And the day has come when I now must say that the harmonica... was a bit much. I know. I know. This hurts me so much more than it hurts you. How much more Bob Dylan is there on this list???

Album 55 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Seven Seas Symphony, Marley Purt Drive, Odessa (City On The Black Sea) It was nice for about a track and a half. Then the vibrato and nasal quality became too much, and it's all so slow except for Whisper Whisper which I didn't really rock with either. For maybe the second time on this project, I am asking for not a ballad. Marley Purt Drive made me laugh. Points back for that. Points as well for cello content. Seven Seas Symphony was pretty good. I was expecting... bops. Some grooves. Maybe even a little jam, ya know? Disco, if you will. Instead, I got a bland expression of love and sorrow and such that stayed largely at one volume level, no major instrumentation changes (the track started with the same number of instruments as it ended with and there was no development, is what I'm trying to say), and I was left wondering if the Bee Gees are actually *this* flavor of music and if the disco stuff was just a one-off. After some reading, I'm relieved that's not the case because I was going to lose my mind. Won't be coming back to this one.

Album 56 Top 3 favorites off the album: VCR, Night Time, Stars I think I need to borrow a copy of this book because I truly do not understand why some of these albums are on here. Case in point: this one. How is this an album I need to hear before I die? Please, someone, explain it. Something about minimalism and ambience and and space and silence. I get it. I'm a musician. I promise. It is not a bad album. It's just not one I think I needed to hear before I die. Like if I had 1089 days left to live and I listened to one album every single day, this is one that would make me go, "really? I just spent 38 minutes of the last 1089 days of my life listening to this?" Maybe if I had an extra 38 minutes to spare, I'd put it on in the background, but damn. I genuinely try not to compare albums to one another, but here we go: at least it isn't Bob fucking Dylan or Coldplay. Also, if I wanted something with this vibe, I'd listen to Cigarettes After Sex instead. That is all.

Album 57 Top 3 favorites off the album: LMK, Jupiter, Waitin It was decent. Chill vibes, nice voice, but some tracks in the middle blurred into one long track. I know, I know, I say that a lot because I listen at work and my reflections after aren't always fresh. LMK was different, Truth or Dare, too. Another house party-type listen for sure.

Album 58 Top 3 favorites off the album: In Every Dream Home A Heartache, Editions Of You, Do The Strand The first track sounds like Will Wood if he were from the 70s. Everything else is... okay. I can't remember what other band it reminds me of. I had to give In Every Dream Home a second listen to make up my mind. I've decided I like it. I can't say I remember another song where someone says bungalow, so that made me laugh a little. It's not funny, it's just funny to me. Lyrically, pretty good. More interesting than the last couple albums I've gotten here. Whoever said the cover deserves a better album is absolutely correct.

Album 59 Top 3 favorites off the album: You Don't Own Me, I Wish I'd Never Loved You, Will You Love me Tomorrow I did it again. I started listening to the wrong album, but I caught myself before listening to the whole thing. Amy Winehouse but with a way different take on love (less sex and fewer drugs). It's a specific flavor of yearning that I associate with late spring/early summer baking on a Saturday afternoon, laundry in the washer and dryer, windows open, nice breeze. Maybe I'm just tired of the winter. I'm a little disappointed. There were some hits, and some total flops. There's obviously way better soul out there, but still. And yes, I know I Wish I'd Never Loved You is not technically on the original release. Get over it. I liked it a lot.

Album 60 Top 3 favorites off the album: Idioteque, Treefingers, Motion Picture Soundtrack It's Radiohead. I like Radiohead. The first album I listened to was A Moon Shaped Pool because it had just come out, and then I went to OK Computer. This feels like it bridges some of the stylistic gap well. Gotta be honest, though: I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be. That's not to discredit it being a good album. It's just that. Good. Not incredible. Not even life changing, really. It's a fine listen. There are other Radiohead albums I'd rather spend my time listening to than this one, and that's okay. Nobody panic. Unfortunately, I'm not well-versed enough in this to comment on better albums from around the same time. I'll take other people's suggestions.

Album 61 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Mother People, The Idiot Bastard Son, Concentration Moon I did not consent to an ASMR experience, and I do not like it. No, seriously. Get this man out of my ear. I thought I was having a stroke when track 3 hit because it started with the ASMR again and the same soundbyte from the preceding track. After that awful sensory experience, we go into mildly ridiculous lyrics about real issues, and then it got serious. And then we went back into "what is going on," because what *is* going on? This album is kind of whiplash in musical form. Have I said that about an album before? I feel like there was one other way near the beginning of my listening. This is overstimulation in sound form. This belongs in Smiling Friends. Glep would listen to this on his tablet. STOP THE ASMR PLEASE. "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music" had something that sounded like the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō. After a few minutes of reading, I found that this is more Zappa. That explains a lot. ENOUGH WITH THE ASMR ALREADY. The infantilization of women on this album is crazy. SITAR?! After more reading, this does a pretty good job of illustrating the political extremes (explains the whiplash). THIS LICC SIGHTED IN THE FIELD?!?!? (Mother People) Overall, I... had fun listening to it, actually. It took some reflection to find it in me, but it's like watching a shitty movie, except I had no expectations at all which means I wasn't able to be disappointed. It's getting a low rating, but understand that it's given with affection and the intention of coming back.

Album 62 Top 3 favorites off the album: Eclipse, Quiet, Gone I was surprised to recognize the first song. I hear it fairly often. Then I recognized Human Being, too. Why do I know songs from this? I'm not mad about it, I just didn't know I knew. I initially thought this was going to be another house party vibe of an album (not a bad thing, to be clear). The first track has that floating, LED strip lights feeling to it. Al Sharp hit after, and the vibe was different while still maintaining the trancelike feel with the synths. I think the album does temperature changes pretty well. It definitely feels like it stays darker by default, but there's a good variety of warmer and cooler approaches, even within tracks. It's been a bit since the last review I've done that attempted to communicate how I feel about the sound of things beyond lyrics. My bad (not that it's being read regularly by more than one person (HELLO!)). I was left wanting something with a little more weight to it. This album sits on the softer side of things, and when it 's on the fence between maintaining that lighter instrumentation and hopping off into heavier percussion, more distortion, and an increase in volume, it either backs off or plateaus instead of diving headfirst into something new. The first track to come close to scratching that itch was Human Being. Even with the addition of more guitar, the organ, and more percussion, it still felt restrained where I'd hoped it would let loose. Quiet felt like it opened up more, so win! I also liked the different light vibe of Eclipse. Very lazy summer day on the bus to a large body of water of your choice in instrumentation. (Snorted at the last ~15-20 seconds of lyrics, bumped it up in my internal rating). Some extra personal reflection on the project as a whole, should you choose to read this far: I've been worried that I've been unfair to some albums. I've given so many mid- to low ratings that I had to go back through what I said about each one and really reflect on how I felt. In some cases, I think I have been harsh, but in a majority, I said exactly what I meant and wanted to say. On albums I don't have strong opinions about, I don't say much. On ones I do, I write as much as I want. It just so happens that out of 1,089 albums, I've hit a rough streak that is only occasionally broken up by one I really, really like. What does this all mean? No idea. I've got a few years worth of music left to get through, though, so I don't need to worry about it now.

Album 63 Top 3 favorites off the album: I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You), Blue Suede Shoes, I Got a Woman It's a classic. It's been a classic. It will continue to be a classic. It reminds me of a friend I had a crush on. I like the higher energy songs more than the slow ones, but it's all good. Someone needs to take me out dancing. I swear. By December 31 of this year, I will have gone out swing dancing at least once. Mark my words. I have three people in mind who would almost certainly say yes, four if we count the former crush who I haven't spoken to in a few years.

Album 64 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Richie Dagger's Crime, We Must Bleed, Manimal I don't mind unintelligible lyrics sometimes. I don't mind hardcore sometimes. I don't even mind them together. This is another album where it's the vocalist who gets on my nerves. I like what's going on as far as energy goes. I can hear where Green Day got their sound early on. This is exactly the kind of album I need to be listening to this morning. It's fast, it's loud, it's leaning heavy in the treble way. I liked the guitar solo at the beginning of Richie Dagger's Crime. Lexicon Devil reminded me of a sick cat I'm afraid. I thought the very abrupt endings were funny but also felt unfinished. It wasn't even a clean cutoff; it was like someone just stopped the recording and moved on to recording the next song. Overall, it's alright. It went on maybe 10 minutes too long. I just won't listen to it again.

Album 65 Top 3 favorites off the album: Androgynous, Answering Machine, Sixteen Blue My dad has this album, and I think it's in his car right now. He skips around a lot though, like a manual playlist across the 6 CDs he has in his car, so I've never gotten the chance to listen to the album all the way through. Thanks to my dad, I know The Replacements were influenced early on by Hüsker Dü and the hardcore punk scene up in Minnesota around that time, but then kind of went off in their own direction instead of staying hard and fast. I'm glad they did, because I don't think I would've been able to do a full album of them at their heaviest today. Or at all, maybe, but that's okay. I think the variation made it a much better album. It kept me more engaged I have a fondness for them because of my dad. I don't have anything incredible to say. I think there's good guitar work, I like that there's variation in the amount of distortion, I like that some songs are funny, and it's a good album. Yay!

Album 65 Top 3 favorites off the album: Jesus of Suburbia, Whatsername, Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy We finally got it, folks. The very first album I ever listened to by choice, for myself. A completely legitimate copy on the CD rack and not a burned one from one of my parents' friends, of course, listened to on my mom's CD player that is now sitting on my dining room table. This feels like cheating, too, because I enjoyed it then and I enjoy it now. Maybe I'll reframe it in my head as a treat for getting through a bunch of albums I didn't enjoy so much. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, PUNK ROCK OPERA??? I totally missed the storyline that was going on until today. Perhaps I'm not the only one. Crazy what reading does for you, huh? I was maybe going to cheat and skip this one and just review based on my memories of it, but I'm glad I did a full listen. It sounds different than I remember it. I often forget just how many songs on this album have been played to death, but I still enjoy them. I've always liked Jesus of Suburbia, though. It was something of a life changing experience listening to that one for the first time with the variation in sound. I'd never heard a song quite like it. I think this album as a whole is their most successful for a reason. I'll wait to see if they prove me wrong, but Revolution Radio is the only one I own for maybe two songs total, and what I've listened to of their earlier stuff was okay-good, not my favorite. As with most things, my relationship to this album has changed a bit over time. The almost-emo middle schooler dealing with loneliness for the first time became a high schooler who had a small group of good friends but felt pulled in a lot of directions to be different for different people, went to college and stopped being good at being different selves away versus at home, kind of collapsed in and exploded all at once, and now we're here. All that purpleness to say: I still indulge in Boulevard of Broken Dreams sometimes, but more as a hug to the parts of my former self I still have that genuinely felt *that* disillusioned with human connection. I think everyone feels that at some point. This album is really, really good for being that age. It's one I still come back to at certain times, too, when I'm feeling like that kid again. My favorite songs have also changed some over the years. Jesus of Suburbia still clears easily, but I forgot Whatsername even existed until today. This was a fun revisit. I think I'm kinder to my younger self because of it.

Album 67 Top 3 favorites off the album: Dress, Plants And Rags, O Stella I was initially unsure from the opening track. I wasn't digging the vocals plus the spare instrumentation, and then it got more fleshed out and the vocal style made a lot more sense in that context. As the album went on, I started really getting into it!  The sound is like if Florence + The Machine were grunge. It's an interesting mix of gritty and neat. Does that make sense? It doesn't feel rough as in unpolished or amateur, but it's got texture to it.  A good listen!

Album 68 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Orange Skies, Stephanie Knows Who, The Castle I don't know, guys...for once, I'm not crazy about all the sax and flute and such. I'm just chalking it up to, "I don't like psychedelic rock" and moving on. I was already worn out by the end and then got steamrolled by an 18 minute track as the finale. It is what it is, I guess. I don't have the energy to go back and listen to it all again.

Album 69 Top 3 favorites off the album: Lake Of Fire, Something In The Way, Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam I wasn't looking forward to listening to this one because I'm not a fan of Nirvana. I'm happy to say that this turned out to be a good listening experience. Similar to my experience of Zeppelin, this has not converted me to a Nirvana enjoyer, but has drawn me away from being a Nirvana avoider and put me in the solidly curious about Nirvana category. I think it's a case of, "everyone goes on and on about how incredible they are, and they're good, and they made big waves, but not in the pool I chose to steep myself in." It's not their fault that I just wasn't listening to grunge during my formative music years. Really, it's not anyone's fault; it's just what it is. Smells Like Teen Spirit has also been so crazy overplayed that I've had little to no interest in consuming more of their work. Come As You Are was on my radar, too, and slightly less overplayed (very, very slightly). I enjoy live albums, sometimes more than the studio ones. This sampling of their discography feels manageable and gave me a better feel for what directions they've gone in. I even liked Cobain's voice a little bit more than before. Character development! Lower distortion on some of the guitars + quieter background instrumentation = more room for me to appreciate some riffs and general construction. I'll be going ahead and listening to the studio recordings when I get caught up on my other listening. This could be a one-off enjoyment of unplugged versions. I can't say for certain, but I'm happy with this for the time being, and that's enough.

Album 70 Top 3 favorites off the album: Red Barchetta, YYZ, Limelight, Another semi-household name courtesy of my dad. I like their sound, have for a few years, not a band I seek out on my own usually,might start, might not, can't say. Weird time signatures and polyrhythms clean as always, Neil Peart is masterful on the drums, etc. etc. etc. Huzzah!