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.