I was enjoying but slightly got distracted a then 5-Piece Chicken Dinner brought me right back what a song!
Not super my vibe but 3 stars as my fam played a lot of My Friend the Chocolate Cake growing up, who seem to be inspired by these Penguin folk. Penguin Cafe Single really reminded me of build mode in The Sims, and I would probably enjoy it more in that context
I really enjoyed this! Had definitely heard That Lady before not knowing who it was by and glad to have filled that knowledge gap and listened further! Particularly liked the sequence of Sunshine and Summer Breeze on this sweet summer day
I listened to this while exercising and felt like I was in a montage of an 80s movie, which was a great way to work out. 'Infected' got me with the beat, 'Angels of Deception' got me with fade to bridge and build to the triumphant end
Oooo wow I loved this!! What a good journey, loved it from the start and continued to love it to the end. As someone who can get distracted in albums this held my attention as one smoooooth piece, keen to listen to more from him now
Sweet sweet tunes <3
Name something more universal than a good beat!!!
I wanted to like this and get into the angsty space required but my angst just turned into angst against this album. Be Sweet would go well in a Buffy scene where Angel or Spike are being an emotionally villainous, with some good fake rain and too much hair gel. My Curse was the stand out song for me by far, but then I got angsty at Spotify for not listing the woman doing all the heavy lifting in it - love your work Marcy Mays!
A masterpiece of pop and a modern day classic. The whole album is great with stunning album art to boot, but I dedicate this review to the vision that is Green Light.
To be 21 years old, deep in a crush, and listening to this song for the first time is one of the “do you remember where you were moments” of my young adult life. If I had to take an old mp3 player with limited space to a desert island, Green Light would absolutely be on it.
Green light builds in a way that is so addicting - it captures what I love about bridges and manages to stretch that feeling close to 4 minutes, adding layers of sound expertly, culminating in a perfectly timed beat drop followed by the most explosive 47 seconds to close. This song is a prime example of why I will always love pop music.
Also crucially featured in the “I’ve got to tell my best friend I’m in love with her!” New Girl elevator scene between Jess and Nick, I have chills just thinking about it! EUPHORIC!!
At no point did I know what was happened next but I quite enjoyed the ride!
I spent a lot of this album wondering what made it standout enough for this list, but also thinking about how I would have given it a higher rating in 2010 as I was seeking similar music out, though never an Arcade Fire fan. Which shows list relevance I suppose but unfortunately it has not aged well
This was fun, enjoyed the live element, and the energy and intimacy of that! 4 stars for the impressively long drumming solo
Apologies to the Parliament for the low effort review but this was fun!
I was excited to find out what my birthday listen would be and honestly had a great time with this one! Can see why La Grange is one of their top songs, imagine was an influence on The Black Keys. Would listen to again.
Listening to Iron Maiden, on Iron Maiden, by Iron Maiden, Ironception!! Iron Maiden is a name I have always known without actually knowing anything about, and I’m glad to have now heard! I quite enjoyed this, and challenged my assumption that heavy metal has a lack of light and shade moments, as feel like there were lots of nicely balanced moments, particularly in Remember Tomorrow and Phantom of the Opera.
Very glad to connect a few song to a name I criminally mainly just knew as a name previously (You Don’t Own Me has insanely always made me think of Jonathan LaPaglia due to the aggressive ad campaigns of channel 10’s 2014 Australian drama Love Child). Particularly loved the back end of the album, some incredible break up songs, I Wish I’d Never Loved You, with stirring strings and horns was beautifully moody. Summer Is Over was a great triumphant closer, and was sad when it was over.
I listened to this at work and it made me want to DANCE! Loved the theme song energy within What’s Your Favourite Colour? Why should it only be Jason Derulo that gets to put his name within his songs (I’m sure there any many more examples of this). I really liked I Want to Know and think I am going to come out this listening project a bigger rock fan than expected
Now THIS is how you do 90s angst. Love this genre with women’s vocals at the helm in particular and glad to now know Shirley Manson. This made me want to sneak out of my American suburban home via my upstairs bedroom window to go cruising for jocks to scare and some late night diner food with a badass girl gang. One of my favourite album artworks of the list so far too, very 90s but also feels very Brat-era current
I was the fool listening to the front end of this album thinking it was falling short of the intensity I expected from a band called Suicide. A few early tracks would have been at home in the more off kilter moments of early Twin Peaks seasons and I enjoyed from that perspective. And then i obviously got to Frankie Teardrop…which could have fit into Twin Peaks season 3 when they took the darkness off the edge - both being media I endured but did not really enjoy (I’m sure it’s a not a song you are meant to “enjoy” and can appreciate the avante garde of it all but you know what I mean)
What a great and varied soundscape (even beatboxing!)
Confession, I was today years old when I found out Behind Blue Eyes is not a Limp Bizkit song (thanks So Fresh: Hits of Summer 2005 plus the Biggest Hits of 2004), oops! The whimsy of the end of Baba O’Reily was fun
This was beautiful, love choirs and voices on mass, Wawusho Kubani? was my fave
This was enjoyable listening and obviously legalise it, but did not feeling strongly about any song in particular
Ok I am obsessed with the narrator element they have going on here at the start middle and end - Time to Relax had me smiling to myself like an idiot, into the drum roll open of Nitro, wow. The playful and tongue in cheekness was so good, or I guess I should just say the punkness?
I’m realising I really like music that demands your attention in the way that stuff like this just does. Are they singing about stupid stuff sometimes? Probably, but I don’t care, and I generally like the intensity of the wall of drum and guitar they have going on. Lyrically, Not the One was also quite a cathartic listen. Wish there was some nuance to the rating system to give scores between whole numbers as I first thought was 3.75 but will round up.
When I live out my dream of becoming a drummer I will be returning to learn some of these.
I once tried to get in Radiohead in high school to seem aloof and cool or whatever but I can’t pretend that is my truth (with exception to Talk Show Host as the intro song to hot young Leo in Romeo + Juliet, that was very authentically important to my teen self).
Knives out was quite lovely, but this dragged a bit for me on the whole and I accidentally put on something else part way through forgetting the assignment which is never a good sign. Don’t worry though everyone I quickly remembered and went back and finished this like a good album reviewer. I will try harder when the next Radiohead album inevitably pops up on this list
This was a delight and warm and did everything it needed to do in its sub 30 play time
A 5 star first listen! Questioning why I grew up in a Beatles only house when George was putting out straight bangers! Instrumentally this was so good that just the backing track of What Is Life was one of my favourite songs
Some more important music education for me matching lots of songs I’ve heard to a name I’ve heard! Some grooves, lots of heart and what a good cover to close
Ok Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding, wow what an epic of an opening song that Elton makes sound so effortless. All The Girls Love Alice into Your Sister Can’t Twist into Saturday Night’s Alright was my favourite trio, was loving the surf rock vibes!
And of course Goodbye Yellow Brick Road puts my right at the Gasoline Pony with my friends 🫶
This was easy enough listening, with the genre of yearning that would be rolled out in a hallmark romcom - song titles erring on stalkerish and songs that I not find emotionally stirring as I imagine Dion wished I had. It did pick up at the very end though when they finally brought in some beats, and Lover Supreme has tipped this into a 3
Be still my US studies heart - nothing still about Springsteen though! He’s always going somewhere, down today! Downbound Train and I’m Goin’ Down were great stuff
This was a hard one to rate for me, the Greatest Hits of the Police featured HEAVILY in my household growing up, and I was ready to love the album tracks I had not heard before on here, and whether it was a case of the bar being set too high but was left still loving the singles but not too much in between.
Message In a Bottle is a firecracker of an opening and one of my favourites of theirs generally, but alas.
Very into the album name and album art synergy, love literal design choices so much sometimes! The music itself was interesting and abrupt and grating at points. It felt quite modern to me in a way that surprised me, which for an album almost 50 years old probably means I just don’t know enough about 70s rock. Different Like Me reminded me of Someday by The Strokes in particular, and guess that’s the cycle of music inspiration for you!
This is a high 2, but it was grating enough to drop below recent 3s.
Retrospective review but to absolutely not do him justice I had no idea until seeing his Spotify profile that he is the Toy Story guy!!
This was inoffensive but felt bit genric maybe due to how much 70s we’ve had recently, Nilsson Schmilsson is a good album name though
New Blondie fan!! Another classic review of mine where I’ve finally connected songs I’ve heard before to a name. Had never heard Pretty Baby before though and it’s the first song in all of this list’s listening to reach instant repeat on a loop status. I wish I hadn’t just read that it’s about a 13 yo Brooke Shields, but musically it’s addictive!
Striking, haunting, beautiful, extra terrestrial
Shocked to learn that the origin of respect is her TENTH album?! And so much emotional depth and maturity in her sound by 25?! I loved Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
Hot take - Karma chameleon is so Australian coded, tell me a song that better conjures the feeling of being outside on a hot summer day, and then coming in to watch some free to air 90s/00s tv with a Calippo. Real evocative musical imagery from this English band that strikes a chord deep within me and I will not be paying attention to any other actual lyrics or meaning!!
I always like the fun bounciness of New Wave bands so enjoyed the album tracks I had not heard before. Mystery boy went off, and Romance Revisited was such an unexpected but fun, camp end.
After seeing Ramones band tees plaguing all of the earth forever, I was really expecting more - this did not live up to the notoriety. was monotonously the one loud yelling tone for most of it, give me some different tones on the next one please Ramones!
Soooo breathy soooo 2003, a xylophone??
Love the idea of a hidden track if you had been listening to this on a CD player but alas Spotify.
You think I’m going to give an album with a song called Rat Salad less than 4 stars??
This was really great running music, can’t speak to a static listening experience but if it’s dynamic enough to run to feel like it would have held up
Voting on enjoyment only I was really just yearning for some vocals for a lot of this unfortunately. Shout out to come nice drums end of Blues for Huey though which refocused my attention which had wandered
Cool girl shit. Obsessed with Wikipedia calling their style as reminiscent of spy films, also ending on Glory Box which I’ve heard many times but as usual without name or artist context was a delight.
Enjoyed this one and hope Arkady did too!
A good bop/sway along. No stand out favourites here
The click song was a lot of fun
Maybe I’m extra rusty after a week off but I did not enjoy this at all. No light and shade, too much yelling. I accidentally had the album on repeat without realising because it all sounded the same and was glad to turn off when l realised.
How fun to now know the origin of Changes. Laguna Sunrise was an unexpected but beautiful treat amongst it all
Hot Buttered Soul yes please!
A sick day at home has ended up being a blessing in disguise as I’ve listened to this while resting without other distractions and wow it’s been rewarding. In honour of the smorgasbord of sounds and types of love songs, here are some of my listening notes much less edited than usual:
I love a theme, and I love dedication to a theme
Love his rich deep voice, a beautiful sick day lullaby
Sad love songs are my favourite type of love songs
“Now that you’ve made me want to die / you tell me that you’re unboyfriendable” All My Little Words is very beautifully sad. North Carolina shout out to boot!
Things it’s made me think of:
The Before Trilogy
Orville Peck
How fun US states song mentions are
I love nostalgia
Juno and that era (this is much better than that soundtrack tho)
Favourites from 1st listen (imagine each listen would be its own journey with how much is here):
I Don’t Believe In The Sun
All My Little Words
I Don’t Want To Get Over You
Reno Dakota
Sweet-Lovin Man
No One Will Ever Love You
Washington D.C - was very excited for this one to come up and love with how silly it is
Busby Berkeley Dreams
Think Disc 1 was my favourite?
I’m glad this is on this list not just as a music knowledge gap box tick, but as its own mini world
Maybe I’ve been biased slightly by your prompt to listen Flynn but I’m glad I knew to took my time with this going in!!
I enjoy some Keys, I enjoyed these particular Keys less than I anticipated but enjoyed nonetheless
Felt like I was getting my bearings a bit in the first half, going in Spirit blind. Then Space Child (Alvin and the chipmunks if you squint your ears) was the album turning point for me. Loooved the sequence of Life Has Just Begun into Morning Will Come into Soldier, and the found the back end of the album a really strong finish!
Millennial pop lover as charged!
This was punchy and groovy as, admire how distinctive he was from so young. As I’ve never listened to Bowie albums in full prior to this list, starting with Blackstar is such an interesting comparison point, but loved how rock n roll this was
I would have loved to be a young adult in the New Waves 80s. It’s a bit daggy but so optimistic and expansive and GOOD.
I love the echoey bounce sound of it all that make you feel like you’re in the room with them life (albeit an empty warehouse), particularly on show in The Working Hour.
I also didn’t read the song list pre listening and generally never know who sings famous songs so was SHOOK when Everybody Wants to Rule the World came on! 4 stars
This has an elements of things that I like, like strong beat and percussion, variety, creativity. But I am def not Berlin enough for this
I love the XX, I finally saw this live in 2018 when they were touring this album, and it was magical and amazing. The video clip for Islands from their debut has stayed with me, and Coexist, their second, was the more significant album for me emotionally in the throws of teenagehood (Angels is one of the most beautiful songs ever). That being said, I See You has a lot to love also, Say Something Loving is stirring and addictive.
I liked this, felt like I was already familiar with the sound from Beatles albums around this same time - which I’m sure is greatly offensive to Kinks fans and maybe the wider music community. Consistently enjoyable, but great opening track and lyrics in The Village Green Preservation Society.
I LOVE ABBA! What a delight, I hope there is more coming in this list
One of my high school besties had an English dad who had had some involvement with the Smiths from a production side in the 80s, which brought them into my teenage life where I don’t think they would have been otherwise. I distinctly remember buying and heavily repeating their best of CD (from King Street Sanity I think was that a thing???). I definitely haven’t revisited much as an adult though and am now thinking I need to!
Death of a Disco Dancer was one I hadn’t heard before that went so hard! Morrissey is such an engaging, macabre and tongue in cheek lyricist, not usually being a lyric lead listener he gets me locked in. “I’ve come to wish you an unhappy birthday cause you’re evil” love it / all of Girlfriend in a Coma has always been a favourite, because you know what it is really serious!
This one washed over me, no complaints but nothing I feel called to particularly comment one, except I mistook the northern uk accent on the first song as distinctly Australian so that got a second play
Only knowing Sex on Fire and Use Somebody I was not expecting this sounds at all, but good for them
I feel like I have nothing intelligent to say about this but it was just one one groove after another! Which is probably a duh, but I have never listened to a full Stevie Wonder album before, and the flow between all of it was amazing and I loved it all!
Contusion and Another Star were the 2 I felt compelled to shout out in my listening notes
This was a thrill to find out what Janis is about as another embarrassing music knowledge gap for me
Never realised Wild horses was The Rolling Stones! Some serious country rock and roll vibes. Is this what they always sound like? No idea! I no doubt will find out when their next ones pops up.
Kanye fan yes, Ye fan no obviously. The last 2 minutes of The New Workout Plan has been my ear worm on repeat this listen, has the strong beat and auto tune good stuff that’s makes 808s and Heartbreak my favourite album of his that won’t get a feature on this list.
This was enjoyable and cruisy. As a prominent beat lover I have been trying to figure out why I don’t love reggae and think its because the BPM is not frenetic enough - which is absolutely a me problem cause these guys are clearly doing great stuff.
Fun stuff, but not enough Seven Nation Army on this one
A good head nod to the beat listen, can see the appeal of these guys and another name finally connected to a sound for me. The Murder Mystery was an unexpected and fun treat at the end
This warmed up for me, Tennessee was my pick of the bunch, but was too late to get me particularly invested
On today’s music canon gap fill, it was a genuine thrill to listen to Indian Sunset and realise it’s the track so perfectly sampled in Ghetto Gospel, a core music memory thanks to my first So Fresh CD.
The man is clearly talented as all heck, and a power ballad boss. 4 stars as this sound is second to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’s rockiness for me
Took me a little bit to embrace because I was resisting its of the timeness sound for some reason, but once Louder Than a Bomb dropped I was in.
Not enough “?!” in song titles
Renegade, and essentially the whole album went hard and I had a great time
I get the hype
My gut instinct pre listening was that I would like this album and I was correct.
After a run of quite a few albums with that super distinct 80s/90s sound, this sticks out as my favourite for sure. I found it a bit less dated if that’s the word, and the layering of elements and sounds which is common in this genre felt more nuanced and satisfying?
Loved it!
Firstly, thank you Don McLean for making American Pie to allow Madonna to cover it (maybe my favourite cover ever).
But genuinely was not sure how you could follow up such an iconic opener. I was a little lukewarm until Everybody Loves Me, Baby which was so fun, and then the Grave and Babylon were haunting and beautiful pumping this to a rounded down 4.
Yes please and thank you Kendrick Lamar!
This was a little too zany for my drive to work mood this morning but still enjoyed. Only found out through this listen that Latto’s Big Energy is a heavy sample of Genius of Love so props to all for that
“This is a slow one to mellow out to” cut to another wall of drums and guitar, kind of obsessed with that energy
As a first album back after rating hiatus, this was a fun soundtrack to our Shinkansen ride to Hokkaido. A smorgasbord of sounds I did enjoy
As pt 2 of our Shinkansen journey to Hokkaido I lost patience with this one quite quickly, maybe would be more appropriate as a backdrop for a train journey through out of space in a fever dream
This was such an engaging album concept and album itself. Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart particularly tickled me, evocative af
