When to listen: Want relaxed AND uplifted
When to listen: Want to seem CBGB cool
When to listen: Intense jazz experience
When to listen: Fall, Berkshires, homey-vibes
When to listen: High school nostalgia, need to kick into high gear. Appreciate, then skip songs with excessive moaning.
When to listen: For the hippie trippy ~experience~ A true no skip album that reminds me of high school, and the great Strong Songs ep breaking down the album
When to listen: Pump up or feel like a boss. Surprisingly loved this as a no skip. Made me think about and appreciate metal vocals and musicality.
When to listen: chill and funky vibes. Love the experience of listening to Stereolab but don't have much to say from a music theory standpoint—just that it was engaging and interesting!
When to listen: feel like fighting the m-a-n, get amped. I was really debating between 3 and 4 stars, the songs themselves itself are great but as an album it's a lot of the same without evolution.
When to listen: I wouldn't listen to this album again. It just... wasn't an experience that added anything to my life.
When to listen: feeling like funk. Very enjoyable listen
When to listen: rainy or cold or moody or autumnal. Really enjoyed this album and discovering this artist
When to listen: mellow background banjo. Amped up my yen to learn the banjo. Lovely music, blended into the background though nothing really stood out to me.
When to listen: feeling smooth or easy or sentimental. I really enjoyed this album even if a few songs I feel like were overplayed on TikTok. I think Frank Ocean is a genuinely impressive artist / this album top to bottom is a great listening experience.
When to listen: feeling like the main character getting ready to leave the house. I loved that this album had a distinct sound / through line but added a new element to each song that fit, e.g. a saxophone or East Asian inspired melodies.
When to listen: hanging out and in a folksy mood. I enjoyed this album more and more as it went on, but it didn't move me one way or another.
When to listen: feeling edgy and punky and cooler than I am. I genuinely enjoyed this album—would listen again!
When to listen: Not sure I would again, not because it isn't amazing just because I don't need to. Great album, great music, but it just... is.
Is this experience making me realize I like metal?!
When to listen: A melancholy spring or summer day. Longing. Yearning. Feeling enormous love. I think she's a wonderful singer and I enjoyed this album.
When to listen: On drugs and want to see sounds. As an opera nerd I liked the integration but it wasn't enough to get me into the album.
When to listen: spacey, trippy, chill vibes. Idk why this album got hate on here I think it's unique and a fun listen. Is it... essential? Maybe not. But enjoyable!
When to listen: Want to feel good. Really anytime: cooking, cleaning, road trips, party. This was a fun one because I have this album on vinyl, the Irish man I was seeing found it for me in Dublin. Grew up in an Elton John family, and am a diehard for life. FIVE STARS!
When to listen: Feeling 80s. So quintessentially 80s I love this album so much.
When to listen: Feeling bluesy. I know Muddy Waters can do more emotive blues, the kind that makes you want to get up and dance. That wasn't this album for me. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be?
When to listen: Unoffensive (to the ears) punk mood. I really liked this sound, it felt like melodic but punk-y? At times it felt very Bowie-esque with a little bit of Rocky Horror Picture Show thrown in.
When to listen: Don't! I've seen the album iconography but had never sat down and listened to this album and I... didn't like it?! To me, it sounded like boring, harsh, industrial noise.
When to listen: relaxing, glass of wine, chill vibes. Have always loved this album and Al Green's voice
When to listen: IDK if I would again, but I love I Can See For Miles and I can see how smart it is, how funny the little jingles are, and how dedicated to the concept album The Who is.
When to listen: Need an 80s synth uplift moment. Some of the elements felt so dated, but damn does he have a gorgeous voice. But truly, many of the songs are catchy as hell I just couldn't get over the overly 80s elements. Def loved his cover of Who's Loving You!
When to listen: Guitar licks? IDK honestly I probably don't need to listen again. It all sounded very repetitive and didn't interest me.
When to listen: Want to raise my blood pressure, feel stressed, feel panicked. I tried to listen, I really did. .execute. was a tough listen, and it got slightly better throughout but not enough. I can respect the genre, respect the guitar skills, respect how much Slipknot means to others. But... doesn't mean I like it.
When to listen: In the mood to be screeched at. This is not an easy listen, but I do think the chorus of Pa(Ubu) Dance Party is a bop.
When to listen: after a breakup.
When to listen: Feeling oldies melancholy. Not sure how I'd feel about it paired with a rando guy doing magic tricks.
When to listen: In a bed, with tea, in dreary weather, when feeling a deep pit of despair in your stomach. Look, Leonard Cohen is an impressive artist. This album is lovely, gritty, and complicated. It's just not all the way there (for me)
When to listen: October moody. My college boyfriend had a few songs from this album in a mix he made me and I liked those songs, which made me think I’d like this album. But it was truly meh to moi.
When to listen: bummed out or want to be more bummed out. Look, it's a good album. Heart of Gold and Old Man... always loved 'em. But sometimes having a musical style means having a repetitive album and that's the case here in my humble opinion.
When to listen: to zone out, potentially after smoking a lot. What I liked about this album is that it was short. Techno mumbo jumbo not my vibe.
When to listen: To groove out while working or on a car ride. A few songs I liked more than others, like "Crying." But overall this was a great listen and I enjoyed it
When to listen: Driving down the PCH, palm tree weather, sunshine. Great album, so nostalgic for my teenage years.
When to listen: Don't listen to antisemitic musicians. Separating the art from the artist, this is a good album. Reminds me of college, Mark loved this album.
When to listen: In a old dive bar, on vinyl, major yacht rock vibes. From the reviews I see racism/anti vax vibes (0/5) and acknowledge of how much of the blues is stolen from African American culture (0/5) but damn I love this era of music. Five stars but hate myself for it…
When to listen: Manic pixie melancholy. 'Twas a fun listen but nothing that grabbed me too intensely.
When to listen: Feeling like you're in an indie movie. I know this band isn't indie music, but it's the foundation of all that came after it ya know? I knew I loved Time of the Season and This Will Be Our Year but I ended up liking the whole album.
When to listen: feeling hipster “I know British rock bands better than you.” I bopped. I jammed. It was catchy. It feels like the prototype. Good but by today’s standards fine.
When to listen: feeling dark, spooky, edgy. I loved that this album's music is super diverse but always has the style of Depeche Mode coming through. Such a unique and unmistakable sound.
When to listen: On LSD?! It was trippy, it was cool, it was definitely ahead of it's time and I like the more melodic songs in the beginning but I'm just not smart enough to enjoy the weird ones at the end... I know that's the point. I'm a normie what can I say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
When to listen: in a dark rage. Started out enjoying this album more than I thought I would but then, as the title suggests, it took a downward spiral and I liked the later songs less.
When to listen: party-time, dance-time, fun-time. The type of music that is just joyful and alive.
When to listen: all the time. Another album spun on my record player! This is an all-time favorite. Brilliant in so many ways. So unique. So wonderful
When to listen: feeling down but energetic, morbid. I really enjoyed this album, felt like a few songs were very Springsteen-esque (but I think a lot of albums are Springsteen-esque so that might be a "me" problem.)
When to listen: at a retro diner with a milkshake (or even an egg cream!) on the jukebox. Fun album, great voices, lots o boppos.
When to listen: Driving upstate in the sun. Yea, it's moody, but it's got a ray of light to it musically that I love. Starts great, lags a bit as it goes through but that doesn't change my rating.
When to listen: Need noise. Feels unfair to rank as this type of punk just isn't really my style and coming in 1980 I just don't quite feel it was on the cutting edge. Just not my vibes so trying to appreciate it for what it is
When to listen: hating men, loving men, feeling like an empowered gal. This album is hit after hit, with lots of new to me songs to enjoy. Love.
When to listen: feeling nostalgic, patriotic, NOT patriotic, like the Jersey girl I am. Know this album very well and knew it would be 5 stars.
When to listen: feeling spacey and futuristic. It’s synth. It’s fun. It’s unique. But it’s also repetitive.
When to listen: feeling like raging against the man, millennial style. Can’t believe how many angsty teen hits were on this one. But was more impressed when I thought about the global influences, the lyrics, and the gestalt of it all. It sounds like a band the weird kids formed in their garage and they’re finally playing the school talent show… and I kinda love that?
When to listen: in someone’s basement, hanging out, teenage years (even if I was a teenager in the 00s.) I knew I loved the song In Your Eyes, but the rest of album is new to me and underwhelming? Or just not my style? 4 stars for the one finale song tho…
When to listen: uhh... Idk it's hard to rate albums that make me physically uncomfortable to listen to.
When to listen: when men suck and I want to just shake it all out. I loved this album when it came out in 2020, gave it one listen through and never touched it again. It holds up!
When to listen: Feel like I'm 16 and performing in the choir of Tommy at a high school in New Jersey over the summer. The concept is weird and brilliant, the music is wonderful and interesting. Damn I just love The Who
When to listen: while cooking a fancy dinner and drinking a glass of red wine... AKA you need to concentrate on the cooking and not on the music. It's pleasant, it's background-y, but it didn't rearrange my mind.
When to listen: Sunny Sunday morning brunch. I love Billie Holiday but these songs just kind of blended together for me, so I docked off a point. I know her other albums have more range. Her voice and her vibe is incredibleeee
When to listen: want renaissance metal vibes. Cool instrumentation, absolutely loved the song "One"
When to listen: Nostalgic millennial pump up music. Voices are incredible, first 3/4 of the album definitely better than the last but not sure why it's getting so much hate cause I think this album is impressive.
When to listen: feeling squeaky?! IDK honestly this house album was catchy in moments but mostly not my jam
When to listen: 70s feel good. Damn this was a wonderful album, can't believe I'd never heard of Joan Armatrading before but definitely would listen again! Really interesting, very catchy, very easy to listen to. Pleasant and enjoyable like an easy-drinking wine.
When to listen: In a dark, dark depressive hole. It's a tough listen, no song stood out they just kinda mushed together, and it was simply not my style... so it's hard to rate yet here we are
When to listen: In a pub on a rainy day. Pint not optional. I liked the beginning of the album more than the end. I've always loved the song for which the album is named, it's so wonderful, and it was cool to hear the full soundtrack from whence it came.
When to listen: Rage-y but cheerful, powerful. Assumed anything Courtney Love would be scream-y but this was... awesome.
When to listen: in a moment of needing to kick ass. This experience is teaching me that I like 70s/80s metal?! Who knew. This was enjoyable to listen to and had a nice variety to the sound of the overall album
When to listen: missing collegium, wanting to impress a date, to fulfill my passion for harpsichord music. This is a weird album. It's a conceptual album. I really liked the last piece, Cosmia. But not an easy listen and I understand the criticism, especially of her crunchy vocal style
When to listen: working on my car in the garage, drowning out the neighborhood noise. Except I live in an apartment and I don't own a car. This is a situation where I can hear its influence on others, I can hear its influences from others, and I can see its value—just not my vibe.
When to listen: Bopping around and feeling like a girl's girl. I've had their version of I Heard it Through the Grapevine in my Spotify saves for a long time. What a treat to hear the whole album. The sound is an unusual mix of lots of influences and the lead singer's voice is definitely unique, but that's what I loved about it!
When to listen: the world is against you. Love this album, great music great sound
When to listen: moody my-so-called life vibes. I always kind of assumed I'd like S-K cause it's my vibe but I couldn't get into this album, which is a bummer. The sound, the harshness... maybe I just need to give it a listen when I'm in a different mood. I do, however, agree with the reviewer that said "if you think this is like 'being yelled at by your girlfriend' I'm sorry that you hate women"
When to listen: Want to kick down a door and feel powerful. When I saw punk and hard rock I was like nah but this was a really enjoyable listen. I especially liked "Lately." Her voice is amazing and it was very listen-able.
When to listen: want to feel good and groovy. Honestly what a fun album.
When to listen: airy, wispy, manic pixie vibes. When I started the album I thought "damn why do people only talk about 'Running Up That Hill' this entire album is awesome" and then we got to the weird album end songs and I was like ok ya I know why. So yea, liked the start of the album. The end not so much.
When to listen: While reading Lolita? Didn't really vibe with this and then read the translation / plot of this album and felt super icked out. Sorry Serge.
When to listen: on a beach, somewhat dingy but the sun is shining and the sand is soft and there’s a slight breeze. Like many listeners here I’m not a huge reggae person. The music is good but repetitive.
When to listen: walking through the streets of New York in the middle of August. Good beats. Good lyrics. Good listen.
When to listen: want to feel a pep in your step. Enjoyed the album but didn't read too much into it. I think better Ray Charles albums are to come...
When to listen: sitting on a lawn with lots of trees, staring up at the sky. Not just this album but any Van Morrison album. Not his best album but there were little flourishes and moments I deeply loved.
When to listen: on a journey to Middle Earth. I liked the random influences infused with rock, I liked the weirdness. If you can't have fun making music when are you supposed to have fun?
When to listen: an art gallery in Chelsea. I felt very torn on how to rate this because knowing it’s David Bowie impacts my objectivity. This album didn’t feel distinct, it felt like noise. But I do love his voice and there are moments I enjoyed, like “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die”—which had some interesting plays in traditional chord progressions.
When to listen: Literally anytime. All the time. So many wonderful songs on this album, Joni Mitchell has the voice of an angel, her lyrics tear your heart out and sew it back in again. Love <3
When to listen: metal mood with a twist. I liked some songs more than others. Unsurprisingly, it was the more melodic less metal tunes, like Change. I also liked Bloodsport.
When to listen: want to feel mellow but not sad. Ok this album got a LOT of hate on here and he's done some weird stuff but I enjoyed listening to this album despite a genre I generally dislike so... idk I liked it?!
When to listen: road trip obviously, cross country in a junker. I would never have called myself a ZZ Top fan but I liked this album. "Gimme All You Lovin" "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Flag Her Down" especially.
When to listen: Reading "my year of rest and relaxation." Not because this is restful or relaxing, the book isn't—it's just that funk, that rut, that sinking feeling. I enjoyed the music but have a feeling there's better Beck to come.
When to listen: Short burst of energy. I thought this album was really interesting and a nice little tasting menu of punk fusion. Also easy to listen to and enjoy—not easy for this genre!
When to listen: suburban yearning. I always hated when men waxed poetic about Arcade Fire, but perhaps they were onto something. I liked the musical allusions and I liked the lyricism.
When to listen: In my feelings, a dark night in New Jersey. A strong no skip album. Nightswimming will always be a fave. Also really enjoyed The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight.
When to listen: a hazy, warm day with steaks on the grill. The Doors are good, this album is... fine.
When to listen: at a renfaire. When this album is good, it's really good. When it's not... some of the songs just don't hit I'm sorry. "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris" are absolutely brilliant. Knocked a star off for the songs that I found to be... rougher.
When to listen: rowdy blues moment. I love the energy. I love the music. It did all blend a bit to me but what fun!
