N.W.A. delivers only the freshest of gangsta rap beats, which masterfully support the clever lyricism and deeply political themes of this album. An instant classic, even on first listen.
It's easy to see what makes this album fascinating to listeners. The production is great, and the floating feeling of the instrumentation is pretty neat. That being said, this album as a whole doesn't really leave too much of an impression on me. I find it too indulgent and drawn out. I appreciate the unique sound of this album, but it’s not something I feel compelled to return to.
Classic thrash metal album that begins to show the versatility of Metallica’s sound. As expected, there’s no shortage of blazing fast riffs and explosive thrash energy, but there’s also a lot of beautiful melodic moments and creative songwriting. The album is a bit front-loaded, but there are some late standouts such as the amazing bass feature “Orion” (which unfortunately does overstay its welcome a tiny bit). Majority of the songs are nothing short of incredible.
A nice collection of classic blues and folk rock tunes. Bob Dylan’s distinctive vocals and clever lyrics are the star, but they are supported by wonderful folk instrumentation that makes this album an instant head bopper that never feels stale. Harmonica solos rip every single time.
I really don’t get the first song at all. It’s trippy, sure, but I really just find it boring. The rest of the album is nice and groovy, with a series of wonderful jams. It’s a pretty fun listen, but not a total standout to me. The closer makes up for the first track though…fart sounds were a nice touch LOL
Any good Van Halen song has its fair share of theatrics. This albums pushes it over the top on every song, giving the whole listen a distinctive charm that only Van Halen could provide. And not to mention the mind-melting guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen, as well as the delightfully charismatic lead vocals from David Lee Roth. An obvious highlight is the dizzying “Hot for Teacher”, whose hilarious lyrics elevate what is already a mind-bending, impossibly tight instrumental. It’s all very impressive, and the band makes it look effortless.
That is, until the last three tracks bore you with their dullness.
Some nice dreamy pop songs. Nothing overly extravagant. It’s well produced and a pretty easy listen, but I don’t find it very striking or mind blowing.
There are for sure some classic moments on this album, and some serious hits outside of just the singles too. The opener “Hello” rips and starts the album off strong. What follows is a bunch of fun, jammy rock songs that only moderately show their obvious Beatles influence.
Is it a perfect album, though? Absolutely not. I really can’t stand “Wonderwall” anymore, and I find “Some Might Say” pretty annoying honestly. It all culminates with “Champagne Supernova”, thought, I think is still the strongest song by far, so at least things end on a high note.
Even on his debut, Kanye is a full fledged personality with tons of character. Not everyone will gel with this album, but the beats are super fresh, hooks are super catchy, and it’s just overall a great vibe. Very impressive album with some awesome tracks. The closer is also super cool as he tells the story of how the album happened.
This one is totally lost on me. Nico definitely succeeds at being challenging and avant-garde. She does not, however, succeed at making something enjoyable.
I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the most soulful albums I’ve ever heard. Aretha Franklin is simply electric on all of these southern soul bangers. It’s super groovy, fun, charming and an instant classic. “Respect” obviously demands its title from the listener—being an all time classic soul song for good reason. But the other tracks on here also deliver the goods, with each bringing something creatives to the table. From the dramatic and bluesy “Drown in My Own Tears” to the rocking “Save Me”, and even the samba-esque “Don’t Let Me Lose This dream”, this album never fails to impress.
Great album to fall asleep to…fails for me by any other metric, other than I guess the production is good. Did I really have to hear this one before I die?
This rating is for the French version.
The first couple songs honestly bang, but the album isn’t really anything special from there. Chris has a wonderful voice, and everything sounds super clean and funky, but it just doesn’t really do much for me.
Some neat techno bops, a rather curious album indeed. I honestly think most of the tracks are too long, but there are some nice sounds that are pretty fun and interesting. It’s not for casual listening, and I’ll probably never listen to it again, unless I’m on drugs maybe. There is something pretty hypnotic about a lot of these beats, though. If you just let it wash over you, then it’s pretty nice.
Pretty fun prog rocks, gets a little dull in some spots. I understand it’s a landmark record, and it’s definitely with listening to, it’s just not really my favourite.
I would’ve given this spot to “Hypermagic Mountain”, but “Wonderful Rainbow” certainly delivers the beautiful chaos that Lightning Bolt is known for. It’s not their best, but it’s still a jaw dropping album, and one of the most insane things that one can listen to! The thick bass pounds deep into your skull while the drums pummel away in complete pandemonium. In spite of this chaos, the band manages to find eccentric grooves and make the whole thing sound tight as hell. Most people will find this album obnoxious, but that’s what I love most about it. Crank it to 10 and drown out anyone who complains :)
M.I.A.’s attitude on this album is infectious. It’s banger after banger of badass techno hip-hop that’s as danceable as it is socially aware. Extremely creative production and beats support each and every song here. Moreover, the embrace of non-western influences on this album is eye-opening, and highly essential as these artists often don’t see “equal opportunity” in the music industry. Overall a very fun and enjoyable listen.
I’ve never been a big Steely Dan lover. This album is definitely the best I’ve heard from them, but I just kind of feel nothing while listening to it. It’s easy to groove to, and there are certainly some cool moments, but I really don’t feel the need to return to any of these songs. Like it all seems good on paper, and I can tell that some real thought went into making these songs, but they’re just not really that exciting to listen to. This is music for people who think jazz chords = good music and don’t give it a second thought.
It’s Beck. Everything you expect from a Beck album—bombastic production on a collection of tracks that aren’t sure if they want to be rock, country, or pop. I would classify a lot of the instrumentation here as pretty experimental, with varying degrees of success. It’s certainly very cool and hip, but most of the songs just aren’t really that exciting.
On the first listen I didn’t really get this one. On the second listen, I think I understand the merit of this album. It’s a pretty challenging listen (because the songs are so long), but I think the point is to just sit back and let Isaac Hayes take you on the long-haul soul train. When you accept this, the album plays beautifully and provides a very potent soul experience. It’s a slow burn (one of the slowest I’ve ever encountered), but worth sitting with. In particular, the triumphant horns on the closer (an honestly puzzling 19-minute version of “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”) are a great example of how this album pays off for the patient listener.
Edit: this album is a masterpiece in soul, and an incredible experience.
It’s fine. This kind of old-school punk rock hasn’t really aged very well because this formula has been massively improved over the last 40+ years. I recognize that The Clash was super important and groundbreaking at the time—but there’s nothing about this that I find impressive nowadays.
It’s enjoyable, but not very exciting or interesting.
I’m not a huge Black Sabbath fan, but there’s no denying that this was groundbreaking stuff for its time. Although metal nowadays is so heavy that it completely eclipses the sound of this album, the songs here are still heavy at times, and they totally hold up as classic rock tunes. That makes this still a worthwhile listen, and a pretty enjoyable one at that.
This is just an incredible roots rock album that grooves so hard. The riffing on some of these tracks is insane (Jemima Surrender comes to mind), and it’s just pretty awesome the whole way through. It’s country, it’s folk, it’s blues, and it’s (pretty much) all amazing! Overall, it’s pretty sweet.
Honestly, this is a head scratcher. It’s pretty cool in some spots, but I just don’t find it very mind blowing. I didn’t find much to keep me engaged for most this record.
Siamese dream is easily one of the best albums of the 90s—it’s a sound so potent and incredible that people are still trying to emulate it today. The Smashing Pumpkins just totally knocked it out of the park on this one. From the bright, fuzzy riffs, to the impossibly tight and funky drumming, to the dark and creative lyricism, this album is just a masterpiece from front to back. The start of this album has to be the most impressive 9 track run I’ve ever heard.
A pretty sweet collection of tunes. I understand these are mostly cover songs, but they’re performed and arranged quite nicely. There’s a lot to appreciate in the playing and singing on this album—particularly the guitar parts are really cool the way that they play with each other. Overall, a solid listen.
AC/DC is a band that cemented their sound and then just rolled with it. Is it a versatile sound? Not really, but it’s good fun and something totally unique to them.
If you’ve ever heard AC/DC before, then you already know what this album sounds like. There aren’t really any surprises on this album, other than the fact that it’s pretty good outside of just the title track. There are at least a few fun tracks that I would revisit: like “Girls got rhythm”, “if you want blood”, “shot down in flames”. The other tracks range from pretty fun to pretty boring, but none of them are really that mind-blowing to me.
This brand of their sound doesn’t suit them well. I don’t really enjoy this album at all. I miss the simply dark and mysterious beats on Dummy.
There’s something so warm and cozy about this album. Paul Simon displays a pretty minimalist ensuite of jammy blues songs that you can’t help but smile to. It’s a truly heartwarming album, and a wonderful experience.
The incredible acoustic guitar playing on this album is second to none. You can easily get lost in some of the intricacies. But above it all is Paul Simon’s warm charm that just totally irresistible. Fantastic listen, really glad I heard this before I die
Great background music, but mostly just boring techno crap that I really just don’t care for in the slightest.
Stunning electronic album with incredible production. The songs are great, the sounds are sweet and eerie. What’s not to love?
This album is way too long, and fuck Eric Clapton, but honestly the playing on this is spectacular, and these are all pretty groovy and cool blues rock performances (since they’re not all original songs). It gets pretty repetitive after a while, but then Layla comes to save the day. I don’t think I would listen to the whole thing again, but I could definitely see myself revisiting some of these songs for a little classic rock action
I mean, it’s pretty good. Some of the songs are endearing, and Jack Elliott really captures the sweet parts of what would become rock and roll. It’s not really fantastic or anything, but it’s worth a listen.
Tom Waits’ vocal performances on this record are just insane. I can’t get enough of his harsh and gravely voice. The songs also groove so hard—it’s 44 straight minutes of fire bluesy jazz rock. Fantastic stuff
Gold is a rather endearing collection of soft country rock songs. Ryan Adam’s is certainly a songwriting talent, although there isn’t anything super mind blowing about most of these songs. The nearly 10 minute “Nobody Girl” is an obvious standout, and is really strong in spite of its length. All of these songs are pretty safe and pristine—not to say they’re bland, but just don’t expect anything more than 16 songs that could easily be huge radio hits. And honestly, radio hits are usually far from this high quality, so this is appreciated!
This doesn’t really blow me away like I was thinking it would. Kind of Blue is a subtle listening experience that takes some time to appreciate. Certainly the playing on here is second to none—everyone is ok their A-game. Both Davis’ and Contrane’s solos on every track are classic as hell. The whole album gives a much more dreary sound compared to something like Giant Steps. As a result everything is very steady and tempered, so some patience is required. A great listen though with some awesome jazz tunes.
A bunch of pretty harmless country rock tunes. I vibe with it, but it’s definitely not something I find particularly exceptional or impressive.
Fantastic collection of soft and subtle tunes. Some unexpected sounds—I really like the beat on “The Jungle Line”, which sounds like it’s backed with an ultra-crunchy guitar strumming. Super creative songwriting and arrangements, some of the songs are a little dry, but I think this is stellar!
Great collection of psychedelic britpop tunes that are totally mind-being and enchanting. Waterfall is pure psych-pop bliss, as is the incredibly catchy Made of Stone. The ending suite is honestly breathtaking, with the monstrous Fools Gold, which is led into by I Am the Resurrection. Just jaw dropping stuff. Absolutely phenomenal album, and even more incredible for a debut!
This is a weird one. The songs range from pretty fun and creative (In My Mind, Time With You, If’n) to honestly pretty stupid (Liberty For Our Friend, Mas Cojones, the two completely unnecessary drum interludes). I appreciate the tight grooves and awesome basslines that backline most of these songs, but there just isn’t really that much keeping me engaged apart from a few standouts. Every song has like an awesome part or two, but kind of lags in the other sections. Like Understanding: if the songs was all like the groovy melodic part then I would be totally on board—but it’s momentum just dies when all the instrumentation cuts out for long portions.
Great album with an awesome western sound. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but by the second listen I was totally on board. The songs are super jammy with a lot of intricacies. It’s a bit of an opaque album, but the songs that stand out are great. Cowboy Movie is totally stellar—Crosby’s intense yelled vocals are so passionate and the whole story is just classic western affair (like something out of a movie). The Song with No Words is as advertised, but is still so captivating and entrancing. Pretty weird album, but a great listen!
Awesome and lush pop music that’s nothing but pleasure to the ear. It feels a bit generic in some spots, but Coldplay does a really good job at keeping things engaging with their gorgeous production and great performances. Obviously Yellow is a classic, but I also really love Spies, Sparks, and Everything’s Not Lost (none of which I was familiar with before). Happy to be introduced to more of this awesome stuff. Overall, great listen from front to back, and a wonderful sound that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Probably not as interesting as it would have been live, this is a nice record of awesome jazzy piano pieces. The songs are extremely long, so it is pretty patience testing. Overall, I enjoyed it, but had a hard time getting fully engaged with it. The incredible applause at the end of the album is indeed pretty narcissistic, but leads me to believe that there’s something we all missed out on.
Some awesome and totally psyched-out British indie rock. I didn’t think all of the songs were great, but there definitely some incredible highlights. I really liked Mad Cyril with its awesome trippy guitars and super chipper synths. Wrote for Luck is also really nice and groovy, and you don’t really feel how long it is by the way it just ropes you in. Some of the guitar effects here are just totally out of this world, but it all sounds tight and funky. Very cool album indeed
This album is undoubtedly one of the most insane things I’ve ever heard. It’s a fair bit bloated, but a good majority of these songs are really solid. There’s still over an hour of this album that’s 9/10 or 10/10, even if there are some stinkers in there (Stumbleine, Cupid De Locke, Take Me Down, pretty much every song after XYU). The Pumpkins explore a vast array of different styles and sounds: everything from fast and furious metal to soft and luscious psych rock. The highlights for me are mostly the aggressive shredders like Jellybelly, Zero, Ode to No One, Bodies, Scorched Earth, and XYU. Other highlights include Here Is No Why, Eyes of Ruby, Where Boys Fear to Tread, and To Forgive, which all bring something unique to the table that’s pretty awesome. There are also some kind of like baroque pop songs that really don’t land very well, but thankfully there aren’t too many. At these points, the album feels a bit disjointed, but honestly I feel that this is minimized as much as possible over the rest of the tracklist.
If you’re not a big Pumpkins fan, then this album is almost certainly torture for you. But if you are, there’s a lot of gold hiding this incredibly impressive tracklist.
Classic indie punk record. Super raw and lots of fun. Gigantic and Where Is My Mind? still stick out the most for me, but the rest of these songs are still pretty awesome. A variety of creative sounds that still capture the true essence of punk, whilst totally breaking the mold on what that means.
Eminem makes it clear that he gives zero fucks about what anyone says about him and how he’s perceived. The result is one of the most rage-filled, intense, and vulgar rap albums ever made.
Most people have heard Stan and The Real Slim Shady, and will probably fail to realize that this is a HORRORCORE album. It is extremely disturbing and even uncomfortable to listen to at times (re: Kim), but all of that is just the brand. Being offended by this is a waste of your time—it’s supposed to be offensive. If you’re comfortable with the lyrics, then you will be treated to an incredible rap album that completely spits in the face of the industry. Marshall Mathers does a deep dive analysis on his public image and how he’s been perceived since releasing the Slim Shady LP. How he’s been blamed for the actions of people who listen to his music, and how he’s been called everything from a pervert, to a degenerate to a criminal. It’s a great introspective record, backed by funky beats, wicked production, and impossibly tight rapping.
Fever Ray guides the listener through a series of spacey and hypnotic dark techno tracks. I really love the bouncy synths that line a lot of this album—it makes every song feel very funky and fresh. I’m not sure I really care for the vocals, but they’re mixed pretty low so I’m happy to focus on the instrumentals. I appreciate the swelling synths on Concrete Walls, and I think it’s a pretty awesome and immersive track. Other highlights include If I Had a Heart, Triangle Walks, I’m Not Done (which is basically a huge buildup; awesome stuff). This kind of dark techno music isn’t typically what I listen to, but this is a good one to put on if I’m ever in the mood!
This is a pretty fantastic blues rock album. I mean, Led Zeppelin certainly didn’t invent this style, but they wear it so damn well that it’s hard not to love this. The riffs are killer, the grooves are tight, the singing is insane. Everything is catchy, everything is super fun and jammy. It’s just great from front to back. It does get a little dry on some of the songs, but most of this is just incredible stuff.
Awesome roots rock and blues album. I greatly appreciate the grit on this album, from the awesome and deep guitar tones, to the gravely vocals and the occasional harmonica. Everything about this slaps: I especially love Born On The Bayou, Graveyard Train, and Keep On Chooglin. The outro on that last song is just so insane. Fantastic album from front to back!
Extremely Zappa. Obviously this is a highly eccentric, satirical, and hilariously deadpan album that mocks and criticizes the hippie culture of the late 60s perpetuated by bands like the Beatles. It’s not really my thing necessarily, but it’s pretty cool. There are some incredible psychedelic moments on this album, and I appreciate how the whole thing blends together very seamlessly. Everything is extremely wonky and off kilter, and it gives the album a distinct and unique sound that you just have to hear. I don’t think I would revisit individual songs, but I would play out the whole experience again.
I’ve never heard a truly multilingual album like this before, so that was really cool. The songs are pretty good, and I think the language barrier makes it a little more difficult for me to fully appreciate them. The music is very enjoyable, pretty laid back and comfortable beats with Manu Chao’s smooth singing over top. I’m glad I heard this one before I died, but not sure if I’ll revisit it.
It’s half decent, but not really anything special. It’s the end of the world… is just insipid and so is The One I Love (although this I blame on it being so overplayed). Finest Worksong and Fireplace are the only tracks I heard that I thought I might revisit, the rest of it is just boring radio rock.
Some pretty nice jams, but it’s not really anything crazy. Just sounds like a standard 80s pop album. It’s gets really boring in some parts. Horsin Around sounds super pretentious (well, for a genre called Sophiti-pop, I’m not surprised). Don’t think I’ll be dying to hear this one again.
As Mr. Shankar says himself, those seeking western harmony, melody, counterpoint, etc. will be sorely disappointed. Authentic Indian music has none of these elements, so this is certainly a curious listening experience. I really like the way Ravi effortlessly plays with meters that seem quite complicated to the western mind. I honestly had a hard time keeping track, but the long cycles of these beats give the music a sort of free and flowing sound. This is music that you just have to let wash over you, and really listen deep to all of the individual elements. The harmony that is explored on this album is fascinating, and unlike anything we hear in the west.
That being said, while I appreciate this a lot, it is very difficult to connect with as an outsider to this musical practice. Ravi gets huge points for his explanations and introductions to the various ragas—you can tell he really cares about helping western listeners understand what makes Indian music so special. A unique and interesting listen for sure, and I’m glad I got to experience it, even if I probably won’t revisit it.
Not sure how to rate this one…it’s pretty nice, there are a lot of sweet and groovy moments. It’s kinda like Portishead a little bit with the slow and lo-fi ish grooves. But it’s a little techno with some warm and warbly synths. There were some ear-catching moments, but I had a hard time staying engaged with it overall. I think the whole thing is kinda meh, even if there’s a standout song every now and then
Incredible live album! The performances are just insane and the songs are so hip and funky. It’s honestly a joy to listen to, and you just have ti experience it. The 16 minutes drum solo is a bit too indulgent though.
This album is lined with incredible bebop playing, and is just completely jaw dropping and daring from start to finish. That being said, it’s not really something that I would put on all the time, but it’s definitely a fantastic record and worth hearing!
This is nu-metal at its finest. It’s heavy, aggressive and powerful, while still being pretty accessible. Linkin Park has this extremely cool vibe that just sits in every song—sure it’s a product of its time, but there are many incredible aspects of this album. The guitar tones are sick, and the playing is super tight. Chester’s screams are bloodcurdling and breathtaking. The rapping is also pretty tight and very catchy at times. Overall, this is a great album and I appreciate it a lot.
