110
Albums Rated
3.36
Average Rating
10%
Complete
979 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Soul
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
13
5-Star Albums
3
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
|
5 | 3.14 | +1.86 |
|
Suicide
Suicide
|
4 | 2.46 | +1.54 |
|
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
|
5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
|
Illmatic
Nas
|
5 | 3.6 | +1.4 |
|
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
|
5 | 3.61 | +1.39 |
|
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
|
5 | 3.66 | +1.34 |
|
Orbital 2
Orbital
|
4 | 2.69 | +1.31 |
|
Doolittle
Pixies
|
5 | 3.74 | +1.26 |
|
Is This It
The Strokes
|
5 | 3.81 | +1.19 |
|
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
|
5 | 3.87 | +1.13 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Eagles
Eagles
|
1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
|
Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
|
1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
|
Hot Fuss
The Killers
|
2 | 3.73 | -1.73 |
|
Trafalgar
Bee Gees
|
1 | 2.63 | -1.63 |
|
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
|
2 | 3.34 | -1.34 |
|
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
|
2 | 3.34 | -1.34 |
|
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
|
2 | 3.29 | -1.29 |
|
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
|
2 | 3.23 | -1.23 |
|
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
|
3 | 4.08 | -1.08 |
|
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Genesis
|
2 | 3.08 | -1.08 |
5-Star Albums (13)
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Popular Reviews
The Mamas & The Papas · 1 likes
3/5
3/5. This album has a few very high highs. The opener “Monday, Monday”, “I call your name” and the all-timer single “California Dreamin’” are some truly great 60’s cuts. But the rest of the album is just kinda okay easy-listening. Great harmonies and a few great songs, but the album overall is just alright.
Eagles · 1 likes
1/5
1/5. There’s a review I read a long time ago (I forget for which album) which described the record it was reviewing as a “paper mache album.” In that it is pretty when you look at it from a distance but caves-in and dissolves with any closer analysis. That is this Eagles album to a T. It is competently played but has no soul. The vocals and lyrics feel like they’re delivering strong emotions, but it all rings completely hollow. It is an album that feels like it was churned out of the 70’s easy listening factory and it has nothing of worth, nothing of note to say.
Deep Purple · 1 likes
4/5
4/5. One of the foundational pillars of heavy rock and eventually metal and it still hits hard to this day. As a child of the late 2000’s and 2010’s I grew up on the rockband and guitar hero games, and Highway Star was for a long time my go to song. Catchy riff, great solos and a fun vocal performance, so much to like on that song alone. It was one of the first songs I learned when I picked up a real guitar too. and of course there’s smoke on the water, an all time classic that’s also the nightmare of every guitar store employee. I also absolutely love the closer Space Truckin’, that song is a banger.
The Killers · 1 likes
2/5
Overall: 2.5/5. Some catchy songs here but nothing really stuck out to me as particularly impressive or great, especially when comparing it to other indie-rock records from the same period. But it is very listenable, there was no point where I was actively irritated by it.
Nirvana · 1 likes
5/5
5/5. Obviously this was not intended to be Nirvanas farewell, but even so it feels very fitting as one. Front to Back this is just a fantastic live set and I love how Kurt used it as an opportunity to platform music and artists he loved with all the covers instead of just playing Nirvana’s hits. I especially love their renditions of The Man who sold the world and Where Did You Sleep Last Night. The latter specifically has probably my favorite vocal performance by Kurt.
1-Star Albums (3)
All Ratings
The Killers
2/5
Overall: 2.5/5. Some catchy songs here but nothing really stuck out to me as particularly impressive or great, especially when comparing it to other indie-rock records from the same period. But it is very listenable, there was no point where I was actively irritated by it.
The Stooges
4/5
4/5. One of those albums where I’m just impressed that it released when it did. you can hear the blue-prints of a ton of punk and hard rock music that would rise with the late 70’s and 80’s here. perhaps it is a bit primitive, and with two separate mixes of the album on streaming it can be a bit confusing to get into, but definitely a good listen. (I listened to the Iggy Mix.)
David Bowie
4/5
4.5/5. Worth it for the title track alone which is one of the greatest songs of all time. When he starts screaming in the second half of the song, it just hits every time. The rest of the album is mostly great too. You get the rocking first half and the more ambient spacey back half similar to Low. The only thing really keeping this album from a 5/5 is that its just not my favorite Bowie record, I'm more partial to Low and Station to Station.
Tina Turner
2/5
2/5. My take on this one is pretty simple. An amazing vocalist kneecapped by awful and cheesy 80’s pop production. Also none of the covers really stood out to me as particularly interesting or transformative.
Beastie Boys
4/5
4.5/5. This album just hits. Sees the beastie boys go in a much more live-band sounding direction musically where you get beats that vary between rock, jazz, punk and even some throat singing ear the end of the record. I may still prefer the insane burst of sampling creativity on Paul’s Boutique, but this is a fantastic album.
The Beach Boys
5/5
5/5. A 5/5 album on my first week, how lucky! Thousands upon thousands of pages have been written on this album about why it’s so great and a landmark achievement of 60’s pop, but to me the first thing that comes to mind is beauty. This is such a beautiful sounding album. Some of the finest production of its time mixed with heavenly harmonies, it is just so nice on the ears. plus the songs are also so damn good. A lot of fun small things too like the bicycle horns on “you still believe in me.”
An all time great and it’s a shame we lost Brian Wilson last year, one of the most interesting minds in pop history.
The Byrds
2/5
2.5/5.
It is a very listenable album, but there’s also so many albums from its time that do what it does better. admittedly doesn’t help that I’m a big Dylan fan so every time one of the Dylan covers came on I just wanted to listen to the original instead.
But yeah, it’s okay and pleasant, but nothing I’d return to.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
3/5. Vocal performances and high intensity instrumentals are so fun that you almost forget Jerry Lee Lewis married and had children with his 13 year old cousin.
Violent Femmes
5/5
5/5. This is one of those albums that’s been with me essentially my entire life, it is part of my musical DNA. so I am definitely a bit biased. But still what a great album, it’s insane that it came out in 1983 because everything about this album sounds like the 90’s. from the rougher/unpolished vocals to the “horny in a depressing way” lyrics. Also some of the best bass playing you’ll hear on any rock album.
I got to see the Violent Femmes live in 2021 and getting to hear some of these songs live was great and made me appreciate Gordon as a vocalist even more.
The Afghan Whigs
1/5
1.5/5. The first album I’ve heard in this project where I question why it’s even really part of the list of “1,001 albums to hear before you die.” It doesn’t really do anything that tons of other albums from the 90’s already did significantly better. And it doesn’t really seem to have left much of a cultural impact, I never hear it talked about. An album for me that’s just in one ear and out the other.
Deep Purple
4/5
4/5. One of the foundational pillars of heavy rock and eventually metal and it still hits hard to this day. As a child of the late 2000’s and 2010’s I grew up on the rockband and guitar hero games, and Highway Star was for a long time my go to song. Catchy riff, great solos and a fun vocal performance, so much to like on that song alone. It was one of the first songs I learned when I picked up a real guitar too. and of course there’s smoke on the water, an all time classic that’s also the nightmare of every guitar store employee. I also absolutely love the closer Space Truckin’, that song is a banger.
Coldplay
3/5
3/5. A pleasant surprise. Coldplay is one of those bands that has a stigma around their music, and I would agree that much of their catalogue is pretty bad. However this debut album is actually pretty alright. Some easygoing alt-rock that highlights Chris Martin’s strong vocals. Also some solid guitar parts. Quite enjoyed shiver especially.
The biggest flaw of this album is that it’s just a bit samey, which causes it to feel very front-loaded. nothing in the back half really gripped me as much.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
2/5. I am admittedly not the most familiar with Big Beat as a genre. I basically only previously knew the Prodigy with the crab album (fat of the land.)
Fatboy Slim was another one of the large artists in that scene, and he was up there with the prodigy as one of the few big beat artists to make a splash in the U.S.. as for this album it’s some sample-heavy danceable electronic music. A lot of the songs I started off thinking “this is kinda catchy.” But then the biggest flaw of this album for me rears its head, and it’s that every song on here is just a minute or two too long which turns it into a slog to get through.
Sonic Youth
4/5
4/5. Not my personal favorite Sonic Youth album, but still a great burst of noisy rock/punk music. Not too much to say really, this album slaps.
MC Solaar
4/5
4/5. First album I’ve gotten in this project that I hadn’t heard before. However I tend to love jazz-rap so this was mostly right up my alley. I unfortunately do not know any French though, so I plan on trying to find some half decent translations online for the lyrics. But musically I enjoyed my time with this one quite a bit!
Arcade Fire
2/5
2/5. I try my best to enter every album with a fully open mind. That being said Arcade Fire is just one of those bands that I’ve never been able to get into. Which is odd, I typically love indie rock, but something about their music has always just turned me away. That being said I will say I thought the opener “Black Mirror” and the closer “my body is a cage” is solid too, though I actually prefer the Peter Gabriel cover that’s featured in the season 2 finale of the show Dark.
Didn’t love it, but I can at least appreciate its place in 2000’s indie rock.
Ride
4/5
4/5. I have always loved Ride’s second album “Going Blank Again”, but for some reason never bothered to go back and listen to the debut. So this was a good chance to do just that and it was very worthwhile. Great slice of shoegaze mixed with a bit of brit-pop flair. The streaming version of this album also contains quite a few bonus tracks which are also all pretty solid. I still do prefer the follow-up, because how can you beat songs like “leave them all behind” but this was very good stuff.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
3.5/5. The album where CCR gained their footing and cemented themselves as a foundational Swamp Rock/southern rock band despite being from Northern California. There’s a nice mixture or shorter, harder hitting songs and longer, jammier songs on here. That being said it is a case where everything done on this album will get done better by the band on future albums in my opinion.
Tito Puente
3/5
3/5. A fun slice of danceable mambo music. Not bad but not particularly noteworthy and even with its short runtime it’s quite samey.
Paul Simon
4/5
4.5/5. Easily the best post Simon and Garfunkel Paul Simon album. Lyrically he’s at the top of his game here and his collaborations with south-African musicians give the instrumentation a great sense of personality.
Nirvana
5/5
5/5. Obviously this was not intended to be Nirvanas farewell, but even so it feels very fitting as one. Front to Back this is just a fantastic live set and I love how Kurt used it as an opportunity to platform music and artists he loved with all the covers instead of just playing Nirvana’s hits. I especially love their renditions of The Man who sold the world and Where Did You Sleep Last Night. The latter specifically has probably my favorite vocal performance by Kurt.
Nico
2/5
2.5/5. I think this album actually starts out pretty strong. the opener “the faintest of the seasons” and “these days” are both great songs, and I also enjoyed the title track. But much of the rest of the album is just pretty forgettable. Also bogged down at points by some unnecessary orchestration. I love Nico’s contributions to the first velvet underground record but I was left underwhelmed by this solo album.
CHIC
3/5
3.5/5. One where I didn’t recognize it at first but then the song “Le Freak” came on and I immediately realized this is one of those records I’ve absolutely heard songs from but just never knew who it was by. And this is quite a good record, some quality disco music here. Especially liked “I want your love” and the closer “(funny) bone.”
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
2.5/5. Didn’t do a lot for me especially when thinking of other Dinosaur Jr. albums such as “you’re living all over me.” Which is a shame because I typically quite like late 80’s/early 90’s indie rock.
John Lennon
3/5
3/5. A solid solo effort from John. That being said I am personally more partial to his rawer and more emotional solo album “Plastic Ono Band”. Favorite song is definitely “how do you sleep”, which is basically a diss track about Paul McCartney and he gets some solid jabs in.
Talking Heads
4/5
4/5. Fear of Music is both extremely anxious and extremely groovy. post-punk that you can dance to but there’s also a sense of unease underneath the surface. you can also see the seeds that would lead to “Remain In Light” being planted here with songs such as “I Zimbra.” All that being said I tend to prefer the Stop Making Sense live versions of several songs on this album over their studio counterparts, especially “life during wartime” and “heaven.” Which is less a knock against this album and more a testament to how insanely good Stop Making Sense is
The Doors
5/5
5/5. One of the best psych rock albums not just of the 60’s, but of all time IMO. you get hard hitting bangers like the opener “Break on Through (to the other side” or “take it as it comes” along with slower almost dream-like songs such as “the crystal ship.” And there is of course the albums center-piece and biggest song “light my fire” with a great extended solo section on the album version. I also love the surreal and unsettling “the end” which as the title implies, ends the album off. All around a fantastic record.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
3/5. one of those albums that irreversibly changed the course of its genre. If it weren’t for Run DMC rap would likely be very different from what it is today. That being said to steal an Analogy that’s a bit overused, it’s like looking at the first ever car in a museum. You can respect how it was a revolution that changed things forever, but you can also acknowledge how things have become more refined and better since then. Run DMC set the blueprint but in terms of lyricism, flow, production, etc. they can’t really compete with what would come after them in rap/hip-hop.
Solange
4/5
3.5/5. A well produced modern R&B album which deals in themes such as self healing and black empowerment. Was maybe a bit longer than it needed to be IMO but when it hits there is some great songs to be found like “weary” or “FUBU.”
Leonard Cohen
4/5
4/5. Being his final album, You Want it Darker sees Leonard Cohen grappling with faith and his own mortality. The instrumentals set a nice dark atmosphere but what really sells this album is Cohens voice. The deep, old and world-weary sounding voice that he had in his later years fits this album perfectly and elevates it a lot.
Beastie Boys
3/5
3/5. My personal least favorite Beastie Boys album on the list. This is when they were at their most “Frat-Rap” which is a style that tends to get annoying pretty fast for me and that slight annoyance definitely seeps into a few of the deep cuts on here. That being said the hits on here are as big as they are for a reason, and they make the album worth it. but I still prefer the sample-heavy madness of Paul’s Boutique of the punk energy of Ill Communication over this album.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
3.5/5. Janis Joplin’s vocals on this album are great, it feels like she was made for this type of bluesy music. Was also an interesting choice to try and make this sound like a live album even though most of it isn’t, the crowd sounds are edited in which is kind of funny to me. Not an all time favorite for me but I enjoyed it and I’m glad to got to hear it.
The Pogues
4/5
3.5/5. I’ve always been aware of some of the more modern Celtic punk/folk bands like Flogging Molly, and listening to this album you can definitely tell it influenced many of those groups. Theres a Lot of little instrumental flourishes I like on this album, like the snare on “the gentleman soldier” being made to sound like a gunshot or the horns on the closer “the band played waltzing Matilda.” This one was a pleasant discovery for me.
Otis Redding
4/5
4/5. Just some great soul music. Otis Redding is an artist who I always knew of primarily because of Sittin’ on the dock of the bay, so it was nice to actually listen to a full record of his. Good stuff.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
3/5. This album has a few very high highs. The opener “Monday, Monday”, “I call your name” and the all-timer single “California Dreamin’” are some truly great 60’s cuts. But the rest of the album is just kinda okay easy-listening. Great harmonies and a few great songs, but the album overall is just alright.
Sade
4/5
4/5. I’m usually not the biggest fan of 80’s pop, but this album was pretty great. Especially that opening stretch where you get Smooth Operator, Your Love is King and Hang on to Your Love right in a row. only real knock I have against it is that it ends weaker than it starts, but so do many albums.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
5/5. An easy 5 IMO and it’s not even the best Stevie Wonder album on this list. Just front to back bangers and jams on this thing that are injected with funk. One of those albums where when listening to it you can feel the fun that the artist had recording it. This thing is just bursting with personality, even with some of its darker lyrical themes.
Fever Ray
2/5
2/5. I honestly wish I liked this more than I did. The more understated but super atmospheric electronic production is quite interesting in concept, but the album just never ended up fully grabbing me. My favorite song is probably the instrumental closer “Coconut” which uses that atmosphere the best. But most of the album kinda just faded into the background for me.
Fugazi
4/5
4/5. It’s a testament to how consistent Fugazi’s discography is that this album would be pretty low on my fugazi ranking despite being a great album (my top three are In on the kill taker, the argument and red medicine.) during this listen-through though I did take note of how smooth the flow of this album is, the songs move between each-other very seamlessly which helps the album fly by. Also such a groovy album for a punk/post-hardcore group, especially in the bass and guitar lines.
Cat Stevens
3/5
3/5. A pleasant listen but far from my favorite folk album from this period. A lot of it just didn’t stick out to me particularly much. “Father and Son” is one major exception though, that’s a great song.
Elvis Costello
3/5
3/5. My first brush with the Elvis Costello event horizon (or technically second since one of my previous albums was produced by him.) and it’s some decent enough rock music. Reminds me of some of the clashes stuff in how it occasionally flirts with 50’s rockabilly music. Overall though I wasn’t blown away or in love with this album, it’s just fine.
Dolly Parton
3/5
3.5/5. A fairly straightforward 70’s country album, however Dolly Parton is just a great vocalist and really sells any song she’s on. funnily enough though, I do not love the title track. it’s always been one of my least favorite big Dolly Parton hits. But the rest of the album is a good time.
Elvis Costello
2/5
2/5. My second Elvis Costello album within 3 days and outside of a few highlights I just didn’t jive with this one very much. I especially disliked the vocals on this record which is odd because I didn’t mind the vocals on the previous Costello album I got. I’ll also give it credit that there’s a decent amount of variety across the track-list. But it just doesn’t amount to an album I’d ever revisit.
Pixies
5/5
5/5. This album is peak early indie rock. takes everything established on Surfer Rosa and just runs with it to make some great songs. Banger after banger.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
4/5. Not my personal favorite Joni album but still a great time all around. also serves as a good example of the thing I love most about Joni Mitchell’s singing, which is her cadence. She sings in a way that feels just the slightest bit jazzy, moving just a little off-rhythm with the instrumentation which gives a very unique feel to her songs.
Decent amount of variety on this one too, you get “raised on robbery” which is a bit more of a rocker or “twisted” which is very bluesy all mixed in with the expected 70’s folk sound.
The Black Keys
3/5
3/5. To start, I do think Dan Auerbach is a great vocalist, especially for this style of indie blues rock. However even if it isn’t a fair comparison, every time I hear a black keys song I just think “Man, id rather be listening to the white stripes right now.” I just feel they do the garagey blues rock thing in a more raw and interesting way.
Brothers does start on a strong foot however. Next Girl, Tighten Up and Howlin’ for You are all great songs, but it does lead to the album feeling front loaded as nothing in the back half really did it for me as much.
Suicide
4/5
3.5/5 (leaning more in the 4 direction.) the word of the day is “tension”, as that is what I felt most when listening to Suicides 1977 self titled album. From the light yet constantly pounding synths to the uneasy speak-sang vocals this album feels like it could burst or collapse at any moment. Only major thing holding back is the same thing that holds groups like Kraftwerk back a bit, which is that the technology for electronic/synthesizer music has just grown so much over the past few decades, but suicide still manages to do a lot with the little that they have.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
4/5. The best new discovery for me so far in this project. Love the production on this album and Michael Kiwanuka is a strong vocalists who is a perfect match for this sound.
Brian Eno
4/5
4.5/5. An album I’ve heard before, but I didn’t actually know how stacked the lineup on here is. Robert Fripp does some guitar work, Phil Collin’s some drum work among other guests. And this albums got that freewheeling sense of fun experimentation/exploration that Berlin era Bowie has (which tracks since those albums were produced by Eno.) a great time and glad I got to revisit it here.
Adam & The Ants
2/5
2/5. Adam Ant and his band Adam and the Ants were one of the early acts who blew up thanks to MTV. Listening to the first song “dog eat dog” I thought I was in for a very fun time with the new-wave mixed with some pulsing drums. but as the album went on I was just mostly left uninterested. There’s nothing truly awful or unlistenable, but I wasn’t left feeling much in the end.
Public Enemy
4/5
4/5. Though I am more of a “it takes a nation of millions to hold us back” kinda guy, Fear of a Black Planet is still a great rap album that mixes blunt and hard-hitting political lyricism with densely layered and aggressive production from the Bomb Squad. Also on a side note it is hilarious to me that there’s a line in Fight the Power that shit talks “Don’t Worry be Happy” by Bobby Mcferrin.
Morrissey
2/5
2/5. To quote Jpegmafia “I cannot fucking wait until Morrissey dies.” Even divorced from him as a person I just get basically nothing from his solo career. I do like some of the Smiths albums, but solo Morrissey just puts me to sleep.
Iron Maiden
4/5
4/5. Great debut album, the bass playing on here is especially top notch. basically sets the blueprint that future Iron Maiden albums would run with and do better/crazier things with. favorite song is probably the multi-phased center piece of the album “phantom of the opera”.
David Gray
2/5
2/5. The word of the day is “unremarkable.” Nothing on this album stands out to me whatsoever. Instrumentally it’s passable but uninteresting indietronica, and the lyrics/vocal performances are not good enough to cover for the boring instrumentation. I could imagine some of the songs from this playing in the background of a montage in some crappy straight-to-streaming film.
Metallica
3/5
3/5. “The black album” is the moment where Metallica went from being big for a metal band to being one of the biggest acts on earth. If you’ve ever tuned into rock radio post 1990, you likely have this albums singles burned into your mind. And with the first leg of the album, it’s easy to see how it was such a huge success. But as the tracklist goes on there is a number of lesser tracks in my opinion such as “don’t tread on me.” And just being blunt I vastly prefer thrash Metallica and the radio overplay of this albums singles has worn them down for me (even if that’s not the fault of the songs.)
The Adverts
3/5
3/5. I don’t have a ton to say about this one honestly. Solid enough early punk album. Better than the Sex Pistols, not as good as the Ramones.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
5/5. Simon and Garfunkel were my pandemic band. This will be another instance of my exposing myself as young, but I was a sophomore in high school when I really began to tap into S&G. My dad had always been a fan, so I heard a variety of their hits on car rides throughout my childhood, but this era is when I actually fully dove into their albums. And this one ended up being my favorite with its lush and beautiful arrangements and weary/dark storytelling. My high school band teacher had a wall of vinyl records in her classroom and she let students borrow them every now and then. She happened to have a copy of this Simon and Garfunkel album so I borrowed it and brought it home since I loved this record. Then the pandemic happened before I could return it so it technically went from borrowing to stealing.
All that’s to say, Simon and Garfunkel ended up being one of the groups that soundtracked the pandemic era for me whether it be this album, or bookends, or sounds of silence. But this one was my favorite of theirs back then and remains my favorite now. It’s kinda funny, Bridge over Troubled Water is probably their most famous and culturally significant album, but in my ranking of Simon and Garfunkels five main albums it would rank second to last (it’s still very good.)
Paul Simon
3/5
3/5. Had Simon and Garfunkel yesterday and today I get solo Paul Simon. Anyway, as the story goes, after Bridge over Troubled Water Simon and Garfunkel followed in the footsteps of their greatest influence (the Everly Brothers) and started absolutely hating each other. So they went their separate ways and this self titled was one of Paul Simon’s early solo records. And it’s alright, you get the expected folk music but also some bluesier songs and some Latin American influence in the percussion. At its high points there’s some great songs on the level of some Simon and Garfunkel stuff such as “me and Julio down by the school yard” but there’s also a few songs that are just kinda okay.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
2/5. There are a lot of moments across this album that are almost super interesting/brilliant but then it just never fully delivers. As an example I love the idea of the more chaotic, jazzier passages of the album but in my opinion it doesn’t go far enough with them. And that’s really the whole album, a scattershot of interesting ideas that never get fully realized.
Eagles
1/5
1/5. There’s a review I read a long time ago (I forget for which album) which described the record it was reviewing as a “paper mache album.” In that it is pretty when you look at it from a distance but caves-in and dissolves with any closer analysis. That is this Eagles album to a T. It is competently played but has no soul. The vocals and lyrics feel like they’re delivering strong emotions, but it all rings completely hollow. It is an album that feels like it was churned out of the 70’s easy listening factory and it has nothing of worth, nothing of note to say.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
A below average 60’s psych-rock album. It starts off quite promising with “I had too much to dream (last night)” which is easily the best song here, but then quickly spirals out into a series of songs that are either forgettable or somewhat annoying (the closing track especially is annoying.) this one just didn’t do a lot for me and there’s a lot of other, better 60’s psych rock I could listen to instead.
Kraftwerk
4/5
4/5. One of those albums that jusy sounds like the future. Listening to it I can hear how it influenced so many groups that I love from Daft Punk to LCD Soundsystem to Stereolab and so on. It fuses together krautrock and synthesizers to create an album that is just hypnotizing, I felt like I was in a groovy trance the whole way through. Also “Metropolis”, “the model” and “neon lights” is an especially great three track run.
The White Stripes
4/5
4/5. Im personally more of a White Blood Cells guy when it comes to the White Stripes (spoilers that will almost surely be a 5/5 for me when it pops up), but elephant is also a damn good album. You of course have Seven Nation Army which has become one of the biggest songs ever and a staple at sporting events. But beyond that, this album is packed with bangers like “black math”, “I just don’t know what to do with myself” or “the hardest button to button. My favorite song however is “Ball and Biscuit” which is a 7 minute long blues jam with some of jack whites best guitar solos. only thing going against this album for me is that I think the final 3 songs are weaker than the rest of the album. But this is still a great one and the White Stripes are one of the best bands to come from that late 90’s/2000’s garage rock revival.
Milton Nascimento
5/5
5/5. Easiest 5 on the list for me so far, this is one of the best folk albums of all time in my opinion. The name translates to “Corner Club” which is in reference to the fact that the collective who is responsible for this album began by playing on a street corner in Belo Horizonte. As for the two vocalists, the story goes that a 10 year old Lo Borges met Milton Nascimeto while walking to buy eggs for his mother, and over the next decade Milton would take Lo under his wing and teach him to play guitar. The album itself blends together folk, psychedelia, MBP, jazz and other influences together into a beautiful storm of music. This album is bursting at the seams with ideas and great small moments like the dramatic build of “Dos Cruces” or the beautiful guitar line of “Clube De Esquina No2.” This is one of those double albums that just flies by, an absolute joy to listen to. Also as a fun fact, the two children on the cover are not Lo Borges and Milton Nascimento. For a long time it was not known who they were, though I believe it was discovered who it was in the past 20 years or so.
Blur
3/5
3/5. Blur’s self titled in the context of the bands discography is a transitional record. It saw them moving away from Brit pop and more to a 90’s indie rock influenced alt-rock sound. The results of that shift are best showcased on this albums follow-up (and IMO blurs best album) “13.” As for the self titled, it is an album of peaks and valleys for me. “Song 2” is a banger even if a bit overplayed, I love the energy of “MOR” as well as the intro “Beetlebum” and “On your Own.” But there’s also a number of songs on here that feel like the growing pains of Blur trying to change their sound.
The Mars Volta
4/5
4/5. I somehow only today put the pieces together that the Mars Volta shares a band member with at the Drive In. For a debut album, this thing is firing on all cylinders, it is a non-stop barrage of constantly shifting prog rock. I do prefer Frances the Mute, but this one is still great (and more accessible, Frances songs are even longer and even proggier.)
I really love how the short intro Son Et Lumière builds up tension which releases right when Inertiatic ESP starts and the album keeps up the pace of that first burst of sound for essentially the whole album.
TLC
3/5
3/5. Liked this one more than I thought I would honestly. I’ve always had a mostly negetive perception of all the 90’s boy-bands/girl-bands and this album does occasionally fall into that 90’s pop/RNB cheesiness, but the production is mostly very good and there are some high highs here like the albums biggest hit “Waterfalls.” I also liked the closer with Andre 3000 “Sumthin’ Wicked this way Comes.” Doubt I’ll revisit this one in full, but there’s a handful of tracks here that I’ll definitely be coming back to. And as a side the interludes are mostly meh but I don’t let interludes affect my rating too much unless they are particularly egregious, which none of the ones here are.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
3.5/5. My third Costello album so far, and this is honestly the best one yet. there’s a lot of fun little riffs and bass grooves on here where it almost starts feeling a little post-punky. Highlights would probably be “pump it up”, “little triggers” and “I don’t want to go to Chelsea.” Elvis Costello also shows himself as a solid lyricist here. A good album overall, there’s a decent handful of songs I could see myself coming back to. I agree with the critique that Costello is over-represented on the 1,001 albums list, but if any of them belong, this one is probably it.
Queen
3/5
3.5/5. I’ve always viewed Queen as more of a singles band throughout my years of music listening. Which there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when you have as many all-timer singles as Queen. Which is to say, this is my first time diving into a Queen album in its entirety, and it was a good time. The album has a very good flow to it, many songs transition into each-other which is a trick I always love to see. I am admittedly not the biggest fan of the Show-tune-esque songs on here like “lazing on a Sunday afternoon” or the few songs not sung by Freddie like “I’m in love with my car, but past those personal gripes, the rest of this album has some great songs. Like the opener “Death on Two Legs” where Freddie Mercury tells the managers of their former record deal to kill themselves, or the great guitar playing and drumming on “Sweet Lady”, or the extended A Cappella segment on “the prophets song.” Then there is of course Bohemian Rhapsody which is one of the most iconic songs of all time. It’s always reminded me of “happiness is a warm gun” by the Beatles in how it stitches together a ton of smaller song fragments in order to make something super interesting. There are a decent handful of songs here I didn’t love, but when this album is firing on all cylinders there is some great stuff to be found.
The Crusaders
3/5
3/5. The 11 minute opener “Street Life” is an absolute banger and what elevates this up to a 3 for me, love the vocals on it, love the solos, just an overall killer start. Then the rest of the album is unfortunately just kinda okay. Mostly a series of jazz-funk jams that you won’t have a bad time with, but that also don’t end up leaving much of a lasting impression.
The Charlatans
2/5
2/5. Though I agree that Brit-Pop is a bit over-represented on the 1,001 albums list, I do also believe that people tend to be way too harsh on the Brit-Pop albums on here as a result of that. A lot of great albums did come from that movement. This Charlatans album is not one of them. It feels like a Brit-pop album designed through a paint by the numbers book. Also not helping things is the vocals which are at the best of times just okay and at the worst actively grating. I didn’t hate it enough for a 1 star, but there really isn’t anything here I’d see myself returning to.
3/5
3/5. Muse gets a bit too much hate these days I think, which to be fair the band is not helping as they have been a parody of themselves for the past 15 or so years. But some of the early albums like Origin of Symmetry or Absolution are still great.
As for Black Holes and Revelations, it starts really strong. The run from “Take a Bow” to “Map of the Problematique” is some good, dramatic stuff. But then it goes into a pretty flabby middle section. It slowly picks back up towards the end till “Knights of Cydonia” which is one of Muse’s best songs and super fun to play on guitar. On this listen I found myself also not being the biggest fan of the lyrics on here, often they’re okay but there’s some moments like on “city of delusion” that sound like they’re from the first draft of a Y.A. Dystopia novel. I never really buy into the dystopian future that is trying to be portrayed. but the strong start and finish on this album make it a good, worthwhile listen.
Mudhoney
2/5
2.5/5. Mudhoney were in many ways the band that ushered in the sound of the 90’s. Before Nirvana or any of the other Grubge acts, Seattle had Mudhoney. They never reached the levels of success that the bands they influenced after the grunge explosion would, but they were one of the first to do it, even bringing a pre-Nevermind nirvana on tour with them. so their legacy is undeniable and they definitely deserve to be on a list like this. That being said, I was left feeling pretty indifferent on this album. There’s nothing bad on here but also nothing that really stuck out to me as particularly great. definitely a case where they walked so other bands could take a similar sound and run.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
3/5. The groups name and album title do not lie, this is an album with a lot of bongos. Though it is not only percussive, there’s a healthy serving of funk as well and a lot of instrumental covers. to me though the most interesting thing about this album is what a treasure trove of samples it is. There were several times where my ears perked up and I thought “oh, I recognize that.” And when it’s at its best there’s some really good grooves on here. However it is just about an hour long and the album starts to run out of steam a bit in the back half as the gimmick starts to wear thin. Still, glad I got to hear this, don’t know if I ever would have otherwise.
Bee Gees
1/5
1/5. These days when we think of 70’s music most people often go to either the rockers of the era (Zeppelin, Floyd, Glam/Berlin Bowie, etc.) or the rise of disco later in the decade. But if you look at what was topping the charts before the rise of disco, it wasn’t any of those bands, it was easy-listening soft rock. Some of it still holds up, like the best Carpenters songs, but a lot more of it is like this pre-disco Bee Gees album. And man this thing was insufferable to me, if I wasn’t listening to it for this project I would have shut it off a few tracks in. I already don’t particularly like Disco Bee Gees but this is even worse. It tries to be so dramatic and emotionally heavy, but it’s completely unearned and ends up feeling forced. The vocals are also quite annoying at points. might be my least favorite on the list so far.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
4/5. Superfly serves as a soundtrack for the film of the same name. I have not seen the movie so I cannot speak to its quality, but this album is great and manages to be a compelling narrative on its own separate from the film. The instrumentation is great and the lyrics tackle social issues in a very compelling way. great listen.
The White Stripes
3/5
3/5. My least favorite white stripes album (which goes to show how consistent their discography is.) starts off with a the type of rocker you’d expect from the band (Blue Orchid) but after that the album shows its true hand, bringing in more piano and acoustic instrumentation. And the first half of this album is some good stuff whether it be the tense buildup of “the nurse”, the earworm “my doorbell” or the fun “little ghost.” but it begins to lose me a in the back half with a series of more meh stripes songs. Not bad by any means, but not my go-to stripes album.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
4/5. Despite being a music lover, I’ve actually never listened to the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill prior to this despite it making most publications “best albums of all time” lists. And after listening I can immediately understand its universal acclaim. First and most obvious, Lauryn Hill just has a great voice both as a singer and rapper. And she fits perfectly with the production of this album. Very good album though it doesn’t quite land as one of my personal all-timers and it’s a shame that she hasn’t put anything out since (outside of an MTV unplugged performance which from what I understand is very divisive.)
The Cure
4/5
4/5. I’ve gotten this album as a very coincidental time, since as a personal project I’ve been listening through the Cure’s entire discography recently. And Pornography sees them when they reached their first peak in my opinion. This album is the culmination of the dark, gothic sound they were building with on albums like “17 seconds” or “Faith.” The opener “One Hundred Years” immediately sets the dark tone of this album, and it proceeds to fully envelop you for the rest of the records 43 minute runtime. My favorite song though might actually be the slow-burner in the middle “Siamese Twins.”
Raekwon
3/5
3.5/5. My first Wutang-Adjacent album on the generator and it’s solid! I don’t like it as much as 36 chambers or some of the other Wutang solo albums, but there’s still a number of good songs on here and the production/beats are mostly great. it is maybe a bit overlong though and it suffers from the homophobia that was unfortunately very prevalent in rap music at this time. But when everything comes together it works really well and there’s no denying this albums influence over east-coast hip hop.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
3.5/5. An interesting but pointless exercise I like to do is thinking “in what year did a decades music really ‘start’.” As an example I’d argue that the 90’s really began in 1991 with grunges mainstream explosion.
And the 70’s I would say began In 1969 thanks to albums such as In the Court of the Crimson King or this debut from Led Zeppelin which displays the heavier, bluesier style of rock that would go on to be massive in the 70’s. And for a debut album this is good stuff, especially on songs like “dazed and confused” which just have great guitar riffs. I do think Led Zeppelin will go on to make much better albums but this is still a good record that helped to shape how rock music would sound going forward.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
4/5. My introduction to the Modern Lovers was through the song “Losing my Edge” by LCD Soundsystem where they get name-dropped. And they sit in a similar spot to artists like the Velvet Underground or Patti Smith where their music was very predictive of the punk music that would rise later in the decade. And you can sense that all over this self titled album from the energy in the playing to the loose sing-speak vocals. very much enjoyed my time with this one. My favorite song would probably be “Pablo Picasso.”
Sam Cooke
4/5
4/5. More like Sam Cooked with this live performance. Because he gives a fantastic studio-quality live performance here, extremely expressive with an infectious energy which is helped by the backing band. you get a mix of blues and soul here and in theory it’s quite a basic album but Sam just absolutely sells it and elevates it to something great.
Adele
4/5
4/5. More like Sam Cooked with this live performance. Because he gives a fantastic studio-quality live performance here, extremely expressive with an infectious energy which is helped by the backing band. you get a mix of blues and soul here and in theory it’s quite a basic album but Sam just absolutely sells it and elevates it to something great.
Baaba Maal
2/5
4/5. More like Sam Cooked with this live performance. Because he gives a fantastic studio-quality live performance here, extremely expressive with an infectious energy which is helped by the backing band. you get a mix of blues and soul here and in theory it’s quite a basic album but Sam just absolutely sells it and elevates it to something great.
The Police
3/5
Day 86: The Police-Synchronicity. 3.5/5 (⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2.) The police have always occupied a strange place in my mind where I like a number of their songs but never actively seek them out. That being said, this was a pretty good album, starts with a bang on “Synchronicity 1” and keep a pretty good momentum going for its full runtime. Favorite song is probably “Mother” with its bizarre lyrics and very anxious/paranoid vocal delivery. Biggest downside is a comparatively weak final leg of the album, but there’s still a lot of good songs here.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
5/5. My favorite Hendrix album by a pretty healthy margin, and unfortunately his final album since he would go on to pass away around 2 years after. From most accounts, the recording of this album was a mess. Jimi had the band doing 50+ takes of certain songs, friends were being invited into the studio making the space super crowded among a ton of other stuff and he opted to self produce the entire album. But despite all the insanity, him and his band managed to make one of the few double albums that fully justifies its length. Every single song on here is great, however I have always especially loved the two behemoth sized tracks on here “Voodoo Chile” and “1983 (a merman I should turn to be.)” these longer, jammier songs really let the band flex their musical muscles and showcase Hendrix’s insane guitar skills.
Near the end of the album you also get a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All along the watchtower.” And I am a massive Dylan-head so I tend to be very picky about covers of his songs, but Hendrix’s version of watchtower is one of the few cases where I think his cover exceeds the Dylan original.
Fantastic album, my favorite Hendrix record and one of my favorites of the 60’s in general.
Orbital
4/5
4/5. Electronic music is probably my biggest musical blind-spot. I listen to and love some of the biggest acts such as Aphex Twin or Daft Punk, but I’ve never really gone deeper than the surface level into the many artists and sub-genres of electronic. So this Orbital album (often referred to as “The Brown Album”) was completely new to me. And I really liked it, there’s a great sense of flow to the album and a ton of great instrumental passages to get lost in. my favorite songs were probably “Remind” and “Halycon and on and on.”
David Bowie
3/5
3.5/5. 2013’s the Next Day often gets overshadowed by its follow-up (2016’s Blackstar), and being blunt it’s because Blackstar is the better and more adventurous/interesting album (and also partially because Blackstar coincided with his death making the album pretty inseparable from that context.) That is not to say The Next Day is a bad record however, there are a lot of great songs on here that hint back to sounds Bowie was playing with way back in the Berlin era of his career, which is even seen on the “graphic design is my passion” album cover which is a “rework” of the Heroes album cover. Good album, but not really among Bowies best.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Abattoir Blues: 5/5. Lyre of Orpheus: 4/5. Overall: 4.5/5 (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2.)
This one is a double album in the sense that it is literally two albums. The first disc being “Abattoir Blues” and the second being “The Lyre of Orpheus.” Abattoir Blues sees Nick Cave and his band firing on all cylinders with some of the hardest hitting and loudest music of their career, which starts immediately with the pounding guitars and drums of the opener “get ready for love”. This first disc also contains my favorite Nick Cave song “There she goes my beautiful world”, which is an absolute banger of a song lyrically about Caves struggle to find artistic inspiration. The first disc of the album in general is just front-to-back greatness.
Disc 2, The Lyre of Orpheus, tones things down a bit and is still a pretty great listen. I love the lumbering title track that is a strange and morbid rendition of the Greek myth. And the closer “O children” is a fantastic bow to wrap up the album with. Its only downside is that I personally don’t think it’s as good as the first disc. But overall, a fantastic album and my personal favorite from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Judas Priest
3/5
3/5 Decent but not great. There were better Judas Priest albums before this one and they’d go on to put out a few records much better than this one after. The record does have a very strong opening stretch though running from “Rapid Fire” to “Grinder.” But then it hits a brick wall with the overly cheesy and sappy “United.” the lyrics in general are a weak point for me. But there’s still enough great riffs on here for it to be an enjoyable experience.
Pixies
4/5
4/5. Bossanova often gets overshadowed in discussions by the first two Pixies albums, which is a shame because this one is also really good. I’d put it on the same level of quality as Surfer Rosa, though not quite on the level of Doolittle. It manages to strike a good balance of being more accessible while not sacrificing the bands edge and personality, which you can hear on songs like “Velouria” or “Is she weird.” Really enjoyed my time coming back to this one.
Arcade Fire
3/5
3/5. The Suburbs is the best arcade fire album in my opinion (I generally do not like Arcade Fire particularly much). that being said I’m still not in love with the album as a whole, there are just some high-highs like the one-two opening punch of “the suburbs” and “ready to start” or the hard hitting “empty room.” But as a whole I’ve still just never had that “aha” moment with arcade fire where I truly love one of their albums even though I typically love me some indie rock. There are enough good songs here though to where it was a decent experience.
Radiohead
4/5
4.5/5. During the Kid A sessions, Radiohead recorded enough material for a double album but opted to cut down to a more standard length record, becoming 2000’s Kid A. however in 2001 we’d get to hear a lot of those cut tracks in the form of the sister-record Amnesiac. And honestly, I think Amnesiac is better than Kid A. Takes the electronics from those sessions but makes it feel much more claustrophobic, leading to a record that often feels slightly unsettling.
This unease is felt best on songs like “dollars and cents” or “Like Spinning Plates.” And there’s of course “Pyramid Song” which is a moment of beauty on the album in what feels like an odd time signature but actually isn’t. When the drums finally kick in on that song it’s fantastic. Another highlight for me is the closer “Life in a glasshouse” which sees the band take in some jazz influence leading to a song that sounds like nothing else in their catalogue. Fantastic record overall, only weak spot is maybe the interlude tracks (pulk/pull revolving doors an hunting bears.)
The White Stripes
5/5
5/5. The best White Stripes album and one of the most untouchable rock records of the 2000’s in my opinion. A lot of the greatness of this album really lies in its simplicity. nothing here is complicated or flashy but it’s performed in a super emotive and hard-hitting way which is perfect for this style of bluesy garage rock. That’s why I’ve always loved Meg Whites drumming as well. Sure she isn’t some technical wizard like Neil Peart, but she is perfect for this type of music and her drumming adds so much texture to Jack Whites guitar playing/vocals. And as for the songs here, there really isn’t a second of filler, every song is fantastic.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
4/5. Though a folk artist, Joni Mitchell always took a lot of influence from jazz music and this record is where that influence shines most, creating a nice and breezy album that blends together folk, jazz and synths along with other elements. And this new sound immediately shows itself on the opening song “in France they kiss on Main Street” with its great bass-lines and slight time signature changes. And it’s a great tone setter for the rest of the album which also showcases Joni playing with new sounds while not sacrificing her musical personality. Great listen and like a lot of Joni Mitchell’s 70’s run, essential folk.
The Strokes
5/5
5/5. Still one of the best debut albums of the 21st century so far and to date the best Strokes record (though I still do really like The New Abnormal and Room on Fire.) There really is not a weak moment on this album, every song is catchy and there are just a ton of fun little guitar/bass parts.
It is worth noting that the U.S. and UK releases of this album have slightly different track listings. I listened to the U.S. version since that’s the track list I’m more accustomed to, but the UK track list is equally as good with songs like “New York City Cops.”
Bob Dylan
4/5
4.5/5. I am something of a Bob Dylan enjoyer. In early 2025 as a personal project I even listened through all 40 of his main studio albums (I have not gone through the bootleg series yet but plan to eventually.) I even own a few of his really awful 80’s albums on vinyl.
Freewheelin’ was his second album and his first that consisted mostly of original songs, and it’s insane that on his first go he already was writing all time greats, whether we’re talking Masters of War, Blowin in the Wind, don’t thing twice it’s alright, or what’s in my opinion the best song here, “a Hard Rains a gonna fall.” An underrated aspect of Bob Dylan in my opinion is how funny he can be, which you can see all over this album. As an example “don’t think twice it’s alright” is a hilariously petty song. Only things keeping it from being a 5 is that the two covers at the end are just kinda alright and there’s quite a few other 60’s and 70’s Dylan albums that I prefer. But this is still an amazing album, and the best of his pre-electric 60’s era.
OutKast
3/5
Speakerboxxx: 4/5. The Love Below: 3/5. Overall: 3.5/5. Originally meant to just be two solo albums from Big Boi and Andre 3000, their label encouraged them to package it as an OutKast album, leading to this over 2 hour long album who’s first disc is a Big Boi album and second disc is an Andre 3000 album. Big Boi’s speakerboxxx is much more rap focused, continuing on the trajectory the duo was following on their previous few albums. And it is mostly great, plenty of bangers like the hit “the way you move” or “the rooster.”
Andre’s The Love Below is where things start to get weird. There is very little rapping, instead it’s a strange fusion of Funk, Soul, Jazz and pop that’s all about different perspectives on love. And it starts out really strong with “Love Hater” and continues on a good streak for the first 10 or so tracks, including the massive hit “Hey Ya!” Which is one of the best pop songs of its era. But then halfway through, the Love Below just really loses steam. The love below is Andre 3000 trying to experiment with new sounds as he was moving further and further away from rap, but not all of the experiments here succeed.
On the whole, Speakerboxxx/the love below is very worth at least one full listen, Big Bois record is a high quality 2000’s hip hop album and Andre 3000’s is an interesting and adventurous, if inconsistent journey. But like most double albums, it doesn’t always stick the landing, leading to an OutKast album that’s quite a bit less consistent than an Aquemini or a Stankonia.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
3/5. I admittedly am just not the biggest fan of this specific Springsteen album, but there’s still enough good songs and strong storytelling here to where it’s an enjoyable experience overall. There is of course the title track “Born in the USA” about the struggles of returning Vietnam veterans, which for decades now has been misused at Republican rallies as a patriotic anthem despite it not being one. But I honestly do not like the song very much at all, I find the production to be a bit much and Springsteens vocals are a bit grating to me on it. In terms of the singles I prefer “glory days” and “dancing in the dark.” the production of the album is probably its biggest setback in general for me, it just suffers a bit from that 80’s over-production that I’m not the biggest fan of.
Minor Threat
4/5
4/5. Very good punk rock album, kinda crazy that between this and fugazi, Ian MacKaye was in two of the essential punk/punk-adjacent bands. Despite most of the songs being very brief (as punk songs tend to be) they actually go through a lot of shifts and interesting structures. Very good album overall, also just was nice to have a short one after having my first 2+ hour album a few days ago.
Elastica
3/5
3/5. Elastica seems to get thrown in with Brit-Pop due to the era of British music they came up in, but I’d say they have a lot more in common with the British punks/post-punks of the 70’s. The album itself is a solid time but nothing too special, there are a few highlights though like “Blue.” One of those albums where I had a pleasant enough listening experience but don’t see myself revisiting it in full.
Cheap Trick
3/5
3/5. Good time, this definitely would have been a fun show live. But also on the large spectrum of live albums, this one doesn’t particularly rank for me, which I will admit is definitely in part because I’m not the biggest Cheap Trick fan. However, they still definitely bring a strong energy live which makes this an enjoyable enough listen.
Nas
5/5
5/5. Sometimes you remember Nas was only 20 when he released Illmatic and think “damn what have I been doing with my life?” all jokes aside, this is still one of the best rap albums of all time. And it doesn’t take long to see why with the first main song “NY State of Mind” which is an all-timer song. Absolutely love the piano part in the beat, the flow is great and the lyrics are also really good. And the rest of the album manages to stay at a similar level of quality with songs like “the world is yours” or “one love” featuring Q-tip from a tribe called quest. not much I can really say that hasn’t already been said by thousands of publications, an all time great album and essential hip-hop.
Genesis
2/5
2.5/5. Saw a prog concept album with a few credits to Brian Eno and got pretty excited for this one. Sadly it never really clicked for me. The narrative is fine but never really hooked me (though it is better than most rock opera narratives, which tend to be awful.) musically it is all very well played but I still didn’t get a ton out of it personally.
R.E.M.
3/5
3/5. A nice slice of jangle-pop and college rock. Was an easygoing and pleasant listen, I personally preferred the tracks that leaned a little more post-punky like the opener “radio free Europe” but it was all solid, just not the most interesting or exciting album for me personally.
Pink Floyd
5/5
5/5. Wish you were here sees Pink Floyd at their most emotionally potent, which is brought on by the two main subjects of the album. The first is the bands disillusionment and frustration with the music industry which is seen on the two middle tracks “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have a cigar.” And in those respective songs you can really feel that sense of frustration. I also really love the explosions of synth on the former.
The second subject, which is where most of the emotional weight comes in is the bands reflections and odes to former band frontman Syd Barrett. “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”, split into two halves to open and close the album is probably Pink Floyd’s best song in my opinion. That moment when the instrumental finally kicks in around that central guitar lick is maybe one of my favorite musical moments in general. If Shine On is my favorite Floyd song, then the penultimate track “Wish you were here” is not far behind either, it’s one of the bands simpler songs structurally, but it just absolutely hits emotionally. All in all, probably my favorite Pink Floyd album (though animas is a close second.)
Frank Ocean
4/5
4/5. I’ve always been a bit of an outsider to Frank Ocean. I knew he was one of the most respected/acclaimed modern soul/R&B artists and I knew that it’s been forever since his last album (Blonde will be 10 years old later this year), but I’ve never actually fully dove into an album of his until now. And I get the hype, this album was really good. Some fantastic production here which goes well with Franks vocals which are also great. The highlight for me has to be the nearly 10 minute centerpiece of the album “Pyramids.” This is definitely one I see myself returning to.
American Music Club
3/5
3/5. First album I’ve had on the generator which isn’t on streaming. Luckily there was a decent rip of the album on YouTube so I listened there. And it’s a decent time. Feels like a blend of folk-rock and Springsteen-esque heartland rock. Its strongest songs though are at the start and end of the album, leaving a pretty flabby and forgettable middle section. My favorite song is probably “Jenny” which is a very skeletal tracks only featuring vocals and guitar.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
3/5. The title track of this album “Green Onions” is one of those songs where even if you don’t think you know it, you’ve definitely heard it somewhere. Whether it be in a TV show, a movie or in the background at a store. For me it always takes me to that scene in Twin Peaks the Return of the dude sweeping the floor of the roadhouse. and that song is everywhere because it is a genuinely great slice of instrumental blues, especially with that organ line.
However, like many albums of the 50’s and early 60’s before our modern idea of the “album” fully formed, the single was originally a standalone track. and its success meant the label told the band “go build an album around this single.” The rest of the album is by no means bad, it’s often pretty solid as it follows in the footsteps of Green Onions with instrumental blues/soul/rock songs/covers featuring some killer organ work. But none of the other songs can really compare to the title track either.