Bubble gum pop rock, not really my thing. I enjoyed hard days night and can't buy me love, but the rest feels like a bit of a wash of the same twangy, earnest sound that doesn't really do it for me.
3/10
I gave this one two listens because it felt so disjointed and scattered. It doesn't feel like a cohesive album in the way other Bowie albums do. Other than the title track, which is phenomenal, transcendent and age-defining (and the reason I'm ranking this as high as I am), I couldn't find much to cling onto. Maybe it needs more than 2, listens...
While I appreciated the instrumentals, and recognize this as a big step for Bowie's development, the whole thing doesn't quite resonate for me. Some of the songs stood out on their own, but overall it was missing some fluidity and cohesion I'm looking for in a "perfect" album.
5/10
Reminiscent of The Clash and Patti Smith at times, this angsty post-punk album really slaps in places, and really doesn't in others.
I find the songs to be hit or miss, and while Blister in the Sun is an all-time classic, I found many other tracks (especially in the back half) to be lacking depth.
5/10
Bluesy and funky, but not my thing.
4/10
Wow, I didn't expect this to be such a banger. Keely Smith adds a lot to this album, and I love both singers and the horns. I'm glad I listened to this before I died.
7/10
If you like an 8-minute guitar solo (or how about like 6 of them?), this is an album for you. An epic 7-track jam album with each track averaging over 10 minutes apiece. I prefer a tighter album in general, but as far as live albums go, this one is certainly one of the greats. It's not entirely my "jam," but I'm glad I listened before I died.
6/10
I listened to this twice through and lost focus both times. It's nice music that I found worked well in the background, a kind of folksy rock that does not offend but also did not make a huge impression on me.
3/10
His voice in the first song made me scared about what I was in for. And that fear continued at moments throughout the album. However, I appreciated the back half of the album, especially the final ambient instrumental track, Small Hours. It gave War on Drugs vibes.
A varied and searching album, but not one I needed to listen to before I died.
4/10,
Love the vibe and feel of this one. It tickles the alt rock country part of my brain. Not sure why it was selected for this list, but it fits squarely in a genre that I really appreciate. Still, it faded into the background pretty quickly for an album on this list.
5/10
A horrid concept album that fumbles through a nuanceless vision of disability, child abuse, sexual abuse and torture. Why was this made? Why must I listen before I die? And what is the moral of the story? That one must overcome their disability in order to achieve fame? That one's childhood traumas can, with the help of pinball and fame and a miracle cure, become irrelevant?
Drivel. Horrible, harmful drivel. I can't believe it made this list.
1/10
I love Bill Callahan. What a wonderful poet. This was my first listen to this album, and I'm glad it was part of my day today.
Classically meandering, this album is musically solid, anchored by his relaxed tambor and artful lyrics. It might not make my heavy rotation, but I appreciate it tremendously and it was a wonderful bounce back from the 1/10 album I winced through yesterday.
My only criticism I have is that the author didn't select Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest. One of my faves.
8/10
A phenomenal singer and lyricist. I will be listening to this one again.
9/10
I really loved Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and Helplessly Hopeless. Special songs. The rest of the album was a bit of a wash for me.
5/10
I had never heard of this band or album before, but I can see how their influence rippled forward for bands like LCD Soundsystem. It wasn't all for me, but I really enjoyed parts and it may just be a gateway for me to get into New Order and contemporaries like The Smiths.
7/10
I grew up loving this album, so it is difficult for me to rate it fairly. How do you rank an album when you find yourself mouthing the words and anticipating the guitar and piano riffs?
I think I need to separate the music (a theatre kid's wet dream) from the lyrics (an incel's wet dream). For example, I used to really love the opening to the second track when I was a kid cause I thought it was clever, but listening as an adult, that section (and many parts of this album) are overly lustful with corny bro punchlines. And don't get me started on the car sex song.
This one ends up in the middle of the road for me, with excellent music and great vocals, but a yearnful horny misogynistic theme that taints the whole picture.
5/10
I love that this list includes such a synthy, dreamy, hyper pop bubblegummy record. I absolutely adore some of the tunes (like The Mother We Share and Gun), but I find the whole album to be a thin wash of energy without much musical depth. While some of the singles are generational classics, the remainder fades into the background. I wish they had selected an Alvvays record if they were looking for a synthy pop band with a cool spelling to their name.
4/10
With the exception of Purple Haze, this album felt like a long wash of one feeling and one big guitar riff. I'm not the biggest fan, and I didn't feel like it earned the length.
4/10
I gave it one listen, and nothing really popped for me. There were a couple early songs I enjoyed, but the whole ordeal was a little underwhelming.
4/10
A 90's dance record with a lot of noise and a few too many speaky intros. There were a couple classic songs on the record (The Rockefeller Skank and Praise You) which I recognized, but overall it was a wash of sound and dance beats that I couldn't really get into. Now I'm not an EDM fan by any stretch, but this album felt stuck in its time, echoing contemporaries Run DMC and The Beastie Boys at times, but overall just feeling like a 90s record that I couldn't get into 30 years later.
4/10
What a fun, groovy, danceable record! Not a genre I spend a lot of time with, but I love this and would definitely put it on while cleaning, walking or working. I'm glad I listened before I died.
8/10
A quiet thoughtful album I'm glad I listened to! A few songs really grabbed me, and I really appreciated the singer-songwriter vibe, the instrumentation and the composition of the album.
Then I read some reviews and realized this is that Ryan Adams. Ugh. I wish I'd just listened to something else.
6/10 music
0/10 dude
Fun, groovy rock music... Bluesy but not blues. I enjoyed some of the songs, especially Ten Cent Pistol and the singles. The sound profile is a little thin for my liking. It gives a blues tone a unique pop rock wash, and I appreciate the catchiness of it all... But I don't know why it made the list, to be honest, as it pales in comparison to most of the other albums I'm seeing here. I'd have preferred an actual blues album today.
4/10
A haunting, witchy album full of desperate yearning. While I appreciated the albums sonic depth, and could listen to Running Up that Hill on repeat, the whole piece didn't quite resonate with me. Perhaps it's not my genre.
5/10
I'm so glad to see Little Simz on this list. A dark horse for this exercise, she performs with such passion and her rhymes and beats absolutely slap. It makes me smile to think that some of the classic rock heads in this community are discovering this unapologetic king - I just hope people give her a fair go.
The first half is near perfect, with the b side loosening a little as Simz settles on the sentimental. She loses me by 1 star in the back half of the album, unfortunately, as I missed the hard hitting rapping and power of the first half. Regardless, a great start to my day.
7/10
It feels like an important album but I am realizing that 80s R&B isn't really for me. Too many wind chimes, sexy baselines, synthy trills and acrobatic vocal moments for me.
5/10
So as someone who has only heard 7 Nation Army and Jack White solos in other tracks, I expected this album to hit harder. While I appreciate the vocals in places, there were far more lullabies and steel drums than I'd have ordered on this album. Nothing really grabbed me and I'm not sure why this album made the list (perhaps the other 2 white stripes albums are worthwhile?)
3/10
I hate it when white people disregard rap and hiphop as violent, hateful, misogynistic and racist. When they call the art form lesser or basic because it is full of profanity and anger.
But damn, Ice Cube really makes it hard to defend this record. Though he overtly addresses these issues in some lyrics and interludes, his macho performance lands as performatively masculine, hateful, misogynistic and sometimes racist. There is so much here that speaks to class and race struggles, especially involving the justice system, police brutality, etc, but without the NWA crew around him, this album doesn't hit as hard as I'd like, despite Cube's bravado. The instrumentation is a boring hip hop wash without much production value. There are better, more intentional gangsta protest albums out there, including some by Cube. I just don't think I'll ever choose to put this one on again, even though I'm a fan of radical 90s hip hop.
3/10
...I guess it was alright? This one felt flat, thin and slow, and outside of his connection to the Beach Boys, I don't see why this record was included on the list. Background elevator rock.
4/10
*deep breaths* I made it through! What a saga.
I don't listen to classic hoedown country music, and this album will not change that. While I tried to appreciate the artistry and the soundscapes, I just couldn't get into this one. Too many vocal breaks and choral crooning for my liking. The Joni Mitchell instrumental cover was a treat though!
I'm the end I'm glad I listened, as this whole project, to me, is about expanding my listening habits and music knowledge. This just taught me more about what I don't like than about what I do.
3/10
This is a near perfect album. From the hits to the lesser known tracks, this album delivers in every moment. Beginning with a generational classic, the album doesn't hold back from there, and says what it needs to say inside 40 minutes. Simon and Garfunkel are brilliant, and this album showcases their artistry wonderfully.
10/10
So Honky. Much Tonky.
4/10
A good Steely Dan record but not sure why it's on this list over Gaucho.
6/10
This is so rad. I love the style and whine of this punk record. Very much up my alley, and an album I'll certainly add to my rotation.
8/10
Ok I'm loving this. I don't always enjoy Elliott Smith, but this album is special. It's earnest and vulnerable like the best of Smith's work, but it doesn't grow tiring or overdone. I really enjoyed this.
7/10
This actively made my day worse.
1/10
I appreciated the instrumentation and vocals on this record, but between the length and the genre, I can't give it more than three stars.
6/10
I'm not dead yet and I'm glad I listened. It's a great country album with some classic twang and even some yodeling. I'm no country fan, but I appreciated this one.
6/10
Can't ask for much more from an album. I've tried a few times over the years to get into Radiohead, and this was the first time that an album of theirs really stuck for me. I love the vocals and the experimental instrumentation.
9/10
Ethereal! I bet Weyes Blood listened to this record, and I bet Tangerine Dream listened to Enya. It wasn't my thing, but I appreciated it. Creepy, haunting, calm. Good record, but a middling review from me!
5/10
Solid album, enjoyed the swampy rock tunes, and especially the hits.
6/10
Oh THAT song. Pretty fun, I enjoyed it.
6/10
You know, for an album that I could only find on YouTube, this was quite the banger. I loved the groovy instrumentation and the repeating themes.
To me, this is what the whole project is all about: finding new music that I never would have listened to otherwise. I'm glad I'm not dead yet.
7/10
Listened to this twice. I really appreciate Talking Heads. Byrne's vocals and the punky instrumentation are really fun. But with the exception of a couple songs, I found this album faded into the background a bit.
6/10
Pretty great album! I didn't think I'd be into it, but with the exception of the last song, I was hooked the whole way!
7/10
I love me some Nick Drake. He was a phenomenal poet and musician. This record faded into the background a bit, but not in a horrible way. It was comforting and tranquil.
7/10
Paris 1919 is an excellent song. The album surrounding it was also enjoyable, though nothing grabbed me quite like that title track. I'm super glad I listened and I'm not dead, though!
6/10
This album slaps. It's not going to be my favourite music to listen to, and it's not gonna make my heavy rotation, but I have to hand it to Adele. This is a near perfect album.
9/10
An irredeemable , horny slog of an album. I can't believe this made the list. I wish I died first.
1.5/10
This was spooky and really cool. I loved it.
7/10
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I can see where bands like The National may have derived some inspiration.
6/10
A solid sample of 60s rock from a lesser-known band. I don't know why I had to listen, but I'm glad to be assigned some non-Beatles 60s music here and there. It was fine. Forgettable in the grand scheme of this project.
5/10
