I listened to this album while playing SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, and I finished the final frustrating task needed to get the Platinum just as The End was finishing up.
The Beatles really are that good, huh? And weird as hell too. Despite having heard these things for years, I never really internalized or understood it; I just kind of assumed people oversold them a little bit on account of nostalgia, but this album is really damn good, most especially within the deep cuts and the weirder moments that flow together like one continuous suite. And their vocal harmonies really are impeccable, my word. What a hell of a start to this project.
Highlights: Come Together, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Here Comes The Sun, You Never Give Me Your Money, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, Her Majesty
I first listened to this album driving around the suburbs of Glendale, and I scarfed down an entire Sonic Double Smasher in the parking lot of a Fry's in the time it took me to listen to Watermelon Man. The second time, I was driving around at night.
As is usually the experience with jazz, clicking with the music is all about falling into the right groove with it. That second listen is where it really started to fall into place for me. I had an incredible amount of respect for the composition right off the bat, but I grew to connect with the individual songs over time (except Sly, that one immediately hooked me). The strange production on Watermelon Man in particular is a standout, and while I'm not always in the mood for it, nothing hits quite like it when I am. Just some truly incredible and funky jazz here, and a strong showcase for a genre which I am still relatively unfamiliar with.
Highlights: Chameleon, Watermelon Man, Sly
I listened to this album while patrolling around GRPSTC, a training center for firefighters and police officers, and while driving around the desert roads surrounding it. I looked at pictures of firefighters on the walls and I thought about my father.
While I don't have enough experience with metal to make any declarative statement on my feelings towards it, I can at least feel pretty comfortable saying that this Metallica album just represents a version of metal which doesn't do much for me personally. There are of course some incredible songs here, and I can respect and appreciate the power and atmosphere of this entire album, but I still find myself feeling a little left out by metal as a genre. We'll see how that relationship changes throughout this list. It also seems to be a coin flip as to whether or not I'll find the lyrics of any given song endearing and catchy or kinda hokey, and while that doesn't completely make or break songs for me, it definitely doesn't help. Though with all that said, Enter Sandman is still an all-time song.
Highlights: Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Of Wolf And Man
I started listened to this album driving in the early morning before the Sun was up, and I finished it sitting at my desk watching the sky turn blue. I tried to watch the Sun come up, but I couldn't see it from where I was.
Well this was not the vibe I was expecting from this album; I suppose it makes sense in hindsight if I really stop and think about Message In A Bottle, but the heavy Caribbean and reggae influences were not even remotely on my radar this morning. The Police's version of "white reggae" hits my ears in a way that just doesn't click or feel comfortable most of the time, and on average, the further away the vocals get from their imitation of Caribbean accents, the more I like the songs. With that said, when the songs hit for me, they really hit: On Any Other Day has the sarcastic energy I love in bands like Viagra Boys, and Does Everyone Stare is is some overly vulnerable anxious sadboy music a la Geordie Greep (these are both compliments). I would have loved more of that on this album, and if The Police show up again on the list, I hope it leans more into some different sounds like these songs or their other major singles.
Highlights: Message In A Bottle, It's Alright For You, On Any Other Day, Does Everyone Stare
When I first looked over the tracklist, I was convinced I had heard this album at least once before and it just hadn't stuck with me; when I began listening to it on my morning drive, however, I realized I was very wrong. If I had heard this album before, I damn sure would have remembered it.
This album rocks. I recently saw The White Stripes mentioned as an example of this rare yet classic band format: one person who plays drums, and one person who does everything else (this is not meant to be disparaging, Meg White contribute more than enough on the the drums to prove her significance to the band). Within this esteemed subgenre, The White Stripes may very well be the best of the bunch, and this albums represents a raw and rough-aroumd-the-edges version of their sound which I absolutely vibe with.
Highlights: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Hotel Yorba, I'm Finding It Harder To Be a Gentleman, Fell In Love With a Girl, Little Room, The Union Forever, The Same Boy You've Always Known, We're Going To Be Friends, This Protector
I had a slight headache every time I listened to this album, and I couldn't tell if focusing on the music was alleviating or making it worse.
This is a significantly more interesting project than I was anticipating from a 70's band just called Yes. There are quite a few parts of this album that I enjoy a lot, especially the third section of the title track; I would listen to that particular section a lot more often if it was its own track rather than packed into the middle of one 18-minute long recording. With that being said, that 18-minute journey is very well-structured for such an epic undertaking, flowing together as one compelling buildup to a satisfying payoff that feels earned and justifies the length, even if it's a hurdle to replayability or easier listening. The lyrics feel compelling if a little esoteric and heady; they're clearly getting at something a lot more detailed than I can fully wrap my head around on first go. I really like what's here, but this is one of the first times in music where I feel like I'm not enough drugs to enjoy this to its fullest potential.
Highlights: Close To The Edge (I. The Solid Time of Change, III. I Get up I Get Down, IV. Seasons of Man), And You And I
I listened to this album while I was organizing my books; I got into a flow state and couldn't stop bobbing my head.
Immigrant Song was way shorter than I was anticipating, I expected it to be the kind of classic rock song that goes on for ages, but it was short and to the point. This album was also way more varied than I had been expecting, with a lot of weird production moments I admired; the strange artificial percussion to start Immigrant Song caught me completely off-guard, and I love how roughly Hats off To (Roy) Harper is mixed. I'm staring to realize that my perceptions of many of these classic bands are solely shaped by their big hits which pervade pop culture, and thus I keep getting surprised when their deeper cuts display a lot more variety and new ideas than I thought they would. Even just the cover of this album threw off my expectations of Led Zeppelin, but it perfectly captured the bright energy throughout this album. A fantastic bit of classic country-tinged rock; turns out there's a reason why so many of these classic bands are so acclaimed, who woulda thunk it?
Highlights: Immigrant Song, Celebration Day, Since I've Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles, Gallows Pole, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Hats Off to (Roy) Harper
My first listen of this album soundtracked the cleaning of my bathroom, I occasionally interrupted my tasks to dance in the mirror. Between this album and my continued playthrough of Clair Obscur, it was a very French day for me today.
This is the first proper pop album on the list so far, and it's a relatively surprising pick! Seeing Christine and the Queens here reframes my idea of this post and what kind of albums can make it on here, which excited me. After so many rock-leaning albums, it took a second to get acclimated to this sound, but once I was in, it was a vibe. Both the English and French versions of this album have their charms, and the exclusive songs on each side are wonderful. Rahim's voice is distinctively powerful, and I'm glad to be hearing him in his natural habitat (as opposed to the various Charli XCX features which have been my exposure to him so far). The English lyrics occasionally feel a little stilted in their delivery, which can interfere in my connection with them from time to time, but looking into them deeper, they're beautifully poetic. Alongside Rahim, the drum machine is absolutely the star of this album, with so many of these beats packing incredibly funky grooves that I can't help but bob my head to.
Highlights: Comme si, The walker, Doesn't matter, Damn (what must a woman do), Feel so good, Make some sense, Le G
I zoned out getting groceries while listening to this album; between this and Percy's review, apparently Jamiroquai makes some damn good music for being productive.
So far it's been Big Seth Hours on this list, and that trend has not died here; yet another Certified Seth Classic. Comparison was the their of joy on my first listen; while this album was a hell of a continuous vibe, I didn't find it to have any highs as high as the big Jamiroquai hits I've been exposed to over the last few years (Canned Heat, Virtual Insanity, Automaton). But once I got over that unfair standard, I found a lot of joy here. The instrumentation is reliably funky and incredible, with some of the best (and only) didgeridoo implementation I've ever heard in contemporary music. Some of the lyrics felt very on-the-nose and obvious, with calls for peace and unity and other such messages, which wound up sounding a little preachy to me on first listen; while I did get used to them eventually, it's just not a style of lyric-writing I'm typically drawn to. Yhis album feels like the first step towards Jamiroquai becoming the version of themselves that I'm imagining in my head... which still makes it an incredible listen.
Highlights: When You Gonna Learn?, Too Young to Die, Hooked Up, Blow Your Mind, Revolution 1993
I listened to this album off-and-on with Hunter and Isaiah crashing out over Marble Hornets Season 3 on CreepCast.
Another group I've been familiar with before this list, but hadn't done a proper deep dive on. Talking Heads were batting 1000 for me in terms of full projects so far, having previously watched Stop Making Sense and listened to Speaking in Tongues (as well as a handful of other singles). The pressure was on for this album to deliver... And it absolutely did. There is a manic energy to Talking Heads that I can not get enough of, and it will always set them apart in a way that scratches an itch in my brain. Their bland of rock and dance is so singularly "them" that I can never get enough of them doing the sound they do best. I only knew Take Me to the River going in, and unlike other albums where the single I knew prior is easily the best song here, most of the record is fighting for first place here. I only gain more and more respect for David Byrne and the rest of the band the more of them I intake, and I hope that pattern continues into future.
Highlights: Thank You for Sending Me an Angel, The Good Thing, Warning Sign, Found a Job, Artists Only, I'm Not in Love, Take Me to the River, The Big Country
I put this album on right as I was about to start building a bookshelf. I immediately realized it was actually a dresser, and not a bookshelf, which makes it useless.
I respect the craft on display here, and the music is very pretty; it just also doesn't do a whole lot for me. Strictly instrumental ambient electronic music can be a mixed bag for me sometimes, and this album just sits in a bit of a difficult space for me personally: it sounds like if someone puts Animusic on .25 speed (this is not really a critique, Animusic is rad). I appreciate it as a bit of dramatic ambient music, and it certainly is a really compelling and ethereal vibe, but there are simply other albums in a similar realm to this one which I latch onto more than Oxygène. Certain bits of this album click for me really well, when more instrumentation kicks in and the songs progress a bit more, but certain parts just go on a bit longer than I would like. I'm sure I will like this more the familiar I get with it, but for now it's a pretty solid vibe.
Highlights: Oxygène Pt. 2, Oxygène Pt. 4
It was dark when I started listening to this album. The sunrise was burnt orange, and by the end of it the morning was a pale blue.
Before this album, all I knew of Leonard Cohen were the song Hallelujah and the album You Want It Darker; from these two impressions, I had preconceived notions of an album with a dark tone, and those expectations were handedly met. Cohen has a knack for writing lyrics balanced between poetic flourish and brutal sincerity that cuts right through to your heart, and his unique voice sells that writing incredibly well. The instrumentation, while often simple, fills the space with a deep and guttural sound lying just beneath Cohen's guitar, feeling almost like his acoustic performances are haunted by their subjects. The more I went about my day, the more verses from this album I found myself absent-mindedly singing, which is usually a pretty dang good stamp of approval from me. This is an incredibly well-written album, and it makes me want to check out so much more of Leonard Cohen's work.
Highlights: Bird on the Wire, Story of Isaac, Seems So Long Ago, Nancy, The Old Revolution, The Butcher, You Know Who I Am, Lady Midnight, Tonight Will Be Fine
I listened to Behind the Wall on my way to guard a police training facility.
Of everything on the list, this album has given me the most difficulty so far in terms of trying to summarize my thoughts or justify a rating, and I eventually just had to talk and process my thoughts out loud until I worked my way back to a conclusion that felt right. I have an incredible amount of respect for Tracy Chapman, whose songwriting and musicianship are both beautiful. Her voice is unmistakable with restrained power, and she has a knack for lyrics that touch on societal issues with a specificity that keeps them grounded. There are many songs on here which are absolutely incredible to me, most notably the simple acapella track Behind the Wall (I am always a sucker for a good spoken word / acapella piece). However, there were a couple which just didn't grab me as much; usually these were songs where the instrumentals had a little less power and energy to them, or where the lyrics leant a little more general. These songs weren't bad by any means, and they had all the ingredients of the great Tracy Chapman songs I loved, they just got the formula out-of-balance for my personal tastes. These songs happened to come at just the wrong moments in the flow of the album, or at least in the flow of my first interrupted listening experience, to really throw off my perception of the album in a way that didn't feel right. But with another listen or two for everything to settle in, I came back around. This list is going to be a very illuminating experience in terms of how I form thoughts and opinions on art, trying to balance subjectivity with my own sense that I've given something a fair shot; and for my troubles today in grappling with my own perceptions, I was able to appreciate the work of a truly powerful artist.
Highlights: Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Fast Car, Behind the Wall, Baby Can I Hold You, For My Lover, For You
