1001 Albums Summary

Highlights: Paranoia Blues, Papa Hobo, Peace Like a River, Run That Body Down Kind of a weird start for this exploratory journey. Not really my style musically but I like the themes of the lyrics. I'm just not used to folk, that's all. It has to be one of those "gets better after a first listen" deals. Still, I have found a great deal of nice songs on here. Not an easy listen, it's more of a sit-down situation. At some points the album feels like just a collection of little stories backed by a bare-bones musical theme.

Highlights: Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child O'Mine Besides the hits, I feel like this record is just a bunch of slop. It all sounds the same and the vocals get annoying after three songs in a row. For instance "Think About You" was almost 4 minutes of pure ass with no artistic or any other kind of value. It sounded vaguely similar to something I heard just 15 minutes ago. I'm just not impressed and feel like I was justified for not listening to the record in its entirety up until this point. It was kind of funny the way the record turned sexual by the end. Didn't expect that.

Highlights: Message In a Bottle, Reggatta de Blanc, It's Alright For You, On Any Other Day, Contact, Does Everyone Stare, No Time This Time Fine record, but mostly same-ish sound scattered all over the place. But the sound is good, so it's not that much of a problem. The songs where the reggae was mixed with the new wave sounds were a standout. I mean, they all sound like new wave, but some did a bit more than the others if that makes sense (for example Contact). I liked how it got a bit livelier by the end of the record - it's usually the other way around, so this was a welcome change. The lyrical content also got progressively more interesting by the end - from some suburban midlife horror, rush of the urban life to a POV of a insecure guy with a crush (very relatable 🤓). Overall I was quite pleased with the record.

Highlights: He's the Greatest Dancer, We Are Family Didn't know this was where the Will Smith sample is from. Other than that this record left no specific impression on me. It's disco, alright. It has the groove and it did get me jiggy wit it, but it was dull at the same time. As a collection of songs, I would hate to have to sit through it again. It doesn't click with me because the record rarely changes in style. But I guess some of the songs would hit the groove as intended if they were played individually. For instance Lost in Music comes off as an unimpressive song when looked at as a part of an album, but I do see it moving butts at some disco party. It's practically begging for it given the theme. But the again, some don't even work as dance tracks. How is anyone supposed to dance to Easier to Love?

Highlights: Janie Jones, I'm so Bored with the U.S.A., White Riot, Hate & War, London Burning, Career Opportunities, Cheat, 48 Hours Interesting listen. Don't like punk all that much, having dabbled in it only a little bit (mainly Sex Pistols whom I found to be quite "simple"). But after combing through this record I can say I do like the Clash. I knew I liked their post punk music (since it generally is more popular overall), but the punk also turned out great. I was amused by the overall "Britishness" of these punks. It's got a very distinct British character with all these cultural references that feel like a bygone era - domestic condom brand dispensers in a pub bathroom, mentions of Daleks and some TV talent show, dread of an upcoming Thatcher government and so on. Even so, the themes are timeless. The mid-70's were politically similar to the 2020's so the political tracks were a highlight.

Highlights: Blister in the Sun, Add It Up, Promise, Gone Daddy Gone One veeeery horny incel. The album left me wondering if this is some sort of emo parody. Half of the time it was hard to take the lyrics seriously because of the vocalist. I see why it could be considered important, but it didn't click with me. Given its ancient release date, I presume it was very influential on future incel music. It was very ahead of its time. I guess it deserves respect for that. But my distaste for the majority of its distant relatives applies to this album as well.

Highlights: Eid Ma Clack Shaw, Too Many Birds For the majority of the record, the vocals follow a certain template. Kinda gets monotone, but some songs have scarce lyrics and long instrumental parts which make them interesting. First half was noticeably stronger than the closing half. Definitely not something I will give another listen in its entirety, but it wasn't bad. Just a bit too artsy and mysterious for my taste. Also, too many birds.

Highlights: Swimsuit Issue, Drunken Butterfly, Shoot, Youth Against Fascism, Purr Love the style, but feels a bit too abstract for it to be something more than a nice one-off listen. Musically it slaps. I wish the lyrics weren't so lacking in comparison. The record oozes with cool, but alas, in the sea of other "cool" albums from the 90's this just doesn't stand out with its bland themes. Also, couldn't help but think how the female vocalist constantly sounds like she's taking a giant dump. It didn't bother me, it was just a bit funny.

Highlights: Karma Chameleon, It's A Miracle, Black Money, Church Of the Poison Mind, Miss Me Blind, Mister Man Worthy mentions from the 2003 reissue: Man-Shake, Mystery Boy, Melting Pot It's British and it's new wave - I'm a sucker for that. Lyrics are very political but also personal, so they do sound a bit preachy but you don't mind it because Boy George doesn't come off as a douche. I was surprised by how calm the record was, I expected a more energetic sound. Still a fun listen. Loving the use of the harmonica since I don't remember hearing it a lot from other new wave acts. It's just very good pop and it has grown on me more on more by each revisit. I liked almost every track on it (track 5 being the odd one out). Ultimately it did change my view of Culture Club as something more than a band with a couple hit singles.

Highlights: No Woman No Cry, Them Belly Full, So Jah S'eh, Natty Dread, Bend Down Low Strong lineup of songs that surprised me. I'm not that hot for reggae because I find it to be the perfect music for annoying white people, but I must say I like it (self-diagnosis?). No but seriously, on my soul I bet 90% of them can't name a god damn album of his but they will swear he's their idol. Musical Che Guevara. Great opening, noticeably weaker ending. Rebel Music was close to making the honourable mentions, but it's a bit too long and repetitive for my liking. Kinda sounds like it was long just because it's a closer for side A (fact check: yes). Similar take on Liven Up Yourself. It's a groovy opener, but it grows stale by the end because it relies on the bass which goes in circles. Memorable and playful refrains like in So Jah S'eh and Natty Dread are real ear-worms. Groovy sound paired with wise and horny lyrics. Sensational.

Highlights: Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Assassin, Exo-Politics, Glorious I prefer it when Muse go for a heavier sound and I don't feel like there was a lot of that on this record. I guess I got that impression from the middle of the record which was a definite low-point. It's heavily carried by the iconic singles, and while the rest of the tracks aren't filler, they didn't strike me as much better than that. Mid tier alternative rock that has multiple better contemporaries. For instance Soldier's Poem and Hoodoo are just plain bad, while City of Delusion tries to go for the heavier sound but it misses something. Knights of Cydonia is supposed to be a classic and I have met people that recommended this record to me based on it alone, but I found the buildup to be way too long for my liking. The second half of the song does slap indeed, but that half is repetitive too. The song is a sandwich with nothing in the middle. A big problem for me were also the vocals - I just don't like the vocalist most of the time. And I also feel like Muse just has this unique formula of theirs that they just run to the ground. Quite often I ask myself "Why does this sound familiar?". When all is said and done I am sure I won't be returning to this space rock opera for some time.

Highlights: Rockin' Around, Breakdown Very American style. Not something I'm used to hearing a lot, but it wasn't anything special. As a record it's not something worth revisiting, but the highlights do hold up on their own. Lyrics are basic (except Strangered in the Night - wtf was that), and the instrumentals son't stand out much either. This is just a (mostly) clean version of better rock from the 70's, so it didn't really click with me. At least I'm pleased with the fact that mr. Petty didn't want to "torture" me too much so he made the record veeeery short.

Highlights: You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Maybe Your Baby, Tuesday Heartbreak, Superstition, Lookin' For Another Pure Love, I Believe Gem alert! Gem alert! Perfect record worth revisiting a billion times over. Had this on my personal favourites list for a while. The record was made back when Stevie was freshly divorced and I feel like that's what gave him the bad energy to make such grumpy songs like Maybe Your Baby and Tuesday Heartbreak (but he was even more sour on the previous record!). I read once a long time ago how he intentionally put You Are the Sunshine of My Life in front of Maybe Your Baby just to point out the duality of a relationship. On the beginning of Maybe Your Baby there is a bang, so that's like a metaphor for the point where the honeymoon (the sunshine) phase ends and a more cynical view of the relationship begins to take over. The first song sounds like a dream and then it's followed up by something that sounds like a bad, slow morning. It's not like he's all negative on the record, but overall this period of Stevie's discography felt to me more negative on love than positive. For instance You and I starts like a love song but then at the end it also twists into a post breakup whine. Side B makes an attempt at diversifying the lyrical themes by stepping into religion and politics, but love still creeps its way onto it as well. It's a sign of things to come on future records while still retaining the emotion of Music of My Mind. The record is a display of Stevie's enormous musical genius - from the brilliant Superstition, funkiness of Tuesday Heartbreak to misty dream vibes of You Are the Sunshine of My Life. If you liked the synth on this record I suggest reading up on his famous T.O.N.T.O. - one of the famous early synthesizers often used on this record.

Highlights: Gimme All Your Lovin', Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, Dirty Dog A decent pick for a mindless rockout record with great hits but a good amount of filler too. Second half is noticeably lacking in that sense. Tracks aren't as good and they always close on a drawn out instrumental. It really focuses on the rockstar esthetic and therefore it's really a "seasonal" play which depends on the listener's mood. It would make a nice highway soundtrack or a gigachad hangout theme, but otherwise I would only stick to the highlights on their own. The musical style is very 80's with the use of the synths and the drum machines and I really like that part, but it's not unique to ZZ Top so I don't think they deserve any points for inventing that style. They found a formula that works and copy pasted it all over the place. I didn't expect much lyrical depth, but I was surprised by the bluntness of tracks like Dirty Dog and I Got the Six.

Highlights: Playground Love, Bathroom Girl What can I say... It sure as hell is background music! It was weird to see that Air did the soundtrack for Virgin Suicides. Never watched the movie so I didn't know. It really didn't seem like a natural fit from what I've heard of Air. The record sounds like a basic OST - it really doesn't stand out. And I don't know if better familiarity with the movie's themes would fix my view on it, but I didn't like the experience all that much. Very repetitive and it sounds like your average mystery OST. Given the release was back in the year 2000 I am sure that this wasn't all that original either with the whole onslaught of contemporary ambient music.

Highlights: Speed King, Bloodsucker, Living Wreck First time listening to the record, but I was aware of its existence because of a Jojo reference (Speed King) and a Let 3 song with the same name as Child in Time but nothing else in common (wasn't a cover but it was a reference). Love me some 70's rock with organs, so it was nice to see them make such a grandiose appearance - to the point where the record could be named Organs in Rock. For some reason Child in Time didn't click with me. It's a bit too much for my taste - both because of its length but also braggadocios solos. Actually, a good number of the tracks overall are quite long for no reason and that is a bit off-putting. I lean toward their faster tracks like Hush, Highway Star and Space Truckin', and these drawn out songs with solos feel like a whole different thing. I guess I'll like Machine Head better. The record, however, does deserve respect for being one of the foundational hard rock records, just not as much as Led Zeppelin's contemporary output. Won't be revisiting this record anytime soon, but the highlights will remain in my hard rock rotation.

Highlights: Do It Again, Dirty Work, Kings, Reelin' In the Years Nice and chill record. Definitely liked the first side way more than the second side. I believe that isn't quite a hot take given the available streaming numbers... Was already familiar with a good number of the songs on the record since they are pretty famous. I believe this is their most popular record, but I personally liked Aja a bit more. I really didn't like some stylistic choices - for instance I don't see the point of the backing vocals on Kings. It didn't ruin the song for me, but that's the kind of thing that makes me respect the minimalism of Aja or even tracks from this record like Do It Again and Reelin' In the Years. Fire In the Hole was lyrically interesting and musically minimalist as well, but it didn't stand out to me for some reason. Change of the Guard was also a close contender, but I'm not a boomer so I wasn't struck by any "rose-tinted glasses" idealism while listening to it. Overall this does seem like a good listen as a whole, but only half of the tracks can properly stand on their own. I can see myself revisiting it even though the second half wasn't up my alley, so I guess it can't be that bad. I guess I got used to listening to Aja a bit too much, so this didn't feel right because of that fact.

Highlights: Deceptacon, Hot Topic, What's Yr Take On Cassavetes, Phanta, Let's Run, My My Metrocard, Les and Ray The record is very feminist overall so I felt like a good little performative male while listening to it. Because of that feeling it's not REALLY my style. But that's ok, I'm just not the target audience I guess. As a guy I really don't understand some of the topics covered in the lyrics... Musically speaking it was dope - my fondness for the record mostly came from this fact. It took a couple of plays to click, but eventually it did. Combination of punk and these digital sounds make it a cool experience. I do appreciate the short runtime for something so experimental. It feels very of its time, but then again it's ultra unique. The sound is very Beastie Boys like, but the high pitch vocals and feminist lyrics really make it stand out. Liked the homage compilation that is Hot Topic - "You like women? Name every woman ever". What's Yr Take On Cassavetes picks someone so random to me that the meaning didn't really click with me at first, but let's say the modern version of this would be Kanye. The instrumental on Phanta kinda began like some White Stripes song lol. Let's Run was kinda a copy of Deceptacon. As the record closes it gets calmer and dials down the vocals. This is the low point of the record for me since those tracks are kinda basic alt 90s. Very much worthy of a revisit in the near future. It holds up as a record and the tracks hold up on their own. Can't say many bad things overall.

Highlights: One to Another, Only Teethin', Rob's Theme Having heard only their hit The Only One I Know, the last thing I expected was to hear them imitating Oasis. And I don't really like Oasis all that much. Heck, Britpop in general (unless it's Blur). Funny how the vocalist also sometimes sounds like Bob Dylan - especially on Get On It because of the harmonica. The album overall isn't offensive to my ears, but it isn't anything special either. It's a digestible version of Oasis and that's enough since they can at moments be better than the original.

Highlights: Victoria, Drivin', She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina, Young and Innocent Days Not a lot went through my head while listening to this record. Highlights were based on brainless consumption (and they kinda sounded like Beatles tracks). Didn't have the time and the record didn't mause me too much, very monotonous.

Highlights: Treason, Went Crazy, Books, The Thief Of Baghdad, When I Dream It was fine but really unimpressive. Kinda standard new wave sound with a twist of psychedelia which made it a bit less interesting and it didn't stand out all that much. That might be the point and I'm missing it but IDGAF. I don't have it in me rn to go into further detail. Didn't hate it but it was really not much.

Highlights: Miss Chatelaine, Season of Hollow Soul, Outside Myself, Constant Craving Not a genre I would go out of my way to listen to, but a couple of tracks did stand out and overall it was a fine experience. The beginning of the record is tame but the conclusion is strong. There is however a noticeable dip in quality in the middle of the record, given the monotony and dullness of the tracks. Compared to the previous records on the list, this one featured an interesting inclusion of the accordion in a couple of tracks (for instance on Constant Craving) which gave it a fresh sound. It presented itself with an air of sophistication, but at the same time there were mild country sounds (in example Outside Myself) and it was interesting to see a combination of these aesthetics. Lyrically it's a weep-fest and at some point I gave up on following the themes on anything but my highlights. The vocalist is great, but the material was more on the subtle side so she didn't get to show off as much. I don't see myself revisiting this record as a whole, but if I had to it would have to be laaate at night. This sound just doesn't click with me if I'm not in my pajamas.

Highlights: Sunday Morning, Venus in Furs, All Tomorrow's Parties The record didn't stand out too much to my ear. It was a bit too simple and the vocals sounded like they were recorded on a shitty microphone. Although All Tomorrow's Parties was a highlight I much prefer later cover versions of the song from Japan and Ferry. I liked the droney sound of Venus in Furs. I get that the record was influential at the time, but it didn't sound all that special to me.

Highlights: Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Wherever May I Roam, Nothing Else Matters Interesting how their whatever-th album is a self titled one (and not a debut), but it all makes sense when you look at it through the lens of the entry point for the normie edgy metalhead - which it is. But hate for the annoying fans aside, I found the record to be very good too. It has this edginess to it, but it is also very approachable to the general masses because it takes on some elements from 80s rock hits. It's great for what it is and I wouldn't mind playing it more often if it wasn't made by Metallica - a bunch of twats who act all edgy and cool until you download their music from Napster. The lyrics are a bit too edgy for my liking so I didn't pay much mind to them. I really don't get how this shit gets infinite praise while nu metal gets slammed for the same reason. The record for me was therefore heavily carried by its sound, which did make my head bop. I have heard more interesting tracks from their other records, so I guess this wouldn't be my favourite record of theirs based on that. This record was a bit more on the tamer side of metal. That's why I'm saying it's normie friendly. For instance, does Unforgiven even count as metal? Half of the material is more of a ballad type. I won't be revisiting this record as a whole, but the highlights will definitely remain in rotation.

Highlights: Brighton Rock, Killer Queen, Flick of the Wrist, Now I'm Here Definitely a top 5 Queen record thanks to a great opening, but it is a bit weaker afterwards. This was my first time listening to Tenement Funster and god damn, this doesn't sound like Queen at all (not just because of the change of vocalist). I thought Spotify acted up and started playing something from the Who. Lily of the Valley sounded like a teaser of their following record and I liked it but found it to be too short. Overall very rock oriented record in the context of their discography. I really like that style, which can also be seen from the highlight selection. The second half really bothered me because of many mid tier songs and obvious experimentation in styles - very inconsistent and these experiments are also often cut short (often around 2 minutes). It felt like throwing sh*! at the wall to see what sticks. But it wasn't THAT bad, it works as a Queen record, but the songs aren't something I would listen to outside of that context. Overall a great record, but I don't see myself listening to it as a whole unit all that often. If it was a bit more focused on what it wanted to be and if it didn't fall off in quality the way it did it would have been a 4/5.

Highlights: Amelia, Furry Sings the Blues, Hejira, Song for Sharon, Black Crow, Blue Motel Room Sophisticated sound paired with interesting storytelling which hides analysis of her current state of affairs... The performance isn't much vocally but I didn't mind it since the point of this record is what is said. Nice late night record because you need to focus on it, it doesn't make a good passive experience (almost fell asleep lol). Really requires you to be in the mood for it. First time listening to Joni Mitchell. I expected her to be more boring but I was surprised. Can't get the line "You and me we're like America and Russia" out of my head, it was so random and maybe even a bit cringe given the mood of the record. This is definitely a record worth revisiting when the mood is right.

Highlights: Mother's Little Helper, Under My Thumb, Out Of Time Decent early Stones record, but not thaaaat much more unique compared to the rest of the contemporary teen rock music. I did however pick up on a more southern sound on Doncha Bother Me and a couple other tracks. It points to their more cocky sounding country material from future records like Exile on Main St. There were some pure filler songs like Going Home. When I'm listening to Out Of Time I can only hear the popular Yugoslav song Bejbe, ti nisi tu by Električni orgazam - a later semi-cover (I don't think the lyrics are the same). Overall I found the middle and the end of the record to be pretty meh. Not really all that interesting besides the highlights, so I won't be revisiting the record as a whole.

Highlights: Stop Dem, Hard Life, Sorry Ain't Enough, Bow, Eternal Life Mid modern RnB record. Don't know why it's on this list, there are far better modern records that could have taken its place. I guess the author of the list has a stick up his ass so he had to pick the most obscure shit he could have found. Musically it sounds as inoffensive as a 2020 record of this genre could, so of course I liked the sound. There's a gazillion other "smooth" records that sound exactly the same and I don't see what is so special with this one. Can't say that I liked the lyrics. It felt like a shallow take on the whole race and individuality thing and I didn't find it particularly tasteful. Two tracks that really left a bad taste in my mouth are Miracles and Black. I am all for racial equality, but this felt cheap and braindead. It especially comes off as sleazy and performative because of the context it was released in (2020 BLM protests). Overall the highlights are musically interesting enough to remain in rotation on some genre specific playlist, but the record left a bad taste in my mouth and I don't see myself revisiting it as a whole. I feel like if the sound from the first half continued on the second half the rating would be better. It did get a bit monotonous by the end.

Highlights: Lights On, Pendulum, Numbers First time listening to one of her records. I didn't expect such a horny aura. The overall impression is basically that it's Grimes but hornier and less pop sounding (even more abstract - yaaaay!) + a British accent. A bit too abstract and minimalist sounding for my taste. It was pretty early in its genre though, so it deserves some kudos for that. To be honest, I find it perplexing how people emotionally resonate with this music. This thought occurred to me while listening to Give Up (almost a highlight), but retroactively I realized this applies to the whole record and kinda the genre as a whole - where is the emotion in the vocals? It's always some high pitched voice on the verge of whispering with no change in emotional expression no matter the lyrical content of the track. I guess this ASMR style is ok when you use it in a couple of tracks, but when this is your flagship sound... And yes, it might resemble the narrative aspect of folk music, but even that is somewhat expressive compared to this deadpan and arrogant attempt to come off as artsy. I don't respect that. The record wasn't up my alley thematically nor sonically, so I won't be revisiting this record, but I do see a target audience for this existing. Whether I think highly of that audience's taste however is a completely different affair.

Highlights: Tangled Up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate, Meet Me in the Morning, If You See Her Say Hello I usually find it hard to stand Mr. Dylan and his vocal style, but here he was a bit more tolerable with a noticeable southern twang. When he does that he borders with country (for instance on Meet Me in the Morning). At certain moments on the record, his vocals can even sounded a bit like SpongeBob. I quite liked the sound and storytelling of Lilly, Rosemary and Jack, but the song got a bit too repetitive since it's so long. Heck, I liked all but two songs but a good number of them had just an issue or two so they didn't become highlights. This is usually a sign that a record will grow on me with a couple of additional plays. Therefore I must say I actually liked this record. As a whole it works and it is worth revisiting. But my view of Dylan as an overrated artist still stands.

Highlights: Intro, VCR, Crystalised, Islands, Shelter, Night Time I don't understand why the intro track has the most streams. I mean yeah, the instrumentals are kinda the best part of the record (at least in the first half), but it's not that much better than any of the tracks with vocals. All in all a very strong opening, but then it got more atmospherical which I found dull (not bad doe). The second half really leans on the lyrical content and due to it being emotionally "specific" you have to be in the mood to appreciate it, which I wasn't, but I recognize its value. I don't see myself revisiting the record as a whole, but the highlights are great.

Highlights: Kowalski, If They Move Kill 'Em, Medication, Motorhead, Know Your Rights I really loved their previous "knock-off Stones" record, but this record didn't follow that style. This sounds much more like your typical 90s movie soundtrack with that deep drugged up distortion that is typical in the dub genre. For instance Fight Club and Trainspotting come to mind. A lot of instrumentals too - way too much. This record is best consumed as a whole and preferably under the influence of something. I feel that the tracks really depend on being kept inside their genre echo chamber. Some aspects of the dub side of this record remind me of the early Gorillaz records, but there the sound is way more mainstream friendly and the songs work on their own.

Highlights: Peter Piper, It's Tricky, My Adidas, Walk This Way, Is It Live, Perfection, Raising Hell A very dope upbeat 80s hip hop record. Love listening to it from time to time, so I was very happy to see it on this list. It has a similar energy to License to Ill which I also loved listening to back when Raising Hell was often in rotation during covid. The similarity is the fusion of rock and hip hop, and it doesn't just appear on the unexpected collab woth Aerosmith. The rock is present throughout the whole record! It's amazing how cool they sound just from the beats and their rap skills - all that with minimal cussing. Heck, on Is It Live they didn't even dare say "ass" so he said "behind" - ain't that some restraint. The first half was leagues above the second. Again, I love listening to both the record as a whole, but also the tracks on their own.

Highlights: Hazey Jane II, At the Chime of a City Clock, Bryter Layter, Poor Boy, Sunday Very chill and somewhat classy sound. It was a pleasant listen. Even though I feel like not a lot of tracks stood out, it was an experience that I enjoyed and wouldn't mind repeating. A good mix of instrumentals and vocal tracks - especially because instrumentals didn't feel like filler. They conveyed exactly the same vibe as the tracks that had vocals. The vocals are dreamy and whispery, which I usually don't like, but here they felt justified. I usually rant that it comes off as pretentious, but Drake didn't because it made sense given the aesthetics of the record. I especially liked the little details in the background of the tracks like At the Chime of a City Clock's saxophone and Poor Boy's backing vocals. Overall not a masterpiece, but a worthwhile experience. It really didn't stand out but it didn't feel like a waste of time.

Highlights: Party Line, Dandy, House in the Country, Holiday in Waikiki, Most Exclusive Residence for Sale, Little Miss Queen of Darkness, Sunny Afternoon, I'll Remember Compared to the previous Kinks record I got on this list (Arthur) this one sounds more like your typical 60s pop rock. That being said it's a fine example of it. I liked it but it wasn't as good as the Beatles.

Highlights: Independent Women Pt. I and Pt. II, Survivor, Bootylicious, Nasty Girl, Fancy, Emotion The singles are dope, but as time goes on I like Survivor less and less. Especially that wtf transition to Bootylicious. Compared to that, I am liking Bootylicious more and more. First half is much stronger than the second. It goes from a very modern urban sounding rnb to a very vocal centric version of rnb often crossing into gospel which I found a bit dull compared with the first half.

Highlights: If I Had a Heart, When I Grow Up, Triangle Walks Wow, at first I thought that her voice sounded familiar, but I didn't realize she was the vocalist from The Knife. I only listened to Heartbeats, so I wasn't overly familiar with them, but it still rang a bell. Some tracks are a bit spoiled by the vocal style. For instance I liked the instrumentals on Seven and Triangle Walks, but then the vocals kinda take them down a notch for me. It was funny how Triangle Walks sounded like something from an N64 or Halo soundtrack. Overall a little bit too ambient for my taste and it wasn't all that interesting. No real earworm hit on the record either, which I expected there would be since I really liked Heartbeats when I heard that. The opening was better than the rest of the record. If it continued the way it started it would have been a 3, but then it fumbled the bag.

Highlights: Girls & Boys, Tracy Jacks, End of a Century, Parklife, London Loves, Trouble in the Message Centre, Clover Over Dover, Magic America, Jubilee, This Is a Low When I saw this as the record of the day it brightened my mood. I love Blur and I love Albarn. One of the rare 90s Britpop acts I don't detest to any degree. That being said, I never listened to Parklife as a whole, but I already had a good portion of it across several of my playlists. It just sounds whacky and cheery, but not at all dumb and simple, so I find it to be a great pop record. Found the mocking use of whatever that moog sounding thing in Magic America was to be a nice touch. Strong opening loaded with the singles, then afterwards it cools down, but it doesn't get dull. It even picks up a bit at the very end. The middle however is filled with a couple of shorter tracks (even an unexpected instrumental!) that do feel like padding, but they are just ok.

Highlights: Stop Dat, I Luv U, Brand New Day, 2 Far, Fix Up Look Sharp, Hold Ya Mouf, Round We Go, Jus' a Rascal, Seems 2 Be, Live O God damn, this was fresh! I'm not that deep into grime so this was new to me, but it's dope. His technical ability is top notch, and the production is also great and just so original and timeless. It's 20 years old but still sounds fresh af. Banger after banger. Truly an unexpected gem. Production kinda sounds similar to later alternative hip hop like Danny Brown because of the constant use of distortion (the vocal style is pretty close too). Songs do get kiiiinda samey when I think about it for a bit, but I liked the style. It stands out from the grime I've heard so far precisely because of the beats. Lyrically it's full of social commentary and criticism which was interesting. The rapper also plays this gangsta figure as well but I didn't find him to be very convincing because of his funny vocal style (combination of voice and London slang). Overall very dope, no issues with the record.

Highlights: Butterfly, Mombasstic, OK This feels like music made for shitposts, while also being a giant shitpost of various sounds on its own. It had its moments of beauty, but most of the time I couldn't take it seriously. I don't have a lot to comment here... The traditional music is beautiful but it was spoiled by stupid noises.

Highlights: Let's Get It On, If I Should Die Tonight, Come Get To This, Distant Lover Easy task for today, Gaye is a classic for a good reason. Here he displays his sexy mode and he does it in a gentle way throughout the whole record. The gentleness fits perfectly with a good number of songs which talk about heartbreak and reunion - an act where the hearts aren't racing but a bit more careful and tender. Such a nice fit. His vocals are full of emotion and they are, as it always is with him, the star of the show. I find it a shame that the record is a bit of a rollercoaster doe - one moment you have a weeping track, then a sexy track and once again a weeping one... I got the impression that the emotional highs and lows are evenly represented, so maybe he could have made one side be a sexy side and the other one be a reminiscing one. But that's kind of a nitpicky thought.

Highlights: The Changeling, Love Her Madly, Been Down So Long, L.A. Woman, L'America, Crawling King Snake, Riders on the Storm I already knew that I would like this in general and that the Doors loved using organs, which I also like. But I was still somehow surprised by how much I liked it and how good the new tracks were (because I haven't heard the majority of the material). It was dope, but there were some skippable tracks on the second half. Not bad, but they feel a bit backgroundy. Again, the highlight for me was the instrumentals where I have to note the organs and the southern-ish sound. This is nicely paired with Morisson's macho rough vocal style, so I just love the sound. I didn't really follow the lyrics but they didn't feel that important to the overall mix.

Highlights: Hells Bells, Shoot to Thrill, Givin' the Dog a Bone, Back In Black, You Shook Me All Night Long, Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution AC/DC is extremely spoiled for me because it was overplayed in the local gym. When I think of AC/DC I think of every possible normie poser that claims that he's a rocker because he knows their hits - it's something they have in common with Metallica and GnR. Also, without exception on every mention of AC/DC I get flashbacks of Iron Man 2... I still find AC/DC worthy of all of its praise but I can't find myself listening to them of my own free will. Like yeah, they don't pretend to be edgy like some other twats and their music is just pure fun, but given the earlier context, their music just comes off as kinda cringey. But yeah, the sound of Back in Black puts the hard in hard rock, and it's probably their most densely megahit-packed record. Am I saying it's their best? Not really. I'm not really tapped into their discography, but my likes are evenly distributed across their 70s and 80s run. That said, if it isn't their best, it has to at least be second best. Really, I don't see any difference compared to their older or newer stuff, so to me the only benchmark that it's better than something else is just the density of hits. A big problem with their music is that I feel like there is never a concept of the record. I bet you that you can give me some random compilation and tell me that it's a studio album and it would feel the same... I guess that means their formula is good doe? So even though it was hard to survive without cringing while listening, I recognize its value and what it is and isn't meant to be. It is fun and my head does bop so it's mission accomplished.

Highlights: Hideaway, Double Crossin' Time, Key to Love, Parchman Farm, It Ain't Right Kinda your classic blues rock record with a pronounced southern twist. Sounds a lot like the stuff Clapton would do later in his career, but a lot less interesting. This early version of that sound was standard - nothing special. Just Brits recycling American music. It's as if it's tailor made for a retro hipster radio show and nothing else. Not bad but passable.

Highlights: Smack My Bitch Up, Breathe, Diesel Power, Funky Shit, Serial Thrilla, Mindfields, Firestarter Tasty production all the way. Hit after hit - pure blast! The damn bass everywhere is just so nasty - rip to everyone listening to this on a laptop speaker. Funky Shit samples the Beastie Boys which I found it to be a nice touch cuz I love them too. It also has a bunch of these Jet Set Radio-esque sounds which I find cool. Narayan has a very cool combination of flowing bass and sound effects but I'm not sure if it's really a highlight - it's kinda long and long songs are always a bit sus. It feels cool as a part of the record, but not standalone. But that is ok, since this record has a great flow. It's a really thought out concept with minimal filler. It could carry a party on its own. I never heard Serial Thrilla before, but it was love at first sight. Climbatize was interesting because it was a rare instrumental - the thing is I either expected more of them or none at all. I can see a rave record consisting of a lot of instrumentals, but for it to have only one was weird to me and it kinda killed the flow. That's why the closing part was overall a bit weaker. But when the flow was on, it had a lot of great transitions between songs. If this came out fresh today I would have this on repeat for at least a week. Also, it has such a wtf cover but it works - a great album can't be great without a cool cover.

Highlights: Congo Mulence, Holiday, Minor Rama I mean... The description on the album cover says it all. But the Cuban part is way more noticeable than the African. Is it really just the bongo drums or am I missing something? Overall a nice package, but not something worth getting too crazy about. It works as a while and it is indeed a complete record. However it sounds relatively basic and not too special given the fact that, at least as far as I remember, Cuban jazz was well represented at the time. But it is a relatively early release so I guess it was severely influential for the later works. It never begged for my attention and it felt like a chore to sit through it trying to determine what was a highlight and what wasn't. Again, I'm not saying it's bad, just a bit of a bore.

Highlights: On Sight, Black Skinhead, I Am a God, New Slaves, Hold My Liquor, I'm In It, Blood On the Leaves, Send It Up, Bound 2 Hard af. Great use of weird distorted sounds. This is his turbo testosterone ego trip record and he masterfully translates this feeling into sound. Lyrics are here just to serve the noise, so it's not at all weird that he often spouts weird bs about croissants, 300 Romans and King Kong. But it often touches on his frustrations which fit with the angry and aggressive sounds. New Slaves is a great example of that - spittin facts even though he also spits stuff about dicks, swallowers and Hampton blouses. The aura of bragging and douchebaggery on display here is his own little manifesto that he would stick by for the rest of his career. His state of mind on this record is literally the same as it is in his meltdowns. Post Graduation he was really trying to reinvent himself and I feel like this is the peak of his metamorphosis - Pablo is just a polished continuation of this. It also defined his style for the new decade and that's why I believe this one of the most important records in his discography. The record is a great package and it's one of my personal favorites.

Highlights: Wouldn't It Be Nice, Don't Talk, I'm Waiting For the Day, Let's Go Away For a While, Sloop John B, God Only Knows, I Know There's An Answer, Here Today, Caroline No This is often in the greatest record of all times debates and I don't really get it. It's great, but it ain't THAT great, so hold your horses. I kinda already had my highlights from before so I didn't feel like analyzing the rest of the record too much. However, most of the highlights are in the higher echelon of romantic pop since it's a lot more enlightened compared to its temporaries. Don't Talk, I'm Waiting For the Day, Here Today and Caroline No are the some of the most beautiful songs that come to mind for their given topics. I didn't expect instrumental tracks on this, and such classy ones at that. They were very beautiful. When I think about it, the instruments on the whole record are arranged more tastefully than on any other pre-1966 pop record I've heard so far, so I have to give them that. It stands out for not being fully braindead teen slop, but it doesn't go to the same heights as the stuff the Beatles were cooking up at the same time. The vocal delivery is very 50/50 for me. At times it can be beautiful, but then there are also moments where the singing makes me shiver. I moderately enjoy listening to this record as a whole, but I much more prefer listening to the highlights on their own as a part of some thematical playlist.

Highlights: Release the Pressure, Afro-Left I read on Wikipedia that the artists themselves thought this record was a mess and I have to agree with them. It's a collection of passable dance music, but not a good record on its own. I feel like it's an overall trend with 90s experimental music that it never really works too well as a record even though the material might not be bad on its own, so I am putting a bit of the blame on the format itself. However, the approach of this record isn't that good either. I've heard better dance and electronic music from this period so the music itself has to take the blame as well. Interesting to know that the sample they used in Song of Life is very famous and also used by the Beastie Boys and Massive Attack. But apart from the cool sample, that song was ruined by the beat switch. It's really a thing of taste though, and I really don't like this kind of dance music - it's very braindead and loopy. The usual 7 minute runtime of tracks didn't help much either. You really have to be under the influence of some shit to think this is wonderful. There are elements of greatness but they aren't arranged well at all.

Highlights: Tired Games, MJ FM Interlude, Crazy Love, You're Mine, Sincere, Strung Out, Rough Out Here, Slum King, Hold On To Me, Free My Mind Decent house record (apparently correctly labeled as UK garage). Wasn't all that surprised by how it sounded in general, but I liked it nonetheless. What was interesting was that it had a song like Rough Out Here - it's kinda out of place but at the same time right at home. I guess that is so because it's a cover. Slum King beat began exactly like something off of Dizzie Rascal's debut, and just like something from Jet Set Radio. I liked the closing half a fair bit more than the opening one.

Highlights: Mama's Always On Stage, People Everyday, Mr. Wendal, Children Play With Earth, Fishin' 4 Religion, Give A Man A Fish, Tennessee Dope hip-hop record. What sells it is a very progressive and Afro-centric view of the world which was original. Production is fun, lively and positive - very optimistic sounding. Like a happy little hip hop party.

Highlights: Golden Years, TVC15, Stay, Wild Is the Wind It was ok, but not something wow. I only had Golden Years liked before listening so I expected a bit more from the record. Most of the tracks are drawn out so there are only six on the record. The style is kinda standard for the time so no points for that either. Wild Is the Wind was a nice closer. I won't be revisiting this as a record, but some of the highlights will remain in rotation.

Highlights: I Might Have Been Queen, What's Love Got to Do with It, Show Some Respect, I Can't Stand the Rain, Private Dancer It started strong with a bunch of club friendly tracks which I really liked. Yeah, they did sound like stereotypical 80s pop, but I like that style. The hits are definitely overplayed so I kinda liked some of the lesser known tracks from the first half a bit more. Then the record took a nosedive at Let's Stay Together. She butchered that track and I got worried that all the other covers are gonna suck too. The following tracks didn't fix that sentiment. I was really disappointed with the monotonous take on Help. I checked the anniversary release and saw that there were even more omitted covers. I have to say that there were some better decisions to be made about the final selection of the covers... For instance I really liked Ball of Confusion and the Prince cover. They are a better fit for the pop energy of the first half of the record. Overall I won't be revisiting the record as a while, but the highlights will remain in rotation on all sorts of 80s focused playlists.

Highlights: Hard Headed Woman, Wild World, Miles From Nowhere Very ass take on folk. The style was so monotonous that it's practically a lullaby which fits the childish esthetics of the album cover. And it wasn't even all that interesting lyrically. It didn't feel all that wise or whatever else folk is supposed to be... I kinda liked the inspirational vibe of On the Road to Find Out, but it dragged on too long for it to be a highlight. Even the highlights weren't all that highlighty. I don't think that even half of them will remain in rotation. Pretty disappointed since I really liked Wild World prior to listening to the whole record.

Highlights: Bring the Noise, Don't Believe the Hype, Cold Lampin With Flavor, Terminator X to the Edge of Panic, Louder Than a Bomb, Night of the Living Baseheads, Propthets of Rage Yeeeahh boiiii!!1!1 Hippity hoppa with nice beats. What more can you ask for? Well actually it would be nicer if wasn't all very formulaic, but it's still great. By formulaic I mean the monotonous vocal delivery, constant use and repeating of vocal snippets ("yeeeah boiii") and looping beat (most noticeable on Caught, Can We Get a Witness). The record is often too predictable on a track to track basis to be a masterpiece. However there were interesting switch-ups, like the metal fusion on She Watch Channel Zero, but it was ruined by the awful looping of the vocal snippet. Lyrically it's exactly what you would expect from a late 80's hip-hop record, so it wasn't all that revolutionary in that regard. I especially enjoyed listening to Flavor - his delivery was the most interesting part of the record and I missed him when he wasn't on a track. As the first third came to a close, he was noticeably absent only to make a return by the very end. The style also kinda felt familiar and they deadass confirmed it at the very end by referencing the Beastie Boys.

Highlights: Laura, Comfortably Numb, Mary, Filthy / Gorgeous, Music Is the Victim, Skins, Get It Get It Scissor Sisters are the type of act that no one gives a rats ass about and pays no thought to them in their day to day life. At the same time they have an enormously interesting style - especially on the vocal delivery. I heard some of their hits, but never delved deeper than that. At moments it goes for this disco style and at moments it tries to be serious, but it never goes full goofy as the hits would have me to believe. I always thought they were British so it was quite a revelation to discover otherwise. Unfortunately, the second half dragged on a bit and ruined the initial positive impression. So overall I don't feel like revisiting the record, but the highlights will remain in rotation.

Highlights: Under the Pressure, In Reverse I had low expectations going into this based on the description, the name and the album cover. It gave a pretentious vibe and it was a sign of things to come. Under the Pressure was an ok opener, but dragged on for too long. The instrumental ending of Suffering was nice (the riffs). As the record went on I was kinda unimpressed. It sounds like a product of its time and I don't particularly like that period of indie music. Very uninspired and meh. This white man still hasn't discovered any spice in his life. The influences are painfully obvious and it made it less enjoyable. It felt cheap. Won't be revisiting it, nor will any of the tracks remain in rotation.

Highlights: Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King, Hang On to Your Love, Frankie's First Affair, When Am I Going to Make a Living, Cherry Pie, Why Can't We Live Together Instant classic. Smooth, refined and chill. Instrumentals are the true highlight, but the vocals are also great. It has a great late night sound and that makes it highly revisitable. The record will remain in rotation and I will add the highlights to my playlists - if they aren't already there.

Highlights: 2112, A Passage to Bangkok, Something For Nothing Decent. When it comes to Rush, so far I've heard only heard a few songs from Moving Pictures, so I had a bit of a different expectation coming into this. I don't understand why the side A overture isn't separated on streaming services since there are clean breaks between different parts. It's not like they melt into one giant track... The B side is more standard stuff. I liked the record but I'm not so sure how sticky the highlights will be for me... It's mostly due to my genre preferences, I'm not saying it was bad.

Highlights: Fight Test, One More Robot, Yoshimi pt.1 and 2, Are You a Hypnotist, Do You Realize??, Approaching Pavonis Mons Holy shit that was a strong start... How is this 20 years old? It sounds like 8 at most. Beats are so fresh and exciting. It had me feeling like I was playing Katamari Damacy with those space noises. Do You Realize especially so. Vocal style is playful and simple, but the lyrical content has depth to it. All combined make a great package I didn't expect to get. Never heard anything from this record so it really was a positive surprise. There were some slumps doe (It's Summertime comes to mind). Overall a record I will definitely revisit and the highlights will remain in rotation.

Highlights: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Hotel Yorba, I'm Finding it Harder To Be a Gentleman, Fell In Love With a Girl, Expecting, Little Room, We're Going to Be Friends, Oh I Think I Smell a Rat, Now Mary I do consider myself a big fan of Jack White, but I haven't listened to this record in its entirety for a while. Way back when I last listened to it I didn't really like the second half. As it turns out, that's still the case. It was too tame for his usual style I guess. Especially when you look at his latest solo stuff. Tracks are very short so I feel like the sounds weren't fully explored. It kinda feels like a lot of unfinished ideas and I didn't really like that sort of aftertaste in my ear... It's not even that long so I'm not mad that it's full of these short experiments, but they just didn't click with me. Little Room however was a short lil experiment that I liked. Kinda weird because I usually hate something that short. I don't know if I understood it correctly, but it was funny in my head. I like Elephant and De Stijl much more. They feel much more like a proper White Stripes /Jack White record than this. Therefore I am now sure I won't be revisiting this record as a whole for quite some time again, but the highlights will remain in rotation as they already have been.