1001 Albums Summary

Best: Message In A Bottle (Dis)honorable Mentions: No Time This Time - the vocals are a bit too much On Any Other Day - award for weirdest lyrics Does Everyone Stare - I like how prominent the piano is, but it gets quite repetitive The album is a weird mix of genres (a bit of reggae, a bit of surf rock vibes) and overall gives me mixed feelings. Most of the songs are too repetitive to the point that, even if they had a promising start or good instrumentals, they get drawn out by the end. But I wouldn't say anything is really terrible here, just gets too old too quickly. Probably won't be returning to this one.

Stand-out tracks: He's The Greatest Dancer - the prominent strings in the background are a nice addition, but a bit overused by the end Somebody Loves Me - a more mellow and laidback track, compared to the rest Easier To Love - I like how the chords are unexpectedly unnerving, contrary to the melodies of most of the tracks on the album which are upbeat The album was pleasant to listen to, but most of it felt like very generic disco/R&B music to just dance to or listen to in the background. Nothing to really write home about.

Stand-out tracks: Remote Control - fun lyrics, good instrumentals (especially that guitar solo about halfway through) White Riot - short, but damn catchy Deny - I like how diverse the guitar is in this one and the tempo changes are cool London's Burning - another short and catchy one Police Thieves - its length gives it room to breathe unlike most of the other tracks Garageland - the drums are fun on this one I don't know what I was expecting from a punk rock album, lots of hate in the lyrics (they hate the system, the US, the army, the police) and shouting. Never really listened to punk much, so this was a nice surprise. The songs are fast paced and short so they are over before you know it, but they are catchy. I do feel the album would benefit from having a few more developed longer songs instead of a bunch of half-assed short songs to fill the track list.

Stand-out tracks: nothing really Wasn't impressed by this album at all and is one I wouldn't want to listen to again. There are no tracks to highlight here unfortunately. The intrumental side is very hit or miss with this blend of folk and punk. Weird to hear so much acoustic guitar in a punk context. The vocals were just annoying and turned me off immediately (they turned the singer on though : > ). All in all, a debatable 1, but I'm still not sure how harsh I should be, so it is a 2 for now.

Stand-out tracks: Jim Cain - really nice, promising start Eid Ma Clack Shaw - a strong feeling of tension contrasted with literal gibberish lyrics at the end, very peculiar The Wind and The Dove - the occassional oriental sounds are a real surprise on this one My Friend Started off as a soothing album, both the instrumental side and especially the vocals, but as it progressed certain tracks had darker/reflective themes in their melodies and lyrics. It got quite experimental by the end. I like how varied the instrumentals are and they don't necessarily "scream" the country sounds I expected. Despite the praises, some tracks do feel a bit drawn out and the instrumentals get a bit stale at times (especially towards the end of the album). It honestly had a promising start, but left me confused by the end at what it wants to actually be musically.

Stand-out tracks: 100%, Swimsuit Issue, Wish Fulfillment, Chapel Hill, Purr Most tracks are very hit or miss for me. Some I would relisten to again. Too much distortion on some and some have off-putting vocals.

Stand-out tracks: Karma Chameleon - it is a hit for a reason It's A Miracle - although the vocals are a bit repetitive, the instrumentals are nice, especially the sax Changing Every Day - love the brief jazzy moments added in That's The Way - just the piano and vocals alone are nice Miss Me Blind - that guitar solo at the end pleasantly surprised me Mister Man - the beat has a bit more of a reggae and the saxophone is once again a nice addition Victims - stands out as a more dramatic, ballad-like track The album is just a good vibe with some tracks trying to somewhat branch out of the typical 80s pop/new wave style, but most staying comfortably within their genre, possibly to their detriment. Not all of the tracks are stand-outs, but I probably wouldn't skip any of them upon relisten. Overall a pleasant listen, but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Would give it a 4.5 if I could.

Stand-out tracks: So Jah S'eh - one of the few tracks I wasn't tired of by the end Most of the album is quite annoying to me to be quite honest. I think reggae just isn't a genre of music I would listen to because those repeating back vocals get really tiring to me (like how many times can you repeat Natty Dread in the span of 3 mins...). The instrumentals can be sometimes nice, but it all just gets so tiring, especially when the track is over 4 mins long and then literally repeats itself. Feels like I would listen to this only if I turned my brain off and just vibe with it I guess, although this really isn't my vibe.

Stand-out tracks: Take a Bow -although I'm not the biggest fan of the vocals, I like the steady instrumental progression through the song and the dramatic ending Supermassive Black Hole - a hit for a reason, this is without a doubt the best track on the album Map of the Porblematique City of Delusion - once again the vocals don't contribute much, but I like how energetic the track is with the various instrumental changes throughout Glorious - a powerful closer that feels appropriate for the album About half of the album was relatively enjoyable to listen to and the other half less so. Even some of the more popular tracks weren't as good to me (mainly Starlight and Knights of Cydonia). Sonically there is a lot of interesting stuff here, but I feel like some tracks try quite a bit to stand out , while others do the opposite. Rarely does a track hit the right balance. The vocals certainly don't help either as they feel a bit whiney and out of place at times. I would say overall it was an average listen.

Stand-out tracks: You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - love the jazzy chord progressions You And I - that combination of the piano and the theremin-like sound of the synth is magical You've Got It Bad Girl - more jazz chords, I like Superstition - the brass instrumentals carry this one Blame It On The Sun - a slower more melancholic track similar in tone to You And I (even the piano and synth combo) Lookin' For Another Love I'm really impressed by this album. There is a lot to like here, especially as a fan of jazz and piano, quite a few tracks stand out to me. I love how diverse the album feels and how varied the instruments are, from a harmonica on one track, to ethereal synths on the next. That said, there certainly are a few tracks that I'm not as impressed with, mainly because they overstay their welcome. I'm not the biggest fan of tracks being unecessarily long and repeating the same sort of theme to the point where it gets tiring. Those kind of tracks I would gladly skip on a relisten. Because of this, I feel more inclined to say the album was great rather than amazing.