This album was a bluesy one with smooth instrumentation. In fact, every instrument came through cleanly and blended nicely, so a very good quality recording. I liked how there were bits of experimentation sprinkled throughout (particularly midway through Land Ho!), and how some songs had ethereal qualities (Blue Sunday and particularly Indian Summer). Overall, it wasn't bad, I'm just normally not a big blues fan, mostly because of the abundance of organ and keyboards. I think my favorite song was Waiting For The Sun.
Jazz with lots of experimentation. Interesting to listen to.
I was already familiar with Adele as several of the songs on this album were hits I'd heard before, and I thought they were good. The entirety of the album has beautiful melodies and instrumentation. Of course her voice is big and powerful, but I sometimes felt like it overpowered the music (which it was obviously produced that way on purpose because it's the asset she has that differentiates her from others). I'm just a person that's more interested in instrumentation. Overall, I think it's a solid album and easy to listen to. My favorite song is Someone Like You because I do like melancholic songs and I think songs like that make good album closers.
This contains many of those typical 80's sounds (synthy and jazzy with drum machines), and I got the vibe of that era's sitcoms and movies as I was listening. But I could also hear dark undertones, which I particularly like in music. "Listen" was an interesting atmospheric tune I enjoyed at the end of the album.
I already like a lot of Green Day's songs, so I enjoyed this! A very upbeat punk album with relatable lyrics.
The guitars in this are so prominent and amazingly done throughout. I enjoyed all the melodies and different styles of music woven throughout the songs. The production quality was clean, and I thought it was quite an enjoyable listen.
I'm not really into this type of music, but this was an interesting listen (I even felt compelled to listen twice). It has public service messages (take care of your teeth because no one else will), social justice announcements (student demonstrations and the environment), and dark tones mixed in. I had heard of the Beach Boys, and I knew they were known for surf music, but this was better than I expected.
Smooth sounding jazz (both the music and the singer's voice itself). While it does have its groovy moments, it's just not for me.
The band name is certainly deceiving. With a name like Primal Scream I guess I expected heavier music. In contrast, this was pleasant and somewhat interesting to listen to.There were vocals, but I found myself more drawn to the sounds than the lyrics.
I like the general sound of this album (moody rock with the vibe of Oasis), but I felt like something was left to be desired. The songs kind of stretch out too long. "History" is the only song that stood out to me because of how the emotional feeling came through in it, which was reminiscent of their song I am familiar with and really like, "Bitter Sweet Symphony". Overall, I thought this was pretty okay.
I'm not really a rap fan. This is more than just standard rap, though. It has fun drum beats, guitars, and melodies. I also heard different sounds and instruments being used as well as r&b influences. I didn't really care for the interlude tracks, however. Overall, a pretty fun listen with real life themes, but I will say the first half of the album is definitely stronger than the later half ("Gasoline Dreams" and "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)" in particular).
So obviously, everyone has heard of the Beatles and has listened to at least some of their hit songs without any effort on their part. I'm that 'everyone', and this is the first full Beatles album I've ever listened to on purpose. My best friend in high school loved them (still does) but I was into other music at the time, and being a stubborn teenager I wasn't interested in trying them out.
This still isn't my preferred style of music to listen to, but there are still several good songs on this double album, like "Blackbird" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". I personally have a preference for the acoustic numbers ("Julia", "Long, Long, Long"), because of the emotional resonance they contain. Other songs mix in blues, folk, classic rock, and psychedelia (which I'm learning I only really like in measured doses). The arrangements are of course melodic and I will admit some of the more strange lyrical and musical moments kind of put me off. In the end, it's not my favorite but I don't hate it, either. I think this album requires more than one listen, which I am open to doing.
Not really my thing. But I can appreciate funky bass lines and catchy beats. The songs did drag on too long, though.
This was my first deep dive into a full Radiohead album. I liked the various singles I've heard, and I liked this album a good bit as well. It's full of dark undertones, experimentation, some electronic moments ("Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors"), and the beautiful "Pyramid Song". There's even a short instrumental piece, "Hunting Bears". The ethereal and unusual (not super mainstream) nature of Radiohead's music makes for a captivating listen.
I wasn't looking forward to listening to this because I'm not into hip hop and rap music. This album surprised me, however. There were so many different sounds and instrumentals, and the vocal parts (few compared to the musical parts) flowed with stories. I found myself enjoying the atmosphere of the album. Another album I would rate a 3 and possibly revisit.
That bass rhythm at the beginning of the album ("Debaser"), hooked me immediately (all of the other bass parts in the album are just as prominent). The whole album is so high energy and catchy with the right amount of dark undertones for me. I especially loved "Monkey Gone to Heaven". A lot of my favorite music has definitely been influenced by Pixies, so I love this.
This is my first ever Led Zeppelin album listen. I have heard so many other bands I listen to reference them as inspiration, and the source material does speak for itself. Each instrument is prominent and loud (especially the drums), and Robert Plant's voice is so soulful. Some of the parts of the album were too bluesy for me, but the overall concept and sound of the album was amazing. Notable songs for me were "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Dazed and Confused".
When I hear a description of "psychedelic", I expect more weird sounds going on, but this didn't come across like that. I thought it was easy-listening rock music with a folk feel, catchy and pretty accessible. I didn't mind the listen.
This is the second Led Zeppelin album I've gotten this week (the debut being the first one I've ever listened to). This one has a more classic rock/experimental/groovy feel. I particularly enjoyed "When the Levee Breaks". Though the music is good in this album, Zeppelin's first album comes across as more powerful and significant to me.
This comes across to me as a mix of dance/jazz/cafe style music with solid beats throughout. Some songs contained samples of various media materials and repetitive elements, and others gave me a chill and relaxing vibe. There's a lot of non-vocal music and sounds throughout. While interesting, this style of music isn't really my cup of tea.
I was already familiar with "Supermassive Black Hole" and a few other songs that I liked before listening to this album. The space rock description does fit here (if that encompasses groovy bass lines, ambitious guitars, retro piano sounds, and dark tones). The songs and their lyrics also conveyed a sense of seriousness and urgency to me. There are some beautiful moments on this album. A good listen.
This is a jazzy, latin album that is mostly instrumental. The guitar work is smooth and soaring and the tracks are definitely great to dance to and very fun to listen to.
I found myself dancing along and vibing to this electronic pop album. The music is so infectiously catchy and melodic, even haunting at times. The piano parts are beautiful and the lyrics are cutting and honest. I've never been into newer music or music for my generation (I was 22 when this came out and I'm usually into 90s and 2000s music), but I enjoyed listening to this a lot. "Writer In The Dark" is a personal favorite of mine now.
A classic rock album with funk elements. Every track is high energy, nothing is slow and meloncholic. Even though I grew up listening to this kind of music (my parents were into classic rock and hair metal as well as some early 90s grunge), I never really got into this music. It's not awful, but I don't think it's particularly exciting either. With that being said, I did enjoy "Nobody's Fault".
Beyonce is one of those over-hyped artists. While arguably she does have an amazingly powerful voice, it very easily becomes drowned out by the production on this album. Her vocal ability shines more on the softer and simpler musical parts (pianos, for example, like on "Heaven"). I'm not a fan of big and heavy synth beats, and rapping doesn't suit Beyonce. The lyrics were brutally honest about themes like the beauty industry, the difficulties of being a woman, and infidelity, while other songs were heavily sexual. l did finish the whole album but it was definitely not something I want to listen to again.
The songs on this album have that typical 80s synthy sound with the added effect of sounding what I would describe as grand (it is a soundtrack for a movie, after all). Funnily enough, I was already familiar with "Darling Nikki" because I had first heard the Foo Fighters cover it before listening to the original (I like the extra instrumentation on this song). Overall, I'm generally not into this style of music but I can appreciate why it's on this list. Prince's singing voice and skilled use of guitar, drums, and synths elevate the songs and make them stand out from all of the other stereotypical 80s fare (particularly the guitar work). "Purple Rain" is a beautiful closer to the album, especially the ending minute of the song. I'm rating it a 2 simply because it's just not my thing, though.
I've never actually sat down and listened to this album before, but I've heard several of the hit songs from it. I would describe this music as 90s pop rock with the occasional harmonica thrown in (which was kind of off-putting to me, as I felt it threw the style of the music off a bit). What makes this album unique, however, are the cutting lyrics and brutal honesty Alanis Morissette brings to the songs. She's not scared to say what she wants to say and if she must convey those words through grating vocals, moans, and wordplay, she will. The music itself has enough dark undertones to mesh well with the lyrics, but there's plenty of pop sensibility to make everything catchy and accessible to listen to. I enjoyed pretty much the entire album, especially after a second listening. Standouts for me included "Forgiven", "Not the Doctor", "Wake Up", and "Your House" (a hidden song).
I've listened to this album before (in the background), so it's nice to give it my full attention now, since this year I've been in a White Stripes/Jack White phase. Much of the music has Jack White's signature catchy riffs that he started out with in The White Stripes. Additionally, he incorporates more blues and acoustic elements, and the lyrics come across as more personal and vulnerable. The first half was strong and the most like his previous work, but I found that the second half was weaker and almost like a completely different album (probably because of the sharp uptick in the bluesy sound, which isn't a favorite of mine). I would love to rate this higher, but I only liked half the album and the other half was too country and folk-style for me.
This album was okay, but it felt unremarkable to me. You can definitely tell it's a 70s piece because of the groovy elements mixed in with the rock music, but there's also some blues mixed in as well. There were a couple of standout tunes to me: "Barrytown" and "Charlie Freak". These songs were perfectly melodic and the storytelling was amazing. Not to say the other songs weren't melodic or told stories, but these two had the best combination of both. The last song, "Monkey In Your Soul", did not feel like a closer to me, more just another filler song. Overall, I see a couple of shining moments in an otherwise sort of bland album.
Right off the bat, I felt like the songs had a dated sound (like a bit of an 80s sound despite it being a 90s album). I also sensed a strain of desperation running through the songs, which intrigued me, as did the combination of singing and spoken lyric delivery. I thought "Common People" was quite a meaningful song, especially in these times. Some of the lyrics were kind of creepy and obsessive, like the ones in "Pencil Skirt" and "Underwear". I didn't mind the music (a britpop/rock style), but I wasn't in love with it either. Perhaps it's an acquired taste.
This album is a mixture of a few different genres: country, rock, and folk. Lyrics consist of melodies woven into stories. Though I thought "Tell Me Why" and "Southern Man" were good, I disliked the album because I'm not into this style of music. I suppose it's too meandering and reflective for me.
I'm already a big Nirvana fan so I was excited when this popped up. This album is not polished and radio friendly like its predecessor, "Nevermind". The mix is rougher and more akin to their debut album, "Bleach". The melodies and some pop sensibilities are still there, but there's more what I would call disordered (perhaps manic) instrumentation (powerful drums, dirty guitars).
I grew up listening to "Nevermind" on car rides as a kid and I think of it as a foundation for my musical interests. I didn't hear "In Utero" until I was a teenager and it took a few listens and the maturing of my musical tastes for me to really appreciate it. The songs are no doubt catchy (see "Very Ape") and the fact that the lyrics are usually random, unintelligible, and screamed doesn't diminish that. More instrumentation (strings) are explored on songs like "Dumb" (probably my favorite) and "All Apologies" (which is a wonderful closer in my opinion). I love this album, perhaps not quite as much as Nevermind because of my memories, but this is one of my favorite listens regardless.
The generator previously gave me "Morrison Hotel", my first exposure to The Doors. Somehow, even though of course the music is unique and steeped in psychedelia, this album came across as more accessible than "Morrison Hotel" somehow. This was of course an interesting listen, with noteworthy songs for me being "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"; "Light My Fire"; and "The End". However, the album didn't particularly resonate with me at this point in time. I do think about the style of these songs sometimes though, and they're just so different than what I usually listen to.
Soul isn't my preferred style of music, but this album is no doubt groovy and catchy. It would be good to listen to if you're down and want to lift your spirits. Most everything on here is upbeat and definitely passionate. Not my favorite, but I can appreciate the sentiments.
This album is twofold: the first half contains electric bluesy tunes while the second half finishes out with acoustic folk songs. I much preferred the acoustic songs to the electric ones, but Bob Dylan's storytelling (especially in "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream") captivated me throughout. The melodies and guitar carry the songs well (see "Mr. Tambourine Man"). I felt a sense of wistfulness and calm listening to this album even though the lyrics are far from peaceful (as is Dylan's tradition), and I even laughed at some of the parts of the stories. Another note about the lyrics is that they are very relevant today, and they should not be missed. My favorite song was probably "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". Coincidentally, this song happened to have the strongest message, in my opinion. Normally I'm not into blues music and harmonicas, but this felt meaningful enough to me, particularly in the second half, to warrant me to give it a higher rating.
Johnny Cash had such a powerful and commanding voice during his time, and it really shines in this final release of his. The arrangements are light (mostly acoustic guitars and pianos), but so beautiful, and Cash's vocals enfuse the songs with emotion and he does make them his own (this is an album of covers with a few exceptions). "Hurt" was already one of my favorite songs prior to listening to this album, and I now love "I Hung My Head", "Personal Jesus", and "In My Life". This is a truly amazing piece of work from one of his generation's best storytellers and voices.
I was given "Stankonia" not that long ago, and despite my general dislike of rap and hip hop, I didn't hate it. I knew this album was on the list, but I didn't expect to get it so soon. I was already familiar with "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya" because I used to listen to the radio a lot when I was a teenager. I always thought "The Way You Move" was a random interlude between the other songs on the radio for some reason, but I liked the song in its entirety here.
What draws me to this album (and the other one) is the extensive use of multiple instruments, sounds, and melodies. It's not just rapping to a synth beat: it's hip hop, jazz, soul, and r&b all mixed together. The lyrics are also immediate and real, and I can feel the urgency in many of the songs. The first half of the album (Big Boi's) is the most like "Stankonia", and I thought it was the strongest side. I felt like it carried a more serious tone and I liked the instrumentation better.The second half (Andre 3000's) came across as more mellow and soulful, and though different instrumentation was used, I didn't like it as much as the first half.
Overall, this album was quite a long listen (over 2 hours), and I did take a break halfway through. I think I enjoyed this more than "Stankonia", in part because of the variety of music and also because it was a clear evolution from the previous album while staying in the same vein.
You don't need to understand French to appreciate the sweeping musicality of this album. Brel's powerful, passionate voice is accompanied by a backing orchestra in a live setting, and it made me feel like I was actually there listening to the show (it's that big-sounding). The music is so beautiful. Highlights for me included "Amsterdam" and "Le pat pays".
This is a soulful, jazzy, piano-driven album. Notable pieces for me included "Four Women" and "Lilac Wine". Though this album had its stellar moments (carried by the lyrics and Simone's powerful voice matched with more subdued instrumentals), this wasn't something I'd reach for again.
In this album, the songs were high energy, and you can tell that a lot of care and attention was paid to the instrumentals. I prefer this style of rock music to the 70s psychedelic and bluesy rock style that came before. It was a decent listen overall.
Even though this is a live album, it sounds so polished. I liked the casual vibe it has, too. Sarah Vaughan has a wonderful voice that meshes well with the jazz music. A smooth, easy listen.
This is my third Zeppelin album within the span of about a month. I'm less than 50 albums in so far, maybe I'll get them all super early on. Anyway, as is usual with Zeppelin, the instrumentation and musical skill are top notch. This album also incorporated more soft and introspective folk songs (which they do very well) and less heavier rock n' roll. The songs are never boring and always unique. I still find their debut album to be my favorite, but the tracks "Friends" and "That's the Way" were personal standouts.
This came across as a magical, mystical folk album to me. The reviews were really bad, so I thought I'd absolutely hate it, but I don't think it's awful. It's certainly not dance music (which I think is what the Bees Gees are known for), but it's grand, dark, and at times beautiful. It kind of reminds me of a prior experimental Beach Boys album that I've received ("Surf's Up").
I've been meaning to listen to this album for a while, since I enjoyed Slipknot's previous album, "Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses". So needless to say, I was excited when this popped up. I'd already heard the hits ("Psychosocial" and "Dead Memories") as a young teenager watching music videos on the Fuse channel. I liked the high energy, heavy songs with melodies (because aren't melodies in heavy rock music wonderful to everyone?) "Gehenna" seems to be the most experimental (Corey Taylor singing falsetto I did not expect). "Snuff" is a more subdued song, but heartbreakingly beautiful. Some of the songs have the obvious Slipknot style, and are pretty formulaic, but there was enough variety to make me really enjoy this album.
