I love Purple Rain but I've surprisingly never heard any other Prince albums aside from that one. This definitely *feels* like the precursor to Purple Rain but I can definitely tell it's situated in the 1980s. There are definitely parts of this album that made me uh; feel certain ways. I didn't necessarily care for all of on the nose sex stuff. Like nothing against it, but Purple Rain does it SO MUCH BETTER. It was a nice '80s listen but I doubt I'll be revisiting this anytime soon.
Interesting to see the progression of the band from this to London Calling. I definitely see how early Green Day was influenced by this sound. It was a fun album, just not something that I'm particularly dying to go back to again like London Calling. Lots of catchy hooks :)
Grace is one of the most beautiful albums I have ever listened to in my life. Period. Every single song on this album (including forget her on the expanded) contains an entire world which Buckley brings to life. No matter how many times I listen to this album I find something new to appreciate. The subtle neighing when Buckley sings "the white horses flow" on Mojo Pin, the vibrato on Hallelujah, the chord progressions on Grace, the rawness of eternal life, the pain in Forget Her. My mom and I saw a documentary about his life last year, and she knowing next to nothing about Buckley, was still mesmerized by his music and life.
I love jangle pop so this was a really fun listen! The instrumentation was layered and everything I could have ever wanted from a jangle pop album. I also noticed certain elements of baroque pop in some of the songs that reminded me a bit of the beach boys. Will definitely be coming back to this when the weather is a bit nicer outside...
This was a really fun listen! It feels like if Wu-Tang were in LA and also had more electronic instruments. I loved the variety of styles that are played around with in rapping here and... I actually enjoyed the skits lol
I listened to this not once, not twice, but three times! I love this album so much, Julian Casablancas was my bisexual awakening pretransition and it still holds up so well. (he does too by the way), The guitar tones are that distinct post-punk revival/garage rock sound and julian's voice is just so iconic. How can you not love this album come on.
Ok so full disclosure here, Nick Drake is a weak spot of mine. My roommate LOVES him, and it's February in Boston so I feel like this is perfect listening for the moment. I have heard River Man before and the chord progression was haunting. This album is lush, ornate, and melancholic all at the same time making it the perfect listening for the short winter days. I also just appreciate how much variety there is here between the songs. It's one of those albums I can't wait to listen to when the weather starts to get cold.
It’s Nina Simone. Do I have to say anything else?
Rest in peace to Lo Borges, he passed away recently. I love this album. It's such a rewarding listen and it's one of those albums where the melodies get stuck in your head long after you finish listening to it. It takes me back to my childhood summers; maybe it's the album cover but it transports me to an entirely different time and place. It's albums like this that make me go "oh ok so this is why i'm obsessed with music". It would be so easy to overlook a masterpiece like this, but I find myself wanting to further explore the sounds of this genre in the future.
This album sucks oml. This feels like the blueprint for imagine dragons and all of the derivative pop-rock acts of today. I think the humor is just too on the nose for me personally? Also the instrumentals sound INCREDIBLY dated and just uninspired. Found the first album on this list that personally offends me lol. The only saving grace ig was Jack White on bass for one of the songs, the rest of it.... yeah.
Wow. Beautiful album. Sigur Ros has been on my radar for quite some time, so I'm glad that I finally got to check them out. I can definitely draw comparisons to Godspeed You Black Emperor, but the song structures are more well defined. Regardless, every song has a unique atmosphere that the layered instrumentals serve well. Will definitely be returning to this.
Well. That was very interesting. I love how Shankar prefaced this by explaining traditional Indian music compared to western music, it really did help me appreciate not only the technique involved in creating this type of music, but also what this music means in a cultural sense. I can't say that this is something I'll go to back consistently, but I definitely do appreciate the unique culture this is situated in.
A nice little twee pop album :) Still prefer Julien Baker's version of Get Me Away though.
Picking a favorite Bob Dylan album is like picking a favorite child. Highway 61 revisited was my introduction to Bob Dylan and... damn, what a fucking incredible work of american songwriting. Desolation row is a serious contender for one of my favorite songs of all time and it's easily the best album closer I've ever heard. I love how it blends Dylan's existing contemporary folk with elements of rock that are just so damn good and timeless honestly.
meh. this album was very samey and i didn't really enjoy it. it wasn't bad to listen to per se, it was just boring. Like I get why Frank Sinatra is considered the father of vocal jazz don't get me wrong, but comparing this to any of Nina Simone's releases is like comparing plain toast to a decadent breakfast. not gonna revisit.
why is he giving me that stare..... great live recording though. this is one of those albums i'm going to have on repeat for the next month. I would also recommend Cat Power's cover of this entire concert! She has a really unique take on all of the songs.
FUCK STEVIE DOES NOT MISS THIS ALBUM IS AMAZING. I love how well controlled the production is whilst still remaining lush and free-flowing. I mean this in the sense that it's cohesive but so dynamic in the styles of music Stevie covers. Will come back to this again!!!!
I liked this! I’m not familiar with Reggae but this was a nice introduction to that genre. The overly political nature of this style of music is definitely unique.
This was a fun pop album that yes, might be a bit dated in some aspects, but nevertheless is reflective of that style of pop at the turn of the '90s.
Beautiful album by Cash at the end of his life. The songs he chose to cover reflect his musical career quite well, and are so unique to him as an artist.
My first Elliott Smith album and I'll say that I enjoyed this more than I expected to. There are the sensibilities of late '90s alternative rock scattered throughout this work, but there is also a deep appreciation for the singer-songwriters that laid the foundation for Smith. I will say, this wasn't as depressing as some other people told me Smith's work was, I've certainly heard more mournful releases from the likes of Sufjan; yet there was this tinge of melancholy strung out throughout the runtime. I think my favorite part of this release was the chord progression of Everything Means Nothing to Me, and the way the words "everything means nothing to me" serve as a refrain, especially leading to the build up in the back half of the song.
I hadn’t listened to this since high school but all of the reasons I liked it then apply to why I like it now lol
This album just wasn't for me. Some of the riffs were cool I guess and I understand why someone would like this as a metal album, but I found it too repetitive and not exciting enough.
you know what. heck yeah
I liked the darker ballad-type songs. Not really a fan of the other stuff even if I get why it was important for popular music as a whole.
I will definitely be coming back to this! I enjoyed the elements of folk overlaid with the humor of punk in the '70s and '80s.
Ok look I get what this album is trying to do. I understand where this album is situated in the context it exists in. It starts off very strong as a typical psychedelic rock album and then devolves into madness. It's brilliant in an experimental sense, and unfortunately much of the satire regarding the U.S. set forth in this album still applies to today. That being said, this is not something I would listen to again regularly just because of how dense and unsettling it presents itself.
Ugh I didn’t like this. The lead singers voice was too whiny and the songs were all so commercial. There was some good guitar work, but it was overshadowed by the annoying vocals.
All around decent album that reflected a very particular moment from the English punk scene. I loved the range of styles on this album, but admittedly, this isn't a sort of sound I'm dying to go back to frequently. It's probably just my own taste.
FUCK I DID NOT REMEMBER THIS ALBUM BEING THIS GOOD. i know i'm a sucker for progressive pop but damn every song on this album just rocks in the best possible way. the intro to the album is just so good too ugh this really was elton john at his best. the guitar work on this album meshes so well with Elton's piano playing too I just can't get enough of this. the harmonies.... I'm swooning for '70s elton omg i need this on vinyl like right now
Not my favorite Radiohead record, but still groundbreaking for what it is and an enjoyable time
One of my favorite albums of all time. From start to finish it is incredible, the instrumentation is so meticulously arranged, it set the framework for concept albums that followed it, I loved this.
This wasn't really for me I fear. I felt like a lot of the songs didn't really go anywhere, and while it may have been well-produced, nothing stuck with me enough to go back for a second time.
When I was 16 and just starting my record collection, my dad picked this record out from me at a store by glancing at it. My 16 year old self was obsessed with Weezer and Green Day, jazz wasn't necessarily at the top of my mind. Of course I listened to it and thought it sounded pretty, but it was just that; background noise while I did some other mundane task. Fast forward to Fall 2024. It was a mild fall day in the south and I had just finished my yearly physical before one of my afternoon classes would begin. Earlier in the day, I had listened to a sermon by Brian Zahnd, an eclectic pastor who was excited in finding the divine beauty in the ordinary parts of life. That time he had been talking about A Love Supreme as a transcendental piece of music. Out of boredom, out of nostalgia, who knows, I put that album on my way to class. I've never had this experience with an instrumental piece before and I doubt I'll have it again, but I was in tears by the middle of IV. A Love Supreme is a masterpiece; not just technically, not just prodcution-wise, but it is quite literally one of the best pieces of music I have ever heard in my life. I've memorized the melodies, yet every time I hear them, there something new I discover. New emotion, new pain, new joy. I adore this album.
My dad loved this album, and I too loved introspective by the Petshop Boys. I love the range on this release, where it can go from humorous to dark back to humorous again effortlessly.
This album was good! I loved the beats DJ premier put out for other artists in addition to his work for NAS. The wordplay by Jeru is also quite phenomenal.
