1001 Albums Summary

Day 1 — Metallica — Metallica (Black Album) (1991) Listened: Feb 23, 2026 Genre: Heavy Metal / Hard Rock Vibe: Haunting, aggressive, melodic Highlights: • Enter Sandman • The Unforgiven • Nothing Else Matters Impression: Giant sound. Very melodic for how heavy it is. Good balance for my tastes and makes heavy metal palatable for me. Rating: 3.0/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 2 — Norah Jones — Come Away With Me (2002) Listened: Feb 24, 2026 Genre: Jazz-Pop / Soft Soul / Adult Contemporary Vibe: Bluesy, jazzy, dreamy, soothing soul with a little country Highlights: • Don’t Know Why • Cold Cold Heart • Feelin’ The Same Way • Turn Me On Impression: Very dreamy, soothing vibe combining many favorite genres with the perfect voice for the overall vibe. Rating: 2.9/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 3 — Willie Colón & Rubén Blades — Siembra (1978) Listened: Feb 25, 2026 Genre: Salsa / Latin Soul Vibe: Fun, Latin dancing, energetic Highlights: • Plástico • Pedro Navaja • María Lionza Impression: I enjoyed it for not having listened to Salsa music much. Rating: 2.8/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Probably

Day 4 — Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin II (1969) Listened: Feb 26, 2026 Genre: Blues Rock / Hard Rock Vibe: Bluesy hard rock Highlights: • Whole Lotta Love • What Is and What Should Never Be • The Lemon Song • Thank You • Heartbreaker • Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) • Ramble On • Moby Dick • Bring It On Home Impression: Great album from start to finish. Love the blues inspired rock, huge guitar riffs, epic rhythm section and perfect voice for it all. Rating: 4.6/5 Keep songs? Yes — all added to favorites Revisit album? Absolutely

Day 5 — Pixies — Bossanova (1990) Listened: Feb 27, 2026 Genre: Alternative Rock / Surf Punk Vibe: Spacey, distorted, dynamic alternative rock Highlights: • Velouria • All Over the World • Dig for Fire Impression: Fun, fast-paced spacey surf rock. Appreciate its cultural significance even if not fully in my lane. Rating: 2.4/5 Keep songs? Favorites only Revisit album? Maybe

Day 5/6 — Willie Nelson — Stardust (1978) Listened: Feb 27–28, 2026 Genre: Country Jazz / Torch & Twang Vibe: Chill country music with a little jazz Highlights: • Georgia On My Mind • Blue Skies • All of Me • Unchained Melody • Someone to Watch Over Me Impression: Nice album of covers fusing country and jazz. Really grew on me by the third listen. Rating: 3.7/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 6/7/8 — Neil Young & Crazy Horse — Rust Never Sleeps (1979) Listened: Feb 28 – Mar 2, 2026 Genre: Folk Rock / Heartland Punk Vibe: Chill acoustic to start with heavy lyrics leading to harder electric punk-influenced rock Highlights: • My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) • Thrasher • Pocahontas • Powderfinger • Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) Impression: Took more listens to start digesting this album. Lyrics need attention — once they land the album opens up completely. Rating: 3.4/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 8/9 — Erykah Badu — Mama’s Gun (2000) Listened: Mar 2–3, 2026 Genre: Neo-Soul / Funk Soul Vibe: Chill funky R&B and soul Highlights: • Didn’t Cha Know • My Life • … & On • In Love With You (feat. Stephen Marley) • Bag Lady • Green Eyes Impression: Love the mix of R&B and soul with funk. Beautiful voice and great album top to bottom. Rating: 3.2/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 9 — Black Sabbath — Black Sabbath (1970) Listened: Mar 3, 2026 Genre: Proto-Metal / Doom Metal Vibe: Dark horror heavy metal Highlights: • The Wizard • Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / Bassically / N.I.B. • A Bit of Finger / Sleeping Village / Warning Impression: Great from start to finish. Great riffs and dark lyrics create an epically haunting vibe that defined the genre. Rating: 3.5/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 10 — Goldfrapp — Felt Mountain (2000) Listened: Mar 4, 2026 Genre: Electronica / Art Pop (Cinematic) Vibe: Dreamy, cinematic, haunting electronic Highlights: • Human Impression: Very cinematic and atmospheric with haunting vocals and unique electronic production. Feels almost like a dark movie soundtrack. Rating: 1.0/5 Keep songs? Human only Revisit album? No

Day 11 — David Bowie — Station to Station (1976) Listened: Mar 6–7, 2026 Genre: Art Rock / Glam Rock / Proto-New Wave Vibe: Cold, hypnotic, theatrical — cocaine-fueled late-night Berlin energy with soul influences Highlights: • Station to Station • Golden Years • Word on a Wing Impression: Not necessarily my style of rock but I was able to enjoy it after a few listens. Enjoyed Golden Years right away while others grew on me. Rating: 3.1/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 12 — Lorde — Melodrama (2017) Listened: Mar 7, 2026 Genre: Indie Pop / Art Pop / Electropop Vibe: Heartbreak driven and emotionally raw, empowering, melancholic theatrical pop Highlights: • Green Light • Sober • The Louvre • Hard Feelings/Loveless • Writer in the Dark • Supercut • Perfect Places Impression: Great album from top to bottom. This is my type of pop. Great energy and lyrics. Rating: 3.5/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 13/14 — Gillian Welch — Time (The Revelator) (2001) Listened: Mar 8–9, 2026 Genre: Americana / Folk / Alternative Country Vibe: Stark, sparse, literary — two guitars and two voices painting dark American portraits Highlights: • Revelator • I Dream a Highway Impression: Lyric driven folk that grows each listen. Not my favorite. Rating: 2.2/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Maybe

Day 14/15 — Eminem — The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) Listened: Mar 9, 2026 Genre: Hip-Hop / Rap Vibe: Angry, playful lyrical deep wordplay with perfect production for his groundbreaking style Highlights: • Kill You • Stan (feat. Dido) • Who Knew • The Way I Am • The Real Slim Shady • I’m Back • Marshall Mathers • Drug Ballad • Amityville (feat. Bizarre) • Bitch Please II (feat. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Alvin Joiner & Nate Dogg) • Under the Influence (feat. D12) • Criminal Impression: Loved this album as a 9th grader when it came out and love it now. Top to bottom great album. Rating: 4.7/5 Keep songs? Absolutely Revisit album? For sure

Day 15 — Korn — Follow The Leader (1998) Listened: Mar 9, 2026 Genre: Nu-Metal / Alternative Metal / Rap-Metal Vibe: Aggressive, angsty nu-metal being formed with metal and hip-hop being fused Highlights: • Freak On a Leash • Children of the Korn (feat. Ice Cube) • All In the Family (feat. Fred Durst) Impression: Childhood classic and one of my first albums owned. Holds up better than expected as a defining document of the nu-metal era — the hip-hop and metal fusion was genuinely innovative for 1998. Nostalgia aside, the groove and energy still hit. Rating: 2.9/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Probably

Day 16 — Scott Walker — Scott 2 (1968) Listened: Mar 10, 2026 Genre: Orchestral Pop / Baroque Pop / Sunshine Pop Vibe: Lush, cinematic late-60s orchestral pop — sweeping strings, a velvet baritone voice, and surprisingly witty, darkly comic lyrics beneath the glamour Highlights: • Jackie • The Black Sheep Boy • The Amorous Humphrey Plugg • Next • Plastic Palace People • The Girls and the Dogs Impression: Fun late 60s pop. Good voice and funny, engaging lyrics beneath the lavish orchestral production. More depth than the polished surface suggests. Rating: 3.7/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 17 — Bruce Springsteen — Nebraska (1982) Listened: Mar 11–16, 2026 Genre: Folk Rock / Heartland Rock / Americana Vibe: Raw, desolate acoustic Springsteen — home-recorded demos that became a masterpiece, painting bleak portraits of working-class American desperation Highlights: • Atlantic City • State Trooper • Open All Night Impression: Took a while to grow on me but ended up enjoying it. The home-recorded quality gives it an intimacy that polished production never could — feels like eavesdropping on someone’s darkest thoughts. Rating: 3.4/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Probably

Day 18 — The White Stripes — White Blood Cells (2001) Listened: Mar 16, 2026 Genre: Garage Rock / Blues Rock / Alternative Rock Vibe: Raw, stripped-down blues-driven garage rock — just guitar and drums creating a sound bigger than it has any right to be, classic rock energy filtered through lo-fi punk attitude Highlights: • Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground • Hotel Yorba • I’m Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman • Fell in Love with a Girl • Little Room • The Union Forever • We’re Going to Be Friends • I Think I Smell a Rat • I Can’t Wait • I Can Learn Impression: Great classic rock sound with great guitar riffs from top to bottom. Jack White nails the melodic guitar riffs alongside the vocals and Meg White is a perfect minimalist foil on drums. Remarkable that two people make this much noise and this much melody simultaneously. Rating: 4.3/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Definitely

Day 19 — Ravi Shankar — The Sounds of India (1957) Listened: Mar 16–17, 2026 Genre: Indian Classical / Hindustani Classical / World Music Vibe: Meditative and educational — a guided journey through Indian classical music, building from individual sitar and tabla lessons into energetic, spiritual raga performances Highlights: • Máry-Bihág • Bhimpalasi Impression: Enjoyed learning how the sitar and percussion work individually and together. The narrated structure made it genuinely interesting as both a listening and educational experience. Rating: 2.1/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Maybe

Day 20 — Drive-By Truckers — Southern Rock Opera (2002) Listened: Mar 18–19, 2026 Genre: Southern Rock / Heartland Rock / Alternative Country Vibe: Fun, badass double album — scorching guitar riffs and solos carrying deeply literary lyrics about Southern identity, pride, contradiction and the mythology of Lynyrd Skynyrd Highlights: • Ronnie and Neil • 72 (This Highway’s Mean) • Dead, Drunk, and Naked • Guitar Man Upstairs • Birmingham • The Southern Thing • Let There Be Rock • Plastic Flowers On the Highway • Cassie’s Brother • Life In the Factory • Shut Up and Get On the Plane • Greenville to Baton Rouge • Angels and Fuselage Impression: Really fun badass double album. Had heard of Drive-By Truckers because of becoming a big Jason Isbell fan but this exceeded expectations. Great lyrics and the guitars rip throughout. A love letter to the South that doesn’t flinch from its contradictions. Rating: 4.5/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Probably regularly

Day 21 — Jorge Ben Jor — África Brasil (1976) Listened: Mar 19, 2026 Genre: Brazilian Funk / Samba-Soul / Afrobeat-influenced Pop Vibe: Fun Latin music infused with funk and pop Highlights: • Ponta de Lança Africano • Taj Mahal • Xica da Silva Impression: I enjoyed it despite not understanding the lyrics because of the relentless energy and funk infused into the music. Rating: 2.7/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Probably

Day 22 — Ella Fitzgerald — Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (1959) Listened: Mar 20–22, 2026 Genre: Vocal Jazz / Great American Songbook / Traditional Pop Vibe: Jazzy vocals and a lush orchestral big band make for a beautifully epic catalog of timeless American songs Highlights: • Sam and Delilah • Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off • Things Are Looking Up • That Certain Feeling • Someone to Watch Over Me • Clap Yo’ Hands • Stiff Upper Lip • Strike Up the Band • He Loves and She Loves • Treat Me Rough • Slap That Bass • I Got Rhythm • They Can’t Take That Away From Me Impression: Really grew on me the more I listened. Ella’s voice is so perfect and pristine, complemented by an epic orchestra throughout. Rating: 3.2/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 23 — Fleetwood Mac — Rumours (1977) Listened: Mar 23–24, 2026 Genre: Soft Rock / Pop Rock / Classic Rock Vibe: Energetic pop rock with dramatic relationship vocals and lyrics that are raw and relatable, fueled by a strong rhythm section, melodic guitar riffs and solos Highlights: • Second Hand News • Dreams • Never Going Back Again • Don’t Stop • Go Your Own Way • The Chain • You Make Loving Fun • I Don’t Want to Know • Gold Dust Woman Impression: Loved the entire album except for a couple of songs. Grew up on this album as a kid because my mom loved Fleetwood Mac and I definitely inherited that love for Stevie Nicks and the band. Rating: 4.6/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Absolutely

Day 24 — Michael Jackson — Off the Wall (1979) Listened: Mar 24–25, 2026 Genre: Funk / Soul / Disco / R&B Vibe: Late 70s disco energy with classic Jackson funk, soul and R&B touches Highlights: • Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough • Rock With You • Off the Wall • Girlfriend • I Can’t Help It • It’s the Falling in Love Impression: Not a big fan of pop and disco but Michael Jackson’s natural R&B, soul and funk make this an enjoyable album for me. Rating: 4.0/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 25 — Buena Vista Social Club — Buena Vista Social Club (1997) Listened: Mar 25–27, 2026 Genre: Cuban Son / Bolero / Afro-Cuban / World Music Vibe: Warm, nostalgic Cuban son and bolero — elderly masters playing timeless Havana street music with effortless charm Highlights: • Chan Chan Impression: Couldn’t connect with it despite the warmth and charm. The language barrier and unfamiliar genre kept it from landing. Chan Chan was the clear standout. Rating: 1.4/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Likely not

Day 26 — Mercury Rev — Deserter's Songs (1998) Listened: April 2026 Genre: Psychedelic Rock / Orchestral Indie Rock Vibe: Lush and cinematic but deeply strange — orchestral arrangements wrapped around songs that feel like they're drifting in and out of a dream. Highlights: ★ Opus 40 Impression: Hard to connect with. Weird and slow-moving, and even after four or five listens I never found solid footing. A couple of moments broke through but mostly felt like work. Not my world. Rating: 1.2/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? No

Day 27 — The Clash — London Calling (1979) Listened: April 16–17, 2026 Genre: Punk Rock / New Wave / Reggae-Punk / Rockabilly Vibe: Fun and exploratory punk music dabbling in different genres — restless energy that never stays in one place. Highlights: • London Calling • Hateful • Rudie Can't Fail ★ Spanish Bombs • Lost in the Supermarket • Death or Glory • Train in Vain (Stand By Me) Impression: Enjoyed more than I expected with Green Day being my favorite band. First time listening to the whole album — longer than expected — and enjoyed it from top to bottom. Rating: 4.0/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Definitely

Day 28 — Skepta — Konnichiwa (2016) Listened: April 18–19, 2026 Genre: Grime / UK Hip-Hop Vibe: Cold, confrontational, stripped-back UK street rap with heavy bass and sharp edges. Highlights: ★ Crime Riddim • It Ain't Safe (feat. Young Lord) • Numbers • Detox (feat. BBK) Impression: First UK rap album and I enjoyed it. Good beats and lyrics. Dug it as background music while I did chores and work. Rating: 3.1/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 29 — Dwight Yoakam — Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room (1988) Listened: April 19, 2026 Genre: Bakersfield Sound / Honky-Tonk Country Vibe: A blend of country, honky-tonk, and Spanish influence with raw lyrics and a distinctively lonesome voice. Highlights: • I Got You • Home of the Blues ★ Buenos Noches From a Lonely Room (She Wore Red Dresses) • I Hear You Knockin' • I Sang Dixie • Streets of Bakersfield (feat. Buck Owens) Impression: Very enjoyable album from top to bottom. Never heard of Dwight Yoakam or the Bakersfield sound and as a California native, I'm proud to have discovered this new favorite corner of country music. Rating: 3.6/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? For sure

Day 30 — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976) Listened: April 21–24, 2026 Genre: Heartland Rock / Classic Rock / Roots Rock Vibe: Stripped-back, hook-driven American rock with effortless cool — punchy, melodic, and built to last. Highlights: • Rockin' Around (With You) • Breakdown • Hometown Blues • The Wild One, Forever • Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll • Strangered in the Night • Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) • Mystery Man • Luna ★ American Girl Impression: First focused listens to this album and loved every song. Grew up cleaning the house with my mom to Tom Petty and it is ingrained in my soul. This debut album was perfect. Rating: 4.8/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Always

Day 31 — Robbie Williams — Life Thru a Lens (1997) Listened: April 25–26, 2026 Genre: Brit-Pop / Adult Contemporary Pop Vibe: Glossy, hook-driven British pop with real swagger — more layered than it first appears, rewarding patience. Highlights: • Ego Agogo ★ Angels • Clean Impression: Couldn't connect on the first four listens during a busy, stressful week. Gave it one more focused listen and it opened up. Ego Agogo is fun and honest, Clean hit personally with sobriety, and Angels has an Elton John grandeur that earns it. Better than most pop I've heard. Rating: 2.9/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 32 — Scott Walker — Scott 4 (1969) Listened: April 26–28, 2026 Genre: Baroque Pop / Chamber Pop / Orchestral Art Song Vibe: Dark and cinematic but never without warmth — Scott's own lyrics bring a restless intelligence to the grand orchestral sound, balancing existential weight with flashes of playfulness and humor. Highlights: • The Seventh Seal • On Your Own Again • The World's Strongest Man • Boy Child • Hero of the War ★ The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime) • Duchess • Get Behind Me • Rhymes of Goodbye Impression: Took a few listens to find solid footing but the lyrics pulled me in the more I focused. Darker than Scott 2 but with a balance of grandeur, humor, and real feeling that rewards patience. Need ten more listens to fully appreciate it but already know it's something special. Rating: 3.8/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Absolutely

Day 33 — Dire Straits — Dire Straits (1978) Listened: April 29–May 2, 2026 Genre: Blues Rock / Pub Rock / Classic Rock Vibe: Relaxed and confident blues-driven rock with a quiet snarl — Knopfler's fingerpicked guitar does more with less than almost anyone. Highlights: • Water of Love • Setting Me Up • Six Blade Knife ★ Sultans of Swing • In the Gallery • Lions Impression: Enjoyed it from top to bottom. Only knew Sultans of Swing before this and the rest of the album makes complete sense around it. Great background music with enough groove and chill energy to work or clean to. Knopfler's guitar musicianship is the whole story. Rating: 3.7/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 34 — Ride — Nowhere (1990) Listened: May 2–3, 2026 Genre: Shoegaze / Dream Pop / Alternative Rock Vibe: Dense walls of distorted guitar washing over buried melodic hooks — atmospheric and hypnotic but anxiety-inducing in its relentlessness. Highlights: ★ Unfamiliar Impression: Two listens and couldn't get through it comfortably. Anxious tone that was hard to settle into. Hooks are there if you dig but felt nothing overall. Not my world. Rating: 1.1/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Maybe — pending a few more days

Day 35 — The Waterboys — Fisherman's Blues (1988) Listened: May 3–7, 2026 Genre: Celtic Rock / Folk Rock / Roots Rock Vibe: Joyful and spiritually alive — Irish folk instrumentation crashing into rock energy with pure celebratory abandon. Highlights: • Fisherman's Blues • We Will Not Be Lovers ★ World Party (Extended Version) • Carolan's Welcome • Soon as I Get Home Impression: Enjoyed it but had to be in the right mood — during a stressful week it could feel like too much energy. Different listens hit differently. When it clicked the raw Celtic energy and layered fiddle work were genuinely joyful. A grower that rewards patience. Rating: 3.4/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 36 — Pixies — Doolittle (1989) Listened: May 7–9, 2026 Genre: Alternative Rock / Indie Rock / Post-Punk Vibe: Visceral and dynamic — quiet intimacy exploding into noise, hooks buried in chaos, Black Francis screaming poetry over Kim Deal's locked-in bass. Highlights: ★ Here Comes Your Man • Monkey Gone to Heaven • La La Love You • No. 13 Baby Impression: A massive step up from Bossanova — easier to get into and more rewarding throughout. The punk and surf energy with a sixties pop melodic sensibility clicked immediately. Here Comes Your Man sounds like a direct ancestor of Rancid. The whispering-to-screaming dynamic is striking and you can hear exactly where Nirvana borrowed from. This is the Pixies album that makes sense to me. Rating: 3.0/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 37 — The Allman Brothers Band — At Fillmore East (1971) Listened: May 8–10, 2026 Genre: Southern Rock / Blues Rock / Live / Jam Rock Vibe: Raw, expansive blues-driven Southern rock captured live — twin guitars weaving around each other with effortless improvisational chemistry and a rhythm section that never lets go. Highlights: • Statesboro Blues • Trouble No More • Don't Keep Me Wonderin' • Done Somebody Wrong • Stormy Monday • One Way Out • In Memory of Elizabeth Reed • You Don't Love Me • Midnight Rider ★ Whipping Post • Hot 'Lanta • Mountain Jam • Drunken Hearted Boy Impression: Right in my wheelhouse from the first listen. Started as perfect background music and kept revealing more with each focused listen — the musicianship is incredible and every song earns its place. The twin guitar interplay between Duane and Dickey is unlike anything else. One of those albums that gets better the more attention you give it. Rating: 4.5/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Absolutely

Day 38 — The Magnetic Fields — 69 Love Songs (1999) Listened: May 9–10, 2026 Genre: Indie Pop / Chamber Pop / Art Pop Vibe: Grandiose, witty, and deeply personal — 69 tiny love songs spanning every style imaginable, delivered with an old-timey theatrical baritone that echoes Scott Walker. Highlights: • I Don’t Believe in the Sun • A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off • I Don’t Want to Get Over You • The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side • Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits • I Think I Need a New Heart • Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long • A Pretty Girl Is Like • My Sentimental Melody • Sweet-Lovin’ Man • When My Boy Walks Down the Street • Grand Canyon • No One Will Ever Love You • If You Don’t Cry • Promises of Eternity • Long-Forgotten Fairytale • Papa Was a Rodeo • How to Say Goodbye • The Night You Can’t Remember • I’m Sorry I Love You ★ It’s a Crime • Bitter Tears Impression: Abrupt start that almost lost me but glad I stuck with it — a lot of songs landed immediately and more revealed themselves on the second listen. Reminds me of Scott Walker in the best way — that same grandiose voice carrying dark, personal, real content. A remarkably creative project that I respect as much as enjoy. Needs more listens to fully settle. Rating: 3.3/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 39 — Tracy Chapman — Tracy Chapman (1988) Listened: May 10–18, 2026 Genre: Folk / Acoustic Soul / Protest Folk Vibe: Spare and devastating — one woman, an acoustic guitar, and plainspoken lyrics about poverty, injustice, and escape that hit harder for what they leave out. Highlights: ★ Talkin' Bout a Revolution • Fast Car • Across the Lines • Baby Can I Hold You • Mountains O' Things • She's Got Her Ticket • Why? • For My Lover Impression: Really enjoyed it and kept coming back to it — it grew with every listen. The lyrics hit hard, asking real questions about fairness and justice with a purity that feels rare. Talkin' Bout a Revolution edges out Why? as the favorite but both are the reason this album matters. Stripped down, soulful, and her voice is just beautiful. Nothing feels manufactured. Where does music like this even exist anymore. Rating: 3.9/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Definitely

Day 40 — The Mamas & The Papas — If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966) Listened: May 11–18, 2026 Genre: Vocal Pop / Folk Pop / Sunshine Pop Vibe: Lush four-part harmonies riding the same melodic pop wave as the Beatles — bright, California-dreaming sixties pop with a warmth that grows on you despite yourself. Highlights: • Monday, Monday • Straight Shooter • Do You Wanna Dance • Go Where You Wanna Go ★ California Dreamin' • Spanish Harlem • Somebody Groovy • You Baby Impression: Took some mental effort to take at genuine value — the polished pop surface and Beatles influence made it hard to fully trust at first. But the songs that landed did land. California Dreamin' is the real thing regardless of anything else. Sits comfortably in the catalog as enjoyable sixties pop that rewards a relaxed listen. Rating: 3.5/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 41 — GZA — Liquid Swords (1995) Listened: May 12–18, 2026 Genre: East Coast Hip-Hop / Wu-Tang / Abstract Hip-Hop Vibe: Dense, cinematic, and ruthlessly precise — RZA's stark kung-fu influenced production creates the perfect stage for GZA's chess-move lyricism, an album that reveals new layers with every listen. Highlights: • Liquid Swords • Duel of the Iron Mic • Living in the World Today • Gold • Cold World (feat. Inspectah Deck) • Labels ★ 4th Chamber (feat. RZA, Ghostface Killah & Killah Priest) • Shadowboxin' (feat. Method Man) • Hell's Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304 • Investigative Reports (feat. Chef Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & U-God) • Swordsman (feat. Killah Priest) • I Gotcha Back (feat. Killah Priest) • B.I.B.L.E. (feat. Killah Priest) Impression: Seven or so background listens and I still can't quote a lyric — that's how dense this is. The beats alone are enough to justify the rating. Everything I could catch lyrically was slick and layered. This is one that demands headphones and full attention, and I already know the more I absorb the lyricism the higher it climbs. Placeholder star on 4th Chamber until it fully opens up. Rating: 4.4/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Obsessively

Day 42 — Joy Division — Closer (1980) Listened: May 13–18, 2026 Genre: Post-Punk / Dark Wave / Gothic Rock Vibe: Cold, suffocating, and relentlessly bleak — a wall of anxiety that never relents and offers no light. Highlights: ★ The Eternal Impression: Gave me anxiety every single listen. Had to pause or turn it off repeatedly. Last listen was pure endurance — going track by track just to never have to hear it again. The Eternal was the one moment of calm in an otherwise punishing experience. Not my world at all. Rating: 0.5/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Hell no

Day 43 — Supergrass — I Should Coco (1995) Listened: May 14–22, 2026 Genre: Britpop / Indie Rock / Power Pop Vibe: Loud, fast, and irreverent — three teenagers pulling from the Kinks, early Beatles, and the Buzzcocks simultaneously without picking a lane, and somehow making it work. Highlights: • I'd Like to Know • Mansize Rooster • Alright • Strange Ones • She's So Loose ★ Time • Sofa (Of My Lethargy) Impression: Refreshing after a rough stretch of albums. The genre-hopping energy kept it interesting — punk one minute, pop-funk the next. Alright is the obvious standout but Time is the one that stuck. Enjoyable, unpretentious, and exactly what it needed to be. Rating: 3.4/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 44 — Paul Simon — Paul Simon (1972) Listened: May 15–22, 2026 Genre: Folk Pop / World Music / Singer-Songwriter Vibe: Warm, restless, and free — a newly solo artist crossing genres and continents with the confidence of someone who finally gets to make music entirely on his own terms. Highlights: ★ Mother and Child Reunion • Duncan • Everything Put Together Falls Apart • Run That Body Down • Armistice Day • Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard • Peace Like a River • Paranoia Blues Impression: Really enjoyed it — the Jamaican reggae influence, the genre freedom, the melodic warmth. Impressive that in 1972, just out of Simon & Garfunkel, he was already pulling from world music and covering multiple genres with ease. Mother and Child Reunion hit especially hard. A genuinely free album from an artist who finally had room to move. Rating: 3.9/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 45 — The Mars Volta — De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) Listened: May 19–23, 2026 Genre: Progressive Rock / Post-Hardcore / Psychedelic Rock Vibe: Overwhelming and disorienting by design — a concept album about a coma that sounds like one, dense and hallucinatory with Flea's bass anchoring the chaos underneath. Highlights: • Inertiatic Esp • Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) • Drunkship of Lanterns • Eriatarka ★ Cicatriz Esp • This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed • Televators • Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt Impression: Grew on me significantly more than expected. Once I understood the concept — a man's journey through a coma — and started listening for Flea's bass, it clicked. Not traditional music I'm used to but the musicianship is undeniable and each listen revealed more. Last listen added the most favorites. Art that rewards patience. Rating: 2.9/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes

Day 46 — Björk — Medulla (2004) Listened: May 19-21, 2026 Genre: Avant-Garde / Acappella / Experimental Electronic Vibe: The human body as the only instrument — voices, beatboxing, throat singing, and choral layers replacing every conventional sound, an album built entirely from the inside out. Highlights: ★ Triumph of a Heart Impression: Not my thing but I can appreciate what it is. Once I understood it was all a cappella and beatboxing it clicked a little more. Björk has a remarkable voice and the talent involved is undeniable. Could groove slightly to Triumph of a Heart on the last listen — that was enough to find one favorite and move on. Rating: 1.3/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Maybe

Day 47 — The Youngbloods — Elephant Mountain (1969) Listened: May 21–23, 2026 Genre: Psychedelic Folk Rock / Blues Rock / Country Rock Vibe: Pastoral and unhurried — bluesy sixties rock with a loose, outdoor feel that bridges the gap between late 60s folk and early 70s country rock. Highlights: • Darkness, Darkness • On Sir Francis Drake • Sunlight • Beautiful • Don't Let the Rain Get You Down • Trillium ★ Quicksand • Sham Impression: Nothing really jumped out and grabbed me but the overall feel was solid throughout. I liked the blues edge underneath the sixties pop sound — you can hear the transition happening in real time from that era into something harder and more rootsy. A grower that I'd return to in the right mood. Rating: 3.0/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes