Good old school hip-hop, they don’t do it like this anymore. Lyrically strong (that’s if you can understand what they’re saying, cause it’s trrrickey), musically quite boring
That bass gives me headache. Seriously, that’s..that’s just too much, exaggeration, in-your-faceness and whatnot. I respect the attitude though.
I will never be as high as it presumably required to start digging this kind of music. “This album inspired this and that”? Ok, but everything inspired by them greatly surpassed the inspirer. Cultural significance (if any) alone doesn’t make something a must have to listen.
This one is truly a masterpiece in giving the mood.
Not the good one.
Not the sunny happy one.
Dark, gloomy, morose one.
Not the best album by The Cure, not even the second or third in my opinion, but what it surely has is consistency and coherence. This one will surely make you start questioning your own existence and the world in general.
Never heard of them before, and now I can see why.
The sound is too stereotypically 70s, vocal is too sugary for my liking..not that there’s something wrong with sugary vocals, not at all, but here it just doesn’t fit.
Breakdown is the only song I probably will remember (and I’m not sure even about that)
Less brit-poppy and more trip-hoppy version of Blur. Which isn’t a bad thing (plus there’s a melancholic harmonica!)
Jazz never been my type of music, but this one was surprisingly an easy listening. I mean at no point did I want to turn it off thinking “what the f is this”. So I guess it’s ok, for background listening or something.
What can I say, not a fan..music for grand grandmothers
Surprisingly good guitar, at some moments even nicely heavy, quite good bass..but that 70s-style keyboards-piano-organ, oh boy do I despise that sound..and I’ve never been a fan of Rod Stewart’s voice
It would have been a masterpiece if it hadn’t sound too..same? It’s like 11 variations on the same musical and vocal idea. Ok, Bring On The Night differs a bit from others, but the rest 10 - it’s like the same thing from different angles. Could just have been a small EP with Message In A Bottle, Bring On The Night, The Bed’s Too Big Without You and, say, Does Everyone Stare (just for variety, I don’t like this song)
Oh boy, how I regret wasting my time on this. They probably used it to torture people at Guantanamo.
I remember listening to this album a lot when it came out. There was a certain flair of novelty, it was but different from “regular” indie/whatever revival stuff abundant in those days.
But as time has passed novelty has gone, and now it’s clearly just a mid album. Maybe strong mid but still mid. Nothing particularly spectacular, just one of the many “indie” albums from that decade.
That’s a strange Cure album in a sense it might not be as polished and fancy from the production perspective as their later albums, but at the same time it’s more..coherent and wholesome, even more than Disintegration (which itself is a peak). And it’s certainly a fav of mine, the exemplary Cure’s post-punk sound.
Quite interesting interpretation of Mussorgsky suite, but a lot of Hammond and Moog, just overwhelming, like “can we get even more prog-rocky than we already are”
Is this a joke? What is this abomination doing in the list of albums one must hear before they die? Or is it like literally before, so one would suffer in the afterlife or something?
Seriously, if the point of inclusion in the list is “hey, look, there’s this thing called Nu Metal that was prominent in the late 90s - early 2000s“, then literally any other example (ok, almost any) would be much better than this.
Manassas - “album you must hear” my ass.
It started quite bluesy (and was pretty mid at it) but then country joined the sound..sorry, just no.
The great example of a modern r&b, or “abstract” r&b, or “cloud” r&b, whatever you call it.
Great in a sense of being representative of the genre, not being a great album.
I’ll give credit where it’s due, for certain creativity and such, but this whole thing of “alternative” r&b (yeah, one more way it’s being called) should have existed for a year or maybe two at best (like some kind of a curious novelty, you know), and then should have been forgotten and left in the past. Cause there’s nothing in it to be praised.
I think “proto-punk” is the perfect description of this album. With a “regular” punk you would hardly find any electric organ though, but here it’s everywhere, and you know - it’s not bad!
Quite peculiar stuff, but interesting. At times even clever (I’d boldly say Cuckoo is borderline genius), guys surely talented.
This album reminded me that the original, “classic” reggae is generally boring. Maybe atmospheric and such, but boring.
No Sympathy and Igziabeher are quite good though.
I have to say I never liked this album much as an album. It always leaves me feeling that it lacks something (which I’m not quite sure how to describe), or that if something had been done just tad differently it would have been a truly masterpiece.
Station to Station (track) is superb, a marvellous work. It’s way above other tracks on this album, and that’s the problem - an album can’t be really great if there’s one track that much superior to others, can it?
Word on a Wing and Stay are just good (former is a bit more, latter is a bit less)
Golden Years..I seriously don’t understand why there’s (seemingly) so many people who like this song. I mean..it’s dull? Nothing really to write home about? And it’s a bit more repetitive than it should have been, but it’s not the worst offender in that regard.
TVC 15 - now that’s something that kills me with its repetitiveness. I get really tired somewhere in the middle of those “oh my tvc one five, oh oh”. There is such thing as “too much”, you know.
And now Wild is the Wind..It’s good as closing track, and it’s atmospheric, but at the same time it’s the one that I feel missed the most, I mean the potential to be a masterpiece.
I don’t get why out of all Husker Du discography the only album included in this list is this one and not Zen Arcade? Or any other, I would argue Warehouse is one of their worst. And it surely is not characteristic of their sound, like people who never heard about them would discover them here, listen to this album and would decide Husker Du were kind of heavier R.E.M. or something, wtf?
Ok, onto the album itself..while I said it’s one of their worst I can’t really say it’s a bad album per se. It has its ups and catches, it’s just too middle of nowhere (to my liking and compared to their other work)
Now, after 20+ years since the release, I think it’s time to say it’s actually a pretty mid one-dimensional album.
Yeah, it was super popular when it came out, like a novelty do. Also, Seven Nation Army helped that popularity a lot, it rightfully deserved its place amongst iconic rock songs that will be remembered like forever.
But other than that..yeah, what other than that? I don’t recall people going “Elephant? Oh yeah, that’s the one with that masterpiece I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart“. I’m not gonna say it’s “Seven Nation Army + the rest”, that would be unfair, there’s 2 or 3 quite good ones, but overall the tracks are unremarkable and easily forgotten, even if they’re catchy and tap-inducing when you listen, an hour later you can’t remember most of them.
Her voice is unmatched but I can only wish the songs were less boring. The fact that the most recognisable song from this album (and in entire Sinead’s career) is a cover and not the original work kinda says something, innit?
I actually did like it more than I expected, as generally I find classic reggae sound pretty boring. Probably because this one is quite unlike the “generic” reggae.
Still, it’s not enough to call it real good. If only it had more tracks like The Heathen (or Natural Mystic) and less like Three Little Birds (or So Much Things to Say)…Alas, it doesn’t, and as an album it’s only mid to me.
Such amusing lack of depth from something that wants to be “conceptual” no less (and progressive, futuristic etc). Bonus penalty points for parts that sound like classical music, especially opening with Suite II Overture. Did you try to pretend you’re more elaborate or posh than you actually are?
Haven’t heard such dull bland uninspiring “indie”music for quite some time. Another album no one really needs to hear.
I actually like this kind of dreamy melancholic reverb sound that invokes feelings of nostalgia and something I can’t really describe. So why isn’t it really working here? Is it because all the tracks are drawn-out and should have been shorter? Or is it because the tracks are dull, there’s not much happening with that sound? I mean it just goes..and goes..with no development, no progress in it. The fact that I don’t like the vocal doesn’t help either.
Examples of such kind of “nostalgic” sound that actually works for me would be Wild Nothing (and - to a certain extent as they a bit different sonically - Still Corners), but this one is just meh.
What can I say, not my cup of tea. On the other hand, it didn’t make me go “oh, wtf is this, it insults my ears and my brain”. So overall it’s mid, I guess.
Going electric only made it worse. Mr. Tambourine Man and Gates of Eden don’t save this album from being crap.
It was a surprisingly enjoyable listening as this kind of music usually not really my style (and I’m not easily surprised). But Almost Cut My Hair, 4 + 20, Carry On, Deja Vu - just great. Other tracks are no slouch either (except a couple of tracks I didn’t like)
Talking Heads always been such kind of a band to me when some of the songs I really like and some of the songs are really “wtf” to my ears. And this album leans to the “wtf” side. Especially Once In a Lifetime, oh boy..I just can’t stand that song, it literally annoys to no end.
I think for its intended purpose - being a tap-inducing dance oriented fun new wave record - it’s great. Starts strong, continues to be strong through the middle (I Know But I Don’t Know - what a song, a hidden gem), but towards the end gets a bit muffled (that cover of Buddy Holly is just meh). If not that it would’ve been 5 from me.
Is it the most “fuck me, what pretentious cunts did that crap” album in the entire list?
Take everything good out of Nirvana and you’ll get Foo Fighters debut album. So generic, so biteless. Even when Grohl tries to be edgy and angsty, like when shouting “I don't owe you anything” in I’ll Stick Around, it’s so blunt that you don’t believe him, you think “what a fraud”.
Gee, it doesn’t even deserve 2 as it couldn’t even be called shit, so generic and plain it is (and that’s the case when 3 should be more embarrassing to the artist than 1)
The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart - is that an April Fools joke?
It’s actually quite good, and I’m not a folk fan. Or maybe it just fit my melancholy.
Fuck no.
Better than Elephant
Not yet _those_ famous The Prodigy you could hear blasting from every window in the neighbourhood back in the day. Pretty mid comparing to what came next.
This one has a few interesting moments, but overall it’s just as generic California 1960s sound as you could only imagine
Better than The Queen Is Dead (but not better than their debut album). And it would’ve been even better without the title track, which is indeed “wtf” one. But that’s the only track I have a real beef with.
“There is something wrong with me” - yeah bro, you can’t sing a shit. And there’s something wrong with this album, it’s so freaking one-dimensional it hurts. Even sound effects are one-dimensional.
This one is actually bad. Like really bad in both songwriting and production, just no.
A lot of guitar technique, sure, but here’s the thing - technique alone means nothing. People need songs. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love is the only track that really stands out. Ok, and to some extent Little Dreamer. Everything else is more “look what I can do with my guitar” than real songs.
I was pleasantly surprised.
That’s a dream pop with more emphasis on “pop” than I would like (comparing to “dream”). To me Head Over Heels or Treasure is the characteristic Cocteau Twins sound, this one shifted towards commercial edge. Still, it’s fine (tracks that stand out are Cherry-Coloured Funk, Fifty-Fifty Clown and Frou-Frou Foxes)
What a freaking mess. But that’s even in the lyrics:
This is a story 'bout a girl that I knew
She didn't like my songs
And that made me feel blue
She said: "A big band is far better than you"
You know, she was goddamn right.
Ok, I can understand this one could be close to the hearts of some of our fellow American friends, but let’s be honest - it has zero cultural significance outside the US. Nought, null, ноль, शून्य. And I’m not even sure about the US, it’s important only because “man performing prison songs at prison”; purely musically - is there anything outstanding?
Still, can’t really say it’s a bad record per se. I mean, it’s ok.
Gee, second country album in a row, what’s wrong with this generator..Anyway, if Johnny Cash I can tolerate, this one I can’t. Especially those violins.
Pearl Jam might be my least liked out of the Big Four of grunge, but this album is great.
I mean, it’s ok. Would’ve been better if the vocal hadn’t been so much forward masking the instruments.
Never liked Beck, especially this album. Why did it win Grammy and not Mellon Collie? People tend to confuse eclectic mix of genres with talent, like “oh, that guy uses elements from this and that, he must be great“. The hell he’s not. No one needs the combination of various genre elements just for the sake of combination of elements. That alone doesn’t make the music “great”. And here’s the good example, a form without substance.
Stairway to Heaven is Stairway to Heaven, and When the Levee Breaks is nice, but everything else on this album is honestly subpar. No way it’s “the best Led Zeppelin album”, both I and II are better as albums than this one.
So many people are so eager to tell that Morrissey is a miserable and whiny that they themselves become miserable and whiny. Seriously, when you guys repeat like a parrot that mantra “he’s a pretentious twat” - you are no less pretentious :) Just to clarify - I have no specific love towards him, I just can stand him somehow.
Now to the actual music. It kinda sucks (what, you thought I was going to defend him? If you thought so you totally missed my point). Morrissey in The Smiths - good, Morrissey solo - something way off. Ok, there are couple of interesting moments here and there, but overall it sounds so freakingly 90s style pop/rock that at times tries to be alt rock but it’d better not. Like The Smiths meet Travis - meet Blur - meet Suede (in a very bad way) - meet I don’t know who else, but those dance elements are so 90s. Probably I’m thinking about someone like Natalie Imbruglia. Anyway, point is - this whole setup just doesn’t fit Morrissey, his vocal and singing manner, that’s the problem.
Just meh. To all those who say “but the voice, but the lyrics”, hear me out: there’s nothing particularly interesting about her voice, and there’s nothing particularly interesting about the lyrics (maybe for Americans there is, all that socio-riot themes, but not for me; also, rhyming “America” with “America” is ridiculous). And even you guys agree that the music here is nothing to write home about. So, voice - ok, nothing impressive, lyrics - nah, music - nah, so what’s in it then?
It seems I’ve always liked various Doors-esque bands more than actual The Doors. And this one is not their best album.
This list has way too many 90s British electronic
This one is quite nice, though Beatles fans wouldn’t understand.
Just as dull as any other “modern hip-hop”
I’m surprised how much I liked it. I’m more than 5k miles from any bayou, but this one made me wanna start chooglin
Pretty much meh.
It’s like Motley Crew trying to be Aerosmith or AC/DC and trying to look really hard and dangerous but failing at that.
Just some generic jazz-soul or whatever.
For a prog it was quite inoffensive to my ears. Except The Clap, that one sucks big time.
It had the potential to be significantly better than it is.
It’s so mild and soft that it barely evokes any emotion. Except boredom. Ok, there’s a couple of interesting moments - but that is not enough for a double album. A regular album could probably get away with it and be called “ok, whatever”, but just a couple of moments in a freaking double album is bad.
Not the best krautrock out there
It’s okay, I guess, just not my cup of tea.
As I said in the previous Talking Heads review, some of their songs I really like and some of the songs are really “wtf” to my ears. And this album leans to the side of the songs I like.
It’s actually quite nice, just not really my cup of tea.
Is it the most overrated crap out there?
The first track is quite ok, but right from the second one it’s a total crap.
It’s quite nice, actually.
Side B is much weaker than Side A
Better than IV
Quite uneven album (Mother and Miss Gradenko just shouldn’t have existed), but good things there are good.
The idea of combining punk with blues sounds interesting on paper, but the implementation sucks.
Not much to say, it’s just mid.
Not the greatest album, surely, but they don’t seem to be one of those morons who are experimental just for the sake of being experimental.
Sounds too American. And what’s the obsession with piano?
Better than IV
Now that’s what I call a proper indie album. Not some schmucks who think they’re so original and talented when in fact they’re only, well, schmucks. But some guys who has interesting ideas without pretending they’re new musical messiahs.
Just another soul-whatever. Not my cup of tea.
For a dream pop it’s quite bland and one-dimensional.
I really don’t like this kind of chamber pop jazz whatever, and especially I really don’t like this kind of showy vocal in combination with that pop jazz whatever. But I will admit production wise it’s fine.
Exotic elevator music.
I’m not a fan of hip-hop, particularly of this kind of hip-hop.
‘Does anybody out there even care’ asks Lenny in one of the songs. And the answer is: nope.
A good example why American punk sucks compared to British.
A freaking 1 hr+ of a freaking mediocre nonsense.
Compared to Lennon’s solo debut this one is at least listenable.
Not the best Drake’s album. I know, I get all that “minimalism”, “intimacy” etc., but it just doesn’t fully work for me in this case.
When Bruce overspringsteens himself he produces this specific type of meh music.
Ah, a timeless classic from the grungiest of grunge. The mood AiC provides is unmatched, and nothing beats Layne’s vocal. I do kinda like Facelift more for some of the songs, but I will say this one is the most Alice-in-chainy album overall.
This would be good if not for one thing: it’s prog.
I want my MTV
I can get why it’s considered one of the influential jazz records, but I’m not a fan.
Quite ok for a funk.
I can’t express enough how boring it was to listen
A rare case when the name totally fits the music. Total schmilsson. Doesn’t necessarily mean bad, the guy obviously was talented, it’s just it really could’ve been better if it hadn’t been that much eclectic.
I don’t get who and why decided to make My Bloody Valentine an exemplary shoegaze and not someone more deserving. Seriously, there’s freaking 3 MBV albums on this list, and only one Ride album, and 0 Slowdive. WTF? And if Loveless at least has its quirks, though not many, this album is total crap.
A strange album compared to Kid A. But still better than latest Radiohead albums
Not a fan, but even I can understand it’s one of the best produced albums ever.
Sorry, but no. It’s just not music to my ears.
It’s surprisingly..well, ambient compared to the later works he’s known for. Anyway, I find this album just ok.
Haven’t heard any particular power in it.
A hidden gem of grunge.
