Pretty iconic album, heard many of the songs many, many times. The one’s I hadn’t heard before, were surprisingly good.
Already loved this album, some songs I hadn’t heard were great. One or two songs weren’t my taste, but it was largely excellent. I’d give it a 4.5, but that’s not an option.
I’ve heard some songs before, but never the whole album. And it’s fantastic. Even the weird interlude things are enjoyable. I’m not sure if it’s the progenitor of the electronica sound that’s now commonplace, but by god, it’s an absolute masterclass in it.
A high energy, jaunty, and interesting singing style are the hallmarks of this album. It was an enjoyable listen, but nothing really stood out to me. I’ve heard Bobby McGee a bunch separately, and that song is just fine.
Started off strong, then got reaaaal weird with it. The first song is great, the other songs are varying degrees of strange and off putting lyrics. The musicianship is appreciated, and even the music itself is great. But it could’ve been edited down or broken up a bit more.
A really good album. The front half is kind of overloaded with all the best stuff, and the second half kind of waffles a bit. It does have a strong ending number though. It’s got some bluesy elements mixed with that indie folk nonsense.
It’s just not enjoyable to listen to. The vocals are off key and not in time with the music. The music would be fine, but it doesn’t jive well with the vocals. It gives off an extremely sheltered suburban goth kid that’s trying to be edgy, but just doesn’t get it. Like toothless punk, which maybe is the progenitor of the alternative music movement.
*Could only get the live album*
It’s like if you took the classical work and the made someone do an In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida to it. And also told someone else to rail on a synthesizer like a maniac. It’s a fun interpretation. Not something to listen to again, but not unpleasant.
Really enjoyed this one. It’s a lilting and light spread of songs, that in some points got a bit samey. Fortunately, they started adding different instrumentation and it really helped. Also, the lyrics being largely about some mundane Hollywood nonsense is kind of a pleasant reprieve.
An absolute blues reverie. I have a hard time discerning different songs due to the similarities between them. Not to say I didn’t enjoy it immensely. It’s the real McCoy and a stylistic original collection of music.
Really delightful. Not my normal musical taste, but I can appreciate excellent technique when I hear it. They have the hard hitting thrasher bits that are quality and the more melodic parts that make for compelling music.
A lovely album. Knowing the context that it was made during his divorce, it makes a lot of sense. It’s very slow, with some beautiful guitar work. It has a more somber tone overall in comparison to Odelay. Not really an upbeat number in the bunch, but still a genuinely pleasant album.
I think Kate Bush is America’s Bjork. If that makes sense. Sort of all over the place vocals, general ethereal pop stuff going on. Nothing really grabbed me, unfortunately. It wasn’t overly bad and it’s a competently made album. Just wasn’t my taste.
I was sort of looking forward to this knowing the punk roots of Elvis Costello, but it was just okay. His voice was mildly annoying. I got used to it the more the album went on. A couple songs stood out, but the album at large didn’t grab me the way I’d hoped.
A really great album! It was energetic, a lot of variety, and oozing with that quirky 90's music style. I've heard the usual Pixies songs, but never listened to a full album. I'm very glad to have rectified that. I get why they're held in such high esteem by people.
A nice little album. Kind of short and sweet. Plain vocals, with some great harmonies tossed in. Some nice variety between tracks. And the instrumentation on a couple songs was really cool. All in all, an inoffensive classic light rock experience.
A bluesy delight. I'm not usually a fan of live albums, it's more energetic, but the mix can sometimes be a little wonky. This did a really good job of splitting it down the middle. I honestly appreciated this one more than the other Muddy Waters album I've been exposed to so far. All in all, this one was really enjoyable.
It’s like if Led Zeppelin never got to the rock and roll parts. Just those light instrumental and poetic bits. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but sometimes the music and lyrics don’t jive. It’s fine overall, but probably not something I’d listen to again.
A very interesting album. The vocals are kinda doing their own thing, in an almost trance like way. It’s so unique and meditative that it’s hard to describe. The music is really well done. I have a hard time telling if I really liked it, or if it was just fine. It was enjoyable, and I don’t think I’ve ever quite heard anything like it.
It's an okay album. I guess I just really didn't jive with it all that much. It was a lot of sing song conversation. And I think my biggest issue was that everything was too high in the register and very lilting. With almost no bass to speak of in the entire album. It just didn't have a depth of sound that could've added something to make songs stand out a bit more.
Separating art from the artist, which is very tricky. Although, this was made well before he did all those horrible, horrible things. This is a really exceptional album. The music was excellent and had such a good funk feel to it. The lyrics are fun and catchy. It’s something you can absolutely groove to. I’d heard the more popular songs from it many times, but the album as a whole is so good from start to finish. It just makes you feel good listening to it.
It feels like the Arctic Monkeys, but they added a lot more interesting instrumentation throughout. More horns, strings, and a lot of variety. It was a largely enjoyable album. As it went on it started to feel kind of samey and lost a lot of the cool musical elements, unfortunately.
It’s a bummer this came up a couple days after 4/20. Would’ve been neat. It’s a solid album. I’ve always enjoyed reggae music. This is no exception, of course. The music is good, the lyrics are pretty classic fare, the vocals are doing what they’re supposed to (especially the backing vocals). Nothing really jumped out at me, but it was a nice experience and I’ve got no real dings for it.
A nice groovy little album. Always loved Curtis Mayfield. Nothing really stands out, but the whole album went down smooth as can be. It's beautifully composed and the satirical bite of the album that underscores it makes it a very enjoyable experience.
An album that goes from folksy acoustic to electric rock and roll as it goes on. It's a very interesting transition. The opener is an iconic song that I've enjoyed before, but haven't really heard any other songs. Largely the album isn't bad, I prefer the acoustic beginning more. The end gets a little too, if you know what I mean. All in all, it's pretty decent and made me appreciate Neil Young more.
Such a great album. I've heard most of the songs many times, they're hits for a good reason. But the songs I hadn't heard were also fantastic. Especially the opener of the album. The lyrics, the instrumentation, the energy of it, all of it really makes for amazing listening. This is an album that deserves to be on this list, hands down. Top notch road tripping music.
A kind of tongue in cheek semi whimsical album. The music and album production is excellent, the vocals are okay, and the lyrics are great. I can't really say I loved all of it, but it was enjoyable. From what I've heard of Rufus Wainwright, I would expect nothing less than this.
It’s better than I thought it would be. I still didn’t care for it, but I expected something worse judging by the fan base with the masks and such (no offense). The metal parts were a little too edge lord-ish for my tastes. The chill songs were a bit more approachable and even good. My main complaint is to edit down the length of songs. It’s a long album.
Since I don’t look anything up about the albums before listening or reviewing, I would guess this is their first one. It’s not bad, some good stuff, some meh. It was an easy listen. Also, some very interesting subject matter for the songs. Can I kick it, dietary suggestions, And always remember to grab your wallet. All in all, it’s not bad.
A great album. It also contains all the Blondie songs I’ve ever heard before. It’s got instrumentation and music that feels very ahead of its time. The vocals and lyrics are iconic for good reason. It’s got a style all its own and really set off the new wave movement.
Some really interesting harmonies and largely just okay songs on this one. Also, surprisingly short. Breakdown and American Girl are classics, but the rest were just fine. Pretty standard rock and roll fare. I like Tom Petty, but this album just needed a bit more something.
It's kind of a hodgepodge. I really like the Pixies, and some songs really scratched that itch. It just doesn't have quite the same energy though. It feels less dialed in and cohesive. It's also just way too long of an album. The songs are very short and there's a lot to like in them, but after a while it started to wear thin and got samey.
What a damn hard album to find. Ended up needing a YouTube video of the whole album to listen. And I’m extremely glad I took the effort because I really enjoyed this. A woman lead punk band is always a treat, and this didn’t disappoint. Great lyrics, unique vocals, excellent musically, with some odd choices here and there. But really something special.
The first song is in so many movies and shows to the point that I had no idea it had come from an album at all. Beyond that the album is very samey. It's all organ and some light backing instruments. Not to say there isn't talent on display. It's top notch walking music and it's just plain groovy. But beyond the title track, it all blends together, unfortunately.
An excellent disco album. Just groovy tunes the whole way through. My only complaint was that some songs seemed to go on for an unnecessarily long time. Could’ve cut a few measures and the songs wouldn’t have lost anything. Either way, I enjoyed it. There’s something so good about simple straightforward music you can dance to.
Alice in Chains isn't a band I'd typically listen to. I like their occasional song. And the way they do their vocal harmonies is always a cool touch. The music is well played and it goes pretty hard. Listening to the full album was enjoyable. I think I'm looking forward to hearing more of their stuff now.
A quality album. The music is great, it’s performed so well and with such great variety. The main drawback is that the singing sounds like he’s mid bite of food the entire time. Still, it’s well performed. I’m not a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen, but, by god, is he talented. And this was a good first album of his to experience on this list.
Such a good album. The music is unique and varied, the lyrics are excellent, and the harmonies are outta sight. I've only heard Time of the Season before off this album. I'm glad I've now rectified that and really enjoyed the experience. Between the Beatles and the Beach Boys, The Zombies need to be on the Mount Rushmore of incredible harmonies. It's a short album, but there's no wasted space.
An absolute banger of an album by the Stones. Their particular honky tonk southern rock style is so unique for a British rock group. The best songs from this record you’ve heard a million times. For good reason. The tracks outside of those are kinda hit or miss. All in all, it’s a great album with some of the most iconic rock songs you’ve ever heard.
An album that's just a lot of fun, top to bottom. It's also a double feature, which I wasn't crazy about. The lyrics are the highlight. They're clever, biting, funny. The music is great throughout. I preferred the first album to the second, but the highest highs were absolutely in the second. Hey Ya and Roses back to back is an incredible combo. Really enjoyable if you want to use 1/8th of your waking hours to listen to it.
I’ve never really listened to Nas before, but he’s incredibly talented. The beats are great, the flow is excellent, and the lyrics are powerful. This album is almost visceral in its portrayal of New York at the time. It deserves its place as a cornerstone of hip-hop.
I can appreciate Prince as an artist, but I’ve never really liked his music. He’s insanely talented, amazing guitar player. His music just never really jived with me. This is unfortunately still the case with this album. A couple songs are good, but for the most part I didn’t get into them. It’s very well produced, and the instrumentation is great. It’s also too long. Some editing down would probably help a bit. Overall, the album is just fine.
A great funky album. Never listened to any Jamiroquai before. I dug the lyrics about the problems in the world. That seemed to be what they were singing about the most. And this was in 1993, how prescient it was. I didn't know what to expect from it, but it was largely enjoyable. Very funky, jazzy, and the bass player really knows what's up. The instrumentation is varied, but it does kind of bleed together, unfortunately. I enjoyed my time with it, but I don't know that I'd necessarily revisit it.
An album and a band speaking truth to power with an angry passion. And almost 35 years later these same problems still exist. The album is high energy, impassioned, and cacophonous in the best way possible. The layering of sound, the punching lyrics, the bits where a broadcast breaks in complaining about the band or their music is all so well formulated and cohesive. It makes for an amazing listen and I really enjoyed this album. Fight the power!
The blues roots are prominent, the music has a lot of variety, the vocals are really letting it rip. It's a hell of an opening album for LZ. Some truly amazing songs on here, but they kind of get lost in the weeds a bit on others. A lot of songs didn't need to be as long as they were. It was a very enjoyable listen all around. It's a great rock album and absolutely deserves high praise for what it's dishing out.
I’d never heard of this album or group before. Despite how recently it was made, I’d missed it entirely. It was a very solid and enjoyable experience. There were a lot of interlude speech parts, probably too many. The words and lyrics were nice and empowering. I got a Public Enemy album a few days ago, and this feels like the exact opposite. One was raging against injustice and this one is trying to lift you up. All in all, I found this album to be very enjoyable. The music was good, the vocals were lovely. A couple songs I would probably listen to again.
I'm conflicted on this one. On one hand the style is kind of interesting, the music is great, they're clearly talented. I couldn't figure out if this was meant to be religious or not. It kinda seems like it was meant to be gospel-y. The vocals were pretty unique, it sort of became a detraction by the end of the album though. The biggest problem is everything is too long. Sinking an hour and a half into an album is quite a task. If they had cut it down a bit, I think I would've appreciated it more. It's a bit of a mixed bag altogether.
I really love so many songs on this record. My only real gripes with it are that it’s too long and the end of the album is pretty meh. The music is haunting and genuinely great. It’s a concept album so it’s very cohesive and well produced. It flows great. It’s one of the best rock albums of all time. I can’t rag on the ending too much, since it comprises of such a small part of the album. All in all, amazing record.
This album, like the actual state of Nebraska, is flat, boring, and dreary. The songs all sound almost identical with the occasional whine of a harmonica or a yell thrown in. Some of the songs have a discordant sound which doesn’t make for pleasant listening. And despite the album title Nebraska, he mentions Jersey way more. I’m not sure what the plan was for this album, but it didn’t work.
It’s got some decent songs on there, and it’s a good first album from The Who. There’s the beginnings of what they’re going to be in there, but it’s nothing to write home about on its own. My Generation is a classic. I’d never heard of any of the others. Based on that I don’t really think this belongs on this list. It’s decent, great opening salvo for The Who, but lord knows it’s not their best work.
A very fun protopunk album. It’s deeply unserious and the covers are great. There’s a couple songs with questionable titles that have the opposite lyrics than what you’d think, which is very punk. You have some Beach Boys meets the Ramones kind of energy to the album. The music is great, it’s a lot of fun. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.
It doesn’t really go as hard as I would hope. I expected some real rage and heat, but it just kind of came off as a slightly harder classic rock album. It’s a well made, the music is good, the lyrics are good, and it’s well produced. It just didn’t evoke anything that substantial. A bit of a let down, really.
Who starts an album like this? I just sat down. It opens with a song about a woman prostituting herself for some new shoes and her wino husband looking at porn and how their marriage is rough. It largely doesn’t improve from there. The album feels like a musical that would’ve closed in the first week. The music is well performed, that’s really the only positive. It’s just bizarre all around and I don’t know how this made the list.
This album really kicked off alt-rock for so many people. The tracks are so varied, they’re absolutely ripping, and it’s just incredibly fun to listen to. I’ve heard a few songs many times, but never listened to the whole album. And I wish I had done so sooner. Two addendums, hearing them play a couple of these songs live was disappointing, and I’ve heard a different more up tempo This Fire, and it’s far superior. This version felt like it was in some muck. Same exact song, just 20% faster. All in all, just awesome.
Start a drum beat, let it go for a bit, then say the same thing a bunch of times, and baby, you’ve got an LCD Soundsystem song. Not necessarily a bad thing, a couple songs stood out and I enjoyed those. It just goes on a bit too long. A bit of editing down would do some wonders. It just starts to feel a bit samey when it goes on too long.
Never been a big fan of live albums. This one is no exception. The audio is messy with lots of screams. It probably would've been fun to be there in person, but a recording after the fact is less so. A couple songs are enjoyable, Surrender especially. I also have a personal hatred for I Want You to Want Me. It plays on the radio all the time, and it's just not that good of a recording or song. I don't understand how it's stuck around this long. All in all, it's disappointing.
What an amazing voice. It’s hard to find any faults on this record. Great performances throughout, great instrumentation, and some genuine soul at the heart of the whole thing. It’s a very short album, but that probably helped it. Really incredible and absolutely deserves to be on this list.
Just couldn’t get into this one. It’s well produced, the instrumentation is good, her voice is solid. Maybe it’s the subject matter I struggled with? It was also very slow. The titular song was good, but the rest just didn’t hold my interest and it was very samey all the way through.
Not usually a fan of live albums, but this one was great. It really felt like being in the room with a stiff drink listening to a jazz great sing. She has a great voice and the fun little bits of crowd banter were a nice addition. I really loved How High the Moon, where she talks about Ella Fitzgerald’s performance of the song. It’s a great time.
There are people that hate Neil Young, I don’t necessarily count myself as one of that number, but I didn’t care for this. It started out fine, then I found myself getting more irritable as it went on. So many songs are repetitive and boring. His voice doesn’t bother me, but just repeating the same words and doing the same guitar stuff over and over for 10 minutes isn’t fun.
I don’t like live albums and I don’t like jam bands. This is unfortunately both. To top it all off, it’s also very long. There’s great talent on display, but I get no real enjoyment from it. Because I have to listen to a minutes long section of a 18 minute song with tiny guitar licks and nothing else. And all I can think during this is that this is on the list when so many other amazing albums aren’t. It could be transcendent for some, but for me it was just a struggle.
A very high energy album. If you heard one or two of these songs you’d like it, hearing all of them is rougher. That being said, I did enjoy it. The instrumentation and horns were a great touch. It turned it from a generic 90’s punk thing into something more interesting. I don’t know that it belongs on this list, it’s decent, but it’s not exactly a life changing album.
Never listened much to Kacey Musgraves. I’m glad I fixed that now. It’s a really beautiful album. It’s all so well composed and wonderfully performed. My only complaint is that the subject matter is too focused on romantic things. It does occasionally go into other topics and when it does it’s excellent. Not that the romance songs are bad by any stretch. Rainbows is gorgeous.
Sledgehammer has no right to be as catchy as it is. This album is so quintessentially 80's, it's unbelievable. It had a ton of his hits on it, so it’s a very prolific work. It’s a good album; I may not like everything Peter Gabriel puts out, but I can appreciate the talent and production that So puts out.
Flea was slapping the crap out of that bass this entire album. It’s the highlight of the whole thing. It’s a bit of a mixed bag overall though. I enjoy RHCP, but this album is simply too long. This could’ve been cut down substantially and been better for it. The songs that are good (and they are really good) would’ve been a great album on their own. The vocals are kind of meh, and that’s always been their weakest link. But frankly, Flea saves the day with some of the sickest bass lines put to music.
Well, I listened to the whole thing. It took about a fifth of my waking hours, but I did it. And it was largely not worth it. There’s a handful of truly great tracks in here. Then there’s tons ranging from middling to boring. And then some songs that are genuinely unpleasant. There’s definitely a good album in here, but the quantity not quality approach really obfuscated that. I know that’s kind of what they were shooting for, and it’s mildly impressive to crank out that many passable songs in one go. In so many different genres and styles to boot. Overall, an album cut down to 40 minutes would’ve been infinitely preferable to this. Still keep the title 69 songs but only put 10 on there. It’ll be ironic or something. Hipsters love that shit.
I can appreciate the significance of this album in hip-hop history, but I was sort of underwhelmed. It was a little goofier than I thought it would be. It's Tricky, Raising Hell, You Be Illin', and Proud to Be Black were all great, but the other songs just didn't really do anything for me. I guess I was sort of expecting a Public Enemy kind of anger in there that just isn't a part of their style. I suppose that kind of album wouldn't be the one to bring hip-hop to a mainstream much wider audience, but this one sure did.
Between New Order, Bronski Beat, and these guys the 80's in the UK must've been confusing with how many bands sounded very similar. This album was kind of all over the place. They made choices that I didn't necessarily like. The overall messages in the songs were pretty forward thinking. I wish there was more horn in them, because when that got thrown in it really added something to the songs. I enjoy that UK 80's sound, and this had a lot of it. Overall, it was fine. Didn't really grab me in any meaningful way.
Man, their harmonies are outstanding. An absolute classic of the 60’s. Monday Monday and California Dreamin’ are songs you literally couldn’t miss. They get radio play all the time. There’s a lot of variety to these songs. The band had a really short period of time together due to… many reasons, but this is a great album and absolutely belongs on this list.
The rage is palpable. What an absolute banger of an album. I already enjoyed RATM, but never listened to a full album. You go in knowing what to expect, but the musicianship is top notch, it’s raw, and it really makes you feel something. They’re a remarkably smart group, they bring up historical context, and they really do their best to make sure that you should be furious at the state of this country. I know I am. Few albums get more prescient over time, but this one absolutely nailed it.
The messages throughout the album are spot on. The music element I felt was lacking however. There’s occasionally a good beat or rhythm going, but the lyrics were the clear star on this one. I’d never heard of this group before, but I really enjoy this kind of conscientious style of rap/hip-hop. It’s thought provoking and far more political than modern rap tends to get. It’s over 30 years old, the issues he’s talking about were malignant back then, and now they’ve really come to a head. Wish more people would’ve taken this more seriously.
Obligatory, he’s a really bad person. Unfortunately, he’s also incredibly talented. I’ve heard Thriller about 100 times, and it still gave me a little chill up the spine. I find the idea that MJ and Paul McCartney fighting over the same woman absurd. There are a lot of hits on this one, and it’s considered one of the best pop albums of all time. For good reason. The songs are great, well produced, catchy, with insane staying power. An absolutely top notch album.
Everybody knows Sinatra. You know he’s got those golden pipes. This album obviously features them heavily. But I’m surprised I’d never heard any of these songs before. He’s got a ton of famous one’s, and I’m kind of surprised that none are in this album. The main problem with this album is how samey the songs sound. Beautiful voice, placid instrumentals, all kind of at the same dreamy tempo. It was very enjoyable and went down smooth.
Steely Dan is growing on me a bit. There’s a lot of classic songs that get radio play, and I never knew they were by Steely Dan. It’s got some great musicianship. I heard another Steely Dan album on this list and found it kind of boring. This is much better. Can’t complain too much. It’s a pretty quality album.
Son of a Preacher Man is the only song I know by Dusty Springfield. But listening to the whole album, I’m surprised some other songs aren’t as equally well known. She has a unique voice, the musicality of the album is very impressive and sounds great. There’s a lot to like here. Windmills of Your Mind was a nice change of tone and energy. The album was short and sweet, overall. Also, love me a gay icon.
There’s a lot to like in this album. I love a nice chaotic jazz experience. The only let down is the last track, really. It’s kind of samey throughout without a lot of variety or anything particularly interesting. The first three songs are dynamic and varied. With some amazing talent on display. The drummer especially. Really enjoyed it. The album went down smooth.
I don’t know what to make of Van Morrison. He’s a nut job, but he also creates some pretty chill music. It’s a bit flighty and chaotic at times. Mostly due to him screaming at random intervals. This is one of my wife’s favorite albums, I didn’t dig it nearly that much. It does have the impressive feat of each song being done in one take in the studio. Overall, it’s not a bad listening experience.
This album has all the hits on it. Some spanning way after Oasis split up. It's such a tight album with no real wasted space. There were two songs I was kind of meh on, but everything else was gangbusters. The album is well produced, has a lot of energy, and has immense staying power. Everyone knows Wonderwall. This album is excellent top to bottom.
Oh, Prince. An absolutely undeniable talent that I just don’t care for. Let’s Go Crazy finally sounded decent to me after years of exposure. The rest were varying degrees of dislike to indifference. When Prince’s guitar playing is heavily featured it’s amazing. He’s a generational talent. His little solos and licks are incredible. Everything else is just unpleasant though. It really detracts from the overall experience.
Aside from the hits, REM doesn’t really do anything for me. Not entirely sure why. They should be right in my Q-zone. The One I Love and End of the World are both amazing songs. There’s variety, great harmonies, they’re high energy. The rest of the songs are kind of samey and don’t pack the same oomph.
Now I like fuzz. It’s a great effect. This took that waaaaay too far. It was used so aggressively that it made a lot of the songs sound like they were playing through a radio that could barely get a station. Just Like Honey is the only song I knew, and that’s because it was in Lost in Translation. It’s a decent song. The rest I could barely understand or enjoy. Overall, it was an unpleasant listening experience.
I don’t enjoy live albums. I can appreciate Johnny Cash, and the whole story behind this album where he played for actual prisoners. It’s very clear those guys loved it. The sound quality was rough, and it would be better to watch in person. He’s a great musician and he was going for something on this album. It just didn’t translate as well as I’d hoped.
I’ve heard of Hole, but never listened to them before. Also didn’t know it was Courtney Love’s band. I was onboard from the jump. Violet is a great opener and the hits just kept coming. I love women led punk groups, and this checked all the boxes. The musicianship is top tier, the lyrics are biting, and the rage is raw and palpable. As a guy, I never understood why women aren’t furious more often. Life is bullshit for most of us, but women get it in an overwhelming stream. And someone like Courtney Love got it in Niagara Falls quantities. Between the sexist stuff about needing Cobain’s help or even blaming her for his death; an album like this has got to be pretty cathartic.
I always love to get women-led albums. And a post-punk one at that. I’ll say that I enjoyed the first half of the album more than the second. I’d never really heard any of there stuff before, but I really dug it. The vocals were solid. The musicality was varied and had a lot of interesting elements mixed in. The lyrics were classic punk. Sardonic and biting. The album went down very smooth and I really enjoyed it.
Never been much of a U2 fan. They have an occasional good song in their repertoire, in this case, Beautiful Day. The rest of the songs were shlock and yawn (the opposite of shock and awe, get it?). There just doesn’t feel like they have much left in the tank. New York is particularly egregious. They’re also on my shit list because they forced an album on to my iTunes library almost 20 years ago. I chose what to put in there very deliberately.
I’m not really a Bruce Springsteen fan. But I gotta hand it to him, this one is incredible. The horns, the dynamic sound, the gravelly voice (which I usually find obnoxious), it all works in perfect harmony. The lowest point is Meeting Across the River, but it’s still a solid song. The musicianship is obvious and absolutely stellar. It’s got a really bombastic sound. The album is also a perfect length. Doesn’t over stay its welcome and is just a satisfying listen.
Never heard of them. And when I first saw this I assumed it was going to be some mediocre white guys added to this list, because there’s no shortage of that on here. I actually rather enjoyed this album though. There was a lot of good instrumentation throughout, the vocals were good, and it was very energetic. It was a good rockin’ time. A more garage band version of Oasis with flutes tossed in for good measure.
A light breezy album with some of the chunkiest bass licks I’ve ever heard. It has a very unique and interesting sound. There’s a lot of African influence throughout, which some people call cultural appropriation. That’s not what this is. It’s very clearly cultural appreciation, there’s a distinct difference between the two. Namely, a lack of exploitation of the contributing artists. Ladysmith Black Mambazo were a beautiful addition. Anywho, it’s a musically impressive album, exactly the kind of thing you can expect from Paul Simon. The bass player was absolutely cooking and is easily the best part.
I genuinely don't understand why she's in here. Her music is so boring and flat. The lyrics are meandering. And the music and lyrics never seem to sync up, which is probably on purpose, but it works to its detriment. I've gotten two of her albums so far, and I just don't see what the appeal is. And there's two more waiting in the wings. Even Thom Yorke can't save this mess, although This Mess We're In was the most enjoyable track. I had Rid of Me before, and I found that album more unpleasant than this one. So here's hoping she steps it up on the next one.
A gentle acoustic experience. Some very technically proficient guitar playing. He’s clearly got chops. He’s a solid vocalist and he has some great lyrics. Smokey River, Needle of Death, and Do You Hear Me were the standouts, but not much stands out on this album in general. It’s nice, but ultimately it’s a guy playing an acoustic guitar by himself. There’s a ceiling to that kind of thing.
A light breathy acoustic album. I didn’t really find anything all that special in this album. It was decent. Nice guitar work, some fun instrumentation in there, lyrics were great (very poetic), vocals got kind of samey after a while. Most of the singing was done in a kind of breathy way with no real dynamic swings. It didn’t really add anything to the experience. I’m sure Nick Drake has better albums out there (Pink Moon), but this one didn’t wow me. It’s just fine.
I enjoy a nice R&B album. This fits that mold pretty successfully. It’s insanely well produced. The sound design is so layered with a lot of little things, so there’s a distinct ambience to the listening experience. I found myself enjoying bits and pieces, but not the overall musical style choices. Her voice was getting pretty samey by the end and I was really hoping for some kind variety with such a long album. But it unfortunately didn’t happen.
I appreciate the commitment to beards by these guys more than anything. Musically, they have some great southern rock sound. It’s music I associate with beer tents at state fairs and dive bars. It’s something I never really cared for. They’re great at what they do, but what they do isn’t in my wheelhouse. Objectively, it’s a fine album. Personally, I didn’t really get into any songs, not even the popular La Grange. Hot, Blue and Righteous was a good song though.
Love a good jazz album. And this is absolutely one of those. I did two listens to it in one day. I barely ever double dip like that, so just know it's a delight. Whether the music is improvised or all written down, I have no idea. All I know is that it was a very chill experience. The instrumental variety is wonderful. The musical production is great when listened to over a speaker. But in headphones I found the electric organ on the second song to be a bit much. Altogether, it's an excellent listen, it's succinct, it doesn't get all weird and esoteric like some jazz albums do, and I really enjoyed my time with it.
I only know about Relax because of Zoolander. I hadn’t heard any other song on this album other than that one. They made some choices that didn’t jive with me. For one, the title track was super long and not worth the time. Relax was enjoyable, as was Power of Love. But everything in the middle was nowhere near as good as those two songs. Including the covers (of which, there were too many). I was kind of hoping they would expand beyond what I knew of them and I’d get some very interesting songs, but alas, it didn’t turn out that way.
Never has such good musicianship been used so blandly. This album is well produced and well performed, but it has nothing that sticks out and grabs you. I listened through the whole thing, and suddenly it was over with very little impact sticking in my mind. I’ve never heard anything else by Paul Weller, but I hope the other things in his repertoire are more interesting.
Sunshine of Your Love is the only song I knew on this album. It’s a great song. But when you hear so many other songs on the same album in kind of the same style, it wears a bit thin. Then it got very honky tonk near the end. Great guitar playing throughout, the vocals were good, the only complaint I have is that the songs sound kinda samey.
An album I’m intimately familiar with. I’ve heard most of these songs hundreds of times by now, mostly from radio play. And I figured I’d be sick of them by now, but it’s actually just a really great album. It’s one of Coldplay’s best albums. It’s beautiful musically and lyrically. It’s the perfect length, it’s tight, well produced, and is the band firing on all cylinders.
I really like Kendrick Lamar and I've been wanting to listen to more of his stuff for a while, but just never got around to it. Damn is an absolute all timer of an album. This doesn't quite get to that level for me. It's really well produced. He manages to be aggressively poetic with his flow. The different styles of musicality used throughout are amazing. The final track is an odd one, and it's kind of my problem with the album overall. It's too long. I can easily see how this made it to the list. It's a pretty stellar album overall.
A classic punk album. I always consider post-punk to be when punk artists care about things like sound quality and instrumentation. Those are not the concerns of the Dead Kennedys. It’s shock, it’s high intensity, it’s got a raw sound and energy. There’s some great songs in here, and some meh one’s. It’s a fun listen overall.
