the first album generated for me. ive heard this before, rated it on here, and grew up listening to some of these tracks a lot. heart shaped box being on guitar hero 2 was a big one for me. i had no idea who steve albini was when i was first hearing these tracks. nowadays i consider him to be somewhat of a musical genius, especially for producing, which he does a fantastic job of on this album. u can definitely feel his influence but it also feels like a nirvana record. thats the key, really.
favorite tracks: Dumb, All Apologies
the first of my first listens for this project. ive heard the pretty popular songs by these guys but not much else if im honest. this is a lot more bluesy than most of the stuff ive heard by them. ill be honest, not all of this works for me, and its entirely because of the vocals. but oh well. ive heard La Grange before, of course. ah haugh haugh haugh
favorite tracks: La Grange
another *technically* first listen for this project. ive heard Even Better Than the Real Thing, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, One, Until the End of the World, and Mysterious Ways before, but not the rest. anyway, im generally disappointed by this. not because i think its bad, but theres a couple songs on here that if they were removed or better then itd be a pretty solid album. as it stands, i have to give this a lower score than i normally would because of them. i dont know why this is one of their big albums. i dont get it. they have better releases than this, by a long shot, even without the few songs that i dont care for on the album. but whatever.
favorite tracks: One, Mysterious Ways
an entirely first listen. overdue, honestly. i love this sound, i love his voice, its right up my alley. i dont know what else to say tbh. glad i finally heard this.
favorite tracks: Red Headed Stranger, Can I Sleep In Your Arms, Hands on the Wheel
another first listen. i dont think ive heard any of these songs before. another artist ive been meaning to check out for ages. really nice sound. i can see why this is so beloved. his voice is lovely. the lyrics are great as well.
favorite tracks: Master Song, The Stranger Song, Sisters of Mercy, Teachers
another first listen. i am surprised to find an album like this on this list, honestly. i figured it would be usa/eu centric. this is lovely. im not incredibly experienced in these sounds, so its nice to hear something outside of my normal wheelhouse.
favorite tracks: Candela, Buena Vista Social Club
another first listen. i am woefully undereducated in african genres, so this is a nice opportunity to hear more. her voice is lovely. Mbube makes me feel like Lion King just ripped it off, or perhaps it is a love note to the whole genre. i will have to look into that further. either way, its really cool to hear.
favorite tracks: Umhome, Olilili, Mbube, Saduva
another first listen. sometimes i think maybe im too harsh on 60s psych and then i will sit down and listen to a 60s psych album and i remember why i hold so much disdain for it. at least its short.
favorite tracks: Where Is Yesterday, Love Song for the Dead Che, Stranded in Time
