Hell yeah brother, put this in my veinssssss
Bottled nostalgia. Even the new songs (to me) felt cozy and familiar. What a joy to go further back into a favorite band’s catalogue and not be disappointed. Olivia Cooke voice: “Oh, stunning!”
What can I say, it was fun
Other than a couple hit songs, it was just mid
It’s competent rock, I’m gonna like it
Some ups and downs, but never boring, definitely a vibe. Looking for to checking out more Bowie
Really wanted to like it, but it was just fine
Am I a Steely Dan fan now?
The live songs were so much better than the rest of the album
You know it’s a bad album when the better songs sound like glorified elevator music
If I thought anything was redeemable about this album at the start, listening to slightly remixed versions of the same song five times over the course of a two hour album certainly burned it out of me.
2.5 if it was an option. Not my thing, but there’s enough meat on the bones for me to try another Stereolab album or two
Decadent, extravagant, everything I want in a Black Sabbath album. Need to relisten during spooky season.
With the exception of My Curse, the instrumentals are far more interesting than the vocals on every track.
Just not my style, but Zombie (the song) earned some energetic car shimmies from me.
As someone raised in Georgia, I was primed to be biased against this album from the start with that many mentions of Bear Bryant and Alabama. Never thought I’d hear George Wallace mentioned this much (if ever) in a song. Too close to country for me to ever like it, and too many depictions of Southern life (of varying degrees of accuracy) for me to care. Also, I almost always automatically dislike any album that uses another band or celebrity’s fame to prop up their own. It feels lazy and disingenuous to do so, with rarely a good enough reason behind it.
Possibly my favorite album cover art. I thought this album would be a just fine way to spend two hours and enjoy the handful of songs I knew. I was wrong. This was a beautifully executed work with a surprising variety of moods and melodies. I found myself moved at times, head banging in others. From start to finish I loved it, and even after two whole hours, I wondered when I could listen to it again.
The highs were high, the lows were mid. I understood what they were doing (and they doing it well from a technique perspective), but I couldn’t help but be bored for most of the album. I wanted every song to be Squares, and ultimately was left wanting.
Just beautiful. I want to curl up with a blanket in midwinter, stare at the ceiling, and feel too many feelings while listening to this album. This would have wrecked me as a teenager. The instrumentals were simultaneously moody and airy, accompanied by passionate, gutting vocals. It’s a magical album.
I listened to it and immediately forgot about it. Not a good sign.
Did it feel like the same song on repeat for 45 minutes? Yes. Did I care? Not a bit. Can’t listen to Sinatra and not feel like a lead in a classic romantic movie. He has the best voice a maybe mobster has ever had.
What a waste of incredible beats and production. The brits shouldn’t rap (or whatever it was the vocals were supposed to be doing).
This was just pure fun. Funky, weird, and had me dancing in my seat, which is all I really want in an album. I don’t know the full music landscape of the 1970s, but this felt like a big swing, which I always admire.
It came, it went, and I don’t really have anything to say about it. I already forgot about it. Okay background music, but nothing on this album intrigued me. Plus that one song is creepy.
This felt like the most 2005 album ever made. Beck decided to dip into every musical trend of the day and did it well. But it felt like it was missing a musical cohesion or identity as a result. Still enjoyed it and will listen to more Beck.
Kanye was one of the foundational rappers who introduced me to the genre. If it wasn’t a Kanye song I was listening to, then he was often featured on the track. It is now impossible to listen to his music without being reminded of who he’s shown himself to be, poisoning the well of his incredible body of work. I no longer listen to Kanye’s songs, and listening to this album now, for the first time, felt like poking a bruise.
It is a shame that this album is a masterpiece. It’s haunting to hear lyrics that were troubling at the time but were likely waved away (All of the Lights: “I slapped my girl, she called the feds”, featuring Rihanna who a year earlier was beaten by Chris Brown), to see how drastically he has changed his views (So Appalled: “Donald Trump taking dollars from y’all), and to wrestle with his ever present god complex and eventual spiral (Power, among others).
And it can’t be forgotten that many if not all the guest artists are giving quite possibly their best featured performances, but some of whom have their own scandals compounding the taint on these tracks.
I loved it. It was damn near perfect. Even the weakest song, Lost in the World, contained a section of instant depression that stunned me to my core (thanks Bon Iver). It is one of the best rap albums of all time, if not one of the best albums period, but it will forever be marred by the man behind it.
This is why I hate country: they aren’t Johnny Cash. This ruled.
Felt like a Beatles tribute band. That’s unfair, I know, but it’s the vibe. Not bad though.
P-funkalicious
I wouldn’t make The Clash my entire personality, but I see why the Byers boys did in Stranger Things
Beginning of the album was better than the end. The highs were high and the lows were still better than average. This list has brought us a few similar albums, and this finally felt like what I wanted to get out of this time period and genre.
While I wish every song was as energetic as Sweet Dreams and This Is the House, I’m an Annie Lennox fan and was primed to like this album.
What a pleasant surprise. I figured it would be all beachy, summer songs (especially given the album title), but not so. This was beautiful and wide-ranging in musicality and themes, with Disney Girls and Student Demonstration as notable standouts. Also, this is a stunning choice in album art. Easily I’d listen to this again.
Highway to Hell (the song) absolutely slaps, but the rest of the songs felt like fun but worse versions of it. I am amazed how much I can still enjoy AC/DC'S songs with the vocals of a screeching cat, so that counts for something.
Highly forgettable dad rock
Cult music without the requisite magnetism? Pass.
Fine instrumentals at times, but this album screams “Don’t trust this band with your daughter / sister / friend.”
This is why this list exists - giving folks like me an opportunity to listen to a beautiful album I otherwise never would have listened to. Not understanding a single word didn’t matter whatsoever. You could feel their passion and joy in every beat. Happy I listened to this.
Earned extra brownie points because of how much Waitin’ for Superman (both versions) is potentially the best new song I have heard since starting this project. This album swings from “enjoyable but just fine” to “sheer brilliance”, without much difference in how the songs sound, but I can’t put my finger on the differentiating factor.
This ruled! Usually I’d be annoyed that every song basically sounds the same (except for the excellent swing inspired number), but I was thoroughly entertained with each track. The guitar work on each song kept my interest entirely. Already knew I was likely an Aerosmith fan, but this sealed it.
Don’t ask me why, but I kept mixing up Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys. I can now tell the difference.
Stunning album, with so little fat that could have been trimmed. The best possible version of a 2010 album. I would have loved this in high school, but I’ll appreciate it now.
This would have made an interesting video game soundtrack, but outside of this, it was meh
So impressed by how they use three distinct voices, separately and together, to form such a unique and fun vocal performance. And the beats are sick, of course. What’s not to like?
This feels like a cryptocurrency company’s hold music
How have I lived this long without this album in my life. It’s a surrealist experience to listen to an album 30 years afterwards, and I can pinpoint exactly which top artists today were directly influenced by Fugees. I feel like I can hear Lauryn Hill’s impact on every Doechii track. Fastest 5 stars I’ve given, and I made my mind up even before listening to the staggering song that is Mista Mista. I immediately want to run it back again, and I just might.
I think the album got weaker on the back half, but in general this is exactly what I want from a Bjork album: weird, innovative, other worldly. She takes giant risks creatively, and she stands alone as an artists as a result. Not always my vibe, but impressive nonetheless.
Lovely voice, and points for singing in at least two languages (if not more). Thanks for confirming my Duo lessons weren’t wasted, as I understood more lyrics in Tu Mi Delirio than I anticipated. It’s good, but it’s still jazz.
I definitely thought Elton John sang Starman. Whoops. Very fun, enjoyed this so much more than Station to Station. I get the Bowie hype now.
Loretta Lynch is obviously a talented singer, but this album is from such a different era that it isn’t as enjoyable to listen to in 2026. However, context matters. Listening to this at home, it was a fine way to spend 30 minutes. But if a song from this album is included in the right film or show (ie Fallout, Righteous Gemstones, even a MCU movie), it would feel iconic.
Even before listening to the album, I saw that songs on this album were referenced or used by Stephen King, Scrubs, and Bridesmaids and thought “oh this is for me.” Also, I’ve been singing “When the Stars Go Blue” (which I only knew a cover version) multiple days this week after not listening to it in years, and then suddenly this album comes up on our project. I’m officially a witch.
Anyways, this is a good sad boy album if you enjoy sad boy music. Wish there a few more high tempo songs, but again, this is a sad boy album. 3.5 stars.
A couple of songs at the beginning were noteworthy, but it soon turned into okay background music. Obsessed with the album art though. 2.5 starfishes.
On its own, it’s just fine, but this would have made a killer film score. Also, we just happened to get Ziggy Stardust earlier this week, and it’s hard not to be disappointed in comparison.
With Paramore as my favorite band, was I primed to love a female led alt rock band? Perhaps.
I was introduced to Hole a couple month ago through their Live Through This album, which blew me away. Even before this popped up on our project, Celebrity Skin would likely be in my top 10 Spotify wrapped songs for 2026.
This is my music. Passionate vocals, moving instrumentals, and lyrics made by and for women. Easily my favorite discovery to date for this project.
Discount AC/DC, and AC/DC is only just okay
Strap in folks: I have a comment section, decades of pent up annoyance from all the “You don’t like The Beatles?” questions I’ve gotten, and too much time on my hands. Here’s my manifesto on The Beatles (subject to change, this is somehow our first on the list to review).
The Beatles are popular because there is truly something for everyone, then to today and across the globe. That is a feat that very few bands have ever done, and should be applauded. They have also inspired music and modern culture to such a degree that their mark on the world can’t be discounted, and my life has been made better by musicians heavily influenced by The Beatles.
However, my problem with such variety and ubiquity is that it feels like I am listening to 50 different bands in a trench coat, only enjoy 20 of them, and then I am insulting folks’ most treasured musical and life memories by not lumping the 50 bands together as one. I think most people would fall in my camp if given the chance, but it’s hard to parse out the highs from the lows when the highs mean so much to you.
Revolver was deeply inconsistent album, in a way well beyond a couple of duds weighing down a good album. I felt that these 14 songs were cobbled together with no cohesive vision or story in mind. And that’s okay. Not every song on an album needs to relate to each other. I still enjoyed this, but it could have been so much more. So, in a feeble attempt to differentiate the 50 bands, here’s my initial categories of Beatles songs:
Just Fine: I’m Only Sleeping, She Said She Said, Doctor Robert
Fine+ (Step and Snap Often Required): Good Day Sunshine, Tell You
I Can Get Down to This: Taxman, And Your Bird Can Sing, For No One, Got To Get You Into My Life, Here There and Everywhere
Actual War Crimes: Yellow Submarine, Tomorrow Never Knows, Love You To
World’s Most Perfect Song: Eleanor Rigby. Seriously, if I had one wish, I’d have to fight world peace over a 45 minute concept album of just Eleanor Rigby with continuing lonely people narratives, which turns into a hit musical and Oscar winning film. Inspiring, heartbreaking, can’t believe I’m complimenting this but the pacing is a stroke of genius. There is nothing like this song.
Strong 3.5
I swear the trick to these electronic, atmospheric albums is to pretend it’s a score to a show, movie, or video game (usually the answer is Tron), and you will instantly like it more.
My real time thought about 5 minutes in was “wow, this would have been an excellent song for Stranger Things.” Cut to me spending the rest of the album length learning that the Stranger Things composers were heavily influenced by Tangerine Dream and used at least one song by them on the show. And then they were so impressed with the show that Tangerine Dream made a cover of the Stranger Things theme song (which is incredible, please check it out).
Did I like the album or do I just miss Stranger Things? I’ll never know. But listening to this album led me to a richer understanding of one of my favorite shows, and I genuinely had a good time with this. For that, I am grateful.
Woof. Listening to this the morning after Dolly passed away? With songs like Rosewood Casket and Those Memories of You? I swear this generator is trying to make me cry.
Similar to Johnny Cash, this album is why I hate country. It’s so rarely like this album. Stunning vocals, poignant and evocative lyrics, and deceptively simple melodies to force you to feel the story being told. Remarkable album.
We’ll miss you Dolly.
Shitty, shitty human being, but the man could sing. The voice, the range, the vibe. This easily could have been half an hour of the same song over and over again, but instead we got something varied yet cohesive. This ruled if you don’t listen to the lyrics too much.
The second disc is obviously a dip in quality, but I still really enjoyed it for its classic radio songs and inventive sleeper hits. The first disc is a perfect hip hop album. Can’t believe I didn’t know The Way You Move was by Outkast, a song played a million times in my household as my brother and I played the 2005 Tiger Woods PGA Tour game. 4.5 Hey Yas
4 for the instrumentals, 2 for the vocals, and minus a star for repetition and kinda sounding like all bands during this period. But not a bad hangout album.
I really enjoyed like a third of this album. Ever Since the World Began would fit into any Peaky Blinders episode.
The best part was He’s Always There started playing, and I genuinely thought my phone was playing a second song at the same time. Then a lightbulb appeared above my head as I made the connection that The Pussycat Dolls sampled this song for When I Grow Up. That beat was too sick for 1966.
3.5 lawn birdies
College football is back, I recently finished Peaky Blinders, and I'm nearing the end of a year long read of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Was there really any chance I wasn't going to adore this?
Not a perfect album, as the slow songs were good but out of place, but if there's a mood to describe 2026, it's Elephant.
I really wanted to like this, but with the exception of Ziggy Stardust, I'm experiencing diminishing returns with these Bowie albums.
The instrumentals were stellar at times, but the songs overall were so bad that I stopped enjoying even that bright spot. Which is saying a lot, considering the album is only 21 minutes long.
My fear is that this is what non-millennials think Green Day sounds like, which to give them credit, the ending of Cashing In sounds like Holiday.
Either the instrumentals or the vocals needed to be a lot more passionate to elevate this album from competently made but ultimately boring to something great. Also, I was floored the see this was made in 2005. You could have subtracted several decades and I would not have bat an eye.
I liked this album but didn’t love it. It felt very one note, and while it’s a very good one note, it fell flat. Good to hang out to, but it didn’t move me. Definitely interested enough to try other albums by A Tribe Called Quest.
I had zero hopes for this album. Albums should be between 45-75 minutes. So, I held this off until it was my 69th (nice) rated album just for the giggles and muster through some half baked songs. And it’s true, about 10 songs weren’t my type, and another 10 weren’t done cooking, but I was floored to see that I genuinely enjoyed 69% (nice) of the songs on this album.
While I accept the possibility that Stephin Merritt is a secret VFD member who hypnotized me to liking his music through his incredible work with The Gothic Archies, which made the songs in the audiobooks for A Series of Unfortunate Events, I don’t care. I’m still a fan, and I’d recognize his deep comedic yet depressed voice anywhere.
I get why folks don’t like this album: 3 albums of anything you don’t love is going to turn any mild interest sour. I’ve been there. But y’all are missing out on one of the wittiest, fascinating, moving, creative albums I’ve listened to date. We still have a long way to go on this list, but I have a feeling I’ll return to this one often.
I thought this would rule for like 60 seconds, but alas, no.
Genuinely, why was this recorded in the studio? The live album was eons better.
I really wanted to like this, especially given how few girly pop albums are on this list, but the “save the children” songs screamed D.A.R.E to me. Enjoyed quite a bit of this album otherwise.
Not anything to write home about, but it was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
This actually hurt my ears to listen to. Nein, just nein.
Honestly, when I listened to this a few months ago, I thought it was the worst thing I’ve ever listened to. Now, I’ve been through the wringer, and this isn’t even close to the worst; it’s just not for me.
My secret music love is folk music, though I can’t name a single song or artist. I guess I can now!
Stunning introduction to the genre for me. A Sailor’s Life is a triumph. I didn’t even care that Cajun Woman, though a song I enjoyed, had no business being on this album. More of this, please and thank you.
Although it’s not my favorite, I’m glad this album exists. I like Kate Bush being weird and experimental. Particularly, I enjoyed the theatrical moments and even her haunted, spooky elements (tis the season). Not what I expected but not a terrible listen.
Me, a known Beatles skeptic, quite enjoyed this. This album stuck to what they are best at (pop rock) and while it missed the characteristic high highs and low lows (very low lows) of Revolver, it was far more focused and cohesive of an album.
However, the Beatles are now banned from using the word love — I promise you there are synonyms. Someone on Reddit made a chart of how many “loves” is on each Beatles album, and this album is second only to Please, Please Me, which might Kill, Kill Me.
Anyways, below is my Beatles Song Rankings System TM:
Just Fine: If I Fell, Things We Said Today, I’ll Be Back
Fine+ (Step and Snap Often Required): I Should Have Known Better, I’ll Cry Instead, When I Get Home
I Can Get Down to This: A Hard Day’s Night, I’m Just Happy to Dance With You, And I Love Her, Tell Me Why, Can’t Buy Me Love, Any Time At All, You Can’t Do That
Actual War Crimes: None! Look at you go Beatles, I knew you could do it.
World’s Most Perfect Song: Also no, which is why this isn’t a 5 star rating. Album was fun, but nothing moved me as really special.
I enjoyed the sleazy, dark, theatrical nature of this album. It felt like a preview of all the musical developments to come in the next decade or so that I love all wrapped up in a single album.
I acknowledge that between liking Next and 69 Love Songs, I’m never beating the allegations that I’m secretly three 12-year-old boys in a trench coat. Oh well.
And please, no more screaming gonorrhea before my morning coffee.
Do I actually like punk? I may not like punk. [insert ego death]
I know, in my heart of hearts, one day I’ll love a Bruce Springsteen. Hope springs eternal. But today is not that day.
The last few songs made listening to this otherwise awful album listenable. I think most songs could’ve been slashed, added like two more somber songs that didn’t attempt to blend numerous genres at once, and it could’ve been a fine tribute. Maybe not worth this list, but at least debatable. As it is, this is a shockingly poor addition to this list by a decent artist.
This is, by far, a hot contender for worst album cover art on the list.
I was really hype after the first couple tracks, but then it quickly faded into (decent!) background music. Better than the last album we listened to of his, but I’m still waiting to love Neil Young.
I wanted to like this more given the absolute banger this band had with Red Right Hand (different album) but it was kind of a snooze fest, and I didn’t love the vocals. Still, I’ve heard much worse.
I didn’t hate this, but it’s reminiscent of what I consider The Beatles’s War Crime Songs TM. Not bad, but a bit of a snooze fest.
Slow start but felt it picked up by the end. I think I liked Fear of Music better, but Psycho Killer is an all-time bop, and No Compassion was a ton of fun. Suffers from a but of sameiness, but ultimately I enjoyed this.
Elvis Castello remains a fave find from this project. Fun instrumentals and timeless vocals. Snap your fingers, step side to side, and have a blast for an hour.
What can I say, The Who sold me - both beans and a new fandom. This album was quirky, disorienting, and surprising. Even the commercials made me chuckle. Well executed, and hella fun to listen to.
1 for the recorded album, 3 for the demos. It’s bad dad rock that was terribly produced, but the stripped down versions were eons more interesting.
Sultry little album — hard not to feel like you’re the lead in a Casablanca-esque film when listening. Obviously knew Smooth Operator, but really glad I learned the rest of the songs exist.
There are some people who can sing similar Amy, but her raw emotionality and subject matter set her apart. Her versatility, from heartbreak to addiction, from cheeky to in love, is something to behold. The song Back to Black may be one of the best songs of the early 00s, if not the 21st century to date. Few have made such an impact in so short a time as Amy, and we are better for it.
Listened to 2/3 albums of Beck’s on this list, and I’m left wondering: who the hell is Beck? He switches through so many musical movements within a single album and amongst his albums that I can’t place him among music history. It’s like he wants to try everything, which inherently ambitious, but leaves me with no impression for who he is as an artist and with varying levels of success. 2.5
Did I like this, or do I just love Joshua Radin, who was heavily influenced by Elliott Smith? I enjoyed it, though I think he walked so Radin could run.
Maybe it’s because I live in Texas and am married to a yapper, but I enjoyed more than I expected to.
Seriously though, who likes this album?
Basically my last chance to be a Neil Young fan, and this just aint it. Really enjoyed the first third of the album, and then fell apart. Just like the last one. 2.5 — there’s a better hidden amongst these albums, but too much filler, even for 35 minutes.
Stunning, passionate vocals. Can't dismiss her mastery of singing. Instrumentals felt the same at times, but who cares with a voice like that.
Would've been a 5 if it cut out the extraneous instrental solos (not you Grand Finale, you can stay). Fun, punchy, and energizing.
