There's hardly any music that reaches for God like Miles Davis
Obviously great, the singles are the definite highlights but there's still a lot to love in the other songs. The production tickles my ears, so many sticky melodies, even the slow parts are great.
Really do not care for this at all. Always hated Sixteen Saltines. Jack White solo never compelled me until Boarding House Reach, and I think only recently with No Name has he found his footing as a blues rocker. Blunderbuss just feels completely unimportant.
I've always felt Depeche Mode were better at creating a mood than songs. A lot of songs I'd love to hear on the radio, and then a lot of songs that would work well as background music in a Blade Runner spinoff, and that's it.
Far and away my favourite album by The Doors, and even though I think it's great, there's a lot of the grating elements that keep me at arm's length. I don't care about what Jim is saying, and I think he's always been overrated as a poet and lyricist. I love when they descend into a "jam" mode, moreso than I like them at their standard, barring Break On Through. I like when they subvert the common songwriting tropes, like on "The End", and when they sound almost gothic, like the chorus on "Alabama Song". This is an album carried by its highs, but those highs are high.
Another album carried by its highs. I love Speed King and Child in Time, and the rest is fine. Love the extended melodic jams and soloing, love the high intensity drumming, and organs. Rock needs more organs!
I'll never understand The Rolling Stones going country. You're from London! The fact that one of the most popular rock bands of all time known explicitly for Rocking has so many country songs will never not shock me. And mostly, they're just fine. The best Stones songs usually are the singles, the ones you know, and the ones you expect to be the best. This, to me, is certainly the weakest of the four records it's sandwiched between.
I just love the way Randy writes here. One of the best and most underappreciated American lyricists. Quintessentially American, too. It's dark, but always a bit tongue in cheek. Sour topics cut with a classic sound. It's more of a whiskey album than anything that isn't Tom Waits.
Joni with a band just works. Blue is a fantastic album that has never been a favourite, so the lushness of her later works really click with me. Beautiful lyrics, and stunning vocals, and just straight up one of the best sounding albums ever. Ends a little lower than it began, but this might be my favourite album of hers.
A band that to me, is lesser than the sum of its parts. Stewart Copeland is one of the most singular drummers around, and has made some of the best video game soundtracks of all time. Andy Summers is an underappreciated great, with a distinctive tone, who's also done some great work with Robert Fripp. Sting is, well Sting. I don't care for his solo stuff, but his rhythmic basslines really fill out the sound well here. But a lot of the time, the songs just aren't interesting here! Besides Walking on the Moon, the B-side is just completely filler, some outright bad. But the album can't be bad if it's got Message in a Bottle, the title track, and Walking on the Moon. The Police are certainly a band I care more for the singles of.
Pleasant but boring. I like Deja Vu, and everyone here's solo work quite a bit more generally.
Wow, was really not excited for this one. I haven't heard it in full for probably a decade, and I remember thinking it was fine back then. But over the decade since, the Taylor Swift overexposure has done a number on my opinions on her catalogue, even the parts that I thought were, well "fine". I used to like Blank Space! I used to like Shake it Off, Style, Wildest Dreams, Clean! Like not just in a "yeah, they're not bad" way!
The production has dated nastily, the throwback synthpop parts have been done WAY better by other artists since. And her lyrics have always been bad. There's far worse Pop out there, especially by Taylor. But it doesn't feel like the standout it once did.
This is the first album I've received thus far that I haven't actually heard. I'm not huge on his voice, I'm not big on the gravel that comes with his high sustains, but I can't deny the technicality. I enjoy the dated 'plinkyness' to the sounds generally, the 808s and fun synths have a pleasant vibe to them. But once that wears off, I just can't help but feel there's a lot more interesting R&B and Soul from this era that adventures more.
Since Arcade Fire destroyed their legacy, I haven't listened to them. They were a big part of my formative high school years, and The Suburbs in particular was one of the first album releases that felt like an Event for me. I'd hear the title track on the radio on the way to school and fight to turn up the volume before my mom would change the station. "Sprawl II" was mindblowing to someone who'd never consciously listened to "Heart of Glass" yet. "Empty Room" felt like a connection between the pop punk I grew up with, and this new twitchy and anxious indie scene I was getting into. Yet in 2026, I looked at this album with dread. With all of the baggage, all of the in-jokes about the songs we didn't like, all of the self-importance, all of the ambiguous "us vs them" posturing, I just thought I'd moved past this record.
I listened today for the first time in a long time, and I remembered most of the words. I remembered why I loved "Half Light II" and "Ready to Start". I remembered that Regine Chassagne is one of the best singers this genre had to offer, whenever she graced us with a lead performance. I remembered why I hated Rococo, and the vague and pretentious takedowns of "the kids" that stain the record. I remembered the lush orchestration clashing with the muddy guitars. It's all there!
This is a perfect record for a beginner music adventurer, jaded teenager, or the nostalgic millennial looking back. If you can look past, well, everything, it's all there.
This would be a 2.5 if I could give it that. I truly do think she has a fantastic voice, and I think Rolling in the Deep is great. I like the sound of this, it feels raw (relatively) and authentic in a way pop usually is not. But the songs oscillate between indifference and annoying. I understand this being on the list due to cultural impact, but this kind of Pop Soul just doesn't work for me.
Could be a 2 for me, but I think a 3 makes sense, I think the 3 Great songs outweigh the 1 horrible song and the rest being rather eye-rolly. Sort of faux jazz bar pop does not at all work for me, and feels like it was probably dated the minute it was made. That rap song was, bizarre.
I bought this on release, due to hype from a small youtube channel called "Rock it Out Blog" and like, the battle between this and The Suburbs for rock album of the year. I had a poster for this on my wall! But even back then I wasn't really huge on it, I kinda thought it was cool to like them when I was 14, so I pretended I was more into it than I was. Anyways, I don't think I ever appreciated how this record sounds then. I genuinely love how a lot of the bluesier cuts sound here, really compressed drum sound, and a close mic'd guitar sound (Besides Howlin' For You, which really fucking sucks lol).
Everlasting Light, Tighten Up, the last three songs, all are catchy and sound just gorgeous. I like this more than I expected, but I kinda just didn't expect to like it all.
I always felt this album's reputation as one of the all time greats was a hard sell for me. "Have a Cigar" is a fine rock track, but being one of only 5 songs on an album of this magnitude, it definitely sticks out as a little underwhelming. Similarly, "Welcome to the Machine" has always felt a little weird in the tracklist, which is a (cheesy) synth odyssey, with some really clunky lyrics. It's just a little too dramatic for its own good, although I think the climactic synth solo is captivating. I always felt this song would work better on a longer album, one with more opportunities in the tracklist to not make the All-Synth-Melodrama track stick out. Perhaps more songs that have synth workouts to make it more cohesive. That leading into a straightforward blues rocker is just weird.
Title track? No notes there.
The first half of "Shine On" is great, emotional, and sets a tone that it just swims in. The second half, while good too, of course, kind of loses the emotional momentum of the title track (and the I suppose even the first half) when it hits the bluesy soloing section. Feels much less epic than it could've been.
I love Pink Floyd, and I feel weird giving this album either a 3 OR 4. But this album just isn't cohesive enough to live up to its reputation. I still listen to this album a couple times a year, though!
I love Yes, and generally speaking I love most of the beloved and acclaimed prog from this era. I think this album is obviously great, even though it's missing of my favourite things about the band-- the synths! This album is mostly keys, piano, and organ, whereas my favourite work of theirs really leans on the crazy spacey sounds. Since they hadn't yet developed this tool though, their songwriting had to be top notch. "Yours Is No Disgrace" is a whole lot of fun, a happy whirlwinding journey, with an unbelievably tight rhythm section serving as the backbone. Seriously, the bass runs are so locked in with the drums during the first movement, it's insane. "The Clap" feels like filler, but it's just kinda a neat little solo guitar piece. "Starship Trooper" is what I'm fucking talking about though. The final few minutes are just insane, no band was doing buildups like that at this time. "I've Seen All Good People" is another fun upbeat cut, and personally I LOVE "Perpetual Change". "A Venture" kind of just feels like it's there to fill time, but whatever. This album isn't perfect, but it hits so much of what I like about Prog from this era.
This album, like a LOT of early Pop (and Disco) albums is a product of its time, in that it has two era defining hits and then a bunch of songs that I really do not care to ever hear again.
I'm glad I got a Neil Young album today! Autumn has come and this is my favourite time of year to listen to him :)
This isn't a top 5 Neil Young album, mostly due to awkward lows (I think we all know the 2 that don't quite fit here), though I have a growing soft spot for "A Man Needs a Maid", mostly for the parts that aren't the chorus. The other lowish spot besides the two orchestral pieces is "Are You Ready For the Country, which isn't bad, but it's a little slight compared to the other songs here, not much interesting about it.
But the highs are obviously really high. The first two songs are two underappreciated favourites of mine, big emotional works for me. "Heart of Gold" is probably one of my all time favourite big Canadian songs, and "Old Man" is up there too. "Alabama" became a pretty polarizing track, and for what it's worth, it's better than "Sweet Home Alabama".
The final two songs feel kind of like a suite, I love the instant transition between "Needle" and "Words", and the contrast between the lyrics looking back at one's own self destruction of the former, and the sort of fantastical and vague ones of the latter works really well. Great album!!
Pitche Mi is very, very beautiful. Those synth chords sound so ethereal over the jammy bass riff, and those super tasteful drums. Just great stuff. Love how dynamic it is, all of the places it goes.
The title track had a weird cheesy quality to it? Really didn't click with me. "Taaw" though, with waves of syncopated percussion, really tight guitar noodling, and punchy horn stabs really locks in a hypnotic grip. Unbelievable groove on this one.
Badou is solid, but those two tracks I elaborated on are real beasts, and elevate this album a lot. Great album, and out of 22 albums I've heard thus far, only the second I haven't heard yet!
I like the Rolling Stones well enough, but not really in this early period. Heck, until "Satanic Majesties" I don't think they are worth much in 2026 beyond their singles. The primitive attempts at escaping conventional Rock & Roll don't hit as hard when you've heard what's come after. I don't think it's horrible, but it's really just a starting point for a band that too a while to become great.
I'm a Dazzle Shipper for life, but A&M is a stone cold classic. OMD is straight up the best synthpop band to these ears. Insanely passionate vocals, he's dying to get everything out. Everything feels like possible futures and impossible romances and fear and love. Awesome Awesome Awesome and underappreciated.
Over the years this one has become a huge grower. I always liked the singles, but for some reason really really hated "Everybody Hurts." I still don't think that's their best song but for some reason I acted like it weighed down the whole project disproportionately. Like, sure, a lot of the abstracted, bizarre, maybe nonsensical lyrics stand out a lot more when the vocal aren't buried like they were on the more "post-punky" albums, but that leads to some really catchy and idiosyncratic moments! I can't hate on the "hey baby" on Man on the Moon, I can't hate on whatever the hell he's talking about on Drive, because Michael Stipe says it all like he means it. And outside of him, this album has a lovely simple sound palette, everything sounds great. Love the iconic mandolin, the way the piano is captured on "Nightswimming", the acoustic guitars and strings, everything just sounds perfectly of its time in a way that sticks with me. Really emotional, really beautiful, and surprisingly fun.
Always happy to have an excuse to listen to this! It's an album with like, at least 7 perfect pop songs, and it all sounds perfect. I really don't have anything to say about this beyond "Yeah, it's awesome"
3rd I haven't heard out of 27! Very pleasant, she's got a great voice, but there's not much in the way of standout songs. A lot of the songs do blend together, but there's a lot good to it. Gorgeous production, love how the cello and violas sound on the last track. Think maybe if I was in a mood more befitting an emotional wallowing session it would click more.
Probably my favourite Stones record. Love the raw sound, love how many sounds it touches while still sounding cohesive. Has the classic White Album effect of even the songs that kinda suck still fitting. "Rocks Off" is my fav song of theirs,"Tumbling Dice" is really pretty, "Shine a Light" is a masterwork. Great album!
This wave of extremely early Post-punk that basically is just Punk Rock but quirky always interested me. Did everyone reach the end of what they could do with the Punk Rock sound in like one year, and realize they had to expand? A lot of the music here, like the first two songs, are basically early Punk songs (or just kinda Rock and Roll songs) with intentionally weird vocals, sprinkled with bells and whistles (weird percussion, samples, a weird blowing sound, etc etc). There's some cool dubbish influence, which is a sound I always love incorporated with Post Punk. Once you get past the vocals this is a very fun album, very great! It's funny that I imagine a lot of people feel pushed away from the pretentious and "arty" idea of this scene, meanwhile these guys seem to be screwing around, just making what they want to make.
I guess this deserves to be here, as an example of how sterilized the blues had become by the 90s. The 80s pop production is awful on all the blues/rock cuts. Ironically they sound so boring and safe that the pure adult contemporary pop ballads excite me more! Never ever had any nostalgia for Bonnie, parents never listened to her around me, so this is just nothing at all for me. This needed to stay in the 80s
An album that has grown on me over the years. I used to straight up dislike it. I didn't like how it sounded more dated than Kraftwerk, From like 15 years prior. I thought none of the songs that weren't singles were worth listening to, and at the same time, thought "Enjoy the Silence" was merely pretty good. I didnt care for the synths or lyrics or vibe.
In hindsight, this album has grown a lot, but only to an album that I think is "fine" or "good." The big singles still aren't "best singles of the era" level for me. But I've found a lot of enjoyment from "World in My Eyes", "Halo", and "Blue Dress." The latter being a truly gorgeous song, I feel is massively underrated. I also like the slow dirgy pulse of "Waiting for the Night" a lot more than I used to. Depeche Mode will never be my favourite synthpop band but at least I like this now!
Random thought, I genuinely don't think I've ever heard anyone in real life ever talk about The Zombies. This is clearly one of the best collections of songs from this era, and it's so sad how underappreciated it is. I'm sure every music nerd knows it and loves it, and the fact they only ever had one real standout album doesn't help, but this album deserves to be talked about in the same breath as the best albums by The Beatles, The Stones, Beach Boys, etc. Sounds like a dream, huge drum sound, gorgeous mellotron, great songwriting, great lyrics. "Changes" and "I Want Her She Wants Me" aren't quite at the same level as the rest, but that's only like, a five minute valley. Legendary Stuff
It sure is some well produced, funky soul music. But yeah, maybe the full length soundtrack isn't the best thing for a full listen. A lot of less interesting incidental music, surely great background music!
Man, this album just does not hold up. I like The Who, generally. But here, the production is generally really weird (vocals are mostly just way too loud), shoehorning the story in ruins some of the better songs, and the pure filler songs just suck. Keith Moon (the best part of the band) sounds restrained here, and it's just all bleh. I still think this album should be here, I recognize its importance, but man this is not something I like at all
I love this album, but I've got to be in the mood for it. Some days it feels purely like dentist office music, some days it feels like it's the only thing that matters. The cliches, the synths, the 'classy' vibe, the lyrics on songs like "Don't Give Up", all sometimes feel perfect, like this is the first and only album to sound like this. It feels important.
36 in, first album I straight up haven't heard of. Dion here truly has a great voice, and upon hearing this, immediately thought Jonathan Richman must have been really influenced by him, similar timbre and swaggering mannerisms. Before listening I had the expectation that this would have a diluted sound, as a relatively late Spector production, but I do think it sounds pretty great, really ornate and soulful, perhaps a bit too big for what's here, as the grandiosity does bounce off the songs, like the first two (I still feel they have an appeal, it just is almost a bit goofy how dramatic it gets), and when it gets more intimate, like on "New York City Song", the production feels a bit odd, as the acoustic guitars feel like they don't stay in the same spot, with inconsistent volumes.
"World in His Hands" truly just feels strange, like the mix was just unfinished. "In and Out of Shadows" feels huge, and like a classic Spector production. I was a bit surprised by this record, I understand the detractors, but I'm a sucker for a Wall of Sound. Good!
Very pleasant album, and able to stand above other popular Nashville country of this era by showcasing Dolly's passionate and funny lyrics/writing, and huge, commanding, yet delicate voice. Title track is a classic, and the rest of the album is really diverse, ranging from the nearly Rock & Roll of "Travellin Man", and the beautiful "Here I Am." Unlike Jolene, the highs aren't quite as high, and this album can feel a little slight, but it's still a worthy early morning listen.
My favourite Peter Gabriel album. This one is a turning point for him, where his sound palette shifts from the ornateness of his first two solo albums and Genesis works, into a more electronic, Post-Punk influenced sound (this is also the album where Kate Bush, who is featured here, was introduced to the electronic hardware that would later be used on her own work.)
This is a paranoid and anxious listen (see the opener "Intruder"' and its snakelike vocals and at-the-time novel gated drum sound), but it is not afraid to let loose, with songs like "And Through the Wire" genuinely sounding closer to something off of Born In the USA.
There's a lot of experimentation here, but Peter's sense of melody still pushes these tracks into the realms of accessibility. "I Don't Remember" and the legendary "Games Without Frontiers" have real strong grooves, while still finding room to throw in some crazy sounds.
Also I won't neglect to mention the haunting "Biko", an ominous closer that kind of feels like it goes on forever, like in a good way. Love it
Classic! Title track is an all-timer obviously, "Can You Get to That" is one of the best good-vibe songs ever. "Hit It and Quit It" rocks so hard, so tight yet leaves so much space. "You And Your Folks" has one of the nastiest lowends in rock. "Super Stupid" sounds like proto Black Sabbath. "Back in Our minds" is a bit slight, a bit obnoxious (which all of this album is) in more of an annoying way. The final track sounds like it could be off of Tago Mago until the like. Fart sounds lol.
It's deliberately not perfect but I kinda doubt Funkadelic would've had it any other way.
Man, I don't know. It's totally fine. Don't know why this is so popular! I bet if you're at a barbecue it's good! Not really my thing I guess.
First hip hop album I've got here, and it's one of the best. Some of the best beats RZA ever made, like slightly less dusty than 36 chambers, a little clearer and with more details. Obviously insane wordplay by gza here, great features and hooks. One of the best hip hop albums of the 90s
Don't mind if I do! Very daring to make your 80 min opus start with its two worst songs (they still rock). So many of these songs go Short Verse -> Hook (Repeat 10x). So many instrumental or vocal takes that are either off or half-assed. So much harmonica. But it's all fucking awesome. The hooks that you hear a million times a song all rock, the stream of consciousness psychedelic verses all are beautiful, funny, confusing, and heartbreaking. I love Bob Dylan's rock era in the same way that I love early Pavement. He just kicks ass and does exactly whatever the hell he wanted and didn't give a shit who liked it. Well I like it!
I love Drive Like Jehu (Yank Crime better be on here) and Hot Snakes, but never really bothered to listen to Reis' most commercially successful (i think) band. This is fine! It's fun garage punk, a little corny, which is par for the course with rock and roll revival. There's some fun riffs, the drums are great, vocals are a bit hit or miss. There's a ceiling for this style of music for me, but I like it.
Great album, was excited to listen to this one again. Monk has such a distinct way of playing the piano. It's so percussive and playful. This has a romantic vibe to it, really mellow. Even the great riffing solos are very tasteful (I love the drum solo on the opener). The sweeping on Piano on "I Surrender, Dear" is a under the radar highlight for me.
This album begins with probably my two favourite Elton John songs, and then mostly plods along. No new textures throughout the rest of the album, and no more real standout songs on the B side. Tale of two halves.
There's a lot to like here. I really like when it gets atmospheric, like on the closer, and "New Year's Day", and I'm a sucker for all the disco beats and dance punk moments throughout this album. The production and sound of it is great, there's just a few unmemorable songs here, and the grandiosity of it all doesn't land all of the time.
I wrote a long review and accidentally deleted it whatever I love this album.
Awesome album. Love the extended jamming sessions, love how Progressive this album is, but also how it's not at all afraid to rock or be a bit hooky.
I like 13 and Think Tank, but this album has always just irritated me. Always adventuring between different genres and employing them in super annoying ways. These are songs based around hooks, and the ones that aren't legendary (title track and Girls & Boys) are either tedious (Jubilee) are just not strong enough (End of a Century) to elevate the song. Feels like a lot of riffs and lyrics that don't amount to much.
High school classic for me. Obviously "Deceptacon" is an all-timer punk song, and outside of that, I love "Eau d' Bedroom Dancing", "My My Metrocard", and "Les and Ray". The rest feels a bit hollow, as some of the hooks don't land, nor do the riffs. Still have a soft spot
This is a great album. Love how the dub and reggae influence merges with the punk sound. Great basslines, poignant lyrics, impassioned performances all around.
Pleasant but boring, really doesnt feel very notable. Decent playing, kinda uninteresting melodies and soloing. I know Abdullah is an important figure but this truly doesn't have much meat on it.
I love this album. It's really catchy, really bubbly, and has melodies. rock band 2 classic
This is fun! Reminds me a lot of De La Soul (probably obviously? I've never really seen much discourse about Jungle Brothers before), with similarly colourful production, though perhaps a bit more minimal. Lots of goofy and fun tracks, and also lots of great Pro-Black messaging songs here, that still contain the huge danceable energy that pervades through the rest of the LP. That middle age hip sometimes doesn't land with me but this one really clicks.
