So, I decided to finally make use of the infamous "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list. The first album I roll is not only one that I've already heard, but was actually on my list of albums I need to revisit to properly rate. The universe wants to ease me in to becoming a full-time music snob, I guess.
Soundgarden's "Superunknown" might be the most interesting grunge album I've ever listened to. I'm a sucker for less-common time signatures, and I these four guys are too. Almost every song on this album has something weird going on with the rhythm, and a lot of them have multiple time signature changes. Take the megahit "Black Hole Sun," for example. A regular song in 4/4, but with a guitar solo and outro in 9/8! "The Day I Tried to Live" constantly switches between 7/4 and 4/4 throughout its runtime. "Head Down" confuses the listener with constant 4/4 and 5/4 changes. My favorite track, "Spoonman," is in 4/4 and 7/4, and has a whole spoons solo in 3/4!
Even ignoring the rhythmic complexity of this album, it's just good grunge. The guitars are heavy, and almost sludgy at times. There's lots of interesting sounds throughout, like the Mellotron on "Mailman" or, again, the spoons solo on "Spoonman." I really like the way they mix grunge with psychedelia on "Half," or how they go a little more punk on "Kickstand."
However, this is not an album without its flaws. The songs can definitely blend together at times, especially during the last five tracks. Those last five tracks aren't bad, but when listening to the entire album, it really starts to drag there. The songs begin to blend together after a while, too. I think the album could've been just as good (or even better) if it was closer to 50 minutes rather than the 70 it is now. But that length could also be because this is a rock album released in the 90s, when bands were taking advantage of CDs to have longer albums.
Overall, I think this is worth a listen, even if just for the rhythms.
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#0001
Heard on: 11 Sep. 2026
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (72 / 323)
Favorite track: Spoonman
Least favorite track: Fresh Tendrils
I've seen a lot of people praising "Surrealistic Pillow" as one of the most underrated psychedelic rock albums. Personally? I don't care for it as much as I maybe should. I'm a fan of a lot of psychedelic music, so when I saw people hyping it up THIS much, I was pretty excited to listen to it. It sat on my list until today, when I rolled it on the 1001 albums generator.
There are some good pop rock songs on here, such as "My Best Friend" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover." And the more folky songs such as "Comin' Back to Me" and "Embryonic Journey" are really beautiful. But when it comes to the "main attractions" of this album, the psychedelic rock, I was just left wanting more. They felt a little plain. This was my introduction to Jefferson Airplane, so I could be wrong about this, but it seems they're much better at folk rock than psychedelic rock. I'm definitely curious to hear what else they put out, though I can't guarantee I would love it.
I think this is a decent album, but one of the most underrated psych albums? Maybe not.
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#0002
Heard on: 14 Sep. 2026
Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ (171 / 324)
Favorite track: Comin' Back to Me
Least favorite track: She Has Funny Cars
I'm not a fan of downtempo or ambient music, so when I rolled "Moon Safari" from the 1001 album list, I was worried I wouldn't like it. But at the same time, I was excited! I had never heard of AIR, and this would be the first album off the list that I've never heard of before.
Once I heard the soft-yet-funky groove of the opening track, "La Femme D'Argent," I thought, "What was I afraid of? This is great!" The synths aren't over the top, and the electronic elements are merged really nicely with the real instruments. The rain sounds really set the tone for the album. This was a nice, relaxed listen.
But as the first half of the album came to a close with "Talisman," I started to wonder if my initial fear wasn't so irrational after all. The songs really began to blend together; they almost felt repetitive. I felt that some of the songs, such as "All I Need," really overstayed their welcome. I found myself beginning to get bored. I would argue all the better songs (with the exception of the closer) are on the first half of the album. "Le Voyage de Pénélope" was a great way to close the album, but most of the songs before it just weren't interesting to me.
It's a nice album to relax to, and it's a very easy listen. Maybe if I was more of a fan of ambient music, I would've enjoyed this album more. But it's not for me.
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#0003
Heard on: 15 Sep. 2026
Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ (194 / 325)
Favorite track: "Le Voyage de Pénélope"
Least favorite track: "All I Need - ft. Beth Hirsch"
I knew Garbage was Butch Vig's band, so I was pretty excited to listen to this album. I loved The Smashing Pumpkin's "Siamese Dream" and Nirvana's "Nevermind," both of which Vig had previously produced. I had also heard that this album was really good! And I don't think people were wrong about that.
Listen, I'm a fan of pop music. Okay, maybe not the "TikTokified" generic stuff from the last 6 years. And not the EDM in the 2010s or a lot of 80s synthpop or... Maybe I don't like pop PRODUCTION per se, but some pop songwriting can be really good. And that's what Garbage does here. The songs are noisy and raw. They use a lot of weird sounds and heavy fuzz. But it's still pop at its core. The melodies and riffs are catchy, the songs are easy to digest, but it still is chaotic. Maybe a good comparison is Weezer's "Pinkerton," though Garbage is not nearly as socially awkward.
However, like a lot of 90s rock albums, I feel like it could've been better if it was 5-10 minutes shorter. Not every album needs filler to reach an hour in runtime. Some albums are perfect at 40, 30, or even 20 minutes. Had the band decided to cut just two songs before releasing the album, I think it would be fine. But the songs blend together after a while.
Admittedly, I was really busy yesterday when I heard this album, hence why I'm writing and publishing this review today. I definitely owe this album a proper listen. But from what I got out of it, this is a great alternative rock album.
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#0004
Heard on: 16 Sep. 2026
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (87 / 326)
Favorite track: "Only Happy When It Rains"
Least favorite track: "Dog New Tricks"