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Latest Reviews (11)

From the last 10 minutes
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry album cover

I like Billy Bragg, and love some of his songs, but this is too long. Maybe Bragg is more of an "in the mood" vibe as I think on the right day, maybe hanging out with friends and bbq, this would slap. But as a general listen it's a little too meh.

Sweet Baby James album cover

Sweet Baby James

James Taylor

3/5

# Playlist Track - Country Road # Notes - I guess that, for me, James Taylor is one of those "Best Hits" singers. I do enjoy a lot of his songs, but they're spread in god knows how many albums and I don't have any particular reasons to be fond of this one. - Decent listen, though. Forgettable, but not bad.

Bitches Brew album cover

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

3/5

Super well renowned but just fiddly soloing for long songs, it didn’t grab me emotionally or resonate with me much. After a few days later, I can’t remember a single song. Impressive for what it is, but not for me

Heaven Or Las Vegas album cover

Heaven Or Las Vegas

Cocteau Twins

2/5

No me encanta. He tenido la sensación de flotar o la de estar en un sueño muy raro, de los que te despiertas en medio de la noche, es hipnótico casi, pero aún así no me ha enganchado, puede ser que yo no termine de pillar la vibra. Alguna canción por separado todavía, pero el álbum completo infumable, pero repito, puede ser que no este en un momento en el que pueda conectar con esta fantasía rosa. pero tengo que admitir que los vocales son buenos

Paul Simon album cover

Paul Simon

Paul Simon

2/5

I like this more than Simon & Garfunkel albums…. But that isn’t saying much

Physical Graffiti album cover

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

5/5

There’s an effortless feeling to Physical Graffiti, a feeling that at this point, Led Zeppelin simply couldn’t miss. It’s filled with bangers — especially “The Rover,” “In the Light” and “Kashmir,” which might be the best hard rock song of the 70s. It gets a little long in the tooth on side 4 but it’s hard to care when the rest is so good. This might be the Zeppelin album to stuff in a capsule and send into space for alien races to discover.

Hot Reviews (11)

Top reviews from the last 30 days
Rage Against The Machine album cover

Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against The Machine

1/5

Yesterday I went into the Cantina at the new Star Wars land at Disneyland and the bartender leans over, sneakily gives me this, and whispers, “It’s not often we get a Resistance General in here. Thank you for your service.” I almost cried.

Licensed To Ill album cover

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

5/5

Oh fuck yeah. Oh hell yeah. As much as I love the Beastie Boys, I don't believe them when they say they were making fun of "frat boys and party bros" when they performed "Fight For Your Right." It's not like they grew up right away on Paul's Boutique...there's still a lot of hilarious shit and braggadocio on that album, too...they just had an ear for immaculate sounds and producing by the Dust Brothers. I don't think they really grew up and out of the immature phase until Check Your Head. But it sounds good for them to distance themselves from Fight For Your Right and Girls as quickly as they possibly could. This album is awesome...always has been, always will be. I keep seeing mentions about how it hasn't aged well, etc...but whatever, fuck that. This past weekend, I read an article on the DMV rap scene that was on Pitchfork...because I'm from the area, I was curious. And then I listened to some of the music from that article. All that shit makes Licensed To Ill look like nursery rhymes. The production here is immaculate. The bass is awesome. Sonically, it's a masterpiece. What a great album. Fun, hilarious, quotable...just great.

Green album cover

Green

R.E.M.

5/5

Pioneers of the alternative rock sound that would define the following decade, the 1990s. R.E.M. was making the jangling guitar rock that would bear the labels of indie and college rock. When I came of age in the nineties this sound would find its commercial success. This entire album sounded about 5 years later than its 1988 release date suggests. Lower sounds abound and I mean listen to the distortion on “I Remember California” And yet, this sound is still a work in progress. The album is all over the place. In spots we have bouncy pop with “Stand” whereas others slow down for more intimate work, “The Wrong Child” or “Hairshirt.” We’re transitioning into new eras on this album. R.E.M. has a new label and creative freedom and they’ll use it. For me it all works. I appreciated R.E.M. as a radio and MTV friendly act during their time, even if I never owned an album. Still, terrific form from a band that was a staple of my younger years.

Illinois album cover

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

5/5

One of the easiest 5s ever. such an ambitious project, stuffed with a kaleidoscope of references to a state I may never visit, and with such a variety of great songs with fantastic songwriting. He played like 20 different instruments on this which is just mad Casimir Pulaski Day might be my favourite “sad song”, and very funny to think he didn’t come out until like 2023 when you read the lyrics to “Primordial Beast Of The Palisades” Very bold to have a song relating yourself to a pedophilic serial killer and have it not come off in the absolute worst way possible I always run out of steam a bit towards the end, first half is definitely stronger, but it’s all great still

The Village Green Preservation Society album cover

Standard, late 60s English pop. Sounds like a Sgt. Peppers imitation, honestly. "Private Salts' Empty Kidney Association Troupe", I guess? A poor man's Sgt Pepper... Through the listen I couldn't take my mind off of this comparison and how this record arranged itself in a similar way, with each song feeding from the tracks before and informing the later tracks. An obvious concept album, so I see where the critics and write-ups make that comparison. The music is just standard stuff for the era though, with only a few really catching my ear but not for long. I hate to do this to The Kinks, because I like a bunch of their earlier work, but this one didn't take off for me (3/5). Reading the other reviews here, there's an angle I didn't consider -- how very English this **IS**. Numerous other reviewers talked about how it takes them to small, country villages, and (this is hyperbolic) tea times with aunties and crumpets and shit... ALL of that is lost on me. I've got no personal context for that. The music is middle of the road, unlike Sgt. Peppers, so nothing elevated it out of mediocrity and pulled me into that world The Kinks seemed to be trying to create. Here's my attempt to bend future lists out of the event horizon of all the British invasions and frankly insular English music world, with some keywords I keep using.. THE SUPREMES should have been included.. Anglo-centrism is bad.. Hope that helps.

Red Dirt Girl album cover

Red Dirt Girl

Emmylou Harris

5/5

To quote Willie Nelson "There are two kinds of men; those who are in love with Emmylou Harris, and those who haven't met her." I only know Emmylou Harris through her records, but that's enough to be madly infatuated. Emmylou Harris has built an incredible body of work as a harmony singer, collaborator and interpreter of songs. But this is one of her rare albums of original songs. Spaciously recorded by Malcolm Burn using a crack band and a host of A-list guests with that atmospheric Lanois-style production, it is spooky and spacious and hard to pigeonhole exactly. It's not the classic country-folk sound of most of her output, but it's classy and sophisticated. But there is no mistaking that Emmylou is the star of the show here. I would listen to her sing the phone book, but this is even better.

First Band On The Moon album cover

First Band On The Moon

The Cardigans

5/5

Nina Persson’s cool, almost innocent delivery, the bright melodies, the elegant arrangements, the polished pop shape. Underneath that, a lot of these songs are sour, passive-aggressive, wounded, or emotionally evasive. That contrast is the whole trick. The album sounds sweet without actually being naive.

First Band On The Moon album cover

First Band On The Moon

The Cardigans

5/5

I liked it a lot. Interesting sabbath influences coming through (the cover of iron man is obvious, but I seemed to hear variations of the main riff in a later track). The mixing sometimes made it seem like I was listening on the other side of the studio door. Think I'll return to this one in the future.

Rumours album cover

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

1/5

“Hey 90’s kid, It’s me. Declan. I’m you from the future.” “Whatever” “Now listen up dick splash I’ve got something to tell you.” Young me grunts assent. “Do you know Fleetwood Mac?” “Course, creepy old dude off the Brits” “That’s him, well long long ago he had a band” “Yeah Dad has an lp of old people’s blues music” my younger self acknowledged. “It’s shit” “It got worse. Mac sacked off the blues guys and got in a load of Americans. They inhaled a fuck tonne load of cocaine and started copping off with each other, then they all fell out and made an album.” “Like ABBA” “Yeah but much much worser. The songs are inane, and the singer screeches like banshee”. "Is this the album where he has his balls hanging out? Dirty old sod" "I think they're clackers, not knackers" “Ok old man why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t you be telling me the lottery numbers or something.” “I am. The thing is your kids and grandkids all their mates think it’s the best album ever.” “No way dude!” “yes way dude! It’s catnip to them. They couldn’t top punk and grunge and play the blandest shit imaginable to annoy their parents." “That’s a fucked up world man.” “You don’t know the half mate, it all started going wrong when David Bowie died.” “Bowie’s dead? Fuck everything’s changed but at least we’ve seen of totalitarianism. What’s Kurt Cobain up to?” "And Rumours is bland so inspidily bland it's offensive, everything about it is terrible. Even the font on the cover makes Comic Sans look Helvetica” "A font like where they christen babies? There are different types in the future" “Yes different typefaces. Listen I don’t have long. You need to go round every charity shop, tip and bargain bin you can find get Rumours in vinyl (that’s what we call LPs now) they’ll be buttens but keep them long enough you’ll be quids in. But whatever you do don’t play it.” “Should I also get the cd they’re the future, man, should I get cds? …old Declan? … Hey man where did you go?” “No where did you go young Declan?”

Most Popular Reviews

All-time top rated reviews
Be album cover

Be

Common

4/5

I can’t believe the top review for this record (as of Dec 2023) is from someone trying to use their PhD in Mathematics as justification for not liking hip-hop. Weak.

401 likes View Author
Kollaps album cover

Kollaps

Einstürzende Neubauten

4/5

Oh fuck yeah, now we're talking. Wait no, I swear I'm not being pretentious. This is the lowest rated album on this site because I guess mostly people aren't very fond of German people smashing metal plates together - who would have guessed. But halle-fucking-lujah, this is something this list needs more of. Albums that make you go "well, that was an experience and now I'm a changed man". Nobody is lying on their deathbed wishing they heard more crappy 80s post-punk or late 60s psychedelic rock. THIS is what we all deserve to be listening to as we embrace eternal oblivion. I'm giving this a high rating not only because I genuinely really love it, but also to help Kid Rock move to his rightful place as the actual worst album on this list. Together we can make a difference. Save the turtles.

320 likes View Author
Scum album cover

Scum

Napalm Death

3/5

Brings back vivid memories of when me and my mate Ray went on a trip to Dresden. We met this rotund goth in a bar, head to toe with tattoos and piercings, real filth and after a while took her into the disabled bogs for a spit roast. We were both pumping away in her with Napalm Death on in the background and her wailing "MEIN GOTT" at the top of her lungs. I remember spaffing all over her back just as Siege of Power kicked in. As i shoot over her, she takes Ray's cock out of her gob and says "do you want fries with that?" in a faux American accent. Anyway, we go outside and there's this gammy little geezer in a wheelchair sitting there furious, giving me daggers, because he's had to wait so long, so I lean into him and I go "I hope you have as much fun in there as we just did you little cunt".

291 likes View Author
Rust Never Sleeps album cover

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

5/5

Back when I was in college I used to go to a bar and listen to Neil tunes and do magic tricks for women. There was a bartender there, he was the best. I loved that guy. Some of the best years of my life.

256 likes View Author
Rust Never Sleeps album cover

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

2/5

Back when I was in college, there was this dude who would come into the bar I worked at on a Friday night and play fucking 10 Neil Young songs in a row. He would also hit on girls by doing magic tricks. I remember how angry I got every time he made me listen to an hour of Neil Young because I was just trying to have a good time, and he fucking made me listen to this sad, soppy fuck who writes nothing but songs that sound indistinguishable from each other and never seemed to enjoy a happy moment in his entire like. Fuck that guy, and fuck Neil Young. 2/5

255 likes View Author
Shalimar album cover

Shalimar

Rahul Dev Burman

4/5

Shit like this on the list is both refreshing and infuriating. Refreshing because it is good, fun, interesting, and also not something I would regularly be exposed to! It's why I started this project and keeps me coming back. It's infuriating because the fact that it is included here means that Robert Dimery, the original author of the 1001 albums list is aware that music like this exists. He's clearly aware that there is an entire world of music out there. SO WHY HAVE I LISTENED TO 200 80s BRITISH NEW WAVE ALBUMS AND 200 SCOTTISH ROCK ALBUMS FROM THE 90S??!!?

234 likes View Author
Be album cover

Be

Common

5/5

Rap isn't my preferred genre of music. But I'm a shitty mathematician so I enjoyed this.

213 likes View Author
Be album cover

Be

Common

1/5

I really don't get rap, and I am completely aware of why. I'm a STEM guy, specifically a Ph.D. student in mathematics. Although my verbal intelligence is quite high, it's still about a standard deviation below my quantitative intelligence. Therefore, it should not be too surprising that I prefer melodies to lyricism, and that a genre based on the latter doesn't wow me. I know I'm pretty far out of step with public opinion on this one, but that can easily be attributed to the fact that hipsters with humanities degrees (i.e. extremely verbal-dominant people) are considered the ultimate arbiters of taste for some reason. (Side note: this also explains why prog rock is seen as being for losers.) Best song: Be (Intro), which had a decent instrumental part at the beginning. Everything else just sort of ran together.

213 likes View Author
Melodrama album cover

Melodrama

Lorde

5/5

Sorry Boomers/Gen X, I was like 20 when this came out so it's one of the best things to ever happen to me. Sorry it's not King Crimson or whatever.

186 likes View Author
69 Love Songs album cover

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

2/5

i ain’t listening to all that i’m happy for u tho or sorry that happened

179 likes View Author
Scum album cover

Scum

Napalm Death

1/5

The only enjoyment I got from this was reading the review about the brothers in Dresden and their lovely and talented tattooed friend.

175 likes View Author
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle album cover

The beauty of music is that it is subjective. It’s typically great for a certain group of people, though it’s never right for everyone. Some for the masses, some more niche, but it all has its place. Meanwhile, with lists like this, there’s always artists or records that anyone would have put on in place of what actually made it. Personally, I would have included Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime, Live’s Throwing Copper, Joe Satriani’s The Extremist, Sara Bareilles’ Little Voice, or John Mellencamp’s Scarecrow album on a list of must hear records. Others would put totally different albums on and that's awesome. What someone likes vs. dislikes is truly subjective. Again, that's the beauty. With that said, this album objectively sucks. I mean truly horrible. Something had to be the lowest rated album on the list, and this was a place well earned. There is nothing redeemable about this record. To quote my wife, “they should have stopped at 1,000.”

174 likes View Author
Be album cover

Be

Common

5/5

I am definitely not the target demographic for this album, but I still thought it was very good. There's a lot of skill and artistry put into these tracks, so much so that it is almost invisible. 4 stars for me, plus an extra star just to spite the mathematics PHD guy.

170 likes View Author

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