Rated 8/10
Honestly this holds up so much better than the vast majority of the 50s music I've heard. His voice is so intense and the lower quality of the recording actually amplifies that in a way that makes it sound very timeless. You can also really see how much influence this had on early rock and roll. So many bangers too.
Rated 6/10
Pleasant indie chamber pop. He has a fantastic voice and the arrangements here are really solid. Ultimately I have the same issue as I do with a lot of post-2000 albums on here - I'm not sure that this has the long-term cultural relevance or influence to justify its inclusion here. It is fun though.
Rated 4/10
Too saccharine for my tastes by and large. There's some moments that hit, especially when it approaches more rock territory. Summer Breeze is a classic song.
Rated 6/10
I somehow don't think I've ever listened to them, in spite of my love for aughts era dance punk. This is pretty fun. A bit more full sounding than many of the others that are more stripped and angular.
Rated 8/10
Tom Waits rules. Super unique voice and style. I love the conceptual nature of this album. It's goofy and weird in his very distinct way.
Rated 8/10
Love Spacemen 3/Spiritualized. This album is almost ambient at a lot of points which I really dig. They have such a distinctive sound that really creates a great vibe.
Rated 8/10
Classic album. I'll admit I have a personal bias for Stadium Arcadium but this album is also absolutely fantastic. I love how seamlessly they can mix genres into one thing. Under the Bridge is an all-timer.
Rated 10/10
Hell yeah, this is sick! It sucks so bad about the label issues because I never heard of this (presumably due to that) and I love it. I would've 100% been a huge fan of this album when it dropped. Regardless, I'm glad to have found it now at least. Noisy garage rock is my jam.
Rated 8/10
Another fantastic Wu-Tang solo album. The soul samples and upbeat style here really set it apart from the majority of their stuff which I really dig, but Ghostface still has absolute bars on top.
Rated 2/10
I admit it, I just loathe classic rock like this. So much of this is so cringe
Rated 8/10
Gorgeous. His baritone voice is so powerful, and the stripped back instrumentation here really lets it shine. The guitar and strings are also top notch, perfectly emphasizing the vocals.
Rated 10/10
I love both their solo stuff and their work with The Knife. The solo stuff definitely has a more haunting, primal energy. I love how stark and dark the beats are, and how androgynous the vocals are made through effects. I've said it before and I'll say it again, 2009 was the best year for indie music.
Rated 4/10
At least this album has a bit more edge than most Britpop. I'm still not sure why the authors of the book are so obsessed with that insipid movement though. It's definitely one of the strongest biases of this list. Could be worse though, at least it's not more Blur.
Rated 8/10
It's not as good as LA Woman obviously, but this one is also really great. Morrison's vocals are just so compelling, and the songwriting here is really great.
Rated 6/10
Some absolutely gorgeous synth sounds here. Very vibey.
Rated 6/10
Everything about this album is so 90s haha. The cover art, the guitar, the lyrics. Also it's 50 minutes long so clearly from the CD era. It's fun though and captures a lot of what I enjoy about that era, but doesn't really seem push it in any new or original directions either.
Rated 4/10
This style of bluesy classic rock is just not relatable to me as a millennial I think. Musically it's fine but doesn't grip me and the lyrics don't connect with me at all. I wouldn't mind it being on at a bar or something but I would never seek it out.
Rated 2/10
Hard pass. Creep.
Rated 10/10
What a wild album. I love how hard to define it is - elements of pop, R&B, electronic music, and rock all blurred together. Somehow it all works though and blends into a really phenomenal album.
GOAT album from one of the all-time GOATs. Flawless.
