Reviews by heavymetal

Not much to say about this album. It was fine, but it's not really for me. The only track that stood out to me was American Terrorist. Other than that, this album was far too long and the 12 minute outro track shouting out all the people he's thankful for is just annoying. Seriously, why is this needed on any album?

In Rainbows was my first exposure to Radiohead. Prior to this release, I'd probably heard a few songs here and there, but was never really receptive to their music. After In Rainbows was released, I became absolutely obsessed for a time and quickly sought out the rest of their discography.

Now, almost 20 years later, I honestly don't return to In Rainbows frequently. Whenever I feel like listening to Radiohead, I always go straight to Kid A or OK Computer, and if I feel like listening to their newer work, I tend to reach for the King of Limbs, which I think is severely underrated.

That said, even after ignoring In Rainbows for years, I still feel intimately familiar with all the songs on this album and there are some great songs on this album! Jigsaw Falling Into Place and Weird Fishes / Arpeggi are the two tracks that really stand out to me. It feels great to be returning to this album today.

I’ve never heard of this artist, which isn’t surprising as I’m not from the UK and this feels like a “you had to be there in the 90s” kind of artist.

The first track, Before Today, was actually pretty interesting and I kind of dig the drum track in it. Unfortunately, it’s followed up by just an awfully boring, 4-on-the-floor electronic dance track and then slips into some awfully boring easy listening music. There are some interesting beats and electronics that appear from time to time, like on Flipside, but nothing that made me think that this was an album that really needed to be heard before you die.

This album sounds like the 80s. It’s flashy, it’s gimmicky, it’s a bit dirty, and there’s just so much cocaine. Anyway, I enjoyed the hits, not sure if I really wanted to stick around for the whole album.

I honestly don't really know what to say about this album. It's got a bit of everything you expect from Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Ragged electric rockers through acoustic folk poetry. It might not be my favourite Neil Young album, but it's pretty close.

Neither the R&B side, nor the electronic side of this album really brings anything special to the table. On top of that, I feel like I've been listening to the same song for 53 minutes. Overall, it's painfully generic, boring, and utterly forgettable. It sounds like the kind of thing I should be hearing in a hip corporate coffee shop, not on a list of 1001 albums to hear before I die

I love that this project is finally forcing me to actually take a minute to listen to all these amazing artists who should have had my attention for years. Sleater- Kinney is yet another band whose name I've heard endlessly, but I just never got around to listening to. I love the punk ethos with short and fast songs that don't overstay their welcome, the lo-fi production, the sharp and snappy drumming, the catchy and distorted guitars riffs. Her voice takes a minute to adjust to, but once you do, you realize it's ferocious and warbly in all the right ways.

I feel like I've been learning that, while I appreciate the importance and the influence of blues and soul singers, I just don't really care to listen to them. This album isn't bad, there's nothing I dislike about it, it just doesn't really excite me all that much and I'm unlikely to ever return to it.

I don’t like the genre that Straight Outta Compton spawned, but I can’t deny that there’s an incredible energy behind this album and it actually feels important. I do have a lot of the same complaints about this one as I do with the rest of the gangsta rap albums I’ve had generated so far, but I enjoyed this one.

I love Bowie and his Berlin albums are my absolute favourites. Heroes is a phenomenal album, another easy 5/5 for me, but I’ve got to say, including both Heroes and Low in the list is just a lazy decision. They’re both influential albums, and yes the title track on Heroes is probably one of the best songs ever written, but Low is still the better album and there’s no need to have two albums from this period of Bowie’s career on the list.

This album warms the lover’s glass like a friendly wine. One of the easiest fives in the whole list.

I always avoided Bruce Springsteen because of his image as an all-American every man. As a Canadian, I just had no interest; I'll stick with my Gord Downie and Neil Young, thank you very much! It wasn't until recently with his criticism against a certain orange buffoon and his criminal circus that I realized he was actually the kind of true American patriot that I could get behind.

Born to Run has great songwriting and playing all around, but the big production gets a bit tiring to me. Everything is just so loud and in your face (struggling not to make the obvious joke stereotyping Americans here), which does give the album an urgent feel as it builds to the title track, but it's not something I can see myself listening to frequently. I much prefer the stripped back sound on Nebraska, but overall, I still enjoyed Born to Run

As someone living outside the UK, I'm genuinely curious how britpop became so popular outside the UK and not madchester? This is the second madchester album I've gotten from the list and I like it so much more than any of the britpop albums that have been generated. Maybe it's just because it's new to me and I haven't heard it thousands of times like Oasis and Blur? Would I feel differently if madchester managed to break out of the UK and britpop didn't?

When I saw Soundgarden generated, I got pretty excited. Unfortunately, I kind of forgot that they're one of those bands that I like in theory, but they never quite live up to that theory when I actually listen to them. I'm a fan of grunge and hard rock, everyone in the band plays incredibly well, Chris Cornell was one of the best singers out there, but in the end I just get tired of it so quickly. There are a few standout tracks (Black Hole Sun, Spoonman), but the rest all sound way too similar to me. It doesn't help that this is a really long album too. They're apparently a perfect candidate for a playlist band, but unfortunately, I don't really listen to playlists any more.

Hold on, I've always thought that Peter Gabriel was pretty much synonymous with generic 80s pop, but this is actually fantastic? There are some pop elements to it, but its more akin to post-punk and new wave and there's a ton of experimentation throughout.

I've always loved Games Without Frontiers, but I honestly didn't know which artist was behind it. I honestly avoided looking into this song in the past because, back when I thought all 80s music was terrible, I would have classified Games Without Frontiers as a guilty pleasure (along with other top-tier tracks like Psycho Killer, Once In A Life Time, or Burning Down the House by the Talking Heads and Fame by David Bowie). Now I don't subscribe to the notion of guilty pleasures and I've also learned that there's a ton of amazing music coming from the 80s, many of which have become some of my all time favourites.

Also, ending with Biko was a masterstroke. It's such a great closer!

Another hard one to find. Also a bit confusing as it seems there are multiple albums with similar names, but luckily someone completing this journey put together a YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLowQCq3Ss89h_zdP0-wIycRkVk-nAh6i9&si=bxBwlFUcsPlB6FYG

As for the actual listening experience, it was fine. I appreciate Fat Domino’s influence on modern rock and roll and I enjoyed listening to this album, but am I going to revisit it ever? Probably not.

As someone who gravitates to singers with a baritone, and often weird, singing style, I’ve had Scott Walker recommended to me multiple times, but I’ve never been able to get into him. I’m just not really into the whole 60s/70s pop crooner type of music.

That said, listening to this album now and the stories and lyrics are so much more interesting, sarcastic, snarky, humorous, and stranger than any others I’ve heard in this genre. I am definitely not well versed in this style of music, but normally when I think of the crooners, I always think of kitschy love songs, but this reminds me more of the weird creeps that Geordie Greep sings about on the New Sound. I don’t know how often I’ll return to this album, but I really enjoyed it.

Big band jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms? Yeah, this is an incredibly fun album and it’s impossible to sit still while listening to it.

Growing up, my dad listened to a lot of James Taylor, so I've heard his version of You've Got a Friend dozens of times, but until today, I didn't realize his version was actually a cover. I'm not sure if it's just the nostalgia, but I think I prefer James Taylor's cover over the original.

Overall, this was still enjoyable. It's an easy listening, 70s pop album. She's got a soulful voice and the piano is well played. I've got nothing bad to say about it, but it didn't exactly blow me away either.

Another hard one to find on today’s streaming services. I managed to find a full album upload on YouTube: https://youtu.be/E1Xd2jY3zWQ?si=fpB9Vdmh3P_aY_Yt

So, this is a post-punk, early indie rock act with a front woman who has a singing style reminiscent of the B-52s and they went on to not only be a major influence on indie rock, but also helped shape a prominent indie label into what it is today? How have I never listened to them before? I absolutely loved every minute of this album!