Reviews by jkegz

2/5 - Band on the Run and Jet are good singles. I can barely recall anything else on this album except the last song, which was I think was 1985 spelled out the long way.

3/5 - There are 5 or 6 tracks here that are really, really good, and In Da Club is an all-timer for me. Great beats and fun production on the songs I skip around to. Overall, this is way too long and needs cuts. I would give a 4 to Get Rich or Die Tryin’ the EP.

3/5 - I don't really get this choice for the list, but sure. I like these songs. I like Dusty's voice, but is this here for the compactness of hearing so many oldies in one shot? That said, I listened to this twice no problem, and had a good time the whole way through.

4/5 - This is one polarizing album; if you're going to plant a flag on your feelings about Radiohead, this is usually the exact spot you plant it. I remember being disappointed at the time it came out, because it wasn't the OK Computer follow-up I wanted, but I like it more now than I did then. The feel of this album just gets into my head, and I'm still humming parts of it the day after. If you hate Kid A, I get it. If you love Kid A, I get it.

3/5 - This has some pretty funny lyrics, and I especially liked the tunes that felt like they could slot right into a video game soundtrack like Tokyo. This is really odd album to say the least, and it often feels like there's just ideas of songs that aren't fleshed out enough to really get into. Definitely not something I'll listen to front to back again, but I favorited a few tracks, and I appreciated the screwball soul here.

5/5 - I've listened to this album many, many times since I first heard it in the early 2000s. There's nothing quite like it. As a long time Built to Spill fan (has Doug ever said Television was an influence??), the guitar work, the hooks, the weird song structure are a perfect mix for my ears.

3/5 - This was a fun 90s dance album to listen to -- better than I expected for sure. I had always thought "Groove.." was an oddball hit, and the whole album has some of that vibe, though nothing gets close to its catchy hooks.

4.5/5 - This is really, really good. Shadowboxer is probably my favorite track. Her voice in that lead-in to the chorus is so strong and confident, and it has an edge to it that doesn't sound dated to the time. Lyrics all around are worth paying attention to, and I just like her voice. I'll keep this in my rotation now. Rounding up for saying f*ck you to the music industry in the 90s.

3/5 - I like Americana-style music, so this gets at least a 3 just for the "must hear it before you die" aspect and influence The Band had on acts to follow. I liked this, and listened to it twice, having never heard it before, but it wasn't a revelation or anything. Solid, laid back American music from the 60s.

3.5/5 - Enjoyed the listen, but this didn't grab me quite as much as the first Fela Kuti that came up on this list. Probably more my mood than anything. Still this is full of fun grooves, and I'm a fan of the sound.

4/5 - I recommend walking around a leafy neighborhood on a Sunday morning listening to Heresy on earbuds while fresh faced people enter the nearby churches. It's weird.

Not an everyday listen, but I love the production and sound on this album. 30 years has allowed me to ignore the goth-shock-shtick that was gaining ground at the time and just tune in to how Reznor is trying to connect to an inner pain that feels intense and authentic to me.

3/5 - I definitely prefer Purple Rain to 1999. The front half of this has the 3 hits, and I love it. I lose the thread in the back half, and the tracks are entirely too aimless and long. I think a 3 feels right, because I have no desire to listen to this front-to-back again.

4/5 - I haven’t listened to Alice In Chains in 25+ years, but this album holds up really well. If this list needed sludge grunge with some fantastic guitar riffs, this is a great choice.

3/5 - This probably deserves another point just for the story behind it and their outfits, but it's about a 3 in terms of my listening enjoyment. This is primitive proto-punk, surf-ish rock, I guess? It's pretty hard to categorize, and a few songs were just straight up WTF? (Cuckoo, anyone?) I could probably find a song or two to add to a mix, but given that it's not streaming anywhere, even that's a tough call. Weird stuff. Glad I heard it, but doubtful I'll ever be in the mood for "I need to hear The Monks."

5/5 - Would easily be on a top 100 albums to hear before you die for me. The arrangements are harmonies here are so lush and beautiful, I don’t know what superlative to use. Asher’s lyrics are up to the task of Brian Wilson’s vision and the musicianship of The Wrecking Crew delivers the goods as always. I’m not the first to say that God Only Knows is a perfect pop song, but it’s true.

Hard to believe this was released in 1966 and is still a pillar of orchestral pop/rock. I don’t always love the derivatives of this genre, but Pet Sounds is a masterpiece.

4/5 - I enjoyed this quite a bit, and this is the sort of thing I'm here for. I hadn't heard of White Denim, but I'll definitely keep listening. Their style seemed a little more on the jam band side of things than I usually listen to (hints of the Dead here and there for sure in the guitar), but given the overall landscape of what we get on this project, this was solid indie rock.

0/5 - You don't need to hear this before you die. You need to hear it after you die, so that your brain is already dead. This is calculated garbage. I regret that this rating system forces me to give it a star.

2.5/5 - Listening to this was mostly a surprise to me, since I was unfamiliar except for the title track. There were a couple tracks I skipped after a minute or two because I think I got the point, but I definitely liked some of the others. This isn't quite a 3 based on my own enjoyment, but it feels like something you oughta hear once, so I'll round up.

4/5 - This got me moving on a Saturday morning. Hadn't heard it before and could have been higher, but 10+ minute tracks drive me nuts. Everyday People would be on an all-time top singles list for me. Lots of good early funk here that I'm happy to have heard.

4/5 - At one time, this would have been a slam dunk 5, but I've gotten older, and I'm seeing the cracks. Fight Test (electronic Father and Son) and Yoshimi Pt 1 are still favorites, and I do think the whole album is worth hearing, but I think I wore through the novelty years ago. It is maybe the most concept album that is not a concept album, whatever that means.

I like to think that our present day pink robots are AI data centers and their need to be omnipresent in our lives. If only a black belt in karate were enough to fend it off.