Reviews by jkegz

2/5 - Babylon exists outside of time for me. It makes me nostalgic for something even though I associate it with nothing and have no idea when I first heard it. The first track was also pretty good. And that was about it. This is music that makes me feel 15 years older than I am, and I completely tune out after a couple songs because it’s all so milquetoast-y. To be fair, if I could sing and write like this guy, or knew someone personally who could, I’d be thrilled, but I’m not down for a whole album of this. I need more dynamics or something.

3/5 - My ceiling for Depeche Mode is about a 3, so there it is. This band never surprises me, and I find them to be the most over-serious, joyless act of the 80s, but I still understand why people like their music. The production is good, and they know how to create the mood with the synths, but I find their songs something to endure rather than enjoy.

5/5 - I knew a guy in high school who knew all these bands that weren’t on the radio from his older brother in college. This was my favorite of the lot he introduced me to and my first real exposure to this style of power pop. I still regularly come back to it, because it does what it does so well. Obviously, The Concept is great, but What You Do To Me, Pet Rock, Star Sign, and Alcoholiday are other favorites.

3.5/5 - The first 3 tracks and "40" drive the album. I tried to imagine listening to this for the first time, beyond the familiarity of the 2 big hits, and I think it's a way above average early 80s rock record and it shows where U2 was headed. Rounding up because naming yourself The Edge and then becoming a superstar is a badass move.

1/5 - If this gets reissued without the vocal track, I might make it though it. Until then, no.

2/5 - This is a really challenging listen. It gives me the same feeling as going to view modern art — I have no idea what’s happening other than occasionally noticing something cool; I know some people are way into it, and I’d rather just be doing something else with my time.

5/5 - I've listened to Murmur countless times in the last 35 years, and I listened twice more yesterday when this came up on the list. It's an all-time classic for me. I wouldn't change a single thing about it. This sets the stage for everything that follows in their amazing early career run of albums.

1/5 - From a lesser talent, this would be a 2, but Simon is too good to make such a lazy snooze of an album. “Cars are Cars” is one of the dumbest songs I’ve ever heard. “Hearts and Bones” was the only thing I needed to hear off this album. Disappointing.

2/5 - There were moments when I got hints of The Decemberists or The Magnetic Fields, who I like, but the orchestral arrangements and excessive crooning here are just too much. The horse and sheep comparisons in the lyrics were also pretty odd. I didn't entirely hate this, but I didn't need to hear it, and I won't be back.

4.5/5 - This is a helluva album from start to finish. The songwriting and melodies are really good, but the lyrics are the star of the show once you tune into them. The silly pretentiousness of invoking Joan of Arc and dead poets in the cemetery is classic, but it's the whole sentiment of Frankly, Mr Shankly that really drives this home for me. Rounding down because Morrissey is a douche.

3.5/5 - I listened to this 2, almost 3 times through, and enjoyed the "desert blues" quite a bit -- good guitar sounds. I'd probably put the lead track on a mixtape. I don't think I'd explore more in this sub-genre, but this was worth a few listens for sure. Rounding up because it's not from the 70s or British.

3/5 - I’m not sure how to rate this style of jazz albums that are way out of my usual listening zone. It’s obviously a classic for the genre, but I’d get a lot more out of it with a knowledgeable guide.

2/5 - The hits are well known and great, but the rest of the album was mostly standard blues tunes, and didn’t do much for me. I didn’t need to hear this, and I’ve heard enough of The Doors to last me.

3.5/5 - You need to hear this because it's not every day you hear a poet speaking at death's door. This felt morose, genuine, and somewhat like spending time with someone at their own funeral. Like a really intense movie, I enjoyed it and certainly appreciated the raw feeling, but there's no way I could listen to this regularly. Rounding up to 4 because it's a concept album without being a concept album.

1/5 - A scrapbook of noise in many formats. I can imagine some have drug-induced nostalgia for this and think back to college days of pondering the universe to the background din of what sounds like a broken piece of machinery. This could only be worse if Rufus Wainwright sang on top of it.

5/5 - It’s hard to imagine this list without one of the most iconic voices in rock history on it. Janis was a total powerhouse. I love this album. You need to hear it, because you can’t begin to tell the story of women in rock without Janis Joplin.

2/5 - I'd probably have to spend a lot more time engaging with they lyrics to understand why I need to hear this. I think "Freedom! '90" is fantastic, but I listened to the rest of it twice, and nothing stuck with me. Listenable, but I wouldn't return to it.

5/5 - Amongst Willie Nelson’s dozens of albums, I never would have found this on my own. This is 34 minutes of simple singing, guitar and some harmonica, and I was enthralled with the storytelling throughout. “Hands on the Wheel” was an immediate favorite.

3.5/5 - You need to hear this because it has a couple solid hits, and so you know the music behind the insane back story of the "Fake Zombies." Go look it up on Wikipedia. The album cover and misspelling of Odessey are pretty classic as well. I'd probably have to spend more time with this to really get into the album cuts, but I like it overall. Rounding up to 4 for the Fake Zombies story.

5/5 - You need to hear this because it’s one of the seminal UK debut punk albums of the time. Absolutely belongs on the list and sets the template for hundreds of bands to follow.