Reviews by linkyboy

I love this album so much. So many of their greatest tracks: “Every Breath You Take,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” “Synchronicity II,” and my personal favorite, “King of Pain.” I even like “Mother” as a sort of insane 7/8 blues track.

I think The Police are often maligned for their white-reggae stylings or for Sting's heart-throbbishness (unfairly, in my opinion), but there's no denying that they wrote some absolutely essential music, and performed it so well. You can hear the band breaking up on this record, but it's not because they are failing—it's because they've grown too big to contain themselves.

No one writes a melody like Elvis Costello. Because no one SHOULD write a melody like Elvis Costello.

I have little to add to the discourse. I’ve said enough in my previous 4 Elvis Costello records. Competently made, but made by someone who is far too worried about being original to be good.

Some pretty unremarkable electronic music. Totally fine, but big standard. Not sure why there are so many albums like this on the list. It just doesn’t seem to be notable or influential or good enough to merit its inclusion.

I don’t really understand the appeal of noise rock. Is experimental worth listening to, or is it just worth thinking about? I feel like some experiments create interesting results. This mostly just feels… well, noisy. I think I liked it more than I would have because I listened on Halloween. Definitely would suit a spooky soundscape. But I’m not really sure I “get” it.

Trevor Rabin, characteristically, produced it well, despite how dated it sounds in today’s context. I was enjoying the album, even the longer songs. But when they started fucking on “The Ballad of 32,” I consoled myself with the belief that the album was coming to a close, just to discover there were 5 more tracks.

I’ll always appreciate Randy Newman’s satire, voice, and songwriting chops. “Political Science,” “God’s Song,” and “Sail Away” are striking, while maintaining some heart in their own way. The album is rather bare at times, though I don’t know if that’s really a problem. It’s a good record, though it probably hasn’t stood the test of time quite as well as some other albums of its time.

It’s interesting that this is considered a seminal glam-rock album as it feels so restrained compared to the unbridled flamboyance of later glam rock acts. It probably has more to do with the live performance than the music itself. And that’s okay! I quite like this record. “Jeepster” and “Bang a Gong” are absolute classics. I like the panned guitars, the head rattling backing vocals, and the laid back delivery from Marc Bolan.

It absolutely deserves its place here, off of pure influence, and it just happens to be a great album too!

There have been many bands over the years where the influence of Queen is apparent. Jellyfish and The Struts come to mind. But what makes Muse special is the fact that they really have their own sonic identity, independent of any similarities to Queen, and it lies in their use of synthesizers. As a synth enthusiast, I can hear how much fun they had making patches, but then they found an actual musical use for them. Some of the patches they make sound pretty wild, but they never get carried away (like Super Furry Animals (and I say that as a big SFA fan)). It’s a great album, and well deserving of a place on this list.

I didn't really "get" the Tom Tom Club the first time I heard them. My love for the Talking Heads was just burgeoning in high school and I wanted to understand the non-David Byrne members better. This was an obvious place to look. I think I couldn't appreciate it for what it is: a fun dance record meant to be fun and danceable. Their performance of "Genius of Love" in Stop Making Sense helped me understand the appeal, and the use of synths is fun throughout. You can really hear Tina Weymouth's unique bass writing. I like the album, though I'm unlikely to listen to it on my own. Cool to see how many songs have sampled music from this album though—especially "Genius of Love."

One of the greatest power pop albums of all time, and a highlight of the Britpop era. Catchy, singalong melodies with an unbridled punk rock energy. I loved this record the first time I heard it, and I love it still today!

I really enjoyed this! Satisfyingly lo-fi, catchy, distinctive. Even though I don’t speak the language, I found myself enjoying the lyricism, if that makes sense.

It's got to be tough being the least interesting member of the Byrds. Crosby gets CSNY, Hillman writes some of their best songs, McGuinn is a legendary guitarist. And then to have your own solo career sputter around unheralded? Got to be to tough.

The thing is, it did eventually earn its flowers—but why? Would this album have made the list were it NOT written by an ex-Byrd? Maybe. There's a lot of 70s fluff on the list. It just seems like a decent, but bog-standard rock record. Okay? So what?

My favorite thing about this album were the gospel-esque backing vocals. It reminded me of the musical Godspell, a favorite of mine (and this album’s predecessor by 3 years). I don't think that's enough to give this album plaudits.

I like John Cale. He’s probably my favorite member of The Velvet Underground.

It’s a good album, reminds me of John Grant. But while I liked the way this album started, my interest waned as it went on. A decent listen, but ultimately didn’t make a big impression.

I liked this so much more than Sweethearts of the Rodeo, which veered too far into country for my taste. I enjoy some psychedelic pop, and while I tend to find the sitar-obsession of the era rather wearying, the workaround with backwards guitars on this record are fresh enough to maintain my interest. What really works on this album are the McCartney-eque melodies on Chris Hillman's songs, like "Have You Seen Her Face." It's short, and generic at times, but in its best moments, it sparkles.

Interesting to read the reviews from when this came out. I really don’t understand the comparison’s to Pet Sounds. Nor did the notion that it was one of the first great albums of the new millennium bear out with time. I kind of liked it at times, but it felt derivative and the vocals vacillated between goofy and annoying. The poor Smokey Robinson impressions were particularly egregious.

When it started, I thought I would love it—a Black folk-pop album with interesting harmonies and arrangements. But as the album wore on, it revealed so many of the trappings of folk-pop, many of which have fallen out of style in the decade leading up to its release. I may give it another listen, but for now, I found it to be a little lacking. I always appreciate the list bringing in diverse artists, but I fear this record is replacing more significant, better albums because of the publisher's reluctance to get rid of all the filler from the 70s.

It was nice, but I don’t feel familiar enough with the genre to have a nuanced take. Pleasant, but sounded like plenty that came before… I think! But that’s the problem. My best comparison is the Brazilian album Clube da Esquina, which I loved—it was able to reach across the cultural divide to me. I’m not saying that Gilberto needed to do that, just that I don’t feel equipped to have a real take on this record.

This is such an exceptional, singular album. There's nothing else quite like it. I resisted Sufjan Stevens for years—a lot of people who thought they were very smart liked him, so I thought his music was pretentious whisper-folk. But I wasn't really listening. A few years back, my spouse was listening to Illinois, and I finally gave it a shot. It's so good, from the unique instrumentation, echoes of minimalism, choral backing vocals, heartbreaking lyrics. A rare double album that is great all the way through, and an easy 5 stars.

This album makes me sad. It's a product, a very carefully designed package as the ultimate teen pop hit record or the late 90s. Britney Spears was still a kid, and we know how much she was being directed by adults who didn't have her best interests at heart. The vocal fry, the mildly suggestive title and album artwork, the songs themselves were all choices made by other people. I won't say the album ISN'T art, but I'm not sure there were many artists behind it. IT was a product. A heavily marketed product where every beat, every note was specifically placed. And it was effective! But I have trouble ignoring the ways this poor child was exploited for monied interests. There's no denying the cultural impact—it deserves a place on this list. But it's a problematic record, and not a particularly good one at that.

This was not what I was expecting from a band called Cowboy Junkies. Much gentler, less tangy than I was bracing myself for. Barebones in a way that became a little uninteresting, but pleasant enough.