Reviews by linkyboy

It’s a decent album with some solid songwriting, though I felt like the mix was strangely lifeless. Like, maybe it was over-compressed? I think the editors of the list struggle to figure out which more recent albums are important to listen to.

Mark Knopfler is one of the most distinctive, enigmatic guitarists out there. The main riff to “Money for Nothing” is iconic (and difficult).

The first four songs are excellent, but then the album plateaus a bit at that point. Or maybe it’s just my lack of familiarity with the later tracks that’s the problem. Nevertheless, I’d call this a solid 4 stars.

There is a genius to this album: stupid band name, disgusting album title, hideous artwork, all working together to create incredibly low expectations. And for a moment, it almost worked on me.

That is, I went in thinking this would be an easy and obvious 1 star. But then there were some interesting bass lines, decent guitar riffs, and a few memorable hooks. I was almost lulled into giving this an undeserving 2 stars before I remembered that it’s an irritating, grating, and offensively long album, and that I’ve given the other albums 1 star for less. So fuck this shit, it gets 1 star.

I wanted to like this. I get that it was influential and that Flavor Flav is iconic, but this has got to be the most irritating collection of beats I’ve heard on a hip hop record. The first track was almost unbearable, but nearly every song had some element that made me irrationally angry.

It was like attending a bbq with your spouse’s coworkers, where it’s absolutely swarmed with mosquitos. Like, I know these people are important for you, but I’m getting eaten alive here!

I’m not a huge fan of R&B—I generally find it a little too vibe-y and aimless for my taste. With that said, I think Ctrl by SZA is quite clearly excellent. She sounds great, her lyric writing is solid, and there are some really interesting musical and production ideas throughout this album. So though it’s not something I’m inclined to listen to again, I can’t deny its quality.

I once saw someone criticizing the documentary “It Might Get Loud,” saying that Jack White didn’t deserve to be in that lineup. It’s a frankly baffling take.

When teaching my guitar students songs by the White Stripes, I try to point out that the sloppiness is the point. It’s what makes The White Stripes The White Stripes. Meg White’s simple but powerful drums are just as much a part of it as Jack White’s guitar and vocals.

It rocks. What more can be said?

This was pretty good, but I’m not sure it was a “must-hear,” especially when other, more notable 90s alternative bands are unrepresented on this list (Barenaked Ladies, Ween, and They Might Be Giants come to mind). I often liked the song better than the vocals. The use of orchestral instruments was nice.

Overall, a nice listen, but a rather middling inclusion.

A solid classic-country album from the modern country era. I’ve never been huge on country, but I like this—kind of puts me in the mood of driving through Maine during a snowstorm.

“One Big Love” was a clear standout track for me.

People love The Band, and I’ve never really understood why. I think they’re FINE, but I’ve never been wowed by them. I’ve seen people say that they’re better if you really listen closely, or listen many times, or that they play so well you can’t tell they’re playing well. And maybe all that is true, but does that mean that they’re GREAT? I don’t know.

So though many people think this album is GREAT, I think it’s FINE.

Often iconic, often beautiful, at times too earnest, too saccharine. The title track is asking the greatest songs ever written. “Babylon” and “Vincent” are beautiful. Don McLean’s voice is always lovely.

I’m surprised this is on the list, but I don’t mind it. Great synth pop, interesting vocal chops, clear leads. Not a genre I typically listen to, but I enjoyed it. I had fun imagining the synth programming. The first track was my favorite.

You know those sex scenes that are all closeups of elbows crossfading with lit candles to maintain a PG-13 rating? This sounded like music specifically written to underscore those scenes.

It’s like they spent all of their studio time programming the drum machines and then someone was like, “Shit! We’ve only got 15 minutes to record all the vocals and synths!”

“And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through”

What a brilliant lyric. I’m now at an age where I’m considered young by many and old by some, and I feel like I’ve been on both sides of this lyric.

The album where Bowie became Bowie, one of the greatest artists in all of pop, someone who never seemed to write for anyone except himself. His experimenting with gender feels truly progressive, and it’s full of great songs to boot!

This was cool. Energetic, memorable, evidently quite influential. There wasn’t a track that overstayed its welcome. I saw a review refer to the micro-songs as “punk shrapnel,” which I think describes it well. Cool album cover too.

Elvis Costello, like Prince, is an artist I SHOULD like, but just don’t. I think part of it is his vocal performance: I find it grating, repetitive, and predictable. By the end of the album, I felt like I’d just listened to an hour of one song, which is crazy because there are some actually great musical ideas across the album. It’s just too long and too marred by Elvis Costello to be enjoyable. If this album was performed by someone else, it probably would have a higher rating.

My step brother was really into Black Sabbath, who I defiantly decided not to get into as his tastes veered closer toward thrash metal, a genre I’ve never enjoyed. So I’ve always kept some distance from Black Sabbath.

But fuck, “War Pigs” just made me realize how much I’ve overlooked them. The song is heavy, but melodic. The lyrics are biting social commentary that I always ignored for its overt satanic imagery (which I tend to find juvenile). So many great guitar riffs, and the bass guitar slaps.

Its timing is also notable: 1970 seems so early for music that sounds like this. Yes, Led Zeppelin released their first two albums in 1969 (which is remarkable in and of itself), but I actually don’t consider them to be metal in the way Black Sabbath is.

Even in the moments where I thought “maybe this isn’t a five star album,” something awesome would happen that would change my opinion.

What is there to say that hasn’t already been said? This is an undeniably all-time great album. Michael Jackson’s songwriting and performing chops are in full display, Quincy Jones’s production is vibrant and memorable, and the hits are some of the greatest pop songs ever recorded. Not only that, but this album and its accompanying music videos have contributed more to pop culture than almost any work of art! Occasionally, the album feels too 80s for my taste, but I can readily forgive that. An easy, and well deserved 5 stars.

Sometimes I grab my acoustic, pick a key, and just improvise I-IV-V songs for 10 minutes at a time, saying very little, but singing passionately as ever. Now, I tend to do this alone, because as fun as it is to do, it would be excruciating for an outside listener.

Someone should have told Van Morrison to keep his bedroom noodling to himself when “writing” Astral Weeks. This album sounds much more fun to make than to listen to.

I love Joni Mitchell—Blue is an all time favorite record. But Hejira just doesn’t maintain my attention for long. Perhaps it’s just my general disinterest in jazz, but most of these songs feel rather samey and lack the playfulness when Joni is at her best. I imagine I’d like it more if I spent more time with the lyrics, and perhaps I’ll reconsider this rating in the future.

Fuck yes. Genuinely one of the greatest albums of all time, and one of my favorites. This is the album that really got me into hip hop. Strangely, I came to it through Thundercat (who I also love), and was blown away by Kendrick’s lyricism, social commentary, eclecticism, sense of community, and varied vocal delivery. The beats are complex and interesting, the features are perfect. The Tupac and poetry through-lines elevate it to a great ALBUM, rather than just a collection of songs. I always like Kendrick most when he goes more introspective, and To Pimp A Butterfly does this better than just about anything.

I’d argue that if you took any 8 songs off this album at random, it would STILL belong on this list.