Reviews by linkyboy

So I love the melodic bass lines. That’s my aesthetic. In fact, what works best for me on this album is the Attractions, whose playing is fun, energetic, and sounds awesome together. I also love the Power Pop sensibilities of the album (that’s my other aesthetic).

The only thing I struggle with is Elvis Costello himself. I’m not crazy about his singing, which sounds like he’s just been punched in the stomach. And a lot of the melodic choices are strange to me—sometimes discordant or vague. It means that few of the songs end up being catchy, despite the instrumentation leading me to believe otherwise.

And so I’m of two minds with this album. I love the orchestrations and production, just not the songs or vocals, which are kind of the point? But I do think I’ll be returning to this album. It seems like it might grow on me, like I’m acquiring a taste for Elvis Costello.

I like this better than GZA’s “Liquid Swords,” mostly because I prefer the beats on this one. Method Man has palpable energy and as dark as the album sounds, it also has some humor.

The features from other members of Wu-Tang Clan elevate the album. I like Blue Raspberry’s vocals on the second half.

I think prefer rap that has more hooks, but I understand that wasn’t really the thing to do at the time. It’s a fun album, but not without its flaws. I think I’d give it a 3.5, but given the criteria by which I’ve given albums 4s, I think I have to go with 3/5 for this.

This has been my favorite “discovery” so far on this journey. I had never heard this album before and my only knowledge of Eels was in their song “ You’re My Friend,” which isn’t great (a popular) song.

Though I was initially distracted by what seemed like alternating Kurt Cobain and Elliott Smith impressions, everything changed when I got to “My Beloved Monster.”

“Holy shit!” I thought. “The Shrek song!”

From then on, I listened with perked ears and ultimately, I went back and listened to it again twice through.

The album fits squarely in alternative rock, not quite grunge but grunge-adjacent. The songs and lyrics are solid, but what tickled me the most were the whimsical production and orchestration choices.

All in all, a great album that will enter my regular rotation. I do hate the album cover though. Just had to say it.

GZA’s lyrics are interesting and varied. The through-line of scenes from “Shogun Assassin” certainly tied the album together, through I don’t know if I understood the reasoning behind its inclusion.

Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t love most of the beats—or at least, I grew tired of them quickly as so many of them were so repetitive. I think that is what ultimately kept me from enjoying the album more. But I do feel like perhaps I need more time with this one than a single day. I could see this album growing on me.

“Some voices got treble, some voices got bass/ we got the kind of voices that are in your face.”

The Beastie Boys are one of those rare bands that seem to be their own genre. Though they straddle the line between hip hop and punk, what’s true is that no one else sounds like the Beastie Boys. At least not without sounding like they’re “doing” the Beastie Boys.

The production is sparse, leaving plenty of room for their particular brand of rap. And they really sound like the no-goodniks they claim they are.

This album is immediate, goofy, defiant, and makes you want to smash a beer bottle over your head and rip your shirt off while howling at the moon.

In the first 5 seconds, I was already bopping. That’s gotta be a record.

There isn’t a lot of depth to these songs and that’s okay! It does exactly what it sets out to do: it makes you want to boogie!

“All alone is all we are.”

This album, while not being my favorite by Nirvana, is a haunting send-off for band—and more specifically, Kurt Cobain. It’s impossible to listen to it without the lens of Kurt’s suicide. The angst, loneliness, and frustration that pervaded their music comes through all the more-so on this record.

There are some songs that I am not particularly fond of, but the great ones are some of Nirvana’s best. And while I find the song “Rape Me” to be difficult to listen to on pure subject-matter, its provocativeness was the point, and the message is clearly anti-rape.

Overall, what I’ve always loved about Nirvana is that through all the noise and anger and aggression and screaming, Kurt really knew how to write a good song.

You know those videos called something like, “This is what English sounds like to non-English speakers?” Well, Prince’s 1999 feels like an album called, “This is what my favorite music sounds like to people who don’t like my favorite music.”

I just struggle so much with Prince. On a superficial level, it sounds like music I’d like. But I don’t like it. I don’t like the over reliance on square synths. I don’t like the guttural sound of his chest voice or the muppet-esque tone of his falsetto. I don’t like the grooves and I don’t like that every song lasts 3 minutes too long.

And yet, each of these elements have similarities to music I DO like. The instruments are well played and the concepts are sometimes interesting. It’s very perplexing. I think ultimately, it comes down to one thing: I don’t think Prince is a good songwriter.

Two stars because I don’t like it, but not one star because clearly other people like it, so I think it’s a me problem.

I went into this with low expectations given that it’s the lowest rated album of the list on this site.

And then… I kind of liked it.

Like, I don’t really want to listen to it again, but it was interesting. And imaginative. And transgressive.

Then again, I was a composition student and I heard a lot of fucked up shit passed off as music back then, so maybe my tolerance for noise-music is high.

It’s actually a lot more musical than I think some people are giving it credit for. It’s not just noise and it’s not just random. There is definitely some thought behind it all and it effectively makes the listener squirm.

I’d rather be confused by this than bored by something else.

Gangsta rap is a bit of a blind spot for me, so I have little to compare this to. I will say that I generally wasn’t impressed with 50 Cent’s lyrics or rapping—it wasn’t bad, but just kind of boring. In fact, my ears perked up and I got excited for the first time when Eminem showed up in “Patiently Waiting.” HIS parts were exciting, deep, and interesting. And then it goes back to 50 Cent and I start yawning again. Not great to be outshined on your own album…

“In da Club” is fun and has a great beat (and is one of the few tracks on the album I had any familiarity with).

I will acknowledge my own biases. I don’t really connect with these themes or this aesthetic, and I can respect that people who do probably really enjoy it. 50 Cent’s story is certainly compelling and the album is well produced.

Track Picks: “Patiently Waiting,” “In da Club”

A rare perfect album. Every song deserves its place on this album, eloquently showcasing everything that makes Queen so exceptional. Each meme we of the band gets to showcase their skills as both musicians and songwriters. The album is packed to the brim with hits. The whole package feels so innovative and revolutionary to this day. And it spans such a range of genres, but every track is still so unmistakably Queen.

Track picks: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “You’re My Best Friends,” “39,” “The Prophet’s Song”

One of my all-time favorite albums. An impressively robust and strong double album, with amazing song after amazing song!

What I love about Stevie Wonder is the strength of his lyrics, music, and playing. He is at the top of each field. His music can be fun and bubbly, or dense and political. Harmonically complex without ever sacrificing catchiness.

You turn on the album, and even within the first four tracks, you’re treated to a bevy of styles and ideas, all excellent. And that’s before you even reach the hits! Like, there’s not a single song on this album I would cut, and that is exceedingly rare for double albums! It puts to shame other albums to which I gave 5/5 stars.

Track Picks: “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” “Ebony Eyes.”

Bad Company is what ChatGPT would sound like if you asked it to compose “Dad Rock.”

Devoid of imagination, plodding, lame. Too soft to go hard, too hard to be soft. The auditory equivalent of a “half chub.”

Bad Company is the Imagine Dragons of 70’s Rock.

Granted, if they were the entertainment in a bar that only serves Bud Lite, I’d think they sound pretty good, given that this is clearly their hobby.

Everything they do well, a hundred artists do better. This album has no business being a “must hear.”

Simply put, some of the finest song writing and performances ever given by four members of The Who. The album is bookended with two of their greatest tracks ever, “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” But unlike other albums with a similar structure (*cough* Toto IV *cough*), the seven songs between all range from good to excellent. In particular, “Bargain,” and “Behind Blue Eyes,” are also stellar tracks. Each member gets their moments to show off. This album just feels big. And it sports their best album cover as well!

If the album were tracks 3 through 10, this may have been the most consistent album Led Zeppelin ever released. I’ve never been crazy about the few songs bookending the album, although there’s nothing bad about them. But the great songs are among Led Zeppelin’s best: “In The Light,” “Kashmir,” “Ten Years Gone,” to name a few!

I’m giving it 5 stars—though I’d probably go closer to 4.5 if I could. Nonetheless, while it isn’t a perfect album, it’s so eclectic and creative and its best songs are so good that they elevate the whole release.

I like it. It’s a little weird, a little silly, and an eclectic mishmash of styles. I also like the album cover.

It made me want to listen to more of their music—which is a compliment to the album as it is. I’ve started listening to their second album and I think it’s clearly superior—I’m finding that the 1001 Albums seem to overvalue debuts. I must also admit that I’m surprised that this album made the cut and I’d be curious to know the reasoning.

In any case, this is a solid album that was fun and surprising and left me wanting more. That earns a solid 4 stars.

I just don’t like modern R&B very much. I’m not even sure just what it is, maybe the way the production swivels and the vocals slowness of the vocals. I think I will probably struggle to rate R&B albums fairly, but I’ll try.

It’s music that feels sexy, but I don’t know how to listen to it when I’m just existing unsexily, which is my natural state.

I don’t really feel like she’s saying anything interesting or original with these songs, even if it’s very competently performed and produced. I feel like it’s unfair to give it 2/5 given my own struggles with this genre, but I can’t rank it with some albums I actually like that I gave a 3 to.

Another album I already know! I’ve always thought of this album as being sort of an onomatopoeia: it sounds exactly like what a band named Air would write. The breathy vocals, the buoyant synths, the gentle arrangements.

“Kelly Watch The Stars” was my introduction to Air, and remains my favorite song of theirs. “Sexy Boy” is also a bang up track.

Overall, a great album, but Air will only ever be my second favorite French electronic music duo from the 90s.

The guitar tone on “That Lady” is amazing. I could do without the extended solo that lasts for minutes without saying anything new, although I suppose if I were playing it, I too would want to live in that fuzz.

Learning that this was recorded in the same studio and at the same time as Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, I must say I prefer Stevie’s brand of soul to this—though I’ll admit I’m no expert on soul.

The cover songs are interesting, but none are improvements on the originals. Overall, I find the album to be fine, but nothing is particularly exciting or memorable to me. And Ronald Isley sounds like if Bon Scott joined a soul band instead of AC/DC.

Top Tracks: “That Lady, Part 1” and “If You Were There”

I give a 3 to 3 + 3.

A long-time favorite of mine—Joni at her best. Some bops, some ballads, beautiful lyrics, beautiful melodies, full of melancholy and twisted love.

Track picks: “All I Want,” “River,” “Carey,” “California”

Favorite lyric:
Just before our love got lost you said/ "I am as constant as a northern star"/
And I said, "Constantly in the darkness/
Where's that at?/
If you want me I'll be in the bar"
-“Case of You”