Reviews by linkyboy

What a ballsy way to open an album—noisy, dissonant, creepy, bizarre. And, importantly, fucking awesome. I love Peter Gabriel, and I think this might be his strongest, most Peter Gabriel-y album (even if I prefer So).

A solid rock album from the 80s. My favorite track is the first, "I Will Dare," but I'm a sucker for a melodic bass line. Interesting to learn that Peter Buck from REM contributed to it—makes a ton of sense in retrospect.

The album has its feet in multiple genres, but does each one well. "I Will Dare" is power pop; "Androgynous" is a transgressive cabaret ballad; "Unsatisfied" feels like a Tom Petty-Nirvana fusion track. In fact, there's a surprising early-grunge like sound in the vocals on a lot of these tracks, though there's certainly the polish of the 80s throughout.

Sloppy as hell. I liked the vocalist, but the guitar solos were practically atonal and the band had a terrible sense of tempo. Perhaps ahead of its time, but only in that they got there first. Just one year later, Led Zeppelin would take the same concept and knock Blue Cheer out of the water. Is this album important, or is it just an interesting footnote in the annals of rock?

A triumph of pop music, one of the most important albums ever made, with some of the Beatles’ greatest songs. We hear the Beatles experimenting with recording techniques, harmonic material, and non-Western instruments. An early concept, a progenitor of prog rock. I’ve always loved “With A Little Help From My Friends,” but the crowning jewel is “A Day In The Life.” There’s a reason this album often tops rankings: it’s fantastic.

It does sound a bit like a duck getting stabbed, so I'll give them that. I tend to be more appreciative of experimental music than many on this site, and that's probably still true here. But I can't say I liked this record very much. There were occasionally some cool ideas, but it was awfully goofy—like a demented carnival ride. I was going to give them credit for discovering how fun it is to sing "Constantinople," but turns out the famous They Might Be Giants song is actually a cover of a song from the 50s. So The Residents lose their bonus point there.

I really liked this—synth-pop/new wave/alternative crossover music. Kind of sounded proto-MGMT, which naturally, I loved. I listened to it a couple times through, and found myself thoroughly enjoying it. Definitely an album I'll keep coming back to, and an artist I look forward to exploring further!

I liked this well enough, though was never blown away. I actually listened to it twice, but am wracking my brain to remember any stand out moments. Reading about it, seems like it was a notable, transitional album. I got this the day after the Eagles debut, which is a much more fully-realized country rock album (and it came out only 3 years later).

Someone once said (I'm paraphrasing here) that the Eagles had a great album buried somewhere through all of their other albums. It's true: The Eagles (like Queen or the Buzzcocks) are a band that really get screwed by the choice to disqualify compilations from the list. Their Greatest Hits album is not only their best album, but one of the best-selling albums of all time. Their debut, while a well-realized representation of their sound, is simply fine. It has a couple good tracks on it, but a whole lot of uninteresting drivel. Its inclusion is good evidence for this list's overrating of debuts by great bands. I'm inclined to punish this album with a 2/5, but I don't think that's quite fair—it certainly isn't bad. It's just not great.

Rest in Peace, Dolly Parton!

I've long been partial to the 2016 record case/lang/veirs—a supergroup made up of three excellent women singer-songwriters. But I'd never heard Trio, which is the same concept, but with a much more legendary lineup. These three women were such titans of their genres—to hear them all come together in harmony is tremendous.

"Telling Me Lies" is, quite genuinely, one of the most beautiful recordings I've ever heard. I can't stop listening to the chorus, stunned by the beauty of their three voices in harmony. The old-school country artists really were something else, and while it's not my favorite genre to listen to, I could listen to these three women sing any time!

My spouse and I listened to this as we built the newly released X-Files Lego set, and it worked for that setting. I had fun listening to it, and I think it's important to acknowledge the intended setting for this music is different than the setting most of us are apt to consume it in. Didn't feel groundbreaking, but fun and solid.

I adore Aimee Man. I first got into her music at the same time I got into the band 'Til Tuesday. While listening to "Voices Carry" at a Noodles & Co., when I started reading 'Til Tuesday's Wikipedia page. My jaw dropped when I realized that the front-woman was the same Aimee Mann I'd been listening to on repeat! It dropped even further when I realized she was the same Aimee Mann on "Time Stand Still" by Rush.

She's an incredible lyricist with a unique voice, a strong ear for melody, and an incredible career. I admire her ability to evolve her sound with the times while remaining true to herself. Her record "Mental Illness" is one of my all-time favorite albums. "Whatever" is a great album too, though I think she has only gotten better as a singer-songwriter since.

Initially, I was expecting something more along the lines of Django Django. I'd say this was more like Arctic Monkeys with synths. It didn't blow my mind, but it was very well done and a good listen. I started a second play-through, and was finding more to enjoy about it, so that's always a good sign.

I can see that this may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. Certainly good music for a certain frame of mind. Absolutely folk, in a traditional sense, but with a true rock and roll quality in the guitars. Sandy Denny is cool too.

I think American Girl is a truly excellent pop song—the droning guitar part, the melodic bass, the baking vocals, and the iconic chorus. And while the rest of the album never achieves the same heights, it's a great debut from a great band. It surprised me, actually, that their first album came out in 1976! Seems like they should have been around before that.

Though Norah Jones inspired the grating phenomenon known as "Indie Girl Voice" that plagued a generation of singer-songwriters, she gets a pass for originating it and being a good arranger and songwriter. The album deserves some points for its influence (for better or for worse), and it's a pleasant, well-performed record. I don't know that I'll ever be a fan, per se, but I do appreciate her.

I was not too keen on Greetings From LA. I didn’t really see the point in it. This one is distinctly different—baroque pop rather than blues rock. But does it really break ground? It doesn’t hold a candle to contemporaries like Pet Sounds, Odessey and Oracle, or Sgt Pepper. Do we just love Jeff Buckley so much that we need more of his dad?

I liked the album more than Greetings from LA, but I don’t know that it crests the 3 star rating on its own… Am I meant to compare it to its sister album, or to all albums? If the latter, I think it’s a 2 star album.

I really liked this one. It sounds timeless in a surprising way—you could have told me it came out ten years ago, and I would have believed it. My spouse and I listened while we built Lego together, and it was a fun side-activity. Repetitive, but interesting. As I've gotten more into creating electronic music, I've noticed the proclivity toward minor-mode, dark harmonic and melodic material. I like how cheery a lot of this music sounds. And then it eventually gets to "Hero," which takes things in a new, punk/new wave direction, which I also enjoyed. Very cool find, and one I know I wouldn't have stumbled on without this list!

I appreciate this album’s eclecticism, and the premise of a soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist is both brilliant and goofy (in a good way). I was thrilled to hear my boy, Jarvis Cocker, on the first track, and Nick Cave’s contribution to his fellow Bad Seed’s solo album is everything you’d expect (in a good way). There’s a tongue-in-cheek in quality to much of the album that I enjoy. If I have one criticism, it’s that I walked away without much of a sense of who Barry Adamson really IS as an artist, though the art is good. Definitely a record I intend to revisit.

When I was 12 or so, my dad bought my step brother Led Zeppelin's greatest hits when he started learning guitar, and it wasn't long before I got my hands on the CD (and a guitar). On my next birthday, my dad bought me Led Zeppelin IV, and the rest is history.

It's been years since I really gave it a proper listen, but every time I do, I'm reminded of its greatness. Jimmy Page was the king of riffs—though Black Dog's riff (written by JPJ) is arguably the greatest riff in their entire oeuvre. Stairway to Heaven is one of the greatest tracks in rock history, and despite its length, doesn't overstay its welcome. Over the years, I've come to appreciate John Bonham's role in the band, and how his drum parts accentuate the guitar parts.

They were an absolute powerhouse of a band, and while this may not be my favorite record of theirs, it's probably their best.

I feel like I haven't given this album all the time and attention it deserves, though I feel confident enough to give it a rating. Eclectic, avant-garde, and memorable, it's a daring progressive pop-soul record. Janelle Monae is such a cool artist—almost too brilliant to ever become massive.