Rated 6/10
Overall: 6/10
Man, those strings are corny as hell and date the album terribly. The first half had me considering giving this a lower rating but the second half had some pretty good guitar work and catchier songs. The guitars are incredibly jangly. Maybe it's cause I've gotten a lot of sad sounding albums lately but I'm feeling a teeny bit burnt out from the doom and gloom.
Fav Song: The Killing Moon
Least Fav Song: The Yo Yo Man
Rated 10/10
Overall: 9/10
I listened to this one twice: once in the morning before I went to work and once on my way home. The first time I picked up on the vibes and I knew I'd have to listen to it again when I could really pay attention and soak in a the melancholy. That's exactly what happened on the second listen. This album hits like a brick. Peter Hook plays the bass like he's the only person in the world who matters. The mix of acoustic and electronic drums can give the tracks an eerie vibe. The guitar work is simple yet effective. And then there's Ian Curtis...who's voice I have mixed feelings about. He seems to have graduated from the Lou Reed School for People Who Can't Sing But It's Chill Cause They're Chill. He had a way of showing off his energy and personality with his voice that a lot of classically trained singers can't pull off. I'm rambling a bit but overall, I think this is really great and well worth your time (just be patient with the vocals).
Fav Song: Disorder
Least Fav Song: Candidate
Rated 6/10
Overall: 5/10
It feels weird that I didn't like this too much after loving Faust yesterday (it's been a krautrock weekend). I appreciate what Can is doing with their music but it's not pleasant for me to listen to beyond a few really great moments. Maybe I'll come back to it at some point cause I'm not sure why it didn't click with me.
Fav Song: Future Days
Least Fav Song: Spray
Rated 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Wow, that first track is hypnotizing and almost ambient, then all hell breaks loose. Is all Krautrock like this? I think I like it! Just when you think you've heard everything, some other strange sound invades your eardrums. So unique and cool. I will admit I didnt love the end of the album but the rest was really great!
Fav Song: Jennifer
Least Fav Song: Just a Second (Starts Like That!)
Rated 8/10
Overall: 7/10
It took some time to get into the groove of this album, but the second half is almost perfect. They would get more depressing as their career went on but there's plenty of doom and gloom here as well. I might just focus on side 2 from now on but overall it's a solid album.
Fav Song: M
Least Fav Song: Three
Rated 8/10
Overall: 7/10
I've mentioned before not enjoying live albums, but I'm trying to judge these albums fairly. Johnny had a way of capturing an audience that feels magnetic and his energy is the best thing about this album. He was a wonderful live performer and I would have loved the chance to see him live at this time.
Fav Song: San Quentin 1
Least Fav Song: Starkville City Jail
Rated 8/10
Overall: 8/10
I've seen this album cover so many times and somehow never heard anything from it. That's probably why I had no idea how involved Kanye is. Musically, that was really exciting but it's also Kanye...ANYWAY Common himself is a talented lyricist with a good voice for hip hop. As much as I don't like the man, Kanye's production is truly what makes this album special imo. It reminds me of The College Dropout while still feeling fresh and different. I don't think I'll be diving into this one daily yet but I could see it growing on me.
Fav Song: Chi-City
Least Fav Song: Faithful
Rated 6/10
Overall: 6/10
There's some good songs on this one, but I didn't really love it. The atmosphere is great, probably the best thing about it. I think it's the vocals that keep me from liking it more, he's kind of whiney. Not a terrible album but not great either.
Fav Song: Being Boring
Least Fav Song: Nervously
Overall: 8/10
Janis Joplin is one of my mom's favourite artists but I somehow have only heard one song off of this one. Every time I hear her voice I just get shocked that a human being can sound like her. The rest of the band are great too but let's be honest, this is the Janis Joplin show. If she wasn't involved it wouldn't be even half as good as it is. If I have a major complaint it's that the "live" atmosphere of the album encourages these long jam sessions that would fit in better on an actual live album. Still, great album with some incredible vocals (wish she stuck around to do some metal).
Fav Song: I Need a Man to Love
Least Fav Song: Oh, Sweet Mary
Rated 10/10
Overall: 9/10
The best showcase of Lou Reed's non singing that I've heard so far! The other vocalists fit in pretty good as well. The best thing about this one is the slow songs. I found myself mesmerized by the guitar work at times. I also really enjoyed The Murder Mystery, which was a wild 8 minute ride. It's like the musical equivalent of a french new wave film. I finally understand why they're considered so influential and I might just go straight into their debut.
Fav Song: Pale Blue Eyes
Least Fav Song: Jesus
Rated 2/10
Overall: 1/10
Half porno music
Half George Harrison
Fav Song: N/A
Least Fav Song: Sleep on the Left Side
Rated 8/10
Overall: 7/10
Roundabout is one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life and Chris Squire is an insanely underrated bassist. With that being said, this album almost feels unfinished? Maybe that's just me but there seems to be a lot of short and instrumental tracks that feel like they're there to fill out the album (is there a word for that?). I still enjoyed myself and the 3 lengthy tracks make it worth it in the end.
Fav Song: Roundabout
Least Fav Song: We Have Heaven
Rated 6/10
Overall: 5/10
It's not bad but it's soooo generic and boring and sounds like every post-Oasis british band from the 90s. I liked the vocals I guess.
Fav Song: Beautiful
Least Fav Song: Captain's Table
Rated 4/10
Overall: 4/10
I'm really trying NOT to be a country hater cause I actually think there's a lot of merit to country, I just rarely if ever enjoy it. Even when I do, I never want to relisten to it. When it comes to this album, I mostly don't enjoy his voice.
Fav Song: Old Five and Dimers (Like Me)
Least Fav Song: We Had It All
Rated 8/10
Overall: 8/10
It took way too long to get to my first Beatles album. I don't care if it's cliché to say this but The Beatles are my favourite band of all time and this was their first really great album. It's not hard to imagine how they became the biggest band in history when listening to this, John and Paul are so charismatic and dominate (especially John). I'm probably gonna watch the movie tonight as well, I love the clean old man and the sad Ringo scenes so much.
Fav Song: And I Love Her
Least Fav Song: I'm Happy Just to Dance With You (Sorry, George)
Rated 8/10
Overall: 7/10
I'm so glad these two made music together for a little bit cause their voices and different styles work so well together. I do think this album is a little hit or miss on a personal level but the best songs are so good that it's still a classic. It's way too long and although it's become a staple of hip hop, I couldn't care less about the interludes/skits. B.O.B. is on this album though and that's a top 10 rap song of all time.
Fav Song: B.O.B. - Bombs Over Baghdad
Least Fav Song: Snappin' & Trappin'
Rated 6/10
Overall: 6/10
Starts off strong but this is a pretty long album and his style gets old pretty fast. Still glad I listened to it cause the good songs are awesome!
Fav Song: Stop Dat
Least Fav Song: Wot U On?
Rated 8/10
Overall: 7/10
Three things I want to highlight with this album.
One: The guitar work is insane. Whether it's hard rockers or dissonant soundscapes from hell, there's always interesting guitars to keep your attention.
Two: The drumming keeps everything from falling apart. I would go so far as to say the drums are my favourite part.
Three: The vocals. Neither vocalist is what you would call an amazing singer but their voices fit the music they make perfectly, and I especially find some weird comfort in their Lou Reed-esque delivery.
I wouldn't be able to recommend this to just anyone. If you're familiar with Sonic Youth's later, more mainstream music then check this out. I wouldn't approach it as your first Sonic Youth album though, it's closer to their noise rock era than anything.
Fav Song: Schizophrenia
Least Fav Song: Beauty Lies in the Eye
Rated 8/10
Overall: 8/10
I'm not normally a "wake and bake" type of person but I usually listen to these albums in the morning and it would just feel wrong if I didn't burn some herb to listen to this one. I don't think this album is as good as Exodus but it's pretty close. The highlights here are definitely Bob's voice/lyrics and the guitar playing. It's just classic reggae which is awesome if you're into that sort of thing (I am). Get chill and listen to this one, folks, cause it's great.
Fav Song: Natty Dread
Least Fav Song: Bend Down Low
Rated 8/10
Overall: 8/10
This is a hauntingly gorgeous pop album from the queen of Iceland. My favourite thing about Björk is that her strangeness feels authentic and you're always anticipating her next move (which never ends up being what you expect). The only reason it's not getting a perfect rating is because I don't anticipate this being the type of album that I'm constantly going to be coming back to. Regardless, I love Björk's voice and her mind and I recommend this to everyone.
Fav Song: Heirloom
Least Fav Song: An Echo a Stain
