Reviews by mattrickpow

Overall: 6/10

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The vocals are okay but it's the synths that are a lot of fun. I found the whole album to be pretty relaxing overall and I would recommend it even for just one listen.

Fav Song: Georgia
Least Fav Song: Sealand

Overall: 2/10

This was one really long "song". There's obviously talent involved in arranging these vocal harmonies but there's nothing interesting going on in my opinion.

Fav Song: The Whole Thing
Least Fav Song: The Whole Thing

Overall: 10/10

This is such a gorgeous album. The tone of this album is immediately warm and inviting. The production makes you feel like you've stumbled upon the band performing in the middle of a forest. The harmonies are mind blowingly beautiful and give me so much comfort. This might also be the best an acoustic guitar has ever sounded on record. I say all of this while not being a huge fan of this style of folk rock that was so popular at the time, but these guys do it better than anyone I've ever heard. I'm gonna have to check out more of their stuff now. (I didn't want to give this a perfect rating cause I feel like I rate albums too highly but man, I can't help it when artists are making bangers like this.)

Fav Song: White Winter Hymnal
Least Fav Song: He Doesn't Know Why

Overall: 8/10

I know and love the singles off of this album passionately but for some reason I've never felt compelled to listen to the entire thing. What a dummy. I do think the singles are far and away better than every other track on the album but when the singles are this good it doesn't really matter. I just enjoy that they tried to do something a little different with each song, with electronic and folky sounds co-mingling in a pot of insanely catchy pop music. Has it aged well? That I'm not sure, but it's at least a great capsule of what 2007 was like (I would assume, I was only 10 at the time).

Fav Song: Time to Pretend
Least Fav Song: Of Moons, Birds & Monsters

Overall: 9/10

This is just a classic. Filled to the brim with fun, entertaining operatic rock and roll. Freddie is one of the all time great vocalists. This is almost a 10/10 album but there's a couple songs that I don't love (why does Brian May sing on this one???). I love Queen and I always will.

Fav Song: Bohemian Rhapsody
Least Fav Song: Good Company

Overall: 5/10

This is the kind of music I picture being played in the background of a Bond film where he spends most of the runtime seducing ladies across South America. Cool concept to mix Dub and Tango music, it's just not something I see myself coming back to. Good music for studying or relaxing.

Fav Song: Tríptico
Least Fav Song: Una Música Brutal

Overall: 7/10

I only know three Depeche Mode songs and they all came out after this album so I found this very interesting! It's pretty much what I expected them to sound like. It's like synthpop made in the lower depths of hell. It's danceable music but there's something sinister behind it, and I think a lot of that comes from the haunting vocals and ambient soundscapes added into the back of some of these songs. I'm honestly shocked that I'd never heard any of these songs before but I can't wait to hear more from these guys!

Fav Song: Behind the Wheel
Least Fav Song: Little 15

Overall: 8/10

I have to admit, my exposure to Nick Cave's music is incredibly limited. Without looking him up, the only thing I'm aware I've listened to is his collaborative score for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Based on that score and my overall preconceptions of what Nick's band would sound like, I was really shocked to find how energetic this is! Nick has a lot of range with his voice and I love the gospel-esque backing vocals on some of these tracks. I also enjoy the fact that they aren't afraid to get a little weird (Fable of the Brown Ape is such a strange song but I love it). I haven't decided which half I enjoy more and I'm not sure if I'll ever listen to the whole thing in one sitting again due to it's length, but it's the rare double album where I think every track deserves to be here.

Fav Song: There She Goes, My Beautiful World
Least Fav Song: Spell

Overall: 5/10

First of all, I'd like to acknowledge the incredible talent that went into making this album. Evey musician here is clearly a master at what they do. With that being said, I find Jazz to be a tough genre to fully immerse myself into. Monk is obviously a class A pianist and there were moments here that I really enjoyed. I just couldn't find anything about this album that I could sink my teeth into. I would still recommend it to people who are already into Jazz cause it's certainly a rollercoaster of an album that's worth giving a shot.

Fav Song: Pannonica
Least Fav Song: Bemsha Swing

Overall: 5/10

The very definition of "okay". The best thing about the album is that if you're able to get over how cheesy and outdated the songs are then you'll end up having a pretty good time. The hits are good, the non-hits just exist. I certainly wouldn't have included it in the list, just listen to the singles and you're good.

Fav Song: Wanted Dead or Alive
Least Fav Song: Wild in the Streets

Overall: 9/10

I like to discuss my list process with a couple friends of mine and as a little joke they ask me every day what album I thought would generate for me, and every single day I say "Bayou Country by CCR" and the day has finally come! John Fogerty is one of the all time great rock vocalists and the entire band are so talented and fun to listen to. This isn't even the best album they released in 1969 and I think that says a lot about how incredible their music is. I personally would recommend everything they made (skip the last album). My only real problem with this album is that it's too short!!!

Fav Song: Born on the Bayou
Least Fav Song: Good Golly Miss Molly

Overall: 6/10

The hits off of this album belong in some sort of hall of fame. Possibly for rock. As for the deeper cuts, those can be put in a box and be forgotten about.

Fav Song: Gimme All Your Lovin'
Least Fav Song: If I Could Only Flag Her Down

Overall: 6/10

This is my 100th album! I found it to be a pleasant listen. There are times the solos get bluesy which is probably my favourite part, and Ali has a nice voice. I likely won't ever sit down and think "I wanna listen to Talking Timbuktu" but some stuff here might end up on a work/chill playlist.

Fav Song: Diaraby
Least Fav Song: Sega

Overall: 6/10

There are moments in here that I enjoy, but listening to this kind of felt like listening to one 50 minute song. Hopefully one day I can come back to it and learn to appreciate but for now it's kind of bland.

Slight Update: I had time to listen to this more than once so I took advantage of that. Upon relistening I definitley enjoyed it more, I still think it's way too long and I don't think Beck has a great voice for the type of sadboy vibe he's going for but it's a solid effort.

Fav Song: Lost Cause
Least Fav Song: Round the Bend

Overall: 7/10

I recently got over my hatred of Radiohead and can now acknowledge how experimental and cool they are. That being said, I still don't really enjoy Thom's voice and it sounds especially whiney on this album for some reason. I understand that it was recorded at the same time as the songs from Kid A and you can tell as it's stylistically similar. It feels somewhat more claustrophobic than Kid A but it's still a pleasant listen with lots of cool electronic sounds peppered in. Not the best introduction for a newcomer to Radiohead but it's worth your time.

Fav Song: Life in a Glasshouse
Least Fav Song: You and Whose Army?

Overall: 10/10

:) :) :) :) :) :)

After ending 2024 with a 1 star album, 2025 is off to a good start cause this is one of my all time favourite albums. When I was in high school I decided I wanted to get into records and my mom gave me all of her old records since she didn't listen to them anymore. I remember looking through her records and being intrigued by this album cover. There's something about it that just instantly felt iconic to me. It ended up being the first album I ever listened to on vinyl and I think it's an understatement to say that it was life changing for me. As soon as the opening chords of Good Times Roll came in I was entranced. You might think I'm crazy for saying this but it's a core memory for me. To this day (about 12 years since I first heard it) I still listen to it at least once a month. Every single song is a banger and Benjamin Orr was such a rockstar 😍 Ugh, gonna go listen to it 20 more times today

Fav Song: Moving in Stereo
Least Fav Song: ????? Impossible, are you nuts?

Overall: 1/10

What a way to end the year. It blows me away that a group of musicians got together and decided to make this. The synths are annoying, the drums sound like crap and the vocals are so stuck in the 80s that they're wearing leg warmers. I wouldn't even bother with this one in any other context.

Fav Song: Penthouse and Pavement
Least Fav Song: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang

Overall: 8/10

Really good, rocking album from my fellow countryman. I was shocked that there were only 7 tracks but that's what happens when an album from the 60s has two nearly 10 minute songs lol my biggest complaint would be that he should have edited a couple tracks down, but even those songs are really good so it's hard to complain about it. I've always loved Neil's voice because it's so unconventional and interesting to me. I can't wait to get more Neil (5 more albums in the list with his involvement as far as I know)

Fav Song: Cinnamon Girl
Least Fav Song: Down by the River

Overall: 8/10

After reading about how influential and important this album was, I was surprised to see that not many people have actually listened to it (or Nyro in general). It's a very soulful album and Nyro has the perfect voice for this type of music. It also mixes fast and slow paced songs in a way that keeps the album interesting and fresh throughout. I'm very thankful for this discovery.

Fav Song: Poverty Train
Least Fav Song:

Overall: 5/10

Well, that is easily the worst album cover I've come across so far, and it doesn't even fit the music. I was expecting some sort of hip hop project but this is more latin/country/indie rock. While I enjoy some of the songs, I don't really see a reason why this was included in the list. I ended up zoning out on multiple occasions which is rare for me with music. Unless you're hardcore taking this list seriously, I would recommend just skimming through this one.

Fav Song: Black Heart
Least Fav Song: Güero Canelo