Reviews by meemesker

This came out the year I lived in Providence. I think the first time I heard it I was going to a Stop and Shop grocery store when I heard "Seven Nation Army" come on over the PA system. The line about Wichita really made me perk up my ears and feel homesick after having lived in Kansas for so long. The pitched down guitar basslines really stuck out from their previous records. Seems like they got a little slicker on this record, and started throwing on more bells and whistles - much to my delight. Had a friend Brian who was living up in Detroit and helping Jack White's brother build a geodesic dome around this time. Brian made sure I became a White Stripes/Jack White believer for life. This album became a big part of the soundtrack to my life. A beautiful time when something so idiosyncratic and, how should I say... analog, could be massively mainstreamly successful. Good times.

Can't deny this super fun metal. Every song is an anthem.

Never actively listened to this before, though I'm sure I heard it incidentally back in its day. I was surprised this album wasn't longer, as it is peak CD era, but man it sure feels longer than it is. I gave it a fair shake but can't get into it... at all. This is cringe for me.

The music's okay I guess, a bit dated perhaps, but he sounds like a real piece of shit as a person.

I like quite a bit of this. Loose and fun. Sounds like some our jams at different points. Very catchy in its own odd way. I'd go as far as to say I feel a sort of musical kinship with this. Reminds me a bit of a rougher/looser Robyn Hitchcock at times.

As you know, I'm a big Prince fan, and I like his albums previous to this, but "1999" is his first 5 star masterpiece in my opinion. It's where The Revolution really gelled and he perfected his signature Kinn Drum sound that I love so much. It's a double album so a bit self indulgent in places, but that's part of Prince's appeal in a way. He needed to have this manic, no holds barred brainstorm session so he could really explore and push boundaries to get to the point where he could refine that energy on his piece de resistance: Purple Rain.

It's a vibe. It's a mood. It's a groove. It's smooth.

Anything but chill, and it definitely didn't give me an orgasm.

Ground zero for hardcore punk. Used to listen to this in high school quite a bit.

Kind of surprised there are two albums by this band on the list, but it's fun, catchy stuff.

I fell in love with Dusty Springfield while listening to "Dusty In Memphis," and while that album has a particular magic of its own, this album, "A Girl Called Dusty," is no less amazing. Some truly iconic songs here. She puts so much into every song. If you're in the US and want to listen to the original UK tracklisting on Spotify, try this playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/502kIR00kWHE9mhHS1EnFd?si=kpLMLADVRIO_tDZRKGz9kg&utm_source=copy-link This track order is far superior to what was released in the US.

I've noticed this as one of the lowest rated albums on here so I have some serious trepidation going in. But on the first song I hear yeah okay, they're going for this raw, abrasive thing sure, but nothing too offensive really. The second song could definitely be played live at The Roadhouse in Twin Peaks. Third track is back to the raw, abrasive thing. I'm not gonna say I love this but if I had a few in me I could really enjoy this in a live setting. Kinda like an angry young amalgamation of Tom Waits and Ian Curtis fronting a surf-punk band. I have nothing against this. Bad dirty fun.

I generally like this as it stirs up a fair amount nostalgia for this aesthetic. The fact that this came out in 1989 simply blows my mind. I can't think of any electronic music from that year that is as sonically dense as this, balancing samples, synths, and drum sequencers so fluidly. I have newfound respect for their place in the evolution of electronic music. Kinda prefer the Utd. State 90 version that starts off with Pacific 202.

I dig the blues and all but for some reason BB King never really did a whole lot for me. He's certainly a great showman and guitar player, and maybe that's my problem; that it comes across too slick and polished - even in a live setting.

I only like Meatloaf in Rocky Horror, where he has his place but is used sparingly.

With music from the last 20 years or so, it seems harder to pick what the really BIG important albums are - but to me this is one of them.

I can see why this isn't for everyone, as it definitely is an experimental album, but they tempered it with... I wouldn't go so far as to say a poppiness, but there is a certain sweetness that makes their experimentation into a thing of thrilling beauty. They constructed such an incredibly rich, cinematic sound that it comes across like a constantly shifting sonic environment, which is particularly dazzling on headphones. Like a series of carnival rides all linked together, where you start on the gravitron, then transition into the roller coaster, and then smoothly onto the swirling teacups, one right after the other.

Animal Collective sound like they come from an alternate timeline in which Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys completed and released Smile in 1967, whereupon it set the world on fire, forever changing music as we know it. I want to live in that world. Listening to this album may be the closest I will ever get to feeling like I do.

Something else I remember feeling when I first heard this album was that they had truly found a new sound. A sound that felt unique and modern, while still remaining largely pleasant and palatable. Eschewing both the standard guitar/bass/drums of rock, as well as the dance oriented tendencies and cliches of most electronic music, they carved out new territory between the two somehow. I think that is quite an amazing achievement really. At the very least, they have a truly original, identifiable sound of their own. Career wise, it took them awhile to find the right balance of elements, but they figured it out here and undoubtedly produced their best work.

The first Pixies album I ever owned and probably still my favorite. Has a raw energy to it, almost an unhinged quality at times, that I find really thrilling. They really seem to embrace their inner weirdo while laying down their abrasive but addictive hooks.

An audiophile's wet dream. The classic album to test stereo systems and whatnot. Meticulously detailed but has a seemingly effortless flow to it. Perhaps the greatest confluence of jazz and rock music outside of Miles Davis. Smooth as the baby powder that cut the cocaine they used while making this album.

"Our House" is mini-masterpiece, and I enjoy the sheer Englishness of it all, but the rest of the album is just okay. And perhaps it's simply because "Our House" outshines everything else by so much that it comes across this way?

Ack! Morrissey again?! Just when you thought he couldn't possibly have another album on the list, there he is again, the King of the 3 star rating, staring straight at you from under his carefully groomed eyebrows.