Reviews by ninexnineteen

It's hard to beat a Doors album. Almost gotta do it with another Doors album, you know?

Quite enjoyable listening, especially when I I only listen to this band like twice a year. The vocal affect the singer puts on would get annoying in a dose any larger than that. The song "Milk" was really distracting and would have been much better as an instrumental track.

⭐⭐⭐.49

Well, this definitely wasn't in the "music I like" category, but it did turn out to be "music I'll listen to once and not gripe too much about," which greatly surprised me. Normally, I'd skip a track after hearing about 30 seconds of what this album sounds like.

I'm not exactly sure what held my attention for the whole album. Mostly unlikeable, but interesting in a sort of "modern art" kind of way

⭐⭐.49

This episode of Regular Music That is Fine, brought to you by Regular and Fine Music Corporation and new Low Sodium Saltines, features, ah I'm not even sure if this band has a name, but all you out there in Regular Music That is Fine Retirement Communities can rest assured, this is Regular Music That is Fine. Guaranteed to not excite you, give you palpitations, or inspire you to do anything physical, which as you all know can include falling down stairs. Here Regular and Fine Music Corporation, your safety and calmness is our primary concern.

⭐⭐.51

Not sure why I ever read other reviews when there's a black artist to listen to. I never learn and am disappointed every time. Some of you folks sound like the backward commenters who stalk the major news sites to shout to the rest about how poorly your mind works.

50 has a killer flow and great beats. Heat, in particular, had a clever one, and also was pretty disturbing. For me, very few rappers pick beats that integrate so well into their flow, or conversely, adapt their flow to dovetail so well into their beats. Excellent musicianship.

50 also does a great job of picking guests for verses on his tracks. Everyone slides into the thematic and stylistic feel of the song so well. I often criticize rappers for doing an entire album talking about how much of a badass they are, and while 50 does that to a substantial degree here, I don't care at all because he's so good at it.

This was my first listen to this album in its entirety, but absolutely will not be the last.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My only familiarity with this band is from their single Love Spreads in the mid 90s, which I remember being cool and a bit bluesy.

Not having heard this album contemporaneously, I have to look back to what I know was being listened to back then, and this seems like it would have been pretty fresh at the time. It seems pretty fresh to me even today, really. I guess U2 and the Smiths /Morrissey we working somewhat in this area at the time. They both have different sounds, but I don't find it a stretch at all that someone would be listening to all three of these bands on the same day. I do think Stone Roses set themselves out in that group with their arrangements, use of reverb, and guitar tones. It's not "easy listening," but damn, is it easy to listen to. Fools Gold, in particular was really enjoyable

I think I'll add this to my personal collection and give it a few more spins. It's good today, but I think I could really come to love this in the future

This held my attention from note one all the way to the end. Great mix of styles, cool samples from TV and everyday life, and a great composition overall. I'll add this to my personal collection

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I instantly fell in love with Elliot's music when I heard it on Good Will Hunting on the late 90s. These were the days you'd hear a song in the middle of a movie, try to remember a lyric that you thought might be the title, and hope you remembered what it was in the closing credits so you could pause the tape or DVD to read the artist's name. Then you had to go to the record store and talk to the music nerd at the counter to see if he knew the album it was on. And this particular one, you just couldn't find. Fortunately a few years later, I got a good internet connection (for the time) and Napster? Limewire? Something like that. This music has been with me a long time. I just listened to two or three albums of his is in a row earlier this year.

Anyway, I love his delicate vocal delivery, how well he conveys his soul and his thoughts, that he's a one man show, and...like literally everything about his music. There isn't a single thing I don't like or could suggest to improve. This is perfection. My inability to articulate how much and why I like this album is frustrating, but fortunately I don't have to do a good job on my review to be able to listen again.

Thank you Elliot. I wish I could thank you for how much and how many times you have moved me over the years.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a horrific stereo mix. Very likely to be the worst I have ever heard. I'm four songs in, and if this album was doing anything at all for me, I'd go download the mono version. Actually, fuck it. I'll grab that and start over. I think most of what I hate about this is how distracting the mix is. BRB

Holy shit, what a difference. This went from "unlistenable trash" to "quite enjoyable" instantly. And now that I have this in my personal collection, I think it'll stay there. This deserves a follow-up listen, for sure

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I liked this, and I think I want to give it another spin soon. With my middling Spanish, it's hard to not try interpreting Brazilian Portuguese. It's also not very fruitful

⭐⭐⭐.75

This appears to be my 5th (and last) Sonic Youth album from the list. I loved Daydream Nation and really thought I had changed my mind about the band. Now, listening to this and looking back at my last reviews, I think I was overzealous when I said I "changed my mind" about them. Daydream Nation was a great album by a band I think is average at best, and sometimes bad.

On to this particular album...pretty annoying in parts, undeveloped flashes of brilliance in other places. When these guys make music, I'm into it, but mostly...well, not mostly; too often they make noise. I enjoy like 65% of what I'm hearing, but the noise breaks are way too long and detract from what I like.

Ultimately, a band I don't like made an album I do like. My mind wasn't changed about them like I thought, and I feel comfortable saying that because I listened to 5 of their albums.

And again, NO ARTIST SHOULD HAVE FIVE FUCKING ALBUMS ON THIS LIST, especially when most of their music sounds so samey.

⭐⭐75

The only song I liked on the album, Rob's Theme, sounded nothing like the rest of the album, which is exactly why I liked it. Everything else was just so aggressively bland and samey. I've got no beef with britpop or even that British bands are somewhat overrepresented on the list, but this was just so generic that it was a chore to listen to. Glad to be done with that

⭐⭐

This is fucking corny as shit. The first half of the album is the guy rapping about how good of a rapper he is. And he's not, actually. Erik B and Rakim had four whole albums before this. He should know what a good rapper sounds like.

This got buried in the 1994 charts because there were other rappers out there ACTUALLY breaking ground, instead of corny and tired boom-bap. To this album's credit, there are a couple of tracks toward the end that don't necessarily sound like what I just described, but it was too little too late for me to be very impressed. Even then, just a guy talking about how awesome he is. Tired. Lame. Was never cool. I can listen to sub-par performers brag unjustifiably about their capabilities at work. What I can't do at work is skip tracks halfway through so I don't have to endure the contempt I have for the braggart.

Feeling generous: ⭐⭐

I have quite liked other albums by The Divine Comedy, but this is a letdown. This would be entirely forgettable were it not for its juvenile lyrics. I think, if I were an artist, I'd rather be forgotten than remembered as having written lyrics in 5th grade that I wasted a bunch of money and time on by hiring an orchestra to record them.

The orchestra is pretty great though. I could handle a whole album of them playing these songs without the bad lyrics their sub-par delivery. As it is, I'm two songs from the end, wishing I was listening to something else, but I feel too close to finishing to quit. Fuck it. I can guess what the rest of this song and the next one will sound like. I'm out

⭐⭐

What a tragic album. If my wife was making music like this, I'd be very concerned I was a piece of shit. I can't imagine Loretta and her husband were together for something like 50 years, with her dealing with the subject matter of most of these songs the whole time. What a miserable life that must have been.

Extraordinary vocal control of her very sweet voice. Solid country album. I don't think I'll be returning to this, but she deserves every bit of the stars I'm giving.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don't know when I found this album, but I know it was early because it seems like I have always liked it. Some time in my early teens, probably. I liked it immediately, and my appreciation for it has only grown in the last 30ish years. It has been in my collection since I was a teenager, I think. A long time, anyway

It's wild to me that a 3 piece band is making this kind of sound.

This album receives my highest award: listening twice in a row. Unfortunately, work got in the way and I couldn't finish the second pass. I definitely will this week, however

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yes!

This was a great album! Musicianship, originality, drama, harmonies! I couldn't ask for too much more. One of my highest endorsements: I listened twice back to back

⭐⭐⭐⭐.49

This is my 4th Sonic Youth album from the list. One sucked, one was average, and the other was great. For this one, while I'm not upset about listening to it, I can't foresee a situation in which I'd want to spin this again.

⭐⭐.75

I don't understand why this is praised as much as I have read, as there a couple good songs, but nestled amongst mostly alright songs. Enjoyable all the way around, but only a couple tracks were inspiring to me.

Not sure what all the fuss is about, but I don't regret listening

⭐⭐.75

I'd have lost money if you asked me to bet on whether or not a Limp Bizkit album would ever appear on a list of 1,001 essential albums. Like, a LOT of money...

This is certainly a blast from the past. I also would have lost a lot of money on a bet about me intentionally listening to this band ever again. And I also would have lost a bunch of money on the side bet that I'd enjoy it. Pretty fucking surprised all around on this one...

I don't WANT to like this. I would feel morally satisfied if I could honestly say "I hate this and it's garbage music for meth heads." Because it is. But I can't say I don't like it. Shit. Give me a well done ribeye with some ketchup, I guess. The only person who knows I'm listening to this right now is me, and I'm running scenarios in my head on how to explain that I'm doing it on purpose if someone were to find out and rightfully rebuke me for my awful musical tastes.

I was dreading listening to this, and then I saw it was 75 minutes. But the first song just grabbed me, and the rest never let me go. I'm kinda hyped listening to Rollin', actually. Oof. They should DEFINITELY stay away from ballads though. The One is pretty rough, and Hold On was a miss too, but it might have been alright as a shorter track. I also could have done without the remix of Rollin', but was grateful to hear a DMX verse. I love that guy's flow. Overall, pretty damned enjoyable. I have also heard some TERRIBLE skits on albums in my day, but we definitely have a winner for "Outro" as the worst of the worst. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why artists include this kind of shit on their albums.

To be clear, I don't think this album belongs anywhere near this list, but I did enjoy most of it. It was kind of like being really satiated by a couple of McDonald's cheeseburgers and some fries; it's NOT a good burger and it doesn't belong on a list of greatest foods, but it is an enjoyable meal once a year or so. That said, due to my embarrassment, I don't think I'll be adding this to my collection. But it'll still exist on streaming services in a few years if I ever want to listen again.

My ratings come from a biased personal enjoyment perspective because I'm not educated enough to be a music critic.

⭐⭐⭐.75