Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day662 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… everything has to start somewhere, and this is where it all begins for the Floyd. It's fun to imagine this is the same band that, in just over 5 years, would release that crazy run of records: The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. As for the debut, though, this is, without a doubt, a psychedelic rock album, psychedelic to an almost acidic degree. "Astronomy Domine" and especially "Interstellar Overdrive" are essential Floyd numbers. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day663.

This is #day661 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to crossing out another artist from the list, as this is my second and final album by Isaac Hayes. I kind of don't mind this smooth, jazzy, and funky backdrop. I only wonder whether it really made sense to include a soundtrack on a list of albums you must hear before you die. A soundtrack to a movie I've never seen and probably never will. Hot Buttered Soul could have been left as the one essential entry. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day662, aka the first day of summer 2026.

This is #day660 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyou die challenge, and... here's to my third Zeppelin record. I mean, this is their debut. What is there to say that hasn't already been said? A good half of it is made of timeless classics, and the rest is trailblazing hard rock history. Talk is cheap, so you'd better go and listen to the music. Sounds delicious on my Technics SU-7300. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day661.

This is #day659 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… throwing a record at me whose music was written by russian composers while russia is preparing another large-scale missile and drone strike on Ukrainian cities, including my hometown? For those on the side of "culture outside politics" or "putin's war," or whatever, read about the first thing russians did after they bombed the Mariupol Drama Theater in 2022. The fuckers fenced off the ruins with displays of "great russian authors." First thing they did when they occupied Mariupol? Changed the city's welcome sign from Ukrainian to fucking russian. The terrorist country has used its language and culture as a means of dominance (particularly over Ukraine) for centuries. As a Ukrainian based in Ukraine, I'm not playing along with that shit. Instead of unwinding for the weekend after the work week, I'm fucking anxious because I know tonight or tomorrow night they're striking again. Should I hear this record before I die? This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day660.

This is #day658 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… some records just stick around, no matter what. Blame it on the timing, I guess. There should be a name for that phenomenon. How about "sentimental memory?" Like, 2008 was my first year in college, a transition period from school/childhood to… you know. It was also around then that I got proper access to the Internet and a PC, so I could finally explore more music, watch music videos, random MP3 downloads... Time is a merciless thing. Anyway, that's also when "Psychosocial" came out. As a half-alternative rock/half-electronic kid, I was always on the lookout, but Slipknot still felt like terra incognita, heavy shit from somewhere beyond my radar. So when All Hope Is Gone dropped, I played it a lot. This is the first Slipknot album I remember. Does it belong on this list? I know it was dropped in later editions, but I still don't think so. The debut? More so. Iowa? Even a better candidate. Still, I enjoyed revisiting this one and wouldn't mind coming back to it in the future. "Sulfur," "Dead Memories," "Snuff," and then "Till We Die" from the album's special edition. So many gems here. Also, it's the band's final studio album to feature the full original lineup, so... This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day659.

This is #day657 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… let's face it, EBTG is a weird band. You spend years playing jazz-folk, sophisti-pop, and whatnot, then come the '90s, a DJ remixes your song into a worldwide EDM hit, and, boom, you're trip-hoppin' and drum'n'bassin' your way through the rest of the decade with a whole new identity. I kind of don't mind this softer incarnation, though it gets overly mellow from one song to the next. But, if I were to choose which EBTG to listen to, I'd most definitely go with the electronic one. By the way, their comeback record, Fuse, is proof. As for this one, you don't have to hear it before you die. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day658.

This is #day656 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here we are with some early-'70s stuff again. My first-ever listen to Mike Oldfield. The guy can surely play the hell out of many instruments, but it all feels too loose, or whatever. Sonic doodles, if you will. Another case in point that most progressive rock just isn't my gem. Also, WTF is that growling in Pt.II for? Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day657.

This is #day655 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my penultimate Sonic Youth record. I don't think I'd ever heard this one in full before, though, so this is another first-timer for me. Honestly, sometimes I don't understand what's going on here; that's how dissonant and weird it gets. But sometimes I like not understanding, and I've always been an advocate for weirdness in music anyway. I definitely like what I'm hearing amid all this melodious chaos. Arguably the band's most post-punk record? It's also fun to view it as a precursor to Daydream Nation, where the band unfurls fully. Anyway, "Schizophrenia" forever. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day656.

This is #day654 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… sometimes there's just nothing better than good old '70s hard rock. It's been quite a while since I last got an Aerosmith record, 564 days, to be precise. If there's an album by this band to hear before you die, Toys in the Attic is one of the candidates. It's a good collection of tunes from a band in its prime, not without a couple of flaws, though. Still, there's "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion." This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day655.

This is #day653 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to another solo release from the Wu-Tang Clan camp. I don't mind it, but I'm not sure I could really tell you how it differs from, say, a Ghostface Killah record I had a while back. Otherwise, it has pretty much everything I like about '90s hip-hop. That synth on Hell's Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304, though. This is a strong 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day654.

This is #day652 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to another krautrock classic, or so they say. I'm kind of fine with the whole thing, but I find Can to be more fun, so to speak. The sax on the fifth track is great, though. Otherwise, as the last track title suggests, it's a bit of a pain. Let it be a 3 out of 5 eventually. Looking forward to #day653.

This is #day651 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this is my third and final record by Nirvana, and oh me, what a way to cross out this band from the list. Even though I think I prefer Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged, Nirvana's performance is special in its own right. There's something else between the lines and in the air. The strange, fragile sense of finality, if you will. In a punk rock Nirvana-style, there's, of course, this big "fuck you" to TV rules, with half the setlist being songs by other and/or lesser-known bands and artists. "The Man Who Sold the World" has to be one of the most iconic cover versions out there, the kind that makes you feel like it had always been a Nirvana song. Last, but not least, that screamed verse at the end of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" I'm only wondering what would have been next. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day652.

This is #day650 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to one of those thrash metal classics, yeah. I've never really gone much further than Metallica when it comes to the genre. I mean, I've checked out some of the biggest albums by their counterparts, but I wouldn't say I'm equally into those bands. This record is obviously technical, and its themes hit differently today, especially when your country has been living through a full-scale invasion for almost five years, but... I think a 3 out of 5 is the golden middle here, so that's what I'm going with. Looking forward to #day651.

This is #day649 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's a good specimen of American new wave, right? I'd never really explored Devo, even though they've always been somewhere on my radar. I guess all things take time, and music is no exception. This record is some great quirky, danceable, punky stuff... late-'70s weirdness in full display. This is also the day I finally completed my poetry manuscript, and it's ready to be sent to publishers. I guess I'm finally happy. Just wanted to leave that here for the record. Otherwise, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day650.

This is #day648 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… honestly, what is so essential about this record that you must hear it before you die? The fact that it came out in 1986 instead of during country's so-called golden age? Who even cared about country in 1986 anyway? As open-minded as I'm trying to be, I've had enough of this genre by now, and I genuinely have no idea how this record differs from half the other country albums on the list. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day649.

This is #day647 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I wish I had more to say about this record after listening to it. But if I don't, then I'm afraid it probably wasn't worth the time. I don't believe this is something you must hear before you die. Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day648.

This is #day646 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… time to close out another artist, as this is my second and final record by Ray Charles. Those big-band numbers, especially those upbeat ones, always remind me of Leland Palmer singing during the creepiest moments of Twin Peaks. Nothing personal, just a vivid association. Otherwise, a fine one-off late-night listen. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day647.

This is #day645 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some psychobilly/post-punk from the early '80s. I've come across the cover a few times, but never actually got around to listening to it until today. This album definitely deserves a higher score than its current rating suggests. If there's more late '70s-early '80s weird shit, bring it on, and I'll gladly take care of it. "Cool Drink of Water Blues" weirdly rang a bell from hell knows where. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day646.

This is #day644 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… face it, sometimes you just feel like putting on a post-hardcore record, don't you? Well, judging by this album's general rating, apparently not, which is probably another reason I'm giving it a higher score. I'm also a little biased here, since Deftones, one of my all-time favorite bands, covered "Caress" from Drive Like Jehu's debut. Anyway, this is a nice one for when you're angry. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day645.

This is #day643 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this must've sounded pretty wild for its time. It's fun that these folks kicked things off with a live album. I mean, you don't really see that these days. The record is overflowing with raw proto-punk energy built on a hard/blues/psychedelic rock backbone. I don't mind it, but it doesn't leave me particularly impressed either. That last song is a jam, though. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day644.