Rated 8/10
Yes, Glam Metal is commercial and mainstream as shit. That doesn't mean I can't have a grand old time listening to it. Hot for Teacher's drum intro is still as iconic as ever, and you can't help but shout "PANAMA!" each time it's sung in the songs. It's as eighties as eighties can be. But that adds to the merit of this album rather than detracts from it if you just consider it a fun time.
Rated 6/10
The melancholic voice of Yorke is nice to listen to... Sparingly. An entire album of soft anxiousness can get boring after a while. But, I do appreciate whenever the guitars start to shred in this album. Just wish there was more of it like in The Bends.
Rated 4/10
Huh, I thought I would like this more. But halfway through I was bored to tears. I just wanted it to end. Maybe I'm getting burn-out from this challenge. But there was nothing that spoke to me in this album. It's... perfectly adequate glam rock.
Rated 4/10
Starts out with some good punk vibes, and then just throws it right down the shitter to be experimental. I get it, I don't have a fancy schmancy music degree. That doesn't mean I can't call out blaring caterwhauling when I hear it.
Rated 8/10
An upbeat album full of great flow and sick rhymes. But it's a bit too... overproduced. I missed some of the rawness of hip hop on this album, but for my first introduction to Q-Tip and a Tribe Called Quest, it's quite good!
Rated 8/10
Hey, it's pretty good!
'Simple but sweet' is the best way to describe this album for me. It's not groundbreaking or hugely experimental, and I think that's why I liked it. This challenge can get a bit exhausting at times with how artsy-fartsy some of these albums get. So I did appreciate Oasis kicking down the door and going "fuck that, let's just rock for a bit."
Rated 6/10
That cover looks like it's straight out of a metal album. Suffice to say, my expectations were wrong.
Epic rock opera jams are fun and dandy on their own, but with a full album, it can get exhausting. Meatloaf has some good vocals and good tunes, but, nothing that really stands out to me that Queen doesn't do way better. It's fun to listen to, at least.
Rated 6/10
It feels like a more carefree Cypress Hill, with none of the political bite and more of the swagger of hip-hop on full display. Fun to listen to once, but not exactly something to return to.
Yes, yes, California Dreamin' is legendary. And I'd happily listen to that over and over. But the rest of the album is the generic pop of the 60s.
Rated 10/10
Honestly, I didn't have a bad time at all with this album. Yes, sometimes it's just plain experimental nonsense. But it did not detract from my enjoyment of the rockin' riffs and the headbangers. The album feels like a "fuck you, I'll do what I want" more than a "This is sophisticated music, you just don't understand." kind of experimental.
Update: I'm giving this a 5 just because I got laid off today. It's the perfect disorienting album to accompany it with. If you don't like that, eat my whole fucking dick.
Rated 6/10
The big risk of these albums with evergreen radio hits are that you're sick of 'em. You come to this website to listen to music out of your wheelhouse. But, I suppose it is inoffensive.
Rated 8/10
Now this is a way better boy band than the Beatles were on Thursday! Just straight up fun, high-energy tracks. They are unapologetically fun to listen to.
Rated 6/10
It's the Beebles! Can't believe they had women -fainting- over these songs. They're all perfectly alright, Rock n' Roll tripe.
Rated 6/10
Listening to a single AC/DC song is great. A full album is when the cracks start to show. The heavy riffs and unapologetic machismo is fun for a bit, but the repetitiveness is clear as day.
Rated 6/10
Harris has an incredibly pleasant singing voice. But that's the only thing that carries this album.
Rated 6/10
Pretty alright, but I feel no need to return to it. And y'know, sometimes that's what this challenge is about too: listening to something new and just thanking it for the singular experience it gives you.
Rated 8/10
I'm gonna miss REM! They've got unique, beautifully rendered songs.
More Moonlight on Vermont, less Hair Pie. Genuinely struggled to finish this, but there's worse on this list. Like Kid Rock. Fuck 'im.
Rated 6/10
Ehh it's pretty chill. Dennis Wilson is a -wild- figure, though. Phew.
Rated 8/10
Simple, thrashy, and fun to listen to. Doesn't need to be more than that. Although whether this classifies as an 'album' I'll leave to the more pedantic reviewers.
