Reviews by theblanderman

This is ok. Overall, very mellow and inoffensive (except when gay men are mentioned, then it gets offensive in a different way). Looks like Common has since denounced his homophobic lyrics which is good to see.
If I wanted to listen to jazz rap I'd probably go for A Tribe Called Quest or Nujabes but this is fine. 3/5

This might be the single greatest work out album I've heard (tied with The Second Toughest in the Infants for favorite running album. Smack My Bitch Up and Breathe and both outstanding. I don't much care for the Diesel Power (not a huge Kool Keith fan these days) or Funky Shit. But when I'm running it's all good. 5 for exercising and 3 for casual headphone listening. 4/5

Well I can't say I enjoyed listening to it all that much, but the innovation is there and that deserves an extra star. 2/5

There are too many albums for many artists on this list. One of the biggest offenders is Sonic Youth. While I admit their albums all hit differently, I would almost consider inconsistent rather than innovative as their general sound doesn't evolve or change (with the exception of this album's predecessor Goo, they figured it out for that one).
The first half of this record gets off to a poor start, with the band returning to their garage quality post-punk roots. I like the messaging of Youth Against Fascism of course, with the songs that follow getting much better over the course of the second half. It wasn't enough to salvage the record, though. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

Fred Durst knows the f word.

One of the most disturbing titles and pieces of album artwork. I was expecting to hate this, but it was a modicum more interesting than I expected. Extremely juvenile with little to say, but the nu metal riffs were heavy. Like a trailer park rage against the machine. 1.5/5 -> 2/5

A flawless progressive rock masterpiece from start to finish. 5/5

There were some experimental moments that were interesting, but mostly this gave off bad post-punk recorded in a garage vibes. Meh. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

While I am generally hit or miss with Morrissey/Smiths stuff, this was more of a hit. Some fun and interesting tracks with a good closer. It's still a pet peeve of mine that he is so relentless and continuous in his singing (doesn't give the music time to breathe) but still good. 3/5

This was one of the most poorly sequenced and inconsistent albums I've heard in this list. There was no rhyme nor reason for the song lengths, some songs were >5mins and far too long for the limited content/repetition, and some were 2 mins and not flushed out. The album had numerous moments where multiple interludes were in a row that only detracted. The most "exciting" descriptions of the band "Indian music" and "danceble-pop" were either rarely used (the former) or totally absent (the latter).
Overall this sounds like a bad debut album, but sadly it was their 3rd. The moments of Indian style music were the most interesting though barely present. 1.4/5 -> 1/5.

I've been pretty rough on all things Jungle and Drum'n'bass, but compared to bloated albums like New Forms or Timeless this is a small breath of fresh air. While having numerous different artists contribute makes this feel a bit like your friend LTJ Bukem burned a CD mixtape for you to listen to of his favorite songs, the variety did help the tracklist feel a bit more fresh, and how LTJ mixed them into one 67min mix at the end of the album did make me feel more forgiving here.
I actually really liked Night Train, as it fit my 4am bus ride in the dark well, with Music and Jazz Lick both doing interesting things as well.

So while this certainly has it flaws, it made me appreciate the experience. 3/5

...Also, this album made me realize the Super Monkey Ball soundtrack has d'n'b elements, which made me happy. 🐒

This album is good, but hasn't aged particularly well over the years. It's successors are all superior albums, especially Angel Dust which would be an easy 5 for me. Still though, ok while it's on. 3/5

I saw this cover show up and let out a huge groan. I really have not liked anything I've heard from Sonic Youth on this list so far. I figured Goo would be another drab and uninteresting post-punk/alt-rock album.
I was totally wrong
From the start, Goo is such an interesting move into noise rock (dare I say there are some grunge sensibilities here too?) that varies the track list from song to song. Each song either stands on it's own laurels, or is a great transition moment. The only thing I'd change from Dirty Boots through Mildred Pierce is to make a seamless transition between Mary-Christ and Kool Thing, but maybe there was a technical reason for that or something. There are cool post-rock and metal elements throughout as well. Cinderella is a bit of a boring track, and Titanium is a bit weak at the start but picks it up at the end. All around I am shocked I loved this so much but it's well deserved. 4.5/5 -> 5/5

I was honestly expecting to dislike this but it was pretty engaging, though a bit long and the tracks blended together a bit. All around not bad at all. 3/5

I wanted to like this one, but found it incredibly boring and tedious to sit through (though it's probably a personal taste thing). Not for me, though I acknowledge some musical talent throughout. 2/5

I've listened to this for years, and while it's not Royksopp's best album (that honor belongs to Junior) it still has a nice, pensive, sunsetty vibe. 4/5

Not bad by any means. Did it absolutely blow my mind? No. Was it all that unique in the history of music? No. But it was not an earsore when it was on. 2.7/5 -> 3/5

The beginning of the album that was instrumental and before the big hits came up was really impressive... The Master of Puppets came on - the symphony awkwardly trying to fit itself in while Metallica only sings half the lyrics, not what I was hoping.
...
So now that I finished the album, my feelings are mixed. You can tell the orchestra spent more time defining their sound on bigger songs (MOP, One, ES, Battery) but others they didn't contribute much. Of those hit songs audience participation was always annoying. While that is fun at a live show, if they knew this was being recorded I wish they would have just done a complete job. I'm also ok with Metallica in small bits, but over two hours was a bit much.
TLDR this album was a cool concept that would have been much improved through full performances by the band, and editing the setlist down to 60-75 mins. 3/5

Honestly, other than Good Times this sucks. The songs overstay their welcome (including Good Times). They are funky but all sound similar enough that it's not very interesting. And all of the tracks are SO repetitive. Made for a 70s/80s dancefloor and not my headphones I suppose. 1.5/5 -> 2/5

This is a reminder that even in the "golden age" of music artists still released ass.
"Parade" might be one of the worst songs I've ever heard. Many of the other tracks are either instrumental messes, or boring love ballads.(or both). Then the album burst into "You Didn't Have to be So Nice" which brought in the worst goddamn child singer, and ended in her badly scatting. The whole album was <30min but it felt like forever and a waste of my time when I'm sure there is better samba out there. 1/5

I feel pretty neutral to this. Some more interesting moments in the beginning of the album. Later in the album dragged on a bit with several songs overstaying their welcome and being too repetitive. Meh. 2.5/5 -> 3/5