Reviews by thelofistorm

AYYYYY!!! I’ve wanted to listen to this for a second but not enough to, y’know, actually listen to it. It’s great though. Not entirely sure why the Spotify track listing was wacked to fuck, but nothing a bit of queueing up won’t fix. Anyway this album is awesome! Just a bunch of really nice tracks, with some really good standouts, most notably the beautiful “El Paso,” and a few other great ones. Robbins’ voice, though easily likened to better artists such as Cash or Campbell, is still a sturdy and well-used voice, and across the album the performances are great.
9.0/10

OHHHH FUCK YOU. Ehh it’s not that tragic that I got this album. I just don’t love this album like I do his other work. Love and Hate is to this day one of the best albums ever made in my opinion, and his debut is pretty incredible too. Both are leagues ahead of this. Bird on the Wire: not only overrated, but Johnny Cash did it better anyway. The real highs of this album lie in “Story of Isaac,” “The Partisan,” “Seems So Long…,” and “The Butcher,” but even then it’s too unremarkable to stick like it wants to.
7.4/10

Hot damn this white girl has a blaccent. Like a legitimately insane blaccent. It's not that big of a deal, I mean it's a 1960s pop soul album, of course she has a blaccent. It's just very noticeable, y'know? Anyway "Mama Said" is a pretty great song, and the rest of the album follows suit. The only problem is the “suit” is pretty okay covers of songs of varying quality. She has a pretty cool voice but not much further, and as the songs’ qualities begin to decline as the album progresses, it begins to get pretty old. The highlights (mama said, nothing, pretty much any of the straight-up rhythm and blues cuts) are enough to give this a tentative passing score but it’s certainly not anything special.
6.6/10

Well, twist my arm! I’ll listen to dollar store TPAB any day. So this album, “Untitled (Black Is),” is a celebration of Black identity, that much is clear. It’s from 2020 so obviously it’s VERY politically conscious, and it’s got some nice vibes! The problem? Nothing stands out. I’ve listened to many a musical celebration of Black identity, from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (the best soul album of all time, as well as the best hip-hop album of all time, argue with a wall) to To Pimp A Butterfly itself (you know it. If you don’t, you’ve been living under a rock and it’s time to accept that) to Black Messiah, and honestly D’Angelo’s entire career. I don’t intend to pit different celebrations of Black culture against each other, especially as someone who IS NOT BLACK, but when you draw the comparisons between those albums and “Untitled,” the quality of the latter is evidently lower. The big problem is that a lot of the time the album just repeats mantras, which certainly creates a vibe, and I can surmise the intent behind all of the songs without passing it off as merely pleasant background noise, but I can’t quite justify it as the transcendent piece of art that it obviously wants to be. Certainly it’s beautiful, and rousing at times (especially on the album’s best interlude, “Us”). At the end of the day it’s pretty good, even if too inoffensive for how political it’s trying to be.
7.9/20

Well!! My second dire straits album. And wow they’re way less cool now! I mean the concept isn’t necessarily bad, so far away alone should justify the switch to this softer, poppier rock landscape, but the second I saw the genre tags I knew this wasn’t going to surpass their debut (which, fun fact, was the first album I ever got on this site, which I awarded a 9.7/10, or on this site’s more restrictive rating scale, a 5/5). Money for nothing is cool but then mark says the f-slur so it’s less cool. He also tries to have this swagger that he just cannot pull off realistically. Actually his voice is pretty annoying throughout this whole thing, like really annoying. Also why is every song like a billion years long? This thing is fifty-five whole minutes. It should not be that long. I don’t even know the point of this. In fact I don’t even think this is a good album. There’s one actually good song and everything else is worthless.
5.2/10

ABBA really deserves the flowers they get nowadays as a truly incredible force of music at their best. Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, Gimme Gimme Gimme, all absolute classic bangers. Now obviously this album only has two of those absolute classics, but it is still a very quality album. Especially when you have one of the best songs of all time, Dancing Queen, in the second slot. Obviously there are SOME duds, but there’s still some really great standouts, and by the end of the A-side it’s a really great if slightly flawed (it would be very flawed if I didn’t think dum diddle was the funniest thing ever) album! By the end of the B-side, it’s a similar story, even though it mostly rides on the afterglow of Dancing Queen. Even so it’s a great album with a couple of fantastic songs.
8.4/10

HOT DAMN!! Woulda preferred perhaps a different Fleetwood Mac album but I can’t be too picky. It’s still iconic and great. And great it really is. Some of the most impressive vocal performances from the band members, ESPECIALLY Stevie. Even though its intense eclecticism leads to a few straight duds (most notably the incredibly annoying “what makes you think…”), there’s a surprising amount of what I assume are new sounds to the band that actually work insanely well, even in the context of a soft rock album, including two cowpunk songs that are actually incredibly good, and a new wave song that I WILL defend fiercely. Very little filler too, even with its impressive 74 minutes of runtime. The only real filler I’d say exists here is the song “you’ll never make me cry,” and even that is pretty half-decent. The peaks of this album though (“Sara,” “Angel,” “Brown Eyes,” “I Know I’m Not Wrong,” “Tusk,” “Never Forget,” etc.) are too many and too incredible to not look at this album for what it really is: an exceptional soft rock album with some true experimental and forward-thinking tendencies.
9.2/10

This! This is the good stuff. A good metal song imo is one of the peaks of music, and almost every song here is GREAT. Just absolutely fantastic. From the window to the wall just absolutely insane performances. Feels like a precursor to a lot of the stuff rites of spring would go on to do, and every song just fucking rips. Every. Single. One. Not much more I can say. Just listen to it.
10/10

The fact that this is at a 2.86/5 is atrocious. No it’s not some sort of incredible masterpiece, but it deserves some level of recognition for what it did for the music landscape as a whole. Y’all ever pull your heads out of your asses long enough to notice that shit doesn’t get released on a Tuesday anymore like it did back in your prime (RYM I love you, these insults are directed at the pricks who log on to 1001 and give this pretty alright album a 2/5)? Anyway this is pretty good yeah. Pretty hurts is a wonderful song, and there are a couple other great songs too, such as Blue and Heaven. I’d actually already heard this one but it still brings good memories.
7.6/10

HA! WELL WELL WELL! I’ve been meaning to listen to this for a second now so I’m glad to get it! Obviously I first had to listen to the new underscores album, which if you were wondering, is a 10/10, and also I was out on the town today, looking at some historical London things, which was actually quite boring, but this is pretty good too, even in comparison to the current aoty. Obviously the first 3 songs are just some of the best ever, some of just the most exceptional jazz playing I’ve ever heard, and even more so, incredibly soothing and atmospheric too! Like, chicagoans especially know what I’m talking about when I say this album sounds like being inside the Adler planetarium, or the art institute. Or like, look up the video for “de-dah” by Tigran Hamasyan, that’s a good example of what the best kinds of these albums sound like. It’s simply one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, and in many ways it is nearly perfect.
9.8/10

44 minute garage punk jawn? I didn’t think those existed. Whatever let’s see how this is. Well, I’ve listened to it now, and let me tell you, it’s exactly what you’d expect. It’s… too long, too samey, not crazy enough at times, and kind of just like if white stripes were way punkier. Which that’s not bad at all, it’s just not really my thing, especially if you’re going to make it more than like 25 minutes long. This is 20 minutes more than 25 minutes, and that is its problem. Anyway I had a nice time in London today, it was pretty cool. I saw “my neighbour totoro” in theatre. This album is alright.
6.5/10

I’m in London and am in the middle of a pretty strong yet latent mental breakdown!! This album’s pretty cool though. Idk. Synthpop’s obviously not really my thing, especially when it relies so heavily on this mechanical darkness that in this album’s case most of the time ends up more of a detriment than anything else. Numan sounds like Tom Verlaine but David Bowie, and omg I’m in some random fucking Airbnb I didn’t ask for this get me out of here oh my fucking actual G-d. Sorry about that this is getting to me. 5 more days. 5. More. Days. Anyway uhh the vocals are incredibly unimpressive and when they’re actually good it just makes the bad ones stand out even more. None of the songs are necessarily bad they’re all just so robotic that they’re just kinda standing there. Obviously a lot of them stand out to an extent, and the monotonous style of the album does actually give it a lot of consistency, even though it’s fairly unimpressive most of the time. Additionally, certain songs, such as the absolutely spectacular “Conversation” (which stands out for all the right reasons, being the longest and also the most personally resonant song on this album) help this still stand above the line of mediocrity, even if just barely. AKA it’s pretty alright now I’m gonna go listen to the Lex Walton jawn like Isabelle’s been telling me to do.
7.0/10

What is this and why am I getting it. I am not interested in this. This album has a song on it called “krazy krush.” What the fuck. I’m going to London today in other news. Uhh I’m not finishing this. This is insanely boring. Just like I cannot even stand how boring this project is. I’m not finishing this, no. Disappointed in this site.
3.4/10

Isabelle’s gonna be psyched as fuck for this lmao. Anyway I’ve decided to make this a diary type thing as well as a review. So what did I do today? I had lunch at Potbelly, the second best restaurant I have easy access to. I had a pretty good day all things considered. The quality of this diary will one day increase once I know what to say. For now let's talk about this album I listened to today. All you really need to know is it's a 10. That's for sure. I don't know the best song, or anything like that, just that it's a 10/10. There isn't a single moment in this album that isn't a fiery scream of absolute devastated rage (ha) at everything awful in the world. Every song feels like a separate doctrine against every billionaire, landlord, and oppressor ever. If you haven't listened to it please do, it's one of the best albums I have ever heard.
10/10

Acid house, huh? Like that one LCD Soundsystem song? One touch? That’s a dope track. Let’s see what this jawn’s all about. Well, the first obvious problem is how samey it is all the way through. That’s kinda it for the problems though. It’s very well-produced and it flows well, and… how do I say this? It sounds like the cover of an Alvvays album. Or perhaps it sounds like it exists in the same universe as Alvvays. Alvvays is like the Twee pop version of this, and this is like the lighter, funner, acid house version of this heat’s self-titled. Don’t @ me bout that either. Anyway the obvious standout here is pacific 202, but there are other good songs. My favorite part about this album as a whole is its use of contrasting textures, like those vocal lines and the synths in donkey doctor, or the saxophone in pacific 202. It’s just a really really pleasant experience all around.
8.0/10

Imagine giving me a Fiona Apple album. Imagine giving ME. A Fiona Apple album. I have listened. To every single Fiona Apple album. She is my fourth favorite solo artist of all time. She does not have an album below a 9. This album is especially good though, so let’s talk about it. First of all, the entire first side is straight-up spotless. The first five songs are five of the best songs ever made, and that’s said confidently. Sleep to dream, sullen girl, shadowboxer, criminal, and slow like honey are all like insane highlights. It’s like weird and kinda unfair that all five of those songs are on the same side of the same album. The second side is definitely worse, however, it’s still great! The first taste was a song that initially I was kinda lukewarm on, but L-rdy it’s so well produced. Those guitars… what. Never is a promise was always a favorite, though my enjoyment of it has waned since I first heard it. Idk, just sounds more dull now. It’s the same with the following two songs on the album. However the closer is great, even if I prefer the switchup to the rest of the song. Anyway this is a fantastic debut and Fiona Apple is so awesome.
9.5/10

Oh nice. I like The Beach Boys. Love ‘em actually. Pet sounds, forever, heroes and villains… all phenomenal experiences. So I was glad to get this one! And I enjoyed it plenty. Even when the political stuff kinda gets in the way of the overall enjoyment, because, it sucks, specifically that annoying student demonstration song, but the lush air of the whole thing is still very enjoyable, especially the fantastic b-side, culminating in one of the best tracks of the Boys’ careers. Overall it’s pretty alright. It left AN impression on me. I like it! It’s pretty great!
8.6/10

Here’s my review from RYM: a lot of super nice cuts off of here! The first three songs are probably the best, though the last three are also great. The only song I really go back to at this point is The State I Am In, which might still be their best song to me. Expectations is a pretty nice song that does what pretty much only their songs do for me, which is tell a story that definitely describes something in my life, but a little bit more left-of-center than others (same thing with Like Dylan In The Movies). She's Losing It has some really well-written moments, and is a pretty fun song at its best. Other noteworthy moments are electronic renaissance, My Wandering Days Are Over, I Don't Love Anyone, and Mary Jo. Best song is still State though, and frankly the only one that should really matter to someone who cares less.
9.4/10

Like bro I guess… I hate the takes that the 1001 albums site has most of the time, especially their negative opinions, but they lowkey gotta point with this one. If there is anything noteworthy, or interesting, or particularly incredible about this album I struggle to find it. Boooooring.
5.4/10

Do I care about this album? Like really? No. No, I don't. But I'll listen to it! The beats are pretty cool and I'm very open-minded to the idea of listening to an album like this for this list. Especially since most of this site just seems to be awful about it, when it's pretty great! As I already said I like the beats a lot, and the flow's fun. The lyrics in general are pretty mediocre, but it's still an enjoyable experience. Some noteworthy songs: Lyrics has a very fun chorus, and I enjoy Skepta's contributions. The feature is pretty alright, it's like passable. Crime Riddim is great, I absolutely love the beat. The skit's a bit too long but what can ya do. I don't feel no way about any of it.
I really loved Man, a really good beat, infectious chorus, and that bar about the wife… I had to do a double take. Everything about that song is actually so awesome. Shutdown immediately after is also incredible, one of the best beats here, and really good verses. Immediately after that, we have That’s Not Me, one of the best songs here. I mean… I could talk about it but you should just listen to it honestly. It’s really great. Detox is also great, and its focus on addiction and vices is approached really well, and the beat’s real dope too. Text me back is a really great way to end the album, even if it’s kinda basic to have the “introspective sentimental closer.” Some songs I didn't love: I really despise a lot of aspects of numbers. Weak ass beat, bad flow, annoying chorus. Not a fan. Some songs I thought were like in the middle: the opening track is a bit disappointing as far as opening tracks go but it's not too bad. I don't love the feature on Corn on the Curb either. I also really hate songs that are like "HAHAHAHA WE HARDCORE GANGSTAAAAAAAAS" when you're friends with Aubrey Graham and that's kind of exactly what It Ain't Safe does. It's like well rapped and I like the beat though so it gets the passing score. Ladies Hit Squad is absolutely hilarious, but the chorus is actually awesome and Skepta's verse is legitimately awesome and I don't care what anyone says. Overall this album really picked up on the second half, and I really enjoyed it as a whole! This site’s buggin so hard with that score.
7.7/10