Reviews by thelofistorm

I really enjoy the genre of Latin Alternative. Admittedly, my first run-in with it was the Ween song “Voodoo Lady,” but this album here matches up nicely. Combines a lot of great Latin aesthetics with a lot of great elements from other genres that makes it a very easy to listen to album. Also, like many others, my main exposure to Chao’s work is his song “Me Gustas Tu,” which I obviously love.

Title track “Clandestino” is great, somber and slick, and songs like “Mama Call” are super pretty. Generally the biggest problem is just that all the songs sound the same after a while, and there’s too many songs without enough variation. It’s not bad at all, but I kinda wish it was 10 minutes shorter.
7.6/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: SURE
REASON: IMPACT AND QUALITY-ish

FUUUUUUUUUUCKYEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! Truly I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to listen to an album as I was to listen to this one. It’s a perfect album. A movie of an album. Every song is incredible and adds to the overarching theme.

Kate Bush’s songwriting and construction of story is incomparable and awesome. Surely, the production is fantastic but the sequencing!! The diction! The figurative language!! She’s tantamount to the best songwriters of all time, and she has a better knack for melody than most.

This album is perfect. PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT.
10/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YESSSSS
REASON: PERFECT

If you don't think this is the shit then you're probably kind of a loser. In a TIGHT 40 minutes this album has about a billion different insane riffs and solos. I could listen to this for years and never get bored. And the way that the album unfolds thematically is also incredible: everything is laid out on the first song, and each progressive song feels like it takes the message deeper in a different way until at the end you feel like you’ve gotten the message ingrained into your head.

Metal is one of my favorite genres mostly because of albums like this: there is no ceiling for how good this could be. So much music is hard, heavy, but you always have to stick your neck out to truly be impressed by the heaviness of it. Slayer? Megadeth? Tool? Converge? Jesus, Death???? You can’t just listen to that and not be blown away by how insane it is. It’s the kind of thing that pulls you into a different plane of existence. This album is a prime example of that. Pretty much every song is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. This is one of the best albums ever made.
10/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: quality and influence

Obviously breathtaking. Oscillates steadily between incredibly, beautifully conscious songs, especially for an album with such mainstream renown, and good ol’ jams. “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” is a good example of one that’s both, an undeniable groove and a searing indictment of president Nixon. “Living For The City” on the other hand is firmly in the former half; no matter how much you try to get lost in the groove, the vocals and lyrics are loud and clear, and the spoken word passage in the middle makes the political edge of the song impossible to ignore. Finally, “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” is firmly in the latter camp, and to this day what I consider to be one of the funnest, most joyous party songs ever made.

The rest of the songs are also classics. This album really has everything. The only reason it’s not the best Stevie album is because it’s not Songs. Thank you very much.
9.6/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: OBVIOUSLY
REASON: quality and impact and holy shit it’s in innervisions what the FUCK

A great album with a problem of every song sounding exactly the same. And I mean there is almost nothing different about each of these songs. Same synths, same vocals, same general motions. That's probably the reason why, even though some of the sounds produced here are absolutely spellbinding, magical wonderful, this album sits comfortably at a 3.21 on 1001albums. And that's sad too, because this album is made up of absolutely incredible, spectacular moments. The outro on "Walk in the Park," the first chorus to outro on "Zebra," the final 30 seconds of "Silver Soul" (bless Victoria Legrand's heart, that last sustained note is gorgeous.), the outro on "Lover of Mine," I could go on. But every song sounds mostly indistinguishable from the next, even if they're all distinct. It's really quite sad because I really love all of these songs. They really are all very distinct, memorable songs, with great vocals, great musicality, production, all of it.

But there is still a lot of good here! "Used To Be" is heartbreaking, a lush, devastating song of a once-familiar face coming home after a long time of being away, and a fear of them having changed drastically, though the speaker still looks forward to it ("Coming Home / Any Day Now..." in the outro... it's so beautiful TvT). The buildup to the chorus on opener "Zebra" is one of the more obviously awesome moments in 2010s indie, and the chord progression as the vocals burst through is perfect for the moment. The synth riff in the chorus of "Walk in the Park" is so awesome too, it gets stuck in my head incredibly often. I think that, frankly, even if you can't enjoy this album because of its samey-ness, you should at least appreciate each song separately, because every single one is worth listening to, completely.

There's also a lot to be heard here in terms of influence across the 2010s. Alvvays's more psychedelic/shoegazey side is laid out plain and simple here, even if they did take a more twee, jangly, even confessional kind of approach to this style than Beach House did. This album in particular, however, also really has its fingerprints all on a lot of the dreamier indie of the late 2010s and early 2020s, a la Wolf Alice. Generally just a really important album. I think this one that should definitely get a listen if you want to better understand how indie has evolved over the past 15-ish years.
9.1/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: influence, relevance, quality

It sounds like leftovers right? Like some of the experiments are cool, I love maybe 2 songs here, but it’s so disjointed. I’m too tired to write much of a review for it, but lemme put it this way: “Pyramid Song” and “Knives Out” are two of Radiohead’s best songs, hands down. They will never fail to blow me away. Other than those two songs, NOTHING ELSE HERE NEEDS TO BE KEPT. Other than those two, the best songs here are obviously half-formed and barely justifiable as experimental anyway. It doesn’t deserve the love.
5.3/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: NO
REASON: Boring and overblown
WHAT SHOULD BE HERE INSTEAD: Idk throw Emergency & I on here

A love letter to teenage innocence. Through all the darkness that followed The Beach Boys, from Brian Wilson's sustained abuse from his therapist, Dennis Wilson's untimely death, Mike Love's brief stint as the worst frontman of all time, and Brian Wilson's much more timely, but quite sad, death much more recently, this album still stands as one of the most beautiful and wholesome albums ever created. Sweet, but not saccharine, vaguely old-fashioned but not mean or indignant in any way, lush and beautiful, trusting, starry-eyed, magical. I mean, just look at the cover. The band in a candid photo feeding various animals, their offer gazes and plain clothes, the photo not edited that much seemingly, with a bright, lush green title strip plastered above them. Some people disparage this cover, but I love it. It's exactly what a sweet album like this deserves.

The songs back this up too: obviously there's a semblance of "old-timeyness," as seen in songs like "I'm Waiting For The Day," or "Caroline, No," but both of those songs work because, in one case it's a pretty respectful statement of waiting until someone is ready to be in a relationship again, and in the other it's in fact a pretty heartbreaking and beautiful example of what could be a misunderstanding, could be symbolism, but either way shows some sort of deep sadness for the death of innocence, one of the reasons I love this song's placement at the end of the album. Wilson's vocals aren't disgusted, but rather confused and sorrowful at what he seems to barely understand: "you said you'd never change, but that's not true!" it's a feeling of betrayal that the other person perhaps didn't even recognize as betrayal; by changing as a person, Caroline has upended the speaker's understanding of the world merely by doing what every person is bound to do. It's no one's fault, but an innocence has died.

Other songs better portray that innocence, such as the adorable, catchy, lush, heartwarming "Wouldn't It Be Nice," in all of its perfection and childish wonder (fun fact, my dad gave my mom a CD mix starting with that song back in high school!), or "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)," which instills this beautiful and placid sense of love, and safety: when Wilson sings "We'll live forever tonight..." you believe it, or at least believe that he does. It's just such a simply wonderful song. "Sloop John B," no matter how silly, is not only super musically impressive, but also so fun! It's a fun, innocent tale, which is exactly what this album deserves. I also really enjoy "Here Today," which is both one of the catchiest and one of the wisest songs on the whole album: it does not badmouth the speaker's ex-girlfriend, but simply gives a warning, and one of the truest statements of all: "Love is here today, then it's gone." One of the album's catchiest choruses, a mature sentiment, and an oddly beautiful maxim. The two instrumental songs also add a nice atmosphere to the album, with the placid nature of "Let's Go Away For Awhile," and the lush and beautiful musical passages on title track "Pet Sounds." And then we have perhaps the greatest song on this album, "G-d Only Knows." Oh, the times I've sung this song, in the shower, with my dad, on guitar, on piano. A simple idea expanded into one of the sweetest, most genuine love songs ever written, with some of the best harmonies ever put to tape, one of the greatest song progressions ever conceived, and one of the most emotional climaxes of any song ever. It is truly a wonder of a song, and I can't say I trust the taste of anyone who doesn't at least respect it for that.

There's also a separate underlying theme on the album, however: a sense of self-improvement. Songs like "That's Not Me," one of my personal favorites, or "You Still Believe In Me," point to a sadness brought on by one's own inability to live up to others' and also one's own expectations. In "That's Not Me," Wilson sings "I once had a dream, so I packed up and moved to the city / I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty." It's a song of hope for a greater good winning out inside one's own heart and practices, seen similarly in "You Still Believe In Me," which exclaims a passionate appreciation for the speaker's lover, who, even after all the speaker has done wrong, still believes in the good in him, and by extension, him. Later in the album, these themes are returned to: in "I Know There's An Answer," the speaker laments at the unfulfilling way people live their lives, claiming that he "[could not] tell them their lives could be better," and that the answer has to be found out by oneself. Similarly, the problems that are talked about in that song can be seen in "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," where the chorus is the simple, but circumstantially heartbreaking line "Sometimes, I feel very sad," a feeling of detachment and depression. It's simultaneously the moment that betrays the album's maturity and its innocence plainly: though it sings plainly about the problems in one's life it does so just like that: plainly. It doesn't have mature words for the deep feelings that might be being felt, but it must voice its opinion anyway, in the same way that a child might do. The album as a whole reflects this, childlike and simple in nature, but sensitive, wise, and mature in thought.

The production is also incredible. Impossibly lush, mixed to perfection, the music surrounds you but never quite overwhelms you. The Boys' choral performances are incredible, and the arrangements are spectacular. Each backing track reflects exactly what should be reflected: the beauty and innocence that populates this album. It is truly perfect in every way. This album, though to many quickly dethroned by The Beatles' Revolver, will never lose the place it holds in my heart as one of the best albums ever recorded, with some of the best songs ever written on it. I don't think I could love this album more if I tried harder than I already have.
10/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: ABSOLUTELY
REASON: Seminal, beautiful, perfect.

I mean… everyone knows “Green Onions.” Incredible song. One of the greatest soul-jazzy songs ever made. Everything else… is good! To be sure it is good. Exactly what you would expect. More of the same. “Mo’ Onions” is in fact exactly the same. Is that bad? Nooooooo…. but it’s not exactly the most exciting thing. Other than the first song, which is a revelation of bluesiness and iconicity, it’s kind of just background music. It’s not bad. It’s just whatever. Would vocals save it? Maybe. Probably not. Probably it needs better song ideas or something.

Some other highlights are a surprisingly impassioned rendition of “Twist and Shout,” the romantic “Stranger on the Shore,” and the easygoing “Lonelu Avenue.” Pretty good album. I probably won’t listen all the way through again though.
6.2/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: I mean it’s green onions. There you go. Everyone knows that song. It’s like a horse in that polish dictionary.

OOOH! Truly one of the best albums in the harrowing, horrible, really annoying genre or Adult Alternative. Before even going into this, I had more than a decade of exposure to the incredible emotional catharsis of “You Oughta Know,” the catchiness and use of melody on “Head Over Feet,” as well as “Ironic” (though less likeable, still an undeniable hit). What I didn’t expect was to like so many songs on this album at a similar level as I did those.

Opener “All I Really Want” at times matches the catharsis of “You Oughta Know,” and Morrisette gives a surprisingly incredible vocal performance. A lot of these sound like that awful Sheryl Crow album if it was really fucking good. It sounds like Tori Amos made that album instead of Sheryl Crow. Her voice? Can sometimes be annoying. Her attitude? Can also be annoying, except for I know and love many women who have this attitude in them; it’s a very “defiant white woman” disposition that I have a soft spot for, for better or for worse.

The musical choices here are really fucking great too. Across the album, there’s the use of these really great downtempo-esque drums, very much in fashion at the time, but truly this album makes them its own. I also LOVE the way everything is mixed; you can hear every single instrument just enough to appreciate everything it does for the song, and Morrisette’s voice is mixed just so that you hear every single word she says, but so that you can’t quite hear the more glaring flaws in her voice enough to complain about them. Please, I beg of you, do not listen to the 2015 remaster; it is one of the worst remasters I’ve ever heard.

Specific standouts other than the big hits are "Perfect," one that, despite its circumstance as a VERY cliché song, hits pretty close to home, I suppose. I truly cannot believe how great "All I Really Want" is. "One Hand In My Pocket" is actually really annoying, but surprisingly Morrisette saves it with the performance and some actually well-written lines. "Right Through You" has that same vibe of catharsis that's so addictive on this album, as does "Forgiven," which I like sort of for the opposite reason that I do "Perfect," in that it's not super relatable to me, but it's a concept I haven't heard much done this well.

So many of these songs feel like the soundtrack to something like Gossip Girl, a show that in the eyes of many, like this album, could and should be very much below someone like me, a seventeen-year-old Arnold Schoenberg fan. But no, this album is actually fucking incredible. Absolutely recommend.
9.5/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: IMPACT AND QUALITY

the fall realistically doesn't need any albums on this list, but if one was to be included, it sure as fuck wouldn't be this one. Is it bad? No, not at all. It's pretty good even. But 3 albums by this random post-punk band is NOT what I believe is necessary. But that’s kinda beside the point.

I like the instrumentation on this a LOT, however I don’t really love the vocalist that much, though, It’s not that I dislike him, he’s just not my style. I love this kind of weird post-punk though. I just wish a more radical British dude were at the helm than this guy. He has some good moments though, and I respect him a lot. I think the biggest problem is the album doesn’t have enough standouts to really convince me that it’s GREAT. Pretty good though.

LOVE the groove on “Mother - Sister!” Near the end, the vocal performance on “No Xmas for John Quays” really hits. I like “Industrial Estate” for its simplicity and directness, and I like “Rebellious Jukebox” just as a song as a whole. Really there’s just something missing, but that’s really fine, because it’s still a very pleasant album.
6.8/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: NAH
REASON: NOT RELEVANT OR REALLY GOOD ENOUGH EITHER

Pretty interesting. Incredibly, incredibly embarrassing to listen to during school hours, because the entire thing is about sex, but anyway it’s a pretty nice album. I see why people have some hesitation toward it, it’s certainly not a masterpiece or tour de force, and I don’t love the way Sullivan interprets the different stories throughout the EP, and I don’t love that the authors put an EP on the list anyway. But as a work itself it’s fine.

I enjoy “Pick Up Your Feelings” for what it is. Production, singing, pretty good. Writing is fine, though not up to par, a problem across this whole work. That being said, the longing in the EP feels very beautiful and genuine. “The Other Side” as just okay as some of the lines are, feels very real in its yearning.

It takes obvious influence from Frank Ocean, and various other rnb artists. That’s nice, but it kind of hinders the work a bit. Whatever though. It’s alright.
6.2/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: SURE
REASON: Impact and relevance

Classic '90s album, obviously. Up there with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots as the resounding hitmakers of the original grunge era. "Them Bones," "Rooster," "Down In A Hole," and "Would" make up this album's league of incredible songs, and "Dam That River," "Sickman," "Junkman," "Angry Chair," and the title track all back up those songs. Then there are some other songs that are in my opinion lesser, but they matter less.

The entire album creates this incredibly depressive, bleak atmosphere about it; the riffs are hard and the atmosphere is dry. I really enjoy a lot of the more metallic moments, and I really love the sequencing. Really great, highly recommended album
9.3/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: Relevance and quality

With a cover like that, how can this be anything but incredible? I mean, no, I don’t understand anything he’s saying, but music is a universal language. Or something.

Obviously I’ve heard of Jorge Ben Jor, formerly known as just Jorge Ben; I don’t live under a fucking rock. And this is a very good argument for knowing about him closely: the vocals are passionate and smooth, the grooves are deep and funky, the vibes are wonderful. Some favorites are opener “Ponta De Lança Africano,” which has some real great and catchy moments, and opens the album sooooo well. There are many songs that I could frankly listen to for 10+ minutes: “Taj Mahal,” the obvious centerpiece of the album, cultivates such a beautiful, rhythmic, funky vibe that I’m deeply compelled to love, and I truly genuinely wish that “Meus Filhos, Meu Tesouro” was 15 minutes longer, just a perfect groove. Jorge’s vocals are absolutely incredible on “Xica Da Silva,” such a beautiful, spectacular song. “A História De Jorge” is so lively and fun and funky, I love it!

There really isn’t a weak link on this entire album; pretty much every single song is a candidate for the best track. And the album pulls so heavily from deep funk in a way that not quite understanding all the lyrics doesn’t even detriment one’s listening experience, in a way it enhances it by forcing the (non-Portuguese speaking, in this case ME,) listener to focus more on the smooth, confident vocals and immaculate playing. It’s a digestible length, not too short but not unreasonable. Absolutely incredible, groovy, funky samba album. Highly, highly, highly recommend.
9.7/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: PHENOMENAL ALBUM BY AN INCREDIBLE AND VERY CULTURALLY IMPORTANT ARTIST

Another not super needed country joint I guess. Wait, it’s Neo-traditionalist. I guess that deserves its place. Ween’s country album is way better, especially because that’s PURPOSEFULLY funny, whereas this is funny on complete accident (“One More Name” is one of the best comedy songs of all time, but sadly I doubt that it is meant to be as funny as it is). Also, this isn’t anywhere NEAR Yoakam’s most significant album! Put Guitars or This Time on here, not this! Y’all set him up for failure.

There are some upsides though; it’s pleasant pastiche for the most part, and Yoakam is a memorable presence on the microphone. It’s also not too long, so it wasn’t really a chore to listen to (though frankly it still could’ve been a bit shorter). The title track is a genuinely nice and emotional little ballad, though the ending is NOT needed and makes the song really funny. All of these songs are actually really really funny, but a lot of them aren’t really all that good, sadly. Recommend it if you want to listen to a really funny album but if you want a good album steer clear.
4.1/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: NO
REASON: BAD AND KINDA BORING
WHAT WOULD I REPLACE IT WITH: This Time by Dwight Yoakim

Not even that bad, really. Just so long, too long in fact. Way too long. This was honestly one of my favorite blur albums I’ve heard (I’ve been listening to them a lot lately because my new friend really loves them) but it’s just a tad long. I like a lot of the songs. I think that “Blue Jeans” is one of blur’s best songs. “For Tomorrow” is an easy banger. “Star Shaped” is surprisingly undeniable.

There’s not much to each song past the first verse and chorus, which is a problem with a lot of music lmao, but each song is pretty nice, and very few really stick out as obvious bad songs. Very impressive.
8.2/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: DOPE ASS ALBUM

Finally something worth listening to. The de facto magnum opus of Marc Bolan, a giant of early glam rock and a contemporary of David Bowie’s before his passing in the ‘70s.

The sound of this album is clear and obvious: glammy, gold, powerful shit. Now, there’s some softer stuff, some harder stuff, some bluesy stuff, and I don’t love all of it; “Lean Woman Blues” is annoying, “Monolith” is a nothing song, I could go on, but even so, Marc Bolan’s voice and presence is incredible the whole way through, and really carries this album.

Also don’t really love the slower B-side, it doesn’t really work. I think a lot of things here don’t really work. That being said. Whatever really.
7.0/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: I guess?
Reason: relevant? I suppose?

Nope. Not interesting, nor experimental, nor strange, nor envelope-pushing. This is a really bland album that I have no words for, because it’s t doesn’t really deserve them.
5.1/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: NO
REASON: BORINGGG

My dad loves this band, and I don’t blame him. I mean, we’ve all heard “November Rain.” As overplayed as it is, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” still bangs. And “Welcome To The Jungle” fucks HARD. I mean, come on. Appetite… for destruction. APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION! It’s menacing, it’s hard, it’s rockin’, the lead singer is a cunt and the lead guitar player is a Jew. That doesn’t really matter but as a Jew myself it’s fun.

Anyway. Anthemic, surely, but consistently good less so. “It’s So Easy” sucks, and “Out Ta Get Me” is famously pretty bad. But once you get past the campiness and sleaziness of the music, it’s actually a pretty incredible album. Better vocals than AC/DC, and more progressive than a lot of bands in this same vein. I mean, these BPM shifts, outros that are practically a different suite, all the while sounding super super good. “Paradise City” is one of the best hard rock songs ever made, and I can’t believe it exists. “My Michelle” is a bit over the top for my tastes, but it still blows me away in some of the passages. “Nightrain” is a nice pillar of the first side, and “Mr. Brownstone” is similarly a bit over the top, but still great.

Every note played, every distorted guitar sound, every wail of Axl Rose’s voice, I feel like a kid in the 80s hearing real rock for the first time. That sounds stupid but I can only imagine what it was like, to hear something that speaks to the mind so directly, with just the sounds it makes. It isn’t the apex of rock music, but it is obvious as to why it is beloved: because it feeds the kid inside of us that longs simple, heavy, AWESOME rock.
8.7/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: Paragon of rock music. Essential listening for anyone with a love for rock.

A clean break, preceded by a steady circumstance of drifting apart. You can see it in everything this album is: as is the obvious point of comparison, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is famous for also being an album defined by the cracks in the band’s foundation, but so much of that album only showed why Fleetwood Mac could last forever if it wanted to: we’ve all seen the photo of them all in bed together. We’ve all seen the cover of Rumours. They’re tied, intertwined with each other, too much so to ever have a comfortable break. ABBA? Look at them. They’re all uncomfortable on the cover, standing apart, paranoid. The warm lighting of the cover is almost tragically out of place what with how cold and stiff their body language is, and that energy is what comes through in this album more than anything else. Take the opener and title track: uncertain, distorted, synthy, fearful, cold, and frankly almost Avant-Garde in a sense, bursting into a fiery apex, with one of the best-placed uses of the 5 minor chord I’ve heard.

Generally the throughline here is a sense of finality: “there’s no hurry anymore when all is said and done.” Distance. Divorce. Ultimately while nothing sounds resigned or half-hearted, even the most suspenseful songs feel like a final composition from a dying organism. Sadly the songs themselves kind of fall off in the second half, but it’s still a crazy album experience.
7.8/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: Fascinating look into the last gasp of one of the bigger bands ever

Obviously just chock-full of bangers. I mean, the undeniability of the A-side alone is enough of an argument for it being one of the better albums ever made. The simple presence of three songs as good as “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” and “Iron Man” all on the same album makes this a first-ballot hall of famer for sure. I mean, have you HEARD “Iron Man?” How good can you get?

Though I have formally established my distaste for the eponymous debut of this band, Vol. 4 is still one of my favorite metal albums ever created, mainly due to the way it creates a dynamic between the heavy and the soft, all the while fostering an atmosphere of darkness. This album does a similar thing, but much more directly. Every song feels otherworldly, and the one softer song only confirms that. Almost every song serves as a bombastic anthem for anyone who likes rock in any serious way.

The only reason it’s not an outright 10 is simply because it sidesteps my own personal tastes, in a way that, say, Vol. 4 does not. That being said, this is a must-listen for any rock fan.
9.8/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: It’s an essential album. Essential.