Reviews by urthstripe321

It's what everybody in this car needs is some good ol' worthwhile visceral experience.

River Song is so good that I was shocked I somehow had missed out on this record my entire life, but then it kinda sinks into agreeable 70s soft rock for a bit. Nice sounding, but a little bland. Picks back up near the end, with "You and I" and "Rainbows" as highlights. Don't quite think it is a hidden masterpiece, but still tragic that he wasn't able to do much more as a solo artist.

Nothing quite hits like Debbie Harry's voice. New Wave before it got polished and sanded down in the 80s. A fantastic record with a few weak spots (or are they only weak because they couldn't possibly match the peaks of the big hits?).

The exact kind of political music that ineffectual libs can embrace. Which, if you are going to pick a record to represent 2020 on this list, that's pretty much exactly what you need. That this can be legitimately taken seriously as a radical polemic shows how neutered political art has become. Surface level observations, tired and stale aphorisms, boring and inoffensive music that prioritize vibes over everything else. The only people this music could possibly challenge are not going to be listening to this anyway, and that means we are left with a bunch of well-meaning listeners falling over themselves to praise this for fear of looking like they are not allies. When you can't even be as radical and challenging as a song like "Strange Fruit" over 80 years later, that says it all.

Super raw... but that's the appeal. The throughline from this to The Stooges to countless garage/punk bands is immediately apparent. Townshend is doing some wild things with his guitar tone and Keith Moon absolutely pounding on the tubs is always fun to hear. The Who would certainly think bigger, but I don't know if they would think better. Certainly one of the most influential records in popular music, but also still a bracing listen. Surprise, it's good!

'77 was good but this is when the Heads truly became a band, started plugging away at the sound that truly interested them, and established Tina and Chris as a force. This is an incredible sounding record. Warning Sign honestly sounds like it came out today. May not reach the peaks of their next two records (which is crazy to say), but this is very good.

Pulp is a big blindspot for me, but plenty of people whose music opinions I respect really love them. This was pretty good, but didn't particularly win me over. But I can see how they could. I know this isn't considered their best so look forward to checking out Different Class to see how they are at their peak.

Also boy do I hate CD era bloat. 70 minutes??? You kidding me?? Say what you will about what truly has the best audio quality, but at least LPs made bands be ruthless in their editing.

I didn't particularly dislike any of this but only The Hook really grabbed me. Which is apt, I guess. It's nice music, solid early 90s alt. A good listen, not particularly revelatory, but happy to have checked it out.

Definitely not my scene. I suppose it's alright for what it is, but it's definitely not for me.

In contention for best country album ever made, which means it's in contention for best album ever made period. The country mythos meets the man in a perfect blend of songwriting, storytelling, and mythmaking. My only problem is I wish some of the songs were longer.

Neil is a huge blindspot for me. I need to do a deep dive on him one day. This is a very nice record that I think one listen doesn't quite do justice. My thoughts are similar to Christgau's review: I'm not all the way in to Neil yet but I certainly see the appeal.

Nah, not for me. Her voice is super grating on this record, so bad that I was kinda shocked. Not surprised she essentially disowned it.

Never been a huge goth guy, but will always appreciate the scene and always appreciate Bauhaus. Massive influences, flawless aesthetic, and a singular sound. It may not always be what I turn to, but I'm very glad it's out there.

Yeah makes sense this guy became a film score guy and Soderbergh's go to guy. This sounds like a soundtrack in search of a movie. It's fine but hardly memorable, and I got the idea about 3 tracks in.

Did we need a rock opera from a band that made their trade on hooky pop-punk tunes that would rarely even touch the 3 minute mark? I would say no, but the world disagreed. This just doesn't work for me, the whole idea of it turns me off, I guess. I'll always appreciate Green Day for their run from Kerplunk to Nimrod, and I still return to those records for a nice hit of nostalgia and songs that get in and out without wearing out their welcome. These songs do not do that for me. 16 year old me had already moved on from Green Day, imagine how 38 year old me feels.

Queen might be the best band to not make a great album. While this has some interesting moments, it's just too much. Too much production shenanigans, too much overwrought instrumentation, too much aping of Led Zeppelin, too much cheese. Well, Queen is a band for theater kids, and I was never one of those. They work best in small doses for me, a full album of their overly ornate grandiosity gets wearisome.

Kings of Leon have become a joke, so hard to remember how exciting they were as a kind of Southern rock rejoinder to the NYC scene that was dominating indie rock at the time. "Hey, look, The Black Crowes are back!" essentially. Solid record, was a promise that they could not/would not deliver on, don't know how crucial it is for anyone to listen to this, but boy did my college roommate LOVE this record.

Another favorite of my middle school metalhead friend! Although his favorite band at the time, Nevermore, is notably unrepresented on this list. Sad. Never been the biggest Pantera guy myself, I feel like their take on Groove Metal is the middle road between Thrash and Doom/Stoner that doesn't do much for me. Thrash is fast and exhilarating, feeling like it's about to go off the rails if not for the control of the players, Doom/Stoner slows the riffs down enough to be pummeling and atmospheric, placing the emphasis on the "heavy" in heavy metal. Groove kinda does neither, so it leaves me wanting. Either speed it up or slow it down, guys! Of course this record had a huge hand in influencing other acts that would take the idea of slowing down Thrash to its most extreme ends so.... I don't disagree with this record being on here. Influence/importance to the genre is high, my want to come back to it is low. That 1-2 punch of Walk and Fucking Hostile is pretty sick though. And credit to Phil Anselmo, his lyrics are surprisingly progressive and are a nice counterbalance to the meathead metal music that frames them.

Can not join the increasingly loud group of the oh so edgy music nerds that call this better than Nevermind or Bleach, but at least they did not try to do more of the same. They were a good band with real artistry! Who knew. I do think "written as a reaction to" records have a ceiling but I'm not feisty enough to really test out that hypothesis.

Perfect.