Reviews by urthstripe321

Better albums that showcase Shankar's virtuosity, but this is a cool little artifact. Maybe less essential now that all the world's music is at our fingertips on demand but picking this up in 1957 definitely opened up some music-loving minds, especially some goofy lads out of Liverpool.

I mean, come on. You could put this out today and it would blow people away. Absolutely pristine sounds, incredibly songwriting, bewitching vocals. I'm always blown away by how fully formed they were from the jump. I'd put all 5 of their I.R.S. records on this list if I could. Murmur is perfect but somehow not the only perfect record they made.

I respect Anohni far more than I particularly love her music (the voice can grate sometimes, I'm afraid), but when she hits, she hits hard. This is probably her and her band's most cohesive work. Some truly lovely tracks here, but would love to see them change up the tempo a little more (more tracks like Fistful of Love, please). Anywho, go look up her cover of Candy Says, it's great!

Never been a Doors guy (I can not sanction Jim Morrison's buffoonery), but I do love Ray Manzarek's work on the keys. Iconic. Highs are high on this record but the lows are pretty bad/forgettable. Just not for me. Maybe not enough drugs on my part.

It's funny he calls this a "a short film" because he does really remind me of Scorsese here. A nerdy, overachieving kid watching the gangsters from his doorstep, at once horrified and enticed by everything happening around him. And then making art that some people see as glorifying that lifestyle, but really are just ways to process their complicated feelings on the milieu of their upbringings. Anyway this is fantastic, and will probably always be my favorite of his. It just feels rawer than his other work in a way that I prefer, as good as TPaB is.

It's too bad M.I.A. met a Bronfman and then went insane. Those first two records were really special. And I see Arular is on this list too so excited to get there. Ignoring the unfortunate baggage (which, to be fair, is nothing new when listening to a lot of artists on this list), this still sounds as exciting as it did when it first came out. I can not emphasize the impact that first Pineapple Express trailer that used "Paper Planes" had on my college dorm. Not all the tracks are winners, but damn, the ideas are bursting at the seams. I miss when music like this wasn't chasing streams and feeding the algorithm.

Not the biggest fan of live albums, but I have to admit Thin Lizzy works best in this format. This is pretty much the perfect encapsulation of what made them special (although I would have included Whiskey in a Jar in the setlist, but I ain't Phil). Anyway, Thin Lizzy rules, love the dueling lead guitars and Phil Lynott's singular vocal delivery, and to this day, no one has written a better song about the boys and their being back in town.

The first album so far that I was truly baffled by it being on this list. It's fine... but entirely inessential. Everyone involved has done better work. And while it's never bad, it also never does anything to stand out. Only "Three Changes" really delivers on the promise of putting these players together. The most middle of the road 3 stars you can imagine.

Maybe one of the strongest Side Ones of all time. I remember the first time hearing the title track and feeling something unlock in my brain. All of the other songs on this side rule in their own, specific way. It's incredible shit. And then you flip the record and "Super Stupid" kicks it off with a strong, but basic rocker, maybe a little too much cribbing from Hendrix, still super fun though and that guitar solo is superb. Then it's "Back in Our Minds", and it seems like a silly goof before the record gets back on track, but then "Wars of Armageddon" comes, which is a repetitive funk riff and some (literal) farting around. I'm not one to be completely down on experimental uses of fart noises in music, but there is a promise this record establishes that it doesn't quite execute on in the back half. Alas. But that Side One though....

Never was on board the Eagles hate train even though Henley and Frey have done themselves no favors, but I've never thought of them as an album band. And my dad, a huge Eagles fan, even thought Hotel California (the song) was overplayed. I agree! But it's still easy to see why it was such a huge hit. Anyway, the Eagles are fine even though they have no edge and the boomer radio rock culture they embody has curdled into something that, maybe, the Eagles get unfairly/overly blamed for.

Damn, this just sounds so good. Hasn't aged a day really. So many artists trying to recapture these sounds. The tunes are funky and soulful, arranged perfectly, and played so well. And of course the vocals are a stand out. I really can't find any nits to pick, honestly.

Inspired one of my favorite songs ever, so how bad could it be. Perfectly pleasant, highly literate jangle pop. I can imagine Stuart Murdoch listened to this nonstop as a wee lad. I would have probably fallen head over heels for this if I had encountered it at a certain point in my life, but I came to the bands it influenced first so I can't see much further than my own nose at this moment. But it was really nice to go back to where it started.

Best enjoyed while bumming cigs and drinking a case of beer in a parking lot somewhere. A key text in garage rock, indie rock, college rock, etc. Where would we be without the 'Mats? Maybe some other kids in a garage in Minnesota would have sprung up in their place. But that's not the world we're in. I'm alright with that.

I usually find "boring" to be a very lazy criticism of art, but........... this does next to nothing for me. She's got a good voice, but in the same way that someone in a karaoke bar on Broadway wanting to be discovered has a good voice. I wish she had more control over her instrument, though, it's essentially always the same timbre and volume which is tiresome. The music.... blech. It's just not for me. Music for moms, I'm afraid to say.

Never been a CSN, CSNY, or even just a Y guy. Idk, just never came up in my classic rock education for some reason. Blame my dad. Maybe a little bit too much in the hippie scene for me to fully embrace. Helpless is great (though how much of that is because of my love of its performance in THE LAST WALTZ and Neil Young's coke booger)! The rest is pretty good! Maybe one day I'll really dive in to these guys and all their separate oeuvres.

I'm old enough to remember being disappointed when this came out because I was sad Beach House was abandoning their lo-fi bedroom pop sound for something more polished. I'm pretty stupid sometimes. This IS a bit of a transitional record, with the band working their way to the more cinematic, widescreen dream pop they would perfect in Bloom. Still great, though. Look, are there bands and records not on this list that I would put before Beach House? Yes. But are there other bands I would take off this list before I took off Beach House? Also yes. This is a lot of words to say, I love this band, I love this record, five stars.

Never gave The Strangers much of a listen outside of the "hits" (of which Peaches is one, shout out SEXY BEAST)... this is definitely more new wave than punk. Maybe even just regular ol' classic rock. Good bass lines, keyboards reminded me of The Doors. Goofy, more than a little kitschy, and fun. Good bar music, decent record.

Somehow never listened to this despite being a big fan of noise music and the more abstract corners of industrial music. This rules so much. Can't imagine how it felt throwing this on in 1981. Still feels raw and transgressive. So much of this was shaved down and shaped to build a ton of more successful mainstream acts, but give me the uncut stuff baby. Do I want to listen to this all the time? No. But when I'm feeling a certain way, only stuff like this can scratch the itch.

Maybe the best double album ever made? Doesn't have one below average (or even average song), and even The Beatles couldn't do that. This just straight up rules, so many places for Joe Strummer and the boys to stretch out on, and they kill em all. Also maybe the best album cover of all time.

Kinda wish they took the best tracks from each record and intermixed them to make a proper Outkast record, but damn, this thing is so absolutely bursting with ideas, sounds, hooks, rhymes, and beats that there is always something new to discover. I really miss hip hop production like this. It just sounds incredible. There are better Outkast records, both because they are more concise and nothing quite beats Andre and Big Boi bouncing off each other, but if you are going to put out a 2+ hour rap record, this is how you do it.