Reviews by urthstripe321

Never really got into Mudhoney for whatever reason. This EP is probably the longest sustained time I've given to them. I understand that this was key to the development of grunge and the establishment of Sub Pop but kinda just sounds like a standard punk record. I think their second album is on this list, so I'm looking forward to giving them another look.

The theme doesn't really do anything for me, but I love the sound of this record. Love the samples, love the flow. Of course Ghostface gets great guests, of course he gets some of the best producers. You got DOOM, you got J Dilla, you got early Kanye, you got Pete Rock... it's almost unfair. Easily one of the best rap records of the '00s.

Finally get a metal record on this thing. Shout out to my middle school friend Stuart who was a big Sepultura fan and held fast in calling most other non-metal music shit. Hope you're doing alright, man.

Is this a bad time to reveal that I was VERY into Coldplay for the first half and change of high school. This CD was in heavy rotation when I first started driving, so it brings back a lot of memories. Of all kinds. But these seasoned ears don't find much besides nostalgia in this record, which mostly asks, "What if Radiohead, but boring?" I dislike the moments where they try to take themselves seriously but the moments when they lean into big, broad, sentimental feelings are hard to deny. The Scientist is a good song! Clocks, less so. I'm glad I had Coldplay at that time in my life but like most things from early teenhood, I have moved on.

I'm sorry, Marty, I don't know if I ever need to hear Gimme Shelter again, as good as it is. Maybe it'll sound fresh if I take like a ten year break. Not my favorite Stones record of this hot run of theirs in the late 60s/early 70s. Just not as deep, but very enjoyable all the same.

Been a while since I listened to this album (or Calexico at all) and damn, this was awash with nostalgia for me. Saw them open for Yo La Tengo once upon a time and was blown away. This record is very good and I'm pleasantly surprised to see it on this list. Love the range of sounds and influences, so happy to be reminded to listen to this again.

Definitely not in the realm of my normal listens, but this was very nice. It's good music, what can I say. Not sure how much I'll return to this, but felt good to step into this world for a moment.

Historical importance very high here, and good to have a less mainstream entry from the American folk music revival era. Which, of course, needs plenty of representation on a list like this, but not much to differentiate from Woody or Bob or Pete, etc., etc. Nice listen, makes me want to watch Inside Llewyn Davis again

Considering he was just dumping all the songs he had kicking around that The Beatles rejected, it's not the most succinct statement, or particularly structured/paced all that well. But the highs are so high, and even the other songs are really good listens, really demonstrating the songwriting range he had that he never got to with the band.

I mean, it's prime Stevie. What do you need, a roadmap? Maybe not as strong as some other records of this period in his career, but still funky and soulful. I maybe wish it was a little more fun. Also lol at this being his 17th album at the age of 24.

As stadium rock goes, it's hard to beat this. It's big, it's loud, it's catchy, it's got a ballad or two, it's got just enough grit to keep it "authentic". Is it better than Definitely, Maybe? Definitely not, but Oasis always wanted to go mainstream and this is one of the better mainstream rock records you'll ever get. Anyway, here's Wonderwall.

Nice vibes (haha, get it). Fantastic musicianship, lovely music, don't know how much I'll return to this, but this was a good listen out of my usual wheelhouse.

Much respect to Tina and that powerhouse of a voice, but the 80s production and sound is not my cup of tea to say the least. An incredible singer singing along to what sounds like midi backing tracks.

She has such a great voice, and the arrangements are smartly (and beautifully) spare to let it shine. Unfairly gets a bad rap as Starbucks music, but this is a very nice easy listening record. It's one-note, sure, but that one note is cozy and warm.

80s pop is decidedly not for me, but as far as those things go, you can do a lot worse than this. Money Changes Everything and Time After Time are fantastic tunes. Girls and She Bop are decent bubblegum pop songs that I probably don't ever need to hear again. When You Were Mine does itself no favors by being an inferior cover that goes on forever. And the rest? Well, they needed to fill out the album somehow. Lauper has a powerful and idiosyncratic voice (and she was 30 when this came out!), and I do miss how those were allowed to be pop singers too. 2 stars but probably more of a 2.5

Not my space, not my area, but didn't hate it as much as maybe I thought I would. Dig the percussion, although it kinda wears out its welcome well before the album is over. It's a pretty silly/shallow record, and I don't know if the music provides enough depth to cover for it. Noisy enough for me to dig on some level, though.

Uneven, probably because they were pumping out jams literally 6 months after their last release, but man, Jimi's playing is inimitable and still sounds so fresh. Probably their weakest release, but still a nice, groovy listen.

The edgelord tendencies haven't aged particularly well, but Keith's flow is exceptional, the scratching is sublime, and the production is a treat across the board. Always good to be reminded what hip hop can do when not tied to trap beats. And while the stream-of-consciousness lyrics combined with the pulp/sci-fi/kitsch backstory would go on to influence some of my favorite rappers of all time, I just wish Keith's consciousness wasn't so juvenile and, well, gross (tongue in cheek though it may be). A keystone of underground rap and a refreshing counterpoint to the gangster rap that was dominating the scene at the time, but others would take this concept to more satisfying places.

The first five Zep records are canonical, but this has to be my least favorite of the bunch. But that also means this is purely very good instead of excellent. I just don't tend to want to pull this one when I want to listen to them. Maybe a bit too acoustic for my tastes, at least for what I'm looking for out of this band.

Impossible to rate, and borderline unethical to reduce to such a thing as a "star rating". As a historical record and document of music history, the "American Songbook" records by Ella are indelible, iconic, monumental. Listening to this all at once though is overwhelming and near impossible to digest. Some of the songs, obviously, are better than others, but I wouldn't lose a thing. As for Ella herself, I love her, of course, but I do prefer my jazz singers to have a bit more grit in their voices. She's almost TOO perfect. This (and the rest of her American Songbook records) are all but required listening for anyone interested in the history of American song. Fuck it, five stars, not because it's a perfect "album" per se but because is, without reservation, an album you need to listen to before you die.