1001 Albums Summary

First Listen: Not my first listen, but first listen in a while. The album bursts open the door with The View From The Afternoon. The band plays frantic, whiplashing the listener from section to section. IBYLGOTD keeps the energy high with - wait for it - danceable grooves. The songs are messy in the best way possible. I don't understand how Arctic Monkeys can go making this album to the sludge they've put out over the past decade and a half. I love the tom and bass interplay in Dancing Shoes. Still Take You Home wakes you right up. The whole album has been high energy to this point, which sometimes can be tough to parse song from song for me, but the fresh riffs and Alex's storytelling keeps each song unique. That being said, Riot Van is a nice breather. Holy did Cage The Elphant base their entire sound on this song. Red Light's groove has massive swagger. The bass and guitar lines play nice together. I love how, similarly to what Illmatic was to Nas and New York, this album feels like chatting up a British native. I think I sang Mardy Bum with my first band. Instant nostalgia hit. I love the distorted vocal sound on Vampires. I forgot about the breakdown. That's sick. Oh the stop is nice. Banger. Oh my god the riff in WTSGD is so addictive. Love the story painted here. This album gets better the further you get in. A Certain Romance is a nice closer. The song takes you on a journey. OVERALL: Who killed the Arctic Monkeys and replaced them with skin walkers raised on lean? 9.5/10 T3: Mardy Bum, WTSGD, Vampire

First Listen: Already familiar with Don't Know Why. I love how the song trots along, with Norah's vocals sitting perfect in the mix. Her voice is full, but floats through the track. I love the guitar harmonics in Seven Years. I really like Feelin' The Same Way. Has that sort of car ride song vibe that I really enjoy. The layers of guitars, piano, and percussion create a super warm track. Wasn't loving Lonestar but those harmonies at the end are gorgeous. There was another song earlier that had some real nice harmonies on it as well. I've Got To See You Again has a nice Latin flair to it. A little bit moodier cut, I think Norah sells being horny way better on this compared to Turn Me On. Love the violin. Painter Song has a nice autumn feel to it. The guitar intro was a nice quiet before the full band came in, and I loved the inclusion of accordion. The Nearness of You is a beautiful closer. OVERALL: Norah has the same sort of effect Adele has for me, where I'm never not going to enjoy her music. Her voice is warm and inviting, and the musicians on these songs are obviously all very talented. I don't think musical boundaries were pushed, or any massive risks were taken, but I also don't think that's necessary when Norah's formula of 'good voice, good music, good song', works so consistently for her and the audience. 7/10 T3: Feelin' The Same Way, Painter Song, The Nearness of You

Love this album. Solid almost all way through, and I like that you can hear them transitioning into the sounds of OK Computer.

Everything on this is so crunchy. Love the flow between songs as well. Genesis is a killer opener. Also creating a song based on the stock Apple horror sound effect is genius. 9.5/10

The album's first half is perfect. The quality isn't horrible after that point, but the songs become a little kitschier and less impressive. The closing 2 tracks return to form, especially Song For Asking. 8.5 T3: Cecilia, SLFLW, Song For Asking

First Listen: Dude's voice is not it. It sounds like a bad Bowie impression. Bailed Out was nice. The piano was haunting and the singing wasn't distracting. Starstruck was almost good. Reminds me of a mid 2000s garage rock song. HCIBW was nice. Sounds like Ween almost. The beat boxing was unecessary. I wish I was listening to Bowie. OVERALL: The album was a bit better on second listen, but it's not something I'd want to come back to outside of a few tracks. They're at their best when they play into the darker, rockier grooves. 5/10 T3: Bailed Out, HCIBW, the second half of Home Again (first half is aight)

NY State of Mind's beat is on some Goosebumps type beat in the best way possible. Sucks you into the world of the album. Halftime's beat hits like a truck. Up to this point it's been all bangers. Will have to relisten to dig in to Nas' lyrics, but I've been enjoying what I've caught on to. So many songs on this album feel like they were pieced from a walk through New York, in both the lyrics and beats.I love songs and albums that can paint a place so vividly. Love the piano that sounds like it's off the minecraft soundtrack in Represent. Bro really cleared an MJ sample. I was moving so I didn't have time to give this the listens it deserves. Tentative 9, but a possibility to go up. T3: NY State of Mind, Halftime, IAHTT

First Listen: Really enjoyed the opening track. Singer had the same kind of Bowie/glam rockisms as The Auteurs, but far less annoyingly British. She's Not Dead's bass intro is so creamy. This song is gorgeous. Damn that bass. Moving wakes you right back up from SND. The tom drum breaks are a lot of fun. And then right back into dreamy. Hits a huge crescendo in the back half. I love the back and forth nature of the album up to this point. The Drowners is another fun rocker. Dude sounds like he's trying to do a bad English accent but it works somehow. I love how all the textures work together in Sleeping Pills. The epiano has a satisfying clickyness to it that helps it stand out from the guitars. Reminds me a lot of The Bends era Radiohead. Wish MJ heard this one. They do a good job of keeping you on the edge of your toes. The horn solo in Breakdown is nuts. Adding this to my horny endings playlist. Great track. Metal Mickey was kinda mid. Another upbeat track, but this one didn't feel nearly as upfront as the previous. Don't bring ur dogs around this band. Animal Lover is fun, though still not to the level of Moving or The Drowning. Saw people hating on this track, idk what they're on. Outro is sick. Not sure if a piano ballad was what I wanted. Cool chord progression. The ahhs are a bit grating. Apparently that's the last track, though Spotify played He's Dead Demo which was a cool track. OVERALL: Suede is really good at building a crescendo. The slower tracks start with beautiful floating textures, and end in huge swells. All of the tracks I enjoyed originally got better upon relisten. I think the last three tracks are unfortunately the weakest, but even then they're still enjoyable. I didn't catch too many of the lyrical themes, but as an album I'm likely to come back to, I'm excited to explore more. 8.5/10 T3: Moving, Sleeping Pills, The Drowners

First listen: I really enjoy the talk-like nature of Marcus' voice. Feels natural and raw. His name isn't Marcus, Marcus is a Jamaican politician. Really enjoyed Slavery Days' call and response. Almost like a ... slave song... The flute in live good is really nice. Again the vocals are rough, but in a really nice way. Things feel loose and jammy. Up to this point I've been enjoying a lot of the political messaging in the lyrics. Kinda related, but I feel like the background vocals have a lot more African influence than most reggae I've heard. I need to check out who this Marcus Garvey guy is. Tradition's intro is my new stim. I do think I miss some of the cultural references they make in the lyrics. Lots of political and rastafarian references going over my head. Jordan River's groove hits so hard. Short and sweet, the type of album that makes you want to dig in to the context around it to learn more. Overall: The first three tracks are an insane run. Marcus Garvey is immediate and haunting, with lyrics feeling like the realization of prophecy. Slavery Days' background vocals feel like an American slave hymn, and feels like Winston begging the youth to remember their origins. African roots can be heard in The Invasion, and another reminder of the Jamaican peoples roots. The rest of the album is enjoyable, especially the sort of silly sounding Tradition, and the Latin influenced Jordan River, but the middle couple of songs hold it back for me. An album that makes me want to explore Jamaican history and religions, and to try to understand Winston's lyrics. 7/10 T3: Marcus Garvey, Jordan River, The Invasion

First Listen: Already familiar with Closer. Love the eerie vibe they create, the massive, roomy, drums, and the crescendo towards the end. Outside of this song, I only know Sex on Fire and Use Somebody, so I'm interested to hear the rest of the album. Crawl's fuzzy bass is cool but this might be the most truck commercial music I've heard in a while. Sex is on Fire is kinda dumb. Probably my least favourite from the songs I heard beforehand. I do really love Use Sombody, especially the breakdown in the second verse. The oowaooo chorus does feel like an YA movie adaptation song. Manhattan has a nice break from the in your face punch that were the opening four. I wish the lead singing could bring it down a bit, little but of an Imagine Dragons scream effect with this guy, but I still mostly enjoy the song. The bass is doing some cool things, and the drums got a cool latin rhythm. I don't know if it's the production, mixing, or mastering, or all of the above, but I really wish the slower cuts could breathe a little bit. Every thing feels in your face, and it takes away from a song that would otherwise be a nice cut. 17 is exactly what I was afraid it'd be about. Also, musically, the worst so far. Fuck the church bells YAAYYY SHES 18 NOW!!! Drake type beat. Oh I think ive heard Notion before as well. I might be crazy but this kind of reminds me of early Arcade Fire. The bass playing on this album is consistently doing something creative, while serving the song. I Want You is a slog to get through. I like tracks that stay in the same place dynamically, but the melody/instrumentation/vibe doesn't earn that. I'm a sucker for tom grooves. All the tension they built up in the verse was thrown away with that fuckass chorus. It's like the stuck two unfinished songs together. Unlike I Want You, Be Somebody could've sat in that tom groove for a while and still have been a solid, tense song. Cold Desert is a nice closer. OVERALL: I didn't really enjoy the bulk of this album outside of the singles and maybe one or two tracks. I think they're at their best when building tension, but as to whether or not they pay it off in a satisfying way is another question. The mid-2000s squashed mastering takes away from what would be really nice slower tracks. Probably won't come back to it in full. 5/10 T3: Closer, Crawl, Use Somebody

First Listen: Couldn't write down notes as I was listening cause I had the album on at the gym. But just from memory - - Bombtrack through Take the Power Back is an incredible three track opening. I love the explosive energy of the first two, and Zach's upfront vocals. Killing has a nice fast slow dynamic in it, and I love the slap bass in Take the Power Back. I love the political messaging, and that it's simultaneously exploring tough issues, but presenting them in easy to digest ways. Settle for Nothing produces an eerie vibe. Love the bass here. The breakdown hits so hard, and again, I love the quiet/loud dichotomy of a lot of these songs. Zach kinda sounds like a anime dub VA, in a good way. Another standout was Township Rebellion. The later half of the album I don't remember as well, but I'm looking forward to jumping back in. Adding some notes from my second pass. Love Bullet's bassline. Know Your Enemy's high energy feels like the first two, but changes it up enough to not feel too similar. The rhythm breakdown in the end is pretty cool, and I love the tremolo guitar near the start. The almost jazz inspired guitar solo is sick. Wake Up is probably the least unique, but thats not necessarily bad. Maybe a bit long, but the ending makes it worth it. The lead guitar player is insane. I love the slinking bassline in Fistful. Township's percussion based intro is sick. Love the transition into the unison riff chorus. OVERALL: Damn this album is so consistent from front to back. If I didn't know Killing In The Name beforehand, I would have trouble picking out a single. 9/10 T3: Know Your Enemy's, Take The Power Back, Settle For Nothing

First Listen: Not at all familiar with grime as a genre, but I'm loving how fun the beats have been two tracks in. Haven't caught on to much lyrically, but the wagwan song was funny. Corn On The Curb is darker than the first two. From what I've caught from the lyrics, it seems to be a bit more introspective. Not sure what I think of Crime Riddim just yet. The skits are maybe a bit too long, but the COD lobby reenactment was funny. "Quit talking numbers... Calculator" I really like the content of this song! Not sure I love the beat. Pharell's beats can be super stiff sometimes, and his 808s sound like ass. Maybe the first song I haven't enjoyed, everything's been pretty fun up to this point. That's Not Me was so good until the minecraft rapper jumped in. I like Text Me Back's exploration of Skepta's long-distance relationships, with his partner and his mother. There's a wierd instrumental at the end. Not quite sure what that was about. OVERALL: Will definitely be putting this into rotation. I think this album, similar to the Norah Jones, produces a vibe and sound that is executed perfectly. It doesn't push any crazy boundaries, nor does it ever feel super deep or personal, but every song is fun and bouncy, the production is crisp, and Skepta skates on the beats. That being said, unlike Norah Jones, I'll likely come back to this fairly frequently due to how fun this was. 7/10 T3: Konnichiwa, Lyrics, That's Not Me

First Listen: Gotta say, I've never felt so seen by a song as I did with Kill The Poor! I too hate the poor. When You Get Drafted and Let's Lynch A Landlord are both brief but fun tracks. The songs don't overstay their welcome, but get their points across. Drug Me almost has a Surf Rock feel to it. The vocals in the chorus are haunted. Love the waltz section directly into the explosion section in Chemical Warfare. This song continues with the shout gang vocals choruses. While they aren't catchy per-se, they really drill these lines into your head. The intro to California Uber Allies is sick. Another song with that trenned out surf rock feel. The breakdown speeding back into the chorus was incredible. There's an almost jazzy start stop in Ill In The Head which is pretty cool. Feels like Angine De Poitrine. Holiday in Cambodia builds tension in the intro beautifully. Eerie guitar lines work really well with the warbling vocals. The twisted surf rock vibes throughout this album provide a lot of ear candy in the guitar lines. Viva Las Vegas has an ironic country feel to it. Almost feels like Ween when they dip into that bag. This entire album drips with sarcasm, and I think this song exemplifies it. I know it's not part of the album, but I do wish the single remix of Kill The Poor was on the official tracklist. I think the whole album's mixing is pretty inconsistent, maybe to its detriment. I know punk isn't necessarily meant to sound the cleanest or tidiest, but mixing is something I value pretty heavily in a song. Still a great song though! OVERALL: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is a blunt, forward, and in your face album. The band leaves very little breathing room, front to back, but the surf-inspired guitar melodies provide respite through the cacophony. I love how blunt the lyrics are, leaving little room for interpretation. I'm sure somehow a right-winger co-opted the Dead Kennedys critiques of liberals as their own, but it sounds like the band is trying their best to ensure that that didn't happened (only reinforced by "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" a year later). I personally think some of the songs just after the halfway point lose a bit of the identity the other songs had, and the mixing on the album is noticeably inconsistent, but even at its lowest this album is a ton of fun. 8/10 T3: Drug Me, California Uber Allies, Holiday in Cambodia

First Listen: Unfortunately didn't have time to give this album as deep a listen as I would've liked. That being said, I did give it 3-4 listens. OVERALL: I may have a personal predisposition against thrash. I love early heavy metal, and I have been enjoying metalcore and other subgenres I've started exploring, but thrash metal has never clicked as much as I'd like. That being said, the talent on this album is plain as day, the guitar work is stellar. The way they weave parts in and out of each other, and create parts in which you can't point out rhythm guitar against the wall of lead guitars is amazing. There was one song with a sick bassline, but I feel as if it was wasted on what boiled out to be a spoken word song. I personally can't take the vocals seriously, but again that's a me issue, not the album or Dave Mustaine's fault. Overall I did enjoy this! Quite a lot more than the Metallica albums I've tried in the past. I'll likely give this a proper listen in the future. 7/10 T3: Poison Was The Cure, Tornado of Souls, Holy Wars

First Listen: NA, didn't take notes. OVERALL: It's kinda hard not to like this album. There's quite a few lyrics that have not aged well, Dre's own rapping isn't always a feature, and there's a sex skit that goes on way too long, but besides those sticking points the album is a lot of fun front to back. I love that you can hear the Parliament influence on a bunch of tracks - even moreso than 2001 - and the production is something you can't get anywhere else from anyone else. 8/10 T3: The Roach, FWDD, TDTNTO

Nick Drake First Listen: Despite Hazey Jane II's upbeat instrumental, the vocals feel very understated. The horns the track ATCOACC instantly draws the listener in with dark guitars, deep bass, and subtle drums. The strings and sax build the song beautifully. I think it's easy to miss the background that is the acoustic, but it's played very expressively at parts. The piano in One Of These First winds it's way through the track. The guitar, drums, and even the vocals are almost a wallpaper for the piano to paint. That being said, I love Nick's vocals. They're extremely understated - similar to Sufjan Stevens he almost never goes into chest voice. They feel earnest and sad. The strings on Hazey Jane I play a similar role to the piano on the previous track. The dance around the stage set by the other elements. I love the winding nature of these tracks; while some do crescendo into something greater, I'm more than happy to let them carry along as they are. I was hoping for an explanation on the album title but all I got was a really pretty flute solo. I didn't have too many song specific notes for the last stretch of the album, it's an album that's easy to let wash over you. I'm excited to go back in and try to focus on Nick's songwriting. OVERALL: This album is gorgeous. It's creates spaces for stories to be told, whether by Nick himself, or the various instruments across the tracklist. Nick's voice is soft, rarely pushing past his head voice, but it commands a a demand to be heard. I love this album! 9.5/10 T3: ATCOTCC, Poor Boy, Northern Skies

First Listen: NA, couldn't take notes! OVERALL: This album is pretty fun. I love some southern blues rock, and these guys do a pretty good job of it. I found myself recognizing a bunch of songs, turns out I knew quite a few songs from these guys but was never aware of them. I don't think these guys do anything crazy unique, it plays around with pre-existing tropes and does a good job at it. It's well produced, well performed, and pretty well written. That being said I do think there's way more interesting acts and albums in the blues and americana sphere. I can't help shake the feeling that these were the Greta Van Fleet of the 90s. I doubt I'll return to this outside a couple songs. 5/10 T3: Twice as Hard, Hard to Handle, Sister Luck

First Listen: The last half of Glasses was cool but underdeveloped. Junk was a really nice song. Teddy is another proper song, but I don't think it's that great of a song! JUNK AGAIN WE BACK BABY! Maybe I'm Amazed is great. We have 2 fully developed songs! OVERALL: I like the Beatles! I like Paul McCartney! I'm not sure if it's necessary to listen to Paul's post breakup voice memos. There's some really nice songs, like Junk, Singalong Junk, and Junk (Taylor's Version). A lot of the proper songs on this feel sort of empty. I don't think Paul was at the point in his solo career that he had the ability to command presence without The Beatles. There's a severe lack of background vocals on these as well. Reading some of the reviews for this album, some of you need to get off dick. I respect the experiments, but I don't think this is required listening at all. 4.5/10 T3: Junk, Maybe I'm Amazed, Singalong Junk