I wasn't ever truly surprised by any track on here, but some good or even great tracks were brought down by the uninspiring ones. After a three-year wait, I don't mind this, but I don't love it.

American Pie. One of the greatest songs ever written, but the album itself is pretty average outside of the title track. With not much to talk about with the album itself, I thought it would be a good opportunity to break down this incredible song. With profound lyrics that feel like a history lesson at times and a catchy chorus, there's no wonder why this song is as revered as it is. So let's get into it.

Don McLean himself has never told anyone what this song is about, and when ... read more

One of the most technically profound albums I have had the pleasure to listen to. Unlike most albums, Pawn Hearts in only three lengthy songs that get progressively longer as you go. The instrumentation is incredible, and while the vocals are nothing to sing home about, it doesn’t take away from anything. Progressive rock has completely taken over this decade so far, but I can’t help but love it.

Judee was the first artist signed to Asylum Records, with the likes of Joni Mitchell and Carole King. She goes about her writing in a very different way, though. She is less introspective and more spiritual. She sings of redemption and grace rather than love. The reason for that is her past. In her early years, Judee was in serious trouble with crime and drugs. She is trying to repair herself, and music was her way of doing that. It is a shame that she wasn't around to witness the ... read more

A super underrated album that didn't even cross my attention until I was about to review their following album. This album is weird, even for all the prog albums that were coming out during this time. There are very unique instrumentation choices, and Peter Hammill's vocals are interesting to say the least. "The Killer" stands out for the few times I've listened, and "Pioneers Over C" is substantially lower in quality than the previous four tracks.

This album is so underrated. I had never heard of it before I started listening to it, but I did recognize the album cover. Without this album, we wouldn't have any of the Glam Rock that would go on to shape the 70s and 80s. So many of our favorite artists would have very different trajectories, like David Bowie and Prince.

I also had no idea how famous this album was, especially in the UK. It hit #1 in the UK and stayed on the charts for almost an entire year. It finds a way to blend ... read more

I honestly wasn't aware that this was coming out. I did know that there have been singles, but I don't listen to many singles because I like the whole experience of an album. I saw the reviews were great, so I was obviously going to spend some time with this one. This has a true shot of being rap album of the year. The production is phenomenal, with the emotional highs being otherworldly and very touching. At many times, the production is more emotional than the also amazing lyrics. ... read more

Wildly inconsistent? Yes. In what way? Every possible way.

There are so many ideas and sounds, with good songs and mid songs. All these fighting ideas come together to form what I think is Lennon's mind at the time. He is throwing shots, his head is clear, but ever-changing. You get everything here, but what I think makes it interesting is the fact that John Lennon is a Beatle. Without that context, I don't think this album would land very well. We all know THE song, and it is great ... read more

Santana is nothing but consistent, and I think this is their best album.

This album is an exploration that blends so many genres. Santana has always blended genres, but here it feels like everything just clicked. We get a lot fewer lyrics, but the grooves and guitar playing are heavenly. The drums are always so unique, with the Afro and Latin influences blended throughout the project. Weirdly enough, we also get their most psychedelic piece of art yet. While everyone else was starting to ... read more

It is wild to me that you can directly track the evolution and influence of 50-year-old music to albums today. This album has a dircet influcnce to consious hip-hop, and without it, many albums that we've come to know wouldn't exist. If What's Going On is the optimistic older brother, this is the glass-half-empty album. Many songs talk about very real events that are hard to get through, but they're very real. The first few tracks are some of the best the genre has to offer, ... read more

R.I.P to one of the greatest songwriters, composers, and musical minds of all time, and this is his goodbye.

The Beach Boys were falling pretty hard at this point. They were pretty nonexistent in America, and they were having trouble selling records. Even though critically, they were getting good reviews. All the members were making fools of themselves, or just completely drained and uninspired. They did, though, for a few short months, start playing gigs around the country. While they ... read more

I decided to go back and do Gentle Giant's first record after enjoying their second, and I think I like this one significantly more. While on their second, some of the crazy ideas they use don't always land, but here they do. This might be the prog rock band that I see get the least amount of attention, and at times, I can see why, but this album has some gems. Notebly the first three tracks are awesome and really unique. Plus, the album cover is pretty fucking sweet. And creepy.

This album IS ahead of its time, but it also feels like it was made five years too late. The peak of psychedelic music was in the late 60s, and here Tago Mago comes in 1971. There are so many unique moments here that truly make you question what music could be for the time, but I don't think all those decisions hit the mark. Especially a song like "Peking O." that I don't get. Other tracks like "Paperhouse", "Oh Yeah", and "Halleluhwah" are all ... read more

The Who don't get the credit for what they did for early rock than they should. They were true innovators with some of the most talented musicians in the industry, and Who's Next is, in my opinion, their best work yet. Not many albums feel so out of time, and this is innovative. They used synths on this album like theyve never been used prior. Of course, "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" stand out with their use of synths, but there is also ... read more

I was not expecting Master of Reality to come close to the quality of Paranoid, but I was so wrong. If someone told me that they like this album better, I wouldn't bat an eye. The band went on such an incredible run, releasing three top-notch and innovative albums in the span of two years. Only bands like The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience come close to the run they had for the time.

I think one part of the band that people tend to overlook is the lyrics. They talk about a lot ... read more

Here is another renowned prog album that, at times, feels incomplete. It is ambitious and has its moments for sure, but it doesn't land everywhere for me. I do love the use of so many different instruments, which makes this album stand out amongst all the other rock albums for the time.

"It was maybe the first time that our emotional ability as artists matched our technical ability as players." - George Clinton

That's about sums up the incredible opener. The track, "Maggot Brain," sees guitarist Eddie Hazel play a solo for nearly ten minutes straight. As the story goes, Clinton told Hazel that his mother had died while they were tripping on psychedelics. Hazel, believing it was true, played one of the most notorious guitar solos ever. There is so much ... read more

The voice of an angel.

Why do I feel like this album is now becoming underrated? Blue redefined honesty in popular music, and while there were great singer-songwriters still putting out fantastic work, no one did as much for the genre as Joni. There is no barrier between Joni's words and the listener. We are getting all of it, with no filter. All the sorrow, good times, confusion, and confession are all being flooded into the microphone.

Joni had been battling a lot over the past few ... read more

So this was a genuine surprise. I absolutely loved this record. Everything about it was so authentic and raspy, but purposeful. This is so special for the time. I feel like I've listened to so many prog albums and albums that are seeking to change the face of music, but this is a story-driven, lived-in rock and rock record. Every song is emotionally driven, but not forced. The looseness of the album is done on purpose, but yet again, it doesn't feel forced. Covers can be hard to ... read more

The biggest question everyone is asking: Was it worth the wait? For me, not really. Eight years is a long time for a young rapper to wait between albums. Especially with all of the buildup that lasted years. With all that said, this is still a pretty good album, and definitely better than Testing. I actually liked Doechii's track, but the rest of the features besides Brent Faiyaz were a little underwhelming. The production is good, but nothing truly stood out to me. It was just kind of ... read more