2025 in 2025: Day 165

The Slim Shady LP - Eminem

When Eminem was content to just be funny. This album is definitely a lot more fun than anything else he did after. It was such a unique style and pretty game-changing. Not a huge fan of the first half, but the last half is pretty solid; lyrics focus less on the homophobia and sex crimes, and more just throwing up the middle fingers and killing people. I cannot even remember the last time I listened to this, but I still remember all the lyrics!

Highlights: Bad Meets Evil, Guilty Conscience, Just Don't Give a Fuck, Still Don't Give a Fuck

7.5/10

Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi

Big keyboards, big guitars, big drums, big hooks. They were really on something with the writing of this album - some of the lyrics are seriously cringe, but the way everything comes together is pretty fantastic.

Highlights: Wanted Dead or Alive, Wild in the Streets, Livin' on a Prayer, Let It Rock, Never Say Goodbye

9/10

Slipway Fires - Razorlight

If you look up "Mediocre" in the dictionary, they will just have this album cover. It is all listenable but completely forgettable and lacking in any emotion.

Highlights: Monster Boots

5/10

SLITS - YUKI

There is a formula to YUKI's last few albums; some full on electronic numbers, a little bit of jazz/funk fusion, an acoustic song, and one or two songs that are just mind-blowingly amazing. Not only is こぼれてしまうよ one of the greatest songs ever, but the bass playing on it is just phenomenal.

Highlights: こぼれてしまうよ, パ・ラ・サイト, One One One, ユニヴァース

8/10

Smash - The Offspring

When LOGMAN was 14 years-old, he did not notice the message of these lyrics - he just heard some catchy songs that sounded aggressive and occasionally made jokes about killing people in road rage. Heck, I did not even get the joke of that! Thirty years later, I can appreciate how much these songs are very upfront anti-capitalist and anti-conformity. How they went from that to fucking Why Don't You Get a Job boggles my mind.

Highlights: Smash, Come Out and Play, It'll Be a Long Time, Nitro (Youth Energy)

8/10

Smashes, Thrashes & Hits - Kiss

After Kissathon II, I reduced this to simply the "new" songs. Because I did not need more weak remixes of classic Kiss songs. What remains is basically an EP of super cheesy 80s pop rock and VERY suggestive lyrics. So, a good time with Kiss...

Highlights: Let's Put the X in Sex, (You Make Me) Rock Hard

8/10

Smell the Magic - L7

I have come to the conclusion that L7 are the band Kurt Cobain wished he could have been in. Or at least the type of music he thought he was making. Especially this album. It is ferocious and has some actual hooks as well. 

Highlights: Till the Wheels Fall Off, Shove, Packin' a Rod

7.5/10

Smile... It Confuses People - Sandi Thom

Zero idea how or why I have this album. Even less idea if I have ever listened to it before now. Her singing is a bad as her idea of what punk rocker was.

Highlights: It is a relatively short album

5.5/10

Snapz the Clown - DJ Reggie

Dear gawd, no thanks. Less shitty hip-hop, more just general shit. And lots of peaked-out distortion. Someone should have taught DRA to mix.

Highlights: It is even shorter!

3/10

So - Peter Gabriel

The only song from this album I have is Big Time. And while this is a great song, I can not help but think there are many other great songs on this album and I can not understand why they are not in my collection. Other than me being an embarrassment to all mankind.

8/10

So Long, Astoria - The Ataris

I have previously mentioned these dudes' cover of The Boys of Summer is golden, but the rest of this album is very much in my Q Zone - it is kind of early emo pop punk. Like the self-titled blink-182 album, minus the heavy synths and electro stuff. 

Highlights: The Boys of Summer, I Won't Spend Another Night Alone, My Reply, Takeoffs and Landings, So Long Astoria

7.5/10

So-Called Chaos - Alanis Morissette

This album is much more positive and upbeat than her previous albums; I will blame Ryan Reynolds, who also made a cameo in the video for Everything. Her voice is very good here.

Highlights: Excuses, Everything, Eight Easy Steps

7.5/10

Solace - Sarah McLachlan

This is not bad by any stretch, but it is lacking in anything really special. It all kind of just there in the background. I blame the super spacious production.

Highlights: Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Back Door Man

6.5/10

Solitaire - Clay Aiken

I have any versions of Elvis singing this song, as well. That is probably about it.

7/10

Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus

This is purely Achy Breaky Heart. I used to perform this one live and you would not believe how much people loved it. Never failed.

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1550

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2025 in 2025: Day 102

Invincible - Michael Jackson

The production on this album is super badass and it is pretty much MJ at his most R&B. It was always going to be in the shadow of all his previous works, unless he had released another masterpiece. Which he didn't? Some great songs, though, which showed he still had it.

Highlights: Hearbreaker, Break of Dawn, 2000 Watts, Threatened, That scream of "Slash!" right before the guitar solo in Privacy

7.5/10

Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

This is purely the b-side I Don't Want to Know - it is a Fleetwood Mac cover. I have Iris on Dizzy Up the Girl and have zero interest in ever listening to the edited single version.

8/10

Issues - KoЯn

Bagpipes. Weird interludes. Rattling bass. Bad singing and stupid lyrics. It is a classic KoЯn album! The last half of this is all jangly guitars in the verses.

Highlights: Falling Away From Me, Beg For Me, Somebody Someone, Let's Get This Party Started

5.5/10

It's Better to Travel - Swing Out Sister

This is purely that 80s smash hit Breakout. Not to be confused with the Frehley's Comet rocker. No Eric Carr on drums, here!

8/10

It's My Sin - Jan Hellriegel

90s West-Auckland rock. Some seriously giant reverb all over this. That chorus in The Way I Feel is tops.

Highlights: The Way I Feel, No Idea, It's My Sin

6/10

It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls

This is just the song. And what a song!

9/10

IT'z ICY - ITZY

ICY is the song of the Summer. Not just 2019 - I am talking EVERY Summer. It is fun having the remix of DALLA DALLA since that is the only ITZY single I do not have. Which is silly, because that is a great song.

Highlights: ICY, DALLA DALLA (DallasK Remix), WANT IT? (Imad Royal Remix)

7.5/10

IT'z ME - ITZY

The video for Wannabe is dope. But we are not here to talk about music videos. What am I? MTV?

Highlights: Wannabe, Nobody Like You, That's a No No, 24Hrs

7.5/10

iTunes Festival: London 2013 - Justin Timberlake

I think this was one of those free Xmas gifts from Apple or something. It is actually pretty decent - the band are tight and funky. The recording sounds like it was sourced from a video.

Highlights: Sexyback, Take Back the Night

7/10

IV - Ryan Adams

This is the follow up to III, which I am sure is quite logical. It is a bit more rocking. Kind of like the Rock N Roll album, but less messy and with better singing? That bridge in Icebreaker is perfection. I would rate the song Star Wars higher if it was not about Star Wars and how much he loves it. I knew there was a reason I think he is a clown!

Highlights: No, Numbers, Icebreaker, P.S., Kill the Lights

7/10

IV - Cypress Hill

Much like III, the music here is quite sparse and less powerful, while the lyrics and vocals are VERY angry. I wonder how much of it comes down to the mix or mastering. Sen Dog gets his nu-metal on with Lightning Strikes and it makes me want to track down his short-lived nu-metal band, because they were actually pretty decent. 

Highlights: Tequila Sunrise, Checkmate, Nothin' to Lose, Lightning Strikes

7/10

Ixnay on the Hombre - The Offspring

The first major label release and it is still pretty rad. Certainly a lot better than anything they put out afterwards! Pretty funny going from a group that promotes the use of marijuana, to a group that sings about drugs being bad. 

Highlights: Leave It Behind, Gone Away, Amazed, Change the World

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 876

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2025 in 2025: Day 45

The Concert for Bangladesh - George Harrison and Friends

Starting my day with a 17 minute Indian stringed-instrument performance. I guess that is one way to ease in to a morning - but it does suit my mood, as I slept later and am taking my time getting my head together. But after that we are in for some good old-fashioned rock'n roll! And seriously, what a killer lineup these concerts had. I enjoy that Ringo forgets half the lyrics to his song. I also enjoy that Leon Russell was just a darn charismatic enigma in this show. He already looked like he was a fifty year-old rocker that had lived a hard life and sang like a man that had been playing in boozy smoke-filled clubs all his life - and he wasn't even thirty yet! Bangla Desh is the best performance of the night, for sure. I hope one day we can get a remix of this album the way they are doing other Beatle's-related albums, because I am sure it can sound better.

Highlights: Just Like a Woman - Bob Dylan, Bangla Desh - George Harrison, Jumpin' Jack Flash/Young Blood - Leon Russell

7.5/10

CONQUEROR - BAND-MAID

Oh my, I had almost forgotten about these young women! This album is not as consistently awesome as World Domination, but it has some fantastic shining moments. Some of these songs are like a better My Chemical Romance. A MUCH betterer My Chemical Romance. I need to check out what they have released since this album and see how good it is. No idea why I stopped listening to them. The drumming on this album is massive and I really dig the timing changes in songs like Bubble. Wow, I can't believe I have to wait another nine months until I get to listen to World Domination...

Highlights: endless story, カタルシス, PAGE

7/10

Conspiracy of One - The Offspring

Original Prankster is more of the same garbage these guys had been releasing with their last album, but then they followed up with Want You Bad - which may be one of their greatest songs ever? The rest is pretty standard fare from The Offspring; nothing terrible, nothing too exciting.

Highlights: Want You Bad, Million Miles Away, Living In Chaos

6/10

Conti Ukiss - U-Kiss

This is just one song and I need to shazam it, because the title is a mess of jibberish. But it is a pretty cool song.

7/10

The Cookbook - Missy Elliot

This is big change of pace. At the time, I rated this album VERY highly. Time hasn't been as kind to it; there are still a bunch of awesome songs, but it just feels like most of the tracks are missing a little something. Missy's rhymes are always awesome, though.

Highlights: Lose Control, Can't Stop, Teary Eyed, Meltdown, Time & Time Again

7/10

Cool as Ice - Various Artists

This is the soundtrack to that cinema epic, starring Vanilla Ice. Great stuff. This is very standard 1991 R'n B type of music. So, Partners in Kryme actually did have another song? I refuse to believe they were a real group. Vanilla Ice really uses these songs to showcase his incredible rapping and rhyming skills. And his softer side for the ladies, thanks to Never Wanna Be Without You - which may well be the funniest ballad ever created. Forever by D'New sounds like 3 people playing keyboard, but can't hear the other 2 people playing. And then someone next door is practicing the saxamophone. And nothing says '1991 movie soundtrack' like an instrumental with dialogue from the movie overtop. Vanilla Ice's parting message on this album is he is not down with... peace??

Highlights: Cool As Ice, The People's Choice, Get Wit' It - Vanilla Ice, You've Got to Look Up - DeREK B, Drop That Zero - Stanley Clarke

6/10

Core - Stone Temple Pilots

I like to pretend that this is not the best album by Stone Temple Pilots, because I like to think Tiny Music is. And I'm right. But, also, this album is, too. Because holy balls does it slam! Weiland's lyrics are all political poetic and his vocals are both powerful and vulnerable, the guitar riffs are massive and with thick distortion, the bass lines are grooving everywhere and the drums are rock solid. There's even a Metallica-sounding instrumental in here. And then these guys refused to ever sound like this again! That was also not a bad thing, because they made great music after this, but this album just feels like peak grunge.

Highlights: Sex Type Thing, Piece of Pie, Plush, Dead & Bloated

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 346

2025 in 2025: Day 5

Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned - The Prodigy
Wake up, LOGMAN! If I were a pro-wrestler, Spitfire would be an awesome entrance song. Oh snap, I forgot Juliette Lewis did vocals on this song - the whole 2 lines. This whole album is hard-hitting electronic punk badassery. Which is really what you should expect from The Prodigy. But there's just something about this album that feels extra cool. Maybe it's the use of rappers like Kool Keith and Twista? Otherwise, it's pretty well just a Liam Howlett solo album. He and Liam Gallagher must have been married to the All Saints sisters at the time, because that would have surely made it easier to get him and Noel to come help make Shoot Down one blast of awesome to end the album.
Highlights: Spitfire, Wake Up Call, Get Up Get Off, Action Radar, Shoot Down
8.5/10

ALXD - [Alexandros]
When the opening riff of ワトリドリ kicked in, I was like 'Oooh I know this song, but I am not sure what it is...' and then the band kicked and I was like 'Oh snap!' Awesome song, awesome way to open an album. I've generally been a bit harsh on the rest of this album, but I think it's more the next few songs after that are not so great, because the rest of the album is very good, too. Clearly I need to listen to this more.
Highlights: ワトリドリ, Dog 3, Coming Summer
7.5/10

AMARANTHUS - Momoiro Clover Z
Bahahahaha I'm hilarious. MCZ are fun. This is actually just two songs from the album, because spending that much on an MCZ album would be insane. The mix on WE ARE BORN is fantastic (and it's an awesome song I kind of want to listen to again right now). And ゴリラパンチ is just fun. There's a 'metal mix' that is kinda cool, but omits my fav part at 2:08. And is really unnecessary, because the intro & verses have plenty heavy guitars as it is. Shiizz, I ain't afraid of you mofos. 
9/10

Ambitions - ONE OK ROCK
The volume just went UP! Massive guitar riffs, stadium drums, spacious keyboards, and bah gawd Taka's voice. Dude was at his absolute peak on this album. And that's saying something, because I still maintain that dude has the best voice in rock even today. We Are is the biggest and bestest anthem on the planet. The live version has a guitar solo and I kinda wish that was on this version, too. Argh I want to listen to that now. Luckily this album just keeps kicking ass, so I won't turn it off right now. Sure, it falls off a little in the middle. And I could certainly live without Avril Lavigne appearing. But at least her vocals have been super processed so she actually sounds like someone that can sing. I need more ONE OK ROCK.
Highlights: Bombs Away, Taking Off, We Are, Start Again, Take What You Want
8/10

America's Greatest Hero - Joey Scarbury
This is simply the theme from The Greatest American Hero, Believe It or Not. One of the greatest TV show themes of all-time. I should watch the show again, but I think I've been saying that for about 20 years.
8/10

American Beauty/American Psycho - Fall Out Boy
Wait - this album is now 10 years old?!? Time and life are going too quickly. It starts off kinda... meh. But then it gets kinda... sad. And then gets really... dark. Well, for FOB, anyways. Wait; I just read the title track samples Too Fast For Love by Mötley Crüe. How have I not noticed that before? Because that's the worst song on the album? Why am I asking all these questions of a 10 year-old? The 2nd half of the album is awesome when I'm in the right mood. I like some dark and angry emo pop punk, and this album provides that quite nicely. In part.
Highlights: Novocaine, Fourth of July, Favorite Record
7/10

American Gangster - Jay-Z
Oh my, what a change of pace. After a morning of head-crushing beats, amped-up anthems and edgy emo energy, Jay-Z hits me with the more relaxed grooves while he recounts life doing illegal things against a backdrop of 70s soul music. We even get Marvin Gaye and Beastie Boys sampled to great effect. Do people really think Lil Wayne is good? I keep seeing stuff online about him being the greatest ever, but I'm yet to find a single verse he's dropped that is actually good. Luckily Jay-Z is fire 90% of the time. And the tracks Diddy wrote/produced here are all killer - probably some of his best work, IMO.
Highlights: No Hook, Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...), American Gangster
7/10

American Idiot - Green Day
The last good album by Green Day? Which was such a bizarre return to form after Nimrod and Warning. As a teenager of the 90s, I never thought I'd see the day when these guys did a 9-minute song. Let alone 2 of them on one album. And they are actually the best songs on the album. This is the second punk song called Novocaine I've heard today. Solid album.
Highlights: Jesus of Suburbia, Homecoming, Whatsername
7.5/10

American Pie - Various Artists
I was never a fan of the movie, but this soundtrack is the most 1999 collection of 1999 music. 3EB, blink-182, Sugar Ray and even New Zealand singer Bic Runga somehow lucked her way into this. Twice! You Wanted More by Tonic was a classic busking jam for me. Still holds up remarkably well!
Highlights: New Girl - Third Eye Blind, You Wanted More - Tonic
7/10

Americana - The Offspring
I never listen to this, because I am have an immediate distaste for it due to the cheesy singles - Pretty Fly (For a White) is kinda lame, and Why Don't You Get a Job? is so incredibly awful I've already deleted it from my iTunes (thank Prime for that! I probably didn't even import it - I hate it that much). But I am trying to give it a fair re-evaluation, because there are some very typically good Offspring songs on here. Then they go and drop that parody of Feelings in the middle of the album and I go back to hating this nonsense.
Highlights: The Kids Aren't Alright, Not having to listen to Why Don't You Get a Job?
5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 45