Firehose - If'n [honorable mention]

:-)

Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson: liked

:-)

Various Artists - Send I A Lion: A Nighthawk Reggae Joint: 7 (B+)

Don't buy multi-artists comps at B+, generally.

The Comet Is Coming - Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery: 7 (B+)

# [jazz-ish]

Mexstep - Estere-​Ere​-​O: 7 (B+)

Digital only.

Mexstep - Occupied State [honorable mention]

:-)

Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy: liked

:-)

Nathan Bell - Red, White And American Blues: 7 (B+)

# [folk]

James Blood Ulmer - Black Rock: 8 (A-)

Update (April 2026): Was #jazz at 7.5 (high B+), but upped a notch to 8 (A-) and collected, after several more listens.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will the Circle Be Unbroken: 7.5 (high B+)

#country/bluegrass

Trouble Funk - Drop the Bomb: 7.5 (high B+)

# [go-go] See review of comp Go Go Crankin'. [Confusingly, there is also a later, perhaps unofficial, compilation from 2008 with the same name.]

The Leaving Trains - Kill Tunes: 7.5 (high B+)

Definitely in the market for this, but not at $20-25. And there's something nice about having nothing by this band other than Loser Illusion Pt. 0. But I'll probably cave one day and get it.

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes [honorable mention]

:-)

I.K. Dairo M.B.E. and His Blue Spots - I Remember: liked

Perhaps another listen would get it up to 7 (B+), but it's #juju anyway.

Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal Tendencies: liked

:-)

Atmosphere - Word? [honorable mention]

:-)

Elton John - Caribou: liked

:-)

Joy Division - Closer: 9.5 (high A)

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures: 9 (A)

Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert [honorable mention]

:-) [Annoying title; even more annoying delivery] [five listens]

The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat: 7 (B+)

Upped from "liked" and collected in honor of its stature, even though #powerpop. Actually, I snatched it from my wife's small collection, with her consent.

They Might Be Giants - Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants: 8.5 (high A-)

In retrospect, I probably would have been better off with the single disc distillation of this called User's Guide. This goes on for a little long for me. But I have this, the single disc is OOP, and I'll give them the shelf space. Plus it got 5 stars in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (from J.D. Considine, okay, but still, and he clearly is not a rabid fan).

They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants: 7.5 (high B+)

Christgau and Hull both gave this a full A, so I guess I'm the one with no taste.

They Might Be Giants - Flood: 7 (B+)

#indiepop

They Might Be Giants - A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants: notation

Hull thinks this is better than Dial-A-Song. Maybe it is, but I have the latter, and it has everything on this, other than "John Lee Supertaster" and "Clap Your Hands." Listened to each multiple times.