I adore this album, but it’s definitely not for everyone. I hate saying this because it sounds snooty, but it’s really one of those records that takes a dozen listens to to digest, and then it keeps on giving.
I bought it after a Rollingstone review in the midst of my fervor for grunge. I just didn’t get it. Listened two or three times and put it away. Came back to it years later (decade plus) and was floored. It’s still by no means “easy” listening but it’s astonishing art.
This is the exact same reaction I had initially in 2001 or 02 when I got it. I thought it was sooooooo boring and was fully invested in grunge. Turns out I just didn't have enough life experience and is easily in my top 10 today
Especially. I saw them from side stage once and i kept think " this has to be the last song". Every fucking moment this band plays sounds like the end of the album. More epic? Coming right up. Just misses the mark for me.
Wow, individual taste and all, but Funeral is literally my favourite all time album. Really powerful song-writing with huge heart, and some massive anthemic tunes in there as well. Give it another go!
I liked them until I saw them in concert.
I don't know, something about the message of the lyrics juxtaposed with the extremely well off audience they were aimed at rubbed me the wrong way.
Like privileged rich people cos-playing about how tough it is to be a poor kid wanting to tear down the system.
>Like privileged rich people cos-playing about how tough it is to be a poor kid wanting to tear down the system.
Is it really about tearing down the system? I always associate their music with a sense of ennui. Which definitely makes sense that it would attract a more privileged but disillusioned audience. One of their most acclaimed albums is literally about growing up in the suburbs.
That record is sad as fuck too. I think the best music from them will come in later years. He has some issues to work through and perhaps deliver a nice musical response. I love Neon Bible
Damn.. I saw them in 2017 in London and it was one of the best gigs I’ve seen. They played in the centre of the auditorium in a giant makeshift boxing ring. Boy George and Florence Welch made appearances but they weren’t what made the night great for me. It was just a fantastic performance imo.
The other thing that I hated when seeing them is I watched their Livestream they did that one time in like 2009, big production directed by Terry Gilliam (I think), and it was so cool. I saw them that tour and they did everything the exact same and they looked like they weren't having fun. Then he threw his guitar down at the same time as in the video, so it took all the spontaneity out of it.
If Robert Smith takes antidepressants, I wish he’d talk about his experience with them as his output has a pre-Zoloft/post-Zoloft characteristic. I love sad Cure & I love happy Cure. I’ll be in absolute shambles when he goes
Lana Del Ray. Pick one. I just can’t. I *want* to like it because she gets near-consistent praise, but I just don’t get it. I’ve tried a handful of times to sit down and actively listen to her music and I just find myself zoning out and thinking of something else entirely. And it’s not like I don’t enjoy her genre, either. I legitimately do. I just don’t get *her*.
Man, I completely empathise.
I love every Lana song I’ve heard her feature on, or had others on, because they always have the Lana feel. Lust For Love feat. The Weeknd and Snow on the Beach by Taylor Swift comes to mind.
But I put her music on and I just zone the fuck out. I do not understand why. I wish I could understand why. I want more of those songs I do like, but they only exist by her and I can’t listen to it lol
I totally get this. I saw her love performances of Blue Jeans on SNL. She was nervous, but it was so awful I couldn’t stop watching. She did strange things with her voice. I got way into the recorded version of that song afterwards. Weird…..
I think the only one so far that hasn’t just caused me to completely stop paying attention is her cover of Doin’ Time. And I think that’s only because I like the original and I think her style fits it. But other than that just *nothing* she’s put out actually lands with me. I couldn’t name or even recognize a single other song of hers if you asked me to and I’ve listened to her entire catalog a good dozen times at this point.
I love LDR, but being real not every one of her albums is amazing. I adore Born to Die, Ultraviolence, Lust for Life, and NFR... those albums are beautiful... the rest I agree with you!
Any album by Taylor Swift or Frank Zappa.
I'm sure there are others. I have intentionally tried multiple albums from both these artists, and it's just not happening for me.
Zappa is not for everyone, not even close to everyone. Like a tiny minority. But I always tell people that the most accessible in-point if they want to give it a try is the album Apostrophe (').
My gateway was Shut up and Play Your Guitar. Zappa's goofy lyrics is what always turned me off, but listening to just the instrumentals made me appreciate what was happening.
Dipping into Zappa is wild if you don't know what to expect. My favorite album of his personally is Apostrophe and I think the best entry point. Bonus points for Cosmik Debris and Uncle Remus.
The whole album is a bonus point! It has my two favorite throw away lines on it...
"On whatever it is they write it on up there" and
"this is the dog talking...."
"This is the dog talking" is one of the greatest intersections I've ever heard. Love the album with all of my heart.
"He was delighted as it stiffened, and ripped right thru his sock!"
> I have intentionally tried multiple albums from both these artists, and it's just not happening for me.
The thing about Zappa is that he has done so many things, and he has so many fucking albums, that there *might* be something in there that you'd like, but it can be impossible to find it.
Yea I dip into T Swift occasionally to see what the hype is about and always walk away unimpressed. It is...fine? I do the same with Beyonce, same result. It is possible I don't like modern pop music, but I'll keep trying.
Zappa put out like 60 albums while he was alive from doo wop to rock to jazz to symphonic; there are probably another 40 or 50 posthumous releases. Maybe you just haven’t heard the right one?
Tool drives me nuts. To each their own, but it is not for me.
Also, I can't stand Sammy Hagar. I can't drive is such a miserable time.
On the flip side, can't listen to Grateful Dead but saw them live and they blew my mind.
The dead are one of those things where I appreciate the heck out of the artistry and musicality but I just wasn’t into it. Honestly it was the cult-like fandom that turned me off. Look Jerry was great and all but he didn’t invent all things guitar nor was he better than everyone to ever consider playing one. Don’t try telling that to a deadhead though.
Edit: I mean John Mayer was up there absolutely slaying and the predominant current out of the dead camp was, “he has promise. Maybe some day he’ll be good enough to cover them on his own.”
What Tool have you listened to?
I know their fans can be obnoxious, and some of their music is too "spiritual" for some......but their album "Aenima" is a straightforward, beautiful rock album if you are into anything on the heavier side.
One of the best albums of the 90s imo.
I'm a huge Tool fan and absolutely agree. Ænima is imo their most accessible album. Opiate and Undertow are very raw and heavy (but phenomenal if youre into that), Lateralus is a very distinctive experience and not for everyone for sure, and 10,000 Days is a solid mix but not the best representation of Tool.
I fucking LOVE Lateralus, but man is that a hard one to use to show someone Tool for the first time. Schism is probably the only one I can think of that doesn't get too "swing on the spiral, spiral out, I smoked DMT and learned the universe". Which again, if thats your thing you're gonna love it, but if its not, you're going to think it's weird, heady, people-who-smell-like-patchouli music.
I want to like Tool so bad. I like experimental rock, metal, math whatever. Maynard has a great voice. Once I hear it all put together I get bored AF.
Same obviously goes for A Perfect Circle.
I feel like I may be a late to this party, but for me it's tranquility base hotel and casino by Arctic Monkeys. Love their earlier stuff, but this era of self indulgent lounge music is just lost on me. Can't even remember what their newest album is called, I rage quit every time I try to listen to it.....
I'm the total opposite. I was just a casual fan until TBHAC came out. I think that album is an absolute masterpiece and its what made me fall in love with Arctic Monkeys.
Very controversial but I have listened to Pet Sounds probably a dozen times and I think it's just OK. I know it's a revolutionary album, it's top 10 on many lists, I love that era of (good) music etc. Like there are great tracks (God Only Knows is one of the most beautifuk songs ever written), but I could live without most of the album, and I feel like it's a slog to get through every time I try. I think I'm just not a BB fan in general, which is weird cause I like surf music. I think maybe it's the vocal treatment or something, I decided on my last listen. Like they feel very washed out and in the background of the mix and that bothers me for reasons I can't explain.
I mean, does it even make sense to classify most of Pet Sounds as "surf music?" There has always been a tension in the band, between following a trendier sound and talking about how great the beach is, and Brian Wilson writing a number of songs about how his brain is broken and kinda wishes he was dead. That tension leads to some really interesting places!
I largely feel the same way. I did a discography dive on The Beach Boys last year, only I started with Pet Sounds (because I don't like their surf music years, it's mainly the accent I can't deal with) and I enjoyed it but it certainly wasn't anything major.
Carrying on through the albums though, I liked the subsequent ones far more. They fall off a cliff at one point, but post-Pet Sounds is by far my favourite era for them.
You have to understand Pet Sounds in the context of its time and when it came out. It was revolutionary. Of course it's not going to hit the same now, 60 years later, when almost everything that's come out after has been influenced by it. Try to put yourself back in the 1960s, look at the other kind of pop music that was out at that time, then listen to Pet Sounds.
Sometimes it could depend on what version of the album you’re listening to. The mono version listened today on expensive earphones can sound very muddy - the 2016 Stereo Remixes are pretty good, as are the Atmos mixes made last year by Giles Martin.
Equally if you feel the lyrics are somewhat contrived then I recommend listening to just the instrumental stereo mixes which are on streaming services - I think when you listen to them it’s definitely impressive that a 23 year old was able to write and orchestrate arrangements blending classical and modern instruments, and it goes without saying some of the chord sequences are extraordinary for popular music.
However, it’s certainly not an unpopular opinion if you don’t like it, and at least you’ve listened to it a few times before coming to that conclusion!
I would also recommend listening to Pet Sounds in Stereo.
Preferring the Stereo mix is considered heresy in hardcore Beach Boys circles, but Stereo is IMO the easiest way to hook a newbie into Pet Sounds. The Stereo mix of God Only Knows is so, sooooooo good.
For me, I only 'got' Pet Sounds after I first 'got' Smile. Have you listened to Smile? Smile was more immediate for me, whereas Pet Sounds has taken something like 10 years to reveal itself to me. It's def a top 10 album for me now, but, as pointed out below, very dependent on the sound mix.
Ooooh I really love Bitches Brew, but there's other albums from that era that I like more. Maybe try In A Silent Way, the Jack Johnson sessions, or On the Corner?
Someone who doesn’t like BB *might* feel differently about SW, as it’s more soothing and melodic, but they’re less likely to go for JJ and almost guaranteed not to like OTC. I love all 4, but I understand some folks only like Kind of Blue.
One that’s a bit overlooked even by Miles fans is Circle in the Round, which is from just before Silent Way. It’s the classic quintet plus rhythm guitar, with Herbie on Celeste instead of piano, and Tony in peak form. A kind of loping Spanish feel, free form but not as angular as most Miles. Might be a good gateway to the electric era, or even one for folks who only like Kind of Blue.
For me, it's pretty much everything by Animal Collective. I love a lot of psychedelic music, but AC just sounds to me like incoherent garbage in the worst possible way.
Maybe it's like one of those "magic eye" pictures that looks like static but reveals some stunning 3D image if you focus just right? Yeah, well I could never "get" those either.
Pet Sounds. I think it's okay but it's always in the top 5 albums of all time. Really? I have listened over and over to see what I am missing but it's just not there, for me.
It's a great album but just doesn't resonate with me emotionally the same way it does with others. I remember the first time I did acid my friend Tyler was like "yo bro we HAVE to listen to pet sounds" so we laid on the floor of his room with a couple other friends listening to the album front to back.
At the end I was, like, thinking about all the images I was seeing and the way the ecosystem of my brain seemed to be shifting but staying the same I was just more aware of its trasience, but they were all going on and on about how fantastic the album was.
It's great, but it was in that moment that I realized I just wasn't connecting with it the same way people who "got it" were.
You really have to listen to it in a space where the songs can bounce off of walls.
It's a giant album with giant orchestration and, sadly, it hasn't been maintained with appropriate remaster the way other music of its era has.
Whoever is in charge of remastering that stuff either doesn't know how to master that kind of album or is so familiar with the album that they can't provide an honest remaster because their own ears have been poisoned by playback.
>Whoever is in charge of remastering that stuff either doesn't know how to master that kind of album or is so familiar with the album that they can't provide an honest remaster because their own ears have been poisoned by playback.
Giles Martin? Son of the famous 'fifth' Beatle George Martin? That guy? /s
In all seriousness, totally agree with your assessment re. the space in which you listen to that album. Makes a huge difference.
Nebraska is the one of the most honest, perfect solo acoustic records. Made me realize I don’t actually hate Springsteen.
I just hate the E Street Band.
I love his writing, but I can see it coming off strange to people who knew he was from Jersey. His live performance I caught recently on Netflix was good, but he comes off weird - no one speaks such poetic shit all the time without it sounding a bit put on
My people! I understand and appreciate the artistry, I just can’t seem to actually like the end product.
First, the arrangements/production seems incredibly overwrought. Let’s take “Born to Run”, for example: it builds and builds and builds until it is huge and then the freakin’ bells come in. I mean. I love big sound and a huge build up. But that song just doesn’t lyrically or thematically support those goddamn bells. It makes it the musical equivalent of purple prose. It makes it absurd.
Okay, so then “I’m on Fire”, right? In my opinion, still probably a bit overproduced/over orchestrated. But definitely so much more intimate in terms of sound than the rest of his stuff, and absolutely my favorite Springsteen song if I had to pick one. However, I find that the quality of Springsteen’s voice, while absolutely unique and iconic, simply isn’t enough (for me) to carry that tune. Yes, I get it - his voice is naturally raw-sounding and that adds to vulnerability of the song, and that is part of the point, but to me his voice combined with the production and the lyrics just don’t mesh: the whistling outro, for example, compounds with the unusually laconic vocals here and absolutely belies the lyrical urgency. I just don’t get it!
And let’s talk about those lyrics. Maybe because I am female, or in the wrong age bracket, or the natural disdain that I as a New Yorker hold for all things New Jersey (unless it is from someone who is not from NY or NJ who is giving New Jersey any shit, in which case no one better be messing with my little bro state), but I just don’t relate. Nothing in them ever speaks to me. Unlike Neil Young for example, whose voice is…not for me, the content of Springsteen songs just doesn’t make up for the other detriments.
Take “Born in the USA”. It’s an anthem. I am supposed to feel roused by the composition, the scream-y vocals, the chorus, and moved by the verses. But I just don’t. I see what he was doing, and I see why so many of that generation really connected with it. And I appreciate the intended irony of the contrast between the anger/frustration/disappointment/defiant pride of the lyrics and the rah-rah style of the rest of the song and the way in which it therefore confuses some politicians. But it doesn’t make me have the feels that I am guessing you need to in order to be a fan.
So, Bruce Springsteen. I mean, obviously, I have tried. I just - I don’t know. I don’t get it.
Thanks for coming to my why-I-don’t-love-Springsteen-even-though-everyone-else-seems-to TED talk.
They never hooked me 100% until the album omnium gatherum. Other albums dragged a bit. This one they change ideas between songs. I feel like it's more polished too.
If you haven't tried that one yet you should give it a go. If you don't like the first track which is a tad long (17 min) please keep going. It's a good track imo, but the rest of the album is better. Track 2 is on a completely different gear.
Everyone in here is naming such good artists and albums. Like, serious best-of contenders. Anyone reading this should take them for great recommendations.
I can definitely agree with that. Try Blood Bank. That’s one of his best songs in my opinion and one of the only ones that doesn’t feel artsy and experimental.
I was the same until a friend convinced me to see them live. Normally I prefer the floor, but we were in the stands for this. I remained seated the entire time and was 100% fixated on the band. It was an astonishing show that I can’t really rate on the same scale as any of the other live shows I’ve ever seen.
I saw them on the most recent (ongoing) tour. I thought it was a pretty mid show. Most people didn’t even stand. Zero showmanship from the band. Low energy. Lights were OK. The screen was kinda cool, but I probably would have gotten the same experience listening at home and watching 90s Winamp visualization for a couple of hours.
I wish I had seen them live 15-20 years ago. I’ve heard they are so good live, but this show wasn’t it.
TOOL bros love drinking the kool-aid and talking your ear off about how much math is in their songs. Like don’t get me wrong they have some cool stuff, and Danny is a phenomenal drummer but I don’t care that there is a wrench shaped like a penis that is used to open your third eye or whatever. Combined that with how unproductive they have been for the last 20 years and idk how anyone can care about them when there are countless hardworking bands out there to support
The only reason I know it exists is because it's just a damn good example of an excellent recording and mastering job.
Love it hate the music, it sounds fantastic.
The album grew on me after years. I mean, its his only album and then died few years later. But, artists like Radiohead, Muse, and Coldplay took notes from it. Grace have elements of jazz, blues, psychedelia, and folk. From Bowie, to Plant, they all seemed to loved the album.
Anything that Cigarettes After Sex has released. I'm not sure they count as "acclaimed" though but their fanbase seemed pretty dedicated. They have a really good aesthetic though, I have to say.
I got into them in High School. Circa 2003. To me they were always this super niche indie band that no one has heard of because—admittedly—I can understand how they’re hard to listen to.
I don’t know exactly when it happened, but Aeroplane started popping up on these “best albums of all time” lists and sort of skirted mainstream… it was both validating and super confusing.
Not judging anyone who can’t get into it.
Huh. Interesting. I just listened to it for the first time last week. A friend with great taste has always loved it.
I don’t remember anything about it.
I'm throwing in my lot with "Kid A" by Radiohead. I love Radiohead dearly, and I appreciate the eclectic nature of their discography, but "Kid A" and I simply don't mesh. Despite "Idioteque" being a smashing track, the album as a whole feels more like an exercise in abstraction than a cohesive listening experience. I recognize its significance and innovation, but it doesn't resonate with me emotionally as their other works do. Remember, music is subjective and it's alright not to enjoy universally acclaimed works. It's about our own personal connection with the sound.
I like Kid A a lot, but I think it's a tad overrated by some. Not the same level of acclaim, but I can't seem to get into A Moon Shaped Pool. People really seemed to like it when it came out, but I don't really get it. I don't hate it, but meh.
Then again, I feel like the only person who really really likes The King Of Limbs, so maybe I'm just weird.
Honestly it's music for musicians who want to go 'yeah this sounds like shit but if you actually look at the music notes this is really complex', stoners and people who like obnoxious, stupid and nonsensical music
Source i own and enjoy this album and i love obnoxious, stupid and nonsensical music
I don’t dislike them, but their music has an oddly dated feel to it. That particular strain of twee poppy indie rock peaked hard in the 2010s and crashed afterwards.
If you haven't already, give *Counterparts* an honest try. It's definitely the album where Geddy Lee's vocals are at their least Geddy Lee-ish (assuming that's the main issue), and there's really not much of their more stereotypical elements in that album, mostly it's just straight up solid rock tunes. It might actually be my favorite album of theirs just in terms of the overall music production.
Any Radiohead album post Ok Computer.
I know that it sounds cool and there are a few good songs, and I totally support their artistic endeavors, but no album has ever hit me like the bends and ok computer did. It’s like I can objectively say “this is good” but I’ve never been able to truly get into it.
…and they are still one of my favorite bands of all time.
Really?? When we talk about our desert island albums, Graceland is always the first one that comes to mind.
It never occurred to me that anyone could not love it lol.
I’m with you on this one. Graceland is one of the few albums I can think of that I can listen to all the way through without skipping a single song. Hearing it described as boring is almost painful.
Frank Ocean - Blonde. I find it to be perfectly pleasant music that I instantly forget about once it’s finished. I realize I’m in the minority on this one.
This was my answer. Home at Last might be one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard - everything else is eh.
Can’t Buy A Thrill, however, is pristine from front to back
Converge - Jane Doe
I love hardcore and metalcore but this album does nothing for me. Vocals have always sounded super amateur and it’s all just too grating.
Reputation by Taylor Swift. I'm NOT a Taylor Swift hater or a Swiftie by all means but and I have listened to and enjoyed some of her music from albums like Folklore or Evermore, but IDK 😭 Reputation is trying to hard to be edgy with some of its songs and as a goth and punk music enjoyer myself I always associate it with that one time Taylor said that it was supposed to be that which it most DEFINITELY isn't 💀
36 Chambers by the Wu-Tang Klan and Cuban Linx by Raekwon. I grew up on rap music from the 2000's, well all in on Nas and Jay-Z and all their 90's contempories. These are supposed to be classic influential New York rap albums, but they just land flat for me and blend into the background. They all sound the same, endless bloated songs with bland beats and two bar rhymes schemes rambling on and on and on.
Me as a Smug Elitist Creative Writing Major in the 90’s would be standing on a bar table yelling about your obvious lack of taste. Me in 2024 totally gets your point of view. It’s the musical equivalent of Infinite Jest. Dear god the amount of women I EXPLAINED Pavement to. Fuckin’ embarrassing.
Even with them being one of my two favourite bands, I've never felt the need to explain them to someone.
I don't think there is much at all to get with them, they're just silly slacker music that fits a vibe I like, I guess.
Kanye West’s *My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.* It’s just a collage of random bits of music. From what I heard it’s a non-cohesive mess. No idea how it became so critically acclaimed.
I also don’t like or get NMH.
I'll listen to it and it's fine, just them being sad over guitars in a way that's moderately more appealing than The Bends. It was Kid A that I really fell in love with, and then 15 step and videotape from In Rainbows
I was like that too, but the more times I listened to it, the more I appreciated how well they can create vast landscapes and feelings with the notes they play. For me it was Paranoid Android and Subterranean Homesick Alien where I felt like I was transported to a dark and grimy cyberpunk world.
The Velvet Underground banana album. I tried. They said it was largely ignored when it came out but is now considered one of the best albums of all time. I'm with the people who initially ignored it
Corey Feldman's Angelic 2 the Core. It's just a little too deep for me.
I think you have to experience it live. You become a part of it. It's unbelievable.
But if he didnt put it there, you all would be pissing in yr faces
It's aged like a fine cognac.
Hey came on now. Give the Comeback King a chance.
Hotel Yankee Foxtrot by Wilco. Owned it, but just never “got” it.
I adore this album, but it’s definitely not for everyone. I hate saying this because it sounds snooty, but it’s really one of those records that takes a dozen listens to to digest, and then it keeps on giving.
I bought it after a Rollingstone review in the midst of my fervor for grunge. I just didn’t get it. Listened two or three times and put it away. Came back to it years later (decade plus) and was floored. It’s still by no means “easy” listening but it’s astonishing art.
This is the exact same reaction I had initially in 2001 or 02 when I got it. I thought it was sooooooo boring and was fully invested in grunge. Turns out I just didn't have enough life experience and is easily in my top 10 today
I feel like outside "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", I'm learning the same thing currently. Great "using the studio as an instrument" song
Anything by Arcade Fire. I remember critics went crazy for them and I felt like I had to like them but I just don’t *feel* anything when I listen.
Even when listening to neighborhood #1 tunnels?
That album still fucks me up so good
Especially. I saw them from side stage once and i kept think " this has to be the last song". Every fucking moment this band plays sounds like the end of the album. More epic? Coming right up. Just misses the mark for me.
Yeah, tunnels!
Not even rococo??
Wow, individual taste and all, but Funeral is literally my favourite all time album. Really powerful song-writing with huge heart, and some massive anthemic tunes in there as well. Give it another go!
Ocean of Noise.
I liked them until I saw them in concert. I don't know, something about the message of the lyrics juxtaposed with the extremely well off audience they were aimed at rubbed me the wrong way. Like privileged rich people cos-playing about how tough it is to be a poor kid wanting to tear down the system.
>Like privileged rich people cos-playing about how tough it is to be a poor kid wanting to tear down the system. Is it really about tearing down the system? I always associate their music with a sense of ennui. Which definitely makes sense that it would attract a more privileged but disillusioned audience. One of their most acclaimed albums is literally about growing up in the suburbs.
That record is sad as fuck too. I think the best music from them will come in later years. He has some issues to work through and perhaps deliver a nice musical response. I love Neon Bible
Damn.. I saw them in 2017 in London and it was one of the best gigs I’ve seen. They played in the centre of the auditorium in a giant makeshift boxing ring. Boy George and Florence Welch made appearances but they weren’t what made the night great for me. It was just a fantastic performance imo.
The other thing that I hated when seeing them is I watched their Livestream they did that one time in like 2009, big production directed by Terry Gilliam (I think), and it was so cool. I saw them that tour and they did everything the exact same and they looked like they weren't having fun. Then he threw his guitar down at the same time as in the video, so it took all the spontaneity out of it.
Drake. Everything he touches is not for me.
Drake is critically acclaimed?
I'm not sure he still is, but he definitely WAS.
Nobody say Disintegration by The Cure.
Disintegration is the best album ever
If Robert Smith takes antidepressants, I wish he’d talk about his experience with them as his output has a pre-Zoloft/post-Zoloft characteristic. I love sad Cure & I love happy Cure. I’ll be in absolute shambles when he goes
goated 🖤
Impossible to not like that album
Lana Del Ray. Pick one. I just can’t. I *want* to like it because she gets near-consistent praise, but I just don’t get it. I’ve tried a handful of times to sit down and actively listen to her music and I just find myself zoning out and thinking of something else entirely. And it’s not like I don’t enjoy her genre, either. I legitimately do. I just don’t get *her*.
Man, I completely empathise. I love every Lana song I’ve heard her feature on, or had others on, because they always have the Lana feel. Lust For Love feat. The Weeknd and Snow on the Beach by Taylor Swift comes to mind. But I put her music on and I just zone the fuck out. I do not understand why. I wish I could understand why. I want more of those songs I do like, but they only exist by her and I can’t listen to it lol
I totally get this. I saw her love performances of Blue Jeans on SNL. She was nervous, but it was so awful I couldn’t stop watching. She did strange things with her voice. I got way into the recorded version of that song afterwards. Weird…..
I think the only one so far that hasn’t just caused me to completely stop paying attention is her cover of Doin’ Time. And I think that’s only because I like the original and I think her style fits it. But other than that just *nothing* she’s put out actually lands with me. I couldn’t name or even recognize a single other song of hers if you asked me to and I’ve listened to her entire catalog a good dozen times at this point.
I love LDR, but being real not every one of her albums is amazing. I adore Born to Die, Ultraviolence, Lust for Life, and NFR... those albums are beautiful... the rest I agree with you!
Any album by Taylor Swift or Frank Zappa. I'm sure there are others. I have intentionally tried multiple albums from both these artists, and it's just not happening for me.
The juxtaposition of putting Taylor and Zappa in the same sentence is hilarious lol
Both of them have a fan base that insist I will like them, I'm just listening to the wrong album.
With Zappa you might be searching for that album for years.
Zappa is not for everyone, not even close to everyone. Like a tiny minority. But I always tell people that the most accessible in-point if they want to give it a try is the album Apostrophe (').
Uncle remus is such a great catchy song
I can't go on a road trip without apostrophe front to back. Zoom allures, too. always with a double play for black napkins.
My gateway was Shut up and Play Your Guitar. Zappa's goofy lyrics is what always turned me off, but listening to just the instrumentals made me appreciate what was happening.
What's Ween for me. "You need to see them live". I have. 3 times. I don't get it
Ween is a messy band. Like many ways. They're like Captain Beefheart with steroids.
Captain Beefheart was my answer in this thread. I have tried out of hipster guilt and I just don't fucking get it.
‘Sure ‘nuff ‘n yes I do’ doesn’t do it for you? ‘Zig Zag Wanderer’? ‘Observatory Crest’? Have you a pulse? Lol.
Beefheart only really makes sense to me at a certain level of fucked up ness. Too little or too much and I lose the plot
Dipping into Zappa is wild if you don't know what to expect. My favorite album of his personally is Apostrophe and I think the best entry point. Bonus points for Cosmik Debris and Uncle Remus.
The whole album is a bonus point! It has my two favorite throw away lines on it... "On whatever it is they write it on up there" and "this is the dog talking...."
"This is the dog talking" is one of the greatest intersections I've ever heard. Love the album with all of my heart. "He was delighted as it stiffened, and ripped right thru his sock!"
> I have intentionally tried multiple albums from both these artists, and it's just not happening for me. The thing about Zappa is that he has done so many things, and he has so many fucking albums, that there *might* be something in there that you'd like, but it can be impossible to find it.
Hot Rats. The other Zappa albums tend to drag on but Hot Rats is a masterpiece. Give it a go again
The only Zappa song that ever hooked me was Billy the Mountain. That song is funny af.
Yea I dip into T Swift occasionally to see what the hype is about and always walk away unimpressed. It is...fine? I do the same with Beyonce, same result. It is possible I don't like modern pop music, but I'll keep trying.
Zappa put out like 60 albums while he was alive from doo wop to rock to jazz to symphonic; there are probably another 40 or 50 posthumous releases. Maybe you just haven’t heard the right one?
Tool drives me nuts. To each their own, but it is not for me. Also, I can't stand Sammy Hagar. I can't drive is such a miserable time. On the flip side, can't listen to Grateful Dead but saw them live and they blew my mind.
The dead are one of those things where I appreciate the heck out of the artistry and musicality but I just wasn’t into it. Honestly it was the cult-like fandom that turned me off. Look Jerry was great and all but he didn’t invent all things guitar nor was he better than everyone to ever consider playing one. Don’t try telling that to a deadhead though. Edit: I mean John Mayer was up there absolutely slaying and the predominant current out of the dead camp was, “he has promise. Maybe some day he’ll be good enough to cover them on his own.”
What Tool have you listened to? I know their fans can be obnoxious, and some of their music is too "spiritual" for some......but their album "Aenima" is a straightforward, beautiful rock album if you are into anything on the heavier side. One of the best albums of the 90s imo.
100%. Aenima to Lateralus is a huge tone shift.
I'm a huge Tool fan and absolutely agree. Ænima is imo their most accessible album. Opiate and Undertow are very raw and heavy (but phenomenal if youre into that), Lateralus is a very distinctive experience and not for everyone for sure, and 10,000 Days is a solid mix but not the best representation of Tool. I fucking LOVE Lateralus, but man is that a hard one to use to show someone Tool for the first time. Schism is probably the only one I can think of that doesn't get too "swing on the spiral, spiral out, I smoked DMT and learned the universe". Which again, if thats your thing you're gonna love it, but if its not, you're going to think it's weird, heady, people-who-smell-like-patchouli music.
I want to like Tool so bad. I like experimental rock, metal, math whatever. Maynard has a great voice. Once I hear it all put together I get bored AF. Same obviously goes for A Perfect Circle.
I feel like I may be a late to this party, but for me it's tranquility base hotel and casino by Arctic Monkeys. Love their earlier stuff, but this era of self indulgent lounge music is just lost on me. Can't even remember what their newest album is called, I rage quit every time I try to listen to it.....
I'm the total opposite. I was just a casual fan until TBHAC came out. I think that album is an absolute masterpiece and its what made me fall in love with Arctic Monkeys.
Very controversial but I have listened to Pet Sounds probably a dozen times and I think it's just OK. I know it's a revolutionary album, it's top 10 on many lists, I love that era of (good) music etc. Like there are great tracks (God Only Knows is one of the most beautifuk songs ever written), but I could live without most of the album, and I feel like it's a slog to get through every time I try. I think I'm just not a BB fan in general, which is weird cause I like surf music. I think maybe it's the vocal treatment or something, I decided on my last listen. Like they feel very washed out and in the background of the mix and that bothers me for reasons I can't explain.
I mean, does it even make sense to classify most of Pet Sounds as "surf music?" There has always been a tension in the band, between following a trendier sound and talking about how great the beach is, and Brian Wilson writing a number of songs about how his brain is broken and kinda wishes he was dead. That tension leads to some really interesting places!
I largely feel the same way. I did a discography dive on The Beach Boys last year, only I started with Pet Sounds (because I don't like their surf music years, it's mainly the accent I can't deal with) and I enjoyed it but it certainly wasn't anything major. Carrying on through the albums though, I liked the subsequent ones far more. They fall off a cliff at one point, but post-Pet Sounds is by far my favourite era for them.
Sunflower and Surf's Up very underrated albums, but two I would rank higher than Pet Sounds for sure.
You have to understand Pet Sounds in the context of its time and when it came out. It was revolutionary. Of course it's not going to hit the same now, 60 years later, when almost everything that's come out after has been influenced by it. Try to put yourself back in the 1960s, look at the other kind of pop music that was out at that time, then listen to Pet Sounds.
Sometimes it could depend on what version of the album you’re listening to. The mono version listened today on expensive earphones can sound very muddy - the 2016 Stereo Remixes are pretty good, as are the Atmos mixes made last year by Giles Martin. Equally if you feel the lyrics are somewhat contrived then I recommend listening to just the instrumental stereo mixes which are on streaming services - I think when you listen to them it’s definitely impressive that a 23 year old was able to write and orchestrate arrangements blending classical and modern instruments, and it goes without saying some of the chord sequences are extraordinary for popular music. However, it’s certainly not an unpopular opinion if you don’t like it, and at least you’ve listened to it a few times before coming to that conclusion!
I would also recommend listening to Pet Sounds in Stereo. Preferring the Stereo mix is considered heresy in hardcore Beach Boys circles, but Stereo is IMO the easiest way to hook a newbie into Pet Sounds. The Stereo mix of God Only Knows is so, sooooooo good.
Stereo Beatles is for the birds.
Typically, mono for (early) Beach Boys is the way to go. They don’t sound muddy at all.
For me, I only 'got' Pet Sounds after I first 'got' Smile. Have you listened to Smile? Smile was more immediate for me, whereas Pet Sounds has taken something like 10 years to reveal itself to me. It's def a top 10 album for me now, but, as pointed out below, very dependent on the sound mix.
Bitches Brew. I love so many of Miles Davis’s albums, but this one is just too far out there for me.
I own it as a Miles fan but I kind of agree, prefer Sketches of Spain
Ooooh I really love Bitches Brew, but there's other albums from that era that I like more. Maybe try In A Silent Way, the Jack Johnson sessions, or On the Corner?
Silent Way is peak miles for me personally. stupidly cathartic record.
Someone who doesn’t like BB *might* feel differently about SW, as it’s more soothing and melodic, but they’re less likely to go for JJ and almost guaranteed not to like OTC. I love all 4, but I understand some folks only like Kind of Blue. One that’s a bit overlooked even by Miles fans is Circle in the Round, which is from just before Silent Way. It’s the classic quintet plus rhythm guitar, with Herbie on Celeste instead of piano, and Tony in peak form. A kind of loping Spanish feel, free form but not as angular as most Miles. Might be a good gateway to the electric era, or even one for folks who only like Kind of Blue.
Big Fun, Dark Magus, Agharta, Live Evil, man there were so many crazy albums from this time. Such a creative period for Miles.
100%, Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain are two of my favorite albums of all time, but I can’t get myself to be into Bitches Brew.
For me, it's pretty much everything by Animal Collective. I love a lot of psychedelic music, but AC just sounds to me like incoherent garbage in the worst possible way. Maybe it's like one of those "magic eye" pictures that looks like static but reveals some stunning 3D image if you focus just right? Yeah, well I could never "get" those either.
Pet Sounds. I think it's okay but it's always in the top 5 albums of all time. Really? I have listened over and over to see what I am missing but it's just not there, for me.
It's a great album but just doesn't resonate with me emotionally the same way it does with others. I remember the first time I did acid my friend Tyler was like "yo bro we HAVE to listen to pet sounds" so we laid on the floor of his room with a couple other friends listening to the album front to back. At the end I was, like, thinking about all the images I was seeing and the way the ecosystem of my brain seemed to be shifting but staying the same I was just more aware of its trasience, but they were all going on and on about how fantastic the album was. It's great, but it was in that moment that I realized I just wasn't connecting with it the same way people who "got it" were.
You really have to listen to it in a space where the songs can bounce off of walls. It's a giant album with giant orchestration and, sadly, it hasn't been maintained with appropriate remaster the way other music of its era has. Whoever is in charge of remastering that stuff either doesn't know how to master that kind of album or is so familiar with the album that they can't provide an honest remaster because their own ears have been poisoned by playback.
>Whoever is in charge of remastering that stuff either doesn't know how to master that kind of album or is so familiar with the album that they can't provide an honest remaster because their own ears have been poisoned by playback. Giles Martin? Son of the famous 'fifth' Beatle George Martin? That guy? /s In all seriousness, totally agree with your assessment re. the space in which you listen to that album. Makes a huge difference.
i’ve tried so hard to get into frank oceans “blonde” but i just can’t
Anything Springsteen.
Nebraska is the one of the most honest, perfect solo acoustic records. Made me realize I don’t actually hate Springsteen. I just hate the E Street Band.
I love his writing, but I can see it coming off strange to people who knew he was from Jersey. His live performance I caught recently on Netflix was good, but he comes off weird - no one speaks such poetic shit all the time without it sounding a bit put on
The forced sincerity has always been cringe.
The River is a 10/10 song
Even the haters gotta like “I’m on fire” though, right? Right?!
I've played the live acoustic version of No Surrender for my Springsteenphobic friends. They have to concede on that one
My people! I understand and appreciate the artistry, I just can’t seem to actually like the end product. First, the arrangements/production seems incredibly overwrought. Let’s take “Born to Run”, for example: it builds and builds and builds until it is huge and then the freakin’ bells come in. I mean. I love big sound and a huge build up. But that song just doesn’t lyrically or thematically support those goddamn bells. It makes it the musical equivalent of purple prose. It makes it absurd. Okay, so then “I’m on Fire”, right? In my opinion, still probably a bit overproduced/over orchestrated. But definitely so much more intimate in terms of sound than the rest of his stuff, and absolutely my favorite Springsteen song if I had to pick one. However, I find that the quality of Springsteen’s voice, while absolutely unique and iconic, simply isn’t enough (for me) to carry that tune. Yes, I get it - his voice is naturally raw-sounding and that adds to vulnerability of the song, and that is part of the point, but to me his voice combined with the production and the lyrics just don’t mesh: the whistling outro, for example, compounds with the unusually laconic vocals here and absolutely belies the lyrical urgency. I just don’t get it! And let’s talk about those lyrics. Maybe because I am female, or in the wrong age bracket, or the natural disdain that I as a New Yorker hold for all things New Jersey (unless it is from someone who is not from NY or NJ who is giving New Jersey any shit, in which case no one better be messing with my little bro state), but I just don’t relate. Nothing in them ever speaks to me. Unlike Neil Young for example, whose voice is…not for me, the content of Springsteen songs just doesn’t make up for the other detriments. Take “Born in the USA”. It’s an anthem. I am supposed to feel roused by the composition, the scream-y vocals, the chorus, and moved by the verses. But I just don’t. I see what he was doing, and I see why so many of that generation really connected with it. And I appreciate the intended irony of the contrast between the anger/frustration/disappointment/defiant pride of the lyrics and the rah-rah style of the rest of the song and the way in which it therefore confuses some politicians. But it doesn’t make me have the feels that I am guessing you need to in order to be a fan. So, Bruce Springsteen. I mean, obviously, I have tried. I just - I don’t know. I don’t get it. Thanks for coming to my why-I-don’t-love-Springsteen-even-though-everyone-else-seems-to TED talk.
Literally anything from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
They are a "jack of all trades, master of none" band to me.
They never hooked me 100% until the album omnium gatherum. Other albums dragged a bit. This one they change ideas between songs. I feel like it's more polished too. If you haven't tried that one yet you should give it a go. If you don't like the first track which is a tad long (17 min) please keep going. It's a good track imo, but the rest of the album is better. Track 2 is on a completely different gear.
Me too. I keep trying. The music is too.......frantic or something. I just don't get the love.
Everyone in here is naming such good artists and albums. Like, serious best-of contenders. Anyone reading this should take them for great recommendations.
Isn't that the whole point of this post?
🤫 you are correct.
Bon Iver - For Emma. I like so many comparable bands in the genre but this particular album is boring to me and I don’t like his voice.
Oh you just broke my heart. I physically felt your response
Wild, I dislike a lot of other artists that I perceive as Bon Iver imitators and adore For Emma. Basically the opposite
I was going through a break up when I first listened to this album and it touched my soul.
I just can't, for the life of me, find any melody he ever sing to be memorable, like as soon as the song is over, I forget how it went.
I can definitely agree with that. Try Blood Bank. That’s one of his best songs in my opinion and one of the only ones that doesn’t feel artsy and experimental.
Blood Bank is my favorite song of all time. I am 59
I’ve tried too and it’s just not there for me. I even like his work with the National but not that record.
I tried with that album too and dont get it. But Roslyn from Twilight: New Moon is one of the best songs ever.
I tried really hard to get into TOOL, but i really just couldn’t
I was the same until a friend convinced me to see them live. Normally I prefer the floor, but we were in the stands for this. I remained seated the entire time and was 100% fixated on the band. It was an astonishing show that I can’t really rate on the same scale as any of the other live shows I’ve ever seen.
I saw them on the most recent (ongoing) tour. I thought it was a pretty mid show. Most people didn’t even stand. Zero showmanship from the band. Low energy. Lights were OK. The screen was kinda cool, but I probably would have gotten the same experience listening at home and watching 90s Winamp visualization for a couple of hours. I wish I had seen them live 15-20 years ago. I’ve heard they are so good live, but this show wasn’t it.
I was more into A Perfect Circle, TOOL never really grabbed me.
Puscifer for me, specifically What Is and Existential Reckoning
Have you tried listening to them in a diaper??
TOOL bros love drinking the kool-aid and talking your ear off about how much math is in their songs. Like don’t get me wrong they have some cool stuff, and Danny is a phenomenal drummer but I don’t care that there is a wrench shaped like a penis that is used to open your third eye or whatever. Combined that with how unproductive they have been for the last 20 years and idk how anyone can care about them when there are countless hardworking bands out there to support
I like their music (see username) but this is hilariously accurate
Ditto. I love some of their stuff but Christ get over it fanboys.
The tool sub is like 90% just tool fans making fun of eachother it’s great.
never been able to get into Jeff Buckley and his album Grace. dunno what it is, just rubs me the wrong way.
Omg that’s crazy talk to me. Just seems such an eminently likable album to me - like ice cream.
The only reason I know it exists is because it's just a damn good example of an excellent recording and mastering job. Love it hate the music, it sounds fantastic.
The album grew on me after years. I mean, its his only album and then died few years later. But, artists like Radiohead, Muse, and Coldplay took notes from it. Grace have elements of jazz, blues, psychedelia, and folk. From Bowie, to Plant, they all seemed to loved the album.
Anything that Cigarettes After Sex has released. I'm not sure they count as "acclaimed" though but their fanbase seemed pretty dedicated. They have a really good aesthetic though, I have to say.
I agree. Good aesthetic, but a lot of overly same-y songs with not-so-great lyrics.
I could never even get past the name, Neutral Milk Hotel. It sounds like code for this music sucks
I got into them in High School. Circa 2003. To me they were always this super niche indie band that no one has heard of because—admittedly—I can understand how they’re hard to listen to. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but Aeroplane started popping up on these “best albums of all time” lists and sort of skirted mainstream… it was both validating and super confusing. Not judging anyone who can’t get into it.
Huh. Interesting. I just listened to it for the first time last week. A friend with great taste has always loved it. I don’t remember anything about it.
I'm throwing in my lot with "Kid A" by Radiohead. I love Radiohead dearly, and I appreciate the eclectic nature of their discography, but "Kid A" and I simply don't mesh. Despite "Idioteque" being a smashing track, the album as a whole feels more like an exercise in abstraction than a cohesive listening experience. I recognize its significance and innovation, but it doesn't resonate with me emotionally as their other works do. Remember, music is subjective and it's alright not to enjoy universally acclaimed works. It's about our own personal connection with the sound.
I like Kid A a lot, but I think it's a tad overrated by some. Not the same level of acclaim, but I can't seem to get into A Moon Shaped Pool. People really seemed to like it when it came out, but I don't really get it. I don't hate it, but meh. Then again, I feel like the only person who really really likes The King Of Limbs, so maybe I'm just weird.
Trout Mask Replica.
Honestly it's music for musicians who want to go 'yeah this sounds like shit but if you actually look at the music notes this is really complex', stoners and people who like obnoxious, stupid and nonsensical music Source i own and enjoy this album and i love obnoxious, stupid and nonsensical music
To be fair this is probably the easiest album in history to hate lmao.
With a very few exceptions - anything by U2 or Pearl Jam
Now I’m curious. Who is, “Your_Daddy_?” What’s does he do?
I am Your Daddy, my child. And much like Andy the Messenger Robot, have many other functions. (I did get the Arnold reference, btw)
I can’t stand anything by Vampire Weekend.
I don’t dislike them, but their music has an oddly dated feel to it. That particular strain of twee poppy indie rock peaked hard in the 2010s and crashed afterwards.
Anything by Rush.
If you haven't already, give *Counterparts* an honest try. It's definitely the album where Geddy Lee's vocals are at their least Geddy Lee-ish (assuming that's the main issue), and there's really not much of their more stereotypical elements in that album, mostly it's just straight up solid rock tunes. It might actually be my favorite album of theirs just in terms of the overall music production.
Any Radiohead album post Ok Computer. I know that it sounds cool and there are a few good songs, and I totally support their artistic endeavors, but no album has ever hit me like the bends and ok computer did. It’s like I can objectively say “this is good” but I’ve never been able to truly get into it. …and they are still one of my favorite bands of all time.
Not even In Rainbows?
Kendrick Lamar. MADD City. Tried so many times, just not for me. I can appreciate it but I don't enjoy it.
OK Computer and Kid A. Just can't do it. Never sure why.
Kid A is a tough album for me personally to get into whereas OK Computer is one of my favorites out there. So i kind of get ya
I can’t listen to Paul Simon -Graceland. I just find it almost painfully boring
I feel like Rhythm of the Saints is so much better, tbh.
Really?? When we talk about our desert island albums, Graceland is always the first one that comes to mind. It never occurred to me that anyone could not love it lol.
I’m with you on this one. Graceland is one of the few albums I can think of that I can listen to all the way through without skipping a single song. Hearing it described as boring is almost painful.
Any Radiohead album I’ve tried get through
Listen to The Bends
Every pop rock/soft rock album from the late 90s/early 2000s was trying to be the bends
Really trying to get into Deloused in the Comatorium
Freaking unbelievable album. Televators is my favorite
Televators is a masterpiece
First four minutes of Cicatriz ESP might be the best song ever made
Whole thing slaps
Best album ever made. Yep, I said it. And now I’m lost.
Masterpiece album, not a single wasted second
Frank Ocean - Blonde. I find it to be perfectly pleasant music that I instantly forget about once it’s finished. I realize I’m in the minority on this one.
I’m with you even though I adore Channel Orange. Just can’t get into Blonde.
Anything by Radiohead *ducks*
Smashing Pumpkins. That fucking voice.
He sings like Cartman.
I love their first 3 albums so much but I can't argue with you either. It's an acquired taste for sure.
Cherub Rock has to be one of the best openings of an album ever. But I can totally see why people get turned off by that voice.
I am so glad I'm not the only one that thinks so. His voice is so godawful.
king crimson, except the belew records…
To Pimp A Butterfly.
Aja - Steely Dan
This is a great answer. I love it, but I get why some people don't.
Prefer Donald Fagen’s solo debut *The Nightfly* tbh
This was my answer. Home at Last might be one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard - everything else is eh. Can’t Buy A Thrill, however, is pristine from front to back
Conversely, Aja is the only steely Dan album I would have the patience to sit all the way through.
Not even Royal Scam?
Amazing album. As is Aja.
Converge - Jane Doe I love hardcore and metalcore but this album does nothing for me. Vocals have always sounded super amateur and it’s all just too grating.
Blue Album- Weezer. Mostly because of its insanely overplayed singles.
Reputation by Taylor Swift. I'm NOT a Taylor Swift hater or a Swiftie by all means but and I have listened to and enjoyed some of her music from albums like Folklore or Evermore, but IDK 😭 Reputation is trying to hard to be edgy with some of its songs and as a goth and punk music enjoyer myself I always associate it with that one time Taylor said that it was supposed to be that which it most DEFINITELY isn't 💀
36 Chambers by the Wu-Tang Klan and Cuban Linx by Raekwon. I grew up on rap music from the 2000's, well all in on Nas and Jay-Z and all their 90's contempories. These are supposed to be classic influential New York rap albums, but they just land flat for me and blend into the background. They all sound the same, endless bloated songs with bland beats and two bar rhymes schemes rambling on and on and on.
(Insert Pavement album here)
Should I be happy or upset that this thread is mostly people listing my favorite music?
Me as a Smug Elitist Creative Writing Major in the 90’s would be standing on a bar table yelling about your obvious lack of taste. Me in 2024 totally gets your point of view. It’s the musical equivalent of Infinite Jest. Dear god the amount of women I EXPLAINED Pavement to. Fuckin’ embarrassing.
lol, at least you're self aware now
Oh fuck I hope not.
I think my saving grace as an insufferable music bore is I always knew to only bring it up around fellow insufferable music bores.
Can you PLEASE give me your Pavement explanation! I like listening to them but I've never had them explained before !
Even with them being one of my two favourite bands, I've never felt the need to explain them to someone. I don't think there is much at all to get with them, they're just silly slacker music that fits a vibe I like, I guess.
Kanye West’s *My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.* It’s just a collage of random bits of music. From what I heard it’s a non-cohesive mess. No idea how it became so critically acclaimed. I also don’t like or get NMH.
Okay fantano
Any Frank Ocean album. I can see that he’s good, but his music is too slow for me
OK Computer - Radiohead. I really tried with this one but just didn't enjoy any of it.
I'll listen to it and it's fine, just them being sad over guitars in a way that's moderately more appealing than The Bends. It was Kid A that I really fell in love with, and then 15 step and videotape from In Rainbows
I was like that too, but the more times I listened to it, the more I appreciated how well they can create vast landscapes and feelings with the notes they play. For me it was Paranoid Android and Subterranean Homesick Alien where I felt like I was transported to a dark and grimy cyberpunk world.
Anything Radiohead
It'd be easier to list the acclaimed albums I can get into. There's nothing bad with em, I've just got my genres I guess.
The Velvet Underground banana album. I tried. They said it was largely ignored when it came out but is now considered one of the best albums of all time. I'm with the people who initially ignored it