Musical Mini-Blurbs: Weekly Updates
As many of you know, I’m running a weekly series of brief notes on classic pop albums with “Christgau-style” ratings as a little side project. The challenge is simple: using the current RateYourMusic popularity charts for each musical decade starting with the 1950s, I start from the very top and then go downward with seven albums from seven decades (for discrimination purposes, the 2010s and 2020s are counted as one), providing a subjective perspective on which one, ultimately, comes across as the most consistently rewarding one. (And no, I don’t know the answer beforehand, though sure as heck the 2010s-2020s are not winning this one).
In this fixed post, I’ll be summarizing each week’s artists, provide the links to the actual notes, and highlight the current winner. This will make it easier for subscribers and random readers alike to find all the blurbs in retrospect, rather than having to scroll through Substack’s Notes feed. Enjoy!
WEEK 1: Miles Davis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Radiohead, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar.
WEEK 2: John Coltrane, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Kanye West.
WEEK 3: Charles Mingus, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Cure, Radiohead, Madvillain, Kendrick Lamar.
WEEK 4: Dave Brubeck, The Velvet Underground, Joy Division, Pixies, Neutral Milk Hotel, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tyler The Creator.
WEEK 5: Ornette Coleman, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Nirvana, Kanye West, Death Grips.
WEEK 6: Art Blakey, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Nirvana, Björk, Frank Ocean.
WEEK 7: Miles Davis, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Joy Division, Nas, Microphones, Danny Brown.
WEEK 8: Chet Baker, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Kate Bush, Slint, Daft Punk, David Bowie.
WEEK 9: Sonny Rollins, The Doors, Nick Drake, Sonic Youth, Slowdive, MF Doom, Black Country New Road.
WEEK 10: Elvis Presley, John Coltrane, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Portishead, Have A Nice Life, Sufjan Stevens.
WEEK 11: Cannonball Adderley, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Cure, Aphex Twin, Sufjan Stevens, Magdalena Bay.
WEEK 12: Frank Sinatra, Pink Floyd, The Clash, Nirvana, Cocteau Twins, J Dilla, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib.
WEEK 13: Marty Robbins, Bob Dylan, King Crimson, Pixies, Weezer, Kanye West, Swans.
WEEK 14: Thelonious Monk, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Metallica, Björk, The Avalanches, Car Seat Headrest.
WEEK 15: Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Wu-Tang Clan, Sweet Trip, Radiohead.
WEEK 16: Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, The Smiths, Fishmans, Kanye West, Weyes Blood.
Finally getting caught up, with some great choices weeks 12 through latest. Hoping you'll finish artists before moving onto lesser product and of course letting us know there's a new mini-blurb!