DownIsTheNewUp
Well-Known Member
Oh, for any RHCP fans that haven't seen this... here a doc that films them recording #3 on my list. Different than the Modest Mouse doc in that it was filmed as a retrospective but still fascinating.
The N&G Top 500 Albums of All Time!!!
- Thread starter Woob_woob
- Start date
And the final batch:
10) The Fugees: The Score (1995) Rap
Perfection. And the reason that I joined Vinyl Me Please back in the day-- the common pressing was absolute dogshit.
9) Gorillaz: Demon Days (2005) Hip-Hop, Electronic
Introduced countless American teenagers to the sound pallet of electronica AND a number of underground hip-hop's most important artists (setting the stage for a # of my college obsessions). Fifteen years later, there is still nothing that sounds quite like it.
8) Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile (1999) Alt-Rock, Industrial
The Downward Spiral and Pretty Hate Machine are both close to my heart and were definitely more important to the zeitgeist. But this is a list about favorites... and 20(ish) years later, I feel vindicated by the fact that countless sites have gone back and revised their initial score while admitting they were wrong (allmusic, Pitchfork). This album is the 90's "The Wall"-- a painstakingly ambitious double album whose brilliance became clear with time.
7) Grimes: Visions (2012) Pop, Indie Electronic
It's funny that @Rip_City used the phrase "alien" when describing this album because when I first came across it, I described it to a friend as "an album so alien in its textures that I wondered if it was dropped here on a thumb drive by somebody from the future". Art Angels could have been here too-- Grimes changed my taste in music more than any artist of the 10's.
6) Talking Heads: Remain in Light (1980) New Wave, Art Rock
To quote Trent Reznor (who lists it as his favorite album): ". A strange, synthetic, polyrhythmical piece of art with African influences which confused me in every way... The great thing is that the record can still be approached from so many different directions without losing its puzzles.”
5) Radiohead: Amnesiac (2001) Alt-Rock, Electronic
Radiohead is my favorite band so I'm well aware there are people who will find this sac-religious... but this is the album that caused me to fall head over heels in love with the band, and I'd take it 10/10 times over Kid A. It got overshadowed by the fact that Kid A came first even though they were recorded at the same time. I also flirted with putting OK Computer and / or Hail to the Thief here.
4) Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975) Progressive Rock
Picking a favorite Pink Floyd album was almost as hard as picking a favorite Radiohead album. In the end, this is the one that I've listened to the most times.
3) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) Alt-Rock, Funk
I'm honestly baffled by the lack of Red Hot Chili Peppers on these lists. Fruciante is one of the best guitarists of all time; Flea is one of the most talented people to ever slap a bass. There was a clear evolution to their sound over the years and their discography is littered with iconic releases. All that said-- Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the easy pick even if Californication was the introduction for my middle school self.
2) Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) Hip-Hop
I think I listened to this album 50 times in the first two weeks of it's release. The fusion of avant garde jazz and G-funk took multiple listens to fully absorb, and the themes only grow more relevant with time.
1) Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) Indie Rock
I was introduced to Modest Mouse via my Unitarian Universalist youth group in early high school. A misfit group of stoners, punks and well-rounded nerds-- we all shared music religiously every Sunday. The Moon and Antarctica had just dropped at the time, and it's Floydian textures provided an easy pathway into the world of indie rock. That album would be at #8 on this list if I was allowing multiple entries per artist. However, the reason the Lonesome Crowded West sits at #1 is because a) the lyrics and b) it fully drowned me in the sounds of 90's indie rock that remain a touchstone of my musical tastes.
I can't really do justice to the brilliance of this album without spending more time articulating my thoughts so instead, I will post a link to the mini-documentary that Pitchfork did a couple years back. It's an awesome watch.
"Well all the Apostles-they're sitting in swings
Saying "I'd sell off my Savior for a set of new rings,
And some sandles with the style of straps that cling best to the era"
So all of the businessers in their unlimited
Hell where they buy and they sell and they sell all their
Trash to each other but they're sick of it all
And they're bankrupt on selling
And all of the angel
They'd sell off your soul for a set of new wings and anything gold
They remember
The people they loved their old friends
And I've seen through'em all seen through 'em all and seen through most everything
All the people you knew were the actors
All the people you knew were the actors
Well, I'll go to college and I'll learn some big words
And I'll talk real loud
Goddamn right I'll be heard
You'll remember all the guys that said all those big words he must've
Learned in college
And it took a long time
I came clean with myself
I come clean out of love with my lover
I still love her
Loved her more when she used to be sober and I was kinder"
I actually love all of your top 10 albums! Except #1 - i've never listened to it. I guess i gotta check it out now.
ThePakoBuelna
Well-Known Member
Now, to finish off my list:
And the full list:
Hope you discover a new favorite album from here! Can't wait to see the full list when available
5.- Kendrick Lamar "DAMN." 2017
4.- toe "The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety" 2005
3.- M. Ward "Post-war" 2006
2.- Café Tacvba "Revés/Yosoy" 1999
I cheated a bit here because this is a double album lol. Revés is almost completely instrumental and Yosoy is a collection of songs the band had from previous sessions and live play, but the label wouldn't release "Revés" by its own, saying people wouldn't be into it.
Apparently, they deleted the album "Yosoy" from YouTube, and it isn't on spotify... Sorry about that.
1.- Radiohead "Amnesiac" 2001
For me, this is the greatest album ever made
4.- toe "The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety" 2005
3.- M. Ward "Post-war" 2006
2.- Café Tacvba "Revés/Yosoy" 1999
I cheated a bit here because this is a double album lol. Revés is almost completely instrumental and Yosoy is a collection of songs the band had from previous sessions and live play, but the label wouldn't release "Revés" by its own, saying people wouldn't be into it.
Apparently, they deleted the album "Yosoy" from YouTube, and it isn't on spotify... Sorry about that.
1.- Radiohead "Amnesiac" 2001
For me, this is the greatest album ever made
And the full list:
50.- Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue" 1959
49.- The Beatles "Rubber Soul" 1965
48.- Black Sabbath "Paranoid" 1970
47.- David Bowie "Blackstar" 2016
46.- Boston "Boston" 1976
45.- Gorillaz "Humanz" 2017
44.- Flobots "Fight With Tools" 2008
43.- Asian Kung-fu Generation "Sol-fa" 2004
42.- Remioromen "Ether" 2005
41.- Husking Bee "variandante" 2004
40.- Moses Sumney "Aromanticism" 2017
39.- Saba "Care for Me" 2018
38.- Daft Punks "Random Access Memories" 2013
37.- The Juju Exchange "Exchange" 2017
36.- The Wombats "A Guide to Love, Loss And Desperation" 2007
35.- Tyler, The Creator "Scum Fuck Flower Boy" 2017
34.- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard "Float Along-Fill Your Lungs" 2013
33.- Mild High Club "Skiptracing" 2016
32.- Dawes "North Hills" 2009
31.- badbadnotgood "IV" 2016
30.- Childish Gambino "Awaken,My Love!" 2016
29.- New Radicals "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" 1998
28.- Rise Against "Appeal to Reason" 2008
27.- Charles Bradley "No Time For Dreaming" 2011
26.- Bright Eyes "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" 2005
25.- Monsters of Folk "Monsters of Folk" 2004
24.- Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" 1975
23.- Ryo Fukui "Scenery" 1976
22.- Anderson Paak "Malibu" 2016
21.- Queens of the Stone Age "...Like Clockwork" 2013
20.- Sean Lennon "Friendly Fire" 2006
19.- blink-182 "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" 2001
18.- The Killers "Sam's Town" 2006
17.- Kimbra "Vows" 2011
16.- She & Him "Volume One" 2008
15.- Flying Lotus "Cosmogramma" 2010
14.- The Dave Brubeck Quartet "Time Out!" 1959
13.- Thom Yorke "Anima" 2019
12.- Chetes "Hipnosis" 2010
11.- LITE "Filmlets" 2006
10.- Jorge Drexler "Amar La Trama" 2010
9.- Billy Talent "II" 2006
8.- Chance The Rapper "Acid Rap" 2013
7.- Small Circle of Friends "Future" 2008
6.- Fat Freddy's Drop "Dr. Boo diggs and the Big BW" 2009
5.- Kendrick Lamar "DAMN." 2017
4.- toe "The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety" 2005
3.- M. Ward "Post-war" 2006
2.- Café Tacvba "Revés/Yosoy" 1999
1.- Radiohead "Amnesiac" 2001
49.- The Beatles "Rubber Soul" 1965
48.- Black Sabbath "Paranoid" 1970
47.- David Bowie "Blackstar" 2016
46.- Boston "Boston" 1976
45.- Gorillaz "Humanz" 2017
44.- Flobots "Fight With Tools" 2008
43.- Asian Kung-fu Generation "Sol-fa" 2004
42.- Remioromen "Ether" 2005
41.- Husking Bee "variandante" 2004
40.- Moses Sumney "Aromanticism" 2017
39.- Saba "Care for Me" 2018
38.- Daft Punks "Random Access Memories" 2013
37.- The Juju Exchange "Exchange" 2017
36.- The Wombats "A Guide to Love, Loss And Desperation" 2007
35.- Tyler, The Creator "Scum Fuck Flower Boy" 2017
34.- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard "Float Along-Fill Your Lungs" 2013
33.- Mild High Club "Skiptracing" 2016
32.- Dawes "North Hills" 2009
31.- badbadnotgood "IV" 2016
30.- Childish Gambino "Awaken,My Love!" 2016
29.- New Radicals "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" 1998
28.- Rise Against "Appeal to Reason" 2008
27.- Charles Bradley "No Time For Dreaming" 2011
26.- Bright Eyes "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" 2005
25.- Monsters of Folk "Monsters of Folk" 2004
24.- Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" 1975
23.- Ryo Fukui "Scenery" 1976
22.- Anderson Paak "Malibu" 2016
21.- Queens of the Stone Age "...Like Clockwork" 2013
20.- Sean Lennon "Friendly Fire" 2006
19.- blink-182 "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" 2001
18.- The Killers "Sam's Town" 2006
17.- Kimbra "Vows" 2011
16.- She & Him "Volume One" 2008
15.- Flying Lotus "Cosmogramma" 2010
14.- The Dave Brubeck Quartet "Time Out!" 1959
13.- Thom Yorke "Anima" 2019
12.- Chetes "Hipnosis" 2010
11.- LITE "Filmlets" 2006
10.- Jorge Drexler "Amar La Trama" 2010
9.- Billy Talent "II" 2006
8.- Chance The Rapper "Acid Rap" 2013
7.- Small Circle of Friends "Future" 2008
6.- Fat Freddy's Drop "Dr. Boo diggs and the Big BW" 2009
5.- Kendrick Lamar "DAMN." 2017
4.- toe "The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety" 2005
3.- M. Ward "Post-war" 2006
2.- Café Tacvba "Revés/Yosoy" 1999
1.- Radiohead "Amnesiac" 2001
Hope you discover a new favorite album from here! Can't wait to see the full list when available
Now, to finish off my list:
5.- Kendrick Lamar "DAMN." 2017
4.- toe "The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety" 2005
3.- M. Ward "Post-war" 2006
2.- Café Tacvba "Revés/Yosoy" 1999
I cheated a bit here because this is a double album lol. Revés is almost completely instrumental and Yosoy is a collection of songs the band had from previous sessions and live play, but the label wouldn't release "Revés" by its own, saying people wouldn't be into it.
Apparently, they deleted the album "Yosoy" from YouTube, and it isn't on spotify... Sorry about that.
1.- Radiohead "Amnesiac" 2001
For me, this is the greatest album ever made
And the full list:
50.- Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue" 1959
49.- The Beatles "Rubber Soul" 1965
48.- Black Sabbath "Paranoid" 1970
47.- David Bowie "Blackstar" 2016
46.- Boston "Boston" 1976
45.- Gorillaz "Humanz" 2017
44.- Flobots "Fight With Tools" 2008
43.- Asian Kung-fu Generation "Sol-fa" 2004
42.- Remioromen "Ether" 2005
41.- Husking Bee "variandante" 2004
40.- Moses Sumney "Aromanticism" 2017
39.- Saba "Care for Me" 2018
38.- Daft Punks "Random Access Memories" 2013
37.- The Juju Exchange "Exchange" 2017
36.- The Wombats "A Guide to Love, Loss And Desperation" 2007
35.- Tyler, The Creator "Scum Fuck Flower Boy" 2017
34.- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard "Float Along-Fill Your Lungs" 2013
33.- Mild High Club "Skiptracing" 2016
32.- Dawes "North Hills" 2009
31.- badbadnotgood "IV" 2016
30.- Childish Gambino "Awaken,My Love!" 2016
29.- New Radicals "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" 1998
28.- Rise Against "Appeal to Reason" 2008
27.- Charles Bradley "No Time For Dreaming" 2011
26.- Bright Eyes "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" 2005
25.- Monsters of Folk "Monsters of Folk" 2004
24.- Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" 1975
23.- Ryo Fukui "Scenery" 1976
22.- Anderson Paak "Malibu" 2016
21.- Queens of the Stone Age "...Like Clockwork" 2013
20.- Sean Lennon "Friendly Fire" 2006
19.- blink-182 "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" 2001
18.- The Killers "Sam's Town" 2006
17.- Kimbra "Vows" 2011
16.- She & Him "Volume One" 2008
15.- Flying Lotus "Cosmogramma" 2010
14.- The Dave Brubeck Quartet "Time Out!" 1959
13.- Thom Yorke "Anima" 2019
12.- Chetes "Hipnosis" 2010
11.- LITE "Filmlets" 2006
10.- Jorge Drexler "Amar La Trama" 2010
9.- Billy Talent "II" 2006
8.- Chance The Rapper "Acid Rap" 2013
7.- Small Circle of Friends "Future" 2008
6.- Fat Freddy's Drop "Dr. Boo diggs and the Big BW" 2009
5.- Kendrick Lamar "DAMN." 2017
4.- toe "The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety" 2005
3.- M. Ward "Post-war" 2006
2.- Café Tacvba "Revés/Yosoy" 1999
1.- Radiohead "Amnesiac" 2001
Hope you discover a new favorite album from here! Can't wait to see the full list when available
that number 2 has been recommended to me before so i really should try it out but i just never had time
ThePakoBuelna
Well-Known Member
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
#36-40
40) Love this 2010 album so much and had it on repeat for a year when I was stuck between life phases. It's like a mellow trance-like version of my sweet spot singer-songwriter ultimate comfort food music, but also somehow surprisingly catchy. Definitely grows on you with each listen. They sound kind of repetitive at first, but there are some really nice slow-burn builds on these songs and the subtle distinctions stand out the more time you spend with it.
39) This one is from 2005. Another family band with just hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies. Love the feel of these songs - kinda sad and creepy but also kind of vaguely mystical and hopeful. There's a kind of formality to these songs that I appreciate. My interest in this kind of music probably owes a bit to #36 on my list. They have a somewhat similar sound, so I'd recommend one if you know or like the other. This album is more upbeat and less depressing and maybe more consistent tonally than #36, if those are things that you're into.
38) Some of these songs on this album from the year 2000 aren't my favorite but some of them are just soooooo good. Love the instrumental tracks especially. Was introduced to this from a mix CD that came with an issue of Q magazine that I probably paid like $15 for at Barnes and Noble back in high school.
37) Not to be political but on that one Saturday after the election when the news outlets finally called the election result, and people everywhere in my neighborhood started banging pots and pans and honking their horns, and I could FINALLY turn off the news after DAYS of hearing that "any minute now, we're going to get another dump of voting results from [battleground state]", I put this 2007 record on and just let the music pulse through my soul and just danced by myself in my apartment for a solid hour and felt so good about life for the first time that week. It was the perfect soundtrack for that moment, especially the opening track.
36) Oh man. Do you need a good cry? We're going back to 1998 for this one, but I didn't really get into it until maybe like 10 years ago. This album has NEVER been pressed to vinyl. This one has been living in my head as a sentimental fave for a long time, so I initially put it on my list, but I hadn't listened to it in a year or so, and decided I needed to give it another listen to be sure. I'd heard songs from this album EVERYWHERE on the radio and wherever back when it was released and really was not feeling it. The singer's voice is kind of fragile-sounding, and it was easy to dismiss some of the songs as fluff. But this album as a whole is actually pretty intense - and the singles really don't do it justice - they're upbeat and they do just sound cheesy and like generic contemporary adult pop. The rest of the album has this ancient feel like the songs are incantations and there's some kind of mysterious ritual being performed. There's pain and simmering indignation but also a lot of compassion, and I'm sure you can hear it in the lyrics if you pay attention to those, but you can also hear all of it in her voice. I just fell deeply in love with her voice and even went to a show of hers not too many years ago, by myself, haha. She is unbowed, unbroken and the way she does what she does resonates so hard with me. Going back to the fragility in her voice - initially I thought maybe she wasn't that strong of a vocalist, but the more you listen to her, you can hear how tightly controlled and precise her singing is, even as she makes it sound like it's faltering. Just hearing the way she sings makes me want to cry because it's so beautiful and strong the way she opens herself up to be so vulnerable. But it's not like she's just a total weeping mess of emotions either - she's sharing wisdom and truth that was hard-won from experience and beckoning all of us to see a bigger picture and to put our energy and hope into things that won't let us down. UMM, but yeah then there's a song about suicide near the end [don't ask me how many times I listened to it before I realized it's about suicide - I really just don't listen to lyrics and thought it was a really pretty song]. And the last song is a really beautiful traditional hymn that sounds like it's sung through tears which feels to me like you're at a funeral or something. But those things kind of fit with the figure that the album is named after, and it's such an essential part of her story that you can't really ignore it. The AV Club's review of this album calls it "oppressively joyless" haha, but maybe that's my lane. I can see how this album wouldn't be for everyone, but the vibe she achieves on a lot of the songs is just so deeply satisfying and cathartic.
40) Love this 2010 album so much and had it on repeat for a year when I was stuck between life phases. It's like a mellow trance-like version of my sweet spot singer-songwriter ultimate comfort food music, but also somehow surprisingly catchy. Definitely grows on you with each listen. They sound kind of repetitive at first, but there are some really nice slow-burn builds on these songs and the subtle distinctions stand out the more time you spend with it.
#40 - Junip "Fields"
39) This one is from 2005. Another family band with just hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies. Love the feel of these songs - kinda sad and creepy but also kind of vaguely mystical and hopeful. There's a kind of formality to these songs that I appreciate. My interest in this kind of music probably owes a bit to #36 on my list. They have a somewhat similar sound, so I'd recommend one if you know or like the other. This album is more upbeat and less depressing and maybe more consistent tonally than #36, if those are things that you're into.
#39 - Eisley "Room Noises"
38) Some of these songs on this album from the year 2000 aren't my favorite but some of them are just soooooo good. Love the instrumental tracks especially. Was introduced to this from a mix CD that came with an issue of Q magazine that I probably paid like $15 for at Barnes and Noble back in high school.
#38 - Groove Armada "Vertigo"
37) Not to be political but on that one Saturday after the election when the news outlets finally called the election result, and people everywhere in my neighborhood started banging pots and pans and honking their horns, and I could FINALLY turn off the news after DAYS of hearing that "any minute now, we're going to get another dump of voting results from [battleground state]", I put this 2007 record on and just let the music pulse through my soul and just danced by myself in my apartment for a solid hour and felt so good about life for the first time that week. It was the perfect soundtrack for that moment, especially the opening track.
#37 - Justice "†"
36) Oh man. Do you need a good cry? We're going back to 1998 for this one, but I didn't really get into it until maybe like 10 years ago. This album has NEVER been pressed to vinyl. This one has been living in my head as a sentimental fave for a long time, so I initially put it on my list, but I hadn't listened to it in a year or so, and decided I needed to give it another listen to be sure. I'd heard songs from this album EVERYWHERE on the radio and wherever back when it was released and really was not feeling it. The singer's voice is kind of fragile-sounding, and it was easy to dismiss some of the songs as fluff. But this album as a whole is actually pretty intense - and the singles really don't do it justice - they're upbeat and they do just sound cheesy and like generic contemporary adult pop. The rest of the album has this ancient feel like the songs are incantations and there's some kind of mysterious ritual being performed. There's pain and simmering indignation but also a lot of compassion, and I'm sure you can hear it in the lyrics if you pay attention to those, but you can also hear all of it in her voice. I just fell deeply in love with her voice and even went to a show of hers not too many years ago, by myself, haha. She is unbowed, unbroken and the way she does what she does resonates so hard with me. Going back to the fragility in her voice - initially I thought maybe she wasn't that strong of a vocalist, but the more you listen to her, you can hear how tightly controlled and precise her singing is, even as she makes it sound like it's faltering. Just hearing the way she sings makes me want to cry because it's so beautiful and strong the way she opens herself up to be so vulnerable. But it's not like she's just a total weeping mess of emotions either - she's sharing wisdom and truth that was hard-won from experience and beckoning all of us to see a bigger picture and to put our energy and hope into things that won't let us down. UMM, but yeah then there's a song about suicide near the end [don't ask me how many times I listened to it before I realized it's about suicide - I really just don't listen to lyrics and thought it was a really pretty song]. And the last song is a really beautiful traditional hymn that sounds like it's sung through tears which feels to me like you're at a funeral or something. But those things kind of fit with the figure that the album is named after, and it's such an essential part of her story that you can't really ignore it. The AV Club's review of this album calls it "oppressively joyless" haha, but maybe that's my lane. I can see how this album wouldn't be for everyone, but the vibe she achieves on a lot of the songs is just so deeply satisfying and cathartic.
#36 - Natalie Merchant "Ophelia"
DownIsTheNewUp
Well-Known Member
Full list:
100) De La Soul: Balhoone Mindsate (1993) Hip-Hop
99) The Offspring: Americana (1998) Pop Punk, Alt-Rock
98) Cat Power: What Would the Community Think (1996) Singer / Songwriter
97) Infected Mushroom: Converting Vegetarians (2003) Trance
96) Disclosure: Settle (2013) House
95) Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgic (2020) Pop
94) Snoop Dogg: Doggystyle (1993) Rap
93) Tool: Lateralus (2001) Progressive Rock, Alt-Metal
92) Black Star: Black Star (1994) Hip-Hop
91) Bauhaus: The Mask (1988) Post-Punk
90) The Killers: Hot Fuss (2005) Indie Rock
89) Patti Smith: Easter (1977) Post-Punk
88) Frank Zappa: Hot Rats (1969) Progressive Rock
87) Souls of Mischief: 93’ To Infinity (1993) Hip-Hop
86) Run the Jewels: RTJ2 (2014) Rap
85) Julian Baker: Sprained Ankle (2015) Singer / Songwriter
84) Iron and Wine: The Shepard’s Dog (2007) Indie Folk
83) The Beastie Boys: Check Your Head (1992) Hip-Hop
82) Brother Ali: Shadows of the Sun (2004) Hip-Hop
81) Iggy Pop: The Idiot (1977) New Wave, Rock
80) Ben Harper: Fight For Your Mind (1995) Singer / Songwriter, Blues
79) Built to Spill: There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (1994) Indie Rock
78) The Knife: Silent Shout (2006) Electropop, Electronica
77) Incubus: Morning View (2001) Alt-Rock
76) Cunninlyguists: A Piece of Strange (2003) Hip-Hop
75) Hop Along: Painted Shut (2015) Indie Rock
74) Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska (1982) Folk
73) Arcade Fire: Reflekor (2013) Indie Rock
72) Herbie Hancock: Headhunters (1973) Jazz
71) Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (1967) Psychedelic Rock
70) Alice Coltraine: Ptah, the El Daoud (1970) Jazz
69) Stone Temple Pilots: Tiny Music- Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop (1996) Grunge, Alt Rock
68) Darkside: Psychic (2013) Experimental House
67) Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit (2015) Indie Rock
66) John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (1966) Jazz
65) Tear For Fears: Songs From the Big Chair (1985) Art Rock, New Wave
64) Rage Against the Machine: Rage Against the Machine (1992) Alt-Metal
63) System of a Down: Toxicity (2001) Alt-Metal
62) Nirvana: In Utero (1993) Grunge, Alt-Rock
61) Cocteau Twins: Treasure (1984) Dream Pop
60) Kaytranada: 99.9% (2016) Electronic/Dance
59) Pharcyde: The Bizarre Ride II (1992) Hip-Hop
58) The Mars Volta: Fraces the Mute (2005) Post-Rock, Post-Hardcore
57) David Crosby: If Only I Could Remember My Name (1971) Singer / Songwriter, Folk
56) Songs Ohia: Didn’t It Rain (2002) Indie Folk
55) Metallica: The Black Album (1991) Metal
54) Sublime: Sublime (1996) Alt Rock, Ska
53) Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay (1970) Jazz
52) Grizzly Bear: Horn of Plenty (2004) Indie Rock
51) Deafhaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love (2018) Post-Metal
50) Four Tet: Rounds (2003) Experimental Techno
49) Pixies: Doolittle (1989) Indie Rock
48) Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters (2020) Singer / Songwriter
47) Nas: Illmatic (1994) Rap
46) Isis: Panopticon (2004) Post-Metal
45) The Cure: Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987) Post Punk, Alt Rock
44) Simon and Garfunkel: Bookends (1968) Folk
43) Tyler the Creator: Scum Fuck Flower Boy (2017) Rap
42) Sia: Colour the Small One (2005) Indie Pop
41) Queens of the Stone Age: Rated R (1997) Alt-Metal
40) P.O.S: Never Better, (2009) Hip-Hop
39) Moby: Play (2000) Electronic
38) Blood Orange: Freetown Sound (2016) R&B
37) TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2005) Indie Rock
36) Led Zeppelin: IV (1971) Rock, Blues
35) Portishead: Dummy (1994) Trip Hop
34) JPEGMAFIA: All My Heroes Are Cornballs (2019) Hip-Hop
33) LCD Soundsystem: American Dream (2016) Indie Rock / Electronica
32) Throwing Muses: The Real Ramona (1991) Indie Rock
31) Atmosphere: Seven’s Travels (2003) Hip-Hop
30) Black Sabbath: Paranoid (1970) Metal
29) Pavement: Brighten the Corners (1997) Indie Rock
28) Jamie XX: In Coulor (2015) Electronic
27) Fugazi: The Argument (2001) Post-Hardcore, Punk
26) Blur: 13 (1999) Alt-Rock
25) Vince Staples: Summertime 06’ (2015) Rap
24) Sonic Youth: Murray Street (2002) Art Rock
23) White Stripes: Elephant (2003) Garage Rock, Blues
22) Eminem: Slim Shady LP (1999) Rap
21) Marilyn Manson: Mechanical Animals (1998) Alt-Meta
20) Nicolas Jaar: Space is Only Noise (2011) Downtempo Electronic
19) Outkast: ATliens (1996) Rap
18) David Bowie: Station to Station (1976) Art Rock
17) Van Morrison: Veedon Fleece (1974) Singer / Songwriter
16) Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream (1994) Alt-Rock
15) Anderson Paak: Malibu (2016) Hip-Hop, R&B
14) Aesop Rock: Labor Days (2001) Hip-Hop
13) Talk Talk: Laughing Stalk (1991) Post-Rock
12) The Beatles: Abbey Road (1970) Rock
11) Can: Ege Future Days (1973) Art Rock, Krautrock
10) The Fugees: The Score (1995) Rap
9) Gorillaz: Demon Days (2005) Hip-Hop, Electronic
8) Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile (1999) Alt-Rock, Industrial
7) Grimes: Visions (2012) Pop, Indie Electronic
6) Radiohead: Amnesiac (2001) Alt-Rock, Electronic
5) Talking Heads: Remain in Light (1980) New Wave, Art Rock
4) Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975) Progressive Rock
3) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) Alt-Rock, Funk
2) Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) Hip-Hop
1) Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) Indie Rock
99) The Offspring: Americana (1998) Pop Punk, Alt-Rock
98) Cat Power: What Would the Community Think (1996) Singer / Songwriter
97) Infected Mushroom: Converting Vegetarians (2003) Trance
96) Disclosure: Settle (2013) House
95) Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgic (2020) Pop
94) Snoop Dogg: Doggystyle (1993) Rap
93) Tool: Lateralus (2001) Progressive Rock, Alt-Metal
92) Black Star: Black Star (1994) Hip-Hop
91) Bauhaus: The Mask (1988) Post-Punk
90) The Killers: Hot Fuss (2005) Indie Rock
89) Patti Smith: Easter (1977) Post-Punk
88) Frank Zappa: Hot Rats (1969) Progressive Rock
87) Souls of Mischief: 93’ To Infinity (1993) Hip-Hop
86) Run the Jewels: RTJ2 (2014) Rap
85) Julian Baker: Sprained Ankle (2015) Singer / Songwriter
84) Iron and Wine: The Shepard’s Dog (2007) Indie Folk
83) The Beastie Boys: Check Your Head (1992) Hip-Hop
82) Brother Ali: Shadows of the Sun (2004) Hip-Hop
81) Iggy Pop: The Idiot (1977) New Wave, Rock
80) Ben Harper: Fight For Your Mind (1995) Singer / Songwriter, Blues
79) Built to Spill: There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (1994) Indie Rock
78) The Knife: Silent Shout (2006) Electropop, Electronica
77) Incubus: Morning View (2001) Alt-Rock
76) Cunninlyguists: A Piece of Strange (2003) Hip-Hop
75) Hop Along: Painted Shut (2015) Indie Rock
74) Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska (1982) Folk
73) Arcade Fire: Reflekor (2013) Indie Rock
72) Herbie Hancock: Headhunters (1973) Jazz
71) Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (1967) Psychedelic Rock
70) Alice Coltraine: Ptah, the El Daoud (1970) Jazz
69) Stone Temple Pilots: Tiny Music- Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop (1996) Grunge, Alt Rock
68) Darkside: Psychic (2013) Experimental House
67) Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit (2015) Indie Rock
66) John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (1966) Jazz
65) Tear For Fears: Songs From the Big Chair (1985) Art Rock, New Wave
64) Rage Against the Machine: Rage Against the Machine (1992) Alt-Metal
63) System of a Down: Toxicity (2001) Alt-Metal
62) Nirvana: In Utero (1993) Grunge, Alt-Rock
61) Cocteau Twins: Treasure (1984) Dream Pop
60) Kaytranada: 99.9% (2016) Electronic/Dance
59) Pharcyde: The Bizarre Ride II (1992) Hip-Hop
58) The Mars Volta: Fraces the Mute (2005) Post-Rock, Post-Hardcore
57) David Crosby: If Only I Could Remember My Name (1971) Singer / Songwriter, Folk
56) Songs Ohia: Didn’t It Rain (2002) Indie Folk
55) Metallica: The Black Album (1991) Metal
54) Sublime: Sublime (1996) Alt Rock, Ska
53) Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay (1970) Jazz
52) Grizzly Bear: Horn of Plenty (2004) Indie Rock
51) Deafhaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love (2018) Post-Metal
50) Four Tet: Rounds (2003) Experimental Techno
49) Pixies: Doolittle (1989) Indie Rock
48) Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters (2020) Singer / Songwriter
47) Nas: Illmatic (1994) Rap
46) Isis: Panopticon (2004) Post-Metal
45) The Cure: Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987) Post Punk, Alt Rock
44) Simon and Garfunkel: Bookends (1968) Folk
43) Tyler the Creator: Scum Fuck Flower Boy (2017) Rap
42) Sia: Colour the Small One (2005) Indie Pop
41) Queens of the Stone Age: Rated R (1997) Alt-Metal
40) P.O.S: Never Better, (2009) Hip-Hop
39) Moby: Play (2000) Electronic
38) Blood Orange: Freetown Sound (2016) R&B
37) TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2005) Indie Rock
36) Led Zeppelin: IV (1971) Rock, Blues
35) Portishead: Dummy (1994) Trip Hop
34) JPEGMAFIA: All My Heroes Are Cornballs (2019) Hip-Hop
33) LCD Soundsystem: American Dream (2016) Indie Rock / Electronica
32) Throwing Muses: The Real Ramona (1991) Indie Rock
31) Atmosphere: Seven’s Travels (2003) Hip-Hop
30) Black Sabbath: Paranoid (1970) Metal
29) Pavement: Brighten the Corners (1997) Indie Rock
28) Jamie XX: In Coulor (2015) Electronic
27) Fugazi: The Argument (2001) Post-Hardcore, Punk
26) Blur: 13 (1999) Alt-Rock
25) Vince Staples: Summertime 06’ (2015) Rap
24) Sonic Youth: Murray Street (2002) Art Rock
23) White Stripes: Elephant (2003) Garage Rock, Blues
22) Eminem: Slim Shady LP (1999) Rap
21) Marilyn Manson: Mechanical Animals (1998) Alt-Meta
20) Nicolas Jaar: Space is Only Noise (2011) Downtempo Electronic
19) Outkast: ATliens (1996) Rap
18) David Bowie: Station to Station (1976) Art Rock
17) Van Morrison: Veedon Fleece (1974) Singer / Songwriter
16) Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream (1994) Alt-Rock
15) Anderson Paak: Malibu (2016) Hip-Hop, R&B
14) Aesop Rock: Labor Days (2001) Hip-Hop
13) Talk Talk: Laughing Stalk (1991) Post-Rock
12) The Beatles: Abbey Road (1970) Rock
11) Can: Ege Future Days (1973) Art Rock, Krautrock
10) The Fugees: The Score (1995) Rap
9) Gorillaz: Demon Days (2005) Hip-Hop, Electronic
8) Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile (1999) Alt-Rock, Industrial
7) Grimes: Visions (2012) Pop, Indie Electronic
6) Radiohead: Amnesiac (2001) Alt-Rock, Electronic
5) Talking Heads: Remain in Light (1980) New Wave, Art Rock
4) Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975) Progressive Rock
3) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) Alt-Rock, Funk
2) Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) Hip-Hop
1) Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) Indie Rock
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Ericj32
Well-Known Member
#31-35
35) This album from the year 2000 got me into electronic music. There's a lot of variety on the album and it's very accessible with lots of vocals and slightly more conventional song structures, but really great production value. This is probably my favorite artist to listen to for long road trips because the songs stretch out and it makes it feel like less time has passed so the trip goes faster, haha. It's very smooth and repetitive but there's also a lot of interesting details if you listen closely. Distinctly remember buying this album from a Sam Goody in Denver with my dad while we were out there visiting my Grandpa in the hospital after one of his heart attacks. The checkout clerk asked me if I'd been at this artist's show because he'd recently been in Denver - I guess the clerk had gone to the show but was not impressed because the guy didn't actually perform - he just put on a CD and pressed play haha. So, yeah, I think he's more of a composer than a live artist, which is fine for me. But yeah, after listening to this artist, a lot of electronic music just sounds choppy and messy and unfinished.
34) This 1999 album as a whole is a little overlong and uneven for my taste, but the singles are just so memorable and still sound so good today that it's impossible to ignore. I owe my love for this album to my sister driving me to high school and only wanting to listen to the local hip hop radio station. The musicality of these tracks definitely was a cut above the rest of the hip hop landscape at the time, or maybe it was just more accessible to someone who wasn't really into hip hop.
33) This 2004 album is absorbing and emotional and just beautiful. It's fun, sad, intense, and comforting all at the same time. This is one of those albums where I just get so excited as each song starts because I love them all so much. I feel like this was a total blind buy (pre-streaming services) and really shocked me with how much I loved it immediately and it just became a go-to album on repeat in the car or wherever.
32) This 2002 album burrowed into my subconscious. It's so patient and open-ended that it almost made me uncomfortable, but it's a good album to slow down and detox from the pace of life. There's a purity and cleanliness to the minimalism but it's still sweet-sounding and accessible.
31) This 2004 album is gentle and soothing with many whispered lyrics. But the songs are kind of sad and it feels like the lyrics were written by someone else. There's an odd disconnect where it feels like the lyrics are being recited out of some sense of duty or propriety or whatever but they don't always sound like they are felt or really meant. It's strange and unnerving but also oddly comforting. It's like he's trying to convince himself that these things are true or remind himself or reassure himself, and it's just nice to have this as a reminder that I'm not the only one who has to do that sometimes.
35) This album from the year 2000 got me into electronic music. There's a lot of variety on the album and it's very accessible with lots of vocals and slightly more conventional song structures, but really great production value. This is probably my favorite artist to listen to for long road trips because the songs stretch out and it makes it feel like less time has passed so the trip goes faster, haha. It's very smooth and repetitive but there's also a lot of interesting details if you listen closely. Distinctly remember buying this album from a Sam Goody in Denver with my dad while we were out there visiting my Grandpa in the hospital after one of his heart attacks. The checkout clerk asked me if I'd been at this artist's show because he'd recently been in Denver - I guess the clerk had gone to the show but was not impressed because the guy didn't actually perform - he just put on a CD and pressed play haha. So, yeah, I think he's more of a composer than a live artist, which is fine for me. But yeah, after listening to this artist, a lot of electronic music just sounds choppy and messy and unfinished.
#35 - BT "Movement In Still Life" [US Tracklisting]
34) This 1999 album as a whole is a little overlong and uneven for my taste, but the singles are just so memorable and still sound so good today that it's impossible to ignore. I owe my love for this album to my sister driving me to high school and only wanting to listen to the local hip hop radio station. The musicality of these tracks definitely was a cut above the rest of the hip hop landscape at the time, or maybe it was just more accessible to someone who wasn't really into hip hop.
#34 - Dr. Dre 2001
33) This 2004 album is absorbing and emotional and just beautiful. It's fun, sad, intense, and comforting all at the same time. This is one of those albums where I just get so excited as each song starts because I love them all so much. I feel like this was a total blind buy (pre-streaming services) and really shocked me with how much I loved it immediately and it just became a go-to album on repeat in the car or wherever.
#33 - Stars "Set Yourself on Fire"
32) This 2002 album burrowed into my subconscious. It's so patient and open-ended that it almost made me uncomfortable, but it's a good album to slow down and detox from the pace of life. There's a purity and cleanliness to the minimalism but it's still sweet-sounding and accessible.
#32 - Sigur Ros "( )"
31) This 2004 album is gentle and soothing with many whispered lyrics. But the songs are kind of sad and it feels like the lyrics were written by someone else. There's an odd disconnect where it feels like the lyrics are being recited out of some sense of duty or propriety or whatever but they don't always sound like they are felt or really meant. It's strange and unnerving but also oddly comforting. It's like he's trying to convince himself that these things are true or remind himself or reassure himself, and it's just nice to have this as a reminder that I'm not the only one who has to do that sometimes.
#31 - Iron & Wine "Our Endless Numbered Days"
gaporter
Well-Known Member
I like this idea of writing little blurbs for my choices... perhaps I will do so, but probably only for the albums on my list I feel I have anything noteworthy to say something about 
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
#26-30 (I made it halfway! Halleluyerr!)
30) This 2004 album might be my #1 go-to album for whenever I'm feeling confused or upset or angry or whatever. It's just the perfect album for processing difficult emotions. The songs are catchy but emo. It scratches the itch for vulnerability and honesty. But it's also a safe, good-natured, comfy blanket of reassurance and healing. This is my album for self-medicating with music, and it always works haha. It's hard to be objective about those kinds of albums.
29) This 2008 album is pop with really interesting songwriting and dares to talk about more than just sex and how famous or badass the singer thinks they are. Maybe it's more of a rock album with just really soulful vocals. It feels like she's actually wearing her heart on her sleeve and opening up about her own experiences and thoughts. It's also playful and plucky in many places to keep things from getting too melodramatic. I just love the grandiose moods, varied instrumentation, and really distinctive melodies she creates - she takes a lot of risks and goes over the top in ways that conventional pop music doesn't seem to really allow, but it works for me. She's become a lot more popular since this album came out and has carved out a really fun lane for herself in the pop landscape, but this album will always be my favorite because it's not quite as over-produced as her more recent output and feels like she wrote these songs knowing that they wouldn't necessarily have mass appeal, but she just wanted to do it this way for herself. The cover art is so beautiful and raw, too.
28) I discovered this 1969 folk album on the same mix CD from Q magazine that introduced me to #38 [and Nick Drake, actually, though not Pink Moon]. I love how each song on this album feels like it was written centuries ago and will still resonate with people in a thousand years. The lead singer sings with solemn conviction, sometimes defiant, and other times tender - there's just no questioning her voice - it is just exactly what it needs to be in each moment. The songs on the album have a lot of variety - some are meditative, others are fun and rousing, but they're all just beautiful in a way that never goes out of style. The recording sounds like a bunch of people just crowded into a tiny studio for a jam session, haha, so certain songs sound a little cluttered and it's hard to hear everything distinctly that's going on, but other songs sound clearer with less going on, like all of the other band members are just sitting there quietly listening and swaying to the music. Also includes one of the all-time greatest songs ever - a bittersweet slow-burn that builds with solid guitar work and stirring vocals. And some other songs have really great extended instrumental interludes where they just jam out and lose track of time. This album probably deserves to be much higher on the list, but I only recently started listen to it all the way through, so I haven't heard it in full quite as many times as the albums I ranked higher. But I hear new things each time I listen to it and love it more each time, so maybe in a year or so it would be up in the top five. It captures an incredible amount of what I love about so many different types of music so perfectly in just one album. This is definitely a desert-island pick for me. *28 is my favorite number so that played a part in how I decided where to put this album in the ranking.
27) For a long time, I thought this 1966 album was my favorite by this band. Apparently, it's not, haha. It has some all-time great songs, but I just find myself connecting with it less and less over the years. One song is just hauntingly stark and beautiful and is basically the main reason for this album's inclusion on the list at this position. There's a detached cynicism to some of the songs that I used to think was cool, but it grates a little more as I grow up. And then some of the other songs are soooo earnest and goofy - it's just a little too scattered and non-committal for me. It just feels like they couldn't really decide what they were trying to do or what they meant to say and they didn't really care because they knew it would sell a ton of records anyway.
26) Another classic from the year 2000. I love the low-fi fuzzy garage rock sound of this band but how it's matched with catchy songwriting and great guitar playing. They sound like they are having a blast and it just feels like they're throwing a warm-hearted party with plenty of mischief and shenanigans. It feels like they didn't take any notes from a label or PR person on what to do and just made this exactly how they wanted to.
30) This 2004 album might be my #1 go-to album for whenever I'm feeling confused or upset or angry or whatever. It's just the perfect album for processing difficult emotions. The songs are catchy but emo. It scratches the itch for vulnerability and honesty. But it's also a safe, good-natured, comfy blanket of reassurance and healing. This is my album for self-medicating with music, and it always works haha. It's hard to be objective about those kinds of albums.
#30 - Jimmy Eat World "Futures"
29) This 2008 album is pop with really interesting songwriting and dares to talk about more than just sex and how famous or badass the singer thinks they are. Maybe it's more of a rock album with just really soulful vocals. It feels like she's actually wearing her heart on her sleeve and opening up about her own experiences and thoughts. It's also playful and plucky in many places to keep things from getting too melodramatic. I just love the grandiose moods, varied instrumentation, and really distinctive melodies she creates - she takes a lot of risks and goes over the top in ways that conventional pop music doesn't seem to really allow, but it works for me. She's become a lot more popular since this album came out and has carved out a really fun lane for herself in the pop landscape, but this album will always be my favorite because it's not quite as over-produced as her more recent output and feels like she wrote these songs knowing that they wouldn't necessarily have mass appeal, but she just wanted to do it this way for herself. The cover art is so beautiful and raw, too.
#29 - Sia "Some People Have Real Problems"
28) I discovered this 1969 folk album on the same mix CD from Q magazine that introduced me to #38 [and Nick Drake, actually, though not Pink Moon]. I love how each song on this album feels like it was written centuries ago and will still resonate with people in a thousand years. The lead singer sings with solemn conviction, sometimes defiant, and other times tender - there's just no questioning her voice - it is just exactly what it needs to be in each moment. The songs on the album have a lot of variety - some are meditative, others are fun and rousing, but they're all just beautiful in a way that never goes out of style. The recording sounds like a bunch of people just crowded into a tiny studio for a jam session, haha, so certain songs sound a little cluttered and it's hard to hear everything distinctly that's going on, but other songs sound clearer with less going on, like all of the other band members are just sitting there quietly listening and swaying to the music. Also includes one of the all-time greatest songs ever - a bittersweet slow-burn that builds with solid guitar work and stirring vocals. And some other songs have really great extended instrumental interludes where they just jam out and lose track of time. This album probably deserves to be much higher on the list, but I only recently started listen to it all the way through, so I haven't heard it in full quite as many times as the albums I ranked higher. But I hear new things each time I listen to it and love it more each time, so maybe in a year or so it would be up in the top five. It captures an incredible amount of what I love about so many different types of music so perfectly in just one album. This is definitely a desert-island pick for me. *28 is my favorite number so that played a part in how I decided where to put this album in the ranking.
#28 - Fairport Convention "Unhalfbricking"
27) For a long time, I thought this 1966 album was my favorite by this band. Apparently, it's not, haha. It has some all-time great songs, but I just find myself connecting with it less and less over the years. One song is just hauntingly stark and beautiful and is basically the main reason for this album's inclusion on the list at this position. There's a detached cynicism to some of the songs that I used to think was cool, but it grates a little more as I grow up. And then some of the other songs are soooo earnest and goofy - it's just a little too scattered and non-committal for me. It just feels like they couldn't really decide what they were trying to do or what they meant to say and they didn't really care because they knew it would sell a ton of records anyway.
#27 - The Beatles "Revolver"
26) Another classic from the year 2000. I love the low-fi fuzzy garage rock sound of this band but how it's matched with catchy songwriting and great guitar playing. They sound like they are having a blast and it just feels like they're throwing a warm-hearted party with plenty of mischief and shenanigans. It feels like they didn't take any notes from a label or PR person on what to do and just made this exactly how they wanted to.
#26 - The Libertines "Up the Bracket"
McGlam
Well-Known Member
For some reason I didn’t even consider Up the Bracket for my list and I’m thinking now that may have been a major oversight.
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
#21-25
25) This 2008 album is the highest ranking album on the list that I don't own on vinyl. Hoping for a repress!! It has a faux-80s sound which is fun. Very catchy and danceable. Missed out on seeing this band at Bonnaroo because their set overlapped with both James Blake and Lauryn Hill. Would love to see them live someday.
24) This 2006 album is just wonderfully different and unique. A concept album with some really striking moments and some extended jams. Lots of instruments and lots of love. Love how this band has a way of mixing dark lyrics with cute and gentle sounds, like they're telling grown-up fairytales.
23) This 1965 album is solid. The sequencing on this album feels much more intentional and focused than on most of their other albums. Harmonies are better, too. Doesn't feel like a random collection of singles - there's a more consistent sound across the whole album. Another one of the all-time great songs included near the end here, but all of the singles fit into the overall grown-up folksy love song aesthetic, so there aren't any jarring transitions.
22) This 2015 album felt like it expanded the musical landscape for hip hop. There's a lot of insight and wisdom in the lyrics, but there's also a lot of depth in the musical side of things which can stand on their own even without the lyrics. These aren't just endlessly repeated "beats" - they are real songs. The music tells a story across the album and even within each individual song. But this is one of the few artists in any genre that has me interested enough in what he has to say to actually spend time trying to listen for the lyrics, too.
21) This 2008 album is another one that I'm always in the mood for. It's a weird mix of genres but somehow works seamlessly and feels really natural and organic. Another one with harmonizing sisters. It's kind of spooky but also friendly and peaceful.
25) This 2008 album is the highest ranking album on the list that I don't own on vinyl. Hoping for a repress!! It has a faux-80s sound which is fun. Very catchy and danceable. Missed out on seeing this band at Bonnaroo because their set overlapped with both James Blake and Lauryn Hill. Would love to see them live someday.
#25 - Cut Copy
24) This 2006 album is just wonderfully different and unique. A concept album with some really striking moments and some extended jams. Lots of instruments and lots of love. Love how this band has a way of mixing dark lyrics with cute and gentle sounds, like they're telling grown-up fairytales.
#24 - The Decemberists "The Crane Wife"
23) This 1965 album is solid. The sequencing on this album feels much more intentional and focused than on most of their other albums. Harmonies are better, too. Doesn't feel like a random collection of singles - there's a more consistent sound across the whole album. Another one of the all-time great songs included near the end here, but all of the singles fit into the overall grown-up folksy love song aesthetic, so there aren't any jarring transitions.
#23 - The Beatles "Rubber Soul"
22) This 2015 album felt like it expanded the musical landscape for hip hop. There's a lot of insight and wisdom in the lyrics, but there's also a lot of depth in the musical side of things which can stand on their own even without the lyrics. These aren't just endlessly repeated "beats" - they are real songs. The music tells a story across the album and even within each individual song. But this is one of the few artists in any genre that has me interested enough in what he has to say to actually spend time trying to listen for the lyrics, too.
#22 - Kendrick Lamar "To Pimp a Butterfly"
21) This 2008 album is another one that I'm always in the mood for. It's a weird mix of genres but somehow works seamlessly and feels really natural and organic. Another one with harmonizing sisters. It's kind of spooky but also friendly and peaceful.
#21 - School of Seven Bells "Alpinisms"
wmeugene
Well-Known Member
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
#16-20 - We are really getting into it, here, people!
20) This is the sound of someone going all-in on their vision and shutting out all of the voices asking if the finished album will sound cool or sell a lot in 2002. There are certain things about this album that don't work for me, but the songs that do work are truly glorious. It's like a fantasy musical amusement park of thrill rides haha. Lots of different genres, lush orchestral backing on many tracks, and just maniacally inventive melodies. I've probably sung most of these songs to myself in my head more times than I've actually listened to them on the album because they are so memorable.
19) This 2004 album captures everything I love about this band. Their rousing live energy seems to come through a little better than on some of their other studio albums, especially on the opening track, which kicks things off with a bang. I love the backing gospel vocals and rowdy, almost psychedelic jams and also the calmer and more meditative ballads. The weird oscillation between snarling violence/madness and contemplative romantic and religious themes in their earlier albums seem to finally collide here and start to blend together. There's a wildness and a fearlessness about this band that works its hooks into you, even as some of the lyrics sound clunky and sometimes it sounds like the songs are kind of wandering without a super clear sense of a direction. The bandleader is one of the best showmen in the business and carries a lot of this material with his intensity and charisma.
18) This 2006 album was truly stunning. The voice, the songs, the production all came together in just the right way. So many of these songs feel like they've existed for decades. Is there anyone who doesn't love this album? Probably in the top 5 of albums on this list in terms of the number of times I've listened to it all the way through.
17) This 1969 album is pretty stacked with singles but there is a natural progression from each song to the next. This album best showcases this band's songwriting abilities at the height of their powers. Great variety of songs and sounds and much higher production value than their other albums.
16) This 2004 album is my go-to relaxation album. It's nearly impossible to be stressed out when listening to these songs. One of my favorite opening tracks of all time just opens the door to all the goodness inside. There's a really natural feeling of joy and contentment that just flows out like a really satisfying sigh. It's also really sexy in a really wholesome-feeling way. There's just so much love and patience and generosity. Can I use the word "groovy" without sounding silly? That's what it is. Listening to this is like the medical equivalent of having a glass of wine - I don't have any proof of that, but it has to be true. And it has probably my favorite album cover of all time.
20) This is the sound of someone going all-in on their vision and shutting out all of the voices asking if the finished album will sound cool or sell a lot in 2002. There are certain things about this album that don't work for me, but the songs that do work are truly glorious. It's like a fantasy musical amusement park of thrill rides haha. Lots of different genres, lush orchestral backing on many tracks, and just maniacally inventive melodies. I've probably sung most of these songs to myself in my head more times than I've actually listened to them on the album because they are so memorable.
#20 - Silverchair "Diorama"
19) This 2004 album captures everything I love about this band. Their rousing live energy seems to come through a little better than on some of their other studio albums, especially on the opening track, which kicks things off with a bang. I love the backing gospel vocals and rowdy, almost psychedelic jams and also the calmer and more meditative ballads. The weird oscillation between snarling violence/madness and contemplative romantic and religious themes in their earlier albums seem to finally collide here and start to blend together. There's a wildness and a fearlessness about this band that works its hooks into you, even as some of the lyrics sound clunky and sometimes it sounds like the songs are kind of wandering without a super clear sense of a direction. The bandleader is one of the best showmen in the business and carries a lot of this material with his intensity and charisma.
#19 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus"
18) This 2006 album was truly stunning. The voice, the songs, the production all came together in just the right way. So many of these songs feel like they've existed for decades. Is there anyone who doesn't love this album? Probably in the top 5 of albums on this list in terms of the number of times I've listened to it all the way through.
#18 - Amy Winehouse "Back to Black"
17) This 1969 album is pretty stacked with singles but there is a natural progression from each song to the next. This album best showcases this band's songwriting abilities at the height of their powers. Great variety of songs and sounds and much higher production value than their other albums.
#17 - The Beatles "Abbey Road"
16) This 2004 album is my go-to relaxation album. It's nearly impossible to be stressed out when listening to these songs. One of my favorite opening tracks of all time just opens the door to all the goodness inside. There's a really natural feeling of joy and contentment that just flows out like a really satisfying sigh. It's also really sexy in a really wholesome-feeling way. There's just so much love and patience and generosity. Can I use the word "groovy" without sounding silly? That's what it is. Listening to this is like the medical equivalent of having a glass of wine - I don't have any proof of that, but it has to be true. And it has probably my favorite album cover of all time.
#16 - Zero 7 "When It Falls"
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
#11-15
15) This 2008 album hits right in my sweet spot. Nicely polished tunes and dreamy, layered harmonies. Maybe this is ranked a little too high, but it's my go-to album for road trips with my parents because everyone likes it and there aren't (m)any swears.
14) This 1998 album is a timeless classic. Gentle grooves carefully assembled with lots of layers but still sounds as effortless as possible. It's hazy and atmospheric and sensual with a lot of nice slow-burning songs. Perfect for a rainy day.
13) This 2001 album is a banger, start to finish, with real musical ambition. An instant non-stop party any time you put this one on. Remember showing this to my friends back in high school and them thinking I had the best taste in music, haha. Also discovered this one from a Q magazine likely purchased at great expense from a Barnes and Noble.
12) This 2000 album takes you on a nice ride through some relaxed songs and some party-starters. It feels like you're just spending a long weekend with some chill, disaffected misfits and going from one thing to the next. And once it's over you can't wait to go back for more.
11) This 2010 album is fully loaded with all kinds of pop perfection. So many catchy songs and sophisticated production that doesn't beat you over the head with a sledgehammer. This singer has a distinctive voice but also a whole unique pop aesthetic that works really well for her.
15) This 2008 album hits right in my sweet spot. Nicely polished tunes and dreamy, layered harmonies. Maybe this is ranked a little too high, but it's my go-to album for road trips with my parents because everyone likes it and there aren't (m)any swears.
#15 - Fleet Foxes "Fleet Foxes"
14) This 1998 album is a timeless classic. Gentle grooves carefully assembled with lots of layers but still sounds as effortless as possible. It's hazy and atmospheric and sensual with a lot of nice slow-burning songs. Perfect for a rainy day.
#14 - AIR "Moon Safari"
13) This 2001 album is a banger, start to finish, with real musical ambition. An instant non-stop party any time you put this one on. Remember showing this to my friends back in high school and them thinking I had the best taste in music, haha. Also discovered this one from a Q magazine likely purchased at great expense from a Barnes and Noble.
#13 - Daft Punk "Discovery"
12) This 2000 album takes you on a nice ride through some relaxed songs and some party-starters. It feels like you're just spending a long weekend with some chill, disaffected misfits and going from one thing to the next. And once it's over you can't wait to go back for more.
#12 - The Dandy Warhols "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia"
11) This 2010 album is fully loaded with all kinds of pop perfection. So many catchy songs and sophisticated production that doesn't beat you over the head with a sledgehammer. This singer has a distinctive voice but also a whole unique pop aesthetic that works really well for her.
#11 - Robyn "Body Talk"
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
10) This 2001 album hit me between the eyes from the very first opening notes. They just don't sound like anyone else. It's a rock band, doing catchy pop songs, but they just keep dumping on more sugar and taking things to a new level. Listening to this album just makes me feel totally wired and switched-on and happy to be alive like nothing else.
9) This 2015 album might be the most downright gorgeous on the list. Heart-breaking and tender. This artist's distinctive low-fi elegance is ubiquitous. Seeing these songs performed live was a special treat.
8) This was a blind buy from the HMV in Lancaster in the fall of 2003. It was just sitting in the #1 spot on the wall display of bestselling albums, and the hype sticker on the front had all of these rave reviews. I just instantly connected with it. The songs felt so deeply personal, and there's so much raw emotion in the singer's voice. Achingly beautiful back-up vocals, too. A rich variety of supporting instruments scattered throughout at different points including a haunting male choir, a schmaltzy orchestra, a meandering clarinet, an opera singer going full soprano and lots of plucky little stringed instruments. Possibly the album I've listened to more than any other.
7) I read all about this album from the year 2000 before even hearing it for the first time. I'd heard a few singles by the band here and there, but this was my first proper introduction. After reading all of the hype, I listened to it and was just confused. I kept listening and each time, it seemed to come into focus a little more clearly. There would be moments in random places across the album where suddenly the random jumble of sounds started sounding really cool and making sense. After the fifth time through, it seemed like a completely different album. This album taught me to listen more carefully and patiently to music both to pick out all of the layers and instruments, but also to hear the overarching musical narrative or structure - to hear the forest, rather than writing it off as a random assortment of trees. Whenever someone tells me that they wish they had a deeper or broader appreciation for music generally, I recommend that they listen to this album at least ten times. Regardless of what musical niche they were in, they all seem to get blown away. That said, I need to be in the mood for this album and I find myself less and less in that particular mood. Maybe it's just hitting too close to home right now. Hopefully, that will change soon.
6) Have you ever made a plan to go see a live performance by an artist that you've loved for a long time and you can feel yourself just getting so excited for it that you try to consciously lower your expectations, but then you realize that you kind of need this one to actually be really good - like you don't really want to live in a world where this artist is just "meh" in their live performances - so you give up on lowering your expectations and just feel kind of nervous and conflicted about it and by the time you actually get to the show you're almost nauseous...and you're waiting for them to come on stage and they're running late due to whatever "technical difficulties" and you're thinking that this is just excruciating because you're so worked up and emotional and just physically exhausted at that point that maybe this all isn't worth it? But then, 5 seconds after that exact moment, the lights go dark, the crowd starts cheering and all of a sudden you're just desperately back to hoping that it's just still somehow amazingly good? And then the artist appears on stage and the first song starts and in less than 5 minutes your brain starts just melting because it's just so impossibly wonderful? Like somehow, even with your frantic fever dream of how good you wanted and needed it to be, the performance is just on a whole different plane of greatness than anything you could have anticipated? Like all the songs sound better than you remember and there's just more energy and everything is just electrified and somehow you can just feel truth and beauty filling your soul? And you definitely aren't like on anything either? This artist did that for me in 2014. This album came out in 1998. So you can do the math on how high my expectations were, haha. I have never seen a better singer or performer or bandleader, ever in my life. Just absolutely in control of everything going on onstage with merciless precision. Like literally singing flawlessly all of the lead vocals while watching all of the band members and backing vocalists like a hawk and giving them their cues like a conductor without a baton. All of the supporting musicians on stage were just radiating a palpable sense of both fear and thrilled excitement to be there. Not a single note was out of place. My friend and I moved up close to the stage for the encore and just kept looking at each other in disbelief. It was deliriously fun, too. And if that's the level of intensity and precision this artist brings to the stage, I can only imagine how crazy the sessions in the studio would be - which probably is part of the reason that this is their only studio album. I'd love for them to get the support and stability they need to create new music, but you could certainly do a lot worse if this is going to be your lone artistic statement.
#10 - The New Pornographers "Mass Romantic"
9) This 2015 album might be the most downright gorgeous on the list. Heart-breaking and tender. This artist's distinctive low-fi elegance is ubiquitous. Seeing these songs performed live was a special treat.
#9 - Sufjan Stevens "Carrie & Lowell"
8) This was a blind buy from the HMV in Lancaster in the fall of 2003. It was just sitting in the #1 spot on the wall display of bestselling albums, and the hype sticker on the front had all of these rave reviews. I just instantly connected with it. The songs felt so deeply personal, and there's so much raw emotion in the singer's voice. Achingly beautiful back-up vocals, too. A rich variety of supporting instruments scattered throughout at different points including a haunting male choir, a schmaltzy orchestra, a meandering clarinet, an opera singer going full soprano and lots of plucky little stringed instruments. Possibly the album I've listened to more than any other.
#8 - Damien Rice "O"
7) I read all about this album from the year 2000 before even hearing it for the first time. I'd heard a few singles by the band here and there, but this was my first proper introduction. After reading all of the hype, I listened to it and was just confused. I kept listening and each time, it seemed to come into focus a little more clearly. There would be moments in random places across the album where suddenly the random jumble of sounds started sounding really cool and making sense. After the fifth time through, it seemed like a completely different album. This album taught me to listen more carefully and patiently to music both to pick out all of the layers and instruments, but also to hear the overarching musical narrative or structure - to hear the forest, rather than writing it off as a random assortment of trees. Whenever someone tells me that they wish they had a deeper or broader appreciation for music generally, I recommend that they listen to this album at least ten times. Regardless of what musical niche they were in, they all seem to get blown away. That said, I need to be in the mood for this album and I find myself less and less in that particular mood. Maybe it's just hitting too close to home right now. Hopefully, that will change soon.
#7 - Radiohead "Kid A"
6) Have you ever made a plan to go see a live performance by an artist that you've loved for a long time and you can feel yourself just getting so excited for it that you try to consciously lower your expectations, but then you realize that you kind of need this one to actually be really good - like you don't really want to live in a world where this artist is just "meh" in their live performances - so you give up on lowering your expectations and just feel kind of nervous and conflicted about it and by the time you actually get to the show you're almost nauseous...and you're waiting for them to come on stage and they're running late due to whatever "technical difficulties" and you're thinking that this is just excruciating because you're so worked up and emotional and just physically exhausted at that point that maybe this all isn't worth it? But then, 5 seconds after that exact moment, the lights go dark, the crowd starts cheering and all of a sudden you're just desperately back to hoping that it's just still somehow amazingly good? And then the artist appears on stage and the first song starts and in less than 5 minutes your brain starts just melting because it's just so impossibly wonderful? Like somehow, even with your frantic fever dream of how good you wanted and needed it to be, the performance is just on a whole different plane of greatness than anything you could have anticipated? Like all the songs sound better than you remember and there's just more energy and everything is just electrified and somehow you can just feel truth and beauty filling your soul? And you definitely aren't like on anything either? This artist did that for me in 2014. This album came out in 1998. So you can do the math on how high my expectations were, haha. I have never seen a better singer or performer or bandleader, ever in my life. Just absolutely in control of everything going on onstage with merciless precision. Like literally singing flawlessly all of the lead vocals while watching all of the band members and backing vocalists like a hawk and giving them their cues like a conductor without a baton. All of the supporting musicians on stage were just radiating a palpable sense of both fear and thrilled excitement to be there. Not a single note was out of place. My friend and I moved up close to the stage for the encore and just kept looking at each other in disbelief. It was deliriously fun, too. And if that's the level of intensity and precision this artist brings to the stage, I can only imagine how crazy the sessions in the studio would be - which probably is part of the reason that this is their only studio album. I'd love for them to get the support and stability they need to create new music, but you could certainly do a lot worse if this is going to be your lone artistic statement.
#6 - Lauryn Hill "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill"
I almost finished this tonight and then I noticed the "The" problem. Some people put The Beatles, while others just wrote Beatles, so I need to comb the The section for duplicates and I dont feel like doing that now. Most likely I'll finish it in time to post tomorrow
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Absolutely love your story on Lauren Hill! I love that album so much as well and am so happy it ranked so high on your all-time list Eric!
I’m in love with you and your descriptions/life experiences with these albums too! Love it!
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
#5-1
5) This 1970 album is an all-around classic. It's not an exaggeration to say that this album is STACKED with some of the best and most cherished songs ever written. Some of the greatest voices, and most memorable harmonies, ever recorded. It's fun and light-hearted but also strikes a lot of deep emotional chords. I love the earnestness and passion that comes through, here, though. They're not trying to sound cool at all, and many times they simply don't - and I think that's what makes it all work - it's not about them at all. They're taking traditional song structures that have endured for centuries and breathing new life and vitality into them so that they feel somehow fresh and original. In that sense, it almost feels like it was intentionally created to be as accessible as possible to as broad of an audience as possible. But it comes off (to me, at least) not as a focus-grouped cash grab by an already extremely popular band, but rather as a gift to the world which significantly overdelivers on what anyone should have expected. Some of these songs almost feel like hymns, especially the title track. The second track is so folksy it would sound like a parody if it weren't such a catchy and beautiful song. Then the third song is somehow an irresistible dance party. Then the fourth song is a bluesy rock song with incredible locked-in harmonies and bombastic horns. At this point, if you've never heard this album before you must be thinking it's a compilation of just the greatest songs from some huge cross-section of music. The fifth song is a kind of jazzy down-tempo almost lounge sounding chill-out song. I honestly don't even know how to describe what the sixth track sounds like even though it's one of the most popular songs of all time - it's just like a really dramatic ballad but it doesn't sound much like any other dramatic ballad I've ever heard. And it just keeps going from one all-time classic to the next. The only through line across these songs is that they're all just nearly perfect and they're delivered with so much generosity and good nature that it almost makes you tear up even though they're really not trying to make you cry at all.
4) We've now reached the part of the list where my admittedly considerable capacity for rational thought is simply not up to the task of explaining what makes these albums my favorite. This 2003 album belongs to the artist with my favorite voice I've ever heard - that I can say. This album is the best presentation of why she's my favorite vocalist. But yeah, that's all I really know. She doesn't have the greatest voice in a technical sense in terms of range or breath support, but on a purely emotional level, she makes sounds that affect me like no one else. She also happens to be a damned talented songwriter and probably my favorite song of all time is on this record. This album just shatters me in the most satisfying way - I can't explain it and I don't understand it but she's just doing things that are on a level that don't play by any of the rules that I know about. Like, in many ways, this album sounds very plain and unfinished and almost lazily produced - and a lot of the songs don't really sound that creative or inventive and are really repetitive. And there aren't any family members harmonizing with her or anything cool like that. But instead of getting sick of it, the more I listen to it, I feel like somehow everything sounds just precisely and exactly the way it should sound and it just works in a way that really makes no rational sense to me. Seeing her live didn't really clear anything up either. She's just a different creature that seems to exist outside of the limits of the universe I'm accustomed to and is somehow just able to casually achieve a staggering level of perfection in her artistic endeavors. It's kind of scary and compelling and thrilling, and I love that she just forces me to stop even trying to figure out what I like about it and just enjoy it for what it is. It sucks because I know, on the surface, I could easily dismiss this album as nothing special, and I'd love to encourage whoever reads this into checking it out if they haven't spent much time with it - but I just don't even know how to describe what makes this feel so perfect. There's just this feeling that she knows something that I don't know and she gets it and I want to know what it is that she sees and gets and means.
3) And yeah these albums are just all basically perfect at this point to me so not even sure what to say. This 1997 album is probably the most ambitious album I've ever heard. The level of obsessive attention detail here is just overwhelming but they also nail the grandiose overall concept and there are so many big staggering moments that make you question if music itself can even really do whatever it is that they're doing on this album. Somehow they make it happen. They seem to just be focused on blowing people's minds and they're remarkably successful at doing it over and over again.
2) This 2001 album just feels like the most personal album on the list. Like, if I could be an album, this is the one I think I would want to be. It scratches all of my itches and has so much variety that you never get bored or settled, but you never get exhausted either. It's just perfect in a really nuanced way that, again, I don't know how I could really explain. But, like #3 and #4, it does this all without ticking most of my obvious boxes of what I typically enjoy about music: folksy singer-songwriter, backing harmonies by family members, catchy singles, or an overriding generosity of spirit and reassuring cheeriness. There's just a completely uninhibited inventiveness about this album that continues to surprise me, even after dozens of listens. It feels like it's teaching me new things to love about music that aren't necessarily in my wheelhouse. I guess I could say it's a lot like a present that I get to unwrap over and over and over, and, each time, it never really feels like I've actually ever really opened it before.
1) This 1966 album is here because without it most of these other albums might not exist. It just somehow magically combines everything I love about music that I can understand and rationally process (catchy songs, exquisite harmonies with family members, a general sense of goodwill and selflessness, an extremely ambitious yet personal statement by a singular genius, lush instrumentation and exquisite attention to detail, etc.) with those things that I can't explain or grasp. It has some of the greatest songs ever written yet it came into the world and was not universally appreciated or initially commercially successful. It's a transcendent spiritual experience, yet still feels accessible and not at all intimidating. It feels like this album was made for all of the right reasons and continues to inspire musicians to create art that is deeply personal and still somehow universal, and also complex and innovative, rather than worrying about album sales or marketing tie-ins or any commercial considerations. I love how uncool and unhip certain parts of this sound [and look - I mean, that album cover? come on! what on earth is that?]. It feels like such a genuine, ambitious, and earnest artistic statement, and it actually sounds amazing, too. For any artist who has ever wondered whether to trust their instincts and listen to their own intuition, even if that takes them in a different and unconventional direction, this album is a testament that following your heart is always the right choice in the end. This, my friends, is the greatest album of all time.
5) This 1970 album is an all-around classic. It's not an exaggeration to say that this album is STACKED with some of the best and most cherished songs ever written. Some of the greatest voices, and most memorable harmonies, ever recorded. It's fun and light-hearted but also strikes a lot of deep emotional chords. I love the earnestness and passion that comes through, here, though. They're not trying to sound cool at all, and many times they simply don't - and I think that's what makes it all work - it's not about them at all. They're taking traditional song structures that have endured for centuries and breathing new life and vitality into them so that they feel somehow fresh and original. In that sense, it almost feels like it was intentionally created to be as accessible as possible to as broad of an audience as possible. But it comes off (to me, at least) not as a focus-grouped cash grab by an already extremely popular band, but rather as a gift to the world which significantly overdelivers on what anyone should have expected. Some of these songs almost feel like hymns, especially the title track. The second track is so folksy it would sound like a parody if it weren't such a catchy and beautiful song. Then the third song is somehow an irresistible dance party. Then the fourth song is a bluesy rock song with incredible locked-in harmonies and bombastic horns. At this point, if you've never heard this album before you must be thinking it's a compilation of just the greatest songs from some huge cross-section of music. The fifth song is a kind of jazzy down-tempo almost lounge sounding chill-out song. I honestly don't even know how to describe what the sixth track sounds like even though it's one of the most popular songs of all time - it's just like a really dramatic ballad but it doesn't sound much like any other dramatic ballad I've ever heard. And it just keeps going from one all-time classic to the next. The only through line across these songs is that they're all just nearly perfect and they're delivered with so much generosity and good nature that it almost makes you tear up even though they're really not trying to make you cry at all.
#5 - Simon and Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
4) We've now reached the part of the list where my admittedly considerable capacity for rational thought is simply not up to the task of explaining what makes these albums my favorite. This 2003 album belongs to the artist with my favorite voice I've ever heard - that I can say. This album is the best presentation of why she's my favorite vocalist. But yeah, that's all I really know. She doesn't have the greatest voice in a technical sense in terms of range or breath support, but on a purely emotional level, she makes sounds that affect me like no one else. She also happens to be a damned talented songwriter and probably my favorite song of all time is on this record. This album just shatters me in the most satisfying way - I can't explain it and I don't understand it but she's just doing things that are on a level that don't play by any of the rules that I know about. Like, in many ways, this album sounds very plain and unfinished and almost lazily produced - and a lot of the songs don't really sound that creative or inventive and are really repetitive. And there aren't any family members harmonizing with her or anything cool like that. But instead of getting sick of it, the more I listen to it, I feel like somehow everything sounds just precisely and exactly the way it should sound and it just works in a way that really makes no rational sense to me. Seeing her live didn't really clear anything up either. She's just a different creature that seems to exist outside of the limits of the universe I'm accustomed to and is somehow just able to casually achieve a staggering level of perfection in her artistic endeavors. It's kind of scary and compelling and thrilling, and I love that she just forces me to stop even trying to figure out what I like about it and just enjoy it for what it is. It sucks because I know, on the surface, I could easily dismiss this album as nothing special, and I'd love to encourage whoever reads this into checking it out if they haven't spent much time with it - but I just don't even know how to describe what makes this feel so perfect. There's just this feeling that she knows something that I don't know and she gets it and I want to know what it is that she sees and gets and means.
#4 - Cat Power "You are Free"
3) And yeah these albums are just all basically perfect at this point to me so not even sure what to say. This 1997 album is probably the most ambitious album I've ever heard. The level of obsessive attention detail here is just overwhelming but they also nail the grandiose overall concept and there are so many big staggering moments that make you question if music itself can even really do whatever it is that they're doing on this album. Somehow they make it happen. They seem to just be focused on blowing people's minds and they're remarkably successful at doing it over and over again.
#3 - Radiohead "OK Computer"
2) This 2001 album just feels like the most personal album on the list. Like, if I could be an album, this is the one I think I would want to be. It scratches all of my itches and has so much variety that you never get bored or settled, but you never get exhausted either. It's just perfect in a really nuanced way that, again, I don't know how I could really explain. But, like #3 and #4, it does this all without ticking most of my obvious boxes of what I typically enjoy about music: folksy singer-songwriter, backing harmonies by family members, catchy singles, or an overriding generosity of spirit and reassuring cheeriness. There's just a completely uninhibited inventiveness about this album that continues to surprise me, even after dozens of listens. It feels like it's teaching me new things to love about music that aren't necessarily in my wheelhouse. I guess I could say it's a lot like a present that I get to unwrap over and over and over, and, each time, it never really feels like I've actually ever really opened it before.
#2 - Radiohead - "Amnesiac"
1) This 1966 album is here because without it most of these other albums might not exist. It just somehow magically combines everything I love about music that I can understand and rationally process (catchy songs, exquisite harmonies with family members, a general sense of goodwill and selflessness, an extremely ambitious yet personal statement by a singular genius, lush instrumentation and exquisite attention to detail, etc.) with those things that I can't explain or grasp. It has some of the greatest songs ever written yet it came into the world and was not universally appreciated or initially commercially successful. It's a transcendent spiritual experience, yet still feels accessible and not at all intimidating. It feels like this album was made for all of the right reasons and continues to inspire musicians to create art that is deeply personal and still somehow universal, and also complex and innovative, rather than worrying about album sales or marketing tie-ins or any commercial considerations. I love how uncool and unhip certain parts of this sound [and look - I mean, that album cover? come on! what on earth is that?]. It feels like such a genuine, ambitious, and earnest artistic statement, and it actually sounds amazing, too. For any artist who has ever wondered whether to trust their instincts and listen to their own intuition, even if that takes them in a different and unconventional direction, this album is a testament that following your heart is always the right choice in the end. This, my friends, is the greatest album of all time.
#1 - The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds"
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
Complete List:
*Just wanted to encourage other folks who are on the fence about posting blurbs about their favorites here. It was harder than I thought to actually articulate what I liked about the albums on my list, because usually if one of these albums comes up in conversation, I don't make it much further than saying something like "yeah, so that's actually one of my favorite albums, like, of all time" haha. But it was a really interesting and rewarding exercise to try to nail down specifically what it is that I actually find thrilling about each album or even music in general. Taking the time to do it, and trying to even pinpoint specific things I appreciated that were unique to each album made me appreciate many of these albums even more, even if I still came up short and ended up repeating myself quite a bit. I look at the write-ups themselves as just fun little documented memories of what I came up with, and I think i'll enjoy revisiting these blurbs in a few years time (and also probably be horribly embarrassed by: 1) the total lack of David Bowie, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Rolling Stones, etc.; 2) my overuse of "kind of" "maybe" "somewhat"; and, 3) incorrect usage of big words like "ubiquitous" - but who cares, I had fun!) This was definitely a satisfying project to pass the time during Covid quarantine, and not something that I think I'd normally be able to carve out time to do.
There are so many albums and artists that I've seen people post in their lists that I'm completely unfamiliar with, and I think reading what that person likes about it or what memory they connect it with or whatever is a cool and effective way to be introduced to it and be able to understand and appreciate what I'm hearing. I've enjoyed reading everyone else's blurbs and seeing everyone else's lists - so thank you to everyone who's spent a lot of time working on their lists and blurbs and posting them already. And thanks to @Woob_woob for the idea and organization and tabulation! Excited to see the overall, definitive list and start working through the major gaps in my knowledge of the greatest albums ever! That will be a fun project for 2021, haha.
*Just wanted to encourage other folks who are on the fence about posting blurbs about their favorites here. It was harder than I thought to actually articulate what I liked about the albums on my list, because usually if one of these albums comes up in conversation, I don't make it much further than saying something like "yeah, so that's actually one of my favorite albums, like, of all time" haha. But it was a really interesting and rewarding exercise to try to nail down specifically what it is that I actually find thrilling about each album or even music in general. Taking the time to do it, and trying to even pinpoint specific things I appreciated that were unique to each album made me appreciate many of these albums even more, even if I still came up short and ended up repeating myself quite a bit. I look at the write-ups themselves as just fun little documented memories of what I came up with, and I think i'll enjoy revisiting these blurbs in a few years time (and also probably be horribly embarrassed by: 1) the total lack of David Bowie, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Rolling Stones, etc.; 2) my overuse of "kind of" "maybe" "somewhat"; and, 3) incorrect usage of big words like "ubiquitous" - but who cares, I had fun!) This was definitely a satisfying project to pass the time during Covid quarantine, and not something that I think I'd normally be able to carve out time to do.
There are so many albums and artists that I've seen people post in their lists that I'm completely unfamiliar with, and I think reading what that person likes about it or what memory they connect it with or whatever is a cool and effective way to be introduced to it and be able to understand and appreciate what I'm hearing. I've enjoyed reading everyone else's blurbs and seeing everyone else's lists - so thank you to everyone who's spent a lot of time working on their lists and blurbs and posting them already. And thanks to @Woob_woob for the idea and organization and tabulation! Excited to see the overall, definitive list and start working through the major gaps in my knowledge of the greatest albums ever! That will be a fun project for 2021, haha.
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