Your Top 10 Albums of All Time

[Byrne]

Post your lists! As a music junkie, I love checking out lists like these! Feel free to post reasonings as well if you're feeling it.

My personal list:

10. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

So who's up for some shoegaze?! Anyone?

When most people hear the phrase, "My Bloody Valentine," they think of that horrible horror flick that has some guy in a gas mask chopping people up. That movie was stupid. This band is not. This album is unlike anything most people have ever heard before, I'd venture to say. It can only really described as a cacophonic blend of noises and brilliance that culminates into a beautiful journey. You're not going to understand much of what you hear, but you're just going to know that it's right. The lack of coherency yet beautiful culmination of the droning noises makes this a simply hauntingly beautiful work that must be experienced to truly understand. But it's definitely not for everybody, let's just get that out of the way now.

9. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute

Well, here's another work that's more or less incoherent but in a different way. Once upon a time, this guy named Omar and his buddy named Cedric decided that they're way too good at music to make simple music like what they did with At the Drive-In. So they decided, "fuck it. We're gonna make one of the most ridiculous albums ever in terms of technicality and it's gonna melt your damn face." And that's what they did. And that's what Frances the Mute is. These are wickedly talented musicians that decided to be as crazy as possible, and it works so well. This album here contains only five songs and will last you more than seventy minutes, and they try to tell a story the whole time but no one really gives a fuck because the songs on this album take your brain and bend it backwards. If you can't tell, I like music to mindfuck me. This music does that.

8. The Beatles - Revolver

This album shits on Sgt. Pepper's face and kicks Abbey Road in the nuts. I'm serious. I've never understood the draw towards Sgt. Peppers. The Beatles made multiple superior albums in my mind, especially Revolver. I know this may seem like a boring ass choice, and that's probably because it is, but damn it Revolver is just a really good work by the most revolutionary musical group that has ever lived. These guys knew what the hell they were doing at this point, crafting masterpieces like Eleanor Rigby and For No One and not even caring. Their studliness is more or less unmatched on this record, as their true mastery of the art of songwriting is evident in almost every piece.

7. Radiohead - Kid A

I kind of wanted this to be a little higher, but I was worried people would call me a Radiohead fanboy douche or something, so I slipped this back to seven. But at this point every album is a masterpiece in it's own right so it's okay. Kid A is just a work of pure art. Thom Yorke's follow-up to the immensely lauded OK Computer did not disappoint in the slightest, and some even argue that Kid A is better. I'm not quite among that crowd, but this album is still pure magic to me. If you want to talk about an album that is utterly haunting in it's many complexities, here's the one to talk about. Radiohead ventures into a new frontier with this one, getting extremely experimental and pulling it off masterfully. There's not much more I can say about this that hasn't already been said though.

6. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

This album...is so fucking cool. Here's a rundown:
A group of British blokes gets popular online and releases this and it becomes the fastest selling debut album by a band ever. The album is a concept album that explores the actions of people in British night clubs.
Are you fucking serious?! That is just ridiculously cool, and the music backs it up well. The Arctic Monkeys are an awesomely band and absurdly underrated here in the states. WPSIA,TWIN is just an awesome ride of indie rock and post-punk revival (and by far the best album in that genre that I personally have ever discovered).

5. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

If you consider yourself a big fan of Indie music...you know this album. It's just that simple. This is the definitive indie rock album, and probably the greatest that has ever been recorded if I'm being objective. This is a man that had a musical vision and he made it happen, and it defines the genre and is it at it's finest. This is a very simplistic album, yet one filled to the brim with such overwhelming emotion that you can't help but be utterly immersed from the first track to the last.

4. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica

The first three tracks of this album make up the greatest introduction to an album ever. Frankly, it may be the best string up three songs in a row of all time. Isaac Brock may be one of the most weirdly intelligent men on this planet. His lyrics are just so god damn introspective and clever. And don't even get me started on "The Stars are Projectors." That song is among the greatest of all time. I mean...A Day in the Life...Paranoid Android...Modest Mouse somehow ranks among those with that masterpiece. This album is definitely weird, but the experimentation and absolutely mind-numbingly good lyrics make it one of the greatest ever.

3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

If you haven't heard of this band, you're probably living under some sort of rock. They have received Grammys and overwhelming universal acclaim from critics and fans everywhere, and it makes me happy because they are EXTREMELY good. This is another concept album (I like those) that explores a theme throughout the entire record, and the name of it suggests what that theme is. Tracks such as "Modern Man," "Ready to Start," and "Suburban War" are so ridiculously well-written that you'll be exhausted by all the musicgasms you'll have by the end of the record.

2. Radiohead - OK Computer

If you don't already know a lot about this album...just Google it. I mean seriously. There is literally nothing I could say that hasn't already been said about this record. Every track (besides Fitter Happier and The Tourist imo) is a sheer masterpiece. This is when Thom Yorke decided, "fuck it. I'm too cool to be in a silly rock band. We are going to come up with some of the most brilliant pieces of music ever imagined." And that's basically what happened. Give this record a spin. You'll probably enjoy it.

1. The Antlers - Hospice

And this...is my favorite album. You have never heard emotion in music until you've heard this album. If you cry easily...you better be prepared with tissues if you want to emotionally invest yourself into what this album offers. I don't know to what extent this is autobiographical, but I really just want to give Peter Silberman a hug. This is another concept album that chronicles a dysfunctional relationship between a woman that is dying of cancer and a worker at a hospice. The lyrical and musical brilliance of this album is unmatched by any work I have ever personally heard. Do yourself a favor and give this record a shot. If you invest enough time into it, it will become more than just a work of music to you. It will become a chronicle of the nature of sadness and hopelessness in your life that you can turn to at any time.

Post your own lists or comment on others'!

 

[v]

don't wanna be a prick but could we maybe have some explanations as to why you chose your albums? otherwise this will just be lists of albums without any explanation of the sound/lyricism/et al

 

[Byrne]

Yeah I was in the middle of doing that and then my computer crashed when I was like 2/3 done and it pissed me off lolz.

But yeah I'll start editing in some explanations.

 

[X5Dragon]

AHEM

Here's my list :P

1. Discovery (Daft Punk)

It's childish, it's danceable, it's disco, it's nostalgia, it's everything you wanted to experience just one more time.


2. Thriller (M-MOTHER FRAKKIN-J)

I don't know where to start or why I should explain myself, so I'll make this brief: best vocalist, best producer, best instruments, best musicians, best dancer, adorable kitty. There wasn't one song that I didn't like, not one.


3. Meteora (Linkin Park)

Ever felt like the world was crawling up your skin and sometimes you had more friends? That numb feeling that says you listened to authority too much and you need to break the habits that kept you down and stop being a papercut?


4. Trunk Funk the best of (The Brand New Heavies)

Acid Jazz at it's very best, bless you N'dea.



5. The Return of the Space Cowboy (Jamiroquai)

Stuart Zender already justifies this entry. Aside from the funk, we have this crazy, spaced out cowboy singing about drugs and world peace while wearing an Indian hat. He also drives Ferraris. Groovy!


6. Blood Sport Sound Track

7. Zatoichi OST

8. All Eyes on Me (2Pac)

9. Modal Soul (Nujabes rip)

10. Ketsumeishi, all of the Ketsu no police albums


EDIT: PERFUME AT NUMBER 0! These girls revolutionized electronic pop and dance fantastically. They also have a wicked producer at hand, very much worth a youtube session for them alone.

 

[Adamant Zoroark]

A metalhead's top 10 albums list... I think you can see where this is going.

10. Disturbed - The Sickness

At number 10 I have Disturbed's debut album. This album has guitar riffs that are quite easy to headbang to, and David Draiman's vocals suit the style of this album perfectly. With great songs like Down with the Sickness and The Game, it's difficult for me to not put this album on a top 10 list.

9. All That Remains - For We Are Many

As an All That Remains fan, I'll admit that The Fall of Ideals was not a stellar album. Overcome was an improvement on it, but I still though they could have done better. With For We Are Many, they got something that I liked all around. A couple of songs on The Fall of Ideals gave me a headache, while I got bored to death on a few songs from Overcome. Nothing of the sort here. All the songs on it are good, and at the same time they don't all sound like the same song.

8. Metallica - Death Magnetic

When this record came out, I think Metallica finally realized St. Anger was a piece of shit. The album has powerful lyrics that suit James Hetfield's style well and also going well with the songs on the album. Suicide & Redemption is possibly the best instrumental song they've made as well.

7. Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists

Don't get me wrong, I like the style on this album. The songs on it, such as Stricken and Decadence, are good, but there are some songs such as Overburdened and the title song itself that I think could be better. It's a good album, and truth be told I do think it would be Disturbed's best album if it weren't for Overburdened and the title song.

6. Avenged Sevenfold - Waking the Fallen

In my opinion, the best Avenged Sevenfold album to date. I know it has quite a bit of screaming in it, but it is nowhere near the scream-heavy debut album they had. The instrumentals in this album are the best they have ever made, and in my opinion songs on this album such as Unholy Confessions and Chapter Four are better than songs on their future albums, such as Beast and the Harlot and Nightmare. Their newer albums are still good, but I still think this one is their best.

5. Disturbed - Believe

I believe that this is Disturbed's best album. I can't go wrong with this album. It's quite the improvement on The Sickness, and unlike Ten Thousand Fists, I can't seem to pick out any songs that are rather mediocre. Plus, this album contains a large number of what I believe are the best songs Disturbed has ever written, including Prayer, Liberate, and Mistress.

4. Metallica - Ride the Lightning

I'm not sure how to explain this, so I'll say this: Powerful lyrics, powerful instrumentals, it's better than Kill 'Em All, and The Call of Ktulu is a great instrumental.

3. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

Gotta respect the classics. Led Zeppelin's fourth album contains great tracks such as Black Dog, and the classic Stairway to Heaven. Just don't play Stairway in guitar stores. Don't do it.

2. Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Title song, War Pigs, Iron Man. I think these three songs are all I need to explain why this is here.

1. Metallica - Master of Puppets

This was Metallica's first album to sell over 500,000 copies, and for good reason. It's got the fast-paced instrumentals of the title track, the slow intro in Battery leading up to yet more fast-paced instrumentals, while at the same time having some slower songs such as The Thing That Should Not Be and Welcome Home (Sanitarium). I don't know if I can say anything bad about this album; every single song on it is truly incredible.

 

[jumpluff]

Here is a list I compiled in December 2011, with two modifications. I deliberately avoided artist overlap, so some honourary mentions are Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! (2009), Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (2010), and The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999). I wrote it top-down, so I decided to publish it that way to retain sequence, my explanations get shorter because it's more difficult to explain that I love most of these albums for one of three reasons in a new way. This was hard sorry :(

1. The Arcade Fire - Funeral (2005)

This album is without question my favourite album, and it has long held that place for me. I'm more of a song person than an album person, despite usually listening to albums at least once, though I enjoy Funeral as a collective of songs more than most albums. It drags me through a cathartic emotional process every time (and it's provoked tears often), and I always manage to find incredible beauty in it. Lyrically, this album has some of my favourite songs, like Une Année sans Lumière, Haïti, and Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels); I think one of the strengths of Funeral is the emotional expression of love and loss. Musically, the album is gorgeous and graceful the whole way through instrumentally and vocally; I can see why Win Butler's vocals might not appeal to everyone, but the raw emotion in them appeals to me. My favourite vocals on the album are Reginé Chassagne's, though; they're very pure, pretty, and heartrending.

One of the reasons I rate it so highly as an album is because every single song is memorable except for one (Neighbourhood #4 (7 Kettles), which is by no means a bad song). I expect this to appear in heaps of these lists, to be honest...

2. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (2008)

Crystal Castles is my favourite band, though Crystal Castles I isn't my favourite album because the whole thing doesn't move me as greatly as Funeral does. Anyway, I just really enjoy the songs on this album for a number of reasons, because the style differs greatly on them. Most of them are extremely catchy, and I love the synth sounds; on the softer tracks (Black Panther, Untrust Us) I find them really pretty, on the glitchier tracks (Alice Practice in particular) I find them really interesting and colourful, though I'll admit straight up my favourite tracks on the album are softer/less glitchier (in order: 1. Black Panther 2. Untrust Us 3. Courtship Dating). The more nonsensical and incomprehensible the lyrics, the more I love them. When I listen to Crystal Castles I, I find myself drowning in the sound really pleasantly, just like the vocals, and I love the sensation.

3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones (2006)

Some of the most beautiful, catchiest songs on this album. Karen O. is an incredible performer and vocalist; both live and in the studio, she sings with raw emotion and energy, and I find her voice very attractive. The album oscillates between gentleness (Cheated Hearts, Way Out, The Sweets) and fierceness (Phenomena, Gold Lion, Fancy), but always with that same energy. If I had to say why I prefer it to Fever to Tell, a considerably more energetic, noisy album, I'd just put it down to the polished sheen; it's a really beautiful listen, less of a cacophony but still with the same spirit, though of course I love Fever to Tell too.

4. Kylie Minogue - Fever (2002)

I adore this album both for its significance in my life and as an album, so I'll explain both.

When I was little, my paternal grandmother scared my mother into believing I'd be corrupted by the evil of '90s MTV, so my mom taped music videos for me to listen and dance to rather than risk it. Somehow, Madonna slipped through the cracks, but nonetheless... The artist I loved most as a little girl was Kylie Minogue. I idolised her, and I still find her to be a goddess. Her songs were so catchy and I loved to dance to them. Fever is by far her best work; she'll never top it, because it's just that good and it's the embodiment of her best style, but I enjoy her more modern releases too. While I grew up on '90s Kylie, I only really paid attention to songs as songs starting from the early '00s, and so the meat and bread of my Kylie diet as a schoolgirl is on this album: Love at First Sight, Come into My World, In Your Eyes, Can't Get You Outta My Head. This album defines her career.

As an album... I find this to be the quintessential album of modern pop. Not the definitive, because Kylie never cracked the US market, but pretty much the best. Her characteristic breathy singing is almost ethereal -- as ethereal as an album like this can be; the songs are catchy, addictive, and spirited, with no gimmicks or anything provocative (lol well okay the title track but it's not that shocking, even for then...), it's just a classic sweet pop album that you can dance and sing to, and that's the merit on which it sells itself. At least half of this album has >500 plays for me in my library, and that's going back to 2010 and not counting plays on mp3 players, and I've loved the album a lot longer; it's that addictive.

5. Metric - Fantasies (2009)

Lyrically and thematically, I think this is the best work Metric have put out to date. I love the sincerity and darkness in Emily Haines' vocals; the overall grittier effect comes out really nicely imo and always makes my heart beat faster. Songs like Help I'm Alive and Sick Muse really get under my skin. It's a very catchy, singalong album as well, the kind you can enjoy best on a long car ride.

6. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)

An eccentric, psychedelic work of art. The Flaming Lips' music is layered and textured; if I wrote for Pitchfork, I'd call them sonic landscapes or something. All the songs have immense charm in their lyrics and atmosphere, the sci-fi motifs, the melodies. I don't just love this album for its idiosyncrasies, though I think it's hard not to appreciate their particular expressions when talking about what I'm about to; the album is seriously profoundly emotional and moving at times, especially in songs like One More Robot and Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell.

7. Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)

Yuppers, expecting to see this a lot too... I don't even know how to word the appeal this album has for me. It's the same reason I love reading dystopian works, for example. It's an emotionally challenging album, capable of instilling great despair; the imagery haunts me long after I play it. I love Thom Yorke for all the things that I used to hate him for, especially the melodrama in his singing. It's a great listen on so many levels, but I love it most for its intense moods.

8. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)

This is like the epitome of an uplifting electronic album. I can listen to it in the dark alone in my bedroom and feel euphoric, as if I've been out celebrating instead of at home all day. Discovery is so catchy almost all the way through that I feel like it takes over my pulse, with its twirling, intense climaxes.

9. capsule - Sugarless GiRL (2007)

My one Japanese inclusion! Okay, everything I said about Discovery applies here, except with more gratuitous, sensually-sung English, vocoded vocals, and more jpop influence. I enjoy their newer stuff too, but I think Sugarless GiRL (and FRUiTS CLiPPER too kinda, which was released the year before) marks an important turning point in their career: when capsule moved into house. It was a point right in the middle, with traces of old capsule headed towards new capsule (their last few albums, which I enjoy too but aren't quite as joyfully upbeat as Sugarless GiRL).

10. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

Hmm... It's hard to explain why I love this album in a way that's different to how everyone else loves it. It's really difficult to explain this album in a way that does it justice when everyone else does it, so I'm not going to go too indepth here. I love the sinister tone, the immense texture of the album, the lyrics, the instrumentation... everything. I don't even listen to this album's songs individually because I find that they all flow so well into each other as an album that they're almost diminished without each other; that's not meant as an insult, if anything, it's meant as a testament to what an amazing album this is, that consists of fantastic songs that, when put together, become something breathtaking. It's done so masterfully that I feel like I've aged decades sometimes listening to it; the album has such an impression on me that I feel like my own youth has wasted away (I have an immense fear of growing old).

 

[Myzozoa]

1. Patti Smith- Horses

In October, I'm going to wait for a rainy day with no classes and listen to it on vinyl. Birdland gives me goosebumps and the musical equivalent of an orgasm. I love the poetry and the barren sound. This album has been called 'perfect' by a lot of people, and it is. Patti Smith's vocals are an acquired taste, but after a few listens you'll get the flow and love it.

2. The Breeders- Mountain Battles

An album that go zero attention when it came out in 2008, it's my favorite album from any of Kim Deal's bands, better than anything she did with The Pixies. Just really typical punk/90's alternative. Night of Joy is so simple, the best songs always are. If you don't listen to anything I post, listen to this. I feel horrible because this album got no attention and it's fucking amazing.

3. The Clash- Self-titled

Another simple clean punk album. The last half is classic punk, so simple and good.

4. Sleater Kinney- The Hot Rock

I'm a really pretentious dude, so I like literary references in my punk rock sometimes. It feels good man. The guitar lines are so bad ass and while the vocals are less accessible they somehow become addicting. If you like songs about Odysseus and punk guitar lines, this is the band for you.

5. Bjork- Homogenic

This album is a fucking master work in vocal production. Bjork's voice is unbelievably elastic, and the huge landscape-like beats are cathartic. Such a good album of high production music, this album is what elecronica wishes it could be. Listen to this, if only because it's the most accessible Bjork album, and everyone should hear her inhumanly beautiful voice.

6. Smashing Pumpkins- Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness

The second half of this album flows perfectly, think the last half of Abbey Road only angsty and better. My favorite Pumpkin album by far. It's really gentle and sweet, despite the rep Corgan has as a singer.

7. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Show Your Bones

Karen O's is great on this is alt-rock/punk album. I won't claim this is an amazing album, it's just that I like it a lot.

8. Jimmy Hendrix- Axis: Bold as Love

Everyone has their favorite Hendrix album, they're all amazing. Like all Hendrix it's bluesy and has amazing guitar lines. One Rainy Wish is soooo good.

9. Led Zeppelin- Houses of the Holy

The Rain Song is just that good, and No Quarter and the Ocean round out an amazing album. Led Zeppelin is great yo

10. The Velvet Underground and Nico

Yet another punk album. Nico is amazing here, though some say shes a talentless hack. She may be, but she showed up and sang 3 amazing songs.

I'll add pictures soon.

Honorable Mentions to Funeral and Neon Bible by The Arcade Fire. And somehow Nirvana didn't get on the list. This list could have very easily become 4 or 5 Bjork albums, but I think that would get silly fast.

 

[pookar]

These are my favorite albums of past and present. May not be critically acclaimed or liked, but I really enjoy them. So thats what matters. I could steal RYM's top 10 all time list like the OP but I wont. Not ordered, too lazy/hard.

Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane
Progressive Metal concept album. To me, really strong emotional lyrics matched with really nice and well paced instrumentals.

King Crimson - Red
Probably the "best" album on this list. Really not much to say, really soothing instruments and I love the lyrics throughout the album.

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Recently discovered this, couldnt stop playing it once I did. Really fun albums with fun instrumentals, but at the same time between fun instruments and "dat sufjan voice" some really mellow tracks like John Wayne Gacy Jr and Casimir Pulaski Day pace the album really well.

Madvillain - Madvillainy
Madlib's production is amazing on this album, and for some reason I just love DOOM's type of flow. Doesnt keep the beat but still has the rhythm. Probably couldve thrown MM..Food on this list as well. I love MF DOOM

Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage
Well this is the third concept album on this list so far out of 5 (6). Just love the instruments and the satire-y yet somewhat serious antics of Zappa's storytelling. Watermelon in Easter Hay is a top 5 overall track/instrumental IMO.

The Roots - Undun
Hip hop concept album of 2011 by the legendary Roots crew. Some great features on this album. The beats and hooks on most tracks are just great, somewhat airy but still bang-y when they need to be. Subject matter is interesting and somewhat depressing, something not usually seen in hiphop. Even has a sufjan cover.

Lil B - God's Father
Cant believe this is on the list, but God the samples and beats Lil B picks for this mixtape are amazing. Some really awesome lines and again the samples are just ridiculous. Really positive album.

Opeth - Still Life
I love this story. This is like.. peak Akerfeldt vocals as far as growling/singing combination go, and he shifts from brutal to soft so much on this album. Killer intro song with The Moor and Serenity Painted Death just amazing.

Childish Gambino - Culdesac
I really like CG right now. He has a lot of fun with his music and.. hes just enjoyable to me. Funny punchlines and likable catchy beats.

Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Kinda concepty, but not really a story. Each track has a nice little story, a few of them upbeat, a few of them sad, but I really like the production on all of the tracks.

i love storytelling!!

 

[doomvendingmachine]

no particular order:

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

A lesson in what makes good lyrics. Although there is obviously some kind of underlying story here, it is a story that only makes completely sense to Jeff Mangum himself; quite bit of the lyrics come off as pure gobbledygook. However, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter; whatever those lyrics mean, they sure mean a hell of a lot to Mangum, and it shows in every off key warble that he is putting his full heart and soul into everything he's singing. The emotion in this album is overwhelming at times.

The Clash - London Calling

A tour-de-force of music, this is the sound of the Clash transitioning from a really good punk rock band to a band that could play pretty much any music genre and do it better than your favorite band. The Clash try everything on this album, from punk to reggae to ska to rockabilly to pop to even a piano ballad. And it never comes off as anything less than coherent. They would go on to put out even more eclectic stuff (Sandinista! is another album by them i quite like that is even more out there) but never again would it all make this much sense together.

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

The cinematic scope of this album is incredible, it feels like you are dropped dead center into a mafioso crime thriller. A lot of this can be attributed to the wonderful production job of RZA; he has started moving away from the simple (but don't mistake simple for bad) production of 36 Chambers into something with a more epic feel to it, which perfectly suits what Rae and Ghost wanted to do here. Speaking of Ghost, what a coming out party this was; I doubt anyone listening to 36 Chambers would have thought he would be the most consistent member of the Clan, and this is the album that started that trajectory.

This Heat - Deceit

Nothing else sounds like this, nothing else is even close. Paranoia drips from every corner of Deceit. This Heat were dead sure that the cold war was going to lead to the nuclear annihilation of mankind, and they put all of their fear and anger into this absolutely crazy album.

Death - Symbolic

Although still heavy as a truck, this is the album where i feel Death went over the threshold from being a mostly death metal band to mostly a progressive metal band. This isn't to say this album lacks death metal, but the progressive impulses are clearly the leading musical force here. At the end of the day though, this album is about the riffs, and holy shit does this album has them. Chuck Schuldiner and Bobby Koelble blaze through fantastic riff after fantastic riff with tight progressive song structures holding them together. A lot of Death fans swear by Human, but for me this is Death's magnum opus.

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

The album that made me fall in love with jazz. A Love Supreme is basically an extended hymn to the love of God (the love supreme that is referred to in the title) and spirituality flows throughout this album. It's a kind of organic, natural love. All of the instruments are absolutely fantastic in this album, and though it considered an avant-garde jazz album, I never found it particularly inaccessible.

Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch!

On the other hand, this avant-garde jazz album most definitely isn't accessible. Out to Lunch! is pretty far out there filled with dissonant sounds and playing in unusual time signatures. What sets Dolphy apart from others in this genre though, is that through it all the music is genuinely fun. Dolphy never sounds like he's play abstract to play abstract, he's just playing what he wants and having the time of his life doing it. I could talk all day about how the choice of the more controlled Freddie Hubbard on trumpet was a brilliant to counterpoint to Dolphy's out there playing, and how the choice to use vibraphones instead of a piano brightens the mood of the album considerably, but at the end of the day, this album is a masterpiece.

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

Easily the most personal Dylan ever got, this album paints a grim picture of the impending break up with his wife. Most of the songs deal with love in some way, and Dylan sounds genuinely hurt or angry, or in love, or whatever the song calls for. The lyrics are less abstract that in times past, but less abstract doesn't mean worse at all, and they still have that particular Dylan flare.

John Fahey - Fare Forward Voyagers (Soldier's Choice)

over 40 minutes of one man strumming an acoustic guitar. No vocals, no backing instruments. But John Fahey creates a fuller sound with just his guitar than many full bands do. An incredibly gorgeous album, and also Fahey's most adventurous, this album is highly recommended to anyone who likes folk music that can be stripped down but still more than simple.

Talking Heads - Fear of Music

Screw Remain in Light, this is the Heads' peak for me. The album where the new wave really started mixing with their brand of alien white boy funk. David Byrne is about as compelling a frontman as you can get, with his crazed vocal delivery that sounds like he needs to be on some sort of medication. The songwriting here is top notch, and this album is one of the poster boys for consistency in my book; besides Electric Guitar (which is still pretty good) every song ranges from great to fantastic.

 

[Zacchaeus]

These are in no particular order and I limited each band or artist to a single album. Some of these are here because of their influence but most are just because of how much I simply like them:

BEING - Arrival
Really amazing sound, even if you don't like them you can't deny that they have invented their own brand of music. (BEING identifies itself as a cosmic metal band)

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John is my favorite artist of all time, and while I love so many of his albums, this one just has a special place in my heart. Runner up: Madman Across the Water

Between the Buried and Me - The Great Misdirect
Aside from Elton John, Between the Buried and Me is my favorite band, hands down. Their lyrics are decent, but every other area of the band is perfect. They have multiple styles within the same group of people and can easily switch the direction of an album or even a song. The instrumentals are brutal and Tommy Rogers has the best singing voice in history. See: Sun of Nothing

House vs. Hurricane - Forfeiture
Obligatory indie band. But honestly, these guys have everything to look for in a band. The songs flow, the lyrics are meaningful, and the sound is wild

Emmure - Goodbye to the Gallows
Great band, and this is the album that brought me into the world of hardcore music. Emmure has had some less than great albums, but this one is practically perfect in all the ways that the others fail

The Alan Parsons Project - I Robot
This band is essentially the founding of electronic music (along with Kraftwerk) as far as I'm concerned and I really liked the innovation shown here

Rammstein - Mutter
As a German speaker, I have a few favorite German bands but Rammstein stands above the rest. This is one of the albums that made them what they are today, and for good reason

Hollywood Undead - Swan Songs
Rapcore? Yes please. But really what I love about HU is their emotion and how real they are. On this particular album, there are hateful, sad, funny, and other moods conveyed in their songs.

For Today - Ekklesia
Really inspiring band, and this album just speaks to me in a theological way

Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge
FUCKING PIRATE METAL

 

[Bad Ass]

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

okay yeah this album...it's easly the best thing that I've ever heard. The best way to describe it is a whitewash of music that often creates feelings of pure bliss. It's a wall of...noise...sweet, beautiful noise. You lay back on the bed, eyes closed, and those four fucking snare drum hits go off and it begins...

You get the feedback-layered guitar, the dreamy almost ethereal vocals, it's almost hypnotizing. Every problem you have is drowned out as you just sit back and listen. It doesn't mean anything.

I wonder how many metaphors I can find for 'wave of music', because at its core that's all it is. A wave of fucking music. But fuck me if it isn't the most beautiful piece of music that anyone has ever produced...

 

[TEA_DEMON]

A metalhead's top 10 albums list... I think you can see where this is going.

well that was disappointing.

10 albums is too few to narrow down for me, and i tend to fluctuate between which ones i like more than others depending on how recently i've listened to them and what not, so if i posted again next week this list would almost certainly be slightly different.

in no order:

isis - panopticon
this album IS post-metal, basically. it will forever be the starting point for anyone getting into the genre. this album manages to be beautiful, crushing, emotional, and it just generally amazing.

pink floyd - animals
do you know what dark side of the moon is in relation to this album? inferior. the wall? even more inferior. this album just chills out between wish you were here (which is also amazing) and the wall, being their best album. it's as if people don't like 17 minute songs or something???

radiohead - hail to the thief
so yeah, speaking of underappreciated albums... i mean, kid a is good, but like, this album EXISTS. it's basically everything radiohead is to me, it covers all the bases.

agalloch - ashes against the grain
the mantle was growing on me for a bit but i still don't think it came anywhere near this one. this album soars and progresses and has raw emotion which i doubt people would expect when they heard the phrase "black metal". it also helps that the harsh vocals are some of my favourite ever, they're so lovely.

tool - lateralus
i'm fairly sure most people at least know of this album, and it is very good. i am also fairly sure i've overplayed it sadly, but i still know it is one of the best albums in metal.

interpol - turn on the bright lights
is it bad that i like this more than all of the old post-punk? i have a feeling that it is. regardless, i think this album has twisted my views on what to expect from post-punk which is not entirely good because the 80s stuff is kinda nothing like it but as long as i have this album it is ok.

intronaut - valley of smoke
this is album #2 in the journey of post-metal discovery (even though it still has many prog metal elements as well). in a nutshell, this album has two elements: soft sections, and heavy sections. they flick back and forth, but it's mostly seamless transitions and sounds good and all that jazz. speaking of jazz, it's also quite jazzy.

flight of the conchords - flight of the conchords
ok so um this is the best comedy music ever and that's all there is to it.

meshuggah - obzen
good old meshuggah. super heavy, super angry sounding music. it's the sort of stuff you could get a nun to headbang to. i think that sums it up.

mastodon - blood mountain
so yeah leviathan is not as good as this or the hunter OR crack the skye, just throwing that out there. this album is wonderful and has many good songs, but it also suffers from having about three tracks of indifference (much like the hunter). it also shows off some of mastodon's elements that hadn't really seen the light before (read: pendulous skin, or more proggy-sounding bits in general), and as this was the precursor to crack the skye i appreciate it that much more.

 

[Byrne]

I could steal RYM's top 10 all time list like the OP but I wont. Not ordered, too lazy/hard.

Not sure what the hell this means. Only two on my list are on their list and neither are in the same spot. I don't even think anyone on RYM knows who The Antlers are.

 

[Rowan]

I'm sorry I cheated. This is a list of 12. I couldn't just leave 2 of them out!

Also, I'm not very good at writing about them, but I'll try.

12. Gorillaz - Demon Days

The best album by Gorillaz by far. All the tracks just work perfectly together and are all highly addictive. There is a great mix of styles from Hip Hop to Electronica to even some soul in the final two tracks, meaning that I'm sure you'd find at least one track you like.

Standout Track - Feel Good Inc.

11. Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam

I think this album could get on the list just from its title alone... It's a really odd kind of spoken word/rap thing with dreamy electronic production. I often listen before going to sleep because I find it incredibly relaxing.
The thing that stands out for me though, is the lyrics. Ghostpoet has a simple, but fantastic way of putting things and uses themes that are easy to relate to. "I ain't been paid and I ain't got a lot, but it's us against whatever, babe." is what he sings/speaks/raps in Us Against Whatever. (Don't worry that's pretty much the only track about love.)
The only thing I would say is that the album starts off very "same-y." By the end of the fourth proper track, you find yourself thinking that he needs to do something a bit different now. Although he does remedy this with 'I Just Don't Know', a slightly more upbeat song which is a bit more laid back. ("I can't be a retrospective rapper all the time, so I thought I'd write a simple song...")
This may be a bit like marmite though. You'll either love it, or hate it.

Standout Track - Survive It

10. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

I'm sure many of you will have heard of this. Dear Science seems to be a really highly rated album by many, and it's not hard to see why. I can't pick any faults with it. Every track is great from the quickly spoken 'Dancing Choose', the funky 'Golden Age', and the incredibly heart-wrenching 'Family Tree'.

Standout Track - DLZ

9. Withered Hand - Good News

Withered Hand is a scottish folk artist, called Dan Willson. He has a voice that grows on you. Kind of like Jeff Mangum from Neutral Milk Hotel's voice grows on you. His songs are quite simple, and also quite humorous. His lyrics can also be very crude at times.
("I'd do anything to get my dick inside her, but that's not what she wants to hear me say.")
("You stole my heart, and I stole your underwear."

Standout Track - Religious Songs

8. Dizraeli - Engurland (City Shanties)

What do you get when you take folk and rap and mix them together? This album apparently. Dizraeli is an unsigned English rapper who also has a passion for folk music. With his band 'The Small Gods,' he has almost created his own musical style. I'd urge anyone to check this album out.

Standout Track - Bomb Tesco

7. The National - Boxer

Matt Berninger's voice is incredible. Such a rich deep baritone. This album kind of has a dark feel to it, but it's also quite beautiful. I'd highly recommend it.

Standout Track - Fake Empire

6. The Killers - Hot Fuss

This album is just so good. It's a shame The Killers went downhill from here. Everything on here is incredibly catchy and fun to sing along to. Songs like 'Mr Brightside', 'Somebody Told Me' and 'Smile Like You Mean It' are just so memorable it's almost impossible not to like them.

Standout Track - Mr. Brightside

5. Sound of Rum - Balance

Kate Tempest might possibly be my favourite rapper ever. The album starts off with Rumba in which Kate shows off and incredible flow. The rest of the album isn't quite as fast, but it doesn't take anything away from it. The lyrics are very intelligent and heartfelt. Whilst they have a tendency to be slightly OTT, there is no denying the pure emotion that gets put into Kate's words. The backing music is also great. A mixture of guitar, bass and drums that fits perfectly with Kate's rapping.

Standout Track - Best Intentions

4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Funeral was okay. Neon Bible was good. The Suburbs is incredible. Arcade Fire seemed to have improved so much in my opinion. Every song on this album seems to have a massive sense of nostalgia to me. As stated in the OP, I'm exhausted by all the musicgasms.

Standout Track - Suburban War

3. Doomtree - No Kings

No Kings came out last November, and I have been listening to it non-stop. Whilst I don't think the rappers in Doomtree are the best rappers in the world, it's the way they all seem to work perfectly together. Mike Mictlan and Sims have a more traditional hip hop feel to their rapping, which contrasts to Cecil Otter's more moody rapping and Dessa's more melodic verses.
It's also the production that stands out. The production seems to fit perfectly with whoever is rapping at the time and really brings everything together nicely.

Standout Track - The Grand Experiment

2. Sufjan Stevens - Michigan

Whilst I love Sufjan's later, more complex work, I do love Michigan, the first of his two American state albums. A lot of the tracks are much more relaxing and simple than his later work such as 'Holland' and 'Flint', but there is also hints of Sufjans complexity in 'All Good Naysayers Speak Up' and 'Detroit.'

Standout Track - For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti

1. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

Finally number one. I love Beirut so much. This album is obviously their best in my opinion and has a very pleasant French feel to it, which seems to match Zach Condon's voice perfectly. The signature Beirut brass also adds a very nice quality to the album, along with quite a bit more strings than Beirut's first album.

Standout Track - A Sunday Smile

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

To make up for Corkscrew posting 12 albums, I'll only post 8. I don't have any other favorite albums.

1. Album Cover Art

   
   The Glitch Mob - Drink the Sea
   
   The Glitch Mob's music is amazing. It leaves you breathless after one go, and the slower pace helps to relax the mind.
   
   Track of note: A Dream Within a Dream
   
2. Album Cover Art

   
   Daft Punk - Discovery
   
   This is the album that started my interest in house music. I'd honestly recommend it to anyone. You can just sit in a quiet room and listen to them for hours on end without feeling bored.
   
   Track of note: Veridis Quo
   
3. Album Cover Art

   
   UVERworld - Timeless
   
   The one JRock album I'll include on my list. I don't know what it is about UVERworld, but they're able to keep me listening for a LONG time. If you want to get started on some JRock, I'd recommend starting with this album.
   
   Track of note: D-tecnolife
   
4. Album Cover Art

   
   Pendulum - Hold Your Colour
   
   Pendulum is great. This album is great. It will leave you in a sense of wonder after listening to the whole album.
   
   Track of note: Fasten Your Seatbelt
   
5. Album Cover Art

   
   Pendulum - In Silico
   
   Yet another Pendulum album. Same explanation as the Pendulum album above it.
   
   Track of note: Midnight Runner
   
6. Album Cover Art

   
   Linkin Park - Meteora
   
   This is fun to listen to, and easy to get hooked on. Also, Linkin Park's older music was better than their newer music.
   
   Track of note: Breaking the Habit
   
7. Album Cover Art

   
   deadmau5 - For Lack of a Better Name
   
   deadmau5 has some pretty sick tracks in this album, such as "Ghosts 'n' Stuff", "Soma", and "Strobe." It's not like the dubstep churned out by Rusko and Skrillex, which is something I appreciate.
   
   Track of note: Strobe
   
8. Album Cover Art

   
   Starfucker (STRFKR) - Reptilians
   
   Great music from an under-appreciated electronica band. They need a bigger fanbase. Give them a try, and you won't be disappointed.
   
   Track of note: Quality Time

 

[RODAN]

Elton John's Greatest Hits

so i kinda copped out here and picked a greatest hits album because imo his singles are a lot stronger than their corresponding albums, and together it makes an album that may or may not blow your cock off




Adults!!!: Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited by Nothing!!!!!!! - Bomb the Music Industry!

dear asim,


i miss you


love, rodan


Beauty and the Beast (soundtrack)

if you have ever talked to me about movies you probably know this is my favourite ever, and the soundtrack is equally as good - providing drama, comedy, etc. whatevers needed also gaston




Millennium - Backstreet Boys

alright im also a big pop music fan, and this is where mainstream pop music was perfected in my opinion. also everybody knows the words to i want it that way




Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys

probably my most recent addition to this list, i only started listening to beastie boys about 2 months ago - i mean i obviously heard fight for your right and sabotage, but this is on a whole nother level in terms of comedy mixed with hard hitting beats and vocals




Take Me to Your Leader - King Geedorah/MF DOOM

the reason i have my username. well not really i chose rodan because i grew up on the godzilla series - but it turns out rodan is a really awesome rapper!! check out no snakes alive





The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga

yep, this took pop music by the nuts and squeezed it - this is the moment when pop music changed to be less about fucking bitches and more about ????????????????????????????????????????????




In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

not even bothering




Aqualung - Jethro Tull

man i just love the sound ok, its so good and dark but also quite catchy - the perfect balance for prog to have i guess or something




A Night at the Opera - Queen

probably the most flawless album

 

[Byrne]

Rodan, you're list is incredibly bizarre haha. Backstreet Boys and Jethro on the same list what is this I don't even

 

[Nix_Hex]

I just realized how much I love space rock.

Failure - Fantastic Planet

This album is only known for having that song The Nurse Who Loved Me, covered by A Perfect Circle in 2004. Most people don't even know it's Failure. This album is 17 tracks long and ranges from your typical mid-90s grunge to Pink Floyd-esque space rock. Stuck on You is an amazing song and was their single from the album yet it's still pretty unknown.

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

This album defined my childhood without me knowing it, until I got into the Smashing Pumpkins and realized "wow, these songs were on all the time when i was a boy." This song features an extremely wide range of sounds, thanks to being a double album. Cupid De Locke is a love letter Billy Corgan wrote to a girl in junior high or something and is comprised mostly of harps and assorted strings instrument. It just makes me want to kiss myself. On the other side of the spectrum (that word is appropriate here) is X.Y.U., which I would elaborate on more but I don't want to bring is to the rape topic again. Prepare to dedicate 2 hours of your day to listen to this uninterrupted.

Tool - Ænima

This album introduced me to real music. It's the reason I appreciate rock music that's a tad bit more difficult to digest than whatever is on rotation at your local rock station. I saw Tool live back in 2006 and was fortunate enough to see them end the night with the pseudo-title track, aenema, containing one of my favorite guitar solos ever. The filler tracks are interesting... if you are familiar with audio signal processing and know the Turkish language, I dare you to decipher the spoken part in Cesaro Summability.

311 - Transistor

My favorite band. The critics hated this one but for some reason it was a huge fucking album. You can't complain about 21.5 songs on one CD. One of 311's secrets is that they are an enormous talent. Their singles are cool and poppy but the real intricate beats and breakdowns can be seen on their albums, especially this one. They do an excellent job of merging rap rock, funk, and space rock into one unique sound.

Devin Townsend - Presents: Ziltoid the Omniscient

It's amazing how silly and nerdy the subject matter of this album is (an alien, Ziltoid, who is "the greatest guitar player ever to have lived" travels across the omniverse to our universe to find our best cup of coffee), while a good amount of songs are very serious in nature. If you are a metal fan and haven't heard Devin Townsend / SYL, you really don't know what you're missing. Put down your Metallica albums and listen to this.

Metallica - Master of Puppets

I was sort of hesitant to put a Metallica album on here because 90% of the posts itt will have one, but I can't deny how influential this album was for me. From the huge opening chords of Battery to the rapid fire beats of Damage Inc., this album never gets slow. Some of the more unknown tracks are The Thing that Should Not Be and Lepper Messiah.

Soundgarden - Superunknown

If you are a rock music fan you should definitely have listened to this album at least once, if not hundreds of times. Chris Cornell was a pretty amazing vocalist when he had a voice, but it's only part of why I love this album. There's something very hypnotic here; if you listen to the album version of My Wave (not the short radio version), you might doze off then awaken suddenly and say "woah shit this song is still on?" Head Down is very dreary and spacey, my favorite from the album indeed. Everyone knows Spoon Man and Black Hole Sun.

Deftones - White Pony

I got into this album when my best friend and i were getting into Tool and he said "dude, listen to Passenger, it has Maynard on it!" I recognized Change in the House of Flies as their "big song" from a few years before the time I picked this up. Chino Moreno's vocals are love'em or hate'em, but they're really quite secondary to the amazing pocket filled by Abe Cunningham (drummer), Chi Cheng (bassist), and Steven Carpenter (guitar), and whoever their DJ is. The songs are a great mix of heavy and spacey, and some people say they get off on them or something.

Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

Look past the dumb album title, retarded self-rhyming, and hokey pokey dance instructions and you'll see some incredible musicianship here. John Otto is a terrific drummer, very underrated. Wes Borland is one of the best guitarists in modern rock and plays both heavy and spacy riffs on here. Boiler is my favorite song, featuring Fred Durst's best vocal and millions of guitar and bass harmonics. Guitar and bass nerds know what I'm talking about. Also, fun interview with Ben Stiller at the end.

Radiohead - OK Computer

This album filled the gap between the corny pop rock of The Bends and the pretentious circle jerk that was the brilliant Kid A, where they were sort of a normal band but liked to throw in a bunch of beeps and bloops and cool samples. Climbing up the Walls actually features a Thom Yorke metal scream at the end but there's so much other noise it's kind of hard to pick out. The rest of an album is a cool down from all the mental energy you spent getting through everything else.

Honorary Mentions:
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Pearl Jam - Vs.

 

[Byrne]

If you like 21 songs on an album, check out the Magnetic Fields hah

 

[SalTheThief]

hi i like a lot of female vocalists

10. Death Grips - Exmilitary

What originally started out as an inside joke between some friends actually grew on me after a while. I usually hate loud music and screaming but Exmilitary pulls it off in a whole different way. Rather than have it come off as angsty or deep and brooding it ends up just being his own style of flow. I chose it because it my favorite album when I feel like blasting my surround sound, however he really isn't for everyone. Definitely gives me that feeling of confidence and adrenaline.

9. Das Racist - Shut Up, Dude

I'm a pretty big fan of saying stupid shit, and Das Racist manages to beat me out on that field everyday. Speaking of beats, the ones these guys have are fucking crazy catchy. Their lyrics are very satirical of the typical "yeah uh bitches and money". Lots of times where I'll catch a line or two and die laughing at how ridiculous it is. Love these guys.

8. The Postmarks - Memoirs at the end of the world

I don't think the artists could've picked a more fitting name for the album. I swear that every track has a different emotion to it, ranging from very upbeat to the very last track, which ends with a bang and not a whimper. When I think of top female vocalists the Postmarks are at the top.

7. The Ink Spots

I'm a big fan of the '40s - '60s America and The Ink Spots are just really easy listening. (nearly) All of the songs on this album start off the same way in a different key, which I thought was really cool. I really have to thank Fallout for introducing me to them and listening to their music can really bring me nostalgia for a time period I never even lived in.

6. Immortal Technique - Revolutionary Vol. 1

Everyone has one artist they imagine themselves being in front of their crush/school/whatever, and this would probably be mine. Technique is extremely talented and carries some otherwise pretty mediocre beats to greatness. I draw a lot of inspiration from his flow in my (dumb) raps. The political content is also a strong point, as it encourages me to do my own research.

5. The Bird & The Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

These guys are what got me into female vocalists. Inara George has an amazing voice backed by great instrumentals. She can get pretty melancholic at times which does hit close to home. I hear her music in a lot of malls and it's great to have one of her tracks come on while I'm shopping. I don't listen to her as much as I used to, but I can recommend this artist to anyone looking for some female vocalists. Catchy tunes.

4. Notorious B.I.G - Ready To Die

I used to be one of those "I listen to everything but country and rap" people. While Biggie wasn't what got me into rap, he surely did pull me in. There are some surprisingly deep tracks on here, notably Suicidal Thoughts and Me & My Bitch, for what I assumed to be your typical "yeah uh bitches uh yeah rims look at how big my dick is" type of rap. Ready To Die just goes to show that his more famous tracks are not a fluke at all. If you like Big Poppa you should check out the rest of the album.

3. St Vincent - Actor Out of Work

Annie Clark isn't just a pretty face. Her voice is probably the second best I've ever heard in terms of female vocalists. Actor Out of Work shows off her entire range pretty well. It inspires a pretty big sense of wonder, and The Bed was a song I'd listen to when I was down in the dumps. This is almost a perfect album to me, meaning that I can listen to the full thing without skipping an "okay" song.

Yuki Kajuira - .hack//Sign sountrack

I usually listen to soundtracks for backgrounds noise while I'm minecrafting or just browsing the net, but this album was an exception to the rule. I used to play a lot of MMOs in my teenaged years and the music in this makes me nostalgia for adventure, the unknown, and companionship. I could (and have) listen to The World for hours on loop. I didn't even really watch .hack all that much, but this soundtrack inspired me to go back and watch a really slow paced show.

1. Björk - Vespertine

This is the only perfect album that I know of. Every track on this album is absolutely perfect and well timed after the last. Vespertine gives a really wintery feeling and Björk's howls and singing are far too perfect. It really feels like the season begins and ends with this album. The lyrics, for the most part, don't even have anything to do with winter, but the backing tracks to everything give off a very chilling feel.

tl;dr women

 

[Ouro]

My list basically consists of albums I love.

AZ - Doe or Die​

Up first is my favorite hip-hop album of all time. AZ's Doe or Die is what every modern rapper should strive for, the perfect combination of boom-bamp and listenability (we can make up words right?).

Doe or Die is the embodiment of 90s New York gangster rap, something like Raekwon's Only Built for Cuban Linx (my second favorite hip-hop album) or Nas' Illmatic.

No club bangers just great lyrics and dope beats.

The Fall of Troy - Doppelganger​

This is one of those guilty pleasure albums. I'll also admit I was a bit of a scene kid in high school and TFOT were one of the bands I just so happened to love.

Before Thomas Erak, I knew guitars were cool but I had no idea how awesome they were until I heard him play. Hearing him play lead me to discover many bands that I love till this day like Tera Melos and Lightning Bolt (I was into math rock before it was cool!).

I was such a fan boy I even used his name for a newspaper interview ha ha.

Anywho, the album is full of great rips and playing. Thomas Erak wrote everything from the drums, to basslines, and lyrics. It is not just guttural screams and shitty guitar chords but rather a symphony of beautiful, womanly shrieking, and up-tempo guitar shredding.

Hide

As a Dominican kid on the east coast it was hilarious going to the scene shows and finding that all the white kids have pressed their hair into nappiness.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm​

Silent Alarm is probably BP's (and Kele's) greatest work to date. The album is full of beautiful words only British people understand and bass lines that make your dick/vagina tingle and force you to dance.

Might be because I'm American but I absolutely love Kele's voice.

Pele - The Nudes​

Blissfully trill. It is jazz and it is math rock, but mostly great. This album is perfect for winding down at the end of a long day or night of partying. The rhythms of Pele are somehow relaxing and energizing at the same time.

Animal Collective - Feels​

My all time favorite AnCo piece. Before they got all Merriweather Post Pavillion or whatever the fuck. It includes hipster classics like The Purple Bottle and Grass. The only way to not get laid by playing those two songs was by being fat.

Also, there are interesting sounds and shit.

Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed​

This album, at least to me, was strange yet familiar. The lyrics became sadder but more artful with more imagery while their tracks incorporated more instruments and sounds than before.

M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us​

Whenever I listen to this album I focus on the different sounds and the depth created by them. M83 manages to avoid creating that uniform sound throughout the album and keeps your attention from the first to last track by throwing in songs like * and Car Chase Terror.

If you were one of the people put off by shit like Kim and Jessie or We Own The Sky then give it a listen but only if you're kewl!

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92​

To be honest, I like Analords as a whole more than Selected Ambient Works 85-92 but I had to decide on just one RDJ piece. It starts off banger, after banger, after banger with Xtal, Tha, and Pulsewidth and contains great songs like Hedphelym.

The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow​

I've overlooked the fact that Morrissey is racist because he made beautiful music with beautiful words and a bajillion interpretations. When he sings, it feels personal (take me you bigot hunk!). Seriously, there is a song for everyone on here. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, Still Ill, This Charming Man, Girl Afraid, and so on. The only way Morrissey could have made this better would have been by including Pretty Girls Make Graves.

Yes, this is the best Smiths album. DEAL WITH IT.

Also, Deftones fuck you for doing an awful cover.

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles​

When I first heard them I simply shrugged them off but later at a party I heard them again and slowly fell in love with them. I honestly thought their glitchy pop sound was great until I heard.....

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (AGAIN LOLZ!)​

Okay so I didn't fall in love with their new sound immediately but boy did it grow on me. I've listened to this album more than any other according to my scrobbling statistics.

With CC II they moved in a completely new direction with their sound. No longer did they have an immature, 8-bit techno, bullshit sound but instead a more sophisticated sound incorporating different synths, haunting vocals, and most importantly a rhythm you could maintain while drunk!

Their sound became more complex layering many different sounds. Their songs, excluding Doe Deer, were no longer 180 BPM assaults on your ears, but rather a rhythmic mind fuck. They also managed to avoid being repetitive with song structures and drum patterns. Seriously, a very intricate album.

GREATEST ELECTRONICA ALBUM OF ALL TIME

Also, I didn't proof read any of this and I'm kinda drunk from blasting CC loudly into my ears. K thx 4 reeding.

 

[Solace]

In no particular order. . .

Born This Way - Lady GaGa

I've always liked Lady GaGa's music, but I think Born this Way really balanced her "out there" songs with a bunch of really motivational songs. Despite the really shitty album cover, I think that this album is her best, and contains all of my favorites of hers. (Born This Way, Judas, Edge of Glory, and Marry The Night)

Aim and Ignite - Fun.

Like most people, I heard about Fun. once We Are Young became a big hit and became super radio whored. The album that song is from, Some Nights, is pretty good, but Aim and Ignite is definitely the better album. With songs like The Gambler, Be Calm, All The Pretty Girls, and Barlights, among others, this album is one I've enjoyed a ton and might be my favorite overall.

OK Computer - Radiohead

The people who've put this album in their list already pretty much have covered what I wanted to say about it, but this is the album I think of when I think Radiohead. I first found it through its song Exit Music (For a Film), which was featured in a Romeo & Juliet movie, which I had to watch in school. I liked the song enough to check out the rest of the album, and all the tracks were just as good, if not better, than that song. It's just a really beautiful album IMO.

21 - Adele

This album is probably one of my current favorites, being able to make you sad and then switching around to something more upbeat. I think it balances depressing and upbeat well, and it's always a good listen. I'll Be Waiting, Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, and Lovesong are my favorites.

Lungs - Florence + The Machine

This is THE Florence album to listen to if you're looking to see her best stuff, imo. With Cosmic Love, You've Got the Love, Dog Days Are Over, Howl, Kiss With a Fist, and Girl With One Eye, this album has a ton of great songs. While I don't like the others as much, they're still great songs and Cosmic Love is probably one of my favorite songs ever, so you can't really go wrong with this one.

Brand New Eyes - Paramore

Brand New Eyes is the first CD I bought when I actually started caring about music, so it'll always be one of my favorites. Brick by Boring Brick is my favorite Paramore song, and Ignorance, Careful, Misguided Ghosts, and Where The Lines Overlap are all great Paramore songs. This is overall a pretty good album, and it started getting me interested in other songs and music in general, so while it isn't a real ~masterpiece~ it's a cool album in my mind.

Immersion - Pendulum

Watercolour was my overall favorite song for a long time, and the rest of this album was pretty awesome too, so it's definitely a top 10. Genesis, Salt in the Wounds, The Island Pt. I and II, Witchcraft, and Self vs. Self are my favorite songs from it. Pendulum is a cool band in general and I really liked this album.

Fantasies - Metric

I really liked this album of Metric's, and Jumpluff pretty much said all I would've. Help I'm Alive, Sick Muse, Gold Guns Girls, and Gimme Sympathy are my favorites from it.

1 - The Beatles

This is definitely my favorite Beatles album, with great songs like I Want to Hold Your Hand, A Hard Day's Night, Eight Days a Week, Ticket to Ride, Help!, Eleanor Rigby, and The Long and Winding Road. It covers a lot of their fun and upbeat songs, while also touching on some prettier ones. All of the Beatles's stuff is great though imo, so it was hard to pick a single one. Probably should've done what Rodan did with Elton John and just taken a Greatest Hits album. :P

And it wouldn't be one of my Top 10's without a Glee album..
Glee The Music Volume 4 - Glee Cast

idk they're all covers, I just liked the songs done here best and I think that this is the point in Season 2 where they really peaked. The Britney Spears covers are good, and I like Valerie and River Deep, Mountain High. It does pop the way Glee does it best, and also brings back some older songs that are done pretty well. It's in my Top 10 albums because I'm basically addicted to this show and it's not very healthy tbh. WHATEVER~

Either way my music taste is all over the place and constantly changes and I'm not always a huge album fan so this was a lot harder than it looked lol!

Honorable Mentions: Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
TWEWY Soundtrack
Wicked Soundtrack
Under The Iron Sea - Keane

 

[Iceydude168]

Just gonna pick 5 so the next person can do 15. Takin one for the team!

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5. A Night at the Opera - Queen
Gimme a list of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century and Freddie Mercury is almost guaranteed a spot on there. Oh and I have to bandwagon with the ragecomic'ers because Bohemian Rhapsody is an amazing song and Night at the Opera is one of the greatest albums ever.

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4. American Idiot - Green Day
Solid album by Green Day, some excellent tracks on here (Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams for example). Hopefully every Green Day fan in existence has listened to this album (and some non-fans too), I really like it.

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3. Desperado - The Eagles
I was gonna put a description here but first listen to the song Desperado and you'll know why people like the Eagles and this album is great.

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2. Eric Clapton - Unplugged
Big Clapton fan here, had to put this really high up. 2 of his greatest/most iconic songs ever, Tears in Heaven, and Layla, are on here.

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1. Pink Floyd - The Wall
Holy shit this album is good. TEA DEMON mentioned Animals (another great album, though I don't like it enough to put it on this list) as better than The Wall, but I'd have to disagree. The Wall is just more powerful instrumentally with a darker feel which is cool.

probably should have picked better pictures are that aren't massive but I'm tired and got lazy

 

[DM]

ugh I took so long I got logged out why the FUCK does that still happen this is 2012

10. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Man, everyone always raves about this album, but outside "Sometimes" I find it incredibly average. I have always maintained that Slowdive was leaps and bounds a better shoegaze band than MBV.

isis - panopticon
this album IS post-metal, basically. it will forever be the starting point for anyone getting into the genre. this album manages to be beautiful, crushing, emotional, and it just generally amazing.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Although I'd classify them as sludge metal, I have never been the same after hearing this album. "Grinning Mouths" still sends shivers down my spine, although they made great albums after this this was their apex.

Failure - Fantastic Planet

aaaaaaa you're my new best friend (although "Another Space Song" is my favorite by far)


OKAY as for my own list, I'm going to scroll through my iTunes alphabetically so this will be in no particular order GOD THIS WAS FUCKING HARD I had to make so many tough cuts to get down to 10, also I'm trying not to repeat any that others have mentioned before (NMH would easily make my list)

The Absentee - Things I Forgot at Birth
No one will know this album because a guy I knew on a message board 10 years ago was the bassist, and they just kinda disappeared around 2005. But before they did, I got the album in the mail for $10, and it's still just as haunting and evocative as it was the first time I heard it. Understated guitars, lilting bass lines, and driven by the piano and vocals of the lead guy, this album is simply incredible.

Bear vs. Shark - Terrorhawk
Oh JESUS, is this album aggressive. Right from the opening bars, you know you're about to get your shit blown out, and it doesn't disappoint. Their debut was loud but raw, and they refined it down to the masterpiece here. "Song About Old Roller Coaster" gets me every time, I literally just shivered, just THINKING about the climax in that song. One of the best screamers of all time.

Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
They really came into their own on this album after showing glimpses of brilliance on Deja Entendu. This is where it all came together, and there is not a weak song on this album.

Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On
Pure indie rock perfection, and anyone that says otherwise will get slapped. 8 songs of utter, sheer genius, with Doug Martsch's trademark guitars doing the heavy lifting below his thoughtful lyrics.

Cursive - The Ugly Organist
Many would put Domestica here instead, but I always leaned towards this album as my favorite. This was where they used Gretta Cohn to her finest, mixing her aggressive cello with the atonal perfection of the rest of the instruments. What a fine concept album.

Efterklang - Tripper
I only discovered this Danish band about 2 years ago, but FUCK am I glad I did. Aside from their most recent poppy effort, their discography went right into constant rotation on all my musical devices. It's like... Gregor Samsa, but with an electronic/off-tempo twist. Fucking brilliant music.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
This was my first post-rock purchase back in the late 90s, and I've never looked back. A double album filled with almost 90 minutes, but not a single second is frivolous or inexpressive. I have tickets for their upcoming show in October, I have never been so excited for a band.

Hum - You'd Prefer an Astronaut
Quite literally, the most important album in my life. I was never the same after hearing "Stars" on the radio back in... 1996? Jesus I'm old. This album turned me on to space rock/90s emo, which led me to Cursive/Built to Spill/Casket Lottery/Nada Surf/etc. And every song on here is utter perfection as well, nobody did it like Hum.

Minus the Bear - They Make Beer Commercials Like This
Yeah, it's an EP, kiss my ass. The full-lengths before and after this had their weak spots, but none were to be found on this. Every song is an instant danceable classic. Also, I think this is the last time they all actually played guitars and not effects pedals.

Pedro the Lion - Winners Never Quit
Simply put, this is the best concept album of all time. It tells the story of a man's life, from childhood to adulthood, and his subsequent fall from grace. David Bazan back in the day was a huge influence on me, and this album still gets to me.

Goddamn I wanted to add so many more :(

 

[Byrne]

YES YES YES YES GY!BE

I slightly prefer f#a#infinity but STILL