---------------------------
[100] Prince - Sign O' the Times
Prince is one of my favourite musicians from the 80s, and this was his masterpiece. Looking back, it was a bell...ringing the beginning of the end of an era. It was dark, yet celebratory. It was fun, yet there was an agenda throughout the album. Still, even if it was two faced, it was a fun album, and it's still a great listen that's opened up to me more and more as I get older.
[99] The Avalanches - Since I Left You
The Avalanches made a pretty excellent mashup/sampled/original album full of crazy tracks that are both distracting and accessible. From "Frontier Psychiatrist" to the title track "Since I Left You" to the vegas-y "Electricity", to the soft-paced "Two hearts in 3/4 Time", it's all solid gold here. These guys know how to get a refined album out and I've given up complaining about their next album. I know it'll be good.
[98] Calla - Televise
Calla is a bit of a nostalgic sound for me, since they were one of the first "indie" bands I really got into. Still, it's hard not to appreciate their talent and what they bring with this album. The trio of the title track, "Alacran" and "Don't Hold Your Breath" are among the best of their catalogue. Really, if they had a greatest tracks album, most of their stuff would be from this, with "Fear of Fireflies" and "Slum Creeper" from their album 'Scavengers' and 'Swagger' and 'testify' from Collisions. The rest would be off this album. Their noisy, drone-y rock is really taken to new levels here, and they've never really harnessed the magic from "Televise" ever since.
[97] T.Rex - Electric Warrior
Insanely good cla$$ic pop-rock album. Go listen to Jeepster and Planet Queen. Then go hear "Girl" and "monolith". Then "Bang a Gong(Get it On)" and "Cosmic Dancer". And then listen to the album all the way through. It's almost too good. Heck, it's not often that the special edition actually adds quality, but it really does with various versions of some songs and unreleased tracks that honestly hold their own.
[96] Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
It's like that ugly mulch that covers wrecked ships on the sea floor. Really grew on me. The first 2 tracks are still weak, but even they have sounded nicer lately. "Spitting Venom", "Steam Engenius", and "People as Places as people" are great songs, but "Parting of the Sensory" steals the show here. This song is polished, refined, old modest mouse. This album's been really, really consistent and solid where some of their other albums have had great moments and a bunch of lacklustre extras.
[95] Joy Division - Closer
What is there to say about one of the darkest, moodiest albums ever released? It's a beautiful, eventful dirge. "Eternal" still gives me shivers. So simple and so gruesomely dreadful. It's a funeral march. That's all it can really be. I always felt it should have been track 9 instead of "Decades" but both are fitting closers in their own right. This is an album that knew what it wanted to sound like. It takes a life of its own, and it'll hold on to its position of influence for a long time to come.
[94] Depeche Mode - Construction Time Again
What now? Yes, early Depeche Mode. This album is a bit nostalgic, but I truly feel that this is an incredible album, sonically. Listening to "Pipeline" is still awe-inspiring. Just the honest, patient progression, and the impeccable composition. I'm of the mind that it's their masterpiece, but way too many DM fans disagree with me there XD.
Not to say this album is a one trick pony. "The Landscape is Changing", "Two Minute Warning", "Love in itself" and "...And Then" are all excellent songs in their own right. It's just there's a single track here that outshines them, and like Lebowski's rug, it really ties the room(album) together.
[93] Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape
A tonne of nostalgia here. This was one of my first three rock albums I ever owned or heard. 'Everlong', 'February Stars', and 'My Hero' will always be near and dear to me. Nothing will change that. Is it generic rock? I don't think so. To be honest, I think musically, this album is a solid mix of straight edge rock and grunge, taking all the good from Nirvana, and replacing the bad from Nirvana with solid rock framework and showmanship. Grohl was, by far, the more talented musician from Nirvana and this album went a long way to prove it after the Foo Fighters' great debut.
[92] Kraftwerk - Computer World
Kraftwerk. Legendary musicians. They were for electronic music what the beatles were for pop music. They didn't create the genre, but they were the face of it, and were an incredibly solid band that churned out hit after hit after hit. Modern musicians sample this album to death because frankly, they're the best at what they did. They're STILL the best at minimalistic electronic music, rife with hooks and catchy beats and progressions.
[91] Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
I love the Harp. It's an incredible instrument, and I'm so glad Joanna went and did this album. Her voice is like a Siren...high pitched, kinda shrill, but I can't pull my ears away. The lyrics are excellent, and she lays textures and stories and an innocent patchwork quilt of ideas out in this album, and it truly succeeds. If I could only find a non-vinyl version of Ys around my area, maybe I could hear how she's progressed. Still, this album is a really nice listen on a partly-cloudy spring morning.
[90] Peter gabriel - So
Gabriel's most popular album was popular for a lot of good reasons. Is it his best album? No. It's his 2nd best, but it's my favourite nonetheless. "Red Rain", "That Voice Again", "Mercy Street" and the impeccable "In Your Eyes" are shining diamonds.
[89] Big Star - Radio City
Alex Chilton and Big Star are criminally underrated. It's baffling, really. The sophomore effort, this album was a bit more fragmented than '#1 Album'. One of my favourite songs, 'Way Out West" is the only song on the album not written by Chilton. Yet, it sounds like a Chilton song, and it fills a hole in the album. "September Gurls" is about as good of a highschool anthem for the time as any other song.
[88] C.C.R - Green River
Another underrated band, with underrated John Fogerty at the helm. The title track and "Bad Moon Rising" are the stars on this album, but the album as a whole is so...essential. It's just a rock and roll staple everyone should hear, and probably own.
[87] Bob Dylan - Blood Across the Tracks
Usually regarded as the shining standard of Bob Dylan's catalogue, it starts off with a bang. "Tangled Up In BLue" is a great opener, and it sets the mood for songs like "If You See Her, Say hello" and "Idiot Wind". A raw album that may not go down all that smooth, but hell is it satisfying.
[86] Devics - Push The Heart
It's somber at times, wistful at others. It's hope and failure. Hope IN failure at times. Serene and dreamy. Anyways, it's probably among the best rainy day albums ever created. "A secret Message To You" and "Salty Seas" are perfect songs to stare out your window to. Perfect in its own right, as it does nothing wrong in what it tries to do.
[85] Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
A prog rock favourite of mine. It's really a masterpiece of an album. Basically one long song, twisting and writhing and full of life.The band balances the deep, passionate lyrics with varying, evolving instrumentals that allow the listener to not only enjoy both worlds, but truly hear them. A lot of prog albums take a while to hear all the nuances, but this...it's everything at once. So well organized and yet organic. it's incredibly powerful, and I doubt we'll ever hear anything like it in our lifetime.
[84] My Morning Jacket - Z
It's a conundrum. On one hand, this album is mind blowing. On the other, I don't know why it's mind blowing. "Lay Low" is one of the better rock songs I've heard in my lifetime, and this album is experimenting in all the right places, and keeping a hold on their impatience all the rest of the way. The result? An album that's an incredible gateway to indie rock, and an incredible springboard for the band to take with them for their next album(of which I'm highly anticipating).
[83] Roxy Music - Stranded
How can a band get better when they lose Brian Eno from the lineup? By finding their sound. Roxy Music had produced a bunch of really good albums before "Stranded", but their sound was conflicted. It was unsettling...but not only in the atmosphere in the songs. You could literally hear how uncomfortable they were. Or, I could. Maybe I was hearing things, but that's how ti seems. Either way, they're incredibl comfortable here, and they use that ease to make a set of impeccable songs. From "Psalm" to "A Song For Europe"; from "Sunset" to "Amazona", it's all excellent stuff. Not as experimental as the other albums, but they gained a lot of ground in this. They trailblazed, and their path was quite defined.
[82] Bruce Springsteen - Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
Hate him for bestowing upon the world the terror known as "Blinded By The Light", but don't pass this album up because of it(even if it IS the opener). This album gives a glimpse at the potential of the young songwriter. At the same time, the songs here are pretty incredible.
[81] John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
John Coltrane is the sex. This album is pure, unadulterated love.
[80] The Knife - Silent Shout
This album caught me off guard. I bought it because I buy an album in the dance section every 4th visit to my local store. Why? Because they're terrible at categorizing albums, and I constantly find Mogwai in the dance, reggae or electronic sections. So I pick up albums that don't seem to belong. This one probably did in a ghastly sort of way. It was my intro to The Knife, and what an intro it was. "Neverland", "Forest Families" and "We Share Our Mother's Health" initially took me in, while "One Hit", "Still Light" and "Silent Shout" have slowly become classics. Worthy of the accolades given to it.
[79] Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Pure, driving alt-rock with instruments covered in the blood of sins. I knew I was in for a treat when, nearing the end of "No One Knows", it cuts to that simple, steady, soul-sucking hollow bass line after those gutwrenching solos. Heaven smiles upon you indeed. It's just too bad they haven't reached similar heights ever since their bassist left.
[78] Faust - Faust IV
While their debut is, IMHO infinitely more important an album, this has always been my favourite. It's erratic, and it can still hold a purpose. One of the only avante-garde-ish albums I own, it's somewhat of a gem for me. I never understood why I enjoy Faust so much. I rarely listen to their stuff...only on special occasions, when the mood and time is right. "It's a Bit of Pain" alright. It hurts so good.
[77] Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
What is there to say about an album that accurately depicts the sound of the feeling of floating in space?
Maybe that it's one of the best spacey-poprock albums of all time? Maybe it's the best space-poprock album of all time? Yeah. Sounds about right. What? Don't believe me? Take a gander/listen at "Broken heart", "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space", "Electricity", "Come Together" and "Cool Waves".
[76] Karen - Self Titled
It's almost cheating putting this here, since only a few months back I heard the rest of the tracks off this album that I was missing. Frankly I don't care. These people got me into experimental music, krautrock, 80s grunge, and math rock. They broadened my horizons by balancing the chaos with harmonics and melodies. Their aggressive riffs seemed hellbent on getting somewhere, but they were calculated and patient. "Wrench" and "Chinese Ghost" are the definition of catchy hook that home out of nowhere and sticks in your head for weeks. At least, for me they were.
[75] U2 - The Joshua Tree
I originally had this around 30 last year, but it's fallen significantly. It's not that I view this worse than I did before, I just had a second wind with a lot of my other music lately and I realized how much I loved that stuff. This album is U2's best. It's better than The Unforgettable Fire, it's better than everything off their catalogue. Those first three songs are timeless material. I don't thik it's debatable, even. The only flaw with the album is that it's top heavy. The album doesn't get better after the 3rd song climax(IMHO) and the closer is the second weakest track on the album(which belongs to One Tree Hill). They're all great songs, but it's sad that a simple mixing order hurts it, as that's an incredibly preventable part of creating an album. Oh well. Awesome album anyways.
[74] Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
The album that showed Tom Waits' untapped potential. He produced it himself too, which was a beginning for him in terms of full creative control. It's abrasive and manic, wistful and stonefaced...it's very difficult to pin down. But if there's one word to describe this, it's "focused". It's Tom Waits, channeling his creativity through his old unbroken habits. It's him walking on two feet instead of on all fours like in Rain Dogs. Hes not quite there yet, but you know a storm's coming, and you're just enjoying one hell of a cloud show. This is a hell of an album.
[73] Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Originally I had thought this album to be pretty average, but it really, really grew on me. "The Clock" was the first one to latch onto my ears. Next was "Harrowdown Hill". Then came "Cymbal Rush". And then the rest followed suit. An atmospheric, electronic wonder. It's like a modern, politically active Kraftwerk.
[72] Microphones - The Glow pt 2
Especially epic,with a prolific tracklist and a sound that impersonates a doppleganger. It's typical Microphones, but it's brand new and even more adventurous than before. I haven't heard Mount Eerie, but I can't imagine it being better than this. This is a complete, beginning - middle - end album. Songs like 'The Moon", "I Felt My Size", "The Gleam pt. 2" and "I felt Your Shape" don't come around every day.
[71] Liars - Drum's Not Dead
Liars have always struck me as selfish. At times they're incredibly inaccessible. They're creators of arty soundscapes, though, and they're forgiven largely in due to that. I was immediately drawn to check this album out after one of my friends(who has a ridiculous vocabulary but tends to mix up his definitions) called it "The most pretentious album I've heard, from a a bunch of pretentious art f*cks."
Nowadays, almost no one uses the word pretentious correctly, often mistaking it for something that had high ambition but either failed to reach it or overreached it. Either way, people usually mistake pretentiousness for being over-ambitious(instead of self-important). Oasis are pretentious for thinking they're bigger than the Beatles(thus, jesus as well XD). Liars were trying to make art here and they succeeded with incredible song progressions(sometimes offering a lack of in parts). One of the more interesting journeys of the last decade[70] Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Spoon makes accessible, enjoyable rock that would probably fit in during the 70s and early 80s. They're IMHO the new Rolling Stones, except they have more than two good albums. This, IMHO is their best album. With nop notch songwriting and tracks that just rule your speakers, it's a rock tour-de-force. From "The Beast And Dragon, Adored", to the hit "I Turn My Camera On", to the mesmerizing "I Summon You", to the retro-esque driving beats of "They Never Got You", it's a complete rock suite.
[69] Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
It took forever to warm up to Sonic Youth. Seriously, I'm talking years. Hell, a lot of the early 90 indie moguls still baffle me a little bit. I finally took to liking Slint, though while I like Pavement enough, I never saw what was so special about them. ANyways, I'm getting off-topic. It was a sneaky admiration too. I noticed I really really liked the album one day when...before I went to work...I grabbed it to play in the car. And I kept it in my car for a few weeks. My co-worker, who I drove home at the time, wondered why all of a sudden I wasn't sporting a new mixtape like I'd normally do each week. It just caught me then. I had been listening from "Teenage Riot" through to "Eric's Trip" each week, for weeks(I'd start the car up and out of habit I start the CD back at 1). I took a complete listen after that night of work, and continued the ritual due to how much I was enjoying it. Frikking great album.
[68] Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Widely maligned for some odd reason(Overhyped? Too commercial?), this album blew my socks off the first time I heard it. The shock's worn off by now, but I still get a tingle of joy hearing this album. "Time", "Us and Them", the trippy "On The Run" and "Money" are classics. Still, I've not once interrupted the full album playthrough. It's always beginning to end with this. It just goes down smooth.
[67] M83 - Before The Dawn heals us
It's odd. Most people I know prefer M83's "Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts" over the albums that followed, but I'm the opposite. The debut was a jungle of ideas. Great ideas, but far too cluttered. Maybe I just like cleaner, less erratic electronic stuff more, but this album is absolutely head and shoulders above the debut. The only weakness is the overacting in the vocals on "Car Chase Terror"...especially since I often couldn't tell the difference between the daughter and the mom for the first few tries. That's the only slip, and the rest of the tracks make up for it. It's a gorgeous mix of ambient and electronic rock, that simply is greater than the sum of its parts. The one two punch of "Don't Save us From The Flames" and "In The Cold I'm Standing" is about as texturally cinematic as it gets for songs of their ilk. Powerful, dazed, and at times calmed, this album is easily one of the best albums of the decade.
[66] Matthew Good - Avalanche
I was hesitant. Here was my favourite musician in his first album after the messy breakup of the band I loved so much. I avoided it. My friends got it and heard it before me. My brother had the album for a year before I got the guts to pick it up. I wasn't in protest, I was just scared it'd be a lot worse than their last album, which I've grown incredibly fond of over time, and the one before THAT, which at the time was my favourite album ever. So there was a tension.
I'm glad there was no reason to be. This album could stand with the others, even if it was drearier. More world-weary than the band's stuff. More political, more insightful, and all-in-all probably more meaningful. He still had an edge, and the guitars were still pretty excellent(where the loss of Dave Genn had me worried as their chemistry was excellent).
Non-canadians probably won't know, or directly care who Matthew Good is. A lot of Canadians know who he is and think he's a pr!ck. No matter the opinion on him, the stuff is great music. Superb stuff that not enough people get to hear. Take a gander at "While We Were Hunting Rabbits", "House of Smoke & Mirrors", "21st Century Living" and "Avalanche". Hell, check the album out.
[65] Jethro Tull - Aqualung
HEEEEY AQUALUNG! It took me a good year to convince my friends that Will Ferrell was making a shout out after his jazz flute "performance" in Anchorman. That scene was probably the best scene in the movie btw. Probably Will Ferrell's last decent outing too. maybe he should shout out Ian Anderson and the boys more often. Some of the most socially and religiously insightful stuff I've heard before in music, and yet there's also a few little 'ditties" that are among the most beautiful music ever created. "Wond'ring Aloud" is the perfect example of happiness and love between a pair of people. It's probably the second most beautiful song I've ever heard in my life. On the flip side, "Aqualung" and "Mother Goose" are great rock ballads. "Cross Eyed mary" is also a sure-shot winner.
[64] Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.x.0
I got this CD a few summers ago when my parents were out in Montreal and I was alone in the house. I had bought this and Genesis' "Wind and Wuthering" and had spent a great deal of the evening listening to that. Still, as the summer sun was setting, I put this on, and from my window the world descended into darkness and the exploding strings coming from my speakers were relaying messages to the flickering streetlight near my window and the clouds rolled in. Nearing the end of the album there was a full fledged thunderstorm outside and the power went out with about 30 seconds remaining.
Sure, it was in the forecast, and yeah, the sun sets every day, but it was just a pretty awesome atmosphere. For 75 or so minutes, the world was at war, and those rumbles above were echoes of explosions in the distance. Every time I place this CD in and play it, it just brings me back. Unbelievable album.
[63] Eluvium - Lambent Material
This album was my remedy for stress, and sleep issues, and school issues. It was a calming presence that while all WASN'T right with the world, I was still alive and there was still much to do. "Under the Water it Glowed" rivals anything in Eno's ambient collection. Heck, most of this stuff does. "Zerthis Was a Shivering Human Image" is an epic piece that truly slides and shifts up to a climax before easing the album down on a hot air balloon. Wonderful, wonderful ambient.
[62] Hood - Silent '88
Hood's best album. Some say messy. Some say annoying.Many say "Whuh? Who's Hood?" butpretty much everyone I know who likes Hood, dislikes this album of theirs.
Which is stupid. This is obviously their best work XD
Seriously, I think that it is. it's a perfect balance of the low fi character, the shoegaze elements, the glitchy pop-ish stuff they were aiming towards...everything. It's an impeccable balance of everything. "Love Is Dead But Never Buried" is so incredibly still their best song to date(with 'Fashion Mistake of the Decade' and 'Her Innocent Stock of Words' following it up). Just hearing the spoken word lyrics with the writhing, freezing backing vocals just in seeming agony. Perfect balance.
[61] Muse - Origin of Symmetry
This is probably one of the best arena rock albums ever. Go to Detroit or Chicago or something,and play all these songs in the 70s and 80s, and people would seriously seriously dig it. "Plug in baby" has one of the best pre-chorus build-ups. Not to mention a kicking chorus. "Bliss" is mesmerizing. "Dark Shines" is a really pleasing punch in the gut. The entire album is energy in some sort and while most people are like "They're ripping off Radiohead" I don't hear any similarities unless you really twist Radiohead's "The Bends" to death and tossing some more mindless Pablo Honey stuff in the sack. Honestly. Ridiculous. These guys stand on their own feet. They don't make a lot of thoughtful stuff. Their guitar/bass/drumwork though, is top notch.
[60] Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express was Kraftwerk's (arguably) most accessible album to date(at the time). They really pushed the pencils on song structure while keeping it interesting as always. An absolute c|assic.
[59] Explosions in the Sky - How Strange, Innocence
EitS's first album, and it's a gem. It's rough, raw, but very sincere sounding. Each track tells a wonderful story, and totally grabs a hold of your ears. "Glittering Blackness" is just phenomenal. The ending for "Time Stops" is pretty epic too.
[58] Matthew Good - Hospital Music
His new album has just grown and grown on me. The songwriting is top notch, and while it's mostly acoustic guitar driven stuff, it keeps a wide sense of variety throughout the entire album. The opener "Champions of Nothing" is absolutely stellar.
[57] Kid Commando - Holy Kid Commando
A band I stumbled upon when I first got into independent stuff. Unfortunately, the DAY I got into that kind of music, they split. The very day. It was a day of mourning, as I absolutely loved what little I had of theirs. "Urban Bushman" never ceases to get my blood rushing.
[56] Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John is one of the best pop musicians of all time, with his songwriting partner Bernier Taupin's help of course. His voice is iconic, and never moreso than it is in this album. There are only a handful better pop albums than this masterpiece.
[55] Pink Floyd - Animals
Pink Floyd's best album, and easily one of the best prog albums ever. It's an anti-capitalist spin on Orwell's "Animal Farm", it seems, and it's pulled off incredibly well in all areas...lyrically and musically. Everyone at their peak prowess here.
[54] Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Another Kraftwerk album, and IMHO their best. Probably not their most influential(Man Machine), accessible (Computer World, Trans-Europe Express), but it's my favourite of theirs. "Autobahn"is the star of the album, but the rest fill in the blanks perfectly. "Morgenspaziergang" is a heck of an interesting closer.
[53] Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Best Jazz album ever. Miles Davis was incredibly accessible, incredibly talented, and pretty darn innovative. This is my favourite album of his due to how impeccable every track is. "Blue in green" is...well, it leaves me speechless.
[52] Big Star - Third(/Sister Lovers)
Big Star's overlooked album. From the incredible cover of "Femme Fatale", to the stunning "Holocaust", it's a good trek from what the band had made previously. Considering it was basically Chilton alone, with the producers and session dudes in tow, it's easy to see how intimate a lot of this album was. Probably the most influential Big Star album.
[51] Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
This album hit me like a sack of schnitzel when I first heard it. It was recommended to me when a friend of mine found out I liked Low. I'd heard their song "Deep Sea Diver"(which was excellent) off their album "Horn of Plenty" but nothing more. It was just a track I got from Insound that I was too lazy to follow up on. Well, did I ever after this. "Plans" "On a Neck, On a Spit" and the ever popular "Knife" blew my mind. Not to mention the closer 'Colorado" is right up there with the best closing songs off any album ever. Wow.
[50] The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
This album will change your life.
Ok, I'm totally kidding you. Natalie Portman greatness aside, this album really did live up to the hype(and post-release hype). Insanely strong pop melodies on this album. "New Slang" is one of the best mellow pop songs I had heard(initially) since Big Star, so...it's really worth mentioning that this album IS pretty friggin excellent. "Know Your Onion" is a jubilous prance of a song that can't help but lift my spirits. "The Past And Pending" is a very good closing track that sounds very campfire-ish. Very "end of summer".
[49] TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
This album initially had a handful of songs I liked, and the rest were throwaways. Of course, it's this high up, so you know howmy opinions changed since then, but that handful is still the top group on the album. "I Was A Lover", "Province", "Wolf Like Me", and "Blues from Down Here" are still incredible works. "Playhouses" is very close in quality to those masterful tracks, but I can't quite put it in that echelon. Excellent rock album with some great electronic, funk, and industrial bits here and there(well, more than here and there for some).
[48] Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
I skimmed through this album a few times before handing it a spot on my top 50 list last year. I was pressed for time, and while I really liked a few songs, I hadn't the time or patience to let it grow on me before typing the lsit up. It's really grown on me since and it's amazing to hear it each and every time I put it in. "Heimdalsgate like a Promethian Curse" was a favourite initially, but it didn't take too long for "She's a Rejector", "Suffer For Fashion", and "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger" to catch up. Still, those aren't the glowing masterpieces on the album. It took an acoustic performance to sell me on it, but once I heard that version of "The Past is a Grotesque Animal", I was gobsmacked. It was my most played song for a good month and a half. Once the high from that song slightly let up, I found myself finding an excellent escape in "We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafling", which is an absolutely stellar closing song. Friggin' excellent stuff.
[47] Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
Some of the best rock music laid to tape. From start to finish, it's a refreshing rollercoaster ride of Rock and(/or) Roll. Standout tracks "Shine a Light", the ever-enjoyable "I'll Believe In Anything", the melancholy 'Dinner bells" and the train ride of "This Heart's On Fire" really amp things up. Those songs are up there with any rock song I've heard, ever. The rest of the album is stellar as well, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to focus on the rest when there's a bunch of future c|assic rock songs on a single album.
[46] Sigur Ros - Takk...
Sigur Ros trumps almost everyone in terms of musical atmosphere and song progression. Their music videos are pretty snazzy as well, but that's neither here nor there. This album is probably their most hopeful. I really don't know what to say here. I've sat here listening to their music for a good 20 minutes in hope for inspiration, but you really have to hear it to understand how incredibly good it is. "Hoppipola", "Sæglópur" and "Heysátan" especially.
[45] Queen - Jazz
Everyone I know loves "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the album "Night at the Opera". Well, I think that song's vastly overrated(still a great song though...but who HASN'T had this song ruined by years of hearing drunks ruin it during kareoke?), and the album overall is pretty great.
That said, it can't compare to "Jazz". It's not even close. "Don't Stop me Now" is the ultimate 'driving in your car' song. Or 'flying a plane' song. Or 'sitting in a bathtub' song. Or 'watching "We're back! A Dinosaur Story" to' song. Don't stop me now, I have so many more examples....ok. I'll get back to the album. It's pretty simple. There aren't any weak tracks. It has "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Jealousy", "Dead on Time", "Bicycle Race" and "Don't Stop Me Now". Winning combination.
[44] Dead Can Dance - Within the Realm of A Dying Sun
Anyone who hasn't heard Dead Can Dance, and has a lust for ethereal sounds, you must check them out. This album of theirs isn't as accessible IMHO, but it's so immensely cinematic and powerful. It doesn't have "Host of Seraphim" or "In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed Are Kings", but it has a more complete mixing, and a smoother experience. There aren't any other words to describe this album. Go listen.
[43] The Who - Who's Next
The Who! Who? The Who! Who's that? The Who! Who?
....
"Next!"
...."Who's Next?"
Sorry. My bad. This album is pretty self-explanatory. One of the most complete rock albums ever. This is what the Wolf parade album looks like, except...well, not as old and they don't have legendary guitarists or singers(or drummers, or...). The Who really outdid themselves in their album. Maybe in twenty five years, "Apologies to the Queen mary" will be in the league that this is in. Until then, this takes precedence.
[42] The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
One of the best records of the 80s. Easy. This is the perfect Smiths album. From the song composition to lyrics, to the mixing and the track order...everything is smooth as silk. There are goofy songs, religious songs, rock-ish songs, sad songs(one of which is probably a 'modern emo'-kid's wet dream("I Know It's Over"). Impeccable stuff. I wish Morrissey and the boys were still together, but whatever.
[41] Echo & The Bunnymen - Heaven up Here
Post-Punk, here we come. This album is thunderous. It's edgy. It's quirky at times, but mostly it sounds timeless. Listen to the title track and you'll find me to be correct. The trademark wailing vocals set each track afire with an overbearing energy and passion. Whether it's sincere or not doesn't seem relevant at all. But sincerely, this deserves a lot more recognition than it does and, historically, has.
[40] Black Mountain - In The Future
Already?! I'M INSANE!!! AAGHHH!
It's been a very long time since I've heard an album and felt like I do with "In The Future". I could list what they are, but it' spoil things, so I'll give you the numbers: 37,33,27,17,16,14,6,3,2,1.
It has something in common with those albums ahead of it in how they immediately appealed, and are still growing on me. There's nowhere but up, theoretically. Of course, hopefully in 20 years this will have been pushed back a bit from a surge of excellent stuff that will blow my mind, but for now this will seemingly only sound better with time. If you want to read my more in-depth thoughts on the album, I believe I have a review up on my blog somewhere. Seriously, in a few months this'll probably catapult due to it being cemented, instead of on wobbly "released a few months ago" ground.
[39] Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
So unique in the North American music scene. It was a crazy, crazy breakthrough album from a kid from New Mexico. I think he's about the same age as me, whih makes me question what I've done with my life, seeing as this dude's already made one of my favourite albums ever. Jeez. What a jerkfactory.
The horns make this album. As good as his vocals are(and they are), the horns are insane. Listen to the horn section in "Brandenburg". Highly invisible for most of the song, they suddenly improve it by about 10000x when they kick in. Yes, ten thousand times. I'm not much of a horn guy. I generally loathe Ska music because they use horns in bastard|y, dastardly ways. Horns in Free jazz are deathly processions. Marching band horns are typically boring. Only in the hands of jazz musicians like Miles Davis, c|assical orchestras, and kids like Zach Condon(and friends) have they really enraptured me.
So uh...yeah. This album is absolutely stunning. Groundbreaking, musically, in terms of the modern North American market.
[38] Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it In people
My love for BSS is very well known. The distance of enjoyability between their albums is quite slim(even though the next is only a few steps ahead) so they're off to a fantastic career, in my books. Lovingly mellow rock/pop music that really is a calming-yet-energizing presence. Difficult to explain. I feel relaxed, yet at the same time I feel full of life. Badass stuff, this stuff here. From mellow rock "stars and sons" and "shampoo suicide" to the instrumental journeys of "Pacific Theme" and "cause=time", to the love-sick anthems "I'm still your f@g" and "anthems for a seventeen year old girl", to the fitting(and beautiful) closer "pitter patter goes my heart". it's a crazy complete album. Each song is a gem.
[37] Big Star - #1 Record
Big Star. I've already said a heck of a lot about the act, so I guess I can skip discussing hw amazing the band is. It's pretty evident. "Watch the Sunrise" is an excellent pop song. Everyone's heard "In The Street", althoughthe Cheap Trick version of it played as the intro of 'That 70's Show'. "Thirteen" is probably the most innocent, adolescent anthem ever. IF there are any questions as to whether Big Star is as talented a pop band as the upper tier guys like The Beatles, The beach Boys, and whatnot, this album silences them. One fell swoop.
[36] Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm jets
Brian Eno once said he wasn't a musician. This album goes a long way to contradict that statement. in terms of musical idols, he's my numero uno. This album is a conglomeration of musical progression, electronic experimentation, pop-rock foundation and a time machine. Seriously, if this album sounds dated, there's only trace of it on the vocals(which sound as if from that era).
[35] Red House Painters - Ocean Beach
A guilty pleasure of mine for a while now, it's my rainy day album when I'm down in the dumps. Impeccable lyrics. Some of the best, ever, on this album. It's what really makes this album tick. The music is great and all, and his voice portrays his lyricsvery well, but the lyrics make this shine like a diamond. If you're reading them right now, stop. You really must listen to them, because that's the only way they come across absolutely perfectly.
Now, aside from the lyrics, this album is also a very epically sad album. The piano work is really simple, but it plays out like a mirror image of the experssion in the vocals. It's quite majestic.
If you're looking to hear a life-breaking song, go sit down and hear "Drop". Honestly, I'd put it in the top 10 best written lyrical songs ever. Possibly top 5, I don't know. Some certain others may have something to say about that. XD.
So, uh. Yeah. If you're ever in the mood for a mind-blowlingly sad album, check this out. Mark Kozelek really, really outdid himself here, and each word drips with personal anguish...whether it's heard or implied.
[34] King Crimson - Red
King Crimson are as essential as any prog band from the 60s and 70s. Robert(or Robot?) Fripp is pretty much a guitar god after his career with these guys. Heck, they even made awesome prog albums in the 90s (THRAK, anyone?)! Still, this is about "Red".
"Red"(the track) is much like the colour. Powerful, angry, bloody, yet there's a passion in there. Maybe it's not a loving passion, but there's a passion forsomething that eludes me. Follows up with the much gentler 'Fallen Angel', and then the twisted "One More Red Nightmare". It's quite a peculair progression, but it works beautifully. 'Providence' is seemingly an improv/jam song that actually...well, sounds great. It's pretty amazing, really. "Starless" needs no explanation of its greatness if you're into prog at all. It's easily top 10 in terms of all-time prog songs. While "Red" was an amazingly complex thrash-ride, this is a lot more melodic, yet broodier. If only there were more bands as good as King Crimson.
[33] Matthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight
What used to be my favourite album of all time, 2 or 3 years agohas fallen a bit because I realized there's a weak track. "Going All The Way" is decidedly average. Otherwise, the album is pretty excellent stuff. The band stretches their rock roots here and adds in some flavours and textures from other genres while melding them into their own sound. Good's vocals are still great, even after all these years. Not as good lyrics as his newer stuff, but this album is sonically more complex and varied than his new stuff. It's so, so good. Nostalgic pick as well as technical pick.
[32] Led Zeppelin - The Fourth Album
Zeppelin! Yeah!
To be honest, it's almost depression that I've only heard 3 full Zeppelin albums in my life, all three within the last 18 months. Sure, I'd heard a lot of their songs hundreds of times, but never in full begining to end album format.
This album has a messed up name(symbols), but it's also pretty cool. The songs include the timeless rock standards "Stairway to heaven", 'Black Dog", "Misty Mountain Hop", "Battle of Evermore" and the mellow ballad "Going to California". Excellent stuff.
[31] David Bowie - Heroes
We can be heroes. If just for one day. This album contains some of Bowie's best work: "Joe the lion", "Heroes", 'Sons of the Silent Age", "Blackout" and the song that inspired my musical side-project, "Neukoln". His Berlin-sessions stuff was impeccable quality, and this is further proof. It's David Bowie. What else do I need to say?
[30] Broken Social Scene - S/T
Excellent album that just squeezes by their other impeccable release. Where "You Forgot it In People" is a tad more eccentric, this is more pop heavy with the excellent "Windsurfing Nation" and "7/4 Shoreline" leading the way.
[29] The Beach Boys - Sunflower
Ridiculously potent with quality material, this album was a rebirth for the boys. Brian Wilson, once again, is excellent here. "Tears in the Morning", "Cool, Cool Water" and "Slip on through" are unheralded c|assics.
[28] Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Funny that the anthemic title track sounds so patriotic, yet it's punching the American government in the face for how it and its people treated the Vietnam vets. Unfortunately, the track also made Bruce seem like some blindly patriotic loud mouth, which is far from reality. I wish the demo version of it hit the album instead, as its so bitter, but whatever. it got him popularity. "I'm on Fire" is probably the best unrequited love song ever. His songwriting slipped a bit from previous albums, focusing on pop/rock-ish stuff, but only a tiny bit. "Dancing in the Dark" is one of the catchiest pop/rock songs of all time, IMHO. It's pretty insane. This album is insane. A bit loud and over the top, but still the Boss.
[27] Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
Modest Mouse's masterpiece. I had doubts, heading into it, but once the album was done I knew that was it. Their pinnacle. There's nothing wrong with that at all. This album is incredibly well crafted. Lyrically and musically the best Modest Mouse has ever created. "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes", "Wild Pack of Family Dogs", "Paper Thin Walls" and "What People Are Made Of" are perfect in their own way.
[26] King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson king
Prog once more! The famous album cover of their debut album really states it all. Heck, the first song on the album, "21st Century Schizoid Man" probably made all the other prog rockers' faces contort like that, knowing they had insane competition. That a new King had arrived. The second best prog album ever, but definitely the best heavy-ish prog album.
[25] Talking Heads - Remain in Light
The Talking Heads are legendary. Remain in Light is the stereotypical pick for their best album, but it IS a warranted choice. Hell, it was the first album of theirs that I got. It's their most consistent, quality wise IMHO. Their best songs are there(with the exception of "Life During Wartime", their best song). Also, these guys were a pretty big influence on Radiohead. I cans ee where Thom Yorke got his dance moves from(although Davey's much more skilled at that).
[24] Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Corgan's sole masterpiece. How far the mighty have fallen. How does one go from "Mayonaise" to "Bleeding The Orchid"? Anyways, this is a ridiculously powerful, anthemic rock album. I know a lot who claim it's grunge, but it's most definitely not. That's some clean sound and production. Still, whatever kind of rock it was, it was an intensely great album. Too bad it was all downhill from here.
[23] Sigur Ros - ()
[22] My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Oh MBV, I love you. You and your grainy, billowy soundtage of guitars bass and vocals. Sometimes I'm just so Touched at how amazing you are. Those haters are Only Shallow people. Soon, When You Sleep, I'm going to Come In Alone and give you What You Want, To Here Knows When.
[21] The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds is The beach Boys' best album. A cliche pick, but it really IS the best they have to offer. It is their opus, when pretty much everyone in the band was at their peak. From "Sloop John B" to "God Only Knows" to "Don't Talk", to "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" to the incredible instrumental title track, it's all solid gold.
No comments:
Post a Comment