1. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips: an odyssey and debatable concept album about the concepts of life, love, and death. There's just so much emotion here, and the end message I take away is sung in "Do You Realize??": "Life goes fast, it's hard to make the good things last" and "everyone you know someday will die, and instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know you realize". It's just such a journey of human emotion for me. That and all the tracks are fantastic. Also it's pretty impressive that it's such a moving emotional album and it has a song that (on the surface) is about a girl using karate and battling evil pink robots.
2. Black Holes and Revelations by Muse: My favorite album by my favorite band. I'll admit that this isn't really Muse's "best: album: it's not as cohesive as Absolution, it's not as symphonic as The Resistance, and it's not as (lyrically) emotional as Origin of Symmetry; but Black Holes rocks harder than anything I've ever heard before (well, "rocks harder" is clearly my opinion: there may be some who consider Muse to be too over-the-top, and then there may be people who love metal and might consider Muse to be weak and poppy in comparison). Though lyrically the songs aren't particularly interesting (SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH OUR GOVERNMENTS AND SOCIETIES BUT WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY BETTER SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO FIX IT), but musically it's just so awesome. Matt Bellamy's voice is awesome, and all three members of the band are fantastic with their respective instruments. "Knights of Cydonia" is my all-time favorite song, exhibit A for the definition of "awesome".
3. Illinois by Sufjan Stevens: Though I'm not from Illinois, this album delves deep into the context and history of the state (particularly the city of Chicago, which I love), and equally deep into Stevens' own consciousness. It's a great journey into nationality, personality, history, the human psyche, and above all spirituality. I'm not a religious person, but Stevens' devotion and spirituality still give me deep feels.
4. The Works by Queen
5. Blunderbuss by Jack White
6. Happiness by Hurts
7. Wincing the Night Away by The Shins
8. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
9. Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys
10. The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
These are probably my 10 most personal albums (1 per artist, in an attempt to not be repetitive). I might finish writing about each one later. Hell I should probably add all this stuff into my comments on the albums in my chart(s).
Also, even though this thread is titled "1001 albums to listen to before you die", I think the "10 albums on a desert island" theme fits each individual person best (especially since we're talking about it so personally). Compiling it all together is really cool though (and that fits the "1001" theme nicely) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
Mine isn't identical to my top 10. I tried including some more personal albums, and some albums that I really believe you should hear before you die.
1. The Microphones-The Glow pt2(Already written about)
2. Neutral Milk Hotel-In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
3. Animal Collective-Feels
4. Panda Bear-Person Pitch
5. Joanna Newsom-Ys
6. Mount Eerie-Clear Moon
7. Stars of the Lid-The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid
8. Godspeed You! Black Eperor-F#A#∞
9. Black Dice-Beaches and Canyons
10. Sigur Rós -Ágætis Byrjun
I want to actually listen to the album while I write about it, so ill periodically write these, as for some of them I feel I need to be in a certain state of mind to accurately express my love for them.
Also I don't care if anyone picks any of these as well, the more the merrier. (And I hope people don't mind if I pick one of theirs)
3 Feet High And Rising - De La Soul
The Beatles (The White Album) - The Beatles
Blue Lines - Massive Attack
Bon Iver, Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Electric Ladyland - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
From Here We Go Sublime - The Field
In Ghost Colours - Cut Copy
Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space - Spiritualized
Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt
The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips
This is a really cool idea Magenta.
and surprising as it may be, I'm glad you're back.
1. Elliott Smith- Either/Or
2. Madvillain- Madvillainy
3. Neil Young- On the Beach
4. Slowdive- Souvlaki
5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor- Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
6. Portishead- Dummy
7. The Zombies- Oddessey and Oracle
8. Slint- Spiderland
9. Curtis Mayfield- Superfly
10. Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
write later
Just Another Diamond Day by Vashti Bunyan
The pasture that this album brings to mind must have had an incredibly high fence, for it sounds untouched, out of time, with nothing but natural feelings and beauty. It celebrates the simple things, "Whisper fairy stories till they're real, wonder how the night could make us feel." It came to me when I was thinking, "I'm sick of North Carolina, pine trees can bug off." And it sort of reinforced my longing for something different, yet I wouldn't say I want to leave my comfort zone, if anything I want to leave one comfort zone for an even more comfortable one...Thanks in part to this album I'm going to remember most of my early teenage years (and hopefully it'll last throughout) as a time of undying joy and optimism. Pretension is completely absent. If you fondly remember your old volume of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes that is hiding somewhere at your grandma's house, this album will absolutely grip you. If you are disinterested in all the complications of society and the city, this album will absolutely grip you. Her voice quavers and blossoms like a rose, seemingly without a thorn in sight (wow how cliched), and there are no theatrics to her performance; her singing is used modestly and effectively, whether in a celebratory, optimistic way, as in the title track, or in a longing, plaintive way as in Window Over The Bay. Her acoustic guitar babbles like a brook, and the other folk instruments help the songs reach their quaint, nostalgic heights. Just Another Diamond Day is utterly human, this isn't the sort of mystical alien representation of nature that is sometimes common. It is happy, celebratory, and in love with nature; not nervous or reverent before it. In fact, I'd say she feels the most at home in nature's beauty. She doesn't interpret nature as unfeeling and cruel, but as something to rejoice in, something to wrap around yourself like a blanket. She actually wrote many of the songs while going through the greyest, rankest parts of cities; They served as beacons of the joy that lay ahead of her. And they resonate within me as the same. This album pinpoints almost exactly what I hope for in life. Peace and quiet in nature with just my love, and plenty of books. It may seem kind of absurd that one album, especially just one of light folk melodies, can serve to define exactly what you want in life, but this album very much does. I'll probably never find the idyllic green pastures this album brings to mind, but I'll always have the album itself to fill my mind with the imagery.
Favourite tracks: Glow Worms, Window Over the Bay
If you like this album you may also like; Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter by Incredible String Band
Dance of the Moon and the Sun by Natural Snow Buildings
Visions by Grimes
This is my happy switch. Such a carefree and kind spirit pervades this music. It is fey dance music. Her music is so layered and knitted together that I feel like a little imp pops out and surprises me with every listen, as she sits over her synths and samplers and what not like a conjurer, controlling all her lovely little music note imps. This isn't telling you much about the music itself, is it? Hmm. It is
Hurtbreak Wonderland by World's End Girlfriend
A pure audio odyssey. No other album that I know feels as much as being in another world as this one. I feel the melding of different styles...Of epic symphony and glitchy electronic...of future and past...of the natural and the digital. It feels like a futuristic simulation of a magical world. There can be so many stories applied to this. It is like the most immersive video game. Think of your favourite game...Doesn't it take you away from the troubles and worries of your live for awhile to enter the fantastic world of the game? You get lost in the world, despite the glitches and the loading screens, which in fact add to the appeal. Each track is a chapter, a new quest. This album is a surreal world that I always love to be lost in.
The Golden Morning Breaks by Colleen
Ys by Joanna Newsom
In fairy tales, the various characters rarely have much depth, and their exploits are given more attention than their state of mind. Fairy tales seem to be preoccupied with exposing some of the vagaries of mankind, not the vagaries of an individual. Here is where I return us to the above album; Joanna Newsom has created a fairytale that does NOT focus on mankind. It focuses on her thoughts, her fancies, her loves, her losses. She essentially takes the premise of a narrative singer-songwriter, and laces it with the themes and symbols of mythology, and the surrealism and mysticism of fairy tales. She is the single best lyricist, I've had the pleasure of discovering. I really can't express enough how much I love Ys, and Joanna's music in general; expressly her voice and lyrics. Her voice really suits my ears. Incredibly, incredibly warm. Playful. Expressive. It's a river, whereas some vocalists are tap water. Same applies to her lyrics. And then the orchestration is very well put together and really does a good job of enhancing, not taking away from, her voice and harp playing.
Favourite tracks: Only Skin, Monkey and Bear
If you like this album you may also like: What I Want From You Is Sweet by Orion Rigel Dommisse, Milk Eyed Mender by Joanna Newsom
Exuma by Exuma
Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Pink Floyd
Like leaping headfirst into a toy-box.
It is a great exclamation of wonder. Just listen to how earnestly Syd sings, "A movement is accomplished in six stages...etc." in Chapter 24. It's as if he had just finished reading the I-Ching and leaps up to go recite what he had just read, like he is flaunting a new toy. In Astronomy Domine, he conveys the wonder and terror of the firmament, as if he had just been stargazing and suddenly felt so very small, and then went to go recreate that in song form. In Scarecrow, it is as if just saw a scarecrow in a field when passing by in his car and fell into reverie. In Bike, it completely describes the enthusiasm of the beginnings of love. There is an overwelming eagerness, and excitement for life which is much too rare in music, and in people. Cynical people will doubtfully enjoy this album, and will probably scoff at the childishness of it...But what is wrong with childishness?
And I've only covered the lyrics of the album, but I can assure you the instruments convey the same wonder. Interstellar Overdrive is a wonderfest of what instruments can do.
Favourite tracks: Bike, Interstellar Overdrive
If you like this album you may also like: Forever Changes by Love, The Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett
Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill by Grouper
Last edited by Guest on 07/01/2013 18:28; edited 7 times in total
Alright, my ten albums (or however many I go through):
1. Moon and antarctica (already posted what I wanted to about this one on first page)
2. There's Nothing Wrong with Love - Built To Spill
This particular album brings together something I really love in music. Being able to bring the feel and meaning of the lyrics into the music itself (something that my favorite albums can tend to do). A lot of the time, the lyrics can tend to be about the experience of growing up (e.g "Car", "Big Dipper", "Reasons", "Twin Falls", "Distopian Dream girl") and the music can really bring that to life. As far as I'm concerned, BTS is up there with some of the top tier indie rock bands to come out of the 90's. They certainly put together some really catchy tune and are able to really write great melodies. It's also a pretty great emotional experience as far as being able to connect with what they write. One of the first albums I really loved and up to date it's still one of my favorites.
3. Damn the torpedoes - Tom Petty and the heartbreakers
Tom petty (along with Modest Mouse and Built to spill) was one of the first artists I started listening to a lot when I first listened to music. As far as music goes, he was able to write some of the catchiest rock tunes I could hear. Lots of artists do that obviously, but something was a bit different that made this artist click. Anyways, after getting a bit more of a taste, whenever I come back to tom petty, I always go for this album. The biggest surprise to find is that all songs are just as good as the singles. There's not exactly much depth to the lyrics, but if there was ever an artist that could write fun music without sounding dumb or too much like everyone else, it's Tom Petty.
4. Apologies to the queen Mary - Wolf Parade
I feel like this album is the type of album that everyone who listens to indie rock would drool over. It's got quality lyrics (one of the my favorite lines ever being "give me your eyes, I need sunshine") and overall a very odd(ish) sound. I don't really mean it's much out of the ordinary, but it's got something going for it. It really takes some of the best elements from a genre I love and excels a lot at it.
5. Rip the Jacker - Canibus
If I were to put one hip - hop album on list like this, it'd this album. Canibus has got to be one of the greatest lyricists to come across my ears. Every track is just filled with intelligent and thought provoking stories and ideas as well as being able to put together clever wordplay in order to create one of the best lyrical albums ever made. The production is pretty damn great if you ask me. It's got a very interesting foriegn(ish) type sound to it. Overall, just an album that has amazed me on so many different levels.
Here are 5 I chose so far. The first 5 that comes to my mind at least. I'll probably put in 5 more, but these probably attribute most to what I listen to now - a - days.
I'll might try to write something about Spiderland by Slint some time. My written English isn't very good, and I do think it's a difficult album to write about, so I can't guarantee to contribute. But maybe
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