Listed below are the overall rankings for the best albums in history as determined by their aggregate positions in over 59,000 different greatest album charts on BestEverAlbums.com! (Chart last updated: 5 hours ago).
"I can say that this album pleasantly surprised me. The sense of maturity and shift in direction on this album were unexpected but definitely welcomed changes from his previous material. Tapping heavily into funk and soul influences, Donald Glover breathes new life into these genres on "Awaken, My...""I can say that this album pleasantly surprised me. The sense of maturity and shift in direction on this album were unexpected but definitely welcomed changes from his previous material. Tapping heavily into funk and soul influences, Donald Glover breathes new life into these genres on "Awaken, My Love!" without sounding like he's simply copying other artists."[+]Reply
"Not just one of the best alt-country albums ever made, but one of the best albums of all time. It took Lucinda 6 years to write and record this one, and I'd be more than happy waiting 6 years in between her records if they could be close to this good. I was introduced to this one the same night a..."" Not just one of the best alt-country albums ever made, but one of the best albums of all time.
It took Lucinda 6 years to write and record this one, and I'd be more than happy waiting 6 years in between her records if they could be close to this good.
I was introduced to this one the same night as Todd Snider - and changed the direction of my music listening forever.
Not going to mention songs, as they are all great. About as perfect as an album can be."[+]Reply
"I used to really like this album, but overtime I have come to appreciate and adore it. This album is perfectly written, every song is packed with intellegent lyrics accompanied by beautiful music. This album shows that Cale is a very well read man, featuring refferences to Shakespeare, Graham Gre...""I used to really like this album, but overtime I have come to appreciate and adore it. This album is perfectly written, every song is packed with intellegent lyrics accompanied by beautiful music.
This album shows that Cale is a very well read man, featuring refferences to Shakespeare, Graham Greene and Dylan Thomas among others, the lyrics really are the best part of this album.
Every track (and I’m not exaggerating, I mean EVERY track) on this album is brilliant, it really is one of the most consistant albums of all time, as well as one of the best. My two favourites are the opener “Childs Christmas in Wales”, title inspired by the Dylan Thomas piece of prose of the same name and the title track, obviously entitled “Paris 1919” which is one of the best songs ever written (and written very well, I would say). "[+]Reply
"This is actually my preferred Alvvays album; they have this nostalgic twang to their brand of dream pop that just feels so warm and inviting. This album is solid all the way through and definitely a top recording of 2017 Favorite tracks: Dreams Tonite, Not My Baby, Lollipop (Ode to Jim)"Reply
"HEROIN CHIC Kendra Smith hurled her guitar to the stage. She had had it. The constant, tedious grind of touring. Being worshipped by strangers. All of it. It was too much. She didn’t want it anymore. “Fuck this mousetrap”, she mumbled to herself. ”I’m going to live off the grid.” And you know wha...""HEROIN CHIC
Kendra Smith hurled her guitar to the stage. She had had it. The constant, tedious grind of touring. Being worshipped by strangers. All of it. It was too much. She didn’t want it anymore. “Fuck this mousetrap”, she mumbled to herself. ”I’m going to live off the grid.” And you know what? She did!
And that was probably the best thing that ever happened to David Roback’s already fairly stellar career. Because he had already found “HER” - discovered her through a friend of a friend playing on a demo tape as part of some unheard of local folk duo that still no one’s heard of (Going Home if you’re really curious. But, they never even released an album! I mean it’s the indie rock equivalent of American Idol). The youngest of 60 some odd siblings, Hope was a pint sized, exotic Mexican beauty with pouty lips to die for. Let’s put it this way. Jimmy Reid - & I know you're reading this, brother - You’re a lucky, lucky man!
Quite simply, Hope Sandoval was born to be a rock star. She just had that indefinable IT. And her timing entering the scene was pitch perfect. She was the perfect diva for early 90s grunge. Part of her charm was she really, truly didn’t give a shit. It wasn't some calculated move. She really, truly didn’t give a shit. And she came to epitomize the “it” fashion statement of the day. The fashion look that had the prepubescent, waif looks of the Kate Moss & Jamie King staring down at us from like a hundred million billboards. Heroin chic they called it. And the singing of Hope Sandoval and music of Mazzy Star was its soundtrack. Because Hope sang Rip Van Winkle style - a lazy, laconic cotton mouth drawl as if as if each note was going to be her last before falling a slumber for a hundred years or more. A true sleeping beauty if there ever was one.
I can see why Albummaster recommended this to me when I volunteered that I’m a sucker for laconic & hazy albums. (Considering I’m a born manic monkey, a laconic lion is what I strive to be).
At any rate she was the missing ingredient. Don’t get me wrong. Opal were good. Damn good. (especially check out their earliest recordings compiled on, you got it it - [i]Early recordings[/i].) And Kendra Smith had one more beguiling solo album in her - the aptly titled[i] Five Ways of Disappearing[/i] - before blithely disappearing into the California woods to organic farm on her country cabin with nothing but her music and her cats. (Yo! Kendra! If you ever want company… well, you know who to call! :wink: )
But Mazzy Star were far better. Hope was just the perfect compliment to Robach’s Doors meets Velvet Underground sound rufied just a bit with that Jesus & Mary Chain’s classic wall of fuzz. We’re talking drugs here boys & girls! Druggy. Laconic, hazey, etc… And Mazzy Star were druggy as hell.
And [i]So Tonight That I May See[/i] (rightly) became THE album of the Heroin Chic scene.
And just as impressive as the sound they perfected on this album is the sheer scope of it. No two songs sound the same. It was as if Robach was determined to make THE grunge palette on these ten songs. Whether it be Hope channeling her inner Kirsten Hersch on “Into Dust” (my personal fave among an album full of them) or the duo going primal & full on Pub Rock on the positively AC/DCian Wasted.
Grade: A. It’s no coincidence that Mazzy Star and Julee Cruise were recommended to me within hours of each other. Just as I was to start binging on Twin Peaks (yet again) to get ready for season 3. Because both are the perfect Lynchian artists. Both would be the perfect band to catch at The Roadhouse on some Saturday night. And [i]So Tonight That I May See[/i] was the epitome of heroin chic. Alice’s In Chain’s Dirt comes damn close, but this is easily the best. Channeling The Velvet Underground’s debut and The Door’s psychedelic lazy debauchery into the grunge aesthetic. No other album quite competes. And make no mistake about it. This is grunge. Classic grunge. One of the essential grunge albums that solidified the scene while expanding its palette as far back as Mazzy Star’s debut [i]She Hangs Brightly[/i] with its feedback laced guitars. Music that fell into itself. Imploding as opposed to exploding. And this album laconically drawls it way oh so sleepily to number 25. "[+]Reply
"Holy shit. I didn't think anything would possibly beat Ants From Up There as my AOTY and now I find myself faced with an incredibly difficult decision. Right now, I genuinely think this might be the best album of the decade. At first I thought this album had lows, but after a few listens I realis...""Holy shit. I didn't think anything would possibly beat Ants From Up There as my AOTY and now I find myself faced with an incredibly difficult decision. Right now, I genuinely think this might be the best album of the decade. At first I thought this album had lows, but after a few listens I realised it's just that the highs are so high some of the best songs I've heard seem weak in comparison.
After repeat exposures, I can no longer even point to the best song here, as my bias to Eat Men Eat and Welcome To Hell has worn off. Hellfire is one of the best album openers I've ever heard, with Greep's showman-like fast-paced greetings and rantings literally welcoming you to hell. The album then launches into the best 3-song run I've heard since The Place Where He Inserted the Blade through Basketball Shoes, starting with Sugar/Tzu, a song very much in the same vein as the two singles - a detailed, graphic tale of the worst humanity has to offer.
The album slows a little with the appropriately titled "Still", the only other song on this album featuring vocals by Cameron Picton, and boy do I wish they'd let him out more often. The cryptic lyrics and smooth delivery remind me of MGMT in a way. The track switches things up several times, with a quiet acoustic middle and a soothing ambient ending that fades into a locked groove loop reminiscent of the way the Beatles closed off Sgt Pepper. Half Time serves it's purpose well as a breather between the two longest tracks on the album and a cheeky reference to black midi's alter ego the Orange Tree Boys. There's also a bit of morse code in there which I can't wait for someone with more patience than me to translate.
The Race Is About To Begin kicks the 2nd half into 1st gear immediately, continuing the story of a character previously introduced in Welcome To Hell. Despite being the longest song on the album, it never settles into a groove, shifting and changing every minute, becoming more chaotic as it becomes a descent into addiction, madness, and shacks. Like Still, it ends on a quieter note, with a delicate ballad that reminisces on how people can change.
Dangerous Liasons, The Defence and 27 Questions form another trilogy of songs mirroring the first half of the album, each telling a story of the worst of humanity - A man tempted into murder with promises of money, a brothel owner attempting to justify his trade, and finally the closer 27 Questions, in which an audience revels at the suffering of a dying man. This song is a great way to close the album, with a show-tune style section that recalls the opener and passes a number of philosophical (and funny) questions onto the listener.
In conclusion, Black Country, New Road and black midi have both released masterpieces this year. This feels like the logical conclusion (or perhaps a new phase) of the new British Post-Punk scene that's cropped up since 2016, with it's two forefront bands releasing what will be remembered as two of the greatest albums of all time. No pressure Squid."[+]Reply
"One of the most interesting records from their incredible discography. There are still a few traces of their noisy beginnings, but not that much actually. There are melodies here. And damn great ones. This may not be the most instantly rewarding of their indie period, but with time, it clearly be...""One of the most interesting records from their incredible discography. There are still a few traces of their noisy beginnings, but not that much actually. There are melodies here. And damn great ones. This may not be the most instantly rewarding of their indie period, but with time, it clearly becomes one of the best.
And the cover is absolutely awesome *o*"[+]Reply
"I have a soft spot for early-2000s pop-punk. Its the musical equivalent of American Pie, yeah, its a little puerile and its not going to be picking many awards but its a bit of fun."Reply