Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by 
babyBlueSedan 
My favorite albums, or "The 100 albums I'd keep if iTunes had a capacity of 100 albums."
The theme of this update, as with the past couple, is upheaval. Every time I update this I claim to be moving new favorite up higher while still stubbornly putting albums I used to love but never listen to anymore near the top. I won't know for sure if I've been more successful this time around until I update this again. But I hope that this current iteration shook things up a bit and added a bit more variety, even if that variety is in the form of albums most people have heard of. I've tried to include as many artists and genres where possible, partially because I want to appear more interesting than I actually am, but in the end this is still very rock and pop oriented. In particular, this iteration makes obvious my current love of plaintive folk/singer-songwriter stuff.
I've also relaxed my artist limits just a bit to highlight the artists I really love, but I still couldn't include everything I wanted because spots are so limited. In some cases I decided what to include based on what I wanted to write about. I recommend checking out my decade charts for more deep cuts.
Also, I appreciate all the kind and generous comments - they're my main motivation for updating this every couple years or so.
- Chart updated: 05/30/2020 02:15
- (Created: 07/31/2013 04:33).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 98 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Greatest Music Albums has an average rating of 94 out of 100 (from 152 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Carissa's Wierd. (Remove this filter)
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Like walking down the street on a windy day in autumn, taking the long way to work to avoid seeing your ex
Just from the title of this album, you can probably tell it's a break-up album. But here's the thing: it's not. Sure, there are songs about break ups on here, but they're actually some of the more joyous songs, at least comparatively. No, this album is about Leaving. What does Leaving mean, you ask? Well, it might mean Leaving a room. Or a relationship. Or it may mean dying, maybe by your own hand. But we'll get to that.
I've recently gotten more into the slowcore genre, and I don't want to get all hyperbolic here or anything, but this is the best slowcore album I've heard. And it's not particularly close. I'm skeptical whether this even qualifies as slowcore, since it's not really slow-paced as much as it is quiet and deliberate. It doesn't plod along like a Low or Bedhead album, but the vocals are typically whispered and don't have much energy. What really makes it stand out from other slowcore though is the violin, which appears on every track and is really the foundation of the music here. The result of this, besides making the songs more beautiful, is that it makes the songs sound really peaceful and comforting. There are some albums with lyrical content that I listen to when I'm feeling down, and this is one of them. But this is one of the few albums that actually makes me feel better instead of helping me to wallow. The music feels like a hug that's telling me everything will be alright.
Which is funny, because the lyrics do not. I could go in depth on every one of these songs, but I won't because it would take forever. But I need to touch on a few things. Like I said earlier, the break-up songs are the least heavy songs here, even though they contain lyrics like "I hope that nothing will ever remind you of me." This might be because they're from the perspective of the person doing the breaking up, whether this be because of a toxic relationship ("Sophisticated Fuck Princess") or realizing that the other person deserves better ("September"). Though this makes sense; this is Songs About Leaving, not Song About Being Made to Leave. The same applies to death; there are a few songs that feel like they could be about natural death, including the closer. But when you hear "I might be leaving soon" on "So You Wanna Be a Superhero," you get the idea that the leaving might be permanent. Mostly because of the whole thing earlier in the song with:
"It's 5am I've got no sleep at all
Just thoughts of how I might struggle through tomorrow"
And the title of "They'll Only Miss You When You Leave" kind of speaks for itself. Thankfully the songs aren't always that dark, and sometime Leaving can even be a positive thing. "Farewell To All These Rotten Teeth" opens with a mournful repetition of "farewell..." that eventually expands into the title of the song. But of course here it's positive - shedding the broken parts of yourself in an effort to get better. Proving that there's always some light amidst the dark, so you shouldn't ever give up hope. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2020]
Just from the title of this album, you can probably tell it's a break-up album. But here's the thing: it's not. Sure, there are songs about break ups on here, but they're actually some of the more joyous songs, at least comparatively. No, this album is about Leaving. What does Leaving mean, you ask? Well, it might mean Leaving a room. Or a relationship. Or it may mean dying, maybe by your own hand. But we'll get to that.
I've recently gotten more into the slowcore genre, and I don't want to get all hyperbolic here or anything, but this is the best slowcore album I've heard. And it's not particularly close. I'm skeptical whether this even qualifies as slowcore, since it's not really slow-paced as much as it is quiet and deliberate. It doesn't plod along like a Low or Bedhead album, but the vocals are typically whispered and don't have much energy. What really makes it stand out from other slowcore though is the violin, which appears on every track and is really the foundation of the music here. The result of this, besides making the songs more beautiful, is that it makes the songs sound really peaceful and comforting. There are some albums with lyrical content that I listen to when I'm feeling down, and this is one of them. But this is one of the few albums that actually makes me feel better instead of helping me to wallow. The music feels like a hug that's telling me everything will be alright.
Which is funny, because the lyrics do not. I could go in depth on every one of these songs, but I won't because it would take forever. But I need to touch on a few things. Like I said earlier, the break-up songs are the least heavy songs here, even though they contain lyrics like "I hope that nothing will ever remind you of me." This might be because they're from the perspective of the person doing the breaking up, whether this be because of a toxic relationship ("Sophisticated Fuck Princess") or realizing that the other person deserves better ("September"). Though this makes sense; this is Songs About Leaving, not Song About Being Made to Leave. The same applies to death; there are a few songs that feel like they could be about natural death, including the closer. But when you hear "I might be leaving soon" on "So You Wanna Be a Superhero," you get the idea that the leaving might be permanent. Mostly because of the whole thing earlier in the song with:
"It's 5am I've got no sleep at all
Just thoughts of how I might struggle through tomorrow"
And the title of "They'll Only Miss You When You Leave" kind of speaks for itself. Thankfully the songs aren't always that dark, and sometime Leaving can even be a positive thing. "Farewell To All These Rotten Teeth" opens with a mournful repetition of "farewell..." that eventually expands into the title of the song. But of course here it's positive - shedding the broken parts of yourself in an effort to get better. Proving that there's always some light amidst the dark, so you shouldn't ever give up hope. [First added to this chart: 05/29/2020]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
903
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
9Total albums: 1. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1970s | 9 | 9% | |
| 1980s | 8 | 8% | |
| 1990s | 23 | 23% | |
| 2000s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2010s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Modest Mouse | 3 | 3% | |
| Songs: Ohia | 2 | 2% | |
| Sufjan Stevens | 2 | 2% | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 2% | |
| Kanye West | 2 | 2% | |
| Carissa's Wierd | 1 | 1% | |
| At The Drive-In | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 44 from 79th to 35th E•Mo•Tion by Carly Rae Jepsen |
| Up 35 from 45th to 10th Songs About Leaving by Carissa's Wierd |
| Up 29 from 76th to 47th The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 32 from 57th to 89th Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney |
| Down 29 from 26th to 55th The Suburbs by Arcade Fire |
| Down 29 from 52nd to 81st Crack The Skye by Mastodon |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite Album Covers | babyBlueSedan | Custom chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | babyBlueSedan | 2000s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | babyBlueSedan | 2010s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | bkogz | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  Mattdup279 | Overall chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | blackflag29 | Overall chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | babyBlueSedan | 1990s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | gravityrider999 | Overall chart | 2019 |  |
| BEA Forum Regulars' Top 100 (2015) |  HigherThanTheSun | Custom chart | 2015 |  |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums |  ledemoncleaner | Overall chart | 2018 | |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
94/100 (from 152 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 152 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 03/25/2025 19:59 | DrewHamster | | 79/100 |
100/100 | 01/15/2025 16:18 | Exist-en-ciel | | 99/100 |
100/100 | 06/25/2024 09:53 |  ssteve | | 92/100 |
90/100 | 01/16/2023 22:04 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
90/100 | 05/21/2022 09:11 |  Timestarter | | 90/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 93.7/100, a mean average of 93.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 94.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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90/100
From Johnnyo 01/16/2023 22:05
Great chart and the work that has gone into each entry. Wow! Brilliant stuff
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From leniad 08/31/2021 21:02
good writing and good taste
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From weyesgroove 09/29/2020 16:32
cool chart man. love the descriptions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19
Keatownrodriguez 10/28/2019 21:19
Any chart with this much time put into it is so cool to me
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From pctrooper 10/04/2019 19:23
These notes are so detailed and helpful for advocating your choices. You must really know how to listen to music and listen to it hard. Great albums, too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From eharrell 07/24/2019 00:02
Best Chart ever
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From tk421ucopy 07/23/2019 19:24
incredible. you have a different taste in music, but wow these descriptions are prime
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00
DommeDamian 07/23/2019 12:00
Is there a limit of how much inspiration, this chart can give?
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From xXhermitXx 10/18/2018 04:05
Holy crap what a chart, have a bunch in common with me and a whole list of new ones to check out, i also loved your descriptions.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19
jdenny2018 10/18/2018 01:19
This is one of the most amazing things I've ever read
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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