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.
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Like walking through a new subdivision that stands where a park used to be
You know what's great about Modest Mouse? You'll be listening to a song and you'll hear lyrics that you swear you've heard before. You get chills and wonder if you're crazy. Then you listen some more and you realize that it's Isaac Brock who's bat-shit crazy, not you, but you have to be at least a little insane to empathize with him. And you have heard those lyrics before (about ships sinking, cars driving, land being paved, and "the thin air"), and the whole thing is just one big loop of insanity. And this album is all about that, a mournful look at the old west seen through the eyes of someone who spent just enough time in it to not be able to be sure why he misses it.
Any conversation I have about Modest Mouse will always begin and end by talking about Isaac Brock's lyrics, and I believe this album was his lyrical peak (Moon and Antarctica isn't far behind though of course). Brock has a knack for writing songs that seem really general or obtuse and then injecting one or two lines that just really hit hard. Take the opener: the verses are pretty abstract, forcing to listener to make up their own meaning in some cases. And then the chorus (or slower bit, this is hardly a verse-chorus-verse song) hits, and Brock mentions malls and Orange Julius and seriously, who can't relate to that? Teeth like God's shoeshine is such amazing imagery, and then comes "And the telephone goes off. Pick the receiver up try to meet ends and find out the beginnning, the end, and the best of it...." This line always catches me off guard - him trailing off as he realizes he no longer has anything in common with an old friend is such a striking statement of finality. And just like that the song makes sense...kind of.
I could go on for days about the lyrics, but this album's other strength is the sprawling, country feel it has and the loose songwriting. "Trucker's Atlas" has an extended outro that sounds amazing at first but goes on about four minutes too long, though that feeling of exhaustion is surely meant to mirror the lyrics about driving three days from Alaska to Florida. It's harder to find a verse/chorus/verse song here than to find one that ignores the pattern entirely; "Teeth Like God's Shoeshine" eschews conventions entirely while "Doin the Cockroach" opens with a fairly standard sound and then quickly speeds through four different verse structures in a row. "Lounge (Closing Time)" is the highlight from a writing perspective, as it has four different songs crammed inside, and I'm not sure why is my favorite. It opens frantically, with one of the greatest guitar riffs ever put down by indie rockers. Then it stops on a dime, with Brock whispering sweetly about his girlfriend outside the city who's very pretty. From there the song slows down, stretching out as all three instruments maintain their own rhythm. Slowly they fuse together, and the moment the guitar gets in sync with the drums as the drums increase in volume is the clear highlight of the track. After that the song slows down and loses form, like water breaking out of a dam, and the band reprises not one, but two, past songs: both "Lounge" and "Heart Cooks Brain." In the middle of the album is what is probably the greatest three song stretch on an album ever in "Doin' the Cockrach" -> "Cowboy Dan" -> "Trailer Trash." And then there's the closer, which starts out as a folk song and then morphs into a drum driven track as it repeats into glorious infinity.
One more note on that last song - I never realized until recently that the guy in heaven who "looks a bit like everyone I ever seen" is God. It's a great line and I thought it just meant the guy was nondescript, but I think it's supposed to be God because we're all supposed to look like him. It made an already awesome song about an atheist going to heaven and baking manna, somehow, even better. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
You know what's great about Modest Mouse? You'll be listening to a song and you'll hear lyrics that you swear you've heard before. You get chills and wonder if you're crazy. Then you listen some more and you realize that it's Isaac Brock who's bat-shit crazy, not you, but you have to be at least a little insane to empathize with him. And you have heard those lyrics before (about ships sinking, cars driving, land being paved, and "the thin air"), and the whole thing is just one big loop of insanity. And this album is all about that, a mournful look at the old west seen through the eyes of someone who spent just enough time in it to not be able to be sure why he misses it.
Any conversation I have about Modest Mouse will always begin and end by talking about Isaac Brock's lyrics, and I believe this album was his lyrical peak (Moon and Antarctica isn't far behind though of course). Brock has a knack for writing songs that seem really general or obtuse and then injecting one or two lines that just really hit hard. Take the opener: the verses are pretty abstract, forcing to listener to make up their own meaning in some cases. And then the chorus (or slower bit, this is hardly a verse-chorus-verse song) hits, and Brock mentions malls and Orange Julius and seriously, who can't relate to that? Teeth like God's shoeshine is such amazing imagery, and then comes "And the telephone goes off. Pick the receiver up try to meet ends and find out the beginnning, the end, and the best of it...." This line always catches me off guard - him trailing off as he realizes he no longer has anything in common with an old friend is such a striking statement of finality. And just like that the song makes sense...kind of.
I could go on for days about the lyrics, but this album's other strength is the sprawling, country feel it has and the loose songwriting. "Trucker's Atlas" has an extended outro that sounds amazing at first but goes on about four minutes too long, though that feeling of exhaustion is surely meant to mirror the lyrics about driving three days from Alaska to Florida. It's harder to find a verse/chorus/verse song here than to find one that ignores the pattern entirely; "Teeth Like God's Shoeshine" eschews conventions entirely while "Doin the Cockroach" opens with a fairly standard sound and then quickly speeds through four different verse structures in a row. "Lounge (Closing Time)" is the highlight from a writing perspective, as it has four different songs crammed inside, and I'm not sure why is my favorite. It opens frantically, with one of the greatest guitar riffs ever put down by indie rockers. Then it stops on a dime, with Brock whispering sweetly about his girlfriend outside the city who's very pretty. From there the song slows down, stretching out as all three instruments maintain their own rhythm. Slowly they fuse together, and the moment the guitar gets in sync with the drums as the drums increase in volume is the clear highlight of the track. After that the song slows down and loses form, like water breaking out of a dam, and the band reprises not one, but two, past songs: both "Lounge" and "Heart Cooks Brain." In the middle of the album is what is probably the greatest three song stretch on an album ever in "Doin' the Cockrach" -> "Cowboy Dan" -> "Trailer Trash." And then there's the closer, which starts out as a folk song and then morphs into a drum driven track as it repeats into glorious infinity.
One more note on that last song - I never realized until recently that the guy in heaven who "looks a bit like everyone I ever seen" is God. It's a great line and I thought it just meant the guy was nondescript, but I think it's supposed to be God because we're all supposed to look like him. It made an already awesome song about an atheist going to heaven and baking manna, somehow, even better. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,190
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
65
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Like walking past a guy in a fedora with a guitar and stopping in your tracks because you realize this one actually has something to say
Stephin Merritt has made it clear that this album is not about love; rather it's about love songs. Now that seems like splitting hairs, but I think what he's getting at is a clarification about how this album was written. It wasn't written about anyone, but instead written as a way to pick apart the different ways we write about love. The lyrics are non-specific - they could refer to anyone or anything, any gender or any race, any age or any time (though there's one that's pretty clearly about gay cowboys). Some of the songs sound very sincere (Blue You), while others do not (Zebra). There is irony (Meaningless) and loneliness (Acoustic Guitar) and despair (No One Will Ever Love You) and pure goddamn ridiculousness (Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits). But if Merritt is to be believed, it's all a farce.
Sometime I wonder, as I'm singing along teary eyed to "Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side," whether I'm a fool for feeling so emotional while listening to this. Did Merritt write these songs with the analytical precision of a scientist, picking apart pieces of other songs to concoct a statement on the current state of love songs? The majority of these songs can be compared to other famous love songs, at least in terms of theme. "I Don't Want to Get Over You" is an emo song about not wanting to forget about someone even though you know you can't have them. "I'm Sorry I Love You" is a 50's pop song about wishing your love hadn't inconvenienced someone. "Yeah! Oh Yeah!" is a murder ballad. In some cases I can think of specific songs that are comparable to these songs. I wonder, as I listen to Merritt sing "I don't know if you are beautiful, for I love you too much" on "Asleep and Dreaming," whether I'd get laughed at for thinking it's the most beautiful line ever written. Or whether someone would hear the word "unboyfriendable" on "All My Little Words" and use it as ammunition as to why this album is meaningless. Sometimes I do.
But then I listen to the work put into it. To all the stunning metaphors on "Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin." To Merritt moaning "Some fall in love...I Shatter." To the great variety of instruments, including songs carried by banjo and violin and accordion and who knows what else. To "If I was the Grand Canyon I'd echo every word you say. But I'm me, I'm just me, and you used to love me that way." And I realize that there's way too much work put into this album for it to be nothing but mimicry. Yes, there are 69 songs, the album is really long, I don't really need to mention that. But there is so much thought, so much care. Sure, a lot of it is silly. "I Don't Want to Get Over You" has the laughable moment where Merritt suggests dressing in black and reading Camus as a way to cope with lost love. But love is ridiculous! Love isn't just serious, it's nonsensical and unpredictable too. And that song manages to be really affecting despite the obviously tongue-in-cheek lyrics. And that helps to uncover the true heart of this album; by reflecting on how we react to love, we invariably end up talking about love. You can't write a line like "I always say I love you when I mean 'turn out the light'" with no specific experience in mind. And you can't end a song called "The Way You Say Goodnight" with the line "oh I could write a song about the way you say goodnight" without caring just a little. Man, sometimes Merritt is just too clever for his own good. [First added to this chart: 06/18/2014]
Stephin Merritt has made it clear that this album is not about love; rather it's about love songs. Now that seems like splitting hairs, but I think what he's getting at is a clarification about how this album was written. It wasn't written about anyone, but instead written as a way to pick apart the different ways we write about love. The lyrics are non-specific - they could refer to anyone or anything, any gender or any race, any age or any time (though there's one that's pretty clearly about gay cowboys). Some of the songs sound very sincere (Blue You), while others do not (Zebra). There is irony (Meaningless) and loneliness (Acoustic Guitar) and despair (No One Will Ever Love You) and pure goddamn ridiculousness (Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits). But if Merritt is to be believed, it's all a farce.
Sometime I wonder, as I'm singing along teary eyed to "Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side," whether I'm a fool for feeling so emotional while listening to this. Did Merritt write these songs with the analytical precision of a scientist, picking apart pieces of other songs to concoct a statement on the current state of love songs? The majority of these songs can be compared to other famous love songs, at least in terms of theme. "I Don't Want to Get Over You" is an emo song about not wanting to forget about someone even though you know you can't have them. "I'm Sorry I Love You" is a 50's pop song about wishing your love hadn't inconvenienced someone. "Yeah! Oh Yeah!" is a murder ballad. In some cases I can think of specific songs that are comparable to these songs. I wonder, as I listen to Merritt sing "I don't know if you are beautiful, for I love you too much" on "Asleep and Dreaming," whether I'd get laughed at for thinking it's the most beautiful line ever written. Or whether someone would hear the word "unboyfriendable" on "All My Little Words" and use it as ammunition as to why this album is meaningless. Sometimes I do.
But then I listen to the work put into it. To all the stunning metaphors on "Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin." To Merritt moaning "Some fall in love...I Shatter." To the great variety of instruments, including songs carried by banjo and violin and accordion and who knows what else. To "If I was the Grand Canyon I'd echo every word you say. But I'm me, I'm just me, and you used to love me that way." And I realize that there's way too much work put into this album for it to be nothing but mimicry. Yes, there are 69 songs, the album is really long, I don't really need to mention that. But there is so much thought, so much care. Sure, a lot of it is silly. "I Don't Want to Get Over You" has the laughable moment where Merritt suggests dressing in black and reading Camus as a way to cope with lost love. But love is ridiculous! Love isn't just serious, it's nonsensical and unpredictable too. And that song manages to be really affecting despite the obviously tongue-in-cheek lyrics. And that helps to uncover the true heart of this album; by reflecting on how we react to love, we invariably end up talking about love. You can't write a line like "I always say I love you when I mean 'turn out the light'" with no specific experience in mind. And you can't end a song called "The Way You Say Goodnight" with the line "oh I could write a song about the way you say goodnight" without caring just a little. Man, sometimes Merritt is just too clever for his own good. [First added to this chart: 06/18/2014]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,906
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Like walking through an empty city, thinking about your high school and college friends
At the risk of stealing the idea for this summary from a review I read on Rate Your Music, this album perfectly conveys the idea of "post college angst." Emo has become a pretty widely derided genre, but this is probably because most people who hear the word "emo" think of Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and My Chemical Romance instead of Rites of Spring, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Cap'n Jazz. There is a value to the kind of immature angst conveyed in this type of emo music, because whether or not we can still relate to it, it's still something everyone goes through growing up. But what Emergency & I does is go beyond the normal sexual frustration and feelings of hopelessness and ventures into a much more mature rumination on what it means to grow up and still have these emotions.
There's such a wide range of themes on this album that it still sometimes shocks me when I listen to it. The hopefulness of songs like A Life of Possibilities and You Are Invited contrasts perfectly with the pessimism of songs like Gyroscope and What Do You Want Me To Say. The Jitters and Spider in the Snow are the easiest for me to relate to, as a recent college grad who misses everything about living close to the friends I made during my time at school. Memory Machine seems to be about a simple wish to be able to forget the bad moments of life, but whenever I hear it I can't help but think about how nostalgia frames everything that happened in the past (even the bad memories) as enjoyable. The album predictably touches on the desire for sex as well, but does so in a very mature way (which is masked as being immature). Not content to stay outside the realm of science fiction, the album veers into a fairly depressing tale in 8 1/2 minutes about the sun going out and everyone having 8 1/2 minutes to reconcile with people before they freeze (I think that's what it's about anyway). It's like Bowie's Five Years, but more frantic. And of course The City wraps everything together with a nice bow. (Obligatory mention of Back and Forth which isn't even close to my favorite on the album but is a fantastic closer, and which has more words packed into it than I could ever hope to decipher even on repeated listens.)
As far as instrumentation goes, I hardly know what to call it. I labeled it as Post Hardcore in my iTunes library, but there are definite punk and indie rock influences as well. The vocals might be, in my opinion, the best on any album ever. And it all combines to sound like something you swear you've heard before but becomes more unique every time you hear it. [First added to this chart: 05/05/2015]
At the risk of stealing the idea for this summary from a review I read on Rate Your Music, this album perfectly conveys the idea of "post college angst." Emo has become a pretty widely derided genre, but this is probably because most people who hear the word "emo" think of Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and My Chemical Romance instead of Rites of Spring, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Cap'n Jazz. There is a value to the kind of immature angst conveyed in this type of emo music, because whether or not we can still relate to it, it's still something everyone goes through growing up. But what Emergency & I does is go beyond the normal sexual frustration and feelings of hopelessness and ventures into a much more mature rumination on what it means to grow up and still have these emotions.
There's such a wide range of themes on this album that it still sometimes shocks me when I listen to it. The hopefulness of songs like A Life of Possibilities and You Are Invited contrasts perfectly with the pessimism of songs like Gyroscope and What Do You Want Me To Say. The Jitters and Spider in the Snow are the easiest for me to relate to, as a recent college grad who misses everything about living close to the friends I made during my time at school. Memory Machine seems to be about a simple wish to be able to forget the bad moments of life, but whenever I hear it I can't help but think about how nostalgia frames everything that happened in the past (even the bad memories) as enjoyable. The album predictably touches on the desire for sex as well, but does so in a very mature way (which is masked as being immature). Not content to stay outside the realm of science fiction, the album veers into a fairly depressing tale in 8 1/2 minutes about the sun going out and everyone having 8 1/2 minutes to reconcile with people before they freeze (I think that's what it's about anyway). It's like Bowie's Five Years, but more frantic. And of course The City wraps everything together with a nice bow. (Obligatory mention of Back and Forth which isn't even close to my favorite on the album but is a fantastic closer, and which has more words packed into it than I could ever hope to decipher even on repeated listens.)
As far as instrumentation goes, I hardly know what to call it. I labeled it as Post Hardcore in my iTunes library, but there are definite punk and indie rock influences as well. The vocals might be, in my opinion, the best on any album ever. And it all combines to sound like something you swear you've heard before but becomes more unique every time you hear it. [First added to this chart: 05/05/2015]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,337
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Like walking along a beach with your girlfriend who you've been with since high school after she just had a miscarriage
Most of the narratives surrounding this album are stupid. Or at the very least, inessential to enjoying or understanding it. Anne Frank? Yes, there are lyrics that are probably about her (the years can't just be a coincidence). And yes, there is talk about "burying her body with others" and "sav[ing] her in some sort of time machine." But if you didn't know who Anne Frank was this album would still be incredible. The other narratives are generally around this being a pretty clichéd pick for "best underground indie album eva", which is unfortunate because this really is a great hidden treasure that, outside of all that context, is still great.
How do I know? Well, the first time I heard it all I knew was that it was listed on some sites as a great album. And the cover was neat, so I listened to it. And...I've never had a case of "love at first listen" as powerful, before or since. By the time Oh Comely hit I knew this was my favorite album. I listened to it several days in a row. Two Headed Boy became my go to jam. I wrote lyrics in my notebooks when I was bored. I jokingly said that my dream girl had to be able to name all 11 tracks on this album (provided my dream girl hadn't already slit her wrists). This album became my one true love.
Why? It wasn't the simple yet beautiful guitars. There's nothing like simple songs without much to them, but anyone can write songs that repeat the same chords over and over again. It wasn't the variety of instruments, though I had never heard an album with a singing saw before. And I like bagpipes a lot too. And it wasn't the perfect amount of fuzz that permeates the entire album. The lo-fi recording does help to give it that old timey, penny arcade vibe though.
No, the thing that really got me was Jeff Mangum delivering lyrics that sadden and enlighten at once, and the fact that he did it in the most carefree voice I'd ever heard. He's not a great singer, by any means. I do enjoy his voice because I like high-pitched, atonal sounds, but most people would probably be turned off by him. But he doesn't care, which is great. He holds nothing back, hollering at the top of his lungs about God knows what. There's a lot of nonsense on this album; there are mentions of radio wires and Christmas trees and Jesus Christ and all sorts of things that have no congruence to anything else on the album. But every once in a while, Mangum drops a line that is unforgettable:
"And how I remember you, how I would push my fingers through your mouth to make those muscles move."
"And in room one afternoon I knew that I could love you, and from above you how I sank into your soul, into that sacred place where no one dares to go"
And that's where the magic comes from: the fact that within so much chaos, imperfection, and brashness there are touches of real beauty. And semen. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Most of the narratives surrounding this album are stupid. Or at the very least, inessential to enjoying or understanding it. Anne Frank? Yes, there are lyrics that are probably about her (the years can't just be a coincidence). And yes, there is talk about "burying her body with others" and "sav[ing] her in some sort of time machine." But if you didn't know who Anne Frank was this album would still be incredible. The other narratives are generally around this being a pretty clichéd pick for "best underground indie album eva", which is unfortunate because this really is a great hidden treasure that, outside of all that context, is still great.
How do I know? Well, the first time I heard it all I knew was that it was listed on some sites as a great album. And the cover was neat, so I listened to it. And...I've never had a case of "love at first listen" as powerful, before or since. By the time Oh Comely hit I knew this was my favorite album. I listened to it several days in a row. Two Headed Boy became my go to jam. I wrote lyrics in my notebooks when I was bored. I jokingly said that my dream girl had to be able to name all 11 tracks on this album (provided my dream girl hadn't already slit her wrists). This album became my one true love.
Why? It wasn't the simple yet beautiful guitars. There's nothing like simple songs without much to them, but anyone can write songs that repeat the same chords over and over again. It wasn't the variety of instruments, though I had never heard an album with a singing saw before. And I like bagpipes a lot too. And it wasn't the perfect amount of fuzz that permeates the entire album. The lo-fi recording does help to give it that old timey, penny arcade vibe though.
No, the thing that really got me was Jeff Mangum delivering lyrics that sadden and enlighten at once, and the fact that he did it in the most carefree voice I'd ever heard. He's not a great singer, by any means. I do enjoy his voice because I like high-pitched, atonal sounds, but most people would probably be turned off by him. But he doesn't care, which is great. He holds nothing back, hollering at the top of his lungs about God knows what. There's a lot of nonsense on this album; there are mentions of radio wires and Christmas trees and Jesus Christ and all sorts of things that have no congruence to anything else on the album. But every once in a while, Mangum drops a line that is unforgettable:
"And how I remember you, how I would push my fingers through your mouth to make those muscles move."
"And in room one afternoon I knew that I could love you, and from above you how I sank into your soul, into that sacred place where no one dares to go"
And that's where the magic comes from: the fact that within so much chaos, imperfection, and brashness there are touches of real beauty. And semen. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,468
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Like walking through a construction site listening to a pop album through one shitty earbud
What kind of album is this? What's its genre? Well, a quick look at a few places will tell you this is a "lo-fi indie" album. But that's not a genre, is it? Lo-fi recording is a production technique, not a writing technique. Let's pretend for a minute that this wasn't recorded on a four-track recorder and instead had a moderate studio budget. What would this album be then? Well, I think it would be a pop album, and a very good one at that. "Gold Star For Robot Boy" and "The Queen of Cans and Jars" could be classic power pop tracks. "Mincer Ray" is a sweet indie pop song. "Awful Bliss" is a slow ballad for the climax of a rom-con. These are probably the four poppiest songs on the album, but the rest of the album is scattered with great pop hooks as well. Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout prove themselves here to be masterful songwriters. And I think that's the biggest thing that makes this album endlessly listenable.
Is that what people talk about when this album is brought up though? No, it's the production. So let's answer a crucial question: is this album better because of the production? Yes, a hundred times yes. So the narrative isn't misguided, just incomplete. If you've never given this album a chance, give opener "Hardcore UFOs" a spin. There are so many things that make this song great. Those immediate alt-rock guitars. The way the verse and chorus both immediately hook you. But then, in the second half, it happens. The guitar completely cuts out for a moment. Is it intentional? I have no idea, but even if not I think it really makes the song. There's something about the combination of great pop melodies and poor recording quality that really makes this album gel, as if you're listening to some lost gem that an unknown band that should have been huge recorded. These kinds of moments are all over the album. "Ester's Day" starts as a weird synthy track before melting into an absolutely beautiful ballad. "A Big Fan of the Pigpen" segues from over-the-top "ba-ba-bas" to a noisy, chaotic outro.
The production also makes this album feel really loose, as if the band is just playing around and experimenting. The experiments don't always work; "Her Psychology Today" feels undercooked, as do a few of the very short tracks. But that almost makes the album better, as it shows its flaws for the world to see. If nothing else, it adds to the chaos that the fuzzy recording and silly lyrics provide. This is a loose album, never meant to be taken seriously. Well, at least I think. Most of these songs seem like nonsense, but there are moments of sanity as well if you choose to look for them. Is "Kicker of Elves" a song about kicking mythical creatures or a commentary on how we pick on the smaller among us? Probably the former. But is "Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory" about an acid trip or how we fall out of touch with people we used to know? Probably the latter. Sometimes the line blurs too much for us to be able to tell though. Is "I Am a Scientist" about using drugs to understand the world or about human beings trying to learn too much? Not sure about that one... [First added to this chart: 08/09/2013]
What kind of album is this? What's its genre? Well, a quick look at a few places will tell you this is a "lo-fi indie" album. But that's not a genre, is it? Lo-fi recording is a production technique, not a writing technique. Let's pretend for a minute that this wasn't recorded on a four-track recorder and instead had a moderate studio budget. What would this album be then? Well, I think it would be a pop album, and a very good one at that. "Gold Star For Robot Boy" and "The Queen of Cans and Jars" could be classic power pop tracks. "Mincer Ray" is a sweet indie pop song. "Awful Bliss" is a slow ballad for the climax of a rom-con. These are probably the four poppiest songs on the album, but the rest of the album is scattered with great pop hooks as well. Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout prove themselves here to be masterful songwriters. And I think that's the biggest thing that makes this album endlessly listenable.
Is that what people talk about when this album is brought up though? No, it's the production. So let's answer a crucial question: is this album better because of the production? Yes, a hundred times yes. So the narrative isn't misguided, just incomplete. If you've never given this album a chance, give opener "Hardcore UFOs" a spin. There are so many things that make this song great. Those immediate alt-rock guitars. The way the verse and chorus both immediately hook you. But then, in the second half, it happens. The guitar completely cuts out for a moment. Is it intentional? I have no idea, but even if not I think it really makes the song. There's something about the combination of great pop melodies and poor recording quality that really makes this album gel, as if you're listening to some lost gem that an unknown band that should have been huge recorded. These kinds of moments are all over the album. "Ester's Day" starts as a weird synthy track before melting into an absolutely beautiful ballad. "A Big Fan of the Pigpen" segues from over-the-top "ba-ba-bas" to a noisy, chaotic outro.
The production also makes this album feel really loose, as if the band is just playing around and experimenting. The experiments don't always work; "Her Psychology Today" feels undercooked, as do a few of the very short tracks. But that almost makes the album better, as it shows its flaws for the world to see. If nothing else, it adds to the chaos that the fuzzy recording and silly lyrics provide. This is a loose album, never meant to be taken seriously. Well, at least I think. Most of these songs seem like nonsense, but there are moments of sanity as well if you choose to look for them. Is "Kicker of Elves" a song about kicking mythical creatures or a commentary on how we pick on the smaller among us? Probably the former. But is "Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory" about an acid trip or how we fall out of touch with people we used to know? Probably the latter. Sometimes the line blurs too much for us to be able to tell though. Is "I Am a Scientist" about using drugs to understand the world or about human beings trying to learn too much? Not sure about that one... [First added to this chart: 08/09/2013]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,399
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Like chilling on your friend's porch on the last night of summer in a small Midwestern town, talking about maybe going to Dairy Queen while the uncertainty of the upcoming school year looms
There are songs and albums that are often described as "summer albums" or "winter albums" because of the feelings they invoke. In that regard this is the perfect fall (or at least late summer) album. It's repetitive in a way that is almost hypnotic, invoking images of weeks where the same thing happens every night. It's quiet and understated, which mirrors calm summer nights. And despite that, it's also a little anxious, lyrically but also musically. And it's this last quality that invokes a sense of change and uncertainty.
I wrote about emo a little bit in my Dismemberment Plan review, so I won't rehash all that here, but it's important when listening to this to remember what emo is all about. Rock fans and people who would rather leave their teenage years in the past have made emo kind of a dirty word in the cultural lexicon. People are encouraged to hide their feelings and grow up instead of connecting to or reflecting on their past emotions. But emo is just short for emotions, and all this music is about is the direct display of emotions. Because as much as many singers inflect and wail and want you to relate to them, sometimes it takes a little bit more. It means subdued music instead of grandiose choruses. It mean lyrics like "you can't miss what you forget."
As you might have guessed from the preceding paragraphs, this is an album about change that focuses on uncertainty and how it can mess with a person. Musically it lives somewhere between math rock and post rock, which results in the beautiful, shimmering melodies that repeat over and over until you're almost sick of them. The songs fit well together yet never get stale; things like the horns on "Summer's End" and the closer help to add another layer that really draws you in. Lyrically there are themes of a break up, of regretting past actions, and of retreating deeper inside yourself to find peace. It's an album that's hard to get through sometimes because of how powerful it is, but I never regret listening to it.
Random fun fact: on all the non-instrumental songs on this album, the closing lyrics are the song's title. Not sure if it means anything but it's a thing. [First added to this chart: 05/18/2015]
There are songs and albums that are often described as "summer albums" or "winter albums" because of the feelings they invoke. In that regard this is the perfect fall (or at least late summer) album. It's repetitive in a way that is almost hypnotic, invoking images of weeks where the same thing happens every night. It's quiet and understated, which mirrors calm summer nights. And despite that, it's also a little anxious, lyrically but also musically. And it's this last quality that invokes a sense of change and uncertainty.
I wrote about emo a little bit in my Dismemberment Plan review, so I won't rehash all that here, but it's important when listening to this to remember what emo is all about. Rock fans and people who would rather leave their teenage years in the past have made emo kind of a dirty word in the cultural lexicon. People are encouraged to hide their feelings and grow up instead of connecting to or reflecting on their past emotions. But emo is just short for emotions, and all this music is about is the direct display of emotions. Because as much as many singers inflect and wail and want you to relate to them, sometimes it takes a little bit more. It means subdued music instead of grandiose choruses. It mean lyrics like "you can't miss what you forget."
As you might have guessed from the preceding paragraphs, this is an album about change that focuses on uncertainty and how it can mess with a person. Musically it lives somewhere between math rock and post rock, which results in the beautiful, shimmering melodies that repeat over and over until you're almost sick of them. The songs fit well together yet never get stale; things like the horns on "Summer's End" and the closer help to add another layer that really draws you in. Lyrically there are themes of a break up, of regretting past actions, and of retreating deeper inside yourself to find peace. It's an album that's hard to get through sometimes because of how powerful it is, but I never regret listening to it.
Random fun fact: on all the non-instrumental songs on this album, the closing lyrics are the song's title. Not sure if it means anything but it's a thing. [First added to this chart: 05/18/2015]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,829
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Like walking through a forest glade at 5 in the morning
Or alternatively, if you want to know what listening to this album is like, just look at the cover. That guy looks kind of sad...but not TOO sad. Like he's got some heavy stuff on his mind but he'll probably make it through.
And that's certainly the prevalent theme here. "Suddenly everything has changed." If there was ever a statement that could force anyone to stop and think, that's got to be it. And throughout this album there's a sense of change and moving on. The album opens with a mini-rock opera type thing that lasts only two songs but is about scientists stopping the sun from hitting the earth. Then there's The Spider Bite Song, which talks about a series of disasters that almost ends well but PLOT TWIST it's a break-up song. Bummer. And of course the aforementioned Suddenly Everything Has Changed really hits hard. The statement itself seems to come just as abruptly as a life-changing event.
But don't worry, because Waiting For a Superman summarizes the album's actual theme well: though things may be bad, we should be happy, since in order for us to know they're bad, things must have been good at one point. It's a tough pill to swallow, but in the end we should be optimistic. Musically this album represents a change from the loud, screeching guitar tones of Clouds Taste Metallic, and it compliments that theme well. The soaring synths and drum beats on the opener are only the beginning of one of the most deceptively triumphant albums I've heard. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Or alternatively, if you want to know what listening to this album is like, just look at the cover. That guy looks kind of sad...but not TOO sad. Like he's got some heavy stuff on his mind but he'll probably make it through.
And that's certainly the prevalent theme here. "Suddenly everything has changed." If there was ever a statement that could force anyone to stop and think, that's got to be it. And throughout this album there's a sense of change and moving on. The album opens with a mini-rock opera type thing that lasts only two songs but is about scientists stopping the sun from hitting the earth. Then there's The Spider Bite Song, which talks about a series of disasters that almost ends well but PLOT TWIST it's a break-up song. Bummer. And of course the aforementioned Suddenly Everything Has Changed really hits hard. The statement itself seems to come just as abruptly as a life-changing event.
But don't worry, because Waiting For a Superman summarizes the album's actual theme well: though things may be bad, we should be happy, since in order for us to know they're bad, things must have been good at one point. It's a tough pill to swallow, but in the end we should be optimistic. Musically this album represents a change from the loud, screeching guitar tones of Clouds Taste Metallic, and it compliments that theme well. The soaring synths and drum beats on the opener are only the beginning of one of the most deceptively triumphant albums I've heard. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,139
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Like walking underground and hearing a party up above you, but feeling much more content where you are
"I was dressed for success, but success it never comes"
If I was a musician, I'm sure that I would work hard to make sure my work was completely perfect. I'd agonize over every guitar tone and effect and drum beat. I wouldn't be unique in that regard - Bruce Springsteen spent like 6 months working on "Born to Run." The song, not the album. But this is also a little contradictory, because if I was a musician I'd want my music to sound as organic and spontaneous as possible. I wouldn't want it to sound processed; there's nothing wrong with that but there's something special about music that sounds off-the-cuff. And the only way to do that is just grab an instrument and play.
Which is what it sounds like Pavement did here. 110% of reviews that you read about Pavement will call them slacker rock, and it definitely sounds like there was a lack of effort on this album. Some might complain about that, but I love it. Stephen Malkmus's lazy, carefree vocals are great to sit back and chill to. The production here also fits into the vibe; later Pavement albums retained the slacker mood but polished the production, which was part of the reason they never achieved this quality again. The scratchy, noisy guitar is the perfect counterpart of the subdued bass and thudding drums.
The other reason they never achieved this quality again is because they never wrote another "Summer Babe." Or "In The Mouth A Desert." Or "Here." The first four songs on this thing are all completely flawless, and as the album progresses the songs morph from noisy pop tracks to jagged soundscapes. "Jackals" is the epitome of this, as it's more of a journey than a song. And though the majority of songs are loud and harsh, the scratchy guitar disappears on beautiful tracks like "Zurich Is Stained" to produce a more melodic sound. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
"I was dressed for success, but success it never comes"
If I was a musician, I'm sure that I would work hard to make sure my work was completely perfect. I'd agonize over every guitar tone and effect and drum beat. I wouldn't be unique in that regard - Bruce Springsteen spent like 6 months working on "Born to Run." The song, not the album. But this is also a little contradictory, because if I was a musician I'd want my music to sound as organic and spontaneous as possible. I wouldn't want it to sound processed; there's nothing wrong with that but there's something special about music that sounds off-the-cuff. And the only way to do that is just grab an instrument and play.
Which is what it sounds like Pavement did here. 110% of reviews that you read about Pavement will call them slacker rock, and it definitely sounds like there was a lack of effort on this album. Some might complain about that, but I love it. Stephen Malkmus's lazy, carefree vocals are great to sit back and chill to. The production here also fits into the vibe; later Pavement albums retained the slacker mood but polished the production, which was part of the reason they never achieved this quality again. The scratchy, noisy guitar is the perfect counterpart of the subdued bass and thudding drums.
The other reason they never achieved this quality again is because they never wrote another "Summer Babe." Or "In The Mouth A Desert." Or "Here." The first four songs on this thing are all completely flawless, and as the album progresses the songs morph from noisy pop tracks to jagged soundscapes. "Jackals" is the epitome of this, as it's more of a journey than a song. And though the majority of songs are loud and harsh, the scratchy guitar disappears on beautiful tracks like "Zurich Is Stained" to produce a more melodic sound. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,873
Rank in 1992:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Like stumbling through a messy apartment trying to find a spoon that isn't burnt so you can have some Lucky Charms
My love for this album is so great, I can only describe it in music critic cliches, so here it goes: Pure sonic pleasure. 17 brilliantly-layered songs about heroin that make Trainspotting seem like a comedy. Great lyrics, diverse instrumentation, central theme, full circle ending. If the Flaming Lips teamed up with Alice in Chains to do an album of Slowdive covers, this is what it would sound like. The best underground album of the 90s.
Alright, so I can do a little better than that. This is an album that I happened to encounter a long time ago thanks to a music writer who was convinced Failure was one of the best 50 musical artists of all time. They are not, but this is one hell of an album. Since the initial review I read (which listed this the third best album of the 90s), I mostly found reviews that called this derivative. Or Nirvana imitators. Or post grunge. Well, it's probably derivative in the sense that it does mirror a lot of the "alternative" rock of the 90s, but I don't hear any Nirvana influence.
For one thing, Ken Andrews doesn't sound anything like Kurt Cobain, despite what others will tell you. And their song-writing style is much different than the popular grunge bands in that it feels a lot more methodical and calculated. Every guitar tone and effect seems carefully planned and perfectly executed. And I mean, come on. This borders on space rock. No grunge band ever opened a song with a bongo beat like on The Nurse Who Loved Me (at least I think that's what it is). No grunge band ever achieved the type of vocal manipulation found on Pillowhead. And no grunge band ever wrote as meandering and entrancing a song as Another Space Song.
Lyrically the album deals with themes of addiction, reclusiveness, and anxiety. It's a dark album; Dirty Blue Balloons finds the narrator getting high off of nail scrapings. Leo finds him running to his car to avoid the imagined hell hounds that are chasing after him. In Stuck On You he compares his addiction to a tick or a song stuck inside his head. In Pitiful he tells heroin "I will enjoy you." It's a heavy concept, and the space-tinged melodies give it an ...well... other-worldly quality. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
My love for this album is so great, I can only describe it in music critic cliches, so here it goes: Pure sonic pleasure. 17 brilliantly-layered songs about heroin that make Trainspotting seem like a comedy. Great lyrics, diverse instrumentation, central theme, full circle ending. If the Flaming Lips teamed up with Alice in Chains to do an album of Slowdive covers, this is what it would sound like. The best underground album of the 90s.
Alright, so I can do a little better than that. This is an album that I happened to encounter a long time ago thanks to a music writer who was convinced Failure was one of the best 50 musical artists of all time. They are not, but this is one hell of an album. Since the initial review I read (which listed this the third best album of the 90s), I mostly found reviews that called this derivative. Or Nirvana imitators. Or post grunge. Well, it's probably derivative in the sense that it does mirror a lot of the "alternative" rock of the 90s, but I don't hear any Nirvana influence.
For one thing, Ken Andrews doesn't sound anything like Kurt Cobain, despite what others will tell you. And their song-writing style is much different than the popular grunge bands in that it feels a lot more methodical and calculated. Every guitar tone and effect seems carefully planned and perfectly executed. And I mean, come on. This borders on space rock. No grunge band ever opened a song with a bongo beat like on The Nurse Who Loved Me (at least I think that's what it is). No grunge band ever achieved the type of vocal manipulation found on Pillowhead. And no grunge band ever wrote as meandering and entrancing a song as Another Space Song.
Lyrically the album deals with themes of addiction, reclusiveness, and anxiety. It's a dark album; Dirty Blue Balloons finds the narrator getting high off of nail scrapings. Leo finds him running to his car to avoid the imagined hell hounds that are chasing after him. In Stuck On You he compares his addiction to a tick or a song stuck inside his head. In Pitiful he tells heroin "I will enjoy you." It's a heavy concept, and the space-tinged melodies give it an ...well... other-worldly quality. [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
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Like walking through a concert hall where five bands are playing at once
Everything that could ever be written about this record has already been written.
(For a long time my thoughts on this album were just that one line anti-review, and when I wrote it I thought it was a pretty clever way to highlight how much this album has been talked about and doesn't really need any introduction or additional praise. Four years on, it strikes me as kind of lazy. Partially because I did it mostly because I didn't have much to write about Loveless. But also because there are plenty of other records on this chart that have been talked about more than Loveless and the general musical community is even more sick of hearing about. And yet I've gone and written my thoughts on Revolver, The Velvet Underground & Nico, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. If anything, outside of Internet circles, Loveless hasn't been talked about enough. But four years on I still find myself without much of a way to put what's so great about Loveless into words, so I've decided to stick with the anti-review for now.
After all, how can anyone translate Loveless into words anyway? More so than any other album on this list, Loveless isn't about songs. It isn't about riffs or song structure. Is it even about notes or chords? It's really just about noise and sound. But this isn't a noise album, or even a noisy album. In fact, this is pretty accessible, and I daresay there's a pop album under there somewhere. I expect that a regular alt-rock radio listener wouldn't be too turned off by "When You Sleep," even if they might spurn it for foregoing a regular chorus for that massive riff. "Soon," on the flip side, is pretty laid back, and with a clearer sound wouldn't be too out of place amid the Internet pop landscape of 2020. Yet this is the album that almost bankrupted its label because of all the overdubs and noise (which is one thing about Loveless that is over-talked about). Kevin Shields is nearly deaf, and has to limit the amount of recording he does because of the damage to his ears, I'm sure in part because of guitar style demonstrated here. MBV concerts are notoriously loud, the kind of thing you bring hunting ear protection to in the hope you can still hear after the night is over. But this album is soothing, the rare kind of loud album you could listen to with a headache and not be bothered by. "Only Shallow" opens with that barrage of who knows how many guitars, but it doesn't push you away. It draws you in. One can't put that into words, so why bother trying.
And yet, maybe that's the beauty of Loveless. Maybe it's just one big contradiction. Walls of feedback that are arranged into layers and melodies so pretty that a casual listener might not even realize how many layers there are. This might be a controversial opinion, but I think it's one of those albums that's the be-all and end-all of its genre. I'm not sure there are any other shoegaze albums out there that are even worthwhile given that Loveless exists. And how could there be? It's already a genre that is about detachment, about breaking away from the need for songwriting and relying on the sound and textures. So when you take that, put in this much effort, write a song like "Sometimes," put those orchestral flourishes over a hazy drone on "To Here Knows When," and top it all of with the goddamn "When You Sleep" riff, why bother with any other albums? I do have a few other albums labeled as shoegaze in my iTunes library, but they're mostly not shoegaze. They're alt-rock (Swervedriver), dream pop (Slowdive), noise pop (Jesus and Mary Chain, though it's true there's a large noise pop influence on Loveless as well), or whatever Ride is. And there are a couple other MBV albums, but every other MBV album is either a test run for Loveless or an effort to break away from Loveless while retaining the key elements. I would argue that Loveless isn't just a band making a great album that defines them - it's a band capturing how they SHOULD sound, where all their other albums just sound a bit off.
I feel like all that didn't really say much of anything, which is my point. You can't put sound into words any easier than you can smell a feeling or taste a vision (maybe someone with synesthesia would be able to write about this album...). And you can't explain Loveless without hearing it. So if you want to know why it's so great, just listen to the damn record.)
(Let's see if the review-under-the-guise-of-not-being-able-to-write-a-review gimmick ages better than the anti-review gimmick.) [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Everything that could ever be written about this record has already been written.
(For a long time my thoughts on this album were just that one line anti-review, and when I wrote it I thought it was a pretty clever way to highlight how much this album has been talked about and doesn't really need any introduction or additional praise. Four years on, it strikes me as kind of lazy. Partially because I did it mostly because I didn't have much to write about Loveless. But also because there are plenty of other records on this chart that have been talked about more than Loveless and the general musical community is even more sick of hearing about. And yet I've gone and written my thoughts on Revolver, The Velvet Underground & Nico, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. If anything, outside of Internet circles, Loveless hasn't been talked about enough. But four years on I still find myself without much of a way to put what's so great about Loveless into words, so I've decided to stick with the anti-review for now.
After all, how can anyone translate Loveless into words anyway? More so than any other album on this list, Loveless isn't about songs. It isn't about riffs or song structure. Is it even about notes or chords? It's really just about noise and sound. But this isn't a noise album, or even a noisy album. In fact, this is pretty accessible, and I daresay there's a pop album under there somewhere. I expect that a regular alt-rock radio listener wouldn't be too turned off by "When You Sleep," even if they might spurn it for foregoing a regular chorus for that massive riff. "Soon," on the flip side, is pretty laid back, and with a clearer sound wouldn't be too out of place amid the Internet pop landscape of 2020. Yet this is the album that almost bankrupted its label because of all the overdubs and noise (which is one thing about Loveless that is over-talked about). Kevin Shields is nearly deaf, and has to limit the amount of recording he does because of the damage to his ears, I'm sure in part because of guitar style demonstrated here. MBV concerts are notoriously loud, the kind of thing you bring hunting ear protection to in the hope you can still hear after the night is over. But this album is soothing, the rare kind of loud album you could listen to with a headache and not be bothered by. "Only Shallow" opens with that barrage of who knows how many guitars, but it doesn't push you away. It draws you in. One can't put that into words, so why bother trying.
And yet, maybe that's the beauty of Loveless. Maybe it's just one big contradiction. Walls of feedback that are arranged into layers and melodies so pretty that a casual listener might not even realize how many layers there are. This might be a controversial opinion, but I think it's one of those albums that's the be-all and end-all of its genre. I'm not sure there are any other shoegaze albums out there that are even worthwhile given that Loveless exists. And how could there be? It's already a genre that is about detachment, about breaking away from the need for songwriting and relying on the sound and textures. So when you take that, put in this much effort, write a song like "Sometimes," put those orchestral flourishes over a hazy drone on "To Here Knows When," and top it all of with the goddamn "When You Sleep" riff, why bother with any other albums? I do have a few other albums labeled as shoegaze in my iTunes library, but they're mostly not shoegaze. They're alt-rock (Swervedriver), dream pop (Slowdive), noise pop (Jesus and Mary Chain, though it's true there's a large noise pop influence on Loveless as well), or whatever Ride is. And there are a couple other MBV albums, but every other MBV album is either a test run for Loveless or an effort to break away from Loveless while retaining the key elements. I would argue that Loveless isn't just a band making a great album that defines them - it's a band capturing how they SHOULD sound, where all their other albums just sound a bit off.
I feel like all that didn't really say much of anything, which is my point. You can't put sound into words any easier than you can smell a feeling or taste a vision (maybe someone with synesthesia would be able to write about this album...). And you can't explain Loveless without hearing it. So if you want to know why it's so great, just listen to the damn record.)
(Let's see if the review-under-the-guise-of-not-being-able-to-write-a-review gimmick ages better than the anti-review gimmick.) [First added to this chart: 08/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
33,788
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 23. Page 1 of 3
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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% | |
| Sleater-Kinney | 1 | 1% | |
| Cloud Nothings | 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 |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
94/100 (from 149 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 149 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
90/100  | 01/16/2023 22:04 | Johnnyo | | 80/100 |
90/100 | 05/21/2022 09:11 |  Timestarter | | 90/100 |
 100/100 | 09/11/2021 15:03 |  AvalancheGrips | | 89/100 |
95/100 | 08/31/2021 21:02 | leniad | | 85/100 |
100/100 | 04/28/2021 09:45 |  DriftingOrpheus | | 91/100 |
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 93.6/100, a mean average of 93.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 94.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums favourites
Showing latest 20 members who have added this chart as a favourite | Show all 43 members
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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We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.