Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by AvalancheGrips

Top Songs (somewhat in order):
The Avalanches- Live At Dominoes
Songs: Ohia- Farewell Transmission
Swans- Bring The Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture
Grizzly Bear- Sleeping Ute
Low- Fly
Viet Cong- Death
Swans- Finally, Peace
Swans- A Piece Of The Sky
Against All Logic- Cityfade
Sudan Archives- Home Maker
Viagra Boys- Baby Criminal
Fleet Foxes- Third Of May
Sonic Youth- Daydream Nation
Godspeed You! Black Emperor- Storm
Denzel Curry- Melt Session #1
Denzel Curry- Walkin
Talking Heads- Born Under Punches
Black Country, New Road- The Place Where He Inserted the Blade
Godspeed You! Black Emperor- Dead Flag Blues
Radiohead- How To Disappear Completely
Komm, Susser Todd- Arianne
Marty Robbins- Big Iron
Kendrick Lamar- These Walls
Kendrick Lamar- Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst
Radiohead- There, There
MGMT- Siberian Breaks
Black Midi- Slow
MGMT- Little Dark Age
Low- White Horses
Kendrick Lamar- Wesley's Theory
Grizzly Bear- Yet Again
Big Thief- Time Escaping
Injury Reserve- Outside
Nina Simone- Sinnerman
Black Country, New Road- Haldern

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Another very early pick. This one is definitely personal as I don't think many people would rank black midi very high on their charts. This is black midi's greatest showing thus far. They have gone full maximalist on this album, something I thought they had already reached on Cavalcade, how wrong I was. Ever since Schlagenheim, I knew these guys would keep doing crazy shit and keep accelerating. I just didn't know they would be this good this fast. Cavalcade has a lot of good songs on it, but it doesn't really feel like a journey like Hellfire does. The songs on that album don't go along together like these do. I mean Hellfire is kind of a concept album, exploring sin and telling the stories of awful people.

black midi have kind of shed the noisy, post-punk skin that they were born with. Their music is still aggressive and loud sometimes, but they're much more prog than punk nowadays. In many ways, this makes their music even more interesting. Each second of this album sounds different from the one prior. But this does not make it sound cluttered and unfocused, no. Instead, they build and build on this momentum, ever changing and growing. Many of these tracks end with huge, crushing crescendos, some that you can foresee just from the initial notes.

I think that Cavalcade serves as a proof of concept after hearing this album. They were pushing towards this sound in that album but couldn't quite touch it yet. Every track on this album is in some way crazier than "John L", which is quite an accomplishment. Well, here's to LP4. TBE

Fav Tracks: "Sugar/Tzu", "Eat Men Eat", "Welcome to Hell", "The Race Is About To Begin", "The Defence"
[First added to this chart: 07/16/2022]
Year of Release:
2022
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,390
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The most organic and perfect Radiohead album. This album goes back and forth with Kid A, it's so hard to choose between the two.

Favorite Songs: "15 Step", "Bodysnatchers", "Nude", "Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi", "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2018]
Year of Release:
2007
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,117
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Comments:
13. (=)
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Radiohead took kind of a big risk with this album. They were widely known for their guitar-based rock that had cool effects and soundscapes and harrowing melodies. Well, they all of those elements except for the guitars. The guitar shows up just on four songs, and really only a little on "Morning Bell". Their style also got a lot freakier, more abstract. Of course, they were abstract before, but this was different. What the hell do the lyrics on the song "Kid A" mean? And what's with the vocals? Why did they include a freakish jazz explosion of "The National Anthem"? I can imagine that these were the questions running through the minds of critics because this album got PANNED. However, history has not treated these critics kindly as Kid A is now critically acclaimed and universally loved by fans. Thus, the risk paid off.

The vocal effects on "Everything In Its Right Place" are probably my favorite element of the song. The reversed and manipulated voices fit perfectly with the heavy, but soft, synths. This is a very simple song, instruments wise: a synth, a drum machine probably, and voice manipulator; but I can tell that a lot of work went into crafting this song and it is a perfect opener because it is weird as hell.

"Kid A" is a very satisfying song for me. The synths are just so soft, they feel like they can put you to sleep. There is definitely a lullaby quality to this song. This feeling is added to with the vocals. They are also just and somehow comforting, even if they sound a bit unnerving. This is an unpopular song but I quite like it.

"The National Anthem" pretty much cemented my love for this album. The heavy, fuzzy bass and the Krautrock beat are killer, the jazz freakout is so fucking badass. There really isn't much more to say, this song is killer.

It took me three tries to listen to this album fully because of "How To Disappear Completely". At the time, I was easily bored by acoustic guitar ballads. Even when I listened all the way through the first time, I was unimpressed. It was probably my least favorite song on the record for a while. Now, it is easily my favorite Radiohead song. Walking into my first day of senior year with this song playing in my earbuds really hit, and I liked high school. The chords and the bass create the most heavy feeling of melancholy and Thom's vocals are just so good. There's so much going on in this track that it's really hard to pin down all the right words to describe it. I think that is a great quality for a track to have.

"Treefingers" is good.

"Optimistic" may seem like a really boring, run-of-the-mill Radiohead track, but I really enjoy it. The return to guitars is kinda refreshing on this album and the chord progression is really good. I love the climaxes on this song and the jazzy outro is really satisfying for me.

"In Limbo" is probably my least favorite track, but it's still pretty good. I'd say it's more atmospheric than melody driven. Kinda boring and repetitive, but a good palette cleanser for what's to come.

"Idioteque" is a very jarring song. I think that is why it is so good. It has a very sparse instrumentation and emotional vocals. Of the highest rated tracks on this album it is probably my least favorite, however it's still pretty perfect to me and a staple of Radiohead's discography.

I love the way "Idioteque" phases into "Morning Bell". I think it is one of the best moments on the album. The actual track "Morning Bell" is pretty good, but not too special. I really like the buildup towards the end and the weird high-pitched sounds. Pretty solid.

"Motion Picture Soundtrack" is the song that has taken the longest to grow on me. It still has some growing to do, but I really enjoy it. It is a gorgeous way to send off the album. I like that they went for a more classical approach without rock guitars or synths.

In summary, this album fucking rocks. And it's better than OK Computer.

Favorite Tracks: "Everything In Its Right Place", "The National Anthem", "How To Disappear Completely", "Optimistic", "Idioteque"
[First added to this chart: 03/30/2018]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank Score:
51,355
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Oh my god! This album is like climbing a 10,000 mile mountain. It is punishing and brutal. However, listening all the way through is super rewarding. The first half is perfect and the second is not far from it. There are horrific and disgusting tracks like "All Lined Up", "Volcano", and "I Love You This Much". There are colossal behemoths like "Helpless Child", "Animus", "The Sound", and "The Final Sacrifice". There are cathartic and pleasing tracks like "Live Through Me", "Blood Section", "Red Velvet Corridor", and "Secret Friends". Finally, there are ambient drone tracks like "I Was a Prisoner In Your Skull", "The Beautiful Days", and "Surrogate 2". The album is so diverse but it is one of the most cohesive albums I've ever listened to, and Michael Gira, God basically, was able to achieve with a double album at that. This album is depraved and vile, yet it is nostalgic and beautiful even. It really was a harrowing experience listening to this for the first time, but it was one that made me better. I think it is severely underrated even though it really is not for everyone.

Favorite Tracks: "I Was A Prisoner In Your Skull", "Helpless Child", "Volcano", "Animus", "The Sound"
[First added to this chart: 01/13/2019]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,510
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Comments:
15. (=)
Germany Can
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I've gotten really into Krautrock lately. It's a very fascinating genre to me as it sounds like nothing else of the time. And that's kind of the point. The movement was meant as a reinvention of German culture, because in the recent years prior, German culture wasn't so great if you know what I mean. Can is arguably the greatest band to come out of this music. Their influence can be seen in all kinds of music new and old. Tago Mago is probably the greatest album that the band Can has released. Although Ege Bamyasi and Future Days are very impressive as well. Tago Mago really is the defining album for Can.

Favorite Songs: "Paperhouse", "Mushroom", "Oh Yeah", "Halleluhwah", "Bring Me Coffee Or Tea"
[First added to this chart: 07/09/2018]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,200
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This album is so innovative and unique. Every song is a banger with David Byrne's iconic and eccentric ramblings at their most insane.

Favorite Songs: "Born Under Punches", "Crosseyed and Painless", "The Great Curve", "Once In A Lifetime", "Houses in Motion"
[First added to this chart: 01/12/2018]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,707
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The droning start to this record is a sign of the apocalypse to come. Somehow a simple low hum perfectly exemplifies the mood of this album. The spoken word section that follows is some of the most chilling apocalyptical foretelling I have heard yet. It reminds me so much of the movie and book The Road by Cormac McCarthy, probably why I listened to this album while reading the book. Strings and guitars weep in sorrow in the background and then give way to trains and Shepard Tones. These tones create a feeling of hopelessness and eternal damnation, until they give way to a triumphant and satisfying western tune. It's as if we are following the hero cowboy on his trek through the snowy, ashy desert of the apocalypse. This is genuinely one of my favorite moments in music period, I love walking through my campus at night to this part. What follows is a beautiful lullaby that feels just too short for how gorgeous it is.

"East Hastings" starts with a bagpipe interpolation of the opening guitar and string sequence of the "The Dead Flag Blues" and a woman yelling about California and the greatness of America. This somehow contributes to the overarching sense of endtimes and dread, like a street corner preacher screaming about the end of the world while a bagpipe provides the soundtrack, much like how the band still played while the Titanic sank. In comes the weak and simple guitar which builds into a section that kind of has an attitude about it when the drums and bass come in. This builds into a hectic and noisy end whereupon comes radio transmissions and sinister drones. There comes harsh mosquito sounds that decay into mechanical factory noises to end the track. This is my least favorite track on the record but it is still fucking amazing.

"Providence" comes in with an interview with a man called Bailey Blaise Finnegan III. He says it is not the end of times, in his other appearances he preaches about the shithole that is America and how it is failing miserably. In comes a watery and rhythmic guitar line that builds and builds with instrumentation, like horns and xylophones. This section is very much sound and texture based more than tuneful. Then comes the toms that compel this track into something more concrete. I love the sound of these drums, there's something primitive about them. It then becomes a very reverberated and delayed rendition of a funeral song. This section is almost like some ghost is trying to repent but their words just wisp away into the atmosphere. Then a triumphant marching beat forces its way through. When this ends a somber and withdrawn voice asks, "Where are you going?" before fading away into more drones. The record cuts silent for a couple minutes until a hidden guitar solo section comes in. This section is roaring and disorienting. This is some of the heaviest music that Godspeed You! has created. It ends with heavy, roaring, and distorted guitars and then fades away, ending the album, ending the journey.

This album is probably one of the most harrowing experiences in music. The drones paint a world of barren desolation and the musical sections seem to represent characters that live within that world: the poet drunk on the world, the heroic cowboy, the child who is sung a lullaby, a screaming preacher on the streets, a man with a quick temper and bad attitude, a prophetic and hopeless man, an upbeat and joyful teenager, a mourning mother singing at her son's funeral, a soldier who used to march many miles, a lost child, a violent and sullen man. These characters wander the wastes described by the poet in the opening, hopeless and lost. That is my interpretation at least.
[First added to this chart: 07/07/2022]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
785
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This is probably the most beautiful album of all time. I can't even describe how this album makes me feel so I'm not going to try.

Favorites: "Svefn-G-Englar", "Flugufrelsarinn", "Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása", "Olsen Olsen", "Ágætis Byrjun"
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2018]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,234
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"The jazz album of punk"
This album is the Pinnacle of punk in my eyes, maybe tied with London Calling. The guitar interplay is just fantastic. "Marquee Moon" is one of the greatest songs of all time. This is a perfect album in my book.

Favorite Songs: "See No Evil", "Venus", "Friction", "Marquee Moon", "Torn Curtain"
[First added to this chart: 01/30/2018]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,719
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Comments:
20. (=)
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[First added to this chart: 06/18/2021]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,216
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 2 of 10

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 0 0%
1960s 3 3%
1970s 15 15%
1980s 4 4%
1990s 20 20%
2000s 22 22%
2010s 23 23%
2020s 13 13%
Artist Albums %


Swans 4 4%
Can 3 3%
Godspeed You! Black Emperor 3 3%
Black Midi 3 3%
Radiohead 3 3%
Tyler, The Creator 2 2%
Portishead 2 2%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 49 49%
United Kingdom 26 26%
Mixed Nationality 5 5%
Canada 4 4%
Australia 3 3%
Germany 3 3%
Japan 3 3%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%
Live? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes

Biggest fallers
Faller Down 1 from 82nd to 83rd
For The First Time
by Black Country, New Road
Faller Down 1 from 83rd to 84th
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
by Big Thief
Faller Down 1 from 84th to 85th
Nymphs
by Nicolas Jaar

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings

Average Rating: 
91/100 (from 66 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
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).
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85/100
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08/28/2023 10:14 Tamthebam  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 55285/100
  
75/100
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02/07/2023 20:32 Moondance  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 45584/100
  
90/100
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02/07/2023 20:04 Johnnyo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,01480/100
  
90/100
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02/07/2023 17:33 Keatownrodriguez  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 7894/100
  
90/100
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02/07/2023 15:47 Weepingguitarman  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 4195/100

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).
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This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 91.3/100, a mean average of 91.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.3.

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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments

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Rating:  
85/100
From 08/28/2023 10:15
A young persons chart only 22 albums from the 60's, 70's & 80's but your descriptions are brilliant so that lifts the chart to 85/100
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 02/07/2023 20:04
Great descriptions accompanying the entries. Good chart
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 02/07/2023 17:33
That's a lot of depressing albums. Also, Komm Susser Tod is definitely one of the greatest songs ever!
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Rating:  
100/100
From 10/31/2022 22:52
I was right, this thing DOES increase in quality based on fascinating descriptions.
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From 08/10/2022 20:11
@leniad

I have heard all of those albums actually lol. Bitches Brew by Miles Davis is just outside of my top 100 and was on here for a little bit. Jazz on its own isn't my favorite, I love it when it's incorporated with other genres, à la progressive rock, post-rock, Hip-Hop
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Rating:  
100/100
From 08/10/2022 17:20
you really like swans jajaja, also you already consider ants from up there in top 10, interesting, good chart overall
want to know if you have heard jazz? if not here are 3 albums i recommend you

The black saint and the sinner lady- charles mingus
ins a silent way - miles davis
a love supreme - john coltrane
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 08/10/2022 16:57
Fantastic chart!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 02/09/2022 19:13
cool picks
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Rating:  
100/100
From 02/06/2022 02:30
Very modern chart!
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Rating:  
95/100
From 02/06/2022 01:25
Nice descriptions on your top picks.
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Best Albums of the 2010s
1. To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
3. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar
4. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
5. Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens
6. A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead
7. Lonerism by Tame Impala
8. Blond by Frank Ocean
9. ★ (Blackstar) by David Bowie
10. Modern Vampires Of The City by Vampire Weekend
11. High Violet by The National
12. Teen Dream by Beach House
13. Currents by Tame Impala
14. Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
15. Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs
16. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
17. Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver
18. AM by Arctic Monkeys
19. This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
20. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
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