My Top Ten: Albums
In looking back over my posts, I realized that I've never really dived into what my favorites of everything are. Yes, it's fairly easy to see from my reviews where my tastes in film, TV, and music lie, but I wanted to talk specifically about my favorites of pretty much everything. These lists outline my favorites from different genres of music and movies, as well as some more specialized lists. First up is a tough one: my top ten favorite albums of all time.
This particular list is actually quite fluid, so there's no guarantee that I'll feel the same way in a month, much less in a year. That being said, at the time of this writing, these are my ten favorite albums in my library.
10. Revolver - The Beatles (1964)
The Beatles' first inclusion on this list is definitely not their last, but it made me fall in love with the Fab Four in high school. Revolver was a transitional period for the band as they moved from their poppy origins towards a more psychedelic sound, but the fact that they didn't make incredibly trippy music here actually makes the album better to my ears. Songs like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Got to Get You into My Life" are some of the best songs The Beatles ever put onto recording, and the way the album flows from one track to another is stellar.
9. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis (1995)
I know I just reviewed this album, but I've listened to it a lot and have loved it for quite a while now. Oasis's second album for me takes the cake because of how great the composition is. The lyrics and simpler songwriting make it rise above anything else Oasis has ever done. You may hate hearing "Wonderwall," but you can't deny that it's actually a pretty good song at its core. Other standouts include the epic "Don't Look Back in Anger" and the stellar closer "Champagne Supernova." A 1990s classic.
8. Who's Next - The Who (1971)
The Who are a band with a knack for the epic, having two rock operas to their name in Tommy and Quadrophenia. However, their two most dynamic songs bookend this album, their best record and one of the best rock albums of all time. Between "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," however, are some fantastically written tunes from Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend that are overshadowed by The Who's two most famous songs. This is an incredibly complete album that is a musical journey from start to finish.
7. OK Computer - Radiohead (1997)
Radiohead has become one of my favorite bands as of late because of their consistent quality from album to album, so I feel it would be criminal not to include what I feel is their best. OK Computer is a work of art, with Thom Yorke's lyricism being quite well-inspired by the technological revolution of the time and Jonny Greenwood's guitar parts being incredibly supportive to the rest of the music. "Exit Music (for a Film)" and "Karma Police" are landmark tracks for these alternative rockers, and the way Radiohead uses a lot of different styles shows why transitional albums are sometimes best.
6. The Joshua Tree - U2 (1987)
Where to even begin? The sonic space of Brian Eno's production mixed with the more American roots influences that the band took and Bono's incredibly spiritual and earnest lyrics to create U2's best work. The track sequencing is impeccable and creates a perfect arc from beginning to end. U2's best songs from the 1980s are also here, from the absolutely epic "Where the Streets Have No Name" to the incredible balladry of "With or Without You" and the subdued politically-charged closer "Mothers of the Disappeared." It's all here, and in rare form.
5. Funeral - Arcade Fire (2003)
It's really rare when a band creates their best work on their debut, but that's exactly what's happened to Arcade Fire. Reeling from the loss of many loved ones, they wrote an album that has probably the most heart and passion in this entire list. The incredible "Neighborhood" sequence shows off just how well Win and Régine can write, while "Wake Up" reveals some incredibly dramatic flair. There is a mournful tone across the entire album that is incredibly evident in the slightly shaky vocals on nearly every track, and that tone makes it a very poignant listen all the way through.
4. Illinois - Sufjan Stevens (2005)
Looking at the album's cover and tragic misspelling of the titular state's name, you might think that it's meant to be a joke. I know I did. However, when I actually sat down and listened to Illinois, I found an incredibly moving tribute to my home state that is more than a little quirky and funny, but in an incredibly heartwarming way. The more orchestral compositions from Stevens make this his best work, and its deliberately lo-fi qualities make it strangely addictive to listen to. It's an incredible work of music that makes me laugh and cry and smile all in a single listen.
3. Becoming Who We Are - Kings Kaleidoscope (2014)
This is a perfect album. Perfect. If you've ever had a conversation with me about worship music, I'll bring up Kings Kaleidoscope and this album. It perfectly melds artistic music with poetic lyrics and redefines for me what worship music can be. From beginning to end, Becoming Who We Are flows beautifully, with some of its most artistic and musically intricate moments coming on its sub-60 second tracks. From the vertical "Glorious" to the incredibly moving "Zion" and the beautiful rearrangements of "All Creatures" and "How Deep," it's all here and incredibly beautiful.
2. Hamilton - Lin-Manuel Miranda (composer) (2015)
I laughed when I heard about Hamilton. I smiled when it started. I cried when it ended. What seems like something that Lin-Manuel Miranda would write on a dare is something that transcends Broadway to become one of the best musical compositions of all time in any genre. Primarily rapped but also using R&B, jazz, and even Britpop, Hamilton does the impossible with ease and makes history come alive in a way that no film, stage production, or musical composition has ever done and probably will ever do. The world will never be the same.
1. Abbey Road - The Beatles (1969)
The final album The Beatles recorded is not only their best, but probably the best of all time. It has the best song from the Fab Four's career, "Something," while also having several more of their immortal hits like "Here Comes the Sun" and "Come Together." The second half of the album is literally one seamless stream of musical consciousness and is an absolute masterwork of genius, even in its drug-influenced quirkiness. It is also The Beatles' best-recorded work, which makes it age far better than the rest of their catalog. Abbey Road is a classic, and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
There they are, my top 10 albums, in all their glory. Tune in next Friday for a review of Citizens & Saints' frontman Zach Bolen's new album 1001! Believe me, you won't want to miss it.
This particular list is actually quite fluid, so there's no guarantee that I'll feel the same way in a month, much less in a year. That being said, at the time of this writing, these are my ten favorite albums in my library.
The Beatles' first inclusion on this list is definitely not their last, but it made me fall in love with the Fab Four in high school. Revolver was a transitional period for the band as they moved from their poppy origins towards a more psychedelic sound, but the fact that they didn't make incredibly trippy music here actually makes the album better to my ears. Songs like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Got to Get You into My Life" are some of the best songs The Beatles ever put onto recording, and the way the album flows from one track to another is stellar.
I know I just reviewed this album, but I've listened to it a lot and have loved it for quite a while now. Oasis's second album for me takes the cake because of how great the composition is. The lyrics and simpler songwriting make it rise above anything else Oasis has ever done. You may hate hearing "Wonderwall," but you can't deny that it's actually a pretty good song at its core. Other standouts include the epic "Don't Look Back in Anger" and the stellar closer "Champagne Supernova." A 1990s classic.
The Who are a band with a knack for the epic, having two rock operas to their name in Tommy and Quadrophenia. However, their two most dynamic songs bookend this album, their best record and one of the best rock albums of all time. Between "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," however, are some fantastically written tunes from Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend that are overshadowed by The Who's two most famous songs. This is an incredibly complete album that is a musical journey from start to finish.
Radiohead has become one of my favorite bands as of late because of their consistent quality from album to album, so I feel it would be criminal not to include what I feel is their best. OK Computer is a work of art, with Thom Yorke's lyricism being quite well-inspired by the technological revolution of the time and Jonny Greenwood's guitar parts being incredibly supportive to the rest of the music. "Exit Music (for a Film)" and "Karma Police" are landmark tracks for these alternative rockers, and the way Radiohead uses a lot of different styles shows why transitional albums are sometimes best.
Where to even begin? The sonic space of Brian Eno's production mixed with the more American roots influences that the band took and Bono's incredibly spiritual and earnest lyrics to create U2's best work. The track sequencing is impeccable and creates a perfect arc from beginning to end. U2's best songs from the 1980s are also here, from the absolutely epic "Where the Streets Have No Name" to the incredible balladry of "With or Without You" and the subdued politically-charged closer "Mothers of the Disappeared." It's all here, and in rare form.
It's really rare when a band creates their best work on their debut, but that's exactly what's happened to Arcade Fire. Reeling from the loss of many loved ones, they wrote an album that has probably the most heart and passion in this entire list. The incredible "Neighborhood" sequence shows off just how well Win and Régine can write, while "Wake Up" reveals some incredibly dramatic flair. There is a mournful tone across the entire album that is incredibly evident in the slightly shaky vocals on nearly every track, and that tone makes it a very poignant listen all the way through.
Looking at the album's cover and tragic misspelling of the titular state's name, you might think that it's meant to be a joke. I know I did. However, when I actually sat down and listened to Illinois, I found an incredibly moving tribute to my home state that is more than a little quirky and funny, but in an incredibly heartwarming way. The more orchestral compositions from Stevens make this his best work, and its deliberately lo-fi qualities make it strangely addictive to listen to. It's an incredible work of music that makes me laugh and cry and smile all in a single listen.
This is a perfect album. Perfect. If you've ever had a conversation with me about worship music, I'll bring up Kings Kaleidoscope and this album. It perfectly melds artistic music with poetic lyrics and redefines for me what worship music can be. From beginning to end, Becoming Who We Are flows beautifully, with some of its most artistic and musically intricate moments coming on its sub-60 second tracks. From the vertical "Glorious" to the incredibly moving "Zion" and the beautiful rearrangements of "All Creatures" and "How Deep," it's all here and incredibly beautiful.
I laughed when I heard about Hamilton. I smiled when it started. I cried when it ended. What seems like something that Lin-Manuel Miranda would write on a dare is something that transcends Broadway to become one of the best musical compositions of all time in any genre. Primarily rapped but also using R&B, jazz, and even Britpop, Hamilton does the impossible with ease and makes history come alive in a way that no film, stage production, or musical composition has ever done and probably will ever do. The world will never be the same.
The final album The Beatles recorded is not only their best, but probably the best of all time. It has the best song from the Fab Four's career, "Something," while also having several more of their immortal hits like "Here Comes the Sun" and "Come Together." The second half of the album is literally one seamless stream of musical consciousness and is an absolute masterwork of genius, even in its drug-influenced quirkiness. It is also The Beatles' best-recorded work, which makes it age far better than the rest of their catalog. Abbey Road is a classic, and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
There they are, my top 10 albums, in all their glory. Tune in next Friday for a review of Citizens & Saints' frontman Zach Bolen's new album 1001! Believe me, you won't want to miss it.
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