Current Top 40
It has been quite a few years since I thought out what my top 40 albums were and I felt that enough had changed since then that it was time to do it again. The last time around I was crazy enough to write about each and every album on the list. I know that nobody wants to read all that so this time I focused on ten stand out albums that have left a lasting impression. I have previously discussed a number of these albums and in that case a link to those posts is provided in case you are itching for more.
Dream it
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Dream it 〰️
40. Pixies - Dolittle
39. Abba - Super Trouper
38. Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor
37. Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
36. Chelsea Cutler - How to Be Human
35. Daft Punk - Discovery
34. Green Day - Dookie
33. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
32. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
31. Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
30. Arcade Fire - Funeral
29. Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire
28. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
27. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
26. Elliot Smith - Figure 8
25. Weezer - Blue Album
24. The Descendents - Cool to Be You
23. The Killers - Sam’s Town
22. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
21. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
20. HAIM - Days Are Gone
Thanks to NPR’s coverage of SXSW in 2012 I was made aware of this amazing band whose influences span from Joni Mitchell to The Beatles to Motown and this is evident in their sound. This album really packs a punch it actually caught me off guard the first time I listened having only heard a single song by them before; I felt like I knew what to expect but I was wrong and what they delivered exceeded my expectations. The song “The Wire” is evidence of this; it’s a track that almost sounds like it could have been written decades ago as it flawlessly blends the old and the new creating a sound unique to HAIM.
They have released three albums thus far and every single one is absolutely brilliant; admittedly it is not a huge discography but there are a minuscule amount of artists where I enjoy every album they drop or even three albums in a row. They are a group that just nails everything that they do. It all started with Days are Gone; which is an album just chalk full of stellar tracks. Whenever I listen to this album I make sure that I have the time to listen to it from start to finish without stopping because once I begin I just have to finish it. “Falling” is such an amazing intro track with this awesome sound that blends modern styles with the sounds of the 80’s that I am a huge sucker for. “The Wire” contains an incredibly addictive hook “But I fumbled and when it came down to the wire, It felt right” I find myself singing along every single time. Then I get to synth sounds in “Days are Gone” and think to myself “wow, this album just flows so well.” These three sisters; Este, Danielle and Alana Haim not only sound incredible together but they write and compose together in a way that is truly magical. I hope that they will continue masterpieces for many years to come.
19. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
18. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
17. Joni Mitchell - Hejira
16. Carole King - Tapestry
15. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
14. Radiohead - OK Computer
13. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
While listening to this album the other day; I didn’t notice any particularly profound in the tracks; that isn’t to say you won’t find anything of great significance within the tracks lyrics and I also don’t mean to say that there isn’t more there which I simply missed. You will most assuredly find moving messages in these tracks; for me at least though these songs they say exactly what they are trying to say right there for you to hear. It was an interesting experience to listen to these tracks without striving to find anything hidden beneath the surface and simply enjoying them for what they are. This made me think that perhaps when I listen to music I get caught up in searching for what a track is trying to say rather than just listening. Anyway I love how all their voices blend together in such magnificent harmony; it was a peaceful and enjoyable experience.
12. Alanna Matty - Thoughts & Feelings
It is truly extraordinary when an artist has input and responsibility for each and every facet of the music they release. There is no hidden agenda nor corporate greed it is just about the music. I can only imagine the sheer amount of work involved in this process and the vast amount of skills necessary for such an undertaking. The fact that as you listen you know you are hearing what the artist intended. There was no back and forth with any side influences, requirements that needed to be appeased or any struggles of that nature, you are getting the music in the purest form possible. It is hard to state just how incredible I think this is. As I was preparing for this post and listening to this album a few more times through; despite the many many times I had listened to this album something new hit me. I did say in my original post about this album that I was confident it was one that I would be revisiting many time over. This new thing that hit me was brilliance of this albums title. Thoughts & Feelings, what is music if not the magnificent culmination of an artists thoughts and feelings from a particular period of time. No matter how much time passes or how things may change there will always be a connection to the time when the album was first conceived and created as an artist has poured so much of themselves into its creation. It is evident that is the case with this album.
11. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
10. Lisa Ritchie - Landlines
Songs are written about specific experiences whether about the artist personally, someone they know or perhaps a character they created. Yet when a song is superbly crafted their meanings extend far beyond the situation they were written about. This is because they create this thought-provoking atmosphere. They allow you to contemplate and ponder your own experiences and fashion personal connections to the song. This describes all the music that Lisa releases. As I was pondering on this album once again (I wrote more lengthy thoughts on it here and here) and thinking what I could add to what I’ve already said I found my mind going back to the title track “Landlines” and the way it so profoundly tells this tale of disappearing technology and with it this deeper connection to people. I thought about it in a new light and how it could be applied to the grief we feel when we lose someone and can no longer “call them like we used to” whether referring to calling them on the phone, speaking to them in person or simply enjoying their company. It is truly amazing how much two people with a strong connection can say by simply sitting in silence. Not in a way that is awkward or tense at all; there is this full conversation happening within the splendid carol of silence the two have created. I once had people I could share this kind of silence and there were profound discussions had during such silent moments.
9. Jawbreaker - Dear You
8. The Beatles - Revolver
7. Lights - Little Machines
Early last year I wrote about six albums that I feel changed my life and this album was featured on that list. Little Machines is a decade old this year and I remember so vividly being at the Marquee Theater in Tempe for the tour, hearing the album performed live and just being completely dumbfounded by what I was hearing. I had been listening to Lights for about five years by this point and had been enjoying her albums quite a bit but this was an entirely new and breathtaking experience. It was on a level above what she had done before or since and I flat out sprinted to the merch table after the show to purchase the record. I haven’t stopped listening to it since and it is crazy to think how long it has been since that show. This is an album that I recommend to everyone whether they are fans of electropop or not as I feel that album is more than any genre that may be used to define it and there is something here for all to enjoy.
6. Taylor Swift - Folklore
I have not been shy about my admiration of this album I wrote about it a few times since its release, the best one is here. I remember listening to it the very first time and having such an emotionally affecting experience. It came at a time when I was in need of such an experience and it was from a source that I didn’t expect Not that I didn’t expect to enjoy the album but this was at least for me a very different listening experience than previous albums by Swift. The subject matter really showed that Swift was looking outward and discussing issues that others deal with and face each day as well as creating amazing characters and using them to weave these magnificent tales that I was instantly invested. Swift has released many outstanding albums since Folklore but it remains my favorite album she has released.
5. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
I know this sounds hyperbolic to say but in the forty minutes that it took to listen this album the first time I experienced something so profound that my life wouldn’t be the same afterwards. I am not trying to be overdramatic; this is truly how I felt after my first listen and I still feel that way a dozen years later. To be honest though it is something quite difficult to explain you really have to experience it. In a Walden kind of way Justin Vernon went out and wrote this album in a remote area away from the noise and cares of the world and what came out of that was something otherworldly. From what I understand all his albums are written this way and there is always something special about them but none of them before or since have hit me in the same kind of way that this album did. I truly cannot pick out a stand out or favorite track because I am thoroughly enamored by the entire album.
4. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
3. The Postal Service - Give Up
Take the geniuses behind both Dntel and Death Cab for Cutie put them together and this is what you get. It is truly something to experience. Gibbard and Tamborello are a perfect pair. I enjoy how beautifully tragic this album is and yet at the same time magnificently upbeat. Give Up is an unbelievably strong album from to finish. They achieved much here that Gibbard could never really do with Death Cab for Cutie; at least not in the same way and I love how different the sound is than anything else he has produced. It is the anthem for someone who is real about the pains of life and also wants to process them in a positive way through music. This album is inherently edgy yet also manages to be soothing. Give Up is lyrically genius, Gibbard has a poetic sense that is entirely his own. I especially love the tracks which include the amazing vocals of Jenny Lewis. Her voice so perfectly fits the style and feel of the album. I do not how you could not enjoy this album to be honest. Over these past two decades since its release I have frequently used these tracks to dance and sing my troubles away.
2. The Clash - London Calling
The Clash is quite possibly the most influential best punk band of all time. The album London Calling is regarded by many as being one of the greatest albums of all time. The Clash really know how to rock and rock hard. When I listen to this album it is like being slapped in the face with fantastic energy. It is responsible for not only my love of punk music but also reggae, ska and hard rock. They utilize styles from so many genres of music on this album it is mind boggling. This album has such an amazing sense of progression as each and every track builds upon its predecessor and by the end of it you feel a bit like they have beaten into the ground musically in the best possible way. It is fair to say that no other punk album will ever be able to effect me in quite the same way that this album did.
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
Give Up (which was mentioned just above) was so good that I was addicted to the sound I wanted more and I did not want to wait. Amazingly enough I got my wish only eight months later when Death Cab for Cutie released “Transatlanticism” which remains to this day not only the my favorite album they have released but my favorite album of all time. It was leaps and bounds above anything they had previously released and it was amazing to see how in a manner of only a couple years they had matured significantly as song writers. From start to finish this album is consistently astonishing. Every single track is incredibly moving, and quite often majestic. I remember listening to this album just after father had died in ’05 and it really hit hard. At the time I appreciated the deep emotion contained within it words; I really felt like Benjamin Gibbard understood what loss was and how painful it can be. You could hear in his voice and the lyrics he composed. As I listen to this album all these years later it still feels just as profound as it did during my first listen. This is a must listen for any who enjoy music despite your age or preferences. The glorious overall cadence of this commanding and elegant album breaks and all boundaries.
