LieLowTheWantedMan's Top 50 albums v. jesus christ again bro come on (1)

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Hello everyone, and welcome to my top 50. This is my third one, as I find a lot of my tastes have changed drastically since my second, although not as drastically as they did from my first to second list (which barely have any albums in common). In an effort to make things possibly more interesting, an artist may only show up once on this list. This includes two bands that have the same frontman. Note that this list WILL have similarities with my previous, but I like to think that A. there are not that many and B. I have become better at articulating my thoughts since then.

Now I will be basing this list off of my RYM ratings, and I don't think any of you know my RYM account so you won't be able to cheat. Unfortunately I have not rated anywhere near everything I own on the site, but I have tried to rate all the albums I really, really love. So I may accidentally miss something, but this will probably not be the case.

I will try to update daily, 3 albums a day up until 26-24, in which I will switch to two per day, up until 11-10 where I will switch to one. If I miss a day, you will get an extra special double update day if I have the time. The first three albums will probably be up later tonight.

Anyways, hope you all enjoy and maybe discover something new.

50. Beck – Odelay
49. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
48. Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
47. King Crimson – Discipline
46. Joy Division – Closer
45. Guided By Voices – Bee Thousand
44. Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots – s/t
43. Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
42. Unwound – Leaves Turn Inside You
41. Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
40. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d city
39. Elliott Smith – Either/Or
38. Massive Attack – Mezzanine
37. Porcupine Tree – Stupid Dream
36. Built to Spill – Perfect From Now On
35. Can – Future Days
34. Dalek – Absence
33. Burial – Truant / Rough Sleeper
32. Bright Eyes – Lifted Or The Story Is In the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
31. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf
30. Pink Floyd – Animals
29. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
28. Portishead – Dummy
27. The Jesus Lizard – Liar
26. Pixies – Doolittle
25. A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
24. Sonic Youth – Sister
23. Van der Graaf Generator – Pawn Hearts
22. American Football – American Football
21. Boris - Boris at Last -Feedbacker-
20. NoMeansNo – Wrong
19. Radiohead – Kid A
18. Sigur Ros – Agaetis Byrjun
17. Danny Brown - XXX
16. Slint - Spiderland
15. Brand New – The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
14. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
13. The Microphones – The Glow Pt. 2
12. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
11. Converge - Jane Doe
10. Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye
9. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
8. Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
7. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
6. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. Death Grips - The Money Store
4. Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
3. Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind
2. of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
1. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

[Scorpion]

I'm guessing we're looking at a BoC album at #1, though not sure which one. I'd say MHARTC, but we'll see.

Looking forward to this.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Well I made this quicker than I expected so by later tonight I mean RIGHT NOW!!!!

50. Beck - Odelay (1996)


Probably the most 90s album out there aside from perhaps the album that will come in at #41. Beck is someone I never gave a chance until not too long ago, but I later found myself enjoying this album thoroughly. He's a charming character both inside and outside of his music. He has a very distinct sound, yet manages to be very eclectic musically, giving us solid alt rock songs like Devil's Haircut and fun alt hip-hop/rap rock sort of songs like Hotwax. He also plays a multitude of instruments, listed on Wikipedia as acoustic guitar, slide guitar, electric guitar, vocals, harmonicas, bass, drums, percussion, analog keyboards, electric piano, clavinet, organ and celesta. This is a really fun listen and also very easy to get into.

Best songs: Devil's Haircut, Lord Only Knows, Where It's At

49. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)


This would probably be higher if I made this list a few weeks or so from now, as this just recently fully clicked for me. This is an album that can astound you with how complex, catchy, and well orchestrated it manages to sound all at once. Sufjan is just an amazingly talented songwriter and it shows bigtime here. And he manages to outdo Beck in quantity of instruments on this one, playing acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer, bass guitar, drums, electric guitar, oboe, alto saxophone, flute, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion, vibraphone, alto, sopranino, soprano, and tenor recorders, Casiotone MT-70, sleigh bells, shaker, tambourine, triangle, electronic organ, and vocals. He does all the arrangements and production as well. He put a crazy amount of work into this one. It's not without its flaws, there are a few tracks that I'm iffy with (and being 74 minutes long it isn't surprising), but the highs more than make up for it. Anyone who considers themselves a fan of indie music needs this album.

Best tracks: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!, John Wayne Gacy Jr., Jacksonville, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day

48. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)


Here's one of the greatest classic punk albums of all time. It is classified as hardcore punk, but unlike most hardcore punk, it isn't totally angst-ridden, dissonant, and crazy. It's packed with humour, catchiness, and awesome bass lines. Jello Biafra has a voice many don't like so much, but those lyrics would not be the same coming out of anyone else's mouth. His voice perfectly captures the snide hilarity of the lyrics and drives it to another level. As is common in punk, most of the songs are quite short, so nothing really overstays its welcome, but the tracks are just long enough to get the point across. It also ends with an awesome Viva Las Vegas cover, with some of the lyrics changed and injected with that Dead Kennedys humour/commentary. If you wanna get into some older punk, this album is a really good starting point in my opinion.

Best tracks: Kill the Poor, Let's Lynch the Landlord, Drug Me, Your Emotions, California Uber Alles, Holiday in Cambodia

BTW, best tracks are in order of appearance on the albums and are not necessarily in order of quality. And writeups will likely get longer as the list goes on when I feel I have more to say.

[Scorpion]

I used to really dig that Dead Kennedys album a while back. Haven't listened to it in a while, but I remember it being really good. I might have to listen to it again, to see how it has held up.

[Accelerando]

Great pick with Beck and Sufjan Stevens 

[senecadawg2]

I always enjoy your lists, so I'll certainly follow this one with baited breath as well.

Sufjan Stevens is a great inclusion, which I don't remember seeing on your previous lists, so hooray for that! Chicago is such a relaxing song.

[Zantera]

I will follow this list. Haven't heard any of the albums so far, but I expect great things. 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Will follow. Gotta check out that Sufjan Stevens album still.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

47. King Crimson - Discipline (1981)


This one might seem weird for a lot of people. But yes, Discipline is my favourite Talking Heads King Crimson album. In the Court of the Crimson King and Red are both very close, but I seem to enjoy this one the most consistently of all. ItCotCK has Moonchild, which I still like, but all that improv would be better replaced with another song. Red has Providence, which is great but not as great as the rest. Discipline, however, is consistently awesome from start to finish. Like I joked about earlier, it sounds very Talking Heads-ish, but I actually prefer it to them, even Remain In Light which is a fantastic album. The album is full of catchy, poppy tunes, but doesn't come without its fair share of King Crimson weirdness (how does anyone even comprehend the time signature fuckery that is the title track?). The lyrics are odd, but fun to listen to. The drumming on the song Indiscipline is just godlike. And the longest track, The Sheltered Sky, is just an awesome, super relaxing instrumental. Other King Crimson albums may have higher highs than this one, but this one has almost no lows, and I find is the easiest to listen to start to finish.

Best tracks: Frame By Frame, Matte Kudasai, Indiscipline, The Sheltered Sky

46. Joy Division - Closer (1980)


Oh boy, this one is a doozy. I actually feel I should have placed this higher, but it's pretty rare that I listen to it. Unknown Pleasures is a dark, unhappy listen, but still can be fun to listen to. On this one the darkness and unhappiness makes it almost unpleasant. It can pretty much crush almost any good mood I'm in. It doesn't treat depression with subtlety for sure, and by the time it was released the vocalist had already committed suicide. So that should definitely tell you something, heh. Anyways, right from the opening track you realize what you're up against. You're greeted with a pretty nifty, tribal-ish drum beat, and then suddenly the guitar comes in, and it sounds... weird to say the least. Almost like a power drill. Then Ian Curtis comes in with his signature, tired sounding baritone, singing the lyrics:

Asylums with doors open wide,
Where people had paid to see inside,
For entertainment they watch his body twist,
Behind his eyes he says, 'I still exist.'

Lots of people say those lyrics are about his epilepsy, and there was an incidence where he had a seizure on stage and because he had the tendency to dance like a complete maniac, people figured it was just part of the dancing. So yeah, right away it's completely unrelenting with its messages. There are songs that are less dissonant, like Isolation, which features super catchy and dancy instrumentation, but then Curtis' vocals come in sounding like he's almost about to break down. The contrast between the two really makes for a powerful song.

So yeah, I went on a lot longer about this one than the others. There's a lot to say about this one. Like I said, I'd have probably placed it higher if I was in the mood to listen to it more. Right now it's like a one listen every few months thing. But it's a really amazing piece of work, and I do recommend it.

Best tracks: Isolation, A Means to an End, Twenty Four Hours, Decades

45. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand (1994)


Now after an album that I had lots to say about, here's an album that's just awesome. No other way to put it really. The songs are very short. There are 20 songs and the album is only 36 minutes long. Most of the songs are kind of like if you took a solid, catchy rock tune, and stripped away everything but the good stuff leaving no filler in between. Or even an opposing point of view, they sound like song ideas that they didn't even feel like turning into a full song. That second suggestion is very likely. Because it almost seems like these guys don't care. The production is very lo-fi. There is a clear mistake in the opening track where it sounds like the guitarist may have dropped his pick or something because the guitar abruptly stops only to re-enter a few seconds later. See for yourself. There are a few songs that sound more fully fledged, however. A good example is I Am a Scientist, which is definitely the best song on the album in my opinion. This is a very low effort album. But what do you expect, it was literally made by an English teacher and his buddies. In any case, it works. There are so many little hooks on this album that will always enter my mind at random times. I always get the urge to sing along with Buzzards and Dreadful Crows. If you can dig the low production values, you'll probably love this one like I do.

Best tracks: Buzzards and Dreadful Crows, Tractor Rape Chain, The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory, Echos Myron, Gold Star for Robot Boy, Queen of Cans and Jars, I Am a Scientist

[Scorpion]

Closer is absolutely soul-crushing and I love it, though I have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy it. I love Ian Curtis' voice.

[Big Hath]

LieLow, does this list replace your previous version?

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Sure!

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Discipline is fantastic. Definitely one of King Crimson's best.

[Zantera]

Closer is REALLY good.

[Lolzeez]

Loving the list so far! That Sufjan Stevens album is imo the most melodic album ever,I can just get lost in that record every single time. It's so good. Only one record I haven't heard so far (Bee Thousand) but I'll give that one a spin pretty soon! 

[Heretic]

Good stuff so far (as per usual). John Wayne Gacy Jr. is the most haunting song I've ever heard, so props for mentioning it among your favorites from Illinois.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Ahh so GBV isn't so well known around these parts. I definitely recommend Bee Thousand to any indie fan. I would actually describe it as one of the most important indie albums to listen to but it seems not a ton know about it compared to others. You may hate it, I didn't care for it at first until I realized I couldn't get several of the songs out of my head, heh. It may sneak up on you.

44. Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots - s/t (2004)


So here we have a country album. But no ordinary country album by any means. A gothic country album. Lead by one of the ugliest musicians in the world, Jay Munly! Seriously, he looks severely malnourished at all times. Anyways, onto the album. It has one crucial flaw: it is way too long. However it's so awesome it makes it anyway. It's one of the few albums I prefer listening to the tracks separately. But really none of the songs aren't awesome, it just doesn't work as well as an album experience I find. So, as a result, it ends up fairly low despite the song-for-song quality being absolutely spectacular. Onto the sound, it is, as I described, gothic country. Which is country, only way darker and tending to be super atmospheric. The songs are really weird at times, super catchy at others, and something you can really get absorbed into. The lyrics are like typical old-school western lyrics, only from hell. Really good writing. And it has some mean fiddle playin'. If you typically hate country like I do, listen to this anyway. It's a whole different beast.

Best tracks: "Big Black Bull Comes Like A Caesar", "Old Service Road", "Cassius Castrato the She-Male of the Mens Prison", "Song Rebecca Calls, 'That Birdcage Song', Which Never Was Though Now Kind of Is Because of Her Influence...", "The Leavening of the Spit-Bread Girls"

43. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)


I may not listen to this near as much as I used to, but it's still a damn fine album. There's not much to say that hasn't been said as it's one of the quintessential angry teenager albums. I was close to putting The Fragile instead, but The Downward Spiral is a better album experience in my opinion. The songs are super catchy, even when dissonant. And it's just fun to listen to. I'm sorry I really don't have a ton to say about this album, but it's super famous and you should probably listen to it.

Best tracks: Piggy, March of the Pigs, Closer, The Becoming, Hurt

42. Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You (2001)


Here we have a post-hardcore band that decided being noisy wasn't fun anymore and so they made this double album full of different influences and quit music forever. This album is really quite tough to describe. If there was ever any album I couldn't place a specific genre tag on, this would be it. It can be straightforward rock, post-rock, indie, and even has drone sections. It's like rock music deconstructed. The general sound of the album is almost cold and alienating and yet many people like myself connect with it on a quite personal level. Simply put, this has to be listened to in order to be really understood. Best song is Terminus though, with its almost GY!BE-like middle section.

Best tracks: We Invent You, Look a Ghost, Terminus, Off This Century, Scarlette, Below the Salt

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Leaves Turn Inside You is incredibly cool.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Like Closer, it's another I wish I could place higher, but I have to be in a rare mood so it kinda loses points there. (Luckily for me I'm actually in one of those moods now. ) It's a really interesting album that may seem boring on the surface, but every listen you find more to love about it.

[Zantera]

Leaves Turn Inside You and The Downward Spiral are both masterpieces. 

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

41. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)



While Pavement's mainstream success is limited, they're arguably one of the most legendary indie bands out there. And it seems the favourite album of most is either this one or its lo-fi predecessor, Slanted and Enchanted. Slanted and Enchanted is an awesome album, but this one definitely has it beat in my opinion. This one is a better musical and emotional achievement. It has this perfect "90s summer" atmosphere throughout, and is overall a joy to listen to. Songs like "Elevate Me Later" and "Gold Soundz" are just melodically wonderful. "Stop Breathin'" has an almost post-rock middle section. And then there's "Cut Your Hair" which is a humorous, and super fun pop song. And there's a random 5/4 jazzy instrumental in "5 - 4 = Unity". This album has a lot to offer and carries such a neat atmosphere throughout. 100% essential indie listening.

Best tracks: Elevate Me Later, Cut Your Hair, Unfair, Gold Soundz, Range Life

40. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid m.A.A.d City (2012)



Here we have the first hip hop album to make the list. This thing became my obsession right after my first listen, and while that has died down it's still an amazing album. This is a concept album about Kendrick's life as a clueless teenager getting caught up in crime, gangs, and drugs in Compton. While some criticize hip hop for glorifying such things, listening to the lyrics shows you that it's quite the opposite here. Everything that sounds like it's glorifying such things is really just him emulating his mindset as a teen (which leads to a lot of misunderstandings apparently). It's not very often you'll find a hip hop album with the emotional value of this one. It really absorbs you into the world of Kendrick as a teen. Even if you're not looking for emotional value in your hip hop, the songs themselves are very well written. If you're not a hip hop fan, this isn't something that will change your mind, but it's a great listen. It's definitely one of the best albums of the decade thus far.

Best tracks: Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, Poetic Justice, M.A.A.D City, Swimming Pools, Sing About Me I'm Dying of Thirst

39. Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)



Here's another album from an artist who unfortunately ended up committing suicide. This time it's an indie folk album. The songs are full of great melodies, and the lyrics range from depressing to scathing. Elliott was a great lyricist, and his lyrics are a big part of why his songs are so great. He's also a pretty skillfull acoustic guitarist. It's a very intimate album I only ever really listen to when relaxing at home, as I enjoy just sitting down and getting really emotionally invested into it. It's another album that's hard to really go into great length about. If you like indie folk, this is one of the quintessential albums of the genre. It isn't really unique or anything, it's just top tier stuff.

Best tracks: Alameda, Between the Bars, Pictures of Me, No Name No. 5, Angeles, 2:45 A.M.

[Zantera]

Kendrick Lamar is the shit.

[Outcrier]

40. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid m.A.A.d City (2012)

It's definitely one of the best albums of the decade thus far.

39. Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)

Best tracks: Between the Bars

 

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

38. Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1997)



Mezzanine may have arrived nowhere near the beginning of the whole trip hop scene, but it's arguably the most influential trip hop album out there, aside from perhaps Dummy. It's a true night album in every sense. During the day it almost doesn't feel right to listen to it. But during the night is when I can really get sucked into the atmosphere, and I'm sure many others feel that way too. Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall are the masterminds behind this album, but are nowhere near the only ones as they incorporate multiple guest vocalists, including reggae musician Horace Andy and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins (and you can actually understand what she sings!). There are a fair few samples to be found, but you almost don't even realize they're samples because of how effortlessly woven into the music they are. Also, the song Man Next Door might be my favourite cover of all time. It is a cover of the reggae tune I've Got to Get Away by John Holt and the Paragons and the group completely transforms it from a fun little ditty into an immaculately atmospheric, yet still oddly catchy tune. This is pretty much the ultimate album to just relax at night to, and I highly recommend it.

Best tracks: Angel, Teardrop, Black Milk, Man Next Door, Mezzanine, Group Four

37. Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream (1999)



This is probably the toughest choice on here for me. There are several albums Steven Wilson has made, hell, even just with PT that could land in this spot. I love so much of what he does almost equally. In the end I settled for this. There's something about Stupid Dream that just sticks out to me above everything else he does. It just seems to have it all in one place. Criminally catchy pop tunes, depressing songs, psychedelic atmospheres, and a bit of progginess. Of course In Absentia would later take all this and throw it together with some metal, but I prefer this one for some odd reason. Baby Dream in Cellophane and This Is No Rehearsal are probably two of the bands most underrated songs. The former being incredibly haunting and possessing some of Steven's finest harmonies, the latter being catchy as all hell and doing something I'm a real sucker for: making a happy sounding song with depressing lyrics. There's also Piano Lessons, which is a real earworm, and even slightly humorous which is quite rare in PT's music. This album is a super satisfying listen every time, and I think everyone should give it a fair shake.

Best tracks: Piano Lessons, Slave Called Shiver, Don't Hate Me, This Is No Rehearsal, Baby Dream in Cellophane, A Smart Kid, Stop Swimming

36. Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On (1997)



This is a more recent addition to the list. From what I understand this is by far the group's most ambitious release, as many of their other albums are sort of safe but still great indie rock, while this is something much more. Think Modest Mouse if they decided to dabble in prog and post-rock a tad. It's definitely one of my favourite guitar albums of all time. While there's nothing much in the way of solos or technical prowess, the guitars have such a beautiful tone and are often layered in a way that's puzzling to figure out but oh so satisfying. I've heard this album described as a "proto-emo guitar symphony." And sometimes they bust out something just plain awesome (2:09 of Out of Site has to be one of the happiest sounding guitar riffs of all time). I mentioned prog earlier, and where you'll find it is in the song structures. Many songs (Out of Site being the most notable) go through such an insane amount of moods and motifs in not a lot of time but still sound perfectly natural. It's one of the more ambitious indie albums you'll come across in sound, but it's also one of the more beautiful.

Best tracks: Randy Described Eternity, I Would Hurt a Fly, Stop the Show, Out of Site

Since I missed yesterday, more to come soon-ish. Just gonna take a little break.

[Zantera]

Massive Attack and PT! 

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Apparently I couldn't do that. Well here's more.

35. Can - Future Days (1973)



Can is one of the most interesting bands of all time, hands down. At least in my opinion. They were always way ahead of their time, sound like nobody else out there, and have influenced countless bands in many genres. And yet to the mainstream they are generally unknown. Kinda like The Velvet Underground, only even more awesome and while there are bands out there that kind of sound like VU that came later on, no one ever sounded anything like Can aside from borrowing an element here or there. Their sound in their prime was characterized by the hypnotically funky drum beats of Jaki Liebezeit, the nearly gibberish vocals of Damo Suzuki, and the will to pull off wild experimentation (the weirdest of which would appear in tracks like Aumgn from Tago Mago).

But enough about the band as a whole, what about this album? Well, it's a bit departure from their earlier sound. The funkiness is mostly set back in favour of an airy, beachlike, almost ambient sound. There are only 4 songs on the album, so going into detail on each won't wind things out too long. The beach ambiance is most present on the title track. There are ocean sounds and some weird percussion noise that I'm not sure of but enhances that atmosphere. It's a super relaxing, hypnotic tune. Spray begins with a 5 minute mindbending percussion dominated improv section. The percussion is most certainly being played by multiple people unless Liebezeit is truly an octopus like some claim. The improv eventually descends into a hazy psychedelia as Damo sings some stoned sounding gibberish (as he's known for) and the song ends. Moonshake is basically a typical Can song. Super catchy and funky. Not much to say but it's a good'un. Bel Air is 20 minutes long and AMAZING throughout. This song makes me indescribably happy for some reason. Damo's vocal melodies just seem so optimistic, and the beachlike ambiance really sweeps you away here. Sadly it would be the last we hear of him as he left Can afterwards to become a Jehova's Witness.

Sorry this was so long, I tend to really ramble when it comes to Can.

Best tracks: Future Days, Spray, Bel Air

34. Dälek - Absence (2004)



This is the album that basically made me begin to appreciate hip hop. I had a passion for weird stuff, and while I don't find this to be super weird nowadays, it's most certainly unique. It's some sort of weird fusion between hip hop and shoegaze. It's darker sounding than most shoegaze but it's a fine description of the sound. Ever Somber especially sounds just like if MBV decided to recruit a rapper. While the noisey beats are more pleasantly shoegazey on that track, on most of the tracks the noise is more abrasive. And honestly it really gives me chills sometimes. The lyrics, while usually overcome by the beats and thus difficult to understand, are mostly politically conscious and very well written. The bass lines are often jazzy which almost contrasts the rest, but works for sure. Anyone interested in hip hop and shoegaze should definitely give this a listen.

Best tracks: Asylum (Permanent Underclass), A Beast Caged, In Midst of Struggle, Eyes To Form Shadows, Ever Somber

33. Burial - Truant / Rough Sleeper



Ahh but what's this? An EP. I know I'm in the minority when I say this, but this EP is Burial at his absolute peak. It features only two tracks, both of which are over 10 minutes. Looking back to his critically acclaimed album, Untrue, not one song is over 10 minutes. In fact in all of his three most recent EPs, only one track is shorter than the longest track on Untrue. Now most people seem to like Kindred the most of all the EPs. But for me this one reigns supreme. Both tracks feature a multitude of melodies and samples that either give me chills or toy with my emotions. This album is probably Burial at his absolute least beat oriented, and while I love the beats that Burial delivers in his music, I love the crackly, dark, streets-at-night ambiance he creates most of all. And it's pushed to the forefront on this release.

Best tracks: I guess if I HAD to choose one I'd go with Rough Sleeper.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Can is terrific and Future Days absolutely amazing.

[Sacul]

I fucking love Untrue, and will check this right now .

[Outcrier]

Some abstract dopeness 

[Zantera]

Burial is great!

[Lolzeez]

That Built To Spill record kicks so much ass. I skipped that album for so long thinking that I've had enough Indie Rock for a while and then I listened to the whole thing. Holy crap is that record extremely melodic and beautiful.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

32. Bright Eyes – Lifted Or The Story Is In the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002)



There was a period in my life when I was sad basically all the time. Now that time is over. But back when that was occurring I listened to this thing an unhealthy amount. Now that I'm happier I don't listen to it as much, but I still give it a listen on occasion and I can't deny how amazing it is. Now don't get me wrong it's not the most depressing album ever made or anything, but being unhappy seems to really enhance it more than any other album I can think of. I think because it doesn't reach so much of an extreme (like Closer does) and yet still is very sad and is so eloquently written it's just such a relatable album when you're in those shitty moods. And it clocks in at a whopping 73 minutes but goes by so much quicker than that IMO. This really is the perfect album for all mopey bastards. It's even complete with a couple glimmers of optimism. If you don't like sappy indie music this isn't for you. If you do, this is 100% essential. Conor Oberst really is one of the best lyricists out there.

Best tracks: The Big Picture, False Advertising, You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will., Don't Know When But a Day is Gonna Come, Nothing Gets Crossed Out, Make War, Waste of Paint, Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)

31. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf (2002)



Here's an album that isn't totally unique or groundbreaking, there's nothing to totally point out that's amazing about it, it just so happens that the quality of the songs is so high that it earns a spot on the list. Hell, lots of my love for this album might even just be due to nostalgia (my mom used to play this all the time when I was younger). But I'll try and come up with a bunch of stuff for a writeup. Well, the genre is stoner rock. The album has a strong "desert" atmosphere present throughout (which is exactly what they were going for). It's generally hard rocking and catchy as all hell, but tries other stuff at times (the opener is basically a metal track complete with harsh vocals, while the second track, No One Knows, has a bouncy groove and some pretty awesome bass). It's not an inaccessible album or anything. It's just awesome. Listen to it.

Best tracks: You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire, First It Giveth, A Song For the Dead, The Sky is Fallin', Hangin' Tree, Gonna Leave You

30. Pink Floyd - Animals (1977)



This has got to be one of the easiest albums to get through. I'm never bored listening to this one, that's for sure. It begins innocently enough, and while the ending track is basically the same with different lyrics, by the time you're through with the album that ending track has so much more effect. There are only 3 main tracks. The 17 minute, solo-packed Dogs. The groovy cowbell-driven Pigs. And the driving, heavy Sheep. Dogs is probably my favourite Pink Floyd song, Sheep probably third, and while I don't have an entire top 10 sorted out I figure Pigs would be on it too. Three quite different songs all of which are top tier Floyd. It's pretty hard to go over my love without going super in depth into all three tracks. Most people here are familiar with Pink Floyd, and those who aren't really should check this out. All there is to say. With how much I love this one, you can only imagine how much I love the next 29. Yeah, I love my music.

Best tracks: Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Sheep

[Zantera]

3 really nice picks! I love QotSA and Pink Floyd, and while I haven't fully checked out Bright Lights, the little I've heard has been good. 

[Scorpion]

Finally something I know! That QotSA album is really good, as is Animals. Much love for those two!

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Nothing but love for Animals. A masterpiece if anything.