I'm back for real this time.
31.Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)Easily the most out of place song on the list,Songs In The Key Of Life is one of th e most enjoyable albums ever. In fact this probably deserves to be higher. A double album with NO FILLERS? Count me in! The music is also some really enjoyable. The voice of Stevie is one of the brightest voices I’ve ever heard. His performance on tracks like Isn’t She Lovely and Sir Duke just make me smile every single time. In context it’s impossible for me to get through this record,a double soul record? I can’t even get through a single album by Curtis Mayfield or Otis Redding. The difference with this record is that there’s so many ideas on this album. Stevie really nailed it with this one. You have jazz influences on Sir Duke,pop on Isn’t She Lovely and funk with Have A Talk With God. There are couple tracks with synth or string arrangements and it keeps things fresh every single time. This album impresses me every single time. 21 of the catchiest and joyful songs ever written.
Favorite Track:Sir Duke
30.Opeth - Still Life (1999)Do I really need to say anything about this record? Sure,Blackwater Park is amazing too. And My Arms,Your Hearse is one of the most badass albums ever. But to me Still Life is Opeth at their best. The riffs,the passages,the lyrics,every single thing you might want from a good progressive metal album. Now the main difference why I prefer this over Blackwater Park is that the music just sounds more raw and dirty. The guitars sound really muddy in a good way. Another noticeable difference is that Still Life is actually a concept album. It’s about a man who had been banished from his town. He comes back 15 years later and starts looking for the Melinda,the girl he loved. The ending is pretty sad but the story is surprisingly good. The album is very consistent and constructed in a way that prevents you getting burnt out of it like other death metal albums. There are two great acoustic tracks,Benighted and Face Of Melinda. The opener The Moor has some amazing passages and is an amazing intro to the album. Godhead’s Lament is more of the same. Moonlapse Vertigo is still my favorite due to the wonderful melodies floating around. Serenity Painted Death is the heaviest track and it kicks a ton of ass. White Cluster is also pretty heavy and closes the album wonderfully. Still Life is a must for music fans although I still recommend Blackwater Park for beginners. But that doesn’t change the fact that Still Life is one of the best metal albums I’ve ever heard.
29.Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)There are a lot of sad singer songwriters out there,but what differs Elliott from the crowd? Besides his wonderful songwriting and warm voice,he’s also one of the most heartfelt and sincere musicians I’ve ever heard. He gives me the feels that not many artist can. He’s just a unique person and musician. This album is one of the most painful albums ever and it succeeds to make me sad every damn time. But there is always an optimism under that miserable layer. Imagine if Nick Drake joined The Beatles and kinda got a little more sad yet a bit less pessimistic. There are so many different feelings on these tracks. Speed Trials has some very sarcastic lyrics. Ballad Of Big Nothing is uplifting but Pictures Of Me is filled with angst. 2:45 AM is freaky and Alameda is sad as hell. The point is,the album is very rewarding and for such a short album has so much depth to it. Sure the album isn’t perfect,but it’s one of the most impressive.
Favorite Track:Between The Bars