Parama's Accidental Top 50 Albums List! (Current: #1)

[Crow]

I want to do one of these real quick before my roulette starts up, whoops 
I have 50 albums but they're only vaguely ordered and I don't have time to listen to them all so take the numbers with a grain of salt, I already moved up one album like 20 slots on a whim after my initial ranking and stuff so.
First post coming in a minute, I'm probably just gonna do 3 or so albums a day and this'll be done pretty fast.

also yeah the write-ups probably won't be that long because they're spur-of-the-moment and I don't have organized thoughts whoops

EDIT: Now that I'm done here's the masterpost of the list!
1. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element I
2. Oceansize - Frames
3. Thrice - Beggars
4. Dream Theater - Awake
5. Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition
6. Sigur Rós - ()
7. Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane
8. Mew - Frengers
9. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
10. Haken - The Mountain
11. Thank You Scientist - Maps of Non-Existent Places
12. Caligula's Horse - The Tide, The Thief, And River's End
13. Casualties of Cool - Casualties of Cool
14. Isis - Panopticon
15. Thrice - Vhiessu
16. Ayreon - The Human Equation
17. Oceansize - Music For Nurses
18. Pain of Salvation - Entropia
19. fun. - Aim and Ignite
20. Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites
21. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
22. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine: Biomech
23. Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness
24. Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
25. Tool - Lateralus
26. Dream Theater - Images and Words
27. Oceansize - Effloresce
28. Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
29. Protest the Hero - Kezia
30. Protest the Hero - Scurrilous
31. Leprous - The Congregation
32. Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
33. Between the Buried and Me - The Great Misdirect
34. Devin Townsend - Terria
35. Pain of Salvation - BE
36. The Mars Volta - De-Loused In The Comatorium
37. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
38. Being - Anthropocene
39. Kamelot - The Black Halo
40. Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient
41. Caligula's Horse - Moments From Ephemeral City
42. Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
43. Bodies of Water - A Certain Feeling
44. Lorde - Pure Heroine
45. TesseracT - Altered State
46. Gregor Samsa - 55:12
47. Oceansize - Everyone Into Position
48. Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
49. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
50. Between the Buried and Me - Colors

[TAC]

A minute?
60-59-58....

[Crow]

#50: Between the Buried and Me - Colors

Full disclosure, when I first tried listening to this album, I absolutely hated it. I'd listened to some Opeth at that point and wasn't really turned off by the growls (though nobody can do them as well as Akerfeldt) but the heaviness of the opening tracks was just a turn-off for me at the time, I stopped listening after Sun of Nothing.

Obviously, I gave the album another chance since then, and have grown to enjoy it a lot. The heaviness works most of the time and there's enough melodic sections and breaks from the heaviness to keep it from getting overwhelming. Some of the sections in these songs are probably my favorite sections in any BTBAM songs - the entire last four minutes or so of Sun of Nothing being the biggest highlight for me, though Viridian and the instrumental ending of White Walls come close. I think what holds this album back from being one of my absolute favorites is that sometimes it seems a little filler-y to me. I could do without the entirety of Decade of Statues, and parts of pretty much every other song above 3 minutes in length feel like they could've been cut out to make a more cohesive, engaging listen. There's definitely a lot more to enjoy than not, though, and I still come back to this album every once in a while because it's just a damn solid progressive metal record.

[TAC]

Growls=TAC out!

But will follow...unless there's too many growls!

[Lolzeez]

One of the best prog albums of the century so far.

[Crow]

Growls=TAC out!

But will follow...unless there's too many growls!

i don't listen to very many bands with growls, you'll be fine 

[Sacul]

One of the best prog albums of the century so far.

Fucking this.

Also, hated Colors on first listen - I wasn't into harsh vocals at the time. But now I don't care about cookie monsters and such, so relistened to it early this year, and loved it.

Following.

[Elite]

Colors should be much higher!

[Tomislav95]

Great entry. I'm not the biggest fan of BTBAM but I heard this album and it's awesome. (I really need to hear their other albums. )

[Crow]

god knows I feel Colors is pretty low on this list too but it turns out there's a lot of albums I'd rate pretty highly, and this is just one of the least so 

[wolfking]

SUch an incredible album.

[Tom Bombadil]

Following. Gave Colors a spin once and it didn't click. I definitely should try it again.

[Crow]

#49: Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray

Ahh, a classic 80's prog metal album right here.

Yes, I know. But there's very little here to suggest this album came out in 1997, not 1987. And that may be why this album doesn't rate higher for me, but there's still a distinct 80's sound to this album that isn't quite my favorite, but looking past that, this is a very great suite of songs that's enjoyable from start to finish. There's a few recurring bits throughout the 12 tracks that make it feel more cohesive, but each song still has an identity of its own that keeps me interested all the way through.

Fates Warning was never and still isn't really a band that I've ever been a huge fan of, and the only album from them I have other than this is Perfect Symmetry, which is alright but too 80's for me to really get into. This album, on the other hand, just works for me. I wouldn't say it's the most memorable but it's definitely got its own unique sound and enough to keep me coming back for more. Granted, I haven't listened to this album much in recent years and had to peek through the tracks to remember which is which for doing this writeup. The only track here that really stands out is Part VI with its awesome bass groove and climactic chorus, but that speaks more to the consistency of the record than anything else - every song is great and the album is all the better for it.

[jjrock88]

You lost me with growls but won me back with Fates Warning

[Crow]

there's only 5 albums on my list that prominently feature growls jesus christ guys 

[jjrock88]

there's only 5 albums on my list that prominently feature growls jesus christ guys 

Alright top 45 then lol

[Obfuscation]

More growls please.

[Sacul]

You won me with Colors but lost me with Fates Warning

FTFM.

[Crow]

#48: Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun

Yeah, we're going from BTBAM to Sigur Rós within the span of two spots, it's that kind of list.

Sigur Rós is a band I do love a lot, before them I'd heard some GY!BE but I was never really that sold on post-rock until I heard this album for the first time. It's a lovely collection of very laid-back yet very diverse songs that just gives off a bright and relaxing vibe and I can't help but be happy listening to it. Jónsi's voice is fantastic for the kind of music, even though I'd have no clue what he was saying if I didn't look up the lyrics (and even then, some of them are just pure gibberish) but they work more as an instrument in themselves than as vocals overlaying on top of music. It's a little ironic that some of the lyrics are actually pretty dark, too. (Seriously, it should be illegal for Ný Batterí to sound so pretty yet be so dark in its imagery.)

Some songs definitely reign stronger than others for me here, and the lack of consistency is why I wouldn't rate it any higher, but songs like Starálfur, Ný Batterí, and especially Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása line up with the best songs the band has ever put out, and I never really get tired of them. Sigur Rós is also a band I tend to use frequently as sleeping music and this album definitely helps in that regard, but it's a great album to listen to under normal circumstances as well and I'd highly recommend it to both anyone not sold on post-rock and fans of the genre who somehow have never heard it before, alike.

[mikemangioy]

Following.

Colors is plain awesome, it took sometime to click - but it did.

[Evermind]

Great Fates Warning album.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Some great picks right off the bat. Following.

Also, I find it amusing that Agaetis Byrjun is happy listening for you, but I see it as a very melancholic experience of a record. But that polarizing reaction is something that doesn't surprise me in the least when it comes to Sigur Ros.

[Sacul]

Great album, and even if I prefer ( ) a bit more, can't go wrong with either.

[Crow]

#47: Oceansize - Everyone Into Position

It's no secret that I like Oceansize, a lot, and trust me, this won't be the last time they appear on this list. I'd say that Everyone Into Position is one of their weaker releases, but that would give off the impression that it's not so good, which isn't true. It's very good. The defining feature of this album is how straightforward it is compared to other Oceansize albums, but since it's Oceansize the straightforwardness of the album works for them, not against them. Heaven Alive, Meredith, New Pin, all of these are distinctly Oceansize while also being pretty straightforward and accessible, and there's nothing wrong with that. A Homage to a Shame and You Can't Keep A Bad Man Down are the only two heavier songs this time around, the former being pretty uptempo and the latter being pretty sluggish and epic, and both help to keep the variety of the album high.

There's this thing about Oceansize albums, though, where the seventh song always seems to have to be weaker than the rest, with only one of their albums being the exception to this rule, and here the song is No Tomorrow. I don't hate this song, no, but I find it less interesting than the rest of the album. In contrast, the high points are definitely the post-rock influenced tracks, A Music for a Nurse and Ornament/The Last Wrongs. I always love when Oceansize uses post-rock elements and both these tracks use them very well, with the latter being just plain epic because of it.

I could go on and on all day about how awesome Oceansize is but I had more writeups for doing that, so we'll call this one for now.

[TAC]

there's only 5 albums on my list that prominently feature growls jesus christ guys 

Alright top 45 then lol

[Sacul]

Nope, lost me again.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Following.

Colors is a masterpiece, and nice to see Sigur Ros and Oceansize in there. Never really listened to Fates Warning.

[Crow]

#46: Gregor Samsa - 55:12

Melancholy is definitely the word for this post-rock album, at times it has a bright sound but there's always an air of sadness to the melodies and vocals. The two vocalists on this album provide a good contrast, one deeper male voice and the higher, almost child-like female voice, and both are used to good effect.

Mostly though, this album is one of those "experience" albums, which there are a fair few of on this list. I put this on and listen to it, paying no mind to song titles or even the fact that it's anything other than one string of music (as a fair few of the songs do flow into each other). It's also an album that I have a hard time saying much about as a result. I could praise all the separate elements, the wonderful soundscapes, the instrumentation, the way the songs create such a feeling of emptiness while still being quite full. But I'd have a hard time saying why I like it so much that way.

Suffice to say, it's just a really beautiful post-rock record that I'd recommend to any fan of the genre.

[Crow]

the very next album on the list is going to have as pitiful as a writeup too because it's another one of those "experience" albums, sorry about that 
there's also like, only 5 of those on my list, so i'll only have 5 really bad writeups, probably

[Crow]

#45: TesseracT - Altered State

When I first got this album, I thought it was pretty cool, but I didn't really dig it that much, and I eventually left it to the side when newer albums came out, never exploring it that deeply. But I still listened to it occasionally, and at some point it just clicked.

Not that I could tell you what most of the songs sound like, even still. It clicked in a different way, in a way where listening to the songs on their own don't do much for me but listening to the entire album is a very enjoyable experience, a well-crafted progressive metal/djent record with some post-rock influence in places and a generally less-heavy sound than standard djent stuff. It's the kind of record that made me go from mildly interested in the genre to really wanting to find a lot of stuff like it, because it's all done so well here. There's a lot of great rhythms they play around with and a lot of good melodies, some nice vocals and some sweet sax solos near the end too. The album is divided into four movements, which are kind of supposed to be songs I guess but two of the movements have abrupt stops in them that make me reject them being "songs". Not that it matters much in the end. I can't really pick out any track on this album that I like the best, it's consistent and enjoyable the whole way through.

[Lolzeez]

That Gregor Samsa album is quite good. Agaetis Byrjun is also a classic. 

[sneakyblueberry]

Gregor Samsa

[Sacul]

Altered Stated rocks 

[Crow]

#44: Lorde - Pure Heroine

I don't really listen to the radio, and I don't listen to much pop. But this is the kind of album that kinda makes me wish I did... though I tend to catch all of the good pop tracks, anyways. The first song I heard from this album was actually Tennis Court, which I didn't like much, and still don't think is that great. Something about the production. But the rest is all great.

It's minimalistic, dark pop music with a much different voice than you'd tend to hear in a lot of big pop hits. It's a very quiet album, and it works. Royals and Team are the two big hits from this album, and while I do like Royals I think Team is far better, one of the best of the album. I'd also be remiss to not mention Buzzcut Season and A World Alone, two more great tracks that I've listened to a ton. There's nothing here that I really dislike, though.

The extended version of the album has 6 more songs added to the album, and... ehh. They're a mixed bag. Bravado is fantastic, and Swingin' Party is a nice cover, but I don't like Million Dollar Bills or Biting Down much at all, I can see why they'd be left off the album.

I don't think this album is going to convince non-pop fans to give pop a chance, but I do consider it a really good album on the whole and one I always enjoy listening to.

[mikemangioy]

Royals and Team were two of the best pop songs I've heard last year. So yeah, good choice  I need to explore though.