BOOM!
38. Nellie McKay - Pretty Little Head [2006]
For those who don’t know her stuff, Nellie McKay is a really amazing jazz/pop/indie artist whose music is often quite hard to categorise. For me, this album is where it’s at – it has some really sweet cutesie songs, some laid-back jazzy songs, and some really damn depressing songs as well. The variety is tremendous, and she can take it all on, writing in all these different styles with ease. Her other albums are pretty much as good, but this one stands out as having the most strong material. She also has an incredible ability to flit between major and minor keys like it’s nobody’s business, which is quite rare outside of classical music. Amazing stuff!
37. Radiohead – OK Computer [1997]
This is easily one of the oldest albums that I got when it came out and still listen to fairly regularly, and for good reason because it’s an amazing album, and in my opinion remains Radiohead’s best despite In Rainbows coming very close! I think the thing that really stands out is how much atmosphere the songs have – there’s quite a lot of variety, but a consistent tone and vibe that really unites the songs together. Plus the songs themselves are terrific; slightly experimental but still very accessible, and with a ton of energy that exceeds that of all their other albums.
36. Danny Elfman - Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas [1993]
I feel like this will be a surprising entry, but I hope it’s not because it’s simply fantastic. In the context of the film, it’s an amazing soundtrack, but even on its own it’s just as great! The style mostly follows that of a cinema musical I guess, but with a darker and quirkier tone, like a Disney soundtrack on drugs. The music is clever, as are the lyrics, and the vocal performances of some of the lead characters really make it what it is. Danny Elfman singing the part of Jack in particular (which I only found out a couple of years ago) has such a wonderful baritone. I have loved the movie since I first saw it, but it’s only been in the last few years that I’ve realised how much I love the music as well!