Top 50 Albums, v. ariich

[ariich]

Here it is, as promised. When Sigz started his Top 50 Albums thread a few months ago, I was really enjoying following it, and thought it was a fantastic idea to really think about your favourite albums and put them into such a list, so I immediately started doing the same. Like Ian, I've tried to make it as "all time" as possible, although it does still include some more recent additions as I've chopped and changed it over the last week or so in preparation for starting this thread. I'm pleased with it now, and the best thing is that I get to listen to each album again as I do the write-ups.

I have very diverse listening habits, and I think the final result reflects that pretty well. The one thing I have excluded is classical/orchestral/choral music, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the majority of works come in multiple recordings and interpretations and rarely is there a 'definitive' one; and secondly, a large portion of the genre comes in a format that is not really comparable to an album. While there are some works that I adore and would have loved to include, I just couldn't rank them so decided to exclude them entirely. Everything else, however, was fair game, so hopefully it'll throw up one or two surprises!

I'll try and post an update or two a day if I can, although I make no guarantees on that front. I do, however, guarantee that I won't forget about it for weeks (which, admittedly, I have been known to do in the past.... but not this time!)

Et voila:


50. Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street [2004]
This is my go-to album when I want something completely chilled out, and it has been for years. It just evokes a real feeling of happiness and contentedness in me. For those who don’t know, Kings of Convenience are a Norwegian folk duo, and while a large focus of their music is simply the two of them playing acoustic guitars and singing softly, they do a wonderful job of incorporating other acoustic instruments such as piano and violin. This particular album has a very serene yet somehow enthused atmosphere throughout, and there are few experiences more relaxing than sitting out in the sun with a cold beverage of your choice and letting their sultry voices wash over you. 

49. Metallica - …And Justice For All [1988]
That’s right, Metallica. They were my favourite band for a short while when I was in my late teens (back when I had favourite bands ) and they’ve made a lot of very good albums, but no other compares to this, which is thrash (well, ish) metal at its best. The music is heavy, intelligent, engaging and generally brilliantly written and the lyrics are, arguably, the best they’ve penned. What I love most is the surprising amount of variety; despite a very consistent tone throughout, the style and tempo changes loads, and even the album’s weaker moments are good enough to get me headbanging! The one thing that stops the album from being higher on my list is the somewhat weak production, but otherwise it’s magnificent.

48. The Antlers – Hospice [2009]
So, I only discovered these guys in my song roulette when orcus sent me a song by them, and to be honest I don’t have much to add from the update I posted, other than the fact that it says a lot about the quality of this album that I can confidently place it in my top 50 having not known it that long. The thing that, for me, really makes it so wonderful is the vocals. The music itself is gorgeous and most of the melodies are truly lush, but Peter Silberman’s sweet singing just takes it to another level entirely. They have a new album coming out around now, and I cannot wait to hear it!

[Ravenheart]

Awesome. Will definitely follow

Will there be repeats of artists? Or just one album per band?

[ariich]

Awesome. Will definitely follow

Will there be repeats of artists? Or just one album per band?

There will be some repeats, but not that many.

[ScioPath]

This should be good.

[abydos]

tagged

[Gadough]

"somewhat weak production"

That album is flatter than Keira Knightley's chest.

[ariich]

Forgot to mention in my OP, but it should go without saying - people should definitely feel free to comment on my choices or my thoughts on them, I'm interested to see what people think!

EDIT: ninja'd by a perfect example.

"somewhat weak production"

That album is flatter than Keira Knightley's chest.

While it's true that the production is undoubtedly weak, I don't think it harms the album too much, and actually I find it adds to the overall feel of the album. I think really the only thing I'd say that would have made a significant difference would have been a fuller sound - it's just a little thin IMO.

[Gadough]

Yeah, I agree. Thin is the best word to describe it.

...Still, a lot like Keira Knightly.

[ariich]

James Hetfield > Keira Knightley.

Wait what?

[Ravenheart]

I thought they were the same person.

[abydos]

James Hetfield > Keira Knightley.

Wait what?

His voice now is just about as flat as her chest? Just maybe.

[Ryzee]

Great choice with Justice!    It's my personal favorite Metallica album for sure, despite the weird production and the existence of Master of Puppets.  In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the production is part of what I love about the album.  It's like they just tore the "mid" knobs right off their amps, cranked the bass and treble to 10 and said "who needs a bass player, we'll just multitrack these sweet guitars like 1000 times."  It adds to the album's uniqueness and charm.  A car can be driving down the street at 40mph and if they're cranking this album and I can catch a millisecond of the music, even if I can't tell what track it is I'll know it's something off Justice. 

[sonatafanica]

Big Kings of Convenience fan, and that's an awesome album.


Metallica, however, sucks cock and then blows the semen back into the cock in an endless back-and-forth exchange for eternity.


The Antlers is a band I have listened to on and off over the years but have never given a decent listen. I'll check that album out again.

[glaurung]

Metallica, however, sucks cock and then blows the semen back into the cock in an endless back-and-forth exchange for eternity.

[skydivingninja]

Metallica, however, sucks cock and then blows the semen back into the cock in an endless back-and-forth exchange for eternity.

You know I'm pretty sure there's a picture of you wearing a Metallica shirt somewhere...

[AcidLameLTE]

Adultery better be some where in there.

[Ħ]

Will be following.

[73109]

HALLS OF JUSTICE PAINTED GREEN
MONEY TALKING

[Gorille85]

Nice! Will be following since I like the diversity of your taste!

[The Degenerate]

Nice! Will be following since I like the diversity of your taste!

[Jirpo]

Nice list! Justice is my fave Metallica album too

[MetalManiac666]

Following.

[ariich]

Big Kings of Convenience fan, and that's an awesome album.

o/

Have you heard the one they released a couple of years ago? I only found out that it existed recently, so I still need to check it out.

Metallica, however, sucks cock and then blows the semen back into the cock in an endless back-and-forth exchange for eternity.

The Antlers is a band I have listened to on and off over the years but have never given a decent listen. I'll check that album out again.

I think you definitely should. I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but for me it's a pretty one-of-a-kind album.

Adultery better be some where in there.

I will reveal nothing... but I'd love to see what other albums people think either should be in there, or even better what they think will be in there. As we get towards the end, I'm sure some of my picks will be distinctly unsurprising to quite a few people.

A car can be driving down the street at 40mph and if they're cranking this album and I can catch a millisecond of the music, even if I can't tell what track it is I'll know it's something off Justice. 

So true, it's instantly recognisable. The production may be poor but it makes the album unique!

[jsem]

AJFA 

Following

[Xanthul]

Wow I though only Sonata and me liked Kings of Convenience here. Good to see them on your list 

[Zantera]

Will follow this.

[King Postwhore]

Holy S sona .  I'll follow this Rich.  BTW  I Saw Metallica on "And Justice For All" tour with VH, Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come.  The Monsters of Rock tour.

I will Grooveshark the other 2!!

[ariich]

Wow I though only Sonata and me liked Kings of Convenience here. Good to see them on your list 

Yay, another fan!

BTW  I Saw Metallica on "And Justice For All" tour

Friggin' awesome! I've seen them a few times now, and will be seeing them again at Sonisphere in a couple of months!

Anyway, booya:


47. Regina Spektor – Soviet Kitsch [2004]
Over the years, Regina's music has seen a shift from quirky piano music to something with a poppier edge, and more varied instrumentation. Fortunately she does all of it pretty well, and her 2009 album Far was also pretty amazing and came close to inclusion in this list. But for me, Soviet Kitsch is the album that strikes the perfect balance; more piano-led than both albums since, but with more variety of sound than her first two. The ballads are lovely, the darker songs are really quite depressing and the quirky songs are fun, and all the time her voice is just incredible.

46. In Flames – Colony [1999]
Aside from a couple of weaker albums, In Flames have been a consistently good band whose style has evolved and stayed fresh, but I think pretty much all their fans would agree that their stride was around the turn of the century with Clayman and, just before it, Colony. They were one of the early pioneers of the Gothenburg sound in melodeath, and this album in particular is the absolute best example of the style. The music is heavy but fantastically melodic, and the sound is HUGE! And these features are what win it for me; I enjoy a bit of melodeath from time to time, but I have never heard another album in the genre with such a full sound, and that really gets me headbanging and singing along, even with all the really harsh vocals.

45. Oscar Peterson - Night Train [1963]
No way, jazz! Oscar Peterson was an amazing pianist, playing some pretty fast parts with real ease. This is undoubtedly my favourite album when it comes to jazz piano – it's cool, laid-back and groovy. While he wrote some of his own songs, a lot of his stuff was arranging other people's work, particularly Duke Ellington, although at times they'd be almost unrecognisable from the originals. There have been far more technical pianists out there, but none made it sound so easy, and if you ever watch videos of Peterson, you'll see that it didn't just sound easy, he really didn't need to try. He just sat back with a massive grin and without even thinking about it just played slick jazz, which is exactly the vibe I get from this album, and it's the reason I love it so much. RIP Oscar.

[skydivingninja]

Spektor's cool.

In Flames isn't.

Oscar Peterson is.

[Jamesman42]

Following this thread right here

[Gadough]

Spektor's cool.

In Flames isn't.

inb4 Ryan

[zxlkho]

In Flames is amazing. Fuck off Matt.

inafter Drew

[jsem]

Night Train was released in late 1962 btw. And yeah, it's good.

[Jamesman42]

inafter inbefores & inafters

[ariich]

Night Train was released in late 1962 btw.

That seems rather unlikely considering it was only recorded on December 16th 1962.

In Flames isn't.

In Flames is amazing.

o/

Seriously, Colony is such an amazing album.