ariich's Top 50 Albums, v2! (FINISHED)

[Silver Tears]

Ooooh you're moving flat? Still in London I assume? Hope the move goes smoothly 

[Sketchy]

Have a good move, and nice on the Hiromi front. She's amazing.

[ariich]

Ooooh you're moving flat? Still in London I assume? Hope the move goes smoothly 

Yep, just down to the road, on the border of Highbury and Stoke Newington. It's a pretty nice area!

[ariich]

23. The River Empires – The River Empires (Epilogue) [2010]


The River Empires are one of the many bands I discovered through DTF, partly because of the involvement of Casey from The Dear Hunter, who had become one of my favourite bands at the time. Their debut is an absolutely wonderful double-disc folk album. It has a great amount of variety throughout, sometimes very mellow bordering on minimalist, other times quite big and epic, and others still fun and upbeat. The instrumentation is lovely, and the singer has a sweet melancholy tone to his voice, making this a busy but still very relaxing album to listen to.

Recommended tracks: Overture in Thales Summer; A Toast to the Snake King; Three Tigers


22. Queen – Innuendo [1991]
Also recommended: A Night at the Opera [1975]; Made in Heaven [1995]



Pretty sure there isn’t much I can say about Queen that people don’t already know. Absolutely legendary band, that literally everyone here will already know at least a handful of songs by, even if it’s just a few of the popular hits. Innuendo is the one that stands out for me as their masterpiece, as it encapsulates everything that the band is about. It is silly and serious, epic and intimate, fun and profound. The music, performances and production are more slick and engaging than anything Queen did before this album, and the song-writing is really top-notch. A truly classic album.

Recommended tracks: Innuendo; These Are the Days of Our Lives; The Show Must Go On

So many of Queen’s albums are great, but my other two favourites are A Night at the Opera (very similar to Innuendo in its mix of styles, very enjoyable album) and Made in Heaven, which they recorded soon before Freddie Mercury passed away, and which is very intensely emotional in places.

Recommended tracks: Death on Two Legs; Bohemian Rhapsody; Made in Heaven

[TAC]

I'm not really even a Queen fan but I love Innuendo. It's a special album, especially with Freddy's condition.

[Silver Tears]

Ooooh you're moving flat? Still in London I assume? Hope the move goes smoothly 

Yep, just down to the road, on the border of Highbury and Stoke Newington. It's a pretty nice area!

Lovely! And hurrah for updates again! 

[obscure]

Queen   

[ariich]

21. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing [2005]
Also recommended: Stupid Dream [1999]; In Absentia [2002]



As with the previous entry, there’s not much I need to say about PT here, they’re probably the most obsessed-over band at DTF after DT themselves. And it’s understandable why, Steven Wilson’s music creates such great moods and melodies, while also taking the time occasionally to really rock. For me, Deadwing is the epitome of the band’s more recent style. It’s quite dark in places, but very beautiful and accessible as well. I’d also say it’s their best-paced album – it flows really nicely and I can’t think of any section that feels out of place or dragged out.

Recommended tracks: Arriving Somewhere But Not Here; Open Car; The Start of Something Beautiful

With such a big discography, there are plenty of great albums. Stupid Dream is my other favourite – much less dark and a bit more accessible, but lovely. And of the rest, IA probably edges the third spot, just because the good songs on it are so damn good. 

Recommended tracks: Piano Lessons; Don’t Hate Me; Trains


20. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Don Giovanni [1787]
Also recommended: Requiem in D minor [1791]; Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) [1786]



And now for a bit more culture! When I was younger I used to find Mozart really boring as a composer, because most of what I experienced of his music when I was at school were straightforward sonatas, concertos, etc., many of which are perfectly nice (and very intelligently written) but just nothing very exciting. But then I discovered what a great musician he was with his bigger works, when he actually put the effort in. His operas, in particular, are very enjoyable, and the peak of his output for me was Don Giovanni. This has a lot of the humour and frivolity that some of his other operas, but a much darker side too. When I saw it performed, they left out the cheesy ending (which he only wrote because the fashion was to end on a happy note) and ended with Don G being dragged down to hell. Truly epic, and it was only a student production. If you get a chance to see this opera, do so!

Recommended tracks: Can’t really pick out any individual arias, just go and see it!

My other favourite opera of his is the Marriage of Figaro, which isn’t at all dark but is just so much fun, and has some lovely music. And his other truly great work was his requiem, which was unfinished when he died and was completed by someone else, but which is such grand, dark music that it has become iconic and used in all sorts of movies and so on.

Recommended tracks: Again, just go and see the lot!

[Elite]

Nice update! Porcupine Tree is always good (though my favourites are In Absentia and Signify) and Mozart is amazing.

[jingle.boy]

22. Queen – Innuendo [1991]

Holy crap!  An album I know!!!

Best frontman in the history of music.  True story.

[Silver Tears]

Approval on both fronts here 

[MoraWintersoul]

Queen was my first "seriously favorite" band (pre-DT). And Innuendo is my fave album of theirs.

[Cedar redaC]

My university just put on a production of Don Giovanni. It's a pretty cool opera.

[ariich]

19. Devin Townsend - Terria [2001]
Also recommended: Addicted [2009]; Ghost [2011]



Ah, Devin. He’s another very popular artist here at DTF, and for good reason. As a musician, he’s completely unique; here and there he sounds like other bands, but there’s something instantly recognisable about his style no matter what genre he is deciding to fill in any given song. He can create music that is melancholy, relaxed, upbeat, rocking or downright brutal, sometimes all on the same album. As wonderful as his output has been so far under the Devin Townsend Project banner, Terria remains my favourite. Although the production is a little on the thick side, the sounds and the music are just wonderful. Powerful, engaging, and intense but enjoyable. This was my first Devy album, and will probably always be my favourite.

Recommended tracks: Earth Day; Deep Peace; Stagnant

As I said, the DTP has been wonderful, and Addicted and Ghost sit up there as two of my favourite Devy albums. Addicted really is a party album, and Ghost is beautifully serene and pleasant. Both serve very different purposes, but really show what the man can do.

Recommended tracks: Supercrush!; Ih-Ah!; Kawaii


18. Haken - Visions [2011]
Also recommended: Aquarius [2010]



I appreciate that I might have a bit of bias as I know the band, and my brother used to be their keyboardist (on their original demo). But I don’t actually think there is any bias, other than what naturally comes from strong familiarity with something. I really do genuinely love their wacky blend of prog rock/metal. Although it is quirky, sometimes even bizarre, it’s also surprisingly atmospheric, tightly performed, often powerful and usually hugely anthemic. Their knack for good choruses is uncanny, and somehow that makes this complex, unusual music become very accessible and enjoyable. Visions was a step up from the debut in my opinion – more coherent, more focussed, more intense. Can’t wait for album three!

Recommended tracks: Nocturnal Conspiracy; Deathless; Visions

Of course, their debut wasn’t half bad either. Over time I’ve come to love the first half of the album less, as I find it slightly meandering, but from Eternal Rain onwards it is really nicely done prog metal with some unusual twists.

Recommended tracks: Drowning in the Flood; Celestial Elixir

[Elite]

Outstanding update and great write-ups!

Terria was my #6 and Visions and Aquarius came in at #8 and #15 on my first album top 50.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Love all those albums. I think I prefer Aquarius over Visions, though.

[Onno]

That's an epic batch of albums!

[ColdFireYYZ]

Those DT albums are great! Addicted is my favorite album of his, but Terria and Ghost are also fantastic.

I like Haken, but I haven't listened to them in a while. I'm not sure which album I prefer as they're both pretty good.

[Scorpion]

Terria is awesome. I find something new about it every time I listen to it. It's a Top 5 album for me already.

[adace]

That's an epic batch of albums!

[ariich]

I did figure that an update of prog metal albums would go down pretty well.

[Big Hath]

just listened to Terria this week.  Great album!

[Dr. DTVT]

[Silver Tears]

HAAAAKEEEEEEEEEN YEEEEEEEEEEEES

[Lolzeez]

I don't know what I think of Devin Townsend's albums. Everytime I try,I just can't get into them.

[jingle.boy]

Despite his uncanny likeness to me, I find his music hit-and-miss.  Doesn't help that I'm not a growlie guy.  When he's clean he's good, and musically it's always been something I dig.  Growls just ain't mah thang.

[obscure]

Outstanding update and great write-ups!

[ariich]

17. Sergei Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor [1909]
Also recommended: All-Night Vigil (The Vespers) [1915]; Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor [1901]



And now for something completely romantic. Rachmaninov (or Rachmaninoff if you prefer) is one of my favourite classical composers. He does border on cheesy sometimes, but he evokes such passion and emotion with his huge, grand music. He is most famous for his piano music, and was a huge influence on many modern musicians, most obviously Matt Bellamy from Muse who occasionally outright rips his music off! His third piano concerto is my personal favourite. It has his usually hooks and gorgeous over-the-top melodies, but is also one of the most dramatic and exciting things he has written as well. Wonderful stuff!

Recommended tracks: All of it.

His second piano concerto is also beautiful, and has some of his most iconic moments in it. And my other favourite work of is his commonly known as the Vespers, a lovely choral work that I think you need to see in concert to really appreciate in full.

Recommended tracks: Again the full works.


16. Frost* – Milliontown [2006]
Also recommended: Experiments in Mass Appeal [2008]



This should be more familiar with most people here! Frost* are an English prog rock band with some very strong pop tendencies and occasional electronic leanings. Musically they’re pretty straightforward, but very, very enjoyable, and the way they play around with synth sounds and styles makes them sound a little different to any other band I’ve come across. Milliontown was their debut, and really shows off the blend of prog and pop perfectly, with some enormous epics mixed in with very accessible short songs.

Recommended tracks: Hyperventilate; No Me No You; Black Light Machine

Their second album was also absolutely top notch. It has a slightly different vibe, as they brought on an additional member for extra guitar and much of the lead vocals, but the music is pretty much just as strong, and a couple of the tracks are really amazing.

Recommended tracks: Experiments in Mass Appeal; Saline

[Elite]

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 is absolutely amazing; great pick!

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I love Milliontown, one of my favorite albums. Haven't heard the other, but I'll check it out.

[jingle.boy]

Frost* is fantastic ..l both albums. Impossible to chose which I like better.

[Dr. DTVT]

Frost* is fantastic ..l both albums.

accidentally?  The whole thing?

[jingle.boy]

Frost* is fantastic ..l both albums.

accidentally?  The whole thing?

Not sure how that "I" got in there. Stupid ipad typing.

[Silver Tears]

Aaah Rachmaninoff 

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Bump.