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

[ariich]

15. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here [1975]
Also recommended: Dark Side of the Moon [1973]; Momentary Lapse of Reason [1987]



And this should really be familiar to pretty much everyone here, or the majority at least. Pink Floyd were an obvious huge inspiration for much of DT’s “proggier” stuff, and indeed on so many other bands and artists. In their early days they were very experimental and psychedelic, and although they moved away from this and became more accessible in terms of their sound, they always kept an interest in music that was ambitious and intelligent. Wish You Were Here, for me, was them at their peak. The album has its fair share of stuff that is out of the ordinary. There are no vocals for the first nine minutes, and there isn’t even a change of chord for the first two and a half. And yet the album is very easy to listen to. It’s also one of my favourite albums lyrically, with an interesting mix of heartfelt nostalgia and restrained anger. 

Recommended tracks: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (part 1-5); Welcome to the Machine; Wish You Were Here

Dark Side of the Moon is undoubtedly the band’s most famous and legendary album, and I can’t deny its brilliance. Momentary Lapse might be a surprising entry though – I know it’s much less popular. But I find it to have an intensity and despair that none of their other albums have and that make it brilliantly unique.

Recommended tracks: Time; Money; The Dogs of War


14. The Cat Empire – So Many Nights [2007]
Also recommended: The Cat Empire [2003]; Cities: The Cat Empire Project [2006]



And now for a band that I have plugged quite a bit on DTF, especially in song roulettes, spreading the love. Hailing from Australia, they blend pop, rock, jazz, funk, and even a bit of hip hop in a completely unique way, and with genuinely brilliant performance, especially from the horn section. They are one of the most fun bands ever, and yet have enough mellow stuff that there is something for every mood. So Many Nights is their masterpiece – coming of the back of their Cities project (see below) which involved collaborations with lots of other artists, it left them more experimental and ambitious. So, while they still write tons of great hooks and fun, dancey songs, there is a neat sense of trying something a bit different that permeates the album.

Recommended tracks: Fishies; Til the Ocean Takes Us All; Voodoo Cowboy

Their self-titled debut is a little rougher around the edges, but is still absolutely top-notch funk/pop, and the aforementioned Cities project, while not entirely consistent, does have some of their greatest songs on it. Both well worth a listen!

Recommended tracks: How to Explain; The Wine Song; Song for the Day

[Scorpion]

Wish You Were Here is completely amazing. I love Shine On, it's my favourite PF song and probably a Top 20 song overall. Cat Empire is also very good, from what I've heard, Fishies was one of my favourite tracks from my roulette. I love their grooviness and their use of the trumpet.

[Heretic]

I just want to say that despite not checking the GMD board a whole lot in the past month, I just read through this entire list and it is awesome thus far, sir. We have really really similar taste.

[Sketchy]

I love the love for Momentary. Sorrow is such a lovely song.

[Big Hath]

bumpers

(this still happening?)

[Scorpion]

bumpers

(this still happening?)

[Zantera]

Cool to see PF, though personally, I think The Wall and Animals are their best albums. (WYWH is nr3)

[ariich]

BUMP

Sorry sorry sorry, etc. The rest is all in the process of being written up and will be done by today, so no more delays, woohoo!

Here is a slightly larger 3-item update, to take us into the top 10.


13. Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence [2002]
Also recommended: Images and Words [1992]; A Dramatic Turn of Events [2011]



There’s no point in me explaining Dream Theater, or any of their albums, to the people of this forum, but I can talk about why I rate them so highly, and why Six Degrees is my favourite of theirs. When I first got into them, Six Degrees was their latest album, having just come out. I was into various related genres – some thrash metal like Metallica, a bit of power metal, and some prog rock a la Pink Floyd. I gave a listen to the first few songs in Six Degrees, and if I’m honest, I didn’t love it, but it interested me – something about the blend of riffs, melodies and unusual structures. I then checked out SFAM and fell in love. Over time, though, we settle on the music that really speaks to us the most, and in this regard SFAM fell out of favour while Six Degrees just got better and better. The balance across the album is perfect – when it’s heavy it’s very intense, when it’s sad it’s soul-destroying, and when it’s melodic it’s catchy. And it remains my favourite to this day.

Recommended tracks: Blind Faith; The Great Debate; Disappear

Again there’s not much I really need to say about I&W and ADTOE. The former was another grower for me in the early days, but has been a firm favourite for a long time as well. The latter, while a very safe album, really does feel very fresh and coherent, and the quality of the song-writing is so high, with some real spine-tingling moments.

Recommended tracks: Learning to Live; Bridges in the Sky; Breaking All Illusions


12. Thrice - Beggars [2009]
Also recommended: The Alchemy Index [2008]; Major/Minor [2011]



Thrice are a more recent discovery for me – I was introduced to them by orcus in one of my song roulettes.  I was vaguely aware of them before that, but what I’d heard quite a few years back was their earlier, more youthful but ultimately less interesting stuff. Being introduced afresh to the band they’ve become was such a great experience. The band still has a very raw post-hardcore sound, but the writing is mature, they have some great hooks, and the lyrics are genuinely brilliant. Beggars was the first one I checked out, having being sent the title track, and it’s a truly incredible album. There’s an intense blend of anger and sadness throughout the album that makes it a very engaging listen, but somehow never feels too heavy or depressing.

Recommended tracks: Wood and Wire; Talking Through Glass/We Move Like Swing Sets; Beggars

It was very hard to choose which album to leave out, as in some ways Vheissu is as good as these other two albums, but I find it just a little bit less consistent. Major/Minor is solid from start to finish, and the Alchemy Index is a very ambitious work that somehow manages to keep the quality up across all 4 discs.

Recommended tracks: Daedalus; Come All You Weary; Blur


11. Opeth – Blackwater Park [2001]
Also recommended: Ghost Reveries [2005]; Still Life [1999]



I’m sure most here don’t need to be told anything about Opeth, nearly as much as DT. Personally I love the fact that the band have evolved over time and are making the music they want to be making, and I really did like Heritage a lot. That said, it is their slightly older stuff that really speaks to me the most. Blackwater Park wasn’t the first Opeth album I heard, but it was the first one I really got into, back around the time it came out. In fact, I think I got it because I was going to see them live on the BWP tour, mainly because of the support act (can’t even remember who it was now, maybe Arch Enemy). At the time I was getting into more straightforward melodeath, and so BWP was not what I was really expecting, but it was so atmospheric and dynamic that I kept being drawn back to it. And to this day, I never get tired of it. The heavy is stuff is absolutely brutal, but the music is so beautiful at the same time. 

Recommended tracks: The Leper Affinity; Bleak; The Drapery Falls

As people may have seen from my recent ranking in the Opeth thread, rounding out my top 3 are Ghost Reveries and Still Life. Interestingly, unlike BWP, these other two were both growers for me – I didn’t dig them so much on first listen. But I think I’ve come to love the fact that they represent two of the sides of Opeth that I love – the atmosphere and bleakness in Still Life, and the riffs and melodies in Ghost Reveries.

Recommended tracks: The Moor; The Baying of the Hounds; Harlequin Forest

[Elite]

Blackwater Park
Also, Still Life

And nice write-ups!

[adace]

  all of those albums.

[ariich]

To apologise for the ridiculous delay, I'll be starting on the top 10 tonight. Any guesses as to what may appear?

[Zantera]

I would guess and say: Porcupine Tree, The Dear Hunter and Pain of Salvation as three.

[ariich]

Once of those has already been done!

As promised, let's get started on the top 10...


10. Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 11 in G minor “The Year 1905” [1957]
Also recommended: Symphony No. 5 in D minor [1937]; Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major [1957]



And now for some more classical music! Shostakovich was a composer who divides opinion, some people find him quite modern and his music not “pretty” enough, but actually he writes some beautiful stuff sometimes, but was versatile and wrote some intense and more unusual stuff as well. His best work, in my opinion, is his 11th Symphony, also called “The Year 1905”. It tells the story of the 1905 Russian revolution, and is one of the few pieces of music that contains such narrative within the music itself that you really feel like you understand his sorrow and anger. The first movement has a incredible build-up of tension and unrest, the second movement, dealing with the Bloody Sunday massacre, is full of utter intensity, and the third movement lamenting the violence, is so incredibly sorrowful. It’s then rounded off with a dynamic final movement that really holds the whole thing together. To be honest, it’s an incredible piece of music, but really it needs to be experienced in concert, with an understanding of the story it tells, to feel its full impact.

Recommended tracks: All of it

My other two favourite pieces are some of his most popular, and they are that way for good reason. The 5th Symphony is full of energy, although it is very Soviet in style, listening now the sarcasm seems so obvious that one wonders how the government at the time didn’t notice. And the 2nd Piano Concerto is a bit of fun really, but has the most beautiful slow movement I’ve ever heard, which still gets me teary-eyed every time I hear it.

Recommended tracks: From the 5th – IV: Allegro non troppo; From the 2nd concerto – II: Andante


9. Bizali – Thanks Anna [2009]
Also recommended: Dance Yourself Alone [2009]



Bizali are probably the most obscure band on my top 50 list, although I have started introducing them to some people here, and really the main reason I know about them is that they went to the same university and I knew the drummer quite well. They mostly wrote in a sort of funky-pop-jazz style, but with occasional folk and rock influences as well. Very hard to describe, you just have to listen to their music. And in the case of Thanks Anna, doing so will probably leave you with a grin on your face and a dance in your step. The music is entertaining, catchy, and very varied, and the band themselves are very talented performers. Blythe in particular has such a fantastic voice. When it comes to fun, upbeat albums, this is my number 1. They’d done some EPs before this, but this was the first proper full album they recorded, and I believe it should still be available on iTunes.

Recommended tracks: Lucille; Everybody Here; Uh-Huh

The other full album (which is also on iTunes) is Dance Yourself Alone. This was the last thing they made together as Bizali, and reflects a very different mood. The band was made up of two couples, and between Thanks Anna and this album, both had broken up, but remained friends. The album therefore has a more mature and grown up feel to it, dealing more with real issues. Not as fun, or as engaging, but quite experimental and very interesting nonetheless.

Recommended tracks: Given It All; Cogs


8. Jeff Buckley – Grace [1994]


I discovered Jeff Buckley much later than most people. Of course, I had heard his version of Hallelujah, who hadn’t, but that was it until only a couple of years ago. I can’t remember what it was that prompted me to listen to Grace, possibly the dawn of Spotify made it easier to check out albums that I previously hadn’t bothered with, but whatever it was, it was a great decision. In some ways I find it amazing that Jeff Buckley’s music is so popular and so famous, given the fact that (a) he only released one album before he passed away, and (b) his music is actually fairly unusual and even experimental. The album is such an engaging listen, and his voice is just wonderful – powerful and incredibly emotive.

Recommended tracks: Grace; Hallelujah; Eternal Life

[Scorpion]

Shostakovitch and Buckley are both EXCELLENT choices.

[ariich]

7. BT – This Binary Universe [2006]
Also recommended: These Hopeful Machines [2010]



This Binary Universe really is the epitome of electronic music. It’s very ambient and atmospheric, but don’t mistake that for just being background music – there is plenty to hear from a dedicated listen, and it’s very engaging. This was actually the first electronic album I got into, and my first listen was actually a viewing of the DVD that came with the special edition, which has videos accompanying the entire album that really enhance the experience. Maybe that affected my love for the album, but either way, the music is beautiful, dynamic and, at times, incredibly moving. There is also a tremendous amount of variety throughout the album, with purely ambient sections, more straightforward electronica, even a bit of jazz. The final track, written for the birth of his first daughter, is stunningly gorgeous, and is basically post-rock. I really can’t recommend this album enough.

Recommended tracks: Dynamic Symmetry; The Anhtkythera Mechanism; Good Morning Kaia

BT takes a pretty different approach to every album, and always seems to do a good job. My other favourite of his, though, is These Hopeful Machines. It’s a more straightforward, blending electronica and electro-rock, but with some more interesting and unusual TBU style tracks as well. It’s a very upbeat album, some might say cheesy in places, but listening to it makes me feel happy, so whatever it’s doing is working!

Recommended tracks: Suddenly; A Million Stars


6. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5 in E minor [1888]
Also recommended: Swan Lake [1876]; Symphony No. 6 in B minor “Pathétique” [1893]



And now we come to one of my favourite composers, and my favourite classical work. Tchaikovsky really did write such wonderful music – he could write beautiful melodies, huge climaxes, and really quite dark and intense moments too. I’ve also always really appreciated the quality of his writing for woodwind and brass – something many composers struggled with. While many would basically write some great melodies for the strings and the rest would just fill in the gaps, Tchaikovsky had a great ear for different sounds and the mood they put across. His 5th Symphony is the epitome of classical music for me - energetic, exciting, and really perfectly balanced. The first movement introduces some great (and very iconic) themes, but it’s in the second movement where the piece becomes truly epic. 14 minutes of peaks and troughs, ranging from the melancholy to the grand, and hitting an intense climax in the middle. Again, best experienced in concert.

Recommended tracks: All of it, but the first two movements especially.

To be honest, his 6th Symphony is very nearly as good, and it was hard to decide which one should take the top spot. And Tchaikovsky is of course also very famous for his ballets, and again it was difficult to choose which one should be here, as others such as Sleeping Beauty are also wonderful. But Swan Lake is probably the definitive Tchaikovsky ballet, though most of you probably know that already!

Recommended tracks: Just go and see them.

[Sketchy]

I love me some Opeth, I does. Nice picks.

[Dr. DTVT]

This list is so slow I'm going to spoil #1 for everyone.




Sorry Rich.

[jingle.boy]

Well played.  But if his list is slow, what does that make yours?   

[Big Hath]

Well played.  But if his list is slow, what does that make yours?   

https://smp.uq.edu.au/content/pitch-drop-experiment

[ariich]

Dammit Doc. You remembered my #1 from last time.


5. The Flower Kings – Paradox Hotel [2006]
Also recommended: Stardust We Are [1997]; Space Revolver [2000]



The Flower Kings are among that strange breed of modern bands playing in an ostensibly old-prog style. But unlike the majority of these bands, TFK are in the unusual position of actually doing it really well (along with Moon Safari, see previous entry). This is largely because, although 70s prog clearly forms the base for their music, they really do try different things, and include plenty of modern influences within their music as well. Paradox Hotel is a great example of this, and really was the first album they released that really sounded modern. It’s very piano based, which makes it beautifully melodic, instrumental sections hold back on the indulgence factor, and the overall production is very slick. It’s a double album, but it really does zoom by. And seriously, picking only 3 recommended tracks for this album was SO DAMN HARD!

Recommended tracks: Lucy Had a Dream; Minor Giant Steps; Life Will Kill You

My other favourite TFK albums go back to the earlier material. The production back then wasn’t as slick, and while the music isn’t quite so consistent on either album, the quality is very high for the most part and has some incredible high points. Just really enjoyable and engaging prog-rock!

Recommended tracks: Compassion; Stardust We Are; I Am the Sun


4. Pain of Salvation – Be [2004]
Also recommended: The Perfect Element I [2000]; Road Salt Two [2011]



Some of you may remember Be as my number two album from the first time I did a top 50. It’s placement at number 4 doesn’t represent a loss in interest, far from it, it simply represents new albums that have come out since! (any guesses…?) I don’t listen to it all that often, just because it is so much to take in, but when I do I still adore it as much as when it first came out. I haven’t heard anything else that is so ambitious in its scope, and yet able to put across all the ideas in a flowing, coherent and frankly brilliant way. The subjects that the concept covers are interesting in their own right, and the way Gildenlöw brings them together into a single narrative just speaks to me in a way that very few musical works have done. And the music isn’t half bad either.

Recommended tracks: Diffidentia (Breaching the Core); Nihil Morari; Iter Impius

The Perfect Element was the other obvious album to include here – similarly to Be it is well-balanced and flows nicely, although it deals with much more personal concepts. A very intensely emotional album though, with some absolutely cracking climaxes. And finally, the Road Salt albums, which I love. I had to pick one, so I went with Road Salt Two, but the first is pretty much just as good!

Recommended tracks: King of Loss; The Perfect Element; To the Shoreline

[Scorpion]

Much love for Pain of Salvation, despite only discovering them about half a year back or so, I'd put them in my Top 5, or at least Top 10 artists, though the lack of Remedy Lane makes me sad panda. Much props for including RS2, though, from what I've seen most people rank it close to last whereas I think that the Road Salt stuff is nearly as good as the earlier stuff.

TFK are a difficult band for me, because while they are obviously very talented and create some beautiful melodies, they fall into the trap that so, so many prog rock bands fall into - they're missing an edge, so to speak, that keeps them from being pleasant, but ultimately background music, which is why I prefer prog metal. Now I know that prog metal can be just as boring and it often is, but since I come from a metal background, that certain metal edge that prog rock so often lacks is something that can draw me in. TFK, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic... they're all very good, but they just don't captivate my interests like GOOD prog metal does.

...I hope that this makes even a modicum of sense and that I'll survive the flames.

[Bolsters]

Holy shit, I should have been following this thread. BT getting some recognition and being so high on someone's list on this forum is very surprising. I listen to very little electronic music, but personally, These Hopeful Machines is probably one of my all time favourite electronic albums. It's also one of the few where I can tolerate, and in some cases even like, most of the four-to-the-floor tracks. . I never warmed up to This Binary Universe though, it's a little too ambient and amelodic for my tastes. Though I do recognise and appreciate the excellent production and attention to detail of it.

[ariich]

Much love for Pain of Salvation, despite only discovering them about half a year back or so, I'd put them in my Top 5, or at least Top 10 artists, though the lack of Remedy Lane makes me sad panda. Much props for including RS2, though, from what I've seen most people rank it close to last whereas I think that the Road Salt stuff is nearly as good as the earlier stuff.

TFK are a difficult band for me, because while they are obviously very talented and create some beautiful melodies, they fall into the trap that so, so many prog rock bands fall into - they're missing an edge, so to speak, that keeps them from being pleasant, but ultimately background music, which is why I prefer prog metal. Now I know that prog metal can be just as boring and it often is, but since I come from a metal background, that certain metal edge that prog rock so often lacks is something that can draw me in. TFK, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic... they're all very good, but they just don't captivate my interests like GOOD prog metal does.

...I hope that this makes even a modicum of sense and that I'll survive the flames.

It makes sense, but you're still incorrect about everything.

[Dr. DTVT]

Scorp, I'll go even a step further...I love everything any member of TFK is in, except for TFK.  I've tried so many times because I feel like I should love them...I mean I love Transatlantic, Hasse, Karmakanic, The Tangent, and I'm sure others I'm forgetting.

And PoS is great of course.

[pain of occupation]

Much love for Pain of Salvation, despite only discovering them about half a year back or so...

 
surely you can't expect us to believe that anyone with 5000+ posts on this forum only just discovered POS in the past 6ish months.
 

Edit: oh, nm, i see you've accumulated that post count in serious short order.

[Elite]

Much love for Pain of Salvation, despite only discovering them about half a year back or so...

 
surely you can't expect us to believe that anyone with 5000+ posts on this forum only just discovered POS in the past 6ish months.
 

Edit: oh, nm, i see you've accumulated that post count in serious short order.

Yeah, Scorp is a post-whore

[ariich]

Scorp, I'll go even a step further...I love everything any member of TFK is in, except for TFK.  I've tried so many times because I feel like I should love them...I mean I love Transatlantic, Hasse, Karmakanic, The Tangent, and I'm sure others I'm forgetting.

Which was why I got booted from your roulette.

[ariich]

3. Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones [2011]
Also recommended: Tape Deck Heart [2013]; Love Ire & Song [2008]



And here we have the first newcomer to the top 5. I have Gorille and LieLowTheWantedMan to thank for introducing me to Frank Turner in my song roulette, after they both tried to send me the same song. While that song itself isn’t one of my favourites, it interested me enough to check out the album, and then I was hooked. He’s very unique in a number of ways – he plays very English folk-rock, and writes some great tunes, but the thing that makes him really stand out for me is his lyrics. They are often very down to earth in subject, but he writes with a simple, elegant poetry that really makes his songs incredibly relatable. England Keep My Bones is such a wonderful album. At times it rocks, and at others it soothes. It makes you think about mistakes you’ve made, or things you’ve left behind, but it also makes you realise how great life is, and reminds you to enjoy the good things. 

Recommended tracks: Peggy Sang the Blues; If Ever I Stray; Redemption

All of Frank Turner’s albums are pretty top-notch, but I’ve included my two other favourites here, both of which aren’t quite so well-balanced, but do well on the fact that they are a little more personal. His latest, Tape Deck Heart, is particularly enjoyable, but both have some really lovely songs on them.

Recommended tracks: Recovery; The Way I Tend to Be; Substitute


2. The Dear Hunter – Act III: Life and Death [2009]
Also recommended: The Color Spectrum [2011]; Act II:  The Meaning Of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading [2007]



It will come as no surprise that this still ranks so high, given that it was my number 1 album on my first top 50. As with Be, its drop is not through any loss of love for it, but because it has been pipped by something more recent. Act III remains the most perfectly-paced album I know, in that every moment is engaging, and no riff, melody or other section goes on a little bit too long. I don’t know how Casey did it with this album, but he took the style and concept of the first two acts, which were great in the first place, and took it all up a notch. Lyrically the concept becomes more mature and intense here, and the music follows. The very first time I heard it, I was blown away, and that hasn’t died down even after four years.  There are huge bombastic rock songs, enjoyable indie rock, groovy sections, mellow ballads, and everything in between. The album has a lot of power, it gets me head-banging and singing along, but it also has a lot of emotional resonance as well.

Recommended tracks: The Poison Woman; He Said He Had a Story; Life and Death

Act II also gets a place here, as while it’s not as consistently great as Act III and it drags a bit, it’s still a brilliant album overall, and some of the highs really are very high. But The Color Spectrum is my other favourite TDH album, for its ambition and its variety as much as the quality of its song-writing.

Recommended tracks: Filth and Squalor; Mr. Malum; Red Hands

[ariich]

I'll post the final entry at the weekend, just need to make a few edits to the write-up. Any guesses...?

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Dream Theatre?

Seriously though, this list has been so diverse so far that I have no idea what's coming.

[Heretic]

all of these recent updates have been fantastic. of the more "obscure" ones Frank Turner and BT are really good choices... of course Buckley is an amazing choice as well.

I have no clue what the top album is going to be, though... you said it was more "recent" is that in terms of release date or your discovery of the band? It's totally going to be one of the bands I sent you in the roulette.

[senecadawg2]

Checking out Frank Turner right now. I like it so far, but it's hard to tell whether or not it will stick

[ariich]

Adam - recent album (came out since my last top 50) but the band has been around quite a while...

[Scorpion]

I have absolutely no idea. I would have always thought that TDH would take the top spot, I'm genuinely flummoxed. All the others that I'd have suggested - PT, DT, DT, Thrice, Opeth, BT - they're all already gone.

[?]

Adam - recent album (came out since my last top 50) but the band has been around quite a while...

Clockwork Angels?