Sacul's top 50 albums v3. #20-#1 speedrun any%

[Sacul]

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, folks! Here's a little gift:

45

Dj Shadow
Endtroducing.....



I remember when I first got into this album, back in early 2015 - it was my most listened to record of those months, I was obsesed with the atmosphere that DJ Shadow created here. It's got a very nocturnal vibe, a late night feel that plenty of Trip Hop of the time had, and that I'm a sucker for. This is a journey that's hard to describe, as it's a completely sample-based album, driven by a curiosity to explore sounds that fell in and out of Hip Hop and Ambient and Plunderphonics and more. How he managed to make very different samples work seamlessly together and to go beyond simple song structures and into something unique, is beyond me.

Recommended song: Building Steam With a Grain of Salt

[ReaperKK]

Two awesome albums back to back

El Cielo - One of my favorite records of all time. When doing v2 of my list I'm going to limit my list to one album per band and it'll be tough to choose between El Cielo and CWA. El Cielo takes you on this wonderful journey from start to finish but it's a sum is greater than it's parts album (although the individual tracks are stellar) and CWA is back to back bangers that stand on their own really well.


Endtroducing - I love this album but rarely put individual tracks. Stem / Long Stem is a killer track.

[romdrums]

Two good ones back to back here.  El Cielo has always been a very visual album for me, especially the last 4 tracks.  I lived out in Colorado when I picked that album up, and it was such a great album for driving through the mountains.  Helped me get through some really tough times.

Endtroducing was one I didn't discover until 2007, when I went back to school to finish my degree.  I wanted to expand my musical horizons, and this album was one that really struck me.  I grabbed the two disc version with the remix album as well, and the version of Stem/Long Stem/Transmission on the remix album was cool because it had Robert DeNiro's monologue from the movie Heat over top of the track.  It's such a great, original album that would be legally impossible to make today.

[Mladen]

Some interesting entries in here. Following. 

[Sacul]

44

Boris
Boris at Last -Feedbacker-



This one's hard to describe, as it's a long, mostly instrumental song divided in several parts. It starts out pretty chill, with some guitar feedback, and slowly grows into a beast of noise and distortion, only to go back to the quiet guitars it came from. It's a pretty intense but super rewarding listen all the way through.

Recommended song: Feedbacker, Pt. 2

[Sacul]

No Boris fans here?

43

The Angelic Process
Weighing Souls With Sand



The Angelic Process was a duo formed by married couple, K.Angylus and M.Dragynfly, back in 1999. They produced several wonderful recordings that blended the slow tempos and atmosphere of Drone music with Extreme Metal sensibilities, resulting in a very layered and thick wall of sound reminiscent of Shoegaze, paired with undecipherable, ethereal vocals, martial drums, a brooding bass, and lots of noise. It's an overwhelming experience, one that reaches its zenith on Weighing Souls With Sand, an album about a man that falls into a coma and eventually dies, leading his widow to eventually taking her own life.
Sadly, K severely injured his hand shortly after its release, preventing him from playing any instrument. He slowly fell into clinical depression, and, well, left this Earth the following year. M has made sure the band's legacy remains, by revisiting and having the many records' artwork redone, and this album remastered a few years ago.
It's quite a tough listen, but a very unique one.

Recommended song: The Promise of Snakes

[ThatOneGuy2112]

.

[NoseofNicko]

The atmosphere of that Angelic Process album is simply amazing! Love it.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Ah, the origin of doomgaze.  I just can't pass up heavier music with lighter vocals.  I need to spend more time with that one though. 

I've heard the odd album and song or two of Boris here and there and they don't seem like my kind of thing.  From what I read they have a wide range of material though, so maybe there's something to find there eventually. 

[twosuitsluke]

Great lost so far, but I'd say Endtroducing is the best of the bunch so far. I don't listen to a ton of stuff like this, but it's pretty special.

[Sacul]

No Boris fans here?

Flood is better.

I should revisit it, it's been years.

The atmosphere of that Angelic Process album is simply amazing! Love it.

Ah, the origin of doomgaze.  I just can't pass up heavier music with lighter vocals.  I need to spend more time with that one though. 

I've heard the odd album and song or two of Boris here and there and they don't seem like my kind of thing.  From what I read they have a wide range of material though, so maybe there's something to find there eventually. 

It's certainly worth it!

They do, this is just one aspect of their varied discography, maybe I'll send you something in your roulette

Great lost so far, but I'd say Endtroducing is the best of the bunch so far. I don't listen to a ton of stuff like this, but it's pretty special.

Yeah, it's a unique record

[ReaperKK]

Just listened to The Angelic Process song you posted and it's, well it's interested. I don't hate it but I think I would need to give it time to grow on me.

[Sacul]

42

Refused
The Shape of Punk to Come



This record is wild: aggressive guitars, bombastic drums, changing time signatures, complex song structures, anti-capitalist lyrics, sparkles of Jazz and Electronic Music, and more. It never stops surprising you, it's a journey from beginning to end, reaching its absolute climax on Tannhäuser / Derivè, and damn what a cathartic track it is. A pretty varied listen, even if a bit chaotic or not as coherent as some would prefer, but I don't care a bit.
For all of this it was loathed at the time of release, and the band broke up shortly after. But these days it remains as a cult classic of Punk music (or Post Hardcore actually, I guess), and they even returned with a new album, albeit with some underwhelming songs, oops.

Recommended song: Tannhäuser / Derivè

[SoundscapeMN]

it's a cult classic.

"Liberation Frequency" is catchy as hell.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

.

[twosuitsluke]

Didn't expect to see The Shape of Punk to Come on here, great record.

[nick_z]

Couple of albums late...but I also wanted to add to the praise for ...Entroducing. Such a cool album. I understand that it's a critically acclaimed record...I can't claim I'm an avid listener of the genre, but I always thought this was indeed pretty amazing.

Sacul - speaking of DJ Shadow, what do you think of Unkle? I remember when the debut (Psyence Fiction) came out, there was so much hype surrounding it that people were bound to be disappointed. But I always enjoyed how eclectic it was. Plus, it has one of the most unlikely samples ever:

UNKLE - Main Title Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVb8J7xJiJw

Rage - A Pilgrim's Path
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM656ox2waE

(specifically, from the 10-second mark)

I mean, Rage are not exactly an obscure band, but I always found it interesting that one of their songs (from a very early album, no less) found its way on a trip-hop/crossover album...

[Sacul]

Sacul - speaking of DJ Shadow, what do you think of Unkle? I remember when the debut (Psyence Fiction) came out, there was so much hype surrounding it that people were bound to be disappointed. But I always enjoyed how eclectic it was. Plus, it has one of the most unlikely samples ever:

UNKLE - Main Title Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVb8J7xJiJw

Rage - A Pilgrim's Path
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM656ox2waE

(specifically, from the 10-second mark)

I mean, Rage are not exactly an obscure band, but I always found it interesting that one of their songs (from a very early album, no less) found its way on a trip-hop/crossover album...

I like Psyence Fiction, there are some awesome tracks. Huh, didn't know about the Rage sample, so cool

[Sacul]

Sorry for the delay folks, had a busy day yesterday, and today I feel a bit ill since I got the covid vax, 4th dose. But hey, I managed to write this, so:

41

Mike Oldfield
Ommadawn



Although he's better known for the iconic Tubular Bells, I feel this is his best work by far. It's a two-song journey, a pretty complex duo of epics, yet they are very accesible and easy to digest - a very organic-sounding album, with plenty of instruments that Mike wrote for (and even played himself), a serene and playful atmosphere, with plenty of motifs that get developed throughout each part. I'm a big fan of the first song, it's so wild and adventurous, a true "prog epic" if you will, but it sounds really nothing like its Prog contemporaries, as it's closer to Celtic and New Age and Folk music. Truly a beautiful album.

Recommended song: Ommadawn Pt. 1

[Kwyjibo]

I'm a big big Oldfield fan and Ommadawn is probably his best record.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I have not heard that album yet, but "Tubular Bells" is rightly legendary, and I've actually been wanting to listen to more of his work since Kingfisher Sky did an excellent cover of "To France" on their EP this year. 

[Sacul]

I have not heard that album yet, but "Tubular Bells" is rightly legendary, and I've actually been wanting to listen to more of his work since Kingfisher Sky did an excellent cover of "To France" on their EP this year. 

Give it a try, it's such a wonderful album. He even made a similar one a few years ago, Return to Ommadawn, and it was lovely. He hasn't released anything since, so I take it as his swan song.

[Zantera]

Nice to see Boris! I think I'm with the Flood > Feedbacker crowd but I have both rated at 5/5 on RYM so I can't really complain.

[Sacul]

Oops, I got a bit busy and kinda forgot about this for a bit, that's ADHD for ya . Let's continue with...

40

Blackfield
Blackfield II



Another Steven Wilson side project! This one is a collection of lovely pop rock songs paired with some pretty depressing lyrics. Although there's nothing groundbreaking, and the tracks are farly simple, it's just so well executed and delivered with such a passion it wins me over. Some tunes may feel a little cringey at times, but I love this record for what it is.

Recommended song: Once

[Buddyhunter1]

Once and The End Of The World are excellent but I’m pretty lukewarm on the rest of the album sadly. Same case with the first Blackfield where I really like a few songs but there’s too many I think are just okay.

[SoundscapeMN]

the 1st 2 Blackfield albums are excellent. I prefer the debut, but the 2nd one has several tunes I appreciate.

[Kwyjibo]

This is my favorite Blackfield record, good choice.

[ReaperKK]

I did a Blackfield discography run-thru last year and I've come to the conclusion that Aviv is a terrible singer and songs fronted by him are typically the most skippable. That said there are some really great Blackfield tunes. I think BFII is middle of the pack for me, ranging from great to bad.

[HOF]

I did a Blackfield discography run-thru last year and I've come to the conclusion that Aviv is a terrible singer and songs fronted by him are typically the most skippable. That said there are some really great Blackfield tunes. I think BFII is middle of the pack for me, ranging from great to bad.

I only have the first Blackfield album, but the moments when he sang were a real drag for sure. Seemed like an odd collaboration to me because it all just sounded like Steven Wilson/PT except when Aviv sang.

[Sacul]

39

Riverside
Anno Domini High Definition



I rarely listen to anything even close to "Progressive Rock/Metal" these days, as many of the albums I loved haven't aged well with me, and I may only like a few songs here and there - for instance, there are no Devin Townsend records on the list. But, one band I keep returning to is Riverside, mostly due to this beast of an album. They're called the "Polish Porcupine Tree", and I guess they kinda fit that to some extent, for they emphasize strong, layered atmospheres with somewhat catchy melodies, heavy riffs, and crazy synth work.
Anno Domini High Definition is about our modern hyperactive, consumerist society, and I guess that's about it in terms of what the hell it has to do with my condition . It's only 5 songs and 40 mins long, but damn it's dense and packs such a strong punch - it never gets too wild or self-indulgent at all, and I feel it has aged pretty well.

Recommended song: Hybrid Times

[Buddyhunter1]

Still one of the best prog albums of all time.

I rarely listen to anything even close to "Progressive Rock/Metal" these days, as many of the albums I loved haven't aged well with me, and I may only like a few songs here and there - for instance, there are no Devin Townsend records on the list.

[Sacul]

Tbh I mostly come back to Ocean Machine, and the live performances of Death of Music, which is just

[Buddyhunter1]

The last 35 minutes of Ocean Machine are amazing, yes.

[Revenge319]

I've been looking at this list as it's been updated, but haven't commented on this thread up to this point since there haven't been any albums here I've also heard (aside from LTE2, which I say is a great pick). Anyway, I would like to say that Anno Domini High Definition is an excellent pick. If I do a Top 50 thread at some point, this album is definitely showing up on there somewhere, probably in the Top 20.

Still one of the best prog albums of all time.

I rarely listen to anything even close to "Progressive Rock/Metal" these days, as many of the albums I loved haven't aged well with me, and I may only like a few songs here and there - for instance, there are no Devin Townsend records on the list.

I also wanted to say it's nice to know I'm not the only one who quotes this from time to time.

Also also, I agree about Ocean Machine (especially the last four songs) being amazing. I might've mentioned it before, but Thing Beyond Things is in my Top 20 favorite songs of all time.

[Buddyhunter1]

Xenoblade is endlessly quotable.