The Album Thread

Jack's Smirking Revenge

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Shall we say your top ten albums? Or as near as you can make it, anyway. I find it quite hard to just pick ten to be honest. :hmmm:


(What's the Story?) Morning Glory - Oasis
Greatest album ever written, by one of the greatest bands. It's impossible to fault a single song on it. It reminds me a lot of my childhood too, since it was released as I was growing up, so it's sort of the soundtrack to my youth.

Origin of Symmetry - Muse
A prime example on how to write a perfectly flowing album. All tracks meld nicely together, and it's easy to lose yourself in it when you listen to it. Even the tracks that are clearly meant as filler are extremely good.

Deadwing - Porcupine Tree
Because of the variety it shows off. It seems to show every different side of the band and their music, particularly the first five tracks. The majority of my favourite Porcupine Tree tracks are on this album.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
Amazing to think that none of the songs on it ever reached #1 in the charts. It comes from what I think is their best songwriting period; I much prefer their stuff from the later 60s when they were taking drugs etc. A really strong collection of songs.

Revelations - Audioslave
Just edges it as my favourite of Chris Cornell's work ahead of Out of Exile (also by Audioslave). Like Origin of Symmetry, it all flows together really nicely.

Lungs - Florence & The Machine
It's a pretty new album, so it still has to stand the test of time, but I can see that happening. Probably the strongest debut album I've heard since Arctic Monkeys released Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Her voice is simply incredible and I can see a very successful career for her, and her machine.

Boston - Boston
A brilliant example of how to do a debut. It's funny to think that they almost didn't bother releasing an album because of lack of funding, but it's really lucky for the entire music industry that they did.

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys
It's a shame that they've ended how they have, because this was a great start to their career. I remember when it came out, I listened to it pretty much daily and I still enjoy it just as much now.

Kid A - Radiohead
I'm not a huge Radiohead fan, but it's hard not to appreciate this work of genius. I find it really easy to listen to at any time, whereas with most of Radiohead's other stuff I find that I have to be in a certain mood to listen to it.

Urban Hymns - The Verve
One of the best albums from the 1990s. Again, I grew up listening to this, so I'm reminded quite strongly of my childhood when I listen to it. Richard Ashcroft is a really good songwriter.


Honourable mentions should be given to the following:
Leaders of the Free World - Elbow
Definitely Maybe - Oasis
Showbiz - Muse
The Joshua Tree - U2
Grace - Jeff Buckley
Wolfmother - Wolfmother
Out of Exile - Audioslave
Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins
Different Class - Pulp

Bah, I could go on and on.
 
Daft Punk - Discovery
Features - Features
Strokes - Is This It?
Queens of the Stone Age - Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Kings of Leon - Youth & Young Manhood

I have no time to entertain fucking Muse or most old music, only The Beatles and Earth, Wind & Fire.

That is all.
 
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Here's mine (in no particular order):

Goo Goo Dolls-"Dizzy Up The Girl"
The first album I heard of theirs. A lot of my favorite songs are on here and I like their sound the best on this album. "A Boy Named Goo" was a close second because of its guitar work, though I don't like a couple of the songs quite as much as these.

Sunny Day Real Estate--"How It Feels To Be Something On"
As their lyrics are very unusual and sometimes nonsensical, it's a little hard to claim that I love the overall message/theme of this album; however IMO it contains their greatest work and their most appealing sound. Their earlier albums were more raw, which is sometimes good but not always, and the one that followed this one was a smidgen more mainstream than I would've liked, though it was still awesome too.

Splender-"Halfway Down The Sky"
I love this band, and this album (hopefully they'll get back together soon and make more). It's really nice, melodic rock music with sarcastic, intelligent lyrics and a vocalist who mixes agitated, loud singing with vibrato for beautiful results. The dynamics of the album are really great too--it starts off with themes of confusion and anger, goes through periods of mellow introspection, comes to a resolution, and then finishes with a kind of mediocre "I'm ok, but what do I do next?" feeling. Which fits well with the theme of "halfway down the sky" I think--being stuck someplace "in-between" in life, something I've often been able to relate to.

Verbow-"White Out"
This band isn't very well-known (actually they're not around anymore :sad3:), but they do an amazing job of incorporating cello into rock music. The melodies are really, really rich and I love listening to their music while traveling, they tend to use a lot of nature imagery. And whenever I want to practice singing I always use this album, because the singer's range is very similar to mine. :)

Foo Fighters-"There Is Nothing Left To Lose"
I think this is their best album to date and I absolutely love their sound on it. It has everything I love about them, from loud and cynical ("Stacked Actors"), to emotional and thought-provoking ("Aurora"). Definitely one of my favorites.

Counting Crows-"August And Everything After"
I love all their albums, but they each have a different sound and this one is my favorite. It's got some of the most thoughful and best of Adam Duritz's lyrics, and it's the most simple and stripped-down form of their music. Their newer stuff is more fun and full of all kinds of goofy instruments, but I like their more emotional stuff better like can be found on this album.

Incubus-"Morning View"
I really like the feel of this album--some of their newer ones feel a little pieced-together and not as coherent, but this one definitely has a theme going on. All the songs have really pleasant yet unusual melodies, and a lot of them have a sort of "realization/introspection" thing going on. I dunno, it's kind of hard to describe it, but maybe that's what's so interesting about it.

Tonic-"Sugar"
I love this album because it's really straightforward and refreshing when I'm not in the mood for really crazy/unusual stuff. Just awesome rock music with thoughtful lyrics and great melodies, played with a lot of emotion.

Moke-"Carnival"

Another fairly unknown band that sadly isn't together anymore. It was hard to choose between this and their other album, but this one is somewhat more polished as it's the newer of the two, and they were able to do a little more with the effects and whatnot. And it has my favorite song on it, "Slide", which has a cool 7/8 (?) time signature in the chorus :8F: And John Hogg can friggin' sing your face off, he's amazing.

Live-"The Distance To Here"

What can I say about Live other than they're totally awesome. They always manage to sound refreshingly different from song to song while staying within their style, even across as many albums as they've put out. Their music is so full of energy (they're phenomenal in concert as well), and their lyrics are deep and meaningful; they can sing about things like love, peace, and spirituality without sounding the least bit preachy or stereotypical (it's not about any particular religion or anything). I chose this album because it's got a cool "searching for peace/the answers in life/humanity" theme, and also some of my favorite songs are on it ("The Dolphin's Cry," "Face And Ghost," "The Distance"). It's really relaxing and it always puts me in a good mood.

Man, this was a hard list to choose. Some of my favorite artists are not on here (Tori Amos, Duncan Sheik) because they don't have just one solid album that's my favorite. And I excluded compilations because I'm going for the overall feel of the album the way it was intended to be when it was written. But these I could listen to over and over and never get tired of them :) I had just as many runner-ups, though:

Tori Amos-"From The Choirgirl Hotel"
Duncan Sheik-"Brighter/Later"
King's X-"Best of King's X"
Ben Lee-"Breathing Tornadoes"
Libera-"Free"
Better Than Ezra-"How Does Your Garden Grow?"
Enya-"Paint The Sky With Stars"
Matchbox Twenty-"Mad Season"
Abandoned Pools-"Humanistic"
Fuel-"Something Like Human"
 
Top Albums (IN NO ORDER, EXCLUDING ALL OBVIOUS CHOICES TOO CANON-FRIENDLY TO NEED BEAR REPEATING HERE)

1. The Downward Sprial - Nine Inch Nails
A really timeless bricolage of sound. Epically post-modern, beautiful, sexy, terrifying.

2. Here Comes the Indian - Animal Collective
One of the first albums that got me into noise and experimental music, from one of my favorite bands. Extremely dark at parts, very druggy, like the druggiest music could ever get with guitars outside of drone metal. I love all the electronics which, of course, it's Animal Collective, sound like alien weaponry. Then there are the serene moments, the borderline ambient passages - like any one of their other equally perfect albums, they offer cosmic facsimiles of everyday human existence and the joys of nature shot through a kaleidoscope of delay, echo, and psychociblin mushrooms. Like three pounds, hydroponic.

3. Amnesiac -Radiohead
Radiohead's true experimental album, in my opinion. Sure, Kid A probably broke more ground in the end, but this gem is the IDM/Jazz/Electronic record everyone overlooked; when revisited, who can deny the power of each and every one of these songs, from the bitcrushed Futurism of 'Pakt Like Sardines' to the Haunted New Orleans Chapels 'Life in a Glass House' embodies. If only they had stayed in this direction…then again, I liked the next two albums - but I don't think they could top this.

4. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
This is like listening to a dream. Now I feel like an official douche bag, having made my required pseudo-rock journalist hyperbole-driven comparison quota (if only for this hour). Seriously though, this is probably the best produced album ever made.

5. Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
Kind of an obvious choice, but I started re-listening to this heavily recently and would feel like a liar if I didn't put it in my list. This record is long as shit, but it's a journey well rewarded; by the time you reach the core of the billowing sandstorm that is 'Hyperstation', you really feel as if you've travelled the expanse of an entire nation. It's all just so epic, every jam, every soaring guitar progression that reminds me somehow every time infallibly why I started listening to music in the first place.


6. Drum's Not Dead - Liars
Another album primarily responsible for my love of psychedelic and experimental music. Tribal, beautiful, spooky, the 'highest' thing I've ever heard still. The production is phenomenal, every song features a radically different drum tone and feel. So close to my heart

7. Self titled - Astrud Gilberto
The most romantic music I've ever heard. Some of this with a little champagne or wine and I feel like a teenage girl falling in love in Paris.

8. Strange Warmings of… - Laddio Bolocko
Some of the finest noise rock I've ever heard.

9. Faust IV (Faust)
I think of all the pioneering krautrock bands, Faust and Can were the two who most influenced today's music. On this album, Faust shift around, and I feel it's their eclectically blending of styles that helps this album maintain such a long shelf life in my library. 'Jennifer' is such a good song, and 'Krautrock' really inspired me to start to play guitar in a more Krautrock style

10. The Third and Final Report (Throbbing Gristle)
True visionaries, without peers. An armed revolution of an album - the Communist Manifesto in Stereo.

11. Odyssey and Oracle (The Zombies)
Sure, sure, they sound so much like the Beatles, I know - there's a song or two on this ablum's B side I skip usually because the other singer that rarely gets lead carries us away in the most criminal plagiarism of John Lennon I've ever heard. Every other song, however, sparkle and shine with evidence of their creators' pained efforts. The subtle chord changes demonstrate a keen ear, nothing like you would hear on modern radio (although some of that stuff is good, too, don't get me wrong).


12. The Scream (siouxsie and the banshees)
The best goth rock I've ever heard. This album influenced the hell out of me and the way I play guitar - sorry if this list comes off as really self involved.

13. Deceit (This Heat)
Experimental music under the backdrop of inevitable Armagedon, this is a very pioneering, well written, performed and recorded collection of recorded music.

14. Sprechenshrei (SPK)
Industrial that goes in and out of very Ambient type dirge-y passages, this band consists of a member of a mental institution staff and patient working together to create truly terrifying, bleak Industrial soundscapes.

15. Pop (Gas)
I've listened to this so many times to go to sleep, hearing it almost puts me under automatically, but when I can keep myself awake I never fail to marvel at its pure, untouchable beauty.
 
1) Staring at the Sea Singles - The Cure

Apart from this being an album that has great songs on it, it's also the album I have most memories off. I remember hearing this when I was younger, and getting absolutely annoyed 'cause my mom used to blast them from the living room stereo set. I hated the Cure back then. :wacky: I almost can't believe it now ... As far as CD's go, this is my most played CD ever.

2) Take Off Your Colours - You Me At Six

This album. *Drools* I remember hearing The Rumour, and the track on the Album, called 'Take Off Your Colours' as well. I was in love. :8F:
This album, along with their second one as I will mention below, was the second reason I got online banking applications. :wacky: You Me At Six store, here I come. :ryan:

3) Hold Me Down - You Me At Six

See above. They topped it with this album, the lyrics, the songs. Josh's vocals have absolutely improved, and people saying they're going 'mainstream', well, I don't hear it. I still think they're that same band I fell in love with when I first heard a song by them. Gorgeous album, and there's not a song on it that I don't like.

4) More Than This - Trading Yesterday

Omg... I loved one song by them. And I must admit, this is the first album of an artist I actually 'downloaded', but I needed to have it. I will buy it still, but I just couldn't wait. I love the songs on here. A more calmer band, at least the songs and they write such gorgeous lyrics. :gonk:

5) Riot! - Paramore

:ryan: This album... It was the album that got me into them, but not really at the same time. I ignored it for a long time, but the songs just started growing on me. I usually hate female singers in a band, seeing they sound too breathy, it's annoyed and makes you want to pull your hair out. But Hayley's voice on this album - in this band... Is just... Great.

6) Brand New Eyes - Paramore

Easily my favourite album by them. All the songs on there tell their own story which I really like in songs. The melodies go really well, and not to mention that Hayley's voice is better than EVER. Literally. She topped it in this one. Love this album.

7) Sleeping With Ghosts - Placebo

:ryan: My cousin who's always been that punk style look a like, was totally in to the when I was younger. She always had her hair short, and died black, and nothing gothic like, but just... A decent look, and her favourite band was Placebo, I'm not sure if it still is. I love their old works, I must say I'm disappointed with their latest album. But this one is definitely a keeper.

8) Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park

Linky Pinky. :ryan: This has been one of those bands that have been with me for a long time. I love this album so much. So many memories attached to it too, and I could listen to it over and over. It has a few favourites, and a few least favourites, but they're all gorgeous songs to listen to.

9) Awake - Secondhand Serenade

I wouldn't say this is one of my favourite favourite bands, but... This album is really cool. I started liking it after listening to a few songs, and eventually got it. It's a good variety.

10) What Are You Waiting For - FM Static

I love this band! :ryan: It's not so much just this album, but most songs I like are from it, so this definitely deserves a spot here. Haven't bought their albums yet, I'm not even sure if they are available at our normal music stores, I'll have to go see. But this has been a liked band of mine for ages now! :D
 
In alphabetical order, and only because that's the most logical way on iTunes. I also thought I'd limit it to one album per band too. Except for one band.

The Beatles (The White Album) - The Beatles
It's an album with a couple exclusions and some inclusions, could easily be called The Best of the Beatles. Some of their very best songs, and Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. It doesn't come together musically as an album like the second half of Abbey Road does, or thematically like Sgt Pepper, which does leave you feeling a little cold towards, or I do at least. I don't think that's enough reason to overlook it as a great album.

Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
The greatest break-up album, narrowly beating John Martyn's Grace and Danger. All the emotions from the break-up of his marriage put into an album. It's an almost voyeuristic pleasure, If you see her, say hello is unbelievably moving. The backing music is quite quiet, so you hear his voice better because that's the most expressive part of the album. Some people may be put off by prominence of his voice, understandly I guess, but I've always quite liked his voice, so no problems there.

Children of God - Swans
It's a concept album, a fairly complex/ambiguous one too. The album is named for a religious cult, so it's quite easy to interpret the songs as simply about relgion, however some of them could equally, and even are more likely to be about 'abusive' (emotionally, rather than physically) realtionships, that may even be Gira's point, though I doubt it, as that seems rather too straightforward. That's one of the things that I really like about it, it's intelligent music, not just something you can dance to etc, something that makes you think.
Swans are a band that are quite hard to describe, post-punk/post-rock will do. Musically I think they are very talented, in this it can switch from powerful rhytmic drum beats which obviously are meant to indicate a religious fervor, the power of a chant. Then there's some lovely softer stuff, that's rather more tranquil, the power of religion to soothe amd to calm, it's not an entirely negative album, there's flute, oboe, cello etc.
It's an album with a point. but also with some fantastic music.

Closer - Joy Division
Authentic depressing music, it's not made specifically downbeat, that's just how Ian Curtis is. Actually I think depressing is the wrong word, it's just bleak.
That being said, it's easy to focus on that and ignore the fact that it's a beautiful album. Wonderfully crafted it's the peak of their sound.

Disintergration - The Cure
In contrast to Joy Division, I don't think Disintergration is entirely authentic. Robert Smith made a deliberate decision to make a dark album.
That being said, I think he succeeded quite well. And I also think he failed in a way, because they have this pop sensibilty, which I don't think is deliberate, which makes them easily accessible. I think everyone likes to indulge in a little superficial depression, and this is perfect for it. Although I do think some songs have some weight to them, Lovesong for its sincerity and The Same Deep Water as you.

From a Basement on a Hill - Elliott Smith
It was either this or Either/Or for Elliott Smith.
I choose this one because it's brutally honest and also very good. He is totally truthful about his heroin abuse, it's not the basis of just one song like under the brdige etc, it's a re-occuring theme. I guess it's like catharsis, he's coming clean about his problems.
I don't want to make is sound like an album about drug abuse. It's more of a stream of consciousness album, his thoughts as songs. It's like that because he killed himself before he could finish it, so some of the mixing is probably not how he would have liked it, and he probably would have changed the songs some more. Even though it's not finished, it's still very very good.

Gentlemen - The Afghan Whigs
My favourite album. The Whigs are a fairly unique sounding band, they're grunge/alt rock who are heavily influenced by soul/motown, that they are influenced by them is what defines their sound. I don't think many rock bands who have covered the supremes, let alone grunge bands that do, but the Afghan Whigs have. The sound is just magnificent, especially in this album. The album has a lascivious feel to it, along with very questionable gender politics, the acts of the singer are fairly bad, yet we are encouraged to emphasize with him. I should point out that it doesn't condone the actions, nor does it apologise for them. It's about sex and depravity and pain, but it deals with them in such a way that there's no umcomfortableness. I may be overstressing the meaning of the lyrics etc, in a way they aren't meant to be taken too seriously.

In Utero - Nirvana
It's ironic, it's thoughtful, it's angry, but most of all it's raw. The production, or the seeming lack of production is why I like it. I think it's a stronger album than Nevermind, if less 'authentic' because it's a reaction against it. It's an album that bands as relentlessly mediocre as Pearl Jam could never make, Nirvana still had integrity, they made songs like rape me, whereas others made songs like 'Jeremy'.

Orchestra of Wolves - Gallows
Hardcore Melodic Punk. I'm a moderate fan of punk, and I usually detest anything 'hardcore', but Gallows are far too good to dislike. Their songs are so wonderfully powerful, they're just raw and unrestrained. Nice and ironic too, which makes them more likable.

Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine
What a debut, musically they are phenomally talented, Tom Morello is miles above most guitarists. Even though Tom Morello is the easiest to single out and praise Tim Commerford has some unbelievable bass lines, and Brad Wilk's drumming is often overlooked, but given how RATM are fairly close to rap the beat is fairly significant.
Then there's Zack de la Rocha who gives the band its energy, its bite. It's him who criticises the government etc, their dissent goes perfectly with their 'rap metal.'

The Smiths - The Smiths
Morrissey is a sad miserable bastard, but I love him nonetheless. The Smiths are a fantastic mix of really good pop, and genuine alternative music. It's got what difference does it make and this charming man, both brilliant pop songs, alongside Suffer Little Children a chilling alternative song about the Moors Murderers.

Soundtracks for the Blind - Swans
I mentioned before how the lyrics in Children of God were ambiguous, Soundtracks for the Blind has no such problem. Mainly because very few tracks have lyrics, it's a soundtrack for a non-existant film. I think it comes close to being a masterpeice, it has so many different elements to it. It's 2 hours and 20 minutes of wonderful sound. Sometimes it's slightly disturbing, at others almost beautiful, and occasionly funny. Music is almost too narrow a term to describe it.

The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Classic pre-britpop, with some psychedelia.
 
I could never do Top 10 albums of all-time, but I'll list my ten favourites from 2009:

[FONT=Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif]1. The Hazards of Love (The Decemberists)
Folk + Prog + Concept album = Album of the year from a fantastic band.

2. Primary Colours (The Horrors)
They might wear their influences rather obviously but they do it very well, and this is a great mix of rock and shoegaze. Plus it's nice in this culture of hype to see an act deliver on a second album after being written off.

3. Actor (St. Vincent)
Builds perfectly on her debut, hugely beguiling.

4. Bromst (Dan Deacon)
Barking (literally on one track) but brilliant, the kitchen-sink approach and relentless hyperactivity will not appeal to everyone but I loved the constant invention on display

5. My Maudlin Career (Camera Obscura)
Gorgeous, yet another great Scottish act.

6. Popular Songs (Yo La Tengo)
Consistently great over 20 years, this is another winner. Some said it was Yo La Tengo by numbers, but that's still better than most music out there. And few bands can manage three-minute pop songs and fifteen-minute jams on the same record.

7. Merriweather Post Pavilion (Animal Collective)
There's been enough said about this already, but though I think they've done better records this still has a lot of what makes them great, and the likes of My Girls and Brother Sport are fantastic.

8. Hospice (The Antlers)
Brutal both lyrically and in concept, but it has a sparse sort of beauty to it.

9. It's Blitz! (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Starts off with two immense songs and doesn't let up. The shift in sound is handled perfectly and I can't wait to see what they do next

10. Hymn to the Immortal Wind (Mono)
Soaring instrumental rock, and like the Antlers album has a real emotional tug to it.
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1.) Within Temptation -- The Heart of Everything
Within Temptation is my favourite band of all time. Musically they are simply enchanting. Sharon has the most beautiful voice in the world and when I listen to this album as opposed to most "Symphonic Metal/Rock" albums I actually hear what characterizes the music. There are a number of pieces featuring horns and stringed instruments. The lyrics are also some of the deepest that I've heard from WT.

2.) Forever Slave -- Tales For Bad Girls
One of the most beautiful symphonic metal albums I've ever heard. Unfortunately for someone to listen to this album and be able to understand it they may require the lyrics as the singer is Spanish and has a really odd accent when she sings. All in all its like listening to a metal album with a really pretty voice singing rather than all the screaming.

3.) Sirenia -- Nine Destinies and A Downfall
Sirenia is a band that seems to blend typical hard rock/metal vocals and music with elements of symphonic metal. The songs are usually longer than normal and feature some worthwhile lyrics. Along with the beautiful female vocals there's usually a darker male voice, this album however doesn't have as much of that, and that's why I like it, its just beautiful.

4.) From Autumn To Ashes -- Abandon Your Friends
A lot of people don't like this album because of the way that you can tell that almost all of the screaming vocals were edited in separately as opposed to how they would usually be recorded along side the rest of the album. Personally I feel this was one of FATA best albums.
5.) TOOL -- Lateralus
All I can say is; Tool. <3

6.) Nightwish -- Century Child

7.) Muse -- The Resistance
Honestly this isn't even the best Muse album, but the reason I'm head over heels for it is simply because of the fact that it's ALL about 1984. I loved that book so to see an entire album about it, well let me just say that pretty much completes my life.

8.) Metallica -- Kill 'Em All
In my honest opinion Metallica got pretty crappy after this album.

9.) The Devil Wears Prada -- Plagues
A recent discovery for me. I've sort of always not liked The Devil Wears Prada, but after giving them a good listen, I find that they're actually a really good band and there are a ton of great songs on this album. So far of their three releases I'd have to say this one is the best.

10.) Versailles Philharmonic Quintent -- Jubilee
OR The Used -- Artwork
 
Top Ten, huh?

1) Wishmaster - Nightwish
This is probably my favorite band ever, so I'll spare you all the rant and state that while I'd like to just put in "EVERY NIGHTWISH ALBUM EVAR B-CUZ THEY ARE TEH GRATEST", I won't. Boiling it all down though; Wishmaster's emerged as a favorite of mine. The others are all great, but this one juuust inches past them.

2) Liberatio - Krypteria
This was the band's first album where they were REALLY trying to find their sound (and vocalist) and went all over the place doing so. Oddly enough, "all over the place" worked for them on this one and as good as their more recent stuff has been, I still get a bigger kick out of their old stuff, especially "When the Dust Begins to Settle".

3) Valley of the Damned - Dragonforce
Like Liberatio, this was another case where I found the first album to be the best because the band was still finding its niche. Sure, it's got some of the band's usual speedier stuff in Black Fire and Revelations, but it goes a little out of sorts with things like Starfire, Disciples of Babylon, and even its title track.

4) The Human Equation - Ayreon
THE best concept album I've ever heard. I've read reviews saying that it was weird even for Ayreon, but having heard some of the band's other stuff as well, Human Equation's the only one I still actively listen to anymore. The intro for "Day Sixteen: Loser" is one of the best as well.

5) Nightfall on Middle Earth - Blind Guardian
Medieval rock at its best. The simplest way to sum up the album is "Silmarillion: The Musical", and what really makes it great is that I was able to enjoy the entire album prior to having read the book.

6) A Night at the Opera - Blind Guardian
Most of the first songs I heard from Blind Guardian (Punishment Divine, Battlefield) were off this album, so it was a joy when I finally bought it and heard the whole thing.

7) Ten Thousand Fists - Disturbed
Best album of the group IMO. The Sickness sounded too would-be edgy, Believe felt repetitive, and Indestructible became too "poppy" too fast. Ten Thousand Fists was the first Disturbed album I bought, and it's stayed up there quite well.

8) Demon Days - Gorillaz
The best album from the group IMO. It's one of the best concept albums I've heard and of all the stuff Gorillaz has done, it's the one of the only albums I still turn off the shuffle function for so I can hear it all in order.

9) Silence - Sonata Arctica
The band itself is odd, and many of the songs in this one are even odder. The way a lot of it sounds, I sometimes wonder if the band (Finnish) really didn't know that much in the way of english and they slapped things together into what more or less ended up being "Engrish Metal". I doubt that's really the case, but either way, the album's awesome.

10) Once - Nightwish
I realize this is probably the most commercial thing the band's ever done, but it was the first album of theirs I got and it's got a few of my favorites on it as well. I love it :)


Honorable Mention:

Rethroned - Northern Kings
This is only getting an Honorable Mention because the entire thing consists of covers. Northern Kings is a "supergroup" from Finland made up of Marco Hietala, Tony Kakko, Jarko Ahola, and JP -dammit I can never remember how that name of his is spelled. They end up doing covers of stuff ranging from Frank Sinatra's "My Way" to Bon Jovi's "Dead Or Alive". Their best song on this album? A creepy-ass stalker version of Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky".


Laughable Mention:

In a Metal Mood - Pat Boone
Okay okay, this one's in here for the humor value. It's a guy who was big back when your parents were kids doing lounge/shower versions of songs like Crazy Train, Panama, and Stairway to Heaven. It's so bad it's hilarious.

 
Bare in mind that a lot of these are Japanese, but I recommend each one even if you can't speak the language:

1) Joker - Janne da Arc

A Japanese (semi) visual-kei band. JDA are probably my favourite band at the moment. Out of all their albums Joker is easily my favourite having listened through it several times. Each member are great musicians and I recommend them strongly. Best songs: Gekkouka, Tsumetai Kagerou.

2) Ray - L'arc~en~ciel

Another Japanese (semi) visual-kei band. I'd presume many would know about L'arc given that they are quite big in the west and have provided songs for animes Full Metal Alchemist and Gundam. Ray is L'arc at their very best, and Hyde is one of the best vocalists from Japan. Best songs: Honey, Kasou.

3) Absolution - Muse

Not Origin of Symmetry! Absolution is my personal favourite. As a whole it's very well balanced and I still listen to it on a regular basis even after all these years. Best songs: Apocalypse Please, Butterflies and Hurricanes.

4) The Shape of Punk to Come - Refused

THE punk album for me. Refused are a Swedish hardcore punk band, and they are just brilliant. I'm not really in to much hardcore stuff, but this album blew me away. Best songs: Summerholidays Vs Punkroutine, New Noise.

5) Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Dream Theater

A 2-disk album, one containing 5 lengthy prog-metal/rock songs, and the other containing a 42-minute song. That's right, 42-minutes. It's an incredible song, surprisingly memorable for its length and is just fantastic to listen to when I have nothing to do for 42-minutes. Best songs: Six degrees of inner turbulence, Blind Faith.

6) The Black Mages - The Black Mages

You should know them, you're in a FF forum! So happy when I discovered this album. Best songs: Battle Scene I, J-E-N-O-V-A.

7) Go Europe! - Electric Eel Shock

Another Japanese band, but probably bigger in UK than in Japan. A stunning live band, EES are very 'rock'. Catchy tunes, great guitar solos, bad English, a naked drummer... you know it has to be good. Best songs: Do the metal, Rock n roll can rescue the world.

8) The Force - T.M. Revolution

A Japanese solo artist with some crazy outfits (just youtube his 'Hot Limit' pv). Ignoring his look, the music is brilliant. Best songs: Hot Limit, Aqualovers.

9) Wild Peace - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Like ska? Listen to these guys. A fantastic ska album, very fun to listen to. Best songs: Come On!, Rainy Thursday.

10) The World Ends With You OST

Honestly I never thought I'd put a video game soundtrack here, nevermind one from a DS game, but here it is. If you've played this game you probably, like me, stopped playing and just listened to the music for a while. Fantastic soundtrack. Best songs: Calling, Someday.

Honourable mentions: Dahlia (X-Japan), Moving Pictures (Rush), Catch Without Arms (Dredg), Deadwing (Porcupine Tree), Black List (Acid Black Cherry)
 
Not sure if I can pick 10 o_O

Opheliac - Emilie Autumn
Lungs - Florence And The Machine
The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
Far - Regina Spektor
The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls

Hmmm....

[Mod Edit: Could you tell us a bit about the albums just to expand on your post more? Thanks.]
 
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Like Hal, I'm gonna limit this to one album per artist. Picking a top ten is really hard, but I'll give it a go :hmmm:

ABBA - Gold

ABBA are, essentially, a singles band. So to have all their best songs on one album is pretty fantastic. It's easy to be snobbish and dismiss ABBA, but some of their songs are really clever. The songs sound so familiar, but I still love them anyway. The key thing with ABBA is that they know how to hook a listener. Take A Chance On Me, Money Money Money, Mamma Mia... etc, all fantastic songs. Everyone likes at least one ABBA song :rofl:

Blondie - Parallel Lines

This album feels like a greatest hits compilation on it's own, every song is fantastic. Debbie Harry has a great voice, and I think this album shows Blondie at their peak. From the snarling in One Way Or Another, to her singing Sunday Girl, she hits all the right notes on this album. The band sound fantastic too, the opening in One Way Or Another is instantly catchy, the music in Heart Of Glass is wonderful and I love the attack in Hanging On The Telephone. Overall, it's just a really great album, I love how it explores a wide range in the songs too, from Disco in Heart Of Glass, to the weirdness of I Know But I Don't Know.

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours.

Like Blondie's Parallel Lines, Rumours is one of those wonderful albums with no filler, the amount of care and attention paid to each song is incredible and really noticeable. On Rumours, all three singer-songwriters are at their absolute peak. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks never sounded better, and Christine McVie turns out some really strong songs. Second Hand News has an amazing guitar and the vocal harmonies are incredible, Dreams has that smoky just-got-out-of-bed vocal, while Songbird remains a really haunting and moving ballad. Normally I'm not a fan of ballads, but something about Christine McVie and just her piano work wonderfully. The vocal harmonies on the album are amazing, and they really show that off on The Chain, it's an epic anthem and it has a really amazing guitar solo. Silver Springs has to be the highlight, it's so intense, and the vocal "layer of Stevie's" makes the song sound amazing. Rounding off the album with Gold Dust Woman is a brilliant move too, one of the more experimental songs on the album, but those closing wails are incredible.

Florence And The Machine - Lungs.

One of my favourite albums from 2009, and of all time too. Florence Welch has an amazing voice, and her band is pretty awesome too. I love the sequencing on the album, the first five songs is one of the strongest five song runs on any album, and it really shows off the diversity in this album. Howl has to be the standout on the album for me though, it's an epic song. I love the music, and I think it really shows off the power and range in her voice. I'm really interested to see the direction she takes with future albums, as this is a really impressive debut. Although, I'm not quite sure she can be compared with Kate Bush just yet, but it's looking impressive.

Hole - Live Through This.

I can definitely see how this album can be compared to Nirvana's work, but I still really love it. I think Doll Parts is one of the best breakup songs written. Courtney Love may not have a conventionally "pretty" or "good" voice, but she knows how to make it work. I love how she can sing very delicately, but then snarl with the best of them. It's a shame Courtney Love is just seen as some psycho bitch, she actually makes good music.

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow.

Like Fleetwood Mac, Jefferson Airplane deploys some really interesting vocal harmonies. I love the band's playing throughout, but the real star of the album is Grace Slick. Her background vocals are excellent, and she works well with the men of the band, but her two lead vocal songs are absolutely cracking. Somebody To Love has so much energy and she sounds absolutely fantastic, the backing vocals from the guys are great too. Really catchy as well. White Rabbit is one of my favourite songs of all time, I love the psychedelic sound created, and Slick's vocal delivery is excellent. I love how the album mixes slower songs like White Rabbit and Today with faster paced songs like Somebody To Love and D.C.B.A. -25, it's sequenced really nicely. One of the few albums I can listen to from start to finish without skipping.

Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love.

It was really hard picking a Kate Bush album, as I tend to love individual songs rather than the entire album, but the woman is a genius. Hounds Of Love has to be my favourite album by her, as it seems to have everything that makes Kate Bush work without any of the awkward sounding music.

Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster.

I'm counting the UK release which has The Fame included. I know GaGa is a rather marmite character, you either love her or hate her. I love her. I think she's given pop music the kick up the ass it deserves, and although people can call her every name under the sun, it's hard to claim she's untalented; she may annoy you, but her songs are really good. Just Dance, Poker Face, Paparazzi and Love Game feel as though they've been around forever. The woman knows how to write a hook, and those songs really are excellent. The Fame, by itself, is quite patchy - flashes of brilliance, such as the aforementioned 4 songs - but a lot of filler. The Fame Monster on the other hand... it's only 8 tracks long, but it's brilliant. Bad Romance is almost as good as Poker Face, and Telephone is a truly amazing dance song. Teeth is one of my favourite songs on the album, and it's one of the strangest thing's GaGa has done; to me, it's basically Fleetwood Mac's Tusk brought into the 21st century - it has all the same mad energy and that tribal feeling. I think GaGa has the potential to be the next superstar, like Madonna, as The Fame / The Fame Monster certainly shows she has a lot of potential.

Patti Smith - Horses.

I could write about her voice all night, it's so interesting. What I love about this album is how she manages to make a nearly ten minute song interesting, once it comes up on shuffle, I can't turn it off, normally I'd get bored with a song that long, but she keeps it interesting. Songs like Free Money and Kimberly are amazing, the music sounds great, the lyrics are excellent and she has the voice to carry it off.

Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna.

It was a toss-up between Bella Donna and The Wild Heart for this one, but Bella Donna has the edge. Stevie's debut album remains her best one. Her voice is in excellent form, the power and range she shows hasn't been seen before or since this album. With Stevie, I find that she's only as good as the producer she works with, and Jimmy Iovine brings out the best in her on this album. It's one of those very rare albums where every song sounds fantastic, apart from one. Songs like Edge of Seventeen (with that famous guitar riff) show off the power in her voice, while Kind Of Woman and After The Glitter Fades remain beautifully haunting. Bella Donna, Outside The Rain and How Still My Love show the range in her voice and how excellent her lyrics can be, while Think About It demonstrates the wonderful harmonies she has with her two backup ladies. The two duets, Stop Draggin My Heart Around and Leather and Lace are classics. Tom Petty really adds to the rocking feeling of Stop Draggin My Heart Around, while Don Henley adds to the haunting atmosphere of Leather and Lace. The one dud on the album is the closer, The Highwayman. It's just a country-tinged ballad that sorta plods along and doesn't really go anywhere. I think if it was cut, and the album ended with Outside the Rain, it really would be the perfect album. For me anyway :lew:
 
The Black Parade-My Chemical Romance
Raditude-Weezer
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge-My Chemical Romance
Demon Days-Gorillaz
The Red Album-Weezer
Ocean Eyes-Owl City
Plastic Beach-Gorillaz
Gorillaz-Gorillaz
Bleed American-Jimmy Eat World
Good Morning Revival-Good Charlotte
 
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