Your Top 10 Albums of All Time

[Flounder]

A Night at the Opera - Queen


probably the most flawless album

the problem here is an even better album was created by Queen themselves in 1974, and it was called...

10. Queen II

Bohemian Rhapsody ain't got shit on the March of the Black Queen. As good as A Night at the Opera is, I feel Queen II is a much more cohesive release: it feels like an album, rather than a jumble of songs. A Night at the Opera goes from the spiteful Death on Two Legs to "I've got a feel for my Oldsmobile" in no time flat. Queen II breaks stride at times, but it's nothing compared to a Night at the Opera, and there's definitely a single, identifiable tone to this album.
Queen II just fucking rocks, honestly. Freddie Mercury's vocals are fucking phenomenal, the guitar can pierce your very soul, and the piano...

9. Pink Floyd - Animals

TEA_DEMON kinda expressed my thoughts on this pretty well, but I'll say that Animals is most certainly pink floyd's best album (following their second best chronologically) and it somehow preceded their second-worst album, that atrocious, lengthy mess that was The Wall: music I'm perfectly fine with Roger Waters claiming to own exclusively. Animals has so many fantastic moments, and is simply fantastic to listen to at all times: truly a classic.

8. Morphine - The Night

Morphine fans seem to be so few and far between in my experience, and I hope it's just because of inadvertent ignorance of their existence. Mark Sandman is a poet masquerading as a singer, and can tell somber tales of loss and desperation, or stories of girls, good booze and parties set to pulsing bass and roaring saxes. Released shortly after his death, The Night is probably Morphine's saddest release in terms of content: it's not nearly as rife with upbeat, driving songs found in the previous albums. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone not vehemently opposed to musical enjoyment: there's really no band out there quite like Morphine.

7. Justice - Cross

The only grievous misstep in this album is the abomination known as "the party," and if you delete that track from the album, it still flows beautifully and you get the rocking bass and kickass, uh, everything without fucking Uffie ruining everything. Cross is probably one of the better electronic albums out there, and it's pretty much a hit with anyone who likes anything vaguely electronic, and with good reason.

6. At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command

If I could define the one thing in any album that I find enjoyable, it would be "intensity," and if this album isn't intense, nothing is. It pretty much hits you like a freight train, but one you're always sad eventually ends. This is also pretty much the driving album for me, and it's pretty much permanently lodged in one of the slots of my car's CD player.

5. CAKE - Comfort Eagle

I've been listening to Cake for as long as I can remember, and they're the only band that I've really stuck with since I started listening to music. They're just so damn fun and catchy. Their whole discography is flawless for certain, but I think this is the album that I love the most: it's just so consistently perfect. I can see how the vocals can be a bit abrasive, seeing as they're not really... sung, so much as spoken, but I love them all the same, as they're pretty easy to understand and fun to sing along with.

4. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas

I don't think this album would've come close to my top 10 even four or five months ago, but out of fucking nowhere I fell head over heels in love with it. The instruments alone provide the most bizarrely emotional amalgamation of noise I've ever had the fortune of experiencing. Something about the fuzz of the guitar, the drums, and the vocals, themselves more an instrument than a voice tugs at the heart in such a unique way.

3. Why? - Alopecia

I understand wholly the people who think Why? is absolutely horrendous, because some nasally Jewish dude rapping is probably not the first thing I thought I'd enjoy, but holy shit, this album. The lyrics are just unbeatable sometimes. Yoni Wolf is really clever, and some of these songs consistently blow me away when listening: some of them really are just poetry set to music, and By Torpedo Or Crohn's is possibly one of my favorite songs ever. The instrumentation's also a lot of fun, with everything from marimbas to pulsing bass to piano. I can and do listen to this for hours, it's just endlessly entertaining.

2. The Strokes - Is This It?

perhaps it's the teenager in me, but there's something about this album... It's been my highest highs and my lowest lows, and pretty much everything in between. It's fun, upbeat, rock 'n' roll, and yet it manages to be really fucking depressing sometimes. It's kinda hard for me to express how much this album means to me beyond that, it probably hits closer to home than anything else here.

1. King Crimson - Red

I used to listen to this album probably three times daily, minimum. Though it's sorta fallen by the wayside in recent months, we are taking top albums of all time, and I listened to this at least once a day for a good year and a half. As far as I'm concerned, it really is musical perfection, and King Crimson circa 1974 is the greatest collection of three musicians to ever. Robert Fripp's guitar, from the driving rock in Red to the somber acoustic guitar in Fallen Angel...
Bill Bruford kills it on the drums, managing to display a mastery of percussion: I find the best drummers are the ones who know when not to play, and Bruford is a master of restraint. He knows when to hold back, and when to go all out, and it shows.
John Wetton's vocals stand the test of time a lot better than previous Crimson lyricists, being a bit less lofty and more down-to-earth than the previous six albums.
And Starless. Holy shit, Starless. The haunting mellotron, and the batshit insane sax... just, everything.

 

[Astrid]

10. VAST's Visual Audio Sensory Theater

Industrial rock that doesn't try to be 'edgy'. Jon Crosby's a pretty interesting singer, and while the lyrics can be rather unoriginal at times, they certainly have their moments. The redeeming quality of this album, however, is the instrumentals. Utilizing everything from samples of tribal chanting to whining violins, it's enough to make the album great.

9. Dirty Three's Ocean Songs

One of Dirty Three's earlier records. It'll take you places you couldn't imagine. Being a pretty standard post-rock album, it lacks lyrics, but through guitar, drums, and violin alone it effectively creates stunning imagery of the ocean and sea. I typically fall asleep to this and, play it quite often when I need to relax.

8. Atlas Sound's Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel

Atlas Sound is a side project of the frontman of Deerhunter, and probably best described as a hybrid between Radiohead and Animal Collective. The lyrics are simple and concise, but still inspired, and compliment Bradford Cox's rather unique voice.

7. Cat Power's Myra Lee

Cat Power has become pretty poppy nowadays, almost a twin to Feist, but this was written back when she was still singing grungier stuff. She's a great lyricist, her voice is absolutely haunting, and we share the same hometown. I'm a sucker for lo-fi, too.

6. The Avalanche's Since I Left You

This album is absolutely ingenious. It's essentially electro/breakbeat, and uses literally over two thousand samples in order to structure its sounds. In a few of their songs they have entire coherent verses constructed exclusively out of samples from old, obscure movies. It's seamless all the way through as well. A shame they haven't released anything in twelve years, but they're supposedly working on a second record.

5. Matt Elliott's The Mess We Made

Everything from Matt Elliot is great, but this one's definitely my favorite of his. Dark folk with elements of ambience. Like Atlas Sound, the songs are usually comprised of very few lyrics, with a dismal guitar and piano making up the bulk of the album, but when he does sing it's somber and gorgeous.

4. The Antlers' Hospice

A pretty creative concept album about an abusive relationship told through the metaphor of a terminally ill patient and a hospice worker. It's pretty damn heavy slowcore. Peter Silberman has a nice, smooth, and recognizable voice to accompany his lyrics, much of which contains several references and lines from Sylvia Plath. It leaves me in tears almost every time.

3. Margot & the Nuclear So And So's' Animal!

Margot is a baroque pop/indie rock band that utilizes a whopping eight or more people to create their music, and orchestrates every song with quite a few instruments and heavy planning. Their hard work pays off. Richard Edwards is a great songwriter and composer, and he's put together the album very soundly all the way through. The backstory behind the band's argument with their record company in releasing this is pretty interesting as well. Lastly, their name is inspired by The Royal Tenenbaums, which is awesome in itself.

2. Bright Eyes' Fevers and Mirrors

Most Bright Eyes fans I feel are fans of some of Conor Oberst's more Americana-influenced later works like I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Cassadaga, but this one will always have a special place in my heart. He absolutely pours his heart out into every song, and I can honestly say that Oberst is my favorite songwriter of all time. It's poetry.

1. Modest Mouse's The Lonesome Crowded West

God, this is just beautiful. The new Modest Mouse was great, but I feel like they wrote this when they had nothing to lose and didn't need to worry about maintaining some sort of image. It's raw, it's passionate, the lyrics are spectacular, the instruments are insane. There isn't a track on this I dislike.

 

[Ulttimaa]

hi please don't make fun of my taste in music :<

These aren't in any particular order.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt OST - The Worst Album


Panty and Stocking was a show I didn't really expect to like. I saw some shit about it on /v/ or whatever when it first came out, and I watched part of the first episode and wasn't very impressed. However, after a friend of mine really got into the show, I gave it another chance, and ended up loving it. I actually didn't really notice any of the show's OST until the OST came out and I downloaded it. Still, while both albums are great, I enjoyed more of the songs and remixes on The Worst Album.

Flobots - Survival Story

Flobots have this super unique style, and I love it. Their lyrics tend to be kinda samey from track to track, but I can't get over those fucking instrumentals and vocals. Platypus and Fight with Tools are both excellent, but I've been really feeling Survival Story lately.

MEG - BEAUTIFUL

I started listening to MEG only recently. Some dude on Youtube was uploading songs as a sort of "what if" OST to Persona 5. My friends and I assumed the stuff was fanmade, but as it turns out they were actually just taken from other sources. Most of our favorites that he uploaded were songs by MEG, so with some help from a friend I found more of her shit. I've been listening to her ever since. Some of it is kinda generic jpop shit but I enjoy electronic music with vocals so that is probably why I like her so much.

Das Racist - Relax

I fucking love Das Racist. Their shit is so dumb but at the same time it's so fucking tight and I can't get over it. They're my most played artist on Last.fm by a pretty large margin. It was a pretty tough choice between Shut up Dude and Relax, but I think I enjoyed Relax just a little bit more.

Pendulum - Immersion

I don't really know what to say about this. I enjoy pretty much any good electronic music and FUCK Immersion is so good.

Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness

I'm kind of new to Rise Against. I've only been listening to them for a few years now, but despite all the shit I've gotten for liking them, they're still one of my favorite bands. Tim McIlrath has that kind of weird, almost offkey kind of voice. It's hard to explain, but I really like shit like that for some reason. It sounds tight.

Mindless Self Indulgence - Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy

Another band that I kinda get shit for liking. I've been listening to MSI for a pretty long time. I really enjoy their style, and they have that same shit that Rise Against has. I love both their instrumentation and their vocals, and they work really fucking well together. Frankenstein Girls is imo their best album.

Shoji Meguro, etc - Never More: Reincarnation and Burn My Dread: Reincarnation

I didn't want to list both, but I really couldn't just pick one.
I played through Persona 3 and 4 in the last year or so, and I absolutely loved their OSTs. The reincarnation albums are official remixes and remastered versions of some of p3 and p4's songs. Never More is p4 shit, Burn My Dread is p3 shit.
Still they're both top notch and definitely deserve their spot.

Motoi Sakuraba - Golden Sun + The Lost Age OST

Okay, technically this is two albums. But Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age were intended to be the same game, and they share a lot of songs with eachother, so fuck you they are one album.
Golden Sun was my first real RPG that I played all the way through, and it's my favorite to this day. A day or two before Christmas, my brother had The Lost Age and was showing me and just fucking filling my god damn pockets with jelly. He was actually the reason that I received the game as a gift on Christmas, by telling our family that I would want it.
GS1 and 2 had the sickest fucking OST and Motoi Sakuraba remains my favorite composer to this day. Now I just need Golden Sun 4 to be good. ;_;

 

[Wikey]

I'm also limiting each artist/band to one album to get some variety as the top four bands on my list would more than fill my top ten.

This is a really fun list for me because even though I was born in 1988 I have always preferred to listen to albums. If an album doesn't draw me in and keep me entertained from start to finish I toss it aside and tend not to like the artist or even the good songs as much. This is why, for example, some of my favorite songs are by the RHCP but I don't listen to them much because none of their albums really move me from start to finish.

Anyway, this is a list of favorites and I make no claims to having a cultured ear.

10. Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor - Lupe Fiasco

I love how smooth and relaxed this album is. Great for a quiet contemplative type of mood. I also love how naturally and earnestly he covers the emotional themes in these songs: such as the honesty of the phrase Just Might Be OK or how repeating the same verse from a different perspective changes the impact so much on He Say She Say. The album also does a great job of capturing the concept of good (Food) and evil (Liquor) and showing how everyone has plenty of both in their life.

Favorite Track: Hurt Me Soul

9. Personal Journals - Sage Francis

Similar to F&L in that it's great for quiet contemplative types of nights especially in the car. However while F&L is smooth and relaxed this album tends to hit you like a sucker punch. From the very first track you feel the visceral emotions of the artist. While my favorite songs from Sage come from his next album A Healthy Distrust this album works so much better as an album. While the raw emotion of this album is incredibly powerful my favorite aspect is probably just Sage's way with words. His lyrics are insanely clever. He does things with the English language that you don't see coming and are so entertaining and clever.

examples

climb trees
go out on a limb
to find me
forget about him
forget about hymns
what are those songs that you sing?
what are those songs that are in your head, echoing?
-Climb Trees

I'd give a 21 gunshot salute
With the toy rifle that you bought me
But it won't shoot
And all is well because there's been one too many shots
The sterile robots want to talk to me about detox
-Crack Pipes

Favorite Track: Message Sent

8. Sam's Town - The Killers

A little cheesy and full of itself but I love it. They do a really good job of creating a unique sound that stays consistent through the whole album. I love the atmosphere created by the songs. They give off a strong small town midwest vibe. The Killers are heavily inspired by Queen (also a favorite of mine) and it really shows on this album. Brandon Flowers captures the flamboyancy of Mercury and all of his little flourishes and the attitude with which he sings are fantastic.

Favorite Track: Read My Mind

7. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

A collaboration between two of my favorite artists I fell in love with this album about thirty seconds into the first track. This is the newest album on my list and it came out at a time when I thought I was losing my love of music and that no album would ever move me again. I was very wrong. The opening track is just so incredible and haunting. The lyrics move me so much. James Mercer (of the Shins) is such an incredible vocalist and his style on this album is great. Very composed and subtle. Danger Mouse is as incredible as ever and I believe this to be his best work.

Favorite Track: Vaporize

6. Energy - Operation Ivy

This is the album that started my love of both punk and ska. Jesse Michaels is one of my favorite vocalists ever. His style and lyrics define punk for me. The album is 19 short tracks of concentrated energy. I can pop this in any time I need something to get me bouncing up and down.

Favorite Track: Sound System

5. Lines In My Face - Chronic Future

I don't understand how this album wasn't huge. It came out a year after Meteora and seems like a more mainstream-friendly version of Linkin Park's style. Regardless, this makes my favorite album list probably just for the nostalgia factor. This came out my freshman year of high school and was one of the first albums I downloaded from the internet. I found it at a time when I was realizing with the internet I could listen to music I wanted to listen to instead of the shit they play on the radio.

Favorite Track: New York, NY

4. Deja Entendu - Brand New

Now we start getting into the hard part. Choosing between this and The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me was almost impossible. In the end I think the strength of I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spinlights and Guernica from Deja and the weakness of Handcuffs from Devil and God win it for Deja. This is also the hard part because I don't know how to explain why I love this album so much. It's like explaining why I love cake. "It's delicious!" With this album Brand New moved on from their generic whiny punk beginnings and I as cheesy as it is I guess I moved on with them. They still had plenty of angsty whiny punk in them but it was okay because so did I. Another aspect is that while I generally hate on all the Falloutboy like bands and their stupid long song titles and stupid pretentious lyrics they just work when Brand New does it. I love the lyrics to Spinlights so much and can't help but sing along when I listen to it.

3. Chase This Light - Jimmy Eat World

If I were to make a list of my top 10 favorite JEW songs I don't think a single song from this album would make the cut. But I had no trouble picking this as my favorite JEW album. They absolutely found themselves between Futures and this album. They've matured as artists and this is the first complete album they've released in my opinion. While I love every track on Bleed American and Futures those albums just don't have the consistency of this one. Jim Adkins is an angel and if I could have the singing voice of any vocalist ever I would probably choose him. This is also my #1 night driving album which is my favorite time to listen to music.

Favorite Track: Carry You

2. The Alchemy Index - Thrice

This was the hardest choice I had to make. The Artist in the Ambulance is the slightest of notches below this and was my favorite album for a very long time. I don't know what to say about this album. They killed it. They absolutely nailed the theme of each element. The fire disc is nice and heavy with lots of distortion while the water disc is very clean, deep, and atmospheric. There is some muddiness with the theme of the air disc. Not really sure how to describe it but the song Daedalus is incredible. The earth disc is my favorite. I can listen to it on repeat all day. Also of note, the last track on each disc is a sonnet which is pretty neat. They're also very good songs.

Favorite Track: Come All You Weary

1. Everything Goes Numb - Streetlight Manifesto

Perfection. My favorite album. Every song is a 10/10. The lyrics are incredible. I love Tom's voice. The instruments are incredible. The songs are just so well written. I would rate every song on their other two albums as 10/10 as well but this album wins out as Point/Counterpoint and A Better Place, A Better Time are my favorite songs ever. I really don't know what else to say about it other than, listen to this album!

Favorite Track: A Better Place, A Better Time

Honorable Mentions

Acrobatic Tenement - At the Drive-In
Anthem - Less Than Jake
Carnavas - Silversun Pickups
Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins
Decemberunderground - AFI
Destruction By Definition - The Suicide Machines
El Oso - Soul Coughing
For Blood And Empire - Anti-Flag
Give Up - The Postal Service
Let's Face It - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Punk in Drublic - NOFX
Strictly Rude - Big D and the Kids Table

 

[Arch]

Well, this tends to change fairly often...but...

10. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike
I've always felt this to be the best plunderphonics album of all time. I have yet to listen to an album that mixes such a vast and eclectic variety of sounds together so flawlessly. The U.S. version with plenty of removed samples was great, but the unedited UK version was simply flawless. The sweeping guitars, the obnoxious chase horns, the hip-hop production, the orgasmic drums, the heartbreaking harmonica. It's all so perfect, and it all melds into this beautifully loud lo-fi masterpiece.

9. Starflyer 59 - The Fashion Focus
The slept on shoegazer of the 90's. Starflyer 59 had all of the melodies, noise, and vocals that made the likes of MBV, Slowdive, and Ride famous. The one thing that set him apart was his superior songwriting ability to shoegaze's often terribly drenched teenage love song lyrics. The Fashion Focus is a less abrasive album than other shoegaze albums like Silver or Gold, but manages to mix indie rock flawlessly with his past influences. This is easily the cleanest sounding shoegaze album I've ever heard, even if its influence isn't as important.

8. Blur - Think Tank
A rather unpopular opinion. I remember going to my local record store to pick this album up on vinyl, but couldn't get it. The album was so unpopular they couldn't even order it anymore. Blur had completely changed their sound with this album, and the departure of Graham Coxon didn't help either. But, if you can get past the reluctancy and listen to this album with an open mind, you'll find it's an unforgettable masterpiece. In the future I see this album being revisited, and people's opinions being changed. From beginning to end the sleek production and sparse guitars artfully craft together the modern painting of an album.

7. The Clash - London Calling
This one should go without explanation. It's London Calling. There's nothing else to say.

6. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is the masterwork of Yo La Tengo. Even if this is regarded as one of the best albums ever, I still think YLT is one of the most underrated bands of all time. These guys can do it all. The highs are brilliant and the lows are beautiful. The first 10 songs are among the best you will ever hear, and the remainder of the album is full of classics. Whether it's post-rock, indie rock, or slowcore, YLT does it flawlessly. "Sugarcube" is one of the greatest songs in the history of time and "Green Arrow" remains to be one of the most beautiful.

5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
This was really the first album to push me into music as a passion. Everything about it was so sublime. Since then my taste has changed considerably and I'm certainly more focused on more modern material, but this will always have a special place in my heart. "Hey Joe" will probably always be my favorite song, and I'll probably play this album until the day I die. Today, it's at #5. Tomorrow it could be #1.

4. Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
It's been such a long time since I first listened to this album, and every time I revisit this work it always feel fresh. This is quite honestly the hardest album I have to find any fault with. The singer's voice used to grate on me but now it fits like a puzzle, and the songwriting is out of this world fantastic. This might just be the most appealing album to me in every department. Genius melodies, clever song progression, and engaging lyrics, yet simple enough for me to enjoy it without a care in the world. Murdock is a fucking genius. That's all I can possibly say.

3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven!
I find it hard to believe it's even possible to make music this engaging. Every emotion you can possible think of can go through your head when listening to GY!BE. There are stories I make up in my head to accompany this immense album. From the second Storm starts, you know this is gonna be some intense shit. Something that can be so beautiful one second can be quietly disturbing the next. That's really fantastic, that's GY!BE. It's a story that can't completely be told with words. It's a beautiful adventure that envelops you. Epic in every sense of the word.

2. Arcade Fire - Funeral
"OH WOW I WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED YOU'D PUT FUNERAL SO HIGH." Well yes, it's that perfect. Perfect from beginning to end. Every song is a new experience jam packed with more emotion than you've probably had in your whole life. A collection of 10 flawless songs, ending on the highest note possible with the tear inducing "In The Backseat." You can literally feel the passion that went into making this album, which vibes like life support through this gorgeous thing.

1. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Building on the sound barely touched upon in Isn't Anything, My Bloody Valentine revolutionized the meaning of "dream pop," shelling out song after song of beautifully noisy, celestial, chimerical guitar progressions, evocative lyrics delivered in the most pleasantly wispy, lulling manner, and flawless drumming to underline the unprecedented tone and atmosphere of the work. In addition to the band's native instrumentation, keyboards, organs, sleigh bells, and tambourines were also incorporated into some of the pieces, creating richer, creamier deeps and more effervescent, loftier highs.

Another album that will always hold a special place in my heart. People call this pretentious dribble, but give it a few days, weeks, hell, even months, and you'll come around eventually. The songs are beautiful, brilliant, haunting, warm, inviting, so many things at the same time.

 

[Myzozoa]

1. Björk - Vespertine

This is the only perfect album that I know of. Every track on this album is absolutely perfect and well timed after the last. Vespertine gives a really wintery feeling and Björk's howls and singing are far too perfect. It really feels like the season begins and ends with this album. The lyrics, for the most part, don't even have anything to do with winter, but the backing tracks to everything give off a very chilling feel.

tl;dr women

I love Vespertine, even though I think Homogenic is slightly more perfect (if that makes any sense). Aurora and Unison are easily in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. You should check out her work with The Sugarcubes, and if you don't know Homogenic, it's also really wintery.

 

[doomvendingmachine]

9. Dirty Three's Ocean Songs

One of Dirty Three's earlier records. It'll take you places you couldn't imagine. Being a pretty standard post-rock album, it lacks lyrics, but through guitar, drums, and violin alone it effectively creates stunning imagery of the ocean and sea. I typically fall asleep to this and, play it quite often when I need to relax.

YES that is all

 

[Hipmonlee]

I'm not a big fan of the concept of an album, but there are some that I do like to listen to as albums.

These arent necessarily my favourite albums either, there are other albums I probably like more, just cause they have a lot of songs I love on them. But as far as albums that I want to listen to all the way through these are my favourites.

This is also trying to look beyond reasons I like to listen to albums I listen to all the way through. For instance, I listen to born to run all the way through a lot, but thats because I do it while driving long distance and like to sing along.

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
I think this is the best example of what an album ought to be. Greater than the sum of its parts, without appearing forced in any way. Just like it was the happiest of coincidences..

Radiohead - OK Computer
Remember when radiohead had a sense of humour?

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane over the Sea
Probably not so much I can add here, but, oh comely leading into ghost is so good. I used to drive home from work with this on, and I would arrive home halfway through ghost and have to sit in the car long enough for the song to finish..

Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
I think soundtracks have an advantage when it comes to being an album rather than a collection of songs. This one really nails it. So rare to get this from a soul album too..

 

[popemobile]

I did a top 25 list a while back, but looking back on it I've realized that my tastes have changed quite a bit (admittedly I made the list three years ago). I thought about making this list one album per band, but it would seem like I'm being dishonest with myself. As a result, my top three albums will all feel a bit same-y. BUT FIRST

Honorable Mentions

15. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
14. Rush - Moving Pictures
13. Megadeth - Rust In Peace
12. Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - A Call To Arms
11. Catch 22 - Alone in a Crowd

Just a heads up, this list is pretty all over the place genre-wise. You'll see what I mean. Okay here we go:

10. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
It's tough for me to put into words why I love this album so much. Obviously it's one of the greatest and most important jazz albums of all time, featuring some of the greatest musicians ever. That should be enough to get at least a consideration on everyone's top ten list, in my opinion. It's really about the state of mind that this album puts me in when I listen to it that I can't really describe, but I know it's what elevates it above most albums. Listen to the album with rainymood.com, it's seriously an amazing musical experience.

Favorite Song: So What (plus rainy mood, seriously do it)

9. Necros Christos - Triune Impurity Rites
Although it's slower than most of the metal I tend to listen to, there's no denying that this album is heavy. This album basically got me into my favorite style of metal, Black/Death metal, and after I heard it I was hooked. Solid riffs all around, and even at a mid-tempo pace for the majority of the album it manages to be crushing and creates an atmosphere of evil, while still managing to be relatively clean sounding by some standards. I'm the kind of guy who will love any metal album as long as it has sick riffs, and even at the slower tempo it manages to deliver in spades. The various interludes add to the atmosphere created by the album as well. All around one of my favorite metal albums ever.

Favorite Song: Va Koram Do Rex Satan

8. The Sound Providers - An Evening With The Sound Providers
Essentially a mix of hip hop artists with a couple guys making beats for them. Also a concept album, which doesn't hurt. The beats are sick, which is the real sticking point of the album for me. Very jazzy feel, which I love. Lyrics are tight on basically every song as well. There are a few instrumentals on the album too, which isn't for everyone but I really dig them. Very laid back overall and there isn't a bad song on the whole thing.

Favorite Song: 5 Minutes

7. Tribulation - The Horror
Have you ever gotten your ass kicked for 30+ minutes? That's a pretty good way to describe this album. Absolutely relentless metal with some of the best riffs I've ever heard. Although relatively recent in the death metal genre (2009) and competing with some fantastic classics from the 80's/90's, The Horror not only manages to be my favorite death metal album ever, but also my favorite metal album ever. If you like metal then you owe it to yourself to check this out.

Favorite Song: Crypt of Thanatophilia

6. Weezer - Blue Album
Did I mention this list is all over the place? This has been a favorite of mine for nearly a decade and it's really almost flawless. Basically every song on here, with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, is a classic.

Favorite Song: Undone - The Sweater Song

5. Reel Big Fish - Turn The Radio Off
Now begins the ska portion of my list. This album is straight fun. If you don't like this album, then you don't like fun. If you're a music snob that hates enjoying yourself, then this album isn't for you. Otherwise, I can't possibly imagine anyone not liking this. This is about as catchy as albums get, but it also stuck with me after that. There isn't really a low point to this album either. It starts out awesome and stays that way. Doesn't hurt that I've seen them live 5 times either, usually with my favorite band.

Favorite Song: Join The Club

4. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Basically the perfect rock album. I could put 5 QOTSA albums on any given "top albums" list I make, but this is always the top one for me. Dave Grohl is a sick drummer and this is one of the first albums I seriously tried to learn on a set. Homme is a severely underrated guitarist. I wish I knew more adjectives to describe this album with. It's one of the best albums ever, either way.

Favorite Song: Song For The Dead

3. Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between
My "favorite albums" list usually changes at least somewhat every time I make it, sometimes significantly, but the top 3 albums always remain the same. Of the three, this one is probably the best musically, has the deepest songs with the best lyrics and songwriting, and features the best musicians. It really is irrational that I don't rank it higher but idk what to tell you. With that said, I love this album to death. I love Streetlight to death. I love Tomas Kalnoky to death and basically everything he puts out. One of the biggest positives of this album is that Chris Thatcher is an amazing drummer, and that really adds to the album for me, being a drummer myself. When I first got this album, I honestly didn't know what to expect because I didn't think that Streetlight would be able to top EGN, but it absolutely blew me away how great this album was, and still is.

Favorite Song: One Foot On The Gas, One Foot In The Grave

2. Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb
Although, as previously mentioned, this album isn't put together quite as well as its successor, I just can't help but rank it higher. It's still amazing lyrically, musically, and structurally, although not quite as polished. The album itself just means more to me, I don't know how else to put it. It's not necessarily nostalgia, but it's a huge part of my life, especially during high school but even after that. If I made a top ten favorite songs of all time list, probably half that list would be from this album.

Favorite Song: Failing, Flailing
BONUS Drum Cover

1. Catch 22 - Keasbey Nights
There's never a doubt in my mind which album will be taking the number one spot on these lists. This was my favorite album in 1999 when I bought it, it's my favorite album in 2012 as I'm writing this list, and it's been my favorite album every second in between. I can't imagine that ever changing for me. The biggest reason that Streetlight is my favorite band is because of this album, which wasn't Kalnoky's first album but certainly the one that got me hooked. To me, this album is perfect. I know every word, I know every harmony, I know every drum part, I know how to play most of the horn parts on sax. It's one of those albums. Almost certainly nothing will ever top it.

Favorite Song: This One Goes Out To...

 

[whistle]

I don't think my music taste is anything special or refined, but jumpluff had a good point about this thread showing collective trends of Smogon so here it is. Roughly ordered from 1-10 I suppose, limited to one album/artist.

The National - Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers

Hide

Each of the dozen laments on Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers balance catchy choruses, exquisite instrumental interludes, and the complex words of a man's grieving. By the time you reach the final punch line of "Lucky You" you feel you know Berninger, want to offer him a coat, a smile, and some warmth to make it through another sleepless night. But on second thought, with that added comfort maybe he'd stop singing these beautiful songs: so you hold off, sit back down, and continue listening to this gorgeous train wreck.

Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War

Hide

For Canadian romantics Stars, love is war. And their modern love is strikingly similar to the world's modern war: confusion and anxiety topped with a sense of semi-staged dread. The presentation is great-- clean production, fine instrumentation, and careful arrangements-- but its undercurrent is pure self-doubt and longing. So while the quintet pushes its passion-based politics to the fore and includes the phrase "after the war" in the title of its fourth album, the emphasis is still "in our bedroom." Assuming you can dodge enough bullets to make it there.

Metric - Synthetica

Hide

Emily Haines announced the arrival of Metric's fifth studio album Synthetica with a letter to fans that deliberately spelled out the record's lyrical themes. "Synthetica is about staying home and wanting to crawl out of your skin from the lack of external stimulation," she wrote. "It's about what is real versus what is artificial." This binary is common in contemporary art, to the point that it can seem a little trite, but Haines is too clever to settle into a simplistic "technology is bad" argument. Instead, she spends much of Synthetica pondering the way the human mind is transformed by artificial versions of natural experiences and wondering how to feel fully alive and present in a time of constant distraction.

Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things

Hide

You could call The Execution of All Things a feel-good album, but there's enough going on that it rarely sounds like froth. Aside from a couple of twee missteps-- like the hyper-bouncy keyboards on "My Slumbering Heart"-- the band almost always hits the right tone: they do Americana without the alt-country cliches and cowpoke pacing, and the undercurrent of environmental concern is rich rather than blunt. So when they reach the last track, "Spectacular Views", they've earned a giddily big, vibrant California pop anthem, on which they completely let go and allow Lewis to take in the coast and the stars, screaming, "It's so fucking beautiful!" Who's gonna argue?

The Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up the Girl

Hide

Despite being a mainstream pop-rock band, The Goo Goo Dolls aren't quite the same as everything else. It could be Johnny Rzeznik's unique style of songwriting, or it could be his great voice that works incredibly in the context of The Goo Goo Dolls, but probably wouldn't work anywhere else. Maybe it's the unique tone of their instruments. Or it could just be their great lyrics. Whatever the case, these guys are more original than nearly any one of their peers. The album's track list is also in a great order. "Hate This Place" sounds excellent as the album's closer.

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - The Dust of Retreat

Hide

Whether that is through film, poetry, or music, the notion that another world exists within those realms holds a romantic kind of quality. That kind of thing is nearly unimaginable unless you lived through it; however, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's build upon some of those castles in the sky. It takes a band of eight to realize this vision, as a lush assortment of strings, brass, percussion, and guitars keeps The Dust of Retreat at a steady pace, regardless of the mood and tone of each song. What The Dust of Retreat does for indie rock in 2006 is almost everything Neutral Milk Hotel wanted to do in 1998 with In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Just give it a chance.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Hide

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a personal album but not in the way you expect. It's not biography. It's a record of images, associations, and threads; no single word describes it so well as the beautiful and overused "kaleidoscope." It has the cracked logic of a dream, beginning with "King of Carrot Flowers Part 1". The easiest song on the record to like on first listen, it quietly introduces the listener to the to the album's world, Mangum singing in a muted voice closer to where he left off with the more restrained On Avery Island (through most of Aeroplane he sounds like he's running out of time and struggling to get everything said). The first four words are so important: "When you were young..." Like every perceptive artist trafficking in memory, Mangum knows dark surrealism to be the language of childhood. At a certain age the leap from kitchen utensils jammed into dad's shoulder to feet encircled by holy rattlesnakes is nothing. A cock of the head; a squint, maybe.

The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come

Hide

Bright acoustic guitars add a folksy grace to "Girlfriend in a Coma" and "Unhappy Birthday," and a pumping piano turns "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours" into a demented tango. In the album's most propulsive number, "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before," Marr and the Andy Rourke-Mike Joyce rhythm section whip up a frenzied brew that amply compensates for Morrissey's tale of rituals of self-punishment following a failed love affair. Marr's piercing solo at the end of the song not only is one of the record's emotional highlights — it also proves it's best the band split up rather than attempt to replace him.

Keane - Strangeland

Hide

Sweet, unthreatening melodies abound, then, sung with porcelain-choirboy competence by Tom Chaplin and written and arranged by Tim Rice-Oxley, whose keyboards dominate. While he finds enough effects to vary the tone, there returns a sense that for all their tugs at emotion, Keane lack blood, guts and muscle. There’s a nod at Radiohead on Black Rain, and On the Road is proud of its peppiness; but most songs blur into a faint facsimile of Genesis’ 1978 hit Follow You, Follow Me or slide cosily into the wistful, mid-tempo ballad shapes patented by U2 in the 90s.

Coldplay - X&Y

Hide

It’s a record about how we end up with the perfect one and the fear of keeping that intangible light burning. It’s also about a bunch of middle class boys lucking out, creating alchemy and becoming the biggest band of their generation while still scared shitless they’ll end up working in a call centre. It’s a brilliant record of paranoia. Confident, bold, ambitious, bunged with singles and impossible to contain, ‘X&Y’ doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it does reinforce Coldplay as the band of their time. The MD of Parlophone and his shareholders can sleep easy. This is a great, great record that has just raised the bar for everyone.

 

[SalTheThief]

I love Vespertine, even though I think Homogenic is slightly more perfect (if that makes any sense). Aurora and Unison are easily in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. You should check out her work with The Sugarcubes, and if you don't know Homogenic, it's also really wintery.

I'll have to go check out the Sugarcubes and Homogenic. Despite having her discography I haven't really sat down and given it a serious listen. Joga was what originally got me into Bjork though. Aurora, Frosti, and Unison are perfect.

 

[Vintage Books]

1. Bliss Release - Cloud Control

Hide

Oh my this album. I could (and do!) listen to this almost every day and continue to love it. Its a combination of something that makes me happy, and something that makes me sad but in a weird good way that I don't understand. From the first song, Meditation song #2, to the final song, Death Cloud, there is an incredible progression that just makes you want more. and more. and more. I have seen these guys live twice, and wish i could see them again, they truly are phenomenal and I really hope that mre people can appreciate their amazing-ness. Despite being their debut, it has everything it needs. I surely cannot wait for their next album, currently in the making! (P.S I'm named after a song of theirs ^_^)
Favorite song from the album: My Fear #2

2. Odd Blood - Yeasayer.

Hide

Yeasayer are an incredible band that continue to amaze me. This album is no exception, it is a combination of eerie melodies, awesome drum beats, and really unique vocals. This band is also probably my favorite band for music videos (alongside probably Beirut and Gotye) and they never cease to amaze me. Seeing them live in January 2011 was really a turning point though, it made me realize that they are incredible musicians, and they have had a special spot in my heart since.
Favorite song from album: Love Me Girl

3. Antidotes - Foals

Hide

jajajajjajajajajjaajailovefoalsensjfdnseinf. Foals are amazing. The end. fuck this album is sex. But seriously I love this album to death. Everything about it just reeks omgthisissogoodfuck. Seeing these baby horses live was so great and i really want to again. If you don't know foals listen to them god. IM A FOALSFANBOY DEAL WITH IT.
Favorite song from album: Two Steps, Twice

4. The Rip Tide - Beirut

Hide

ahhhhhhhhh beirut. It was very difficult to decided out of their three albums, Gulag Orkestar, The Flying Club Cup and this one. I picked The Rip Tide for a few reasons, despite being their newest, and different to their previous albums, I have to say this album birthed a new love for Beirut that I didn't have beforehand. I think there isn't a song on this album that I slightly dislike, and all of them are so different but fit together like a puzzle. Also Zach Condon <333333333
Favorite song from album: Vagabond

5. The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monae

Hide

This one is quite different to most of the other albums on this list. It is also different to most of the music I generally listen to. I love this album so much because it tells a story. It is so emotion filled and makes you want to laugh and cry at various different times. It is so hard to explain why I love it so much, and you have to listen to it form the beginning to end to fully understand. It takes the listener on a journey, and you literally feel the same emotions from the story. highly recommend this to people who live amazing female voices, emotion heavy music and lots of variation. This album includes a shitton of different genres.
Favorite song from album: Oh, Maker or Mushrooms and Roses

6. Post Paradise - The Holidays

Hide

Pretty unknown Melbourne band, but excellent album. I love everything about it. It just makes me so happy, it pulls me to a different place where bongo drums and maracas can live in harmony with electric guitars (see: Golden Sky). Their music just makes me want to dance, a lot.
Favorite song from album: Slimeface or Heavy Feathers

7. Soviet Kitsch - Regina Spektor

Hide

Marriannes a bitchoh how I love miss regina. Due to playing piano for ~8 years I have always had a softspot for artists like her, and have taught myself a multitude of her songs, though probably now forgotten as I'm a lazy shit. This had stiff competition with Far as my favorite album of hers, but this won over as I just love how playful it is. It is such a happy album is some parts, and then so sad and depressing in others, and it just marries to sad songs to the happy songs in perfect harmony.
Favorite song from album: Sailor Song

8. The Family Jewels - Marina and the Diamonds

Hide

verydifferent to most albums I enjoy, and for the most part, would be too 'poppy' for me at first glance. But my inner feminist loves this album forever and a bit. The opinion embedded in this album is the main reason I love it. As a whole it just comments on women role in society. It works very well with her second album 'Electra Heart' which is a lot more sculpted to the whole feminist thing than this one, but i love the innocence of this one, and the happy feelings it emanates.
Favorite song from album: Hermit the Frog

9. xx - The XX

Hide

ahhh the xx are sex. I do not have much to say about this album I just absolutely love it. Beginning to end is an earfuck. Their voices are so amazing, and the harmonies are even better. Such a chill album.
Favorite song from album: Basic Space or VCR

10. Vows - Kimbra

Hide

very new addition to my top albums list, but well deserved, Kimbra is a phenomenal singer that has no fault. She sings even better live than she does on record which is amazing. He songs are so sexy and raunchy and i just want to steal her away and play go fish with her, or something.
Favorite song from album: Call Me

Honorable mentions:
Never Trust A Happy Song - Grouplove
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Like Drawing Blood - Gotye
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix
Tourist History - Two Door Cinema Club
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West



Ive probably forgotten some good albums but idk.

 

[GlassAbsol]

Few of these are in order. My Favourite Album is in order however. And that is most definitely Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. I love this album as much as I love my limbs or my girlfriend. It encapsulates everything music should be. It is pure perfection. There may be more drama in the Wall or more Political Motivation in Animals or more of a focus on issues in DSotM but this is my favourite. I've listened through this more times than I care to know.
Without any doubt:

Track of Note: Wish You Were Here​

The rest on the list sort of merge into "I really like this Album, but I also really love this Album" But here goes. From My Favourite, to my first.

The first proper album I listened to start to End was Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms. It's still one of the best Albums I've ever listened to. Varied enough to not be samey. Not to extravagant in its differences to not have focus or meaning. Great Songs, Especially the Title track. Great Guitar Playing from Mark Knopfler. Proper Northern Band.

Track(s) of Note: Money For Nothing / Your Latest Trick​

The Next Album is probably the most recent addition to the list. Even though it had been around for a while before I discovered it. I give you Untrue by Burial. I saw a link to Burial on some website and I clicked it. I listened to a youtube video of Archangel. Bought the Album and fell into a fabulous journey of emotions. Everything with Burial is subtle but absolutely superb. I could go on about how good he is but I don't need to tell you. Your ears can do that. It might not be everybody's cup of tea. It's not my girlfriend's. However I think that it's incredibly chill music that has a lot going on if you want to listen out for it or is just quiet and relaxing if you don't. Be prepared for some unusual but refreshing drum patterns and some crackly background textures. mmmm So good.

Track(s) of Note: Archangel / Endorphin​

Moving from Pretty Rough but soft Electronic Music to some very precise and cleanly produced Drum and Bass. Two albums that are tied for a place if there were rankings. Both Pretty Recent. Both Very good. I just felt that I couldn't include one without the other. So I present two really solid albums. Both with only one Song I don't enjoy. Cross the Line by Camo&Krooked and No More Idols by Chase and Status

Tracks of Note: Hot Pursuit (C&K) / Blind Faith (C&S)​

The Band that moved me from Rock Music to Electronic Music in one comfortable but swift step was Pendulum. I love all of their albums however Immersion is the one that stands out to me. On every single song Rob Swire puts not the slightest little toe wrong. Every song leaves me satisfied and wanting to hear it again but wanting to hear the next one. The album Flows nicely with consistently brilliant writing throughout. Easy choice for my top 10
I've only put one track of note as it's my favourite from that album but I could list the track list under track of note so I'll just leave it with Witchcraft. Check out Swire's Drumstep Remix if you've not heard it already.

Track of Note: Witchcraft​

I moved from Rock to Electronic Music but I'll never forget the music that I loved when I only listened to Rock and One the greatest bands to have ever Lived are Led Zeppelin. Picking a Favourite Album of theirs is like picking a favourite Child. Hard, but possible as long as the children aren't aware who the favourite is. So don't tell Led Zep IV. The best Led Zep Album in my opinion is Houses of the Holy. Purely because it Has Dy'er Mak'er, The ocean and the greatest Song Led Zeppelin wrote; No Quarter. IV comes a close second for obvious reasons. Levee Breaks, Stairway, Rock and Roll but Houses of the Holy will forever be my favourite Led Zeppelin Album.

Track of Note: No Quarter​

From The Makings of the Metal Genre to something far less hardcore: Coldplay. Coldplay are often laughed at for being the Soft Rock/Alternative Bumders of the 21st Century. But their music is good and they've earned the fans they've got. That's why their 4th Album features in my list. Viva La Vida is my personal favourite because it was Coldplay's first move into Grandeur which has hence been surpassed by Mylo Xyloto. Coldplay's earlier albums always had a bit of an understated feel to them whereas Viva La Vida was bold and brash all the way through. It's not just 1 dimensional stomping though. There are the sad songs as well but they just seemed to have more confidence in them than previously. Great Band, Great Album

Tracks of Note: Cemeteries of London / Strawberry Swing​

Far from Conventional Charts Music I shall stray. For the next entry is the Soundtrack of a very fun Movie that stars; Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and the Bloke who plays Mr Gibbs. Yes Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Has some of the most fabulous music written for Film. Composed By Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer There are pieces as action packed and high tempo as the best metal or electronic music and melodies as sweet as Pippa Middleton's bum. Blah Blah Orchestral Music is great. Move on.

Tracks of Note: One Last Shot / He's a Pirate / The Black Pearl​

Second Last has already been Mentioned so I won't talk much. Florence and the Machine have an incredibly Unique sound and they use a lot of odd instruments in this album to create a plethora of moods and atmospheres that all seem familiar yet unreal. Cool Voice she's got. Solid Album

Tracks of Note: Rabbit Heart / Howl / You've got the Love​

The Final Album isn't a full Album. Only an EP so I guess this makes up for having 2 tied earlier. A guy who is incredibly talented and who puts a lot of himself into his songs. Ed Sheeran is criticised a lot for being just like all the other artists with Guitars. I don't think he is. He's got a really fair voice and writes beautiful songs. The Loose Change EP is superb and was the first thing of his that I listened to. I was instantly struck by his writing ability. All of the songs work well and are very tight. This EP doesn't have my 2 favourite songs of his (Cold Coffee, or Small Bump) but the overall quality of the songs on this EP is fabulous. There you go. Some Ginger Bloke.

Track of Note: The A Team​

If anyone's bothered to read this cheers

 

[Giga Punch]

My list basically consists of albums I love.

Pele - The Nudes​

Blissfully trill. It is jazz and it is math rock, but mostly great. This album is perfect for winding down at the end of a long day or night of partying. The rhythms of Pele are somehow relaxing and energizing at the same time.

Alright you win. Your obscure jazz, math rock, post-rock hybrid will get a listen and some sort of elitist review later today. Also cool points for Aphex Twin - SAW I

I didn't come in here expecting to find Dirty Three, Morphine, and Godspeed you! Black Emperor fans this thread has already left me more thoroughly impressed with the coolness and diversity of some lists.

Will post own later list later today.

 

[Glen]

smogon has been on gybe's (not putting the exclamation mark there out of spite) dick for the past 6 years, what are you even talking about

list forthcoming, it's gonna be Sick as Hell

 

[DM]

I've been on their dick for well over a decade so I DID IT BEFORE IT WAS COOL

that's still cool, right? :justin2:

 

[Trax]

Some notes: I've tried to pick favourite albums as a whole, if I was to list the albums with my favourite songs this list would look a bit different (though the top 3 would be untouched) and there would be some different artists in there too.

10. Nightwish - Century Child
This is the anomaly of the list in my mind, in fact Nightwish is an anomaly of my musical taste (basically the only power metal I really like), to me it's a toss up between this and Oceanborn as to which Nightwish album I put here but this is my pick as it's a bit more refined (and a long way better recorded). The Opera style vocals really suit the music (which is excellent in its own right).
Highlight Track: Ever Dream

9. Danzig - Danzig II: Lucifuge
Pre-voice strain Danzig had one of the best voices in metal (and punk, and hard rock, and pretty much every other genre the band attempted to play in one album) and Lucifuge is the most varied of the first 3 Danzig albums, all of which are great, as is Danzig VI - IV and V can be skipped as can everything after. The pacing and song order really complements the music and that puts this above the others to me.
Highlight Track: Girl

8. NoMeansNo - Why do they call me Mr Happy?
For those who have never heard NoMeansNo, they're an unusual punk band as they started as a 2 piece (drums and bass or drums and keyboard depending on the songs) which resulted in a really disciplined instrumental sound for a punk group, Mr Happy also sounds even further out of order (as the guitar and bass on several tracks are done by the same guy) but it kind of fits with the band. This album has most of their hallmarks (bass/drum led punk, an endless stream of strange lyrics) and the sequence of "Madness and Death", "Happy Bridge", and "Kill Everyone Now" (the lyrics of which are genius, incidentally) is amazing.
Highlight Track: Lullaby

7. Mustasch - Ratsafari
Of the first 3 Mustasch albums where they played Metal without too many frills this is probably the best as a whole (Above All might have better tracks but it drags towards the end). The sound is similar (and often compared) to Black Sabbath but the vocals are far less whiny and the song writing reflects that.
Highlight Track: Alpha Male

6. Bad Religion - All Ages
As you may have gathered, I like punk when it has some intelligence to it and Bad Religion fits that mould, this is a "best of" album that is actually a best of and fits together like a real album rather than a collection of disparate songs. The live "Fuck Armageddon this is Hell" recording at the end fits really well.
Highlight Track: 21st Century Digital Boy

5. Testament - Low
This is the first (and best IMO) of the three albums where Testament went from playing straight thrash to experimenting with death metal, the vocals are still fairly clean with a bit more of a grunt but the instrumental goes down the death metal path a pretty long way and the end result is some great music.
Highlight Track: Shades of War

4. Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist
I'm a big fan of Dead Kennedys but due to my dislike of albums entirely made up of 1 minute songs Frankenchrist is the only album of theirs I can listen to frequently (it has less "hardcore" and more slowed down songs), some sharp commentary on culture and politics in the form of music.
Highlight Track: This Could Be Anywhere

3. Suicidal Tendencies - Controlled By Hatred / Feel like shit deja vu
The crossover between Punk and Thrash Metal has been done a few times and this is probably the best album of that style. It was intended as an EP but due to the length it is actually long enough for a full length album. Suicidal Tendencies made infinitely better use of Robert Trujillo than Metallica, incidentally.
Highlight Track: Controlled By Hatred

2. Damnation A.D. - Kingdom of Lost Souls
This is one of those albums that just grabbed me along for the ride from the opening riff and didn't let go - Damnation A.D. play a kind of thrashed up doom metal (think doom most of the time with bursts of upbeat tempo that don't really fit the genre) with a sort of gruff but clean vocal style. I discovered this almost 10 years ago now, I listen to it less today than in my late teens, but it's still a favourite.
Highlight Track: Circles

1. NoMeansNo - Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed
To me, this album isn't just what I like in music; it's some of the things I really like in life as a whole too - witty, intelligent, puzzling and thought provoking and really well performed - punk at its best. The warped natured of NoMeansNo lyrics might be off putting to some people, but I really like it.
Highlight Track: Dark Ages

 

[Byrne]

Well this thread was a huge success. I am VERY happily surprised with some of the awesome music tastes in thins thread. I was expecting a bunch of Skrillex and Fall Out Boy, but you proved me wrong Smogon!

 

[GlassAbsol]

I think no one will post Skrillex because He's not actually produced a good album yet. He's made 2 albums both with a good song or two. But I wouldn't sit down and just listen to the entire album. God forbid. And Fall out Boy have 1 song which is mediocre at best

 

[Mr.Pooh31]

I am far too lazy to sit down and make a nice list of 10 for everyone but here are some great albums I havent seen mentioned yet.

Magical Mystery Tour-The Beatles

In my opinion there were two types music the Beatles made. Trippy/weird shit like in Sergent Peppers and classic rock love songs like in Please Please Me. Magical Mystery Tour is a great mix of both these types of music. From the classic love song to Hello Goodbye to the weirdness of I am the Walrus this is an album that contains a lot of different sounds that really work. Baby You're a Rich Man is also my favorite Beatles song.

Exodus-Bob Marley

One of the hardest things for me to do as a Marley fan is pick his best album. I think its Exodus. Not only does it contain his two most popular songs(Three Little Birds and One Love) that are your typical sweet reggae songs it also contains some of his best love songs in Waiting in Vain and Turn Your Lights Down Low. No Bob Marley isnt complete without its stoner song and Natural Mystic is not only a song with a deeper meaning but one that contains one of Bob's best rythms. This album also contains the political/racial songs of Exodus and Gultiness that were a core part of Bob's message. This album also contains one of Bob's most popular songs in Jammin.

 

[Vineon]

Jumping in to say I don't like Radiohead (not short of attempts to actually try to) and according to that dickhead of a thread op, that makes me a One Direction (BAN ME PLEASE).

Will attempt to post my own top 10 after work disregarding the fact that I don't expect many to have ever heard of what will likely end up in it.

 

[Solace]

Jumping in to say I don't like Radiohead (not short of attempts to actually try to) and according to that dickhead of a thread op, that makes me a One Direction (BAN ME PLEASE).

at least that's what makes you beautiful :)

 

[Byrne]

at least that's what makes you beautiful :)

qft

 

[vonFiedler]

I don't really think of music in terms of albums. Most of my favorite songs are one hit wonders, and my favorite bands like Kiss have such varied and experimental careers that no one album does them justice. So this is a rare list I didn't already have on hand, and I'd hardly put weight in it. But I like making lists so here it is.

10. Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
How could I not love Cyndi Lauper? She's a fucking Street Fighter. Yes, Rainbow Mika the pop star, wrestler, tomboy, and lover of gay men, obviously based on Cyndi Lauper. But the album is pretty good too. At it's best it is gleeful and energetic, but can dip into quieter contemplation too.

Favorite Song: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

9. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Fleetwood Mac is an extremely awesome band with a talented mix of men and women including one of my favorite female singers Stevie Nicks. Still I wouldn't call them one of my favorite bands, but in my research for good albums only my #1 pick had as many great songs as Rumours does. It has a persistent style but provides variety in its different vocalists and moods, ranging from delightfully hopeful to soul crushing to explosively bittersweet.

Favorite Song: Go Your Own Way

8. Duran Duran - Rio
It was a difficult choice between their self titled debut, Rio, and Seven and the Ragged Tiger. Hell I even love The Wedding Album. But by a hair margin I think this best displays the scope of what the band is capable of. From the brilliant and twisted writing of songs like Rio, to the fun new wave sounds of Hungry Like the Wolf.

Favorite Song: Save a Prayer

7. Bryan Adams - Reckless
This album on the other hand is a great example of the artist's work. Bryan Adams has a reputation for being slow and romantic, and sure that is represented here in songs like Heaven and Somebody. But you also get a naughty rebellious side from Summer of '69.

Favorite Song: Run To You

6. The Police - Synchronicity
The Police is one of the most fucked up bands in the past 30 years but they understood something that emo and goth bands don't; subtlety. People still play Every Breath You Take at funerals oblivious to the fact that it is about a stalker (incidentally so was Rio). Synchronicity is a good snapshot of one of my favorite bands, with many great songs including a two part ballad about a Jungian theory.

Favorite Song: Every Breath You Take

5. Boston - Boston
This isn't one of my favorite bands and I'm not going to analyze the lyrics or discuss the diverse moods or bold concepts. This album just fucking rocks way more than any debut album has a right to.

Favorite Song: More Than A Feeling

4. Michael Jackson - Thriller
He made Thriller. But seriously, this album just has some of the king of pop's best songs like Billie Jean and Beat It. Not much else to say that hasn't already been said, sheer classic. What other album features Vincent Price?

Favorite Song: Thriller

3. David Bowie - Labyrinth
If Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley are kings of pop and rock respectively, then David Bowie is the emperor of all music. The man just radiates sex, and in his twenty year career of being ahead of the curve it is impossible to represent him with even a greatest hits album. So I picked Labyrinth, the one album that I can pull out and have all my friends agree on how awesome it is.

Favorite Song: As The World Falls Down

2. The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
Cold hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colors from our sight
Red is grey and yellow white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion

In the same year that the Beatles made Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Moody Blue made an album that combined symphonic orchestra, poetry, and rock in order to tell the story of a day from dawn till night. It is fucking amazing.

Favorite Song: Nights In White Satin

1. Billy Joel - An Innocent Man
What do you get when you take the classiest song artist and have him write an homage to the songs of his youth? You get class squared. This album isn't just a collection doo wop songs, it homages a broad variety of styles from Motown to Little Richard, from Smokey Robinson to Frankie Valli. The quality of every song on this album is so just so ridiculously high, the effort put into it is unbelievable.

Favorite Song: An Innocent Man


Honorable Mentions:
REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity
Prince - Purple Rain
Foreigner - 4
Journey - Escape
Don Henley - The End of the Innocence
The Eagles - Hotel California
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Tears for Fears - Song from the Big Chair
Kiss - Destroyer

 

[Alice]

2. Radiohead - OK Computer

If you don't already know a lot about this album...just Google it. I mean seriously. There is literally nothing I could say that hasn't already been said about this record. Every track (besides Fitter Happier and The Tourist imo) is a sheer masterpiece.

Fitter Happier is EASILY the best song of Ok Computer, jeez -_-

And I'm glad someone mentioned Hail To The Thief, that album deserves more recognition imo