10. Buffalo Springfield Again, Buffalo Springfield
Favorite songs: "Rock and Roll Woman," "Bluebird"
Buffalo Springfield's self-titled debut was already one of my favorites; the sequel somehow manages to be even better. The album is a really cool hybrid of psychedelic rock and folk featuring layered vocals, unconventional song structures, and plenty of excellent guitar work. It alternates so well between acoustic and electric that you hardly think about it. I really dig this record.
Buffalo Springfield's self-titled debut was already one of my favorites; the sequel somehow manages to be even better. The album is a really cool hybrid of psychedelic rock and folk featuring layered vocals, unconventional song structures, and plenty of excellent guitar work. It alternates so well between acoustic and electric that you hardly think about it. I really dig this record.
9. Beggars Banquet, The Rolling Stones
Favorite songs: "Jig-Saw Puzzle," "No Expectations"
With Beggars Banquet, the Stones clearly show off their Southern rock influences. There are not many tracks that resemble rockers, with most of the album done acoustically and with a relaxed feel. It comes together really nicely, and I quite enjoyed it.
Dirt is one of the angriest, loneliest albums I have ever heard – or at the very least, it is one of the few that packages that angst in such an effective way. It is so heavy. The fact it never derives from that may make some listeners think it is the same some over and over again, but I would disagree. It may maintain the same aggression, but Dirt manages to change its tone from fear to hate to defeat to assertiveness very well. Additionally, the album is not as straightforward as Alice in Chains' debut, Facelift; it changes structures enough that each song feels unique. Dirt is an exemplar of grunge and heavy rock.
With Beggars Banquet, the Stones clearly show off their Southern rock influences. There are not many tracks that resemble rockers, with most of the album done acoustically and with a relaxed feel. It comes together really nicely, and I quite enjoyed it.
8. Dirt, Alice in Chains
Favorite songs: "Would?," "Angry Chair"Dirt is one of the angriest, loneliest albums I have ever heard – or at the very least, it is one of the few that packages that angst in such an effective way. It is so heavy. The fact it never derives from that may make some listeners think it is the same some over and over again, but I would disagree. It may maintain the same aggression, but Dirt manages to change its tone from fear to hate to defeat to assertiveness very well. Additionally, the album is not as straightforward as Alice in Chains' debut, Facelift; it changes structures enough that each song feels unique. Dirt is an exemplar of grunge and heavy rock.
7. Close to the Edge, Yes
Favorite songs: "Close to the Edge," "And You and I"
Close to the Edge achieves what every prog album should aspire to: an elaborate, compelling masterpiece of a record that astounds the listener with its complexity without banging him or her over the head with how great the performers are at writing and playing music. Whereas Fragile sometimes confuses me or seems to lose direction in the name of self-indulgence, Close to the Edge keeps its focus throughout. The title track is the best, but that is no insult to the other two.
Close to the Edge achieves what every prog album should aspire to: an elaborate, compelling masterpiece of a record that astounds the listener with its complexity without banging him or her over the head with how great the performers are at writing and playing music. Whereas Fragile sometimes confuses me or seems to lose direction in the name of self-indulgence, Close to the Edge keeps its focus throughout. The title track is the best, but that is no insult to the other two.
6. Automatic For the People, R.E.M
Favorite songs: "Man on the Moon," "Nightswimming"
Here, R.E.M. achieves a really nice balance of pleasantness and intimacy that not many bands can pull off. This owes a lot to the vocals of Michael Stipe, whose voice feels so relatable: he sings far better than I could, but it is almost like he is simply talking to you. He sounds like just another guy, even when he finds the exact note to express solitude, nostalgia, or anger. And nothing about the music feels overdone or forced (except maybe "Ignoreland"). Automatic for the People is direct, and that is why it works.
Here, R.E.M. achieves a really nice balance of pleasantness and intimacy that not many bands can pull off. This owes a lot to the vocals of Michael Stipe, whose voice feels so relatable: he sings far better than I could, but it is almost like he is simply talking to you. He sounds like just another guy, even when he finds the exact note to express solitude, nostalgia, or anger. And nothing about the music feels overdone or forced (except maybe "Ignoreland"). Automatic for the People is direct, and that is why it works.
5. Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin
Favorite songs: "Since I've Been Loving You," "Friends"
Led Zeppelin III does exceptionally well at incorporating Southern rock, blues, and folk into the sound of what was previously a bombastic, heavy, and aggressively sexual band. Not all of that really left them, obviously, but the more complex, acoustic arrangements that were foreshadowed on the previous two records were fully realized here, and they would characterize the band's peak.
Of course, the best song, "Since I've Been Loving You," is a lengthy, bluesy guitar exhibition, and the riff-centric heavy blues style remained on songs like "Immigrant Song" and "Out on the Tiles," so it is hardly Crosby, Stills & Nash. If you want to find headbanging songs, they are still here. Together with the more folksy songs, they create a fantastic blend of genres.
Led Zeppelin III does exceptionally well at incorporating Southern rock, blues, and folk into the sound of what was previously a bombastic, heavy, and aggressively sexual band. Not all of that really left them, obviously, but the more complex, acoustic arrangements that were foreshadowed on the previous two records were fully realized here, and they would characterize the band's peak.
Of course, the best song, "Since I've Been Loving You," is a lengthy, bluesy guitar exhibition, and the riff-centric heavy blues style remained on songs like "Immigrant Song" and "Out on the Tiles," so it is hardly Crosby, Stills & Nash. If you want to find headbanging songs, they are still here. Together with the more folksy songs, they create a fantastic blend of genres.
4. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
Favorite songs: "Sloop John B," "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times"
The thing about Pet Sounds is that is so many things at once. It has some of that typical Beach Boys bounce and poppishness, some elaborate vocal arrangements and rhythms, some traces of psychedelia, some tenderness, some melancholy – it is hard to listen to it and not be wowed.
The thing about Pet Sounds is that is so many things at once. It has some of that typical Beach Boys bounce and poppishness, some elaborate vocal arrangements and rhythms, some traces of psychedelia, some tenderness, some melancholy – it is hard to listen to it and not be wowed.
3. OK Computer, Radiohead
Favorite songs: "Lucky," "Exit Music (For a Film)"
There is obviously no shortage of people out there willing to extol OK Computer, and I cannot pretend to have anything new to say about it, but I can at least explain why I love this album so much.
In addition to all the ways this album is Art – a pervading spaciness created by electronics and elaborate instrumentation; lyrics hypercritical of politics and the modern condition; and its status as a cohesive concept album – OK Computer earns its reputation by just being imminently listenable. Every song is good enough to stand on its own as something you can simply enjoy without paying attention to all the serious, important stuff in or around it. (Of course, nobody is turning on "Fitter Happier" while they cook, but as an interlude, it is excluded from this discussion.) As a result, you could easily argue for five or six tracks as being the best on an album full of excellence. (If I had to pick a third-place song, it would be "Let Down." But then I feel bad about shorting "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police.")
From top to bottom, OK Computer is a true classic.
2. For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver
Favorite songs: "For Emma," "The Wolves (Act I and II)"
I present to you the saddest album I have ever heard. For Emma, Forever Ago is 37 minutes of a man singing into the abyss about his heartbreak while also crafting highly impressive backing, most of which he performed himself. It is an artful record that manages the rare feat of balancing accessibility with personal meaning and occasional complexity, something it does without overdoing anything.
While For Emma, Forever Ago does not have as much historical importance or innovative techniques as the albums I have listed around it, I only listened to a couple of albums in 2017 more often than this one. I cannot recommend it enough.
I present to you the saddest album I have ever heard. For Emma, Forever Ago is 37 minutes of a man singing into the abyss about his heartbreak while also crafting highly impressive backing, most of which he performed himself. It is an artful record that manages the rare feat of balancing accessibility with personal meaning and occasional complexity, something it does without overdoing anything.
While For Emma, Forever Ago does not have as much historical importance or innovative techniques as the albums I have listed around it, I only listened to a couple of albums in 2017 more often than this one. I cannot recommend it enough.
1. In Rainbows, Radiohead
Favorite songs: "Jigsaw Falling Into Place," "Videotape"
What In Rainbows does best is buildup. Most of the songs start simple and all climb until reaching some crescendo without you hardly noticing that your heart rate has picked up or that you find yourself far deeper into the song than you were at the beginning. Also impressive is that these songs are all very different; for example, "Bodysnatchers" is an energetic rocker, but "Videotape" is a lonely, existential piano ballad. It is a neat trick they repeat differently at least seven times.
At the same time, the other half of the album maintains the atmosphere of previous Radiohead albums while adding a layer of warmth and longing that you cannot imagine fitting in on OK Computer or Kid A. Instead of using their electronics in front of the listener to transport him or her into some abstract outer space, the band mostly uses it for layering while more traditional instrumentation leads the way. Strings also come into the picture on, for example, "Faust Arp." Throw in Thom Yorke's singing, featuring an unexpected dose of tenderness, and arrange it all into something truly beautiful, and you have a nearly perfect record.
At the same time, the other half of the album maintains the atmosphere of previous Radiohead albums while adding a layer of warmth and longing that you cannot imagine fitting in on OK Computer or Kid A. Instead of using their electronics in front of the listener to transport him or her into some abstract outer space, the band mostly uses it for layering while more traditional instrumentation leads the way. Strings also come into the picture on, for example, "Faust Arp." Throw in Thom Yorke's singing, featuring an unexpected dose of tenderness, and arrange it all into something truly beautiful, and you have a nearly perfect record.
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