I know FB has the same dumb quiz, but I wanted to give a brief explanation. To make the top 5, I chose albums that, start to finish had great songs both musically and lyrically. Some of my favorite artists didn't make the cut, simply because they didn't have strong enough albums (too many "dud" songs cluttered up the gems).
So without further ado:
5) John Mayer, Try!
This is a live album, so I don't know if that's cheating but it is Mayer at his best: dropping the gimmicky "sensitive guy" thing and just shredding some blues guitar. You forget as you listen that this is only a power trio playing they're so good. The highlight is when Mayer covers/reinvents a Kanye West song.4) Jimmy Eat World, Bleed American
They self-titled this album after 9/11, but luckily that's all they changed. This album runs the gamut from hard rocking emo/punk to melancholy ballads and this band pulls it off so well. I survived a mind-numbing job in a factory by singing these songs to myself all day long. By far their best album to date.
3) Ray LaMontagne, Trouble
Wow, this dude can sing. Before you hear Ray you need to see a picture of him. You will then be baffled by how a voice so smooth can come from such a scruffy looking nerf-herder. This is a really beautiful album that feels very simple, yet actually has plenty of instruments playing on it. The songs feel spacious and comfortable at the same time.
2) Dashboard Confessional, A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar
So I'm a recovering emo kid, I guess. Chris Carrabba ditches the weepy guitar ballads for a full band and the result is phenomenal. Incredibly interesting musically and the drummer is so underrated (he's in the top 5 for me). Anything that Carrabba sings you get the feeling that he absolutely means it. So good.
1) Foo Fighters, The Colour and The Shape
My wife thinks this music is "too angry" (and Grohl certainly screams/yells a lot), and it may be but it certainly hits you in the face and rarely lets up from track to track. No one rocks harder and the Foos have never made an album this completely good since. There's more guitar riffs layered here than a wedding cake and holy cow the drums! Grohl did all of them himself and ten years later, I still can't play the fills on "Everlong" right (they're that hard). Don't even get me started on "My Hero"...
There you have it. Now I'd love to hear your top 5 albums!
2 comments:
Since you asked, here's my 5. I chose them based on personal impact and if I could turn it on, and listen to every song without skipping.
Honorable mentions:
A Perfect Circle- Mer De Noms
Company Flow- Funcrusher Plus
Mr. Bungle- Mr. Bungle
Radiohead- OK Computer
Alice In Chains- MTV Unplugged
Failure- Fantastic Planet
5. Nas- Illmatic: Just under 40 minutes, but what you get out of it goes a long way. Raw and rugged, Nas brings you into his world and you can feel it.
4. Deftones- Around the Fur: Again, another short and sweet album, but it hits hard. Aggressive like a lot of albums back in 1997, but it has legs when you get tired of the heaviness.
3. Public Enemy- It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back: This album changed my music listening habits. It showed me that hip-hop wasn't as distorted as it is now. It actually has a message, and it's fun to listen to.
2. Nine Inch Nails- Still: Created during Trent Reznor's battle with drug addiction in 2001, this collection of stripped down songs is too beautiful, too heartbreaking for words. You really feel the emotion, and you could possibly shed a tear or two.
1. Rage Against The Machine- Rage Against The Machine: Before Fred Durst and a million nu-metal teens came through and turned the idea of "rap-rock" into a trend similar to the dot-com bubble and the Y2K virus, Zach de La Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk , and Tim Bob made rock music that was edgy like Nirvana, and eye-opening like a Public Enemy song. 10 songs, all of them classics.
Off the top of my head...
5. Arcade Fire - Funeral
4. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
2. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
1. Beatles - Abbey Road
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