Yes, Close To The Edge. This album has two of Yes’s best songs. This album has three songs. Mostly filled with Beck-grade nonsense, which does not prevent then from being frisson engines. If you wish “Roundabout” was just the way the intro sounds, that’s the worst song on this album, “And You And I.” It’s really good. Honorable mention to Soft Machine’s Third, which is four songs on four sides, and nearly made it in simply for “Out-Bloody-Rageous.”
Deftones, Koi No Yokan. This is everything they were trying to do from self-titled through Diamond Eyes. Clean, spacious, structured, loud as hell. Chino doesn’t get to scream like in “Knife Party,” but the sheer force is evident in “Entombed.” No idea how they fucked up Gore right after this.
Stepdad, Wildlife Pop. You need something simple and upbeat, sometimes, and it might as well be self-aware goofy modernism like “Show Me Your Blood.” Honorable mention to The Cinematics’ A Strange Education.
Depeche Mode, 101. A live album summarizing (and energizing) all the work they did before becoming the band that recorded Violator. I would never pick that album for this. It’s not bad, but it’s genuinely about average for their catalog. A few on either side of it are much better. Before that or after that… ehhhh.
Mew, Frengers. Though it might be redundant. My brain already plays these songs at random.
My Mourning Jacket, Z. Evocative psychedelic rock, trending toward hypnogogia. Honorable mention to Band Of Horses, whom I routinely mix up with this band.
Tame Impala, Currents. Outright hypnogic pop. Somewhat less in the “sad dad band” shame bucket than Mew or My Mourning Jacket.
The Flaming Lips, At War With The Mystics. Someone wrote of “Silver Trembling Hands” that Flaming Lips songs work when they’re on a knife-edge between paranoia and bliss. But yeah, psychedelic rock trending toward hypnogogia.
The Moody Blues, This Is The Moody Blues. Any other band I’d feel guilty for picking a compilation. (Maybe not Queen.) They had thirty-plus years of great songs, album after album, but hoo boy were those albums spottu. Everything except Days Of Future Passed has an even mix of hits and duds. Just gimme “Question” and “Lovely To See You” on the same CD.
Slayer, Reign In Blood. Opens with a scream for the victims of the Holocaust. Half an hour later Satan conquers the earth. Good fun.
Yes, Close To The Edge. This album has two of Yes’s best songs. This album has three songs. Mostly filled with Beck-grade nonsense, which does not prevent then from being frisson engines. If you wish “Roundabout” was just the way the intro sounds, that’s the worst song on this album, “And You And I.” It’s really good. Honorable mention to Soft Machine’s Third, which is four songs on four sides, and nearly made it in simply for “Out-Bloody-Rageous.”
Deftones, Koi No Yokan. This is everything they were trying to do from self-titled through Diamond Eyes. Clean, spacious, structured, loud as hell. Chino doesn’t get to scream like in “Knife Party,” but the sheer force is evident in “Entombed.” No idea how they fucked up Gore right after this.
Stepdad, Wildlife Pop. You need something simple and upbeat, sometimes, and it might as well be self-aware goofy modernism like “Show Me Your Blood.” Honorable mention to The Cinematics’ A Strange Education.
Depeche Mode, 101. A live album summarizing (and energizing) all the work they did before becoming the band that recorded Violator. I would never pick that album for this. It’s not bad, but it’s genuinely about average for their catalog. A few on either side of it are much better. Before that or after that… ehhhh.
Mew, Frengers. Though it might be redundant. My brain already plays these songs at random.
My Mourning Jacket, Z. Evocative psychedelic rock, trending toward hypnogogia. Honorable mention to Band Of Horses, whom I routinely mix up with this band.
Tame Impala, Currents. Outright hypnogic pop. Somewhat less in the “sad dad band” shame bucket than Mew or My Mourning Jacket.
The Flaming Lips, At War With The Mystics. Someone wrote of “Silver Trembling Hands” that Flaming Lips songs work when they’re on a knife-edge between paranoia and bliss. But yeah, psychedelic rock trending toward hypnogogia.
The Moody Blues, This Is The Moody Blues. Any other band I’d feel guilty for picking a compilation. (Maybe not Queen.) They had thirty-plus years of great songs, album after album, but hoo boy were those albums spottu. Everything except Days Of Future Passed has an even mix of hits and duds. Just gimme “Question” and “Lovely To See You” on the same CD.
Slayer, Reign In Blood. Opens with a scream for the victims of the Holocaust. Half an hour later Satan conquers the earth. Good fun.