Tell Me About Your Favourite Albums

[They call me Brandon Lee]

i need new music to listen to and no better than to ask people about some sick ass albums

and don't just be a loser and say "lelelele [beatles album]" or "dark side of the moon" or something like that, everyone knows about that and is pretty much completely 100% accepted as good (although pink floyd is really overrated imho)

and I'll educate you on some great albums too (you may already know but i don't care) imho these are must own albums

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

release year: 1967

must listen to tracks: purple haze, foxy lady, the wind cries mary, manic depression, red house, can you see me, fire, remember, are you experienced, i don't live today

duds: third stone from the sun

probably one of the best and most definitive rock albums ever released. absolutely a must listen. hendrix is an extremely talented guitarist and his band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience is no pushover either. the only thing that kills this album is the bullshit that is third stone from the sun. its really not worth it. hendrix has some other great albums (electric ladyland, hell and angels) but this is absolutely his definitive album. absolutely would recommend, outside of 3rd stone.

BREAKFAST IN AMERICA - supertramp

release year - 1979

must listen to tracks: the logical song, goodbye stranger, breakfast in america, take the long way home

duds: none, the other songs are just not as amazing as the ones listed above

it is a pity that supertramp is so often ignored for such overrated pieces of average in the 70s like pink floyd and led zeppelin, but breakfast in america is a brilliant album. probably the best song in here is the logical song which resonates with pretty much anyones experiences, imho nothing short of an masterpiece of writing and lyrics. you've probably already heard of half of these songs without even knowing it was supertramp, well your welcome now you KNOW. i also recommend listening to their other albums but this is definitely their best imho

never have i heard an album that i instantly fell in love with the moment i listened to it but each song really is that good. if it's not your thing then okay whatever but it really is good.

also fun fact: there is a hilarious 9/11 conspiracy theory about this album

NEVERMIND - Nirvana

release year - 1991

must listen to tracks: in bloom, nevermind, come as you are, lithium

duds: nothing comes to mind although some of the other songs kind of sound samey

nirvana is what i would consider a bit of an aquired taste. we all know kurt's biggest hit, "smells like teen spirit" which is honestly overrated. the other songs in this album are much better, especially my personal favourite, "come as you are". i can understand why some people don't like nirvana, its pretty harsh and gritty, and some may be offended by kurt's lifestyle choices (a lame reason to not like an artist but whatev). cobain is an underrespected genius of the 1990s and it's a true shame we lost him so early, like hendrix.

DEMON DAYS - gorillaz

release year: 2005

must listen to tracks: kids with guns, o' green world, feel good inc, el manana, DARE, dirty harry,

duds: nothing comes to mind but most of the rest of the album can be described as alright

probably the only album i'm pretty sure most people on this forum are for sure familiar with, and remember when it was released. a very very trippy album, great on drugs haha. its an extremely surrealist experience. the good songs on this album are absolute must listen tos, although the rest of the songs are alright - probably the most polarizing album i chose here to start us off today imho. but still worth a listen, oh for sure

i might add more later but i want to see your own opinions.

some artists i recommend that i don't really have any album examples:

• b-52's (very unique and wacky musical style. Unique genre and really unparalleled with anything else)
• depeche mode (very very 80s but also very good)
• michael jackson (catchy but that's about it, but it's still fun to listen to)
• beastie boys (hilarious and fun rap, old school rap before rap became the boring crap that it is today)
• they might be giants (i'm personally not huge into them, but they're very good and a lot of people like them)
• peter gabriel (wacky 80s stuff, very surreal imho, although not inaccessable for most audiences)
• elton john (i can't really put my finger on what i like about him but i just do)
• styx (really weird but really awesome rock band, has two flavours - goofy and rock. pick and choose)
• the cure (also really weird and also has two flavours - depressing and erotic)
• simon and garfunkel (amazing folk rock band you must listen to them i'm dead fucking serious)

i'll add more later nothing else is coming to mind, i want to compile a better list later; i hope this helps expand your musical tastes at least somewhat

 

[kuzronk]

beastie boys (hilarious and fun rap, old school rap before rap became the boring crap that it is today)

Beastie boys were campy later on but are you sure you have heard outside of their overrated debut? Some of it has deeper meaning then you would example.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

Um, I don't think you'll like my music. It's Japanese music, and it's more or less called visual kei. It has androgynous Japanese boys who dress up in fancy clothes and where a ton of make up so... I still want to say what my favorite albums are. Might as well.

SuG: BLACK

I can't really explain this one. I'm not good at explaining things. Though, I will say that it's amazing. It's a huge step for SuG because a lot of their songs were more child-like and kind of well... when they were younger. So, BLACK is pretty much how they've grown up. My most favorite song on this album is Time after Time. Also, it came out just this month so... yeah.

Jupiter: Classic Element

I like this one, but I also love all their music. These guys are basically Versailles, just with a different and more adorable vocalist though. <3 My favorite song on this album is Forever with You. It's so cute and absolutely beautiful, but all of their music is so... go figure. :3

I don't really care a lot for albums, but I enjoy the songs more. So... whatever album it comes from doesn't matter much to me. I don't want to list my heavier stuff either but... for bands/artists for me...

1. SCREW (These guys tend to vary. Sometimes they can be kind of soft, but they do play metal so...)
2. the GazettE (These guys are the same way. A lot of their songs are pretty heavy, but they are extremely popular)
3. Alice Nine (These guys also have a heavy beat to their music. They are absolutely amazing, especially since they broke away from their previous record company.)
4. KAMIJO (This guy is ex-Versailles' vocalist. He is on solo right now. He's still amazing. He plays power metal/symphonic metal)
5. Synk;yet (These guys also play power metal/symphonic metal. They are amazing as well, but I just got into them)
6. Vistlip (I really like them. They have some pretty good music as well.)
7. Matenrou Opera (omg you NEED to here these guys. Sono, the vocalist is AMAZING. I love his voice so much. They also play power metal/symphonic metal)
8. Gotcharocka (These guys are more of a rock group then anything. They are still one of my most favorites of all. <3)
9. Dog in the PWO (These guys are cute. The vocalist has actually had a troubled life. They are more positive and kind of pop I guess)
10. Dear L'Novel (Another power metal/symphonic band I just recently got into)

You know, just in case someone on PC decides to become interested in visual kei. Those are probably some good starting points right there. It depends on the kind of stuff you like too. Whether you like poppish positive music or the heavy metal/soft metal stuff.

 

[Hannah]

I don't know if you'll like my music taste, but I'm currently obsessing over Fall Out Boy's American Beauty/American Psycho. My friend kept singing their songs to the point that I'd start singing them, too, without actually knowing the song. I got around to searching and after that, I downloaded almost all of FoB's albums, including this one.

The album art itself is amazing, imo. And the tracks, oh my gosh, they're just as incredible. I don't really know what else to say, I guess haha. My favorite song here is probably Favorite Record or Jet Pack Blues. Uma Thurman is a song that I'd dance to and Novocaine is pretty cool, too. There's a line in Fourth of July that just pains my heart ("The torture of small talk with someone you used to love") as well as a line in Irresistible that makes me wonder how someone could write something so "cool" and poetic at the same time ("You know you look so Seattle but you feel so L.A.").

 

[Lizardo]

ILLMATIC (1994) - Nas

Essential tracks: N.Y. State of Mind; Life's a B*tch; The World Is Yours; Represent; It Ain't Hard to Tell

Duds: There's not a single track on this album that I don't enjoy, but I guess One Time 4 Your Mind would be my least favorite.

(The OP says not to include the obvious stuff, but since he goes on to list things like Nevermind then I'm going to post this one. I don't get the feeling PokéCommunity is exactly thriving with rap fans, either, so it should be fine.)

A lot of times when I come up on an album released before my time (which was 2003, during the era where 50 Cent was huge) that fans of genre deem "essential", I find myself able to enjoy and appreciate the music but rarely does it really resonate with me on an especially deep level. Illmatic is one of those rare exceptions when it comes to rap music. Nas has released a lot of good/great albums ever since this - my favorites are It Was Written (1996), his Distant Relatives (2010) collaboration with Damien Marley, and Life is Good (2012) - but his debut work is still his best.

Illmatic is only 40 minutes and 10 tracks - that includes the Genesis intro - long and, because every song is so consistently great, it never drags. Nas is absolutely on fire and just kills every track. There are no weak guest verses here (AZ is the only guest MC featured, and he has a particularly excellent verse on Life's a B*tch), and the production is top-notch and consistently great (which is something you honestly can't say for most of Nas' albums). The jazz samples work really well with the songs and gives the album a really relaxing feel.

 

[Rest]

(not in any order)
1. Kanye West's Late Registration (2005) - or Graduation/MBDTF if I'm having a bad day, but I'm particularly affectionate with Late Registration.
2. Sun Ra's Sleeping Beauty (1979) - The Nubians of Plutonia would be my second favorite Sun Ra, but I prefer the beautiful quietness and musical clarity in Sleeping Beauty. Felt like I was finally understanding the Universe when I listened to this. A crazy trip.
3. Swirlies' Blonder Tongue Audio Baton (1993) - shoegaze at its best; a convergence of so many different genres, yet ends up being so much greater than the sum of its parts.
4. Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago (2007) - this album has helped me go through many hard times in my life. It's honestly better than an actual therapist.
5. The Brave Little Abacus' just got back from the discomfort—we're alright (2010) - this could have been an American Football/Joyce Manor/Algernon Cadwallader/Cap'n Jazz LP, but just got back from discomfort is absolutely flawless emo IMO.
6. The Streets' Original Pirate Material (2002) - UK garage doesn't get any better than this IMO, barring the follow-up A Grand Don't Come For Free which would have made my number 11. Mike Skinner's a brilliantly insolent poet.
7. Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) - this album is so psyducking emotional to me, it hurts.
8. Nina Simone's Nina Simone at The Village Gate (1967) - contains my favorite set of songs from Nina. Her voice is a holy instrument crafted by the Gods to be played for us pathetic, uncultured plebeians living on this sorry Earth.
9. Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993) - um, this album needs no description.
10. Can's Ege Bamyası (1972) - this too.

These kinds of lists are never set in stone for me but these were the 10 that came to my mind as my favorites. It's mostly music from the 90's and 00's, but I generally subscribe to music from this generation anyways :P

 

[Crunch Punch]

Everything time there is an album thread like this I feel like I'm always pointing this album out, but people you have to give this a spin at least once if you haven't already. The Strokes' Is This It is a goddamn 00's garage-indie rock classic - passionate vocals, catchy guitar grooves, bumping bass lines and simple yet energetic drum beats are what you will get in this eleven track LP and man though I know some songs may stand out more than others, none feel like fillers at all. From the nonchalant slow groove of first track Is This It to the thumping finale of Take It or Leave It that has Casablancas shouting "HIS GONNA LEEEET YOOOOU DOOOOWN" multiple times in the chorus, there is a level of consistency on the quality of each song in this album which I don't see in many albums, at least all the way through a single LP.

Essential tracks - The Modern Age; Barely Legal; Someday; Last Nite; Hard To Explain; New York City Cops. (but dammit give the whole album a listen, not just some excerpts!!)

 

[Ice1]

I'm going the add to this list too

From Under the Cork Tree // Fall Out Boy
It's a great poppunk album, and for me it's when Fall Out Boy put out there best poppunk songs. There is something more of the emphasis on the pop than the punk, but that's to be expected with Fall Out Boy.

Gospel // Fireworks
Again, poppunk, but with me that's to be expected. A great album, with some really great vocals, deep lyrics and great musicianship. Fireworks really has their own sound, and it's so good.

The Finer Things // State Champs
One of the best poppunk bands in the scene at the moment, in my opinion, and one of my favorite bands around. This is their only album, and it's a great one with that. Good songs. Good music. Also, their acoustic EP based on this album, called The Acoustic Things, is amazing too.

Satori // I the Mighty
One of the best post-hardcore bands, with an awesome album. Great music. The vocals are great, the songwriting has depth, the guitars are amazing. It's also a good entrance to the Post-Hardcore scene, if anyone is interested.

I could go on for a while, so I'm just going to mention all the Dance Gavin Dance albums, as I believe they can't do wrong, but I'll leave it at that.