Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by DriftingOrpheus
Subject to change (often). These are my personal favorite records...not necessarily a reflection of an objective musical hierarchy. (Wow. These write-ups have grown like weeds, particularly as you descend through the list. Only the slightest bit proud. 😌)
- Chart updated: 5 days ago
- (Created: 04/25/2020 20:18).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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As Long Season (Part 1) surfaces, a spacey, smoky atmosphere comes into focus, bubbling with an alien strut. The track evolves into a cascading keyboard loop which is majestically serene while carrying an ever-present promise of combustibility. This is when Sato's first declarations are audible, "At dusk we drove, calling the wind and calling you, we ran from one end of Tokyo to the other, halfway dreaming." The track shimmers during its climax as Honzi's violin and accordion join the fray with exuberant grace. The track seamlessly drifts into Long Season (Part 2) as the keyboard loop is adorned with percussive twinkles and Sato's own protuberant guitar solo. As Kin-ichi Motegi's drums cushion the final moments of Long Season (Part 2), (Part 3) introduces itself with a decidedly ambient complexion. Commencing with a damp, distant quality, (Part 3) is notably restrained when compared to the previous two movements. The track blossoms with Motegi's second drum flourish, a solo that lasts the length of the track serving as a distinct bridge between both boundaries of the record. (Part 4) comes into view with relaxed, remote guitar strikes. Whistling is interwoven throughout the DNA of (Part 4) betwixt a duplicated vocal melody and a swirling, ominous backing whirl. (Part 5) is a different shade of (Part 1), reintroducing the hypnotic keyboard riff with heightened immediacy and scope. The track builds to Sato's own haunting falsetto, broadcasting a billowing a sense of catharsis and rebirth amidst the sonic revisitation. (Part 5) is as majestic as the LP gets and is among the most gorgeous movements in recent memory.
Long Season (Part 5) sounds suspiciously like a swan song in many distinct manners. It recounts the past and treats a movement only 25 minutes removed to be one of complete nostalgia. Sato's own vocals at the finale are so undeniably vulnerable that one would be inclined to think of it more in terms of a finale for him rather than the LP, like a final championing of life and its wonders. The backing vocals stand to up the ante as intrinsic collateral for such a moment. Eerily enough, this movement would be the final piece of music Sato would play live. Long Season in its entirety would be played in Fishmans' final performance which was featured on the beloved live album, 98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare. Sato died suddenly of a heart attack three months after the band's final gig. These days, the outfit has reached an entirely new audience far from their native Japan. Long Season has been instrumental in moving the needle and has been retrospectively lauded as a masterpiece, one that graces the ears of new listeners each and every day. It's a testament to the band and the music they were producing. The record outdistanced its own release and becomes more inviting with age. Aligned with the recurring nature of its content like a persistent dream, Long Season is a crisp Spring day that will never end and more importantly, will never wither at the hand of a cruel Winter.
"What is the song you are humming,
What things can you remember,
We are half in a dream."
-Long Season (Part 1)
Standout Tracks:
1. Long Season (Part 5)
2. Long Season (Part 1)
3. Long Season (Part 4)
94.3 [First added to this chart: 04/26/2020]
Sonically, the foursome has never produced a richer album. Take I Know It's Over for example, the archetype for loneliness in track form. It begins as a bellowing croon which matures into a booming declaration of resigned fate. Bigmouth Strikes Again plays with pitch on Morrissey's vocals that serve as backing that gently coat Marr's expert guitar playing. Mike Joyce's steadily-paced drumming on There is a Light that Never Goes Out provides support as the spine of a track that is revered by most self-proclaimed "Smithsonians". Morrissey's appeal to logos on Cemetry Gates functions as a scathing rallying cry against plagiarism and the absence of original thought found in his analyzation of the disposition of art at the time.
Later in the fleeting recording history of one of the decade's finest acts, the band began to be gravitationally pulled towards the sun of the ego of its vocalist. A direction that divided the group, but The Queen is Dead stands unpolluted by those philosophical imbalances. This is a record that optimizes the potential and contributions of every member equally, uniformly proficient and poignant in staggering detail. The Smiths are chiefly remembered as an 80's ensemble, but this record sounds as unlinked to time as any record in history. Truly, the only thing ordinary about the band was the namesake.
"And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her roman nose
And her hearing aid started to melt"
-Bigmouth Strikes Again
Standout Tracks:
1. I Know It's Over
2. There is a Light and It Never Goes Out
3. Bigmouth Strikes Again
94 [First added to this chart: 04/26/2020]
Lead singer Paul Banks pulls no punches on third track NYC, claiming, "The subway is a porno, The pavements they are a mess, I know you've supported me for a long time, Somehow I'm not impressed". Lead guitarist Daniel Kessler vigorously drives fifth track Say Hello to the Angels. The breakneck pace is notably apt when uncovering the song's inspiration, unfailing sexual yearning during a rocky relationship. Fan favorite Obstacle 1 is often noted as an anthem for the turn-of-the-century indie revival. It was seemingly influenced by the death of a model that willingly pierced her own throat. The relevance to the narrator is still up for interpretation but lines such as, "But it's different now that I'm poor and aging, I'll never see this face again, And you go stabbing yourself in the neck," imply a distant, one-sided affinity. The darkness only purveys further from there. Playfully titled track Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down describes another flesh-centric liaison gone awry due to the title bearer's personal instability. Sam Fogarino's burst-guided drumming creates the sensation that the song itself is slowly descending deeper and deeper into the Hudson. Banks croons, "Bottom of the ocean she dwells, bottom of the ocean she dwells", as he too drifts into the abyss.
The lion's share of the band's attention appeared to revolve around their status as dead ringers for legendary post-punk foursome Joy Division. Interpol, while respecting Joy Division's legacy, dismissed the strategic intention of such comparisons, not content to live in another's shadow or (Shadowplay). While The Strokes and LCD Soundsystem concocted hits that were not out of place at Columbia University parties and the sprawling New York City club scene, Turn on the Bright Lights' target was an entirely different audience. A sector of listeners that felt petrified at the notion of being present at a social soiree or those who desired whole-hearted love in favor of booze-soaked escapades. It's a shame that these days Interpol are perceived to have lost their labels as critical darlings, lost to a new generation sporting deaf ears on which the band's music falls on. Shamefully, they often get lost in the shuffle when commenting about the impact of early 2000's indie rock, swiftly swept to the side by more thematically positive acts that potentially have less provocative things to say. How appropriate of the band to be caught up in such a woebegone story. Hindsight suggests that Interpol just may have been the finest act to grace that era. They certainly released its most polished, brilliantly arranged artifact. You can find it gracing the shelves of a Greenwich Village antique shop.
"I had seven faces
Thought I knew which one to wear
But I'm sick of spending these lonely nights
Training myself not to care"
-NYC
Standout Tracks:
1. Obstacle 1
2. Leif Erikson
3. Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down
93.6 [First added to this chart: 04/26/2020]
The illustrious record begins with 12-string guitar twangs of "Wouldn't It Be Nice", a daydream yearning for romantic freedom, away from the restraints of being a youth. It's a premise seemingly rooted in the early days of the band, born of the triad of cars, girls and surfing. However, the lyrics mark a noticeable schism between eras, abandoning the face value nature of Girls on the Beach and Fun, Fun, Fun while having more in common with the metaphorical complexity of In My Room and Surfer Girl. Still, Wilson opts to live through his fantasies as opposed to acknowledging a murky future, a grim harbinger for the minimal staying power of young love, packaged within one of the most genial melodies in the band's canon. It's a formula that the Boys would employ later down the line in much darker, less disguised LP's. Track two, "You Still Believe in Me", commences with one of music's most tear-inducing introductions. The gorgeous prepared piano motif shimmers with fragility as the strings are plucked. Amidst the tempo changes, Wilson employs bike horns and harpsichord bathed in the trademark Beach Boys harmonies. The track celebrates the power of unconditional adoration and forgives the fallibility of human beings. "That's Not Me" deals with internal deliberation and self-diagnosis. Dennis Wilson's drums propel the track as lead vocals from Mike Love detail the prioritization of career success and remaining true to one's self. Track four, "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)" embodies the simplest song on the record thus far in terms of thematic weight. However, the song lends itself to projection from the listener, offering a figurative shoulder to rest during their own personal strife. It's a song of considerable intimacy, perpetually cascading downwards as considerate cymbal strikes and bass ease the listener into tranquility.
Track Five, "I'm Waiting for the Day" emphasizes emotional patience and perseverance as a bombastic drum sequence outlines the uptempo cut. The statement here is one of poignant understanding and the value of following your heart in lieu of settling. The dynamic nature of the track is exemplified as drums and woodwinds simultaneously flurry between vociferous and restrained passages. The album arrives at its first instrumental with "Let's Go Away for Awhile", a piece that Brian Wilson has called the "most satisfying of his life". The track smolders to start, escalating with precise drum hits as horns and strings hover carefully underneath. The final track of the first side owes its inclusion to Al Jardine, who pushed for Brian to record the song. What came of it was a remarkably vibrant, twinkling rendition of a well-traveled folk tune. Another appearance of the doubletracked bass provides "Sloop John B" with punch and affirms the song's place as one of the more jolly excursions on Pet Sounds. It also provides respite from the introspective nature of the tracks preceding it. It echoes the Beach Boys of the past, armed with a newfound sonic complexity and whimsy. Residing in the eighth spot on the record is a landmark, spawning a life of its own, far beyond the context of Pet Sounds as a whole. Hyperbole aside, "God Only Knows" remains the centerpiece of Pet Sounds, equal parts innocent, melodramatic and brilliant. Sleigh Bells kiss the air as Carl Wilson's vocals leave nothing to the imagination. The string arrangement that permeates throughout envelopes the piece in a cocoon of sonic sublimity acting as a conduit for the emotional heft of Wilson and Asher's lyrics.
Brian Wilson details his enlightenment during an LSD trip in a track that was originally known as "Hang On to Your Ego". What we now know as "I Know There's an Answer" marks somewhat of kaleidoscope of sonic flavor on the record, exemplified by a bass harmonica solo and hammond organ. The track initially dealt with the dangers of relying on LSD to pacify your troubles. After some internal pushback, Wilson and Terry Sachen were forced to rewrite. However, inklings of the original intent have remained. "They come on like they're peaceful, but inside they're so uptight; They trip through their day and waste all their thoughts at night." Tenth Track, "Here Today" partially subverts the themes of "I'm Waiting for the Day" while never compromising the latter's significance. The former paints a picture of a cautionary tale of love for love's sake. It carries a bit of sentiment from the pop balladry of the late 50's and early 60's but tunefully updates the spirit of the piece to accommodate to Pet Sound's lush, baroque sensibilities. The attitudes expressed in "Here Today" further accentuate reflections of an innocent, wide-eyed Beach Boys style from the past converging with a wiser, more pensive creative outlook for the band. Pet Sound's final trio alternate between reflective pieces and the psychedelic, sonic identity of the record. "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" explores one's place in society amidst anxiety-riddled theremin that colors the piece. "Pet Sounds" is a sonic, exotica-laced trip supported by four different kinds of saxophones and Coca-Cola cans. Finally, "Caroline, No" ends the record on a downtrodden note, reflecting on a former flame that can't be recognized anymore from his own vantage point as the ambience of barks and a chugging train ends the LP.
Pet Sounds leaves an impression in the musical terrain like an asteroid scar, forever altering its climate. As stated earlier, this has all been well-documented and explored. Inversely, listeners should see the album as a catalyst and less of an artifact, effortlessly as relevant today as it was then. It's the musical representation of the faith bestowed in others by trusted friends. It's a warm, inviting embrace awash in human fallibility and the subsequent understanding that should come with it. Brian Wilson would personally struggle soon after and his fellow Beach Boys would progressively diminish along with the fruits of their labor (despite a handful of gems). The cruelty of time would shroud their innovative accomplishments with only the gimmick that pigeon-holed them remaining. However, for one shining moment, five timid young men were at the forefront of musical expression and progression, in an era where the album as an artistic construct had not yet been fully realized. From "Little Deuce Coupe" to "God Only Knows", the Beach Boys had reached Nirvana with Pet Sounds as their guiding light.
"God only knows what I'd be without you."
- God Only Knows
Standout Tracks:
1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. Sloop John B
3. You Still Believe in Me
93 [First added to this chart: 04/30/2020]
The album begins with the apropos, 'Terrible Love', a document of a relationship on its way to disaster. It's a scenario that Berninger is clearly familiar with and it's a fragile union bound together by alcohol, sleeping pills and bits of string. "And I can't fall asleep without a little help; It takes a while to settle down my shivered bones until the panic's out," Berninger laments. Maybe he finds solace in carrying on, riding a freight train to anguish if only to know he's stuck it out and not thrown in the towel. It takes a special kind of pride to willingly fall on the sword and both parties are willing to do so, even if it means confronting the specter of failure once again. Sonic standouts here emanate from the progressively distorting guitar work from the Dessner brothers and the powering percussion of Bryan Devendorf. 'Terrible Love' epitomizes the championing of imperfect relationships amongst imperfect beings. Second track, 'Sorrow', occupies a far more straight-forward thematic headspace. The band played the song for six hours straight at the MoMA PS1 as part of a collaboration with Ragnar Kjartansson aptly titled, 'A Lot of Sorrow'. Berninger's poetry is in top form on the cut, with an assist from Aaron Dessner. Berninger testifies, "I live in a city sorrow built; It's in my honey, it's in my milk." Anyone can write a song about a former flame, but to describe the inner workings of one's plight with such malaise, with the presence of profound wounds paved beneath a concrete shell of numbness is certainly no easy feat. Gentle keyboard flourishes usher the song out to a chorus of angelic coos communicating the saintly nature of quiet suffering.
Fourth track, 'Little Faith', is the only track on the LP to feature a writing credit from Carin Besser, Matt's wife. With the compositional brain trust swelling to three, the prose undergoes a cinematic makeup, straying away from the hyper-introspectiveness of early tracks. "You'll find commiseration in everyone's eyes; The storm will suck the pretty girls into the sky," Berninger howls. This is the first of 'High Violet's' tracks to craft an image of a tangible, sensory experience rather than a prolonged sense of yearning. 'Little Faith' buzzes in a fashion similar to that of an AM radio coupled with sopping bass plucks that arrive in lock-step with Berninger's bellows. Strings anchor the track and prevent it from flying away with the twinkling guitar arpeggio that introduces itself during the second half. 'Little Faith remains one of the LP's unsung heroes. On the other hand, 'Afraid of Everyone' often stares down the barrel of consistent praise for its brilliance and its star-studded feature. Sufjan Stevens provides harmonium and offers backing vocals. Stevens also composed the vocal arrangements for the track, which becomes more apparent when you listen to the cascading voices falling over each other like rolling waves. 'Afraid of Everyone' is certainly one of the LP's more graceful excursions, something that could be seen as a harbinger for Stevens' 'Carrie and Lowell' in 2015. The context of the song deals with aversion to social interaction and the struggles of managing anxiety. Consequently, the narrator must navigate the rough seas to provide emotional stability to his young family as he rapidly and consciously ages. It's a banner moment for sure. However, the emotional heart and soul of all things 'High Violet' resides squarely within 'Bloodbuzz Ohio'. The record's sixth and most sensational track, is a ode to copious amounts of debt, the sentimental nature of one's hometown and a stirring promise of a comeback story yet to be written. If one examines closely between the lines, there's a sense that this comeback will never come to fruition. It's more of a portrait of a character on an endless losing streak with hope being the only thing driving him forward. He's a slave to his patterns, his habits, and his demons. His ambition has been chiseled away by disappointment, his potential, squandered by alcohol and his treasured and downtrodden home state, both a sanctuary and a prison. As Berninger puts it, "Ohio is in his blood." 'Bloodbuzz' is the most poetic statement on 'High Violet' and it's also a wolf in sheep's clothing. It harbors the album's most infectious, progressive momentum while staying unflinchingly defeatist, forever resigned to lose. The track is a proper masterpiece and one of the grandest statements of the 2010's. "I still owe money to the money to the money I owe; I never thought about love when I thought about home," Berninger admits.
The album recedes back into itself with 'Lemonworld', and the band evidently reembraces reservation after the emotional exertion of 'Bloodbuzz Ohio'. The seventh track concerns escape from the urban jungle of New York City and all of its obligations and burdens. The subject dreams of a lavish desertion, adorned with idyllic summer afternoons highlighted by pairs of alluring women. Eighth track, 'Runaway', elongates the solemnity of 'Lemonworld'. The track itself is a tributary branching off from the record's pension for promoting the acceptance of subpar situations. 'Conversation 16's' instrumentation swirls around Berninger's baritone serenades like a warm breeze. The drum kit finds itself ushered forward in the mix, acting as the catalyst for the track's success. Another song concerning rupturing foundations, this 'Conversation' concerns a married couple carrying on the facade of stability. The record finishes with 'Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks', a track that features backing vocals from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. The track serves as a mournful sendoff for an LP drenched in emotional heft. It passes on a message that we are all susceptible to love's cruel nature and it's this pain that unites us, certainly a lesson the band's fanbase can revel in.
The National continued to elevate their indelible status in the coming years with critical successes at every turn, yet, none of them feel as essential or as crucial to the band's identity as 'High Violet'. It's 11 tracks of unabashed turmoil paired with the courage to parade it with unlimited vulnerability. Some would argue that the strength of music is grounded in the sense of catharsis that it can inspire, but 'High Violet' doesn't repurpose that pain, it merely acts as a conduit between beating hearts. The album classifies fallibility as a redeeming quality and helps us understand why we hurt but not necessarily how to heal. After all, to completely recover from our intangible scars would be distinctly inhuman. It's true that we find a picturesque beauty in incalculable jubilee, but sorrow is a phenomenal, soulful achievement in its own right. 'High Violet' lets us know that it's okay to cherish it.
"I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees."
-Bloodbuzz Ohio
Standout Tracks:
1. Bloodbuzz Ohio
2. Sorrow
3. Afraid of Everyone
93 [First added to this chart: 04/30/2020]
The record greets us with the eternal strums of an acoustic guitar as Dylan's voice, strained and imperfect, a survivor of house fire, arrives with its own visage. The seminal opener chugs along at a fixed tempo, adorned with harmonica bursts that enliven the docile guitar tones. The harmonica, a humble and inexpensive instrument that acted as a trusted companion for many, was Dylan's weapon of choice during his early years. He declares, "Come mothers and fathers throughout the land and don't criticize what you can't understand." His prophetic and anthemic rallying cry has endured for nearly 60 years since it first graced ears. The album turns to a significantly grimmer beast with the introduction of second track, 'Ballad of Hollis Brown', a look at a poverty-stricken farmer in rural South Dakota. Dylan takes his tale of desperation and uses it as an allegory for those struggling with destitution. The metaphors are intentionally fatalistic, but many could view them as exaggerated. Here, Dylan's goal is to establish perspective, not provide a factual retelling. It's merely a painting of despair to be learned from. Dylan sings, "Your brain is a-bleedin' and your legs can’t seem to stand; Your eyes fix on the shotgun that you’re holding in your hand." The expanding wage distribution, in Dylan's estimation, provides a slow death with one alternative. One of Dylan's darkest, yet powerful statements. Next, he confronts an extremely prevalent bias during the middle of the 20th century in the United States. 'With God on Our Side' creates an image of an elitist America, one that can do no wrong and is justified, no matter the bloodshed. Dylan sees toxic patriotism acting as a slow, indoctrinating cancer (another contemporary issue). He wails, "The First World War, boys, it came and it went; The reason for fightin' I never did get but I learned to accept it, accept it with pride; For you don’t count the dead when God’s on your side." The arrogance needed to assume God identifies with a specific country's crusade is elephantine, however, it's a belief typified by the Pledge of Allegiance and by swearing upon a bible. Dylan's character comes to the realization that God's love is reserved for people and not places and that a country is just a plot of land and nothing more. Sadly, it's usually the prize for which fighting is done. The Vietnam War enveloped the decade and Dylan's parable is forever an unheeded warning.
The second half of the record begins with 'Only a Pawn in Their Game', another narration confronting hatred and prejudice, this time by way of propaganda and inculcation. The track examines lower-income, white southerners who are brainwashed into hating their black neighbors with an end goal of sustained oppression. Dylan illustrates this with syntax, "A South politician preaches to the poor white man “You got more than the blacks, don’t complain; You’re better than them, you been born with white skin." The simple instrumentation of 'Pawn' and the stressed rhyme repetition make sure that the message doesn't get clouded beneath the music. However, Dylan doesn't refuse the chance to include a romantic ballad on the LP. 'Boots of Spanish Leather' is a letter-exchanged anecdote of longing and gradual realization. The song is tinted by delicately plucked strings and alternating perspectives that create a gloomy overtone that comes to fruition when the narrator surmises the final fate of his crumbling union across a vast ocean. "I’m sure your mind is a-roamin'; I’m sure your thoughts are not with me but with the country to where you’re goin." The record arrives at an uptick in morale with 'When the Ship Comes In', an affirmative, inspirational testification that the future holds brighter days and that those who engage in tyranny and bigotry will eventually be overcome. Finally, LP centerpiece, 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll', draws inspiration from the murder of an African-American barmaid by the wealthy William Zantzinger. The track directs scrutiny at the murderer for devaluing the life of a woman he deemed "lesser than" and the justice system for (mostly) turning a blind eye. Dylan delivers the verdict, "And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance, William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence." The track is a microcosm of the record's major themes and an unsettling reminder that justice remains imbalanced.
Dylan was just 23 years of age when 'Times' was first pressed, but his incredible perception was decades his senior. The clairvoyance of his prose is even parts astonishing and tragic given that little has changed since his pen first hit the paper. The poetry of these 10 tracks easily sit amongst the scribe's most visceral compositions. The album presents Dylan at perhaps his most uncompromising and forthright, functioning as his final, unabashed protest record. Oddly, the LP is often shunned from the 1960's landmark music rolodex with albums such as 'Highway 61 Revisited', 'Bringing It All Back Home' and even 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' achieving a higher sense of reverence. Strangely enough, its content makes it a contender for his most topical, underrated and pertinent enterprise, both in 1964 and 2021. Dylan's uncanny ability to find the pulse of the given zeitgeist has never been in doubt, as he's strung together lyrical encapsulations at will for 60 years. Here, he weaves sorrow and hope into a homogeneous, digestible whole the likes of which none could reproduce. The power of 'Times' does not lie in division, but in a belief that human morality will win out. It's a beautiful sentiment and an eternal principle. In some ways, we're still waiting.
"And we’ll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharoah’s tribe they’ll be drowdned in the tide
and like Goliath, they’ll be conquered."
-When the Ship Comes In
Standout Tracks:
1. The Times They are A-Changin'
2. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
3. When the Ship Comes In
92.8 [First added to this chart: 04/29/2020]
It's all there, unclad and unshrouded on the album's cover, as the singer appears adorned with stoic wisdom and unconventional elegance, born of unknown origin. The music to complement the artwork adopts the chillier sentiments of the portrait as opening track, 'Hunter', eschews the predominantly warm overtones contained on the preceding album, 1995's 'Post'. The track fizzes in as pulsating bass arrives to provide the track with infrastructure. Soon after, Björk's detached, aversive vocals greet the listener to elucidate a steadfast direction and an unswerving desire to take herself into a new era, both personally and creatively. There's a hint of the singer looking to her past and a self-reflective look at her musical image up until this point, which was staunchly pacifist and rife with angelic innocence. She recognizes, "I thought I could organize freedom, How Scandinavian of me!" A visage is forming of an artist who no longer pulls her punches and is ready to blaze her own path and new sonic identity with a track that is equal parts human and android. With all compromises forgone, Björk slips into the realm of soul exposé for subsequent track, 'Jóga'. From its genesis, the track is laid softly on a bed of strings which, along with the singer's fluttering voice, soars away from the confines of a darkened cavern and into the shimmering sun. She declares, "Emotional landscapes, They puzzle me, Confuse; Can the riddle get solved?; And you push me up to this state of emergency; How beautiful to be." The track is a dedication to her friend, Jóhanna Jóhannsdóttir, as its trip-hop production and string orchestration gives the song ample punch as well as dynamic contrast. It's the most potent composition on 'Homogenic' and, according to Björk herself, "the fiercest love song she has ever written". Swiftly, the bombastic heights of 'Jóga' recede into the soft cradle provided by third track, 'Unravel'. If 'Jóga' was a fearless declaration of admiration, 'Unravel' is a vulnerable, dithering examination of how admiration is lost across distances and how making love repairs the wounds. Björk coos, "While you are away, My heart comes undone, Slowly unravels in a ball of yarn." There's a dove-like idealism at work here, but the ever-present specter of inevitable failure betwixt the ominous tones of the organ and fairy tale sonic landscape is never absent. It's a realization which blisters into full-blown acrimony on the swaggering, peacocking fourth track, 'Bachelorette'. The track unfurls like a wartime processional, carving out a path on which Björk espouses her essence and decries the indifference of her lover, which reverberates with far more vigor than that of a veiled threat. She professes, "I'm a tree that grows hearts, one for each that you take; You're the intruder's hand, I'm the branch that you break". Flanked with a full orchestra at the ready, which plots footsteps in periodicity with hammer-struck chords, 'Bachelorette' is the songstress at her most agitated, dauntless and dangerous.
As the raging waters of 'Bachelorette' wane, fifth track 'All Neon Like' peers out from under its shelter at the remnants of its predecessors scorn. The piece uncoils with fragility as the sun escapes the blockage of the clouds and begins to softly warm the frozen landscape as the track's confidence builds as the ice sweats. It's another love song, but not one of frustration, as Björk offers comfort to her susceptible inamorato. Practically uniform in tempo, 'All Neon Like' remains patient as waterlogged percussion compliments incorporeal keys and the track effectively remedies, just as the singer promises. The second side of the LP invokes the trip-hop escalation of '5 Years', a more subdued echo of the sentiments of 'Bachelorette'. Once again, a refusal of commitment takes center stage as robotic, looping keys form the skeleton of the track as the skittering drum motif dances alongside of the singer's postulations. "I'm so bored with cowards that say they want; Then they can't handle," she affirms as the sublime, understated strings steer the track to its boundary. Seventh entry, 'Immature', is an introspective manifestation of Björk's exasperations. Despite being one of the record's least-interesting inroads from a sonic standpoint, its thematic importance is never in question within an LP which not only seeks to compartmentalize the world around her, but also rectify Björk's own instabilities. After a septuplet of chapters residing firmly on the sullen side of the emotional spectrum, the bouncy, utopian paradise that is 'Alarm Call' comes as a breath of fresh air. Partly a love letter to music and an unfettered celebration of life, the track portrays the youthful exuberance of an artist reborn, fortified by pain and more acutely aware of the subtle joys when juxtaposed with her hardships. 'Alarm Call' arrives with a tone that recalls distant wind chimes and is ferried out by a guttural scream of defiance. This emphasis on rejuvenation accelerates with vitality on 'Pluto', the LP's most outlandish statement. The properties of the track are remarkably propulsive, as heavy electronic influence galvanizes as Björk's poetry is content to remain forthright and unambiguous. "Excuse me but I just have to explode; Explode this body off me", she exclaims. Despite being arid in terms of accessibility, 'Pluto' remains one of the record's unspoken delights. Antithesis plays its final hand on the LP's final hour, 'All is Full of Love'. As the track carefully paddles through a thick fog into view, Björk's tender delivery embodies the sage wisdom of an ancient being ripe with divinity. The eponymous calls and responses are cocooned by a wall of sound reminiscent of a swarm of insects, but not any native to a place on earth as the harpsichord signals the existence of a cherub realm all its own. It's a dizzying, satisfying coda to a record wrought with pugnacity. The payoff is the personal baptism of its author as she shovels proverbial coal into a creative furnace which has fully and irrevocably liberated.
The Highlands of Iceland, home to the aforementioned volcanic desert, can only be traversed in the Summer, or put differently, when the weather permits. The stingy accommodations made by Mother Nature make it impossible for plant life to survive in the region , except for areas along the shoreline of glacial rivers. They're formed by the gradual melting of centuries-old chunks of ice, which finally manifest themselves as flowing, kinetic bodies of water which aid in the production of a scarce amount of flora. These glaciers have been Icelandic mainstays for thousands of years and their mass dwindles with each passing year as a result of the dramatic effects of global warming brought on by human industrialism. Björk's relationship with members of the human race has had its own share of traumatization. However, in her case, she didn't melt or wither in the barren, molten wasteland. Instead, she found the water.
Standout Tracks:
1. Jóga
2. Bachelorette
3. Unravel
92.7 [First added to this chart: 04/29/2020]
The LP begins with A Lot's Gonna Change, a track that starts with a series of fragile piano key strikes. The track quickly escalates with the introduction of Mering's stirring voice. Her voice washes over every inkling of the track like a soothing breeze, starkly opposite of bracing drumbeats. The track finishes amongst lush backing vocals that play off of Mering's sympathies, "Let me change my words, show me where it hurts." The track exemplifies the term "grand opening" and provides a blueprint for ambitious soundscapes to follow. Second track Andromeda, the first single off of the album, sports a western-tinge blended with psychedelia, embodying equal parts Dolly Parton and Iron Butterfly. If you haven't listened to the track, please take a moment to imagine that sonic cocktail in your mind. Mering laments, "Treat me right, I'm still a good man's daughter, let me in if I break, and be quiet if I shatter." The song paints a portrait of unrealistic expectation and subsequent emotional investment. Sixth track, Movies, stands as the album's artistic centerpiece. It's also the most pioneering cut from Weyes Blood so far, submerged in synthesizer arpeggios that are just as delectable as they are alien. The vocals lacerate the wall of electronics with ease as she announces, "I'm bound to that summer, big box office hit, making love to a counterfeit." The poetry points to an endless wave of typicality when it comes to romance and a distinct longing for a love-affair fit for the silver screen. The track ends with a cello barrage capping the whimsical, serene track supported by Mering's heavenly bellows. The penultimate, Picture Me Better, is a likely candidate for the most straight-forward cut of the lot. The instrumentation is heavily stripped back incorporating pacifying strings that play shyly behind Mering's vocals. Her hair-raising falsettos quickly supplant the strings and aid the notion that she could create transfixing serenades if rendered acapella. The song itself is a poignant memorial to a friend lost to suicide's destruction. "If I could have seen you just once more, tell you how much you are adored, there's no point anymore," she details. The track winds down into a final instrumental entitled Nearer to Thee, a reference to the final song played during the demise of the unsinkable ship.
Titanic Rising's artistic vision is crystalline and unalloyed. The thematic framework is a thunderous damnation of monotony and all things ordinary relating to modern life and romance. It's a testament to the artist's admiration of true love in its purest form. Furthermore, the album is a musical mission statement pleading the listener to refuse social conventionality. As emotional as the record is, it's also a vehemently liberating experience. Much of its power is drawn from the sun-dwarfing brightness of its vocal standard-bearer. These tracks are crafted around Natalie's Mering's voice as opposed to common music-making methodology. After all, a traditional approach would just be too run-of-the-mill for Weyes Blood. We can thank her ambition, emotional insight and angelic vocal register for her ever-growing collection of winsome work.
"Lost and tangled up in you,
Everyone knows you just did what you had to,
Burning much more than ever before,
Burning down the door,
It's a wild time to be alive."
-Wild Time
Standout Tracks:
1. A Lot's Gonna Change
2. Andromeda
3. Picture Me Better
92.5 [First added to this chart: 04/26/2020]
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums composition
Decade | Albums | % | |
---|---|---|---|
1930s | 0 | 0% | |
1940s | 0 | 0% | |
1950s | 3 | 3% | |
1960s | 16 | 16% | |
1970s | 12 | 12% | |
1980s | 7 | 7% | |
1990s | 20 | 20% | |
2000s | 20 | 20% | |
2010s | 20 | 20% | |
2020s | 2 | 2% |
Artist | Albums | % | |
---|---|---|---|
|
|||
フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans] | 10 | 10% | |
Radiohead | 7 | 7% | |
Bob Dylan | 5 | 5% | |
Swans | 5 | 5% | |
Vampire Weekend | 4 | 4% | |
Charles Mingus | 4 | 4% | |
Joanna Newsom | 3 | 3% | |
Show all |
Country | Albums | % | |
---|---|---|---|
|
|||
56 | 56% | ||
22 | 22% | ||
10 | 10% | ||
4 | 4% | ||
3 | 3% | ||
2 | 2% | ||
1 | 1% | ||
Show all |
Top 100 Greatest Music Albums chart changes
Biggest climbers |
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Up 5 from 34th to 29th Free For All by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers |
Biggest fallers |
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Down 1 from 29th to 30th Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood |
Down 1 from 30th to 31st Rain Dogs by Tom Waits |
Down 1 from 31st to 32nd Neon Bible by Arcade Fire |
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums ratings
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Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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06/23/2023 05:13 | Applerill | 974 | 75/100 | |
03/27/2023 17:55 | Johnnyo | 2,027 | 80/100 | |
03/27/2023 00:15 | Moondance | 455 | 85/100 | |
03/26/2023 12:00 | Tamthebam | 558 | 85/100 | |
09/17/2022 23:03 | Rm12398 | 99 | 89/100 |
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This chart is rated in the top 9% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.2/100, a mean average of 88.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 11.6.
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums comments
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Exceeding chart and a great read.
We are 2 generations apart, so no surprise that our musical tastes/album preferences are not going to align. Totally respect your selections and appreciate your commentary - this chart is a definite labour of love. BTW - our one common album ~ Dark Side Of The Moon. BTW2 - thank you for introducing me to Night Beds' Country Sleep album - a future inclusion in my 2013 year chart.
I guess youre a fan of radiohead.
Hard work on the descriptions good stuff.
@StreakyNuno: Your statement is demeaning to every individual who's ever experienced an inkling of an original thought...
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*shocked emoji* this is ridiculously great.
Like your taste
Saw your comments on Syro which intrigued me enough to wander over here and read a bit more. I’ve always rated charts that offer explanations for each choice. So far you have gone above and beyond, plus I tend to agree with your love for many of these albums (Smiths aside). Look forward to seeing the finished version!
Even with very many “stereotypical” choices, this is not that bad a list.
Although I have never heard their music, Acid Bath is a wonderful surprise, as is the Misfits. I heard of both bands in the middle 2000s from one writer on Amazon.com called “janitor-x”, whose musical taste I cannot relate to but whose virulent criticism of ‘Rolling Stone’ I have never doubted nor seen refuted.
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