My 100 Favorite CD’s

I know, I know. It’s self-indulgent of me to pedal my clearly subjective opinions unto the unique earbuds of others, but as the heroic Dr. King Schultz said after shooting the despicable Calvin Candie in the belly , “I simply could not resist.”

This list is perhaps more than anything else a “thank you” of sorts to music-sharing friends over the years, who have been largely responsible for the eclectic collection I’m able to call my own. The music is a lot of fun, but I will always value most the experiences and perspectives that helped shape my impressions. Without the people who inspire and illuminate, none of it really means nearly as much.

It’s no doubt true that the order may be mishmashed, and that out in Musicville somewhere there are other albums that would put my list to shame and expose me for the sham I really am. But sometimes it’s just the experience of hearing an album in a certain context, at a certain time, that makes it special to the listener. Such is the case with my list. I definitely have more familiarity in some genres than others, there are many missing genres (and possibly decades!), and there are surely bands you may agree belong here and some that don’t, and albums of the artists that may be better than the one I chose, but…I don’t claim to be “right” about any of my picks…they are just my mere biased opinion.

The first music I ever got into, though I’m ashamed to admit it, was the so-called “hair metal” of the late 1980’s, the post glam-rock years. My favorites were Cinderella, Winger, Whitesnake, and Guns n Roses, with only the latter managing to sneak out into respectability and be worthy of my  list (I did consider Cinderella’s “Long Cold Winter” and Whitesnake’s self-titled debut, though, I have to admit). I’ve had varying degrees of forays into so-called Math rock, Electronica, Sleep Rock, and Punk/Hardcore that form a bit of my bias. I obviously have a deficiency of knowledge in the Soul/Funk and Jazz genres, which is unfortunate because I’ve since discovered some really great tunes from those in recent years. Same deal with Soft Rock, which I never really cared much for until a few years ago. Of course I do love the Cars. I do also love some Huey Lewis, Boston, and Dire Straits, though, but the radio has tried to play the life out of them (with some success).

So without further ado, I present to you my “88 Favorite Albums,” which is I hope if nothing else at least interesting in its genre-hopping tendencies.  At best, I will introduce some hungry soul to an album they had never before considered or heard of, and my take will resonate with their own. I hope you, fellow musical enthusiast, will enjoy the read—and nod your head as often as you scratch it.

100. Internal Wrangler- Clinic (2000, Domino Recording)- Sporting surgical masks well before Covid was a thing, these guys were ahead of their time! The music isn’t bad either—in fact, it’s very dynamic and melodic stuff, featuring the unique voice of Ade Blackburn and flared up by distinctive use of clarinet blasts by partner Jonathan Hartley for an effect not unlike the electric viola used by The Velvet Underground. Patch in some odd psychedelic influences, low-fi granularity, and sweet crooning and you have one Hell of an interesting album. Clinic also has some of the coolest press photos I’ve seen—the gimmick is a good one. True, it’s a little lighter on the bass end and subtle than my typical taste palette, but cooldown tracks “Earth Angel,” “Distortions,” and “Goodnight Georgie” are real keepers.

99. Reign of Terror- Sleigh Bells (2012, Mom+Pop)- Embodying well the anxious and geared up modern times, “Reign of Terror” assaults with its high-octane electric guitar and sylphic vocal contrast, effecting much hype, excitement, and familiarity then disappearing like cotton candy before being fully savored. The standout vocals sound a bit like a methed-up Enya, looping you on an exhiliarating yet disastrous dream rollercoaster--it’s lovely and vacuous at the same time. Something is missing here, perhaps a sturdy framework of bass and drums, but without the hollow center you wouldn’t get the same blissful starkness. The CD starts and ends strongly, the last four tracks being my favorite sequence, but my overall favorite tracks are “End of the Line,” “You Lost Me,” and “D.O.A.”

98. Days in The Wake- The Palace Brothers (1994, Drag City)- Clocking in at just twenty-seven minutes, this album is a valuable balm for the delicate soul, and features a rare brand of intimacy that few have attained with the same level of integrity. Singer Will Oldham had a good (and “palatial”) run from 94-97, including the great Viva Last Blues in 95, but DITW sticks with me as the most moving of his oeuvre. Standout tracks “I Send My Love to You,” “I Am A Cinematographer,” and “Pushkin” have stuck with me throughout the years, but all tracks are understated and subtle gems of beautiful minimalism. Oldham’s quavering voice contains an unequivocal rawness that sucks you in and manifests a trove of highly literate and detailed stories. The quiet light of the singular acoustic guitar flickers like a wax-dripping candle in a shadowed barn tracing you through a corridor of safe passage. Not for everyone but a must-listen for all proper worshippers at the church of Indie rock.

97. To Bring You My Love- PJ Harvey (1995 Universal-Island Records)- Admittedly I didn’t get much into PJ Harvey in the 90’s, but I do remember hearing my sister playing this album from her bedroom and it getting my attention—most notably when hearing the rousing album closer “The Dancer,” which made me realize this was no album to be ignored. TBYML is virtually the definition of badass—raw, honest, and against the odds, Harvey emerges one of the powerful voices of the era. Even though it wasn’t in my aesthetic wheelhouse at the time, I had to respect this woman’s musical prowess and ability to channel her maverick voice into something truly moving. “Down By the Water” is the best-known track from the album, other than possibly the title track, but I prefer the sexy “Working for the Man,” the aching “C’mon Billy,” and the urgent “Send His Love to Me.”

96. The Magnolia Electric Company- Songs: Ohia (2003, Secretly Canadian)- Very enjoyable while musically straightforward, sometimes seeming to channel Neil Young, this pleasing album builds slowly and attains a unique beauty in its latter half, becoming more eclectic with each progressing track until finally culminating in the awesome “Peoria Lunch Box Blues,” “John Henry Split My Heart,” and “Hold on Magnolia”—a nice trifecta to end an album at its zenith. Tracks “Almost Was Good Enough” and “Farewell Transmission” are also key contributors to the album’s energy, complete with an irrestible hookiness and rare vulnerability. Singer and songwriter Jason “Captain Badass” Molina sadly died at the age of only 39, but he left some great work in his wake, and “Magnolia Electric Co.” is the most consistently rewarding of the catalog.

95. Dear You- Jawbreaker (1995, DGC Records)- Spurning the frat boy underwear party, towel ass-slapping, female-marginalizing of pop punk goofballs comes Jawbreaker, creating their own trenchant version of adolescence quintessence that sounds just as good—even better perhaps—than the brightest burners of the punk world. Singer Blake S. and Co. create a sense of exigence and angst with their engrossing and involving tunes on “Dear You” --crushing riffs and six-string punishment with a sensitive side. And those lyrics—those lyrics—so clearly discernible and relatable, telling stories of nascent desires, social woes, and contradictions from a human level, without airbrushing. Favorites are “Jet Black,” “Fireman,” and “I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both.”

94. Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You- Wakey!Wakey! (2010, Family Records)- One of my favorite sing-along, belt it out in the car, go ahead and let people stare at you at the intersection albums. If I need a pick-me-up, “Almost Everything…” is totally lovable and ridiculously catchy, rendered with a whole lot of feeling. Songs like “Twenty-Two,” “Square Peg Round Hole,” and “Feral Love” seem reminiscent of the Beatles’ “White Album” at its uppity best, with that classy, academic feel that pipes always eventually succumb to. Somewhat uniquely, the album’s “bonus track” “Take it Like a Man” is an all-out, ridiculously zany and fun violining onslaught—and possibly the album’s high point. “Almost Everything…” is a compositional triumph that opens up the lungs and heart.

93. The Art of Rebellion- Suicidal Tendencies (1992, Sony Music)- The Suicidal Tendencies endure as one of the most searching and thought-provoking thrash bands of the 80’s, and “The Art of Rebellion” is their best-sounding and most accessible album. Characterized by singer Mike Muir’s internal wrestling match lyrics and trademark vocal stylings, we get a band bold enough to express real fears—true punk mavericks giving voice to the repressed and marginalized corners of the mind. “Monopoly on Sorrow,” “Can’t Stop,” and “Which Way to Free” should get in your head and clear out more than a few cobwebs.

92. Rivers Arms- Balmorhea (2012, Western Vinyl)- Possibly the saddest album I've ever heard, it's even more remarkable that it is entirely instrumental. This is the epitome of music that doesn't need English to explain itself. Balmorhea were one of the key artists of my musical oeuvre that helped get me through my first midlife crisis, Covid, and my tastes aging out of music I would have enjoyed at a younger age. Merging beautiful piano, guitar, violins, and other sundry players into unique orchestral wonders, Rivers Arms is masterful at creating mood and communication through melody and texture. "The Winter" is sacred bleakness, a song to reserve only for hurt occasions--the one that transports this album to the next level. However, stalwarts like "Windansea," "Lament," and "Greyish Tapering Ash" are key arteries to this album's beating heart. 

91. Ascension- Jesu (2011, Caldo Verde)- The king of monochromatic sludge, JK Broadrick, turns to his Jekyll side for Jesu, his post-Godflesh shoegaze project, and delivers his most accessible CD to date while retaining the Stentorian and ponderous repeti-riffing of his finest heavier work. It’s far from radio-friendly, but the disciplined and uncompromising approach is rewarding over time, ploddingly drowning out Broadrick’s vocals and finding even an occasional colorful pitch via the blistering synthesizer drone. “Birth Day” sets the mood, lifting us high into the aether; “December,” in which Broadrick’s vocals are slightly less drowned and resonate through with a schoolboy’s innocence, is possibly my favorite track, if not “Small Wonder,” which is equally mesmerizing;  “King of Kings” is lyrically repetitive but has their signature quality of transitioning just as you have that thought.

90. Dummy- Portishead (1994, Go! Discs Ltd)- Two of my friends agree that this electronica-pop masterpiece is possibly the sexiest album they know--superior to even Barry White for candlelight trysts and bearskin rug love making. Dummy was one of the first albums of its ilk to hit the mainstream, and listening to it now it’s clear it was way ahead of its time and (for me anyway) too good to even absorb in the course of a few listens. I always loved the opener “Mysterons” and the opening of “Sour Times,” then I’d skip over to “Wandering Star” and “Biscuit” for more musical ecstasty, but upon future listens it became evident that the whole album is insanely crafty ear candy.  

89. Disco Volante- Mr. Bungle (1995, Warner Bros.)- Wild, zany, over-the-top, and seemingly random as fuck, Mr. Bungle’s finest absurdist foray is crazily catchy and oddly enrapturing. A study in ADHD with all of its hintings and withdrawals, “Disco” seems to capture full-blown testosterone in very pleasing (and potentially annoying) spastic snapshots. “Desert Search for Techno Allah,” “Violenza Domestica,” and “Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz” first versed me in the language of the Bungle. When speaking of the “fear factor” of his two projects at the time, Mike Patton once said that while Faith No More may make you scream, Mr. Bungle will make you fall down the stairs. I would have to say he was correct.

88. 69 Love Songs- Magnetic Fields (1999, Merge Records)- Just writing this many songs on the topic and putting them into one release should warrant a “top 100” billing in itself. However, it helps that these short but sweet ditties, the majority carried by Stephin Merritt’s highly unique and exhausted-sounding baritone, are rife with mordant humor, irony, seasickness, multiple guest vocalists, and so many more paeans to most people’s second favorite four-letter word. Helmsman Merritt most commonly trades off vocal duties with counterpart Claudia Gonson, who with similar ennui yet no-nonsense delivery serves as Merrit’s perfect foil. I’m actually partial to the third disc of the three disc set, but of the 69 songs there are very few throwaways (I really do hate “Love is Like Jazz,” however)—quite impressive. “Love in the Shadows,” “Underwear,” The Book of Love,” and “Love is Like a Bottle of Gin” are just a few of my favorites.

87. Meantime- Helmet (1992, UMG Recordings)- Guitar solos are inefficient—who needs ‘em? This seemed to be the mindset behind “Meantime,” which turned out to be in fact, not wasted time, but ahead of its time in its stolid efficiency, musical monochromania, and dry-eyed delivery of the goods. Straighten your back, clench your fists, and grit your teeth for this staccato ride. “Turned Out,” “Ironhead,” and “In the Meantime” are unrelenting piledrivers, rendering you speechless, cornered, and pinioned. “Better” and “You Borrowed” solidify the CD’s second half like a giant pummeling fist to your noggin, exposing you as the pusillanimous jackanape you really are.

86. High Violet- The National (2010, 4AD)- You didn’t really think I was going to make a list of would-be pretentious superstars and not include the National, did you? My only thing with this band is that sometimes they don’t quite affect as deeply as it seems they should or portend to, but for me, HV hits the heart mark most frequently—though Alligator and Boxer, released five and three years earlier respectively, are also great albums. Matt Berninger plays the part of the drunken, sad professor so abundantly well that you know he was cut out to do just this. The lyrics are always set to cut to the quick, the accompaniment is thoughtful, and the whole seastorm generally works well. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” is a legit National classic and one of my favorite tracks of theirs; “Conversation 16” and “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” also hit the mark with true aim. “Runaway” and “Sorrow” are good tracks that seem to promise to be even better than they end up…but doesn’t that embody the bourgeoise of the times anyway?

85. Dear Science- TV On the Radio (2008, Touch and Go Records)- Harbingers of the digital-rock era, TVOTR hit the mark on “Dear Science,” an exhilirating musical exploration that sifts through the rubble of 20^th Century artistic and politicial tropes. These guys seem to really effect the cutting edge of all that is cool and je ne sais quois of Musicville. Complete with poetic lyricism, top-notch production, and the one-of-a-kind harmonizing of Tunde Adebimpe and the extraordinarily high-pitched beard wizard Kyp Malone, “Dear Science” doesn’t even need a P.S. (although it does in fact contain a few bonus tracks). Check out “Stork and Owl,” “Family Tree,” and the housewrecker, “Lover’s Day,” with its chill-inducing and glorious saxophone party to end the album on the highest of notes.

84. Psalm 69- Ministry (1992, Sire Records)- In which the Messiahs of irreverent industrial metal come through thick and heavy with jarring and satisfying beats and, of course, the inscrutably dark persona of frontman A Jourgensen, a kind of pre-Rob Zombie menacing horror show, equal parts junkshooter and articulate hillbilly. Thinking the purpose of music was to blow my proverbial socks off, I immediately took to “Psalm 69”’s ludicrous speed beats, super heavy riffs, and swordblade vocals. Dive deep into “Scarecrow,” “N.W.O.,” and “Just One Fix,” and expect to burst into flames the next time you sit on a church pew.

83. Stop Making Sense- Talking Heads (1984, Sire Records)- It’s all right to be weird, David Byrne assures us. He was nowhere to be seen when I was trying to navigate 8^th grade, but it’s all good—one could always blast their favorite album after school. Not that I was in 8^th grade yet when Stop Making Sense came out, but I’d learned to stop making sense on my own so I didn’t even need to listen to them anyway. Just kidding—after all, it’s the tunes that jingle, and the funk that’s funky. “Wild Life” was the first single of theirs I heard, and I dug it rather a lot. As for SMS though, I don’t even think this is a studio album, but I really love it anyway. Top 3 Talking Heads songs? Hmm…, that’s tough. I’m gonna go “Burning Down The House,” “Once in a Lifetime,” and “Psycho Killer.” Sorry Joy, as “Life During Wartime” I believe is her favorite.

82. Blood Mountain- Mastodon (2006, Reprise Records)- Insatiably juicy stuff from one of my most admired metal bands. Taking on prodigious themes, spouting out dynamic riffs like baleen blasts, kiltering like the mizzenmast of the Pequod, “Blood Mountain” looms large, blowing well-used metal tropes out of the water and transcending the genre to the top of their own blasted summit. “Capillarian Crest,” “Hand of Stone,” and “Colony of Birchmen” are truly sick numbers…bow down accordingly to your new daddies.

81. Merriweather Post Pavillion- Animal Collective (2009, Domino Recording)- Satisfying, dance-friendly freneticism from one of the most exciting and catchy innovators of the synth era. “MPP” delivers  a plethora of rich and melodic loops, seeming to embody the feel of college party music. This is indeed the Beach Boys on ecstasy. Highlights are “Also Frightened,” “Lion in a Coma,” and the grand finale, “Brother Sport,” which brings a satisfyingly colorful quagmire of an album to its rousing pinnacle.

80. Arise- Sepultura (1991, Roadrunner)- When I was a young teenager, my friend down the street played me a live video version of “Desperate Cry,” which caused our collective jaws to drop, as it was about the heaviest thing we’d ever yet heard. Such is the case with “Arise,” the most solid and well-produced album from Brazil’s own maestros of molten metal. With a distinctive sound nary attained before or since, with some of the most virtuoso thrash ever played, and with one of the best drumming performances ever cut, “Arise” is one of the most satisfyingly Stentorian CDs I’ve ever had my ears melted to. I’ve since heard Sepultura’s debut classic, Beneath the Ruins, and admit it’s hard to top, and an even more ambitious effort, but Arise gets straight to the point more so with slightly better production and absolutely no filler. Tracks such as “Dead Embryonic Cells,” “Meaningless Movements,” and the aforementioned “Desperate Cry” help justify this album’s high status in the canons of metal.

79. San Francisco- American Music Club (1994, Reprise Records)- I remember buying this album after a clerk at the old “Encore Books and Music” remarked that it was his favorite album of the year. I proceeded to become a Mark Eitzel fan thereafter, loving his inebriating meditations and lulling, drawn-out notes. “San Francisco” highlights his expressive vocals without devolving too far into self-indulgence, and is bolstered by the Club’s strong musical chops, impressive diversity of instrument choices, and mood-setting nuance. The slower tracks outdo the sometimes mediocre rockers, but throughout the album you definitely feel like you’re in capable hands. “Can You Help Me” and “Wish the World Away” are the rock standouts; “In the Shadow of the Valley,” “Cape Canaveral,” and “The Revolving Door.”

78. Watermark- Enya- (1988, Warner Bros.)- Entirely unique and genre-defining when it came out in 1988, Watermark is the quintessential New Age album of the era, a consistently beautiful work by the remarkable one-named Celtic chanteuse. “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” was the hugely popular and influential hit with its undulating vocalist-as-instrumentalist richly melodic movement. “Exile,” wonderfully featured in the Steve Martin 1989 movie “L.A. Story,” is slower and sparser, more intimate, and features an astounding flute solo—my favorite track on the album. “Cursum Perficio” impacts with its exigent feel, “On Your Shore” is reminiscent of “Exile” but also distinctly beautiful, and “Storms in Africa” is rousing and energetic.

77. Pork Soda- Primus (1993, Interscope Records)- I remember listening to this album as a testosterone-laden teenager, driving around wildly trying to enlist any onlookers into my self-proclaimed hamburger train of spastic sound. No other band seems to noodle out such magically colorful weirdness, taking you through a super goofy maelstrom of delicious musical confections. Truly, this is grandiose fun. Fellow swines know to take large sips of “Welcome to This World,” “DMV,” and “The Air is Getting Slippery.”

76. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots- The Flaming Lips (2002, Warner Bros.)- The first song I ever heard by The Flaming Lips was “She Don’t Use Jelly,” which nearly convinced me I would never listen to The Flaming Lips again. However, hearing “Yoshimi” opened up a whole new portal of sonic possibility and allowed me to first realize the magic of singer Wayne Coyne and Co. and experience this unique, mind-expanding fusion of rock and techno trippiness that remains sweet and evocative. The trilling bass of “It’s Summertime,” ethereal vocal of “In the Morning of the Magicians,” and the piece de resistance “Do You Realize?” stand as some of the coolest (and saddest) songs of the era.

75. Gentlemen- The Afghan Whigs (1993, Elektra Entertainment)- An album of surprisingly sweeping scope really set apart by deft guitar work and unflinching lyrical machismo, “Gentlemen” is a conceptual winner, reprising themes of cruel love, unfair and self-serving romantic reachings, and botched-yet-blissful flights of fancy. You get the feeling the Whigs left it all out there on this one, as if you can almost hear singer Greg Dulli just over his tipsy point by the album’s penultimate track. “When We Two Parted,” “My Curse,” and the title track are gems; add on “Now You Know” and “What Jail is Like” and you get a great yet unsettling rock album.

74. InSides- Orbital (2000, Warner Records)- One of the most highly regarded electronic acts of the 1990’s, Orbital deliver a 6-8 song masterpiece with “InSides,” my favorite album of the electronica genre. Blooming with alacrity and a unique poignancy, Orbital creates expansive soundscapes that open up oft-untapped portals of the ear and mind. It’s musical wizardry that really tests the boundaries of how much electronic and voiceless instrumentation can emotionally affect a listener. As it turns out, quite a bit. While each track contains ear candy aplenty, standouts for me are “PETROL,” “The Box,” and particularly “DwRBwdr,” which is pure sonic bliss.

73. A Ghost is Born- Wilco (2004, Nonesuch Records)- I didn’t have much familiarity with Wilco’s music prior to this album, but I quickly learned to admire their stellar songcraft, insightful lyrics, and willingness to just jam the hell out for 9 minutes or so, as they do rather unexpectedly on this album right out of the gate, lifting up the otherwise nondescript “At Least That’s What You Said” to being a very strong first track. Ambitious and atmospheric, “A Ghost is Born” hardly needs my approval—it did win the Best Alternative Album of 2004 Grammy—but while all the songs are all very very good, “Hummingbird,” “Muzzle of Bees,” and “I’m a Wheel” seem particularly inspired, memorable, and fun, dripping with nectar and nostalgia.

72. The Joshua Tree- U2 (1987, Island Records)- I’m hard-pressed to find any other album whose first five songs are all as classic and iconic as those of The Joshua Tree. Even after that, the other six are all excellent, completing what may well be the most rock-solid album of the 1980’s. With U2’s immense popularity and slough of overplayed musical videos, though, it’s tough to ascertain this album through the same filter as a less heralded one. That said, who doesn’t agree that “With or Without You” is one of the most poignant singles of the era, or that “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” is a song that embodied the times? Quite like that of the other juggernaut band U2 is often compared to—REM--this is thoughtful music for smart and serious people. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

71. Magic Potion- The Black Keys (2006, Nonesuch Records)- The Black Keys attain a superb level of vintage ethos with “Magic Potion,” a swaggering effort from a mere duo that creates a rare electric experience. Cool, nuanced, and smooth with a surprising fullness of sound (sorry bass players),” Potion captivates with its unique energy and deft musicianship. The Keys seem to tap into their full sonic capacity here, setting tones well for the soulful and raspy athlete Auerbach, painstakingly pedestaled by the cerebral Carney. Turn the knob way up for “Goodbye Babylon,” “Modern Times,” and “Just Got to Be,” and revel in the feedback and fuzz.

70. 13 Songs- Fugazi (1989, Dischord)- One of the most hyped, loved, and inscrutable all-time indie punk bands, Fugazi walk the walk on “13 Songs,” which has over time become a collection of punk rock classics looming large over their legendary shadows. It’s tenacious and abrasive stuff, lyrically flashing nuggets of integrity and insight, then seeming cryptic and inaccessible at the same turn. A few of the tracks are laggers, but juggernauts such as “Margin Walker,” “Burning Too,” and “Provisional” more than pick up the slack. Add on once-underground anthems “Waiting Room” and its sister “Bad Mouth,” and this is not only good enough to be on a major record label, but worthy of being the (anti) authoritative voice of an off-kilter generation.  

69. Automatic for the People - R.E.M (1992, Warner Bros.)- Minus the bells and whistles, “Automatic for the People” contains some of REM’s better efforts at musing poetic and romantic while retaining their signature gravitas. With consistently impressive instrumentation and composition, synthesized by Michael Stipe’s seafaring and time wrinkled vocals, its solid throughout. Understated at times, its monochrome and austere qualities make its embrace seem fuller and more authentic. My personal faves are “Try Not to Breathe,” “Sweetness Follows,” and “Star Me Kitten.”

68. Purple- Stone Temple Pilots (1994, Atlantic Records)- STP exude coolness and swagger on “Purple,” one of the superior hard rock albums of the mid-90’s. It’s the right combination of heaviness and trippiness, complete with exemplary guitar solos, hammering drums, and of course the stony rasp of Mr. Lady’s Man himself, Scot Weiland. “Interstate Love Song,” “Kitchenware and Candybars,” and “Meatplow” highlight his vocal talents, vanquishing with ease all subsequent karaoke imitators. “Still Remains and “Vasoline” are also great and memorable tracks.

67. Last Splash- The Breeders (1993, 4AD)- Creative and offbeat to the core, “Last Splash” is one of the more awesomely weird alternative CDs of its time—it’s sort of like a midday hungover and lovesick surfboard ride through a sun-blistered parallel Universe. But the weirdness is very welcome; indeed, even the strangest tracks emit a kind of warm fuzzy ear massage. Clearly Kim Deal (who I actually met in person one time—ask me to tell you the story!) learned a thing or two from being in the Pixies, and with sister Kelly and compadres in tow, proffers a myriad of musical gifts. “Invisible Man,” “No Aloha,” and “Mad Lucas” will leave a foamy trail on your beach.

66. The Blue Album- Weezer (1994, Geffen Records)- What can I say about this one, other than that it’s a sonic “Big O?” One triumphant tune after another, “The Blue Album” continuously delivers hugely catchy soundwaves, capturing a 50’s-infuenced nostalgia and rising action with rock-powerful genius. With this album, Weezer helped define a super clean, tight, and malted milkshake-thick sound that few, if any, have ever attained to the same level of excellence and influence. Truly, this is the kind of shit you blow the roof off of the birthday garage party with. My favorites are “The World Has Turned And Left Me Here,” “Only In Dreams,” and of course, everyone’s favorite Kiss encomium, “In the Garage.”  

65. Dark Side of the Moon- Pink Floyd (1973, EMI Records)- Rock electronic fusion from way before it was the standard, hearing any Pink Floyd song on the radio always seems to command my attention. “Dark Side” is their masterpiece, better than even “The Wall” possibly because there is less interlude and filler, and better than most anything else because of its ability to test the limits of the psycho-emotional affect music can have on a listener. This is the quintessential theme album that truly comes full circle, exploring universals, time texture, and philosophical musings. It seems every time I hear David Gilmour’s voice, it’s time to take pause, tune out the world, and surrender to a luxurious synthesizer bath. Standout faves are “Time,” “Us and Them,” and “Brain Damage.”

64. Vulgar Display of Power- Pantera (1992, Atlantic Recording)- Pantera hadn’t quite mastered the art of tuning the guitar, nor had they perhaps expected Phillip Anselmo’s late-in-life voice change (following his nutless soprano on their previous album “Cowboys From Hell”), but they did master one skill, and one skill alone, which is very evident on “Vulgar Display”: kicking the fuck out of eardrums and becoming Gods of all sweat-soaked high school weight rooms forevermore. Truly, Pantera prove to have the biggest balls of them all with this album—a roughneck, adrenaline-soaked, muscle-flexed, fuck you to any creature asinine enough to stand in the way of this sheer metal pummeling. The unbelievably killer riffs tell the tale; these fuckers lived by the sword. “Regular People,” “Fucking Hostile,” and “This Love” are wonderful roundhouses to the face.

63. Brain Drain- The Ramones (1989, Sire Records)- I first heard of The Ramones in ’89, noting their quotation (“hey ho, let’s go”) in the Stephen King book Pet Sematary. It was the book title song that I saw performed on MTV in the same year, that first turned me on to them—they looked truly dark and brooding, stuck in some sort of CBGB-induced time warp. I picked up “Brain Drain” and soon became entranced by its dark and sardonic fuck-all ennui; these dudes seemed to be above the fray. It was only the second CD I ever purchased, the first punk album I ever listened to in its entirety, and remains my favorite Ramones album to this day. Every December 25^th, it was time to blast “Merry Christmas, I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight,” much to the annoyance of my sister in her adjacent room. Beloved tracks “I Believe in Miracles,” “Don’t Bust My Chops,” and “Can’t Get You Outta My Mind” have a unique and mature simplicity that seems to give a perfectly composed middle finger to the striving and technicolor plasticity of the status quo.

62. By the Way- Red Hot Chili Peppers (2002, Warner Bros.)- I like all RHCP albums a lot (excepting maybe “One Hot Minute”), but “By the Way” for me is their great coming of age (middle age, that is) album; a mature, sometimes sad and wistful, other times infectiously energetic, but always musically captivating effort that helped solidify their status as one of the greatly productive and distinctive bands of their time. Once again re-united with John Frusciante, they become a 4-member force of nature, reinforcing a funkspicy core while proffering the sweetest of fruit  in the same token. I tend to go back to “Universally Speaking,” “I Could Die For You,” “The Zephyr Song,” and “Cabron” the most, but this shit is wonderfully all over the place…shake booties accordingly.

61. Doolittle- Pixies (1989, 4AD Ltd.)- But who doesn’t want to be a debaser? With tracks like “Wave of Mutilation,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” and “Hey,” there is little doubt that Doolittle is a gosh danged classic. The Pixies were the original fusion chefs of music, deriving their confection of sounds from the sweet, the savory, and the saccharine. I live for the evanescent moments of connection and weightless beauty in these songs, their unfaltering belief in dreams and magic. Just like some weird ditties, dude, and Doolittle’s got it all.

60. Viva La Vida- Coldplay (2000, Parlophone Records)- Adding instrumental layers helps Coldplay effectively attain a dreamy and elevated feel on “Viva La Vida,” which plays rather well as a celebration of life’s nascent experiences, relationships, and the power of artistic expression. ‘Twas a great comeback album for Coldplay, a doppler-effecting departure from their prior intimate best work, a highly pleasing and symphonic arrangement of sound, their first true triumph in transmission from the aether. Melodic and colorful, evocative and nostalgic, “Viva” soundly brought Coldplay back into deserved prominence. My favorite tracks are “Cemeteries of London,” “Lost!”, and the stellar title track.

59. Be the Void- Dr. Dog (2012, Anti Inc.)- Entering the scene as an unassuming and self-deprecating ragtag pack of slackers, Dr. Dog begrudgingly get it done on “Be the Void,” a rather catchy and enduring kindling of tunes. Although with some similarities of sound, the tracks are very distinguishable upon closer listen, containing an earthy quality that elicits much boot-stomping and celebration…straw hats, anyone? “Be the Void” is a welcome spitshine antidote to the overly digitized and caressingly polished production of the era—it’s folksy and fun, one excellent track after another. Sing along with glee to “That Old Black Hole,” “Heavy Light,” and “How Long Must I Wait”—no shoes required. Except if you’re at Sheetz, of course, where whoever arranges the elevator music sure has a strange propensity for playing tracks off this album.

58. Out of Time- R.E.M. (1991, Warner Bros.)- It always seemed to me like R.E.M. were saying something very intelligent and profound--but what that was, I couldn’t exactly say. Carrying the collective Zeitgeist on one’s shoulders would be a hefty task indeed, so credit R.E.M. with the broadest shoulders of them all (even though I doubt Michael Stipe could bench much more than 150). Musically, they are one of the most unselfish acts I know of, as every note seems to be a contribution to the greater good rather than an individualistic foray. Along with other socially conscious acts like U2, they put out some of the greatest popular music of the 80’s and 90’s, and Out of Time is, dare I say, the timeless classic of the set. Everyone knows “Losing My Religion” is a great piece of musical art, but OOT also contains gems like “Low,” “Country Feedback,” and “Belong,” all of which are stylistically dissimilar and keystones of high quality songcraft. The much-maligned “Shiny Happy People” threatens to damper this otherwise unsullied work, but I never really minded it that much, and a Kate Pierson vocal is always welcome in my world.

57. Dirty- Sonic Youth (1992, Geffen Records)- All-time artisans of axe, feedback, and fuzz, Sonic Youth go all-out on “Dirty,” a 15-song, hour long cortex vortex that will spin you more than a midnight martini. Before hearing this CD, I had no clue a guitar could make such sounds, such far-reaching golden lasso winners of the seminal indie rock pissing contest. Particularly when the tracks go on rumbling journeys of dissonance, such as in “Theresa’s Sound World,” “On the Strip,” and “Shoot,” they are most transporting, sending you racing and reeling and then recovering, steady breath returning. At times grating and abrasive, “Dirty” really took some time to grow on me. But for the sheer artistic uniqueness and thrill-ability, it remains one of the most influential CDs of its time.

56. Dirt- Alice in Chains (1992, Sony Music)- The dark lords of grunge helped define the genre with “Dirt,” attaining a truly eerie and angry edge that effects sort of like a deconstructed heavy metal meets a strung-out Nirvana. It’s dank and dingy stuff, with lyrical venom and vicious strains of riffing seldom found anymore—it’s more invested, more risk-taking, than most modern recordings. Jerry Cantrell’s highly distorted and drawn-out guitars merge with Layne Staley’s oft-flanging vocals like arterial tributaries of sonic ebb and flow. Find a dark corner and immerse yourself in the soaking ambience of “Rain When I Die,” “Down In A Hole,” and the standout title track.

55. Come on Die Young- Mogwai (1999, Chemikal Underground)- These gurus of post-rock have an uncanny ability to write evocative and moving tunes, and many of them at that, but CODY is my favorite (although Young Team, Rock Action, and Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will are all amazing) from tip to tail. Opener “Punk Rock” is a bit of a head-scratcher--nice dripping guitar riff voiced but the voice over by an obnoxious and self-righteous punk neanderthal is slightly alienating. However, it’s pure silverveined genius after that, taking a listener on a sonic journey that seems to transcend every day banalities and offer lucky listeners a seat on the astral plane. It’s time to close your eyes and let the music whisk you off to a distant land of your imagining. The pairing of “Helps Both Ways” with “Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia” takes things to the next level, offering a seamless transition from one lilting song to the next and pulling you into the aether all the while--“Cody” is a signature Mogwai track in its ambient glory and slow, glistening grandeur; “May Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door” is another soft stroke of genius; and “Christmas Steps” seals the deal, at first seeming to play to suit with its slow, thoughtful opening, but then growing fierce and staccato, unrelenting and fierce, tapping into your tightening chest and calling out the warrior beat of the heart.

54. The Bends- Radiohead (1995, XL Recordings Ltd.)- On their second and final “rock album,” Radiohead were already starting to grow their electronic gills, as evinced by their clean production and insatiable hooks. “The Bends” is highly addictive and unshakable, with a brilliant Thom Yorke vocal performance that keeps the enjoyment level in the clouds. The excellent title track defines the gimmick and is reprised catchily in “Just” and “Black Star.” Yorke’s vocals work hard and succeed in lifting up “Sulk;” “High and Dry” is nearly as good as advertised; “My Iron Lung” is a fresh breath and sucks in with its lovable cheesy and pitchshifting dominant riff; “(nicedream)” is a fine soundtrack to simply that. But “Bones” is the centerpiece, a completely rousing and inspired electric maelstrom that never seems to play out.

53. End of Amnesia- M. Ward (2001, M. Ward Records)- Somehow M.Ward manages to find the aching beauty that most other ambling and wayward folk pilgrimagers never manage to on his best effort, “End of Amnesia.” It’s an amazing six-string and vocal accomplishment that hits its stride early and rarely glances back over its shoulder. The songs have an uncanny way of merging and overlapping, continuing the album’s story while alluding to each other, as if to challenge the associative nature of memory itself. While the majority of the tracks are special, standouts for me are “Psalm,” “Color of Water,” and the tandem of “Silverline” and “Flaming Heart,” standout examples of songs becoming immersed in versions of themselves while breathing life into a finely articulated musical landscape.

52. Nothing’s Shocking- Jane’s Addiction (1988, Warner Records)- Here’s proof that a group of non-jock, artsy skinny boys can deliver a powerful and enduring rock album, creative sensibilities intact. The ever-flamboyant Perry Farrell waves his wand deftly on “Nothing’s Shocking,” emerging this time as more magician sage than insidious harlequin. It’s danceable rock, boasting explosive guitar solos, infectious rhythms, and satisfying vocal madness. A few of “Shocking’s” epic tracks, particularly “Jane Says” and “Mountain Song,” have attained an iconic alternative rock status, and it’s hard to deny their unique appeal. But “Ocean Size,” “Summertime Rolls,” and “Up the Beach” set it all in motion, epitomizing the mood and feel that helps this CD attain its true distinction.

51. Seasons in the Abyss- Slayer (1990, American Recordings)- This unrelenting, pulverizing onslaught of an album is suffocatingly exhilarating, ripping your anvils from your ears piece by bloody piece and leaving you aghast and prone, seizing and sieging to its majestically gore-spewing entrails of sound. As imaginative as it is disturbing, “Seasons” makes no bones about it; this is balls-out, sword-wielding, armor-clad metal at its most belligerent. Araya and co. want nothing more than to eviscerate the sonic atmosphere at maximum velocity and amplitude, leaving unrelenting observers reeling obliviously into obscurity, shuddering and shivering into dissolving dust. Reign In Blood is generally the most celebrated Slayer album, which is fair, but SITA is a more lyrically mature, focused and better-produced effort. “Spirit in Black,” “Born of Fire,” and “Hallowed Point” are standout tracks, not to mention the epic title track--all of them assuring the descent into darkness is iron-clad. 

50. Is This It- The Strokes (2001, The Strokes)- The Strokes were legendary in Retro-rockers in their day, always grooving strong from their unique time warp, helmed by the iron-lunged vocals of Julian Casablancas and the ear candy riffing of the modern Slash-like Albert Hammond, Jr. and ladies’ choice Nick Valenti. Add on the somewhat John Paul Jones-esque bassist Nikolai Fraiture and a drummer “Fab” enough to land Drew Barrymore and Kristin Wiig as girlfriends, and you have The Strokes. “Is This It,” their debut, kicks off their 5-album contract legacy, enduring as the most satisfying of the catalog, combining 50’s era nostalgia with digital precision. “Someday,” “When It Started,” and “Take It or Leave It” are the stars of an album that shines brightly throughout.

49. Lateralus- Tool (2001, Tool Dissectional/Volcano Entertainment)- Tool seemed to progressively get better with each album until peaking at “Lateralus,” their most cohesive and focused album. It’s ponderous and deep, but minus the half hour or so of cricket sounds and cancerous threats as contained in their previous two albums. And sadly, there is no “Hooker With A Penis” this time around. This album hits this stride with “The Patient,” continues to build traction, “Parabola” then emerges as another exceptional track, and it then culminates in the excellent title track, one of Tool’s best all-time songs. It loses its grip by the time “Faaip de Oiad” devolves into the familiar unknown, but it’s high time for the descent by then. “Lateralus” for me embodies what Tool were all about—a very powerful and strong rhythmic force contrasted with a voice of unexpected elegance, at turns merciless, shocking, ambiguous, and boldly existential.

48. Cure For Pain- Morphine (1993, Rykodisk)- You can’t miss Morphine with their characteristic swervy saxophone and legendary baritone Mark Sandman, whom I first heard decorating 90’s movie soundtracks—it was good driving down the road music. But this album is essentially a heartbreaker, a great artistic achievement, and capstones another sad story of a great talent who left us at all-too early an age. It all starts with the infectious energy of “Buena,” and then continues to deliver one great track after another. My favorites are “Candy,” “In Spite of Me,” and the title track “I’m Free Now.” This album has really stood the test of time well and continues to be moving and poignant, and I pore over the latter notes trying to understand the tragic mystery of rock’s legendary Sandman.

47. Chutes Too Narrow- The Shins (2003, Sub Pop Records)- While it may sound a bit anachronistic compared to the octane acts our listening ears have come to expect, The Shins’ “Chutes Too Narrow” is a brilliant and thoughtful album that seems to revive the lost art of literariness in music. Also a rarety, James Mercer’s lyrics are not only proper language, but they’re discernible, elocuted free of drowning distractions. The music, like the singing, is clean and carefully paced, not out to bombard but instead, to allow for digestion and careful consideration. Pretty much all of the tracks are strong, but “Young Pilgrims” and “Saint Simon” seem to centralize the hub; “Turn a Square” and “Kissing the Lipless” are fun rockers; “Pink Bullets” and “Those to Come” are especially pretty.

46. Around the Fur- Deftones (1997, Maverick Recording Co.)- The Deftones aspire to hit it—the musical mark, that is—on “Around the Fur,” and deliver an impressively wanton onslaught that rocks heavy and moodily, leaving you roused and dreaming of sleazy boardwalk hookups and smoldering smoky drags. It’s metal of rare ambience and mood, a propeller of crankshafts and lugnuts, inviting you to put on your sunglasses and extend your middle finger to all surrounding superficialities. Favorite tracks “Be Quiet and Drive,” “Lhabia,” “Lotion,” and “Dai the Flu” will give you the mid-day shivers.

45. Grace- Jeff Buckley (1994, Columbia Records)- Featuring perhaps one of the best vocal performances ever recorded, Jeff Buckley’s most cohesive work “Grace” boasts astounding range and texture while keeping the ability to mesmerize intact. Buckley’s voice weaves ellipses around the instruments with amazing ease and detail, all the way down to his gasps of breath. “Lilac Wine” accentuates this well, as does “Hallelujah,” Buckley’s version being perhaps the best rendition of the song ever performed. The title track is the best rocker, and “Last Goodbye” is a very moving heartbreaker. It’s a haunting and beautiful album--intimate, sophisticated, and graceful to the bone.

44. The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967, UMG Recordings, Inc.)- This album seems to embody the vintage, avant-garde sound of the 70’s. Even on CD it sounds like it’s on vinyl. Lou Reed sings with a unique and superchic monotone, and Nico has the mercury-dense sound that solidifies each song mold into an instant art piece. Coupling degenerate lyrics with bright, jangly guitar trills and a weirdly effective use of a droning electric viola, the erratic and off-kilter result is an awesome rush. “I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Heroin,” and “Venus and Furs” help lift this album to greatness, while tracks “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” “The Black Angel’s Death Song,” and “I’ll Be Your Mirror” are large contributors to the album’s offbeat and stylish ambience.

43. Face The Truth- Stephen Malkmus (2005, Matador Records)- Stephen Malkmus really shows his stuff on his third album, turning out his best solo/Jicks musical foray. You know it’s really a gem right away—the full lyrics are even included in the liner notes! SM seems like he’s having more fun than usual--his introspective waxing is especially edifying and the songs seem to know exactly where they’re going. After a quality opener in “Pencil Rot,” “It Kills” really sets it all in motion with the staggered rhythm, vocal straining, and shifts into monotone characteristic of SM; “Freeze the Saints” is a bittersweet exemplar that lyrically excels; “Mama” is a kindly and nostalgic gift; “Baby C’mon” is a superfun zinger that warrants a sing-along. Fans of Malkmus should delight in this album, the magical “3” in the Jicks catalog and the pinnacle in the solo career of a very rare bird indeed.

42. Angel Dust- Faith no More (1992, Warner Records, Inc.)- At the age of 14 I was a bit obsessed with FNM, and remember waiting at the local record store, “cash in hand,” on this album’s release date, ready to be thrilled. I was not disappointed. While more layered and dense, “Angel Dust” is just as volatile and eclectic as its predecessor, delivering multiple moments of brilliance. Jawdroppers such as “Everything’s Ruined,” “Caffeine,” and “Jizzlobber” stand atop this highly creative and unique album. The divergent contributions of the band’s 5 members—Jim Martin, the oddball metalhead who just wants to thrash out; Bill Gould, the funky bassman who wants to play the Hell out of four strings; Roddy Bottum, a rare keyboardist in a metal-influenced band adding uncharacteristic color and texture; Patton, the highly ambitious and dynamic vocal chameleon; and “Puff” Bordin, the rhythmic backbone, allowing all the weird chemistry to happen. It all adds up to an ass-kicking of strange eloquence, leaving you writhing yet begging for more.

41. Turn on the Bright Lights- Interpol (2002, Matador Records)- Along with bands like The National, Interpol forged a new black-tie ambient rock in the early 2000’s, and 2001’s TOTBLNYC is my favored takeaway. Interpol create a dynamic quagmire of sound with their calculated slow jams, sirening guitars, and unique robo-vocals. Their more ponderous jams come off sophisticated and deep, hearkening back to melancholic root acts such as Morrissey or Joy Division. The rockers often create a tense exigence that is rousing and inebriating. Try “Untitled” and “NYC” to be marvelled and moved , “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down” and “The New” for sinking reverie, and “PDA” and “Say Hello to the Angels” for more up-tempo enlightenment and to experience their modernized New Wave feel.

40. Yanqui UXO- Godspeedyou!BlackEmperor (2002, Constellation)- Trying to describe this album, or this musical act for that matter, is hard to put into words, but since I discovered them a few years prior to the Covid years, I have been sadly obsessed. This is my possibly my favorite bedtime album, the one that most purports to elicit dreams and create a vision of seafaring swordsmen, giant Gothic castle fortresses, and demon armies moving in tandem across vast panoramic swaths of barren soundscape and bleeding desert in sepia tones. Not the most heralded of Godspeed’s albums, I think this is their most cohesive from start to finish, the one that best stands as one opus track. If you have become jaded on music, jaded on life, and walk amongst the living dead—this is music after music and hence life after life, and your soul is renewed.

39. Elliott Smith- Elliott Smith (1995, Kill Rock Stars)- It’s more or less just Elliott Smith and his guitar, but this magical album has an amazing fullness and songcraft that makes it just as satisfying as any full-band effort—in fact, maybe more so—retaining the intimacy and delicateness they don’t. Smith has the acoustic guitar chops of a true artisan and a unique, transporting, yet quiet voice that envelops like a wisping evening rain on a city block. His songs are out to wrench the gut—and do so to spine-tingling effect. Smith died at only 26 years of age, leaving several moving works in his wake (see also “Either/Or,” “XO,” or “Songs from A Basement on A Hill”), but this to me is his most solid and best-sounding effort. “Needle in the Hay,” “Clementine,” and “The White Lady Loves You More” illustrate a tragic artist in scattered petals of love.

38. The Moon and Antarctica- Modest Mouse (2000, Epic Records)- Taking on prodigious themes, synthesizing ethereal musings and scientific dorkdom, and a bit reminiscent of Built to Spill minus the Adderall, Modest Mouse find a sweet and sprawling magic on “The Moon and Antarctica.” “3^rd Planet” is an amazing opener with its bandying between insight and absurdity. “The Stars are Projectors” highlights the Mouse’s unique creativity, showing them at their warm and playful best. Its sister track, “Life Like Weeds,” similarly gives life to philosophical musings unparalleled in the alt-rock genre. “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” excels at accentuating their subversive humor streak, “Paper Thin Walls” is another lovable rocker, and “I Came as a Rat” and “Wild Pack of Family Dogs” boost their eccentric charm and set them atop the shoulders of future itinerant geek squads.

37. Wowee Zowee- Pavement (1995, Matador Records)- Pavement cast their widest net on “Wowee Zowee” and reel in a barnacled bounty, rocking at their energetic zenith--and height of their popularity. It’s their most fun and eclectic album, the one that most tests their creative limits. Tracks “At&T,” “Rattled by the Rush,” “Grounded,” and “Fight this Generation” seem epic in scope, but all clock in at less than four and a half minutes. Quasi-punk spazzouts like “Serpentine Pad,” “flux=rad,” and “Best Friend’s Arm” are sufficient to heighten mosh pits to flying pocket-protector frenzy. Slackers at their most ambitious turn out to sound pretty fine indeed.

36. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Clay Your Hands Say Yeah (2005, CYHSY)- This pogo party of an album still thrills me every time I listen to it, and I’m hard-pressed to find a voice more captivating than that of Alec Ounsworth. CYHSY ‘s trebly bright tunes have an awesome energy and folk-rock ethos that lifts the spirit and sets the room in wild motion. “Over and Over Again” sounds like a fuller, more distorted Talking Heads; “Is This Love” is a harmonic confluence of jangling tones; “The Skin of my Country Teeth” is Ounsworth’s vocal pinnacle, evocative and heartstring pulling; “In this Home on Ice” is a skating wall of sound, letting you get lost in its lingering chords. But “Upon a Tidal Wave of Young Blood” brings it all home, cresting into a white-capped and frenetic finale. 

35. Down on The Upside- Soundgarden (1996, UMG Recordings, Inc.)- I’m a little partial to Soundgarden, as I used to pride myself on favoring them as the underdogs of grunge when I was in high school, and even named “Head Down” from “Superunknown” as my favorite song for my yearbook profile. So, it was hard to choose a favorite album of theirs, but for me DOTU stands as their most satisfying and refined album—all juice and no filler. There’s just so much to enjoy about this band—Kim Thayil, lookin’ like Jesus, playing geet like no other with his distinctive high-pitched electric wails, disdain for drawn-out solos, and able punk chops; Ben Shepard, a seemingly erratic personality, with his always probing bass meanderings and incongruent child-like innocence of compositions; Matt Cameron, the glue amidst the maelstrom, an amazing beatbox of needed constancy; Chris Cornell, the overseer of the madness, one of the most admired voices of the era, shrill and mysterious, helming journeys of mystical paradox and disillusion. The singles “Pretty Noose,” “Burden in My Hand,” and “Blow Up the Outside World,” hold up better on the radio than singles from their previous albums. And gems like “Zero Chance,” “Switch Opens,” “Boot Camp,” and “Dusty” are sweet ear candy, while offbeat numbers like “Rhinosaur,” “Applebite,” and “Overfloater” deepen the chasm and allow the garden’s burgeoning chemistry to take root.

34. Misery is a Butterfly- Blonde Redhead (2004, 4AD Ltd.)- Layered with fine textures and intoxicating melodies, “MIAB” is fine art, a luscious outpouring of sonic delights and the stuff of wonderful dream soundtracks. I love the dynamic vocal tradeoffs between Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace on “Doll is Mine” and “Pink Love,” which create a Strawberry Fields-eque psychedelia and feel of dizzying revelry. “Falling Man,” “Maddening Cloud,” and “Messenger” are all very solid tracks with Pace on vocals. But my favorite tracks are the ethereal and moody bruisers “Magic Mountain” and the title track, which highlight Makino’s vocals, equal parts flight and suffocation. The title track soars the highest and, with its dizzying violin, disconcerting undertones, and delicate vocals, is a bittersweet sock to the gut.

33. Silent Alarm- Bloc Party (2005, Vice Music, Inc.)- This highly upbeat and energetic debut from London’s Bloc Party contains an undeniable energy and raw feeling amidst highly catchy punk/funk tunes that invites dance and engagement-- and may be the best album of 2005. Singer Kele Okereke accentuates, rather than conceals, his intoxicating British accent--and his bold and unharnessed delivery complementarily enhances the highly energized music to great effect. The Party takes off strong with “Like Eating Glass” and never really looks back, as other up tempo boldsters like “Luno,” Helicopter,” and “Positive Tension” help keep the galvanizing pace. But the sweet center of this CD is contained in building block tracks like “Blue Light,” “So Here We Are,” and the standout “This Modern Love,” which has the makings of a modern classic.

32. And Justice For All- Metallica (1988, Blackened Recordings)- On their deepest, dryest, darkest album, Metallica do the unthinkable: they back up pummeling, heavy music and themes of death and destruction with context, intelligence, and reason. This is the quintessential album of symphonic metal, and a band testing the limits of a genre they seemed to transcend. “One” is one of the best songs of the 1980’s and is also one of the most memorable and disturbing videos. The title track is another great accomplishment--both musically and lyrically, it’s a classical metal masterpiece. Additionally, “Blackened,” “Dyer’s Eve,” and “To Live Is To Die” rank among Metallica’s all-time best tracks.

31. The Curtain Hits the Cast- Low (1996, Vernon Yard)- The most accomplished slowcore band of perhaps all-time, Low spread their wings most expansively on their 1996 opus, creating a uniquely beautiful set of dirges. Modern listeners may not have the attention span for this, but upon careful listen, it is seldom you’ll find a band more nuanced, precise, and detailed—and the vocal note-stamina of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, rather unprecedented, functions like antigravity, letting the listener weave among stars whilst forming their own constellation imprint on the cold dark night. “Over the Ocean” is the CD’s hallmark tune—accessible at under four minutes while clearly transporting—it’s as single material as Low gets. “Laugh” builds epicly and angrily to rousing, breaking ejecta, articulating profound frustration with very few words required. “Stars Gone Out” is is a nostalgic heartpiercer, leaving you dancing with yourself on a foggy lake in a post-party streamer-festooned gazebo. You may need your Zoloft after this one, but make no mistake about it --this finely detailed swatch of sounds and silence is a most welcome smear to your cerebellum: it’s soporific and ambient rock at its zenith. 

30. Odelay- Beck (1996, UMG Recordings, Inc.)- Beck was doing unheard-of things with the release of “Odelay” in 1996—I had never heard anything quite this eclectic, and it was hard to wrap my ears around it. There was no doubt this was a musical prodigy at work, taking us on an enlightening sonic journey like some sort of metal-mouthed Willy Wonka. Tracks like “Novacane,” “The New Pollution,” and “Where It’s At” were portable dance parties suffusing my Discman with promises of bright lights and boogie nights. And slightly more mellow numbers like “Jackass,” “Derelict,” and “Hotwax” were fascinating transports to a wonky dream-like state. It was the beginning of Beck’s ascent into his enduring legacy as deconstructionist maestro, hopping the hip like a sorcerer.

29. Ten- Pearl Jam (1991, Sony Music)- Pearl Jam brought a wizened, mature energy to “Ten”—rather impressive for a debut album—and quickly earned a reputation for not only their cool, cascading studio tracks but for their highly memorable live shows back in the day as well. It’s no wonder they are the most enduring grungers of all-time, and the bulk of the reasons why are contained on “Ten.” It was not only their strongest collection of songs, but also somehow suits them the best in terms of both production and mixing. Eddie Vedder was a sage, a grumbling old soul of twentysomething with an unparalleled voice, flanked by sturdy woodmen Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and one of the great soloists of the era, Mike McCready. This force of nature indeed scored a “10” on “Ten.”

28. Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand (2004, Domino Recording Co.)- Party people, take note: You really must dust off your monocle, top hat, and stray cut strut for this shit. These funky, swaggering freaks always elucidate a good time, but never moreso than on their namesake “FF,” in which no element of grandiosity is outcast. It’s danceable and intoxicating, with tracks like “Tell Her Tonight,” “This Fire,” and “Darts of Pleasure” stroking the blazing bonfire. Tracks “Come on Home,” “Take Me Out,” and “In the Dark of the Matinee” are the stuff of dance rock classics. It’s a rush from start to finish, an ambitious and great accomplishment, but somehow “Franz” manages to make it all sound easy, super fun, and carefree.

27. Orange- The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (1994, Shove Records)- Ah, hearing this CD for the first time on a superior car stereo system brings back warm sonic memories. I really did believe Mr. Spencer when, during “Flavor,” he proclaimed “The Blues in Number One!”, rattling off an impressive list of some of the most exciting and eminently-qualified cities’ endorsement of the “Blues.” Nothing really did sound quite so cool, funky, or sexed-up as JSBE to me, and they pulled off this part-rock, part-Elvis-y, all-out energy coup under the veil of Blues, not really sounding like traditional Blues at all. But it worked awesomely well, seeming to ignite the room and inspire wild bombast and debauchery. Tracks like “Ditch,” “Blues X-Man,” and the aforementioned “Flavor” exemplified rock panache with welcome additions of violins and harmonicas, Judah Bauer’s skilled guitar work, and, of course, the off-the-wall vocals and distinctive low-end guitar work of Spencer. “Orange” is one of the most fun, flamboyant, and eclectic rock albums I’ve ever heard-- an instant party.

26. The Real Thing- Faith No More (1989, Slash Records)- Another nostalgic album from a band I’m definitely biased towards, this album was one of the most exciting to me as a teenager, taking over as my favorite “tape” (the cassette itself was even colored blue, which I thought was amazing), and it soon claimed more than a fair share of my pool-party projected testosterone. FNM just seemed like no other, first appearing on MTV with the eternally enigmatic, rap-rock hybrid “Epic,” complete with both writhing singer and fish, and then delving deeper and heavier into the scare zone with juggernauts like “Zombie Eaters” and the similarly progressing (from slow, to heavy, to screamingly heavy) title track. And this album even contains “Surprise! You’re Dead!”, whose unique brand of heaviness and thrill level makes even the blades of sword-wielding metal gods seem flaccid by compare. Yes, a lot of the magic is attributable to having vocal chameleon/genius Michael Patton at the controls, but the band’s weird chemistry is at its most nascent and halogenic on “The Real Thing,” the result is a most satisfying hodgepodge.

25. Appetite for Destruction- Guns N’ Roses (1987, Geffen Records)- GNR were one of my very first revered bands— “Appetite” was released when I was in 4^th grade—and it quickly became my favorite (cassette) tape. In retrospect I realize that it contains about 70-75% of GNR’s best all-time tracks, easily being their best album. Side One was killer rock, defiant and insolent, laden with profanity and drug references—the very definition of what kids aren’t supposed to be listening to. Side Two showcased their sweeter side, including standouts like the classic “Sweet Child O Mine” and “Rocket Queen,” but also lightening the load was “Anything Goes” and “Think About You.” But it was their pissed-off, always seemingly inebriated, impenetrably hard rock persona that defined them—and numbers like “It’s So Easy,” “Mr. Brownstone,” and “Out Ta Get Me” carry the full swagger—wild and inviting but edgy and dangerous at one false turn. The duo of Slash and Axl is a great combination of talent and charisma, and created an iconic sound that never exceeded its efficacy on this album.

24. Songs for the Deaf- Queens of the Stone Age (2002, Interscope Records)- Josh Homme has had quite a career as a rockstar behemoth in a post-rock world. He’s become quite the big fish in a small pond, indeed…still, that shouldn’t detract from his amazing output as QOTSA brainy child and frontman, Eagles of Death Metal co-conspirator and guitarist, Kyuss creator, and perhaps most memorably, co-collaborator with Samwell on “What What In the Butt.” All joking aside, QOTSA’s albums have been a cut above the competition (note: self-titled album is amazaing), but “Songs For the Deaf” is kind of in a league of its own among rock albums of the early 2000’s. The so-called “stoner rock” genre belongs to Queens alone, as they’re easily the primary takeaway, and with “SFTD” they created an album that rocks so hard and awesomely it’s like Viagra to the waning member of rock n roll. It’s a paradisiacal island of rock hubris that is earth-core solid but lyrically sweet, like a first draught of pepsi cola after a day in the sun. “The Sky Is Fallin,” “First It Giveth,” “Hangin Tree,” and “I’m Gonna Leave You” are the centerpieces, and “No One Knows,” I think the best single of 2002, is an original and very impressive rocker.

23. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band- The Beatles (1967, Universal Music Group)- This is the Beatles’ best combination of pop appeal, trippiness, and unequalled rock and roll songcraft. For me, “Sergeant” epitomizes the use of theater and theme in music, the pairing of the musical and the visual, the expansion of song into story. Only “The White Album” was as ambitious in scope, but it includes the filler and flippancy that “Sergeant” avoids and is less cohesive at the end of the day. “Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds” is one of my favorite all-time Beatles tracks, exciting with its colorful imagery and cryptic subtext. “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite” is also one of my faves, a traipsing and tripping carnival funhouse of a tune. The finale, “A Day in the Life,” is one of the Beatles’ great epic tracks, if not the greatest.

22. Surfer Rosa- Pixies (1988, 4AD Ltd.)- This is the scrappiest, weirdest, most explosive confection of ditties ever put out by the OG’s of alt-rock, The Pixies. Seemingly way ahead of its time, it still has great ability to excite and enthrall. All of the elements—guitar, drums, lead guitar, and oddball vocals and interjections—merge and dissolve with a unique organic chemistry that subsequent imitators would only pine away fruitlessly for. “Where Is My Mind” is the signature track, and it’s a doozy for sure. “Break My Body” and “Broken Face” also wield a signature weird corporeal poignancy. But this album also highlights the Pixies best punk-ish numbers, highlighted by the wild “Vamos,” “I’m Amazed,” and “Something Against You.”

21. The Downward Spiral- Nine Inch Nails (1994 Nothing/Interscope Records)- All bets are off, all joking is swept aside, and it’s time for the dark descent into Trent Reznor’s abysmal laboratory of pain. It’s really that intense, that severe, that creative an album that you may in fact be left scratching your wrists in a straitjacket while bathing your pelvis in a moonlit well. “The Downward Spiral “is to me the cradle of the “goth” subculture that exists even to this day. “Mr. Self-Destruct” opens the gates with ferocity, delving fist-first into the haunting, psychologically tense subject matter, seething vocals, and trebly distortion that sets the spiral in motion. Tracks “Eraser,” “The Becoming,” and “March of the Pigs” are exemplary, highlighting the balance between sensitivity and ferocity that helps give this CD its artistic fineness and depth. “A Warm Place,” “Hurt” and “Piggy” are standout ambient tracks (particularly the first two), the latter concluding in a very awesome percussion explosion that seems to embody the volatility and frustration contained within. With all of its electronic leanings, “Spiral” was well ahead of its time—still enduring as a great but disturbing album.

20. Orange Rhyming Dictionary- Jets to Brazil (1998, Epitaph)- It was indicated that frontman Blake Schwarzenbach was capable of a turn of phrase of two in his work with Jawbreaker, but his penmanship ascends to a new level on “Orange Rhyming Dictionary,” the first and best of the JTB trilogy. Literate gentlefellows such as these seemed destined to dwindle in a word-deficient 21^st Century, but…it’s a monumental accomplishment nevertheless. “Crown of the Valley” is a propitious start, a vivid and sun-bleached tale of old money gone belly up; it’s poetic mescaline. “Morning New Disease” is my personal fave, brilliantly detailing a sort of anachronistic hangover through a poet’s searching eyes, life passing by ineffably in vivid frames with music serving as an exigent alarum call. “Starry Configurations” and “Sea Anemone” are lyrical highpoints, both very cohesive and beautiful throughout. “I Typed For Miles” is my other favorite. With its building narrative and irrestible climax, it demarcates the CD’s peak. And “Sweet Avenue” is a sterling swansong, one of the more moving and authentic ballads I have heard.

19. Absolution- Muse (2003, Warner Music Group)- Sounding like a geared-up, superunleaded Radiofloyd, Muse jetpacked onto the scene with this 15-track, (near) hour-long opus debut, and with it already seemed to seal a legacy of greatness. “Absolution” began Muse’s ravenous claim to the best sounds the new electronic wave would produce, and the harvest is bountiful indeed—seriously, the hits to the central nervous system just don’t stop coming. Every track seems to contain its own cataclysmic climax, from the cardiac-arrest inducing “Apocalypse Now” to the dizzying and Orwellian paranoiac “Ruled by Secrecy.” Other glacial icebergs like “Butterflies and Hurricanes,” “Falling Away With You,” and “Time is Running Out” encapsulate the prodigious floe. And of course, don’t forget “Blackout,” a beautifully symphonic track to rank alongside both Radiohead’s “Exit Music” and Arcade Fire’s “Crown of Love.”

18. Fever to Tell- Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003, Interscope)- Their fiercest album by far, “Fever to Tell” launched Karen O and co. into stardom with good reason—it messes you up like a rabid catbite, then gently licks your festering wounds to wellness. In addition to O’s wild, over-the-top caterwaulings, many kudos must also go to guitarist Nick Zinner, whose playing deftly navigates some seriously bony terrain and shows a sick amount of discipline. For only being a trio, the open space is painted full with creative licks and stop-on-a-dime silences and fiery ignitions. And c’mon, with lyrics like “boy you just a stupid bitch/ and girl you just a no good dick” (on “Tick”), who can ever discount Karen O’s cred as an oriental supervillain? Check out the ridiculously explosive aforementioned for a fornicating ride, or “Y Control” for more sweetly-tinged malarky. Not to mention, YYY’s best-known numbers “Maps” and “Date With the Night” both hold up well—and additionally, “Modern Romance” is just as moving as the highly praised former. With all of its featherweight heaviness, “Fever To Tell” best channels paroxysms of the pocket protector’d, but it’s in fact as infectious as a syringe of pox to the groin. 

17. Keep It Like a Secret- Built To Spill (1999, Warner Bros. Records)- College radio superheroes long after college radio was cool, BTS exploded from their chrysalis with this CD, proving deft hands at nuanced song composition, clever changes, and astounding crescendoes. The peanut brittle of the guitar work, alternating between high- and low- ends seamlessly, and the often slow and steady, then thrumming and staccato percussion, blended with Doug Martsch’s candied vocal whinings, oozes a confection sweet enough to turn even impressionable ears diabetic. Singer Martsch, also the primary songwriter and six-string sage, has a penchant for writing layering, evolving riffs that weave texture and mood into songs, and KILAS contains several of those triumphs. “Time Trap” is one, and with its wrenching tremolo, juicy slide guitar, and unison vocals, sets the highwater mark. “The Plan,” opening up the album with great electricity and enviable songcraft, has become a signature BTS (no, not the boy band) tune. “Sidewalk” and “Center of the Universe,” while not as dynamic, are highly arresting and boost the sonic energy to heretofore unprecedented levels. “You Were Right,” though lyrically dejecting, is another zinger, and “Temporarily Blind” is another opus a la “Time Trap,” a dynamic study that grows gradually and blooms magnanimous.

16. The Mysterious Production of Eggs- Andrew Bird (2005, Wegawam Music Co)- Sure, he’s a musical prodigy, but that alone can’t account for the brilliant merging of original sounds and eclectic pastiche on TMPOE, the golden of the Birdman’s oeuvre. Add to that his crystalline-yet-slightly- mumbled word wizardry, rife with double entendres, wry humor, and poetic license to drive; then, mix in deft musicianship, flutteringly recurring motifs, and deep pathos, and you’ve got yourself the recipe for a real gem. “Sovay” is a great opener with its slightly off-kilter ¾, lagging vibraphone, and invigorating lyrical subversion. “Banking On A Myth” is another awesome track with its exigent intro, broken fuzz box interpolations, and Radiohead- reminiscent vocals. As is “Masterfade,” which affects like the foray of a computer coder into a wilted wonky Universe…it’s beautiful. “The Naming of Things” sounds like a missing Pavement song that even Stephen J. Malkmus would nod approvingly to. And “The Happy Birthday Song” covers the rousing climax, seemingly conjuring both Sparklehorse and “A Day In the Life.”

15. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend (2008, XL)- You were hopefully over Weezer by 2008, but if you happened to trunk your argyle sweater and bobby socks with a resurrection in mind, you were suddenly in luck—Vampire Weekend arrived! Synthesizing many musical elements and samplings with crazy Afro-Caribbean beats and lyrics oft-referencing the arcane, their debut seemed destined to convene the cads and jettison the jackanapes. VW helped define a new level of refinement in rock of the digital age, with a feel a bit like Paul Simon’s “Graceland” in hyper speed, yet insanely catchy and modern at the same time. It’s ear candy from start to finish, but “Cap Cod Kwassa,” “Campus,” and “M79,” comprising the album’s svelte midsection, contain the keys to the castle. The latter is my favorite and uses VW’s best elements—thin, resonant percussion, jangling and tremolo six string, staccato transitions, and ivory tower lyricism—to the effect of a deep inhalation of Yale quad grass blades. “Walcott” and “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance,” the last two chapters, are also noteworthy—the former, blaring the speakers to overdrive like a spooky Beach Boys resurrection crashing a Halloween-themed Phi Kap party.

14. Violent Femmes- Violent Femmes (1982, Slash Records)- This album is a true diamond in the rough. Without relying on electronic effects, samples, or other high jinks, VF cast their spell with a musical tour de force that angrily whittles away and builds until becoming the maverick classic that it is. Many are familiar with the classic “Blister in the Sun” and “Add it Up,” but this CD’s later tracks are even deeper and scrappier, proving VF to be an unexpectedly folksy and seemingly effete powerhouse. Particularly the dynamic “Gimme the Car,” the effusive “Promise,” and the all-out blitz of “Gone Daddy Gone”—also a well-known track—and it’s solo bedroom dance party time. “VF” also contains some of my favorite bass work of all time, the 4-stringer stealing the show on several tracks—and it’s being acoustic makes it that much more distinctive and critical to the songs’ effects. It’s a dark horse for sure, but this is one enduring classic that outperforms even its own legend.

13. Parachutes- Coldplay (2000, Parlophone Records)- There’s not really too much need to try to justify this one (other than to my wife that is, who doesn’t get the Coldplay thing), as it’s just a beautifully crafted, moving album, with some of my favorite sing-along tunes (also to the disagreement of my wife, incidentally). From the flowing harmonics of “Shiver” to the anthemic chorus of “Everything’s Not Lost,” it’s a quintessential thoughtful person’s coming-of-age album. “Trouble” is my favorite track, a resonant confessional with delicate piano, fortifying bass, and of course, Chris Martin’s top-tier vocals making it sound all the more convincing. “Sparks” is another great track, another downer that seems perfect for tracing the grain patterns of the local pub’s hardwoods. And then there’s “We Never Change,” another existential heart-wrencher that seems wise beyond its years. It’s a surprisingly sad and introspective album from a band that became stadium superstars (after all, what do they have to be sad about?), but it’s a true masterpiece.

12.  Funeral- Arcade Fire (2004, Sony Music)- With the most impressive catalog of perhaps any band of the 2000’s, Montreal’s Arcade Fire were a shoo-in for my list—the only question was, which album? My choice is “Funeral,” their ironically named debut and most bold, filler-free, dynamic CD to date. It’s an excellent dirge for the post-pen era, ushering huddled legions into the uncharted with unflinching leadership and the eyes and ears of scoutmasters. It all starts with the dreamy “Tunnels (Neighborhood#1),” describing a fantasy snow day with enviable pathos and singer Win Butler’s semi-muffled vocals sounding surprisingly immersed in the landscape. “Neighborhood#4” is another highlight, taking the listener by storm, providing just the right kinetic frenzy at the right time. “Crown of Love” is a standout ballad, pretty and delicate like a silent apocalypse of cars snow-spinning on the Autobahn of life. And, of course, their well-loved anthem “Wake Up” is a rousing and poignant sing-along, containing joie de vivre enough to animate and color even the darkest of palls.

11. Toxicity- System Down  (2001, Sony Music)- My highest rated metal album comes, not surprisingly, from my favorite metal band. I can’t think of any other band better designed to tap into my testosterone and incite gleeful, full-bodied convulsions. This is their most thought-provoking, serious album—and it sounds the best cover to cover. The key elements are Serj Tankian’s rapid-fire, dynamic, throttling-yet-sonorous, punishing-yet-whimsical vocals and Daron Malakian’s warp speed, dexterous, unbelievably thick and heavy guitar riffs. Not to mention the intelligent, politically charged, vituperative-yet-compassionate lyrics. “Prison Song,” “Deer Dance,” and “Science” are sonically arresting while also delving into the sociopolitical; “Bounce,” “Chop Suey!”, and “Shimmy” contain lighter subject matter but are a whole lot of fun. Needles” is my favorite track, though the title track is a pretty close second.  And “Aerials” is a strong conclusion that seals the deal— “Toxicity” is a nu-metal classic of the highest order.

10. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven- Godspeedyou!Blackemperor (2000, kranky)-  Not really sure if I have the words for this one. At a certain point in the game, post-rock took over my soul and this band of geniuses is largely to blame. I don’t know if there’s any comparable act—maybe Mogwai—but the level of uniqueness and ability to elicit high emotions of this act is sick in its most delicious sense. I sometimes envision myself in a recording studio while this one was being cut—and it’s as if a sonic conflagration takes hold, embracing the edifice in an unrelenting bear hold—and some sort of beautiful hurricane-rendered apocalypse ensues. This is emotional music at its finest. This was the transformation of rock music into its molten state. GSYBE are my new daddies.

9. Stranger Than Fiction- Bad Religion (1994, Atlantic Recording Co.)- The unexpected merging of Ph.D.-level lyric writing with the three-chord cadence of punk rock comes to a head on Bad Religion’s seventh album “Stranger Than Fiction,” their best-produced and most collaborative punk classic. By “Stranger” they had really polished their sound and honed their writing to the point that they seemed to transcend punk with their uniquely catchy and (dare I say) pop-appealing sound, unparalleled vocal delivery, stop-on-a-dime changes made to look easy, and pretty and melodic harmonizing to contrast bleakly uncompromising and grimly gray middle fingers to mother earth. Truly, being excoriated by a disheveled and disillusioned former professor is not supposed to give you the chills of this magnitude.  “Hooray For Me,” “Slumber,” and “Better off Dead” snapshot BR at the top of their game; “Incomplete,” “Infected,” and “21^st Century Digital Boy” are worthy of their punk-classic status.

8. Illinoise- Sufjan Stevens (2005, Asthmatic Kitty Records)- Possibly the most ambitious, far-reaching melodious musician of modern Indie rock, Sufjan Stevens really proves the prodigy on Illinoise. It’s 26 songs long, 14 of which have titles comprised of 7 or more words (the longest title being 53 words long), and song lengths range from 19 seconds to 6 minutes and 45 seconds…so, it’s a lot to take in, but it’s too beautiful and fun to not. Clocking in near the six-minute mark, “Come on Feel the Illinoise,” “Chicago,” “Casimir Pulaski Day,” and “They Are Night Zombies! They Are Neighbors!” are all wonderful tracks and among my favorites. At about half their duration, “Decatur, or Round of Applause…,” “Prairie Fire That Wanders About,” and the strangely incongruent “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” are also great songs. I’m also a big fan of “The Black Hawk War…”, a glorious instrumental that seems an apt prelude to the saturation of sweetness to follow. Musically, Illinoise is hard to categorize, but it’s a bit as if Andrew Bird, Neutral Milk Hotel, Elliott Smith and Vampire Weekend had a rogue lovechild. At the same time, it has extreme pop appeal and an amazing, if almost annoying, willowy positivity.

7. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain- Pavement (1994, Matador Records)- No band can channel gangly angst with more Indie cred than Pavement, and on CRCR they reach their cryptic zenith, allowing the listener to tap into something less contained and constrained, as if indeed “thoughts have wings.” Stephen Malkmus always seemed a little too smart for rock n roll, but the unique set of sounds that come out of the Stockton foursquares (plus their second drummer) has become sacrosanct to Indie Rock enthusiasts—and with good reason--and “Crooked” is their King Tut. What other band presses the “record” button even before they get the troops organized, as they do on “Silence Kit?” And of which other album can you say the poppiest song (“Cut Your Hair”) is the least rousing? “Stop Breathin,” “Elevate Me Later,” and “Newark Wilder” are gems, not to mention “Gold Soundz,” which has become a signature track and “greatest hits” moniker. CRCR is the quintessential slacker masterpiece.

6. The Creek Drank the Cradle- Iron and Wine (2002, Sub Pop Records)- I initially scoffed off this album for being too quiet, too twangy, for my taste—fortunately, I gave it another chance. “Creek” is really the best of its ilk, led by the enviable acoustic playing and serious, thoughtful (and again enviable) lyrics of the original beardträger of the 2000’s, Sam Beam. It’s a moving, deep and insightful listen that shoots straight for the heart and is intently and intensely true to its aim. The opener “Lion’s Mane” is the keyturn to the castle, opening up the gates with an instant classic that boldens I&W’s main themes as well as can be imagined. “Bird Stealing Bread,” “Promising Light,” and “Weary Memory” are top-caliber tap-alongs in addition to being impressively intricate and aristrocratic reflections. But “Faded From the Winter” and “Upwards Over the Mountain” are this CD’s jewel center, achingly beautiful and uncompromised tear-jerkers that seem to spring from the purest of aquifers.

5. The Wall- Pink Floyd (1979, Columbia Records)- Very few albums affected me more as a teenager than this one—and few bands’ impacts were felt throughout the years as much as Pink Floyd. This is one of those special theme-based or cinematic albums that feels more like a dreamy journey than just a series of songs (see also The Who’s Tommy, the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, or Dream Theater’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence). But this one is not only the most cohesive as an entire work but also the most dynamic, helmed by beautifully composed songs but laced with ironic humor, well-placed sound effects, and oft-reprised lyrical themes that help to make it all come full circle. Despite years of radio play doing its best to suck all the feeling out of it (ironically enough), “Comfortably Numb” is one of my favorite songs of all-time; “Mother” is another popular track that deserves to be legendary unlike few; “Another Brick in the Wall,” sufficiently ambiguous and haunting, is the indispensable thematic element. And while “Young Lust” and “Hey You,” the other tracks you’ll hear on the radio, are also a great and catchy songs, lesser-known gems like “The Thin Ice,” “Goodbye Blue Sky,” and “In the Flesh?” have the same high level of resonance.

4. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea- Neutral Milk Hotel (1998, Merge Records)- And now for something completely different. With a musical backbone consisting of merely three open acoustic guitar chords, NMH created the unlikeliest of magnum (or should I say “mangum,” ha-ha) opuses with “ITAOTS,” one of the most unique and endearing CDs I have ever heard. The combination of Jeff Mangum’s rich, resounding vocals with the dense, poetic lyrics that intertwine like kudzu growing on a Rube Goldberg machine is the brilliant constant. Tack on nodes of trumpet, accordion, and occasional singing saw and the sonorous hodgepodge is complete. Mangum is a lyrical Brahman swept up from Arkansas yokeldom, wonderfully touching on themes of holism, love, death, and other shite, equal parts accord and absurd. Thus, put on your propeller hats and enjoy the skull severance—start to finish—but revel of course in “The King of Carrot Flowers, Part 2 and 3,” the title track, “Communist Daughter,” and the grand finale “Two Headed Boy, Part 2.” As iTunes puts it, “to hear this album once is to love it forever.”

3. Siamese Dream- Smashing Pumpkins (1993, Virgin Records)- Smashing Pumpkins were an acquired taste for me; I first remember hearing a track from “Gish” and not being able to tell if the whiny, affected voice was male or female. However, after giving “Siamese Dream” a chance, I fell deeply under its spell—the warm fuzzy and drawn out distortion, chimerical imagery, intoxicating violin and mellotron motifs, and yes, assuaging voice of singer/songwriter Billy Corgan enmeshed me in a rare trance. It’s without a doubt one of the richest, catchiest, and most enrapturing rock albums I’ve ever heard. “Hummer,” “Mayonaise,” and “Rocket” have always been favorites, but “Soma,” “Disarm,” “Luna,” and “Spaceboy” aren’t far behind. It’s a very beautiful accomplishment that it is uniquely peerless, the realization of an extraordinary alternative vision.

2. Nevermind- Nirvana (1991, Sub Pop)- This was definitely THE album of my teenage years, the one that seemed to give a voice to all that collective angst brewing inside of high school gymnasiums yet managing to be too cool for school at the same time. Cobain’s voice, that perfect throaty rasp, seemed iconic and immortal even while he lived. Meanwhile, no drummer seemed to have more crisp energy than Dave Grohl, and weirdo bassist Kris Novoselic was the perfect oozing glue to bind these inscrutable punks together. And the videos, particularly “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “In Bloom,” and “Come as You Are,” kicked some serious ass, too. “Nevermind” was the first CD I ever owned, and the rumbling bass intro to “Lounge Act” was my CD player’s first true sound quality test. Friends and I used to yell along to “Lithium” while playing ping-pong, wishing we someday would wield the pipes of heroes among men. It would all end too soon, but Nirvana was the grunge act for peers to follow and the torch bearing renegades for future tribes to follow.

1. OK Computer- Radiohead (1997, Capitol Records)- Aggravatingly, Thom Yorke to this day insists that “OK Computer” was not born out of the dehumanizing effects of technology, but instead a near “catatonia” he experienced from the “non-stop travel” and “claustrophobia” of being on the road. OK, Mr. Yorke. In any event, Radiohead’s masterpiece was astoundingly prescient, seeming to foresee the SIM card future of humankind and the fitter, healthier credo of the daily grind. It’s Pink Floyd-esque paranoia turned real, but while it may at times make you shudder to think, it also lifts you up into an interstellar oddity of sorts, reminding you why you like music and what it all really means. “Paranoid Android” is the quintessential alt-rock epic of the 90’s; “No Surprises” is an existential anthem for the ages; “The Tourist” is the culmination of the journey’s conclusion, an epiphany to end all others.