Top 10 Music Albums

[Alyxx Thorne]

10. THE PRODIGY - The Fat of the Land (XL Recordings, 1997)

 

Prodigy are one of the few bands in the world you can really call cyberpunk. As I like to say, Liam Howlett is the cyber, the electronic backbone of the entire project, and Keith Flint and Maxim Reality are the punks that complete the edgy image. This album is my favourite for many reasons. One being that it has a lot of styles and still manages to sound cohesive, ranging from hiphop, breakbeat, rock, techno to even industrial, and it's an album that always gets me pumped up and ready for anything, a must-have when I'm out exercising as it seems to always energize me as much as a sixpack of Red Bull. You should also check out their latest album "Invaders Must Die" which pretty much is on par with this album.

 

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Favourite tracks: Serial Thrilla, Mindfields, Narayan

Other recommended albums by this band: Music for the Jilted Generation, Invaders Must Die

 

 

9. TANGERINE DREAM - Hyperborea (Virgin Records, 1983)

 

Tangerine Dream is a band that is very hard to describe. You have to experience them yourself to understand what they are about. Being largely instrumental, this album was released in their prime, when they even were doing movie soundtracks (most notably in the movies Firestarter and Legend). It can be described as a sort of Eastern feeling ambient electronica album that to this day has remained almost timeless and I find myself never being tired of it as it's always interesting to listen to it. Especially the title track is a song that will forever live on in my soul as it has touched me deeply for a reason I don't even know as it doesn't have any words. But it doesn't need any.

 

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Favourite tracks: Hyperborea, Sphinx Lightning

Other recommended albums by this band: Exit, Stratosfear

 

 

8. FAUNTS - M4 (Friendly Fire Recordings, 2006)

 

Though technically an EP and not an album, this is a really new addition to my favourite albums ever, the biggest reason being that M4 Part II was featured as the ending theme in Mass Effect, and I am sure that is how most people have found out about these Canadians. The shere emotional power of this track alone brought me to tears, and the futuristic use of synthesizers and the reverberating guitar play resonated deeply with me and I felt it wasn't just a good track for Mass Effect, it was a rare instance where I actually bought the EP because of that track. The rest of the EP pretty much follows the same formula and this is one of my favourite mood albums to put on as it is very quiet at times and really works great as background music. To anyone who loved M4 Part II, I strongly recommend getting this EP, it's a great introduction to the band.

 

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Favourite tracks: M4 Part I, M4 Part II, Of Nature

 

 

7. DEPECHE MODE - Black Celebration (Mute Records, 1986)

 

There are few pop albums that have as much emotional power as this album for me and to this day I consider it this band's greatest achievement next to their Violator album which comes a close second mostly due to its track "Enjoy the Silence". Black Celebration has a very reverby sound to it that for the time was almost unique and it gives the whole album the feeling of being a concert just for you. The lyrics are harsh at times, heartbreaking at others, but they do it with such elegance that you can't help but admire it, despite the dark gothic feeling to it all. I find more and more that this album resonates with my life and for me it's simply timeless, and a very good combination of Martin Gore's writing, Dave Gahan's voice and Alan Wilder's production skills. Highly recommended if you like good pop music.

 

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Favourite tracks: Black Celebration, A Question of Lust, Stripped, But Not Tonight (bonus track)

Other recommended albums by this band: Violator, Some Great Reward

 

 

6. COVENANT - United States of Mind (SubSpace Communications, 2000)

 

Not to be confused with the Norwegian death metal band Kovenant (who changed their name after losing a court battle with this band), the Swedish trio of synthesizer heads have pretty much ruled the industrial charts since their inception in the late 80's. This was the first album I heard by them and in many ways I consider it their magnus opus. It blends powerful intense basslines and kick sounds with deep insightful and constantly poetic lyrics that will ring in your head for the rest of your life. Especially the last song "Still Life", which lyrics are made up of fragments of poetry, is one of the finest pieces of electronic music I have heard in this century. The final track "You can make your own music" is a little nod to John Cage's "4'33''" as it has the exact same running time and features only pure silence. A must have if you like dark and incredibly elegant electronic dance music.

 

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Favourite tracks: Like Tears In Rain, One World One Sky, Still Life

Other recommended albums by this band: Skyshaper, Modern Ruin

 

 

5. PINK FLOYD - A Momentary Lapse of Reason (EMI, 1987)

 

Pink Floyd has without a doubt had one of the most extensive and interesting careers of any rock band in the world, but in my opinon, the last two albums that were made under David Gilmour's direction will always be close to me as they were the first ones I listened to before I listened to their older stuff and in many ways, I prefer this album to their "The Wall" and "Dark Side of the Moon" albums which I have always felt were good, but insanely overrated and this one always has been a bit underrated to me for that. What makes this album for me is the way Gilmour blends electronic synthesizers with a big and powerful rock sound that has huge emotional depth and the melodies all go straight for your heart and never lets go. Especially the final track Sorrow is in my opinion one of the best rock tracks ever and it starts with a guitar solo that will guaranteed make anyone fond of good guitar sounds go quiet as a mouse as it is insanely powerful despite its use of synthesizers and drum machines. Pink Floyd have largely shaped my earlier taste in music and David Gilmour remains one of my guitar idols, and his open attitude towards the music will always inspire me.

 

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Favourite tracks: Learning to Fly, Terminal Frost, Sorrow

Other recommended albums by this band: Wish You Were Here, The Division Bell

 

 

4. KRAFTWERK - The Man-Machine (Capitol Records, 1978)

 

Kraftwerk to me are bigger than The Beatles, bigger than Elvis. They've shaped pretty much the entire genre of house music and techno alone, and it is impossible to imagine modern electronic music without them. This album to me personifies what they are all about. Cold driving electro beats, defined melodies that sound perfectly in sync with the themes they are conveying and sparse but to the point lyrics that sound almost simplistic, but this might be why they are so popular all over the world too. And in a way, the album has remained timeless as it almost describes how our modern world is, and how we ourselves are turning into man-machines, making this one of the few albums I consider truly cyberpunk.

 

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Favourite tracks: The Robots, Spacelab, The Man-Machine

Other recommended albums by this band: Computer World, Electric Café/Techno Pop

 

 

3. SEABOUND - Double-Crosser (Dependent Records, 2006)

 

It is hard to find albums that can touch you so deeply and almost frighten you so much at your own demons like Double-Crosser by the German industrial pop band Seabound can. With a very distinct sound that is harsh yet harmonic, dark yet touching and inspiring as hell, this album is one of the few albums that have managed to become incredibly personal to me. The lyrics always seem to mysteriously apply to my life and this is always hard to do when they also seem to tell a story or two on their own. After having released two similarily great albums, this final piece in their trilogy of albums is also their finest and I recommend it to anyone who are fond of emotionally deep music that can also make you dance.

 

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Favourite tracks: The Promise, Castaway, October Song

Other recommended albums by this band: No Sleep Demon, Beyond Flatline

 

 

2. MIND.IN.A.BOX - Crossroads (Dependent Records, 2007)

 

Mind.In.A.Box is a couple of guys from Austria that after listening to this album became one of my favourite projects and I've kept a close eye on them since. Not just this album but their music in general attempts to do more than just be good music, they are telling a cohesive story that spans their entire catalogue and that makes it very fun to collect the previous two albums and the latest one as well in addition to this one. The music in general is really dark and intensely emotional, and I've found myself being brought to tears almost every time I listen to them as the music can be downright heartbreaking at times in its sadness and honesty, but there are always little glimpses of hope in there that makes it all worthwhile. What I love about this band is their sound, and if you played any of their songs I would instantly be able to recognize it. It's a very dark and analogue feeling that reminds me of a mix of the Blade Runner soundtrack and tracker music from the early 90's demo scene. Not surprising since these guys have started their career using tracker software.

 

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Favourite tracks: Amnesia, Identity, The Place

Other recommended albums by this band: Lost Alone, Dreamweb, R.E.T.R.O

 

 

1. APOPTYGMA BERZERK - Welcome to Earth (Tatra Records, 2000)

 

It doesn't happen often, but once or twice in a lifetime you hear an album that completely and utterly destroys any previous musical taste and sets an entirely new route and destination for you, even changing and shaping who you are and how your life is spent in the process. When I more or less stumbled upon this one-man project by Stephan L. Groth from Fredrikstad in Norway, it was like a revelation to me, and this album utterly blew my mind upon the first listen. To put it simply, the album blends clubby trance beats and melodies with vocals, and it has a very premanent industrial edge to it. It was the first time I had heard someone who actually did something like what we'd know call vocal trance, but it was more than that. The lyrics were deep, speaking of issues that I never knew I felt deep inside me. It reflected my feeling of alienation with the world, and completely resonated with me on a deeper level. And it wasn't just trance beats, a lot of the songs were more experimental and it even has a hidden chiptune track, introducing me to the entire world of 8bit music pretty much that made me connect so much with my technological childhood and keep in touch with it. This album was the first one I heard from this project, and ever since, he has been my number one favourite artist. In 2005, APB dropped their electro sound in favour of a more indie rock direction, although they still do use a lot of synthesizers. This album introduced me to EBM, chiptunes, industrial, futurepop, everything mixed into one package and since then it has been my number one inspiration whenever I make music of my own, so the importance of this album cannot be understated.

 

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Favourite tracks: Starsign, Eclipse, Kathy's Song

Other recommended albums by this artist: Harmonizer, 7

[Vapymid]

This is such a tough one - difficult to select just 10, difficult to say what means "the best" - some are good for one reason, some for another. For me it depends on the day, my mood, weather... After some thinking, here are the 10 (in no particular order), which probably made the greatest impression on me.

 

I can't put into words and describe the subjective qualities of this music, certainly not in the brief but eloquent way Alyxx manages to do, so I won't even try. Suffice it to say that all are combined by the fact that they are relatively complex pieces, with lots of changing dynamics and time signatures. If you decide to listen to any of the songs - please have patience to go through entire duration because if you just listen to the intro it's not going to do justice to any of them...

 

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

 

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Other notable albums by Genesis: Tresspass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound (with Gabriel), A Trick Of The Tail, Wind And Wuthering, Duke, Abacab (with Collins)

 

Rick Wakeman - 1984

 

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Also worth checking the 6 Wives, Myths and Legends, No Earthly Connection (very rare) and the unique A Suite Of Gods.

 

Jesus Christ Superstar

 

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This is *the* most definitive rock opera and there is nothing else like it, except maybe the Hair.

 

Queen - Queen II

 

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Other good Queen albums: pretty much all of them

 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Nightingales & Bombers

 

Messin', The Roaring Silence, Watch are albums that I would also recommend, as well as a few songs (like Captain Bobby Scout and Jump Sturdy) on their first, eponymous album.

 

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The Beatles - Abbey Road

 

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I don't think they need any introduction. Their different albums are interesting for different reason and their music has changes dramatically over the years from their first to the last release. Some people like the early Beatles more, some prefer the later periods (like I do).

 

King Crimson - Lizard

 

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In the Court of the Crimson King, In the Wake of Poseidon, Islands, Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Red and Thrak are what I personally like and recommend.

 

Jethro Tull - Benefit

 

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They have been really prolific. Most notable albums: Stand Up, Aqualung, Thick As A Brick, War Child, Minstrel In The Gallery, Heavy Horses, Catfish Rising are my favourite. J-Tull Dot Com is interesting too.

 

Van Der Graaf Generator - Godbluff

 

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Godbluff is the first of 3 albums which are the pinnacle of VDGG. The other 2 are Still Life and World Record. Their earlier work is also good, a bit more eccentric (Pawn Hearts is an acquired taste). The Aerosol Grey Machine, their first release, is very good as well.

 

Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing At Baxter's

 

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Well, this is the top of the US psychedelia (in the good sense). Surrealistic Pillow, Crown Of Creation, Volunteers are very good. The Airplane has later transmorphed into Jefferson Starship - I recommend Dragon Fly, Red Octopus, Spitfire.

 

Regards

[Alyxx Thorne]

I love it when someone posts a list that is entirely different from mine. Musical diversity ftw!

[kuzmuz]

My top 5 would be:

Too Tough To Die - The Ramones

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I just like the ''happy'' sound of Ramones on this album.

 

Wheels of Steel - Saxon

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Pure British metal at its finest.

 

The Wall - Pink Floyd

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Awesome concept album; I just find myself in the Pink's character. I don't usually listen to Floyd but I love this album. I don't want to spoil it to you, just listen to it.

 

Seventh Son of the Seventh Son - Iron Maiden

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Also an interesting concept album, altough different from The Wall from Iron Maiden, my favourite band. I like the way Maiden use the synths and they are used in this album, like, a lot. Also, Steve Harris, my biggest influence as a bassist, absolutely kills on this album.

 

The Final Frontier - Iron Maiden

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It's not usual for an '80s band to be still rocking in the 21th century and releasing albums comparable by quality to their best ones. TFF is a brilliant album, and the band members are in their 50's, man! The 21th century albums are in my opinion their best period!

[Axeldeath]

In no particular order and only 5 because I'm lazy-

 

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In The Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson

 

My favourite album from one of my favourite bands.

 

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Selling England by the Pound - Genesis

 

Genesis before it became a pop band, some of my favourite prog rock.

 

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Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

 

That one song alone contains too many emotions for me to handle at once. Never mind the rest of the album. I also love Wish You Were Here.

 

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Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin

 

I'm a bit biased here as I was basically raised on this album, but this album has forever changed my taste in music and I absolutely love it for that.

 

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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

 

Another album I've owned since early childhood.

[Alyxx Thorne]

Nice to see more Pink Flouyd fans, although I still think DSotM and The Wall are kinda overrated among the fans. They've made a lot of great music both before and after these albums.

[Vapymid]

I also like PF very much - Atom Heart Mother and Meddle are probably my favourites, also Animals and The Wall. But 10-slot limit cut them out

 

I quite like the impressive little collection of music that is forming here and no one has nominated Justin Bieber yet - there is still hope for humanity!

 

Regards

[Alyxx Thorne]

I'm sure Justin Bieber's music is great and he has his fans, but personally I just think there exists better music.

[kuzmuz]

Pink Floyd. Gotta love 'em.

[Axeldeath]

Nice to see more Pink Floyd fans, although I still think DSotM and The Wall are kinda overrated among the fans. They've made a lot of great music both before and after these albums.

 

But stuff like Atom Heart Mother and Jugland Blues are very different from DSoTM and The Wall, for example I love David Bowie but I dislike his "Young Americans" album.

[Alyxx Thorne]

Nice to see more Pink Floyd fans, although I still think DSotM and The Wall are kinda overrated among the fans. They've made a lot of great music both before and after these albums.

 

But stuff like Atom Heart Mother and Jugland Blues are very different from DSoTM and The Wall, for example I love David Bowie but I dislike his "Young Americans" album.

I think The Division Bell and A Momentary Lapse of Reason are better albums than DSoTM and The Wall. DSoTM has a tendency to feel a bit too philosophical, and the tracks Brain Damage and Eclipse just feel a bit too out of place on the album in my opinion. The Wall has a tendency to sound a bit too introverted. I know that was the intention of the album, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

I guess the main reason is just that I don't like Roger Waters much. The guy is a prick and his voice just sounds so grating.

[The Hamburglar]

10: Homework by Daft Punk

 

Why? Because fuck you it's daft punk that's why. If you can't dance to this you must have no legs because these beats are so fat that i can't listening to it without boogying hardcore.

 

9: Too Dark Park by Skinny Puppy

 

Skinny Puppy is a great band, but their albums always had this problem of never being coherent. They'd have a few classic industirial tracks like Worlock or Addiction, than horrible noise trakcs like 200 Years and almost all of Last Rights. But Too Dark Park is a wonderful album that basically shows you why Skinny Puppy are so highly regarded in the industrial world.

 

8: The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails

 

Yeah I was 14 once, and being 14 means you have a copy of The Downward Spiral. You don't know why, but a copy of it appears to you one day and it becomes your favorite album. This album has served me well for all my whiny bullshit, each song sounding different making for a great background for all the diferent whiny bullshit in the world.

 

7: Nail by Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel (Foetus)

 

J.G Thirlwell is an odd character to say the least. His first few albums were a bit too strange for me, heck you could give a copy of Deaf to a hardcore Mr. Bungle fan and he'd probably be like "Dude what i'm so confused stop it please." But Nail is Foetus' most complete album, being a loose concept album about the Charles Manson family, features intense and epic one man orchestras (Theme from Pigdom Come) harsh industrial noises (Private War) doo-wop songs about hell (Descent Into the Inferno) and a crazy catchy rock song (The Throne of Agony.)

 

6: Music for the Jilted Generation by The Prodigy

 

Goddammit, I fell in love with this band in such a short time. Holy crap Liam Howlett is an amazing producer. There's a video of how Voodoo People was made and that shit is crazy, seriously look it up. Buy this album.

 

5: Twoism by Boards of Canada

 

okay, okay, i admit, I don't like Music Has the Right To Children, it's boring. But Twoism is beautiful, it's such a melancholic yet happy album, it makes me sad and happy and absolutely incredible.

 

4: Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin

 

Richard James is THE electronic music producer. The master of making fucking insane beats, infuriatingly catchy ambient lines, and scary as hell music videos. SAW 95-92 features some incredible tunes (including the phenomenal Heliosphan) this album will change the way you dance forever.

 

3: OK Computer by Radiohead

 

Thom Yorke is wonderful, seriously how could you not love Thom Yorke. He would be awesome to hang out with, I want to meet Thom Yorke, that's my dream.

 

this album is good too.

 

2: Angel Dust by Faith No More

 

THE MOST INNOVATIVE RECORD OF THE 90s. THERE I SAID WHAT WE WERE ALL THINKING, GO HOME NIRVANA.

 

1: On Avery Island by Neutral Milk Hotel

 

yeah, yeah In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has this memetic appeal, but their first album is much more memorable to me, featuring insane instrumentals (Marching Theme) songs about abortion (A Baby for Pree) 13 minute indoneasian noise fests (Pree Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye) and an intensely sad song that may be about suicide (April 8th) On Avery Island is the standout work in NMH's discog.

[pumpkinpie899]

#10: El Camino (The Black Keys).

 

What I love about this album is that it sounds like it could have come from the 70s or 80s. It has that old-sounding classic rock feel to it, and for a modern-day band to be able to pull that off with huge mainstream success is a feat all its own.

 

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#9: Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin)

 

I know, putting them on a top ten list almost seems cliched now, but there's a reason why they're so good. For me, they represent the beginning age of hard rock, a changing of the guard from the pop-sounding rhythms the beatles-era brought. And for me, this album emcompasses their style that would set the stage for many years to come.

 

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#8: Crystal Ball (Styx)

 

For me, styx is one of those bands that really advanced the movement of rock and piano songs together. And Crystal Ball is where the best memeber of the band came forth for the first time: Tommy Shaw, known for writing their best known songs, most of which came after this album.

 

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#7: The Stranger (Billy Joel)

 

Billy Joel was one of those guys whose best work was in his early years (like the Beatles) And The Stranger is one of those cases. Every song is so well put together that each one tells a different story, which is what great songwriting should do.

 

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#6: Stiff Upper Lip (AC/DC)

 

This album doesn't reflect AC/DC's usual style, and is more of a blues-sounding album than anything. But it does its job well, and provides some of the most kick-ass sounding riffs for one of their most underrated albums.

 

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#5: Hold Your Colour (Pendulum)

 

Ok, now when my friend had told me about pendulum, I hated techno music. But this album completely changed my perspective on that. This album provides an expeirience that i really can't describe, you just have to hear it for yourself.

 

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#4: Origin of Symmetry (Muse)

 

Blending together space sounding effects one would hear from Doctor Who and hard rock, this band knew how to make some creative music, and Origin of Symmetry showcases their musical talent the best by working more on the rock side than the space sounds which would take place in their later works

 

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#3: Sticky Fingers/ Let It Bleed (Rolling Stones)

 

I really can't decide between the 2 of these. The Roling Stones are almost as much of a staple in the music industry as the beatles, and for good reason too. I'd prefer them over the beatles any day, and that's because they weren't afraid to show the ugly side of life, and not just promote a peace message. Both of these albums emcompass the turmoil and laughter that was occurring during their time, and the songs are so different in style but yet i couldn't see them fit any other way than in Let it Bleed and Sticky Fingers.

 

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#2: Who's Next? (The Who)

 

If someone were to come up to me and ask me what i thought were the greatest artists of hard rock of all time were, The Who would be it. They had their hard rock sounds since the 60s, when peace and love were the messages known throughout american and european culture. While people consider Led Zeppelin to be the greatest hard rock band of all time, most forget that the Who came before them, and perfected the genre along the way, and Who's Next shows how they've matured as a band both in style and sound.

 

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#1: Core/Purple (Stone Temple Pilots)

 

You know that moment when you listen to the radio and you hear a great song? You don't know the name of the song, but you shove it away for later. Then you hear it again, this time you hear the song's name, and the band. So you then look it up to find the album of said song to find that you love every single song on the album, and then after listening to it you find another album they have. And after a year or so you finally realize just how much this band has changed your life forever? Such is the case with Stone Temple Pilots, who's albums change style every time at the drop of a hat, but in a good way that overall represents just how great a band they are. When i heard both of these albums, i couldn't decide which one was better over the other, because both of them are so influential on the music i listen to today that i couldn't not include them in this list.

 

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