J.m.'s Top 20 Favorite Albums

Prologue

This is a list of my top twenty favorite albums.
They might not be my favorite bands or artists, and they might not have any of my favorite songs on them, they might not even necessarily be my favorite styles of music.
At some point, I might make lists of those too.
But these are my favorite full albums; strings of songs put together in a certain order, which take you on an experience.
I'll try and tell you why I like each entry, but music is SUPER subjective, and a lot of times I like albums arbitrarily.  This list doesn't reflect on how good the artists are at their craft; it's more about albums that stuck out to me in my life, or albums that I would tend to listen to if I were going to pop a cd in for enjoyment.
Also, they're specific to right now.  I might have different opinions later.  In fact I almost certainly will because I'm diving into a ton of new music lately.  I've been getting into some pretty awesome bands and sounds lately, but I haven't really had a chance to sit down and listen to full albums yet by - say - Kimbra or Regina Spektor, so I wouldn't be able to include them on my list.

If one of your favorite albums didn't make the list, it's because:

a.)  I've never heard the album.
b.)  I have heard the album but don't like it as much as you.

I'm also going to put a YouTube video of my favorite song from each album into every entry.

ENJOY!  ;)


20.  Issues - Korn

I grew up in a dysfunctional nuclear family, so someone gave me Korn to listen to.  My stepdad walked into my room while I was listening to it, heard the vocalist drop the F bomb, and immediately broke the cd into pieces.  So naturally, Korn became one of my favorite bands.  They're crude, depressing, gothic, spiritually negative, angry, and to top it all off, geared towards youth.  Everything you would want to AVOID your children getting exposed to.  I was caught between two of their albums for this entry; Issues and Untouchables.  A lot of Korn fans would disagree with me, but I'm not a Korn fan anyways, not these days.  Korn always had a very raw sound, but these two discs were better at filling the space.  It was a tough call, I kid you not, I'd written an entire entry about Issues and then deleted it to write this.  The songs are just more unique and creative on this one.  Every song has at least one clever musical concept.  It's last on the list because unlike the other entries, I'm actually wary to listen to this one anymore except for nostalgia and appreciation, because it IS such a spiritually negative cd.  That's goth rock for you.

19. Lenka - Lenka

This entry is the polar opposite of the previous entry.  It's one catchy, bubble-gum-poppy, cheery, bouncy song after another.  And none of it is technically impressive, or even particularly that inventive or unique.  It's the sort of thing you'd listen to after listening to Korn, in order to cure yourself of whatever's infected you.  I've only heard this one first album by this artist, and one other song (an alternative a cappella harmonied-up version of the track below, which I WISH they'd included on the album).  I get the impression that Lenka made every sound on this disc using her keyboard, but I could be wrong.  It is an absolute delight to listen to.  It's charming, and puts me in a positive mood.

18. Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) - Slipknot

I grew up during the nu-metal movement.  The first album I heard by Slipknot was Iowa.  I thought it was garbage.  Their first two albums were loud, muddy guitars, drums that sound like someone's crashing into everything, and a guy screaming at the top of his lungs from start to finish.  After I got used to the sound, I recognized that what they were doing was very creative and technically impressive, but my first impression was that they sounded like the musical interpretation to a car accident.  Then they released Vol. 3 (the Subliminal Verses).  Suddenly everyone in my high school that was vaguely into the nu-metal scene were huge Slipknot fans.  It was clear why: they clean up nicely.  It's like when you agree to go to the dance with that unpleasant person who's not terribly social, and doesn't take care of themselves hygienically often enough, and wears a raincoat even in nice weather, and sometimes throws up in gym; and then when you get the dance, they're wearing a nice dress, or suite, they've shaved and brushed everything and they smell nice, and they've got good posture, and they're being charming and thoughtful, and you're like "damn, THAT's what was hiding in there?"  In the case of Slipknot, they added guitar solos, the vocalist started singing hooks, and a couple of the songs on here are straight up gentle acoustic contemplative pieces.  The rest of the time, the guitars are muddy, and the vocalist screams at you.  A good time is had by everyone!

17. The Young and the Hopeless - Good Charlotte

I'd forgotten about this album for years until my girlfriend reminded me it existed the other day.  This isn't necessarily an album that demands to be experienced in any particular order, like a lot of the entries on this list.  But I still think it's best to.  I always feel like I miss out when I don't.  Probably because if I don't listen to the cd in order, I don't listen to certain tracks at all.  And they're good tracks.  Good Charlotte is sort of a youthy, outcasty, culturally defiant sort of band, but they're still somehow a lot of fun, and they put me in a good mood.  They also make me feel like I'm driving around with hooligans and knocking out mailboxes with a baseball bat and hanging out in abandoned warehouses.

16. Unfortunate Snort - Pinkly Smooth

This is one of the weirder entries.  It has very few tracks on it, for one thing, and it's also not a very cleanly recorded album.  It almost seems to be unfinished, or recorded in someone's home studio.  Which is strange, because two people in this band are also members of the famous metal band Avenged Sevenfold, so you would think they'd have had plenty of access to whatever professional studio.  This album is fucking nuts.  Pinkly Smooth is listed as "experimental metal", but it sounds more like theatrical prog using metal instruments.  The musicians are extremely talented, and while it SEEMS like they give zero shits what they're playing at any given moment in a song, the truth is, none of this could have been pulled off without planning every note.  It has a certain charm to it as well, since the songs are so A.D.D., and the lyrics are about who-even-knows-what (seriously, I'm pretty sure the lead vox is just making noises with his mouth sometimes, instead of saying anything).  They'll go from a ska-esque 30 seconds of singing, to a hardcore breakdown, to a western hoedown, to a classical piano piece in the same song.  Unfortunately, the lead vocalist/songwriter/pianist in this band is the same person as the drummer from Avenged Sevenfold (Jimmy Sullivan a.k.a. the Rev), and if you haven't heard already, he'd passed away far too young.  Avenged Sevenfold got a new drummer and is pressing on, but this is the only album and the only songs we're likely to ever hear from Pinkly Smooth.  And that is a shame.

15. Karmacode - Lacuna Coil

I wasn't certain what to call Lacuna Coil, so I googled it, and apparently they're "Italian gothic metal".  That seems misleading, at least for this album.  I would guess what stuck it in that corner of the room at THAT table, with THOSE kids are the guitar's sound and the one vocalist's style.  And maybe the dress code?  There are two vocalists in this band, a male and a female; and while they blend well, defer to each other often, and don't have a diva attitude, the female vocalist steals the show.  She's got a pretty voice, and fantastic range and control.  She sort of reminds me of Amy Lee from Evenescence, if Amy wasn't such a showoff.  They both sing all their songs straightforward, and that's really my favorite part about this cd: the songwriting (as opposed to the style, the mix, or the performance).  The songs are beautiful.  The instruments don't get fancy, the guitars have a distorted heaviness to them, the keyboards round the sound out, the melodies are awesome and catchy, and the harmonies and backup parts make the songs epic.  They end this album with an original remake of Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode, which I normally wouldn't care for especially as an ending track, just out of principle, but they pulled it off quite nicely, and it is an excellent send off after taking the journey from start to finish.

14. The Art of Breaking - Thousand Foot Krutch

Thousand Foot Krutch is a Christian band.  I don't remember how I got exposed to them, but I would hazard a guess that it was at some youth group function.  They're one of those bands that seems to get the hang of their sound and who they are with each passing disc they release.  The vocalist is incredibly impressive.  They sometimes have lines that make me feel like "really?  That's what you chose to say?", because they'll... well, they'll opt for lines that pump Christian youths up about being Christian youths instead of expressing actual things with any sense of poetry sometimes, and that can sometimes be more awkward than Korn's disturbed sex songs.  But they are catchy songs, well written musically, and they kind of DO get me pumped when I listen to them.  The latest album I listened to by them is the next one up, and I almost made THAT this entry, because they once again improved on their sound, and got more comfortable with who they are, but I didn't, and here's why: there is a difference between writing songs to be played for a live audience and writing songs to be listened to in a cd player in your alone time.  Take it from me.  Aaannnd this list is my favorite albums, so.... This album kicks off with a sort of a fist-pumping anthemic rock piece, ends with a reverent prayer-song, and explores a lot of fun ideas and moods in between.

13. Neck of the Woods - Silversun Pickups

I only just recently discovered this band, thanks to my drummer playing this very album repeatedly in the car.  To be honest, I'm tired of it now because it got overplayed.  But they have a very good sound, and this album in particular was very well put together.  The studio work is extremely polished, and the songs aren't just good, they're put in juuuuust the right order that you're compelled to listen to it that way.  It reminds me spiritually of a Boy Named Goo, by the Goo Goo Dolls (which I didn't include because when I looked up the tracklist, I discovered I didn't recognize some of the songs).  Let me be clear though: they don't sound like the Goo Goo Dolls.  Their sound is completely original.  But it gives ME a similar FEELING.  I don't know, WHATEVER, I'm giving up on that particular thought.  Silversun Pickups is very into catchy bass riffs and vocal melodies, so expect to get both of those parts stuck in your head.  I highly recommend checking it out... just for the next couple months, don't check it out in earshot of me.

12. S&M - Metallica

A whole ton of my favorite Metallica songs from a bunch of their records played live but with classy violins and shit?  Don't mind if I do!  Honestly, I wish Metallica always had this sound.  I like them without it, but I LOVE them with it.  Metallica is at their best in instrumental composition and the extra strings complimented their sound in exactly the right way.  The only thing I really don't like about this album is that, since it's live, the lead vocalist does things that only make sense live, and not on a cd.  Things that are more for the sake of getting audiences pumped than for making the songs sound good.  Those things don't ruin the album for me though; it's still absolutely one of my favorites to listen to.

11. ...And The Rest Will Follow - Project 86

I pretty much HAD to include this one.  I listened to it A LOT growing up.  I listened to everything by P86 growing up, and I still follow this band, but I listened to this one the most.  Brand loyalty maybe?  They're a band I've built a relationship with.  Very few people I've shown this band to really like it that much, so it's always fun when I DO meet another fan, because I NEVER get to talk about them with anyone but myself in a mirror (don't judge me).  P86 is fundamentally a heavy rock band, and the vocalist yells a lot.  Not screams, yells.  Kinda like Rage Against the Machine, but less repetitive.  This album you could tell they poured a lot of love into.  It's rich with melodies (the guitarist sings a lot on this album as well, and the way his sweet melodic voice contrasted against the more abrasive lead is just my favorite), and they will often go from loud to quiet to loud at the drop of a hat.  Sort of like System of a Down, only they take themselves seriously.  The lyricist is one of my favorite poets as well.

10. Jetsons: the Movie (1990) Soundtrack

This is the only soundtrack that made my list.  I think it's the only soundtrack I listen to nearly this often.  And I listen to it A LOT. And sing along.  And dance. It's SUPER 80's pop sounding.  It's got a lot of songs by Tiffany on it, who is an artist I like, because she voiced Judy in the movie, and they gave her songs to sing.  The movie is okay, but the soundtrack is my favorite.

9. White Lighter - Typhoon

I've only heard this album twice so far, but it's immediately one I've fallen in love with.  I loved Typhoon from their previous album, Hunger and Thirst, but this album seriously stepped it up.  They're a very large indie band with what SEEMS like way too many members, but somehow they're capable of doing very impressive instrumental work, very orchestrated and tight movements (no repetitive jamming AT ALL), and they're super emotive.  They hit big, grand highs, and gentle, tender lows, and they really make you FEEL the emotions they're expressing - the sadness is always hopeful and mostly contemplative, the happiness is always grateful.  On top of that, the lyrics are almost C.S. Lewis level deep and clever.  Almost.

8. The Concert in Central Park (Live) - Simon and Garfunkel

It's funny that I should include two live albums on this list, since neither of them were put together with an album really in mind; they were literally just live performances that got recorded and sold.  But here's the thing: they play their best songs in a good order, and I love Simon and Garfunkel's songs more here played live than I typically will the versions on their albums.  I think it's because on a lot of these songs the drums sound better live than they do with the awkward drum tracks that are included in many of the original studio recordings.  But it could also be partly because this cd was my first exposure to S&G, and after listening to it as often as I did, the original tracks would have sounded weird no matter what.  Either way, Simon and Garfunkel have been one of my major influences as a songwriter, and when I talk about loving a particular song I usually have the version from this cd playing in my head.

7. A Thousand Suns - Linkin Park

Linkin Park's first album got REALLY popular when I was in late elementary school, early middle school, and a lot of my friends got that cd and played it all the time, and subsequently burned out on it and started hating it.  That's the rule when you're that age: everything you liked when you're younger is stupid and immature.  By the time their next true album was released, most of my peers weren't that interested.  They were like "psh, Linkin Park?  I'm into Flogging Molly now."  (Seriously, there was a huge Flogging Molly trend in my high school.  I don't know why.)  But damnit I'm stubborn, and I kept listening to Linkin Park's stuff right up until to-day.  A Thousand Suns is their fifth album in.  The cd they released before it was a complete departure from the sound that made them famous in the first place (from rap-metal to... Dawson's Creek background music?), and this album was a complete departure from THAT sound.  But I love it.  It's like one big song, made out of several little ones.  The sound is very enjoyable, and it's all very well mixed.  Linkin Park, believe it or not, is also a big influence on me as a songwriter.  I hope I'm able to be as diverse and experimental after I've been writing as long as they have.  They have melodies, jungle raps, heavy rock jams, and sound-scapes.  It's an enjoyable ride.

6. The Used - The Used

I learned about this album way after everyone else.  I guess screamo is this pretty popular genre, and the Used is a sort of cult hit.  I don't think I'd qualify as such a die hard fan as all that, but I admit as soon as I'd heard the Used, after getting one of their more recent cds as a gift, I wend out and got/listened to the rest of them because I liked them so much.  They have die-hard fans for a reason.  They are a very high energy, very catchy band, that isn't afraid to be cheesy, or goofy, or dark-humored and is also capable of dropping some heavy, intense moments on your chest.  They didn't make me a fan of the screamo genre, just a fan of the band.  I don't... like, PLAY screamo now, or dress in Halloween colours and dye my hair and wear eyeliner.  Nothing like that.  This cd is my favorite of theirs, and I wouldn't skip a single track listening to it from start to finish.

5. Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold

I gave this band a chance because my friend Graig pestered me.  I'm glad he did.  After I got used to the vocalist's vocal tone (He's insanely talented, but I just didn't like the way his voice sounded at first), they became one of my favorite bands of all time.  Every member is talented beyond belief, and they work together so damn well.  They play a classic sort of metal, heavily featuring guitar harmonies, and almost inhuman drum parts (at least until the Rev died, see entry 16).  That made this entry tough.  I actually had City of Evil written down on this list, because it's the more theatrical album which was just one creative idea after another within their selected sound; but I changed it at the last minute to their fourth, self-titled album.    I changed it because it IS better structured, even though the sound is more raw, and they changed the song styles up a bit more when the mood was right.  Plus, other people in the band sing more here, and that gives it a really cool flavor, especially when the drummer got a part.  They kicked the album off really cleverly by starting off with a City of Evil-like riff before pounding into a more rock and roll, mosh pit, fist pump song.  Each song was awesome and took you to a new place, capped off with a long, theatrical prog piece with a horn section, and a well written country song that they managed to make not only NOT sound out of place, but sound like there could never have been any other way to end the cd.

4. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

Of COURSE there's a Beatles entry.  There's ALWAYS a Beatles entry.  They're the effing Beatles.  I like the Beatles, and this is my favorite album from them.  I always felt when I listened to it, like they set the stage at an actual club, concert, or festival and then completely immersed me in a story, or in several short episodes or events, interluded by a circus show; and even though the disc doesn't last that long, I feel like it continues all night and everyone's partied till morning, and maybe I even camped out, slept, and they picked it back up where they left off.  It's the closest I've ever heard a studio album come to giving me the experience of a bitchin show.  It's very unusual for a music cd to completely immerse me and take me out of the real world like this one does.

3. Feel Good Ghosts - Cloud Cult

A lot of what I have to say about Cloud Cult, I already said about Typhoon.  They have epic highs, tender lows, and their songs are super emotive.  Cloud Cult is a bit less contemplative, however, and more spiritual.  They're not afraid to touch on dark subjects, but no matter how sad the emotions they invoke, they will never ever depress you.  There is hope everywhere, every breath is a blessing, and everything is always positive forever.  And while that may remind you of a cross between a guy selling you motivational tapes and that guy in your town who's always on a mushroom high, the attitude in these songs are contagious, and I always feel more blessed by everything around me having listened to them.  Feel Good Ghosts is likewise edifying.

2. Mesmerize/Hypnotize - System of a Down

System of a Down is also one of my favorite bands, so it's hard for me to pick an album from them as well.  If I allowed myself to pick multiple albums by the same artist, this list would be way longer, and it's already kinda long.  In fact, I ended up cheating a little on this entry, probably.  Maybe.  To be honest, I'm not sure.  Technically, this is a two-disc album as evidenced by the intro song on the first cd being a slowed down version of the chorus from the last song on the second cd.  But they sold them separately.  But the cases are compatible.  But both discs are sort of laid out like they're individual albums?  But they're named similar?  I suppose the best way to look at it is that the second cd is the sequel to the first one, and they ARE meant to be enjoyed together as one complete piece.  Like Sonic 3& Knuckles, if you're familiar with that.  I feel almost morally obligated to erase this entry and replace it with Toxicity, but I'm not going to.  This album has a better mix-down, the songs are up-beat, catchy, and relatively accessible compared to Toxicity.  Plus, while System always had a talent for memorable harmonies, this particular tracklist turned the guitarist into a second lead vocalist, gave him equal time on the mic, and the two of them blend and contrast really well with each other.  You can also tell they'd taken better care of this album(s), more time was put into polishing the sound, and arrangement.

1. The Con - Tegan and Sara

Tegan and Sara are identical twin sisters from Canada, and they're an excellent songwriting pairing.  Their last album aside, you get the impression they write their songs in studio and layer on whatever instrument parts the song calls for as they hear them in their head.  No unnecessary polish either, they make sure all the levels are correct and then release the cuts into the wild raw.  Well, they master them, obviously.  They'll typically write songs about very familiar subjects like dating, going steady, breaking up, or self-identity, and they'll approach it in a pretty dead-on, honest way, as though they're literally right in the middle of whatever they're singing about, singing right to the face of whoever they're singing to.  But as dead-on as they are lyrically, you really get a sense of how dramatic and passionate and committed they are about the little things, and that's pretty unique.  Like they have perspective enough about the source material, but they still let themselves feel their feelings to their full extent.  Whatever the reason, these songs resonate with me, and the musical concepts are very clever as well.  The Con is an experience I frequently return to.