I thought of this the other day and wanted to see what everyone's top 10 favorite albums are. However there are a few rules:
- One album per artist
- No greatest hits compilation albums
- No soundtracks unless it is made up of all original music
Here are my top 10 with why they ended up on my list:
10. New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular - Hooverphonic: This album cracked my list because it is still to this day my favorite album of the Trip-Hop genre, beating out other great albums of the genre like Air’s Moon Safari and Zero 7’s Simple Things. Like no other album I’ve listened to, this record is best enjoyed alone, late at night; it’s vibe is just awesome! Favorite track: Inhaler
9. Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation is one of those albums that seems to define a period of my life, specifically my last couple years of college. My life at one point was going to class, studying, going on long bike rides, and listening to bands like Pixies, Melvins, and of course, Sonic Youth. in fact, during this period, I’d say was my biggest musical phase I’ve ever been through, and this album seems to remind me of that time more than any other. And what a record! Favorite Track: Candle
8. Purple - Stone Temple Pilots: One of the first albums I listened to outside the popular Nu Metal craze of the late 90s, and probably one of the most important albums in my appreciation of grunge music, a genre that came and went before my time. I suppose my most vivid memory of this album is listening to it countless times in my walkman on the school bus during my freshman and sophomore years of high school. It also has a ton of great songs, with almost every track being enjoyable to me. By far my favorite STP album and also my favorite grunge record. Favorite Track: Silvergun Superman
7. Becoming X - Sneaker Pimps: While Hooverphonic’s New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular is my favorite Trip Hope album, I owe my introduction to the genre and my subsequent love of it to this album, Becoming X. Kelli Dayton’s vocals are incredible and made almost every track on this record intoxicating to listen to. I also feel like this album really opened me up to more obscure genre’s of music outside the more commercially successful music I had been accustomed to most of my life up until that point. Beyond it’s importance to opening up my musical tastes, it is a great listen to this day! Favorite Track: 6 Underground (Nellee Hooper Edit)
6. The Fragile - Nine Inch Nails: What else can I say other than this album is 23 tracks of some of the best music I have ever heard. I liked Nine Inch Nails prior to this record coming out, but this album made me fall in love with the amazing variety of sounds that Trent Reznor is capable of. Admittedly, I enjoy the harder tracks, but still, this is one of few records where I can sit down and listen to the whole record in its entirety and love every minute. An absolutely gorgeous record that is a masterpiece of hard rock in my opinion. Favorite Track: Into the Void
5. Whatever and Ever Amen - Ben Folds Five: A considerably different album than the rest that have appeared and will appear on this list, my love for this album is heavily associated with how it reminds me of the later years of my childhood, in addition to having some of the best written lyrics in an album I’ve ever heard. Listening to this record not only is absolutely wonderful to listen to in the moment, but is a great way for me to walk down memory lane and remember certain parts of my life that I remember most fondly. Cheesy, I know, but it’s why this album ranks as high as it does on my list. Favorite Track: Selfless, Cold, and Composed
4. Mechanical Animals - Marilyn Manson: My absolute favorite hard rock album of all time, this record blew me away when it was released and still to this day gets my pulse going! In addition to it’s masterful production and sound, the lyrics in most of the songs are incredibly deep and thought provoking despite their general cynicism. While this is only one of three albums Manson recorded that I actually like (the others being Antichrist Superstar and Holywood), it definitely stands out as his best work to date. Favorite Track: Coma White
3. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine: Known as the seminal shoegaze album, this record is one of only a very small minority of records that is as good as people say it is. At the age of 16, it was the very first album I heard that belonged to the genre, which about 5-years later would become my favorite genre. When I think of the words “masterpiece” or “perfect” this is what comes to mind. Absolutely love this album! Favorite Track: Soon
2. Vapor Transmission - Orgy: From the time I was about 13 up until about 16, Orgy was my favorite band of all time. the band’s combination of hard rock and synth blended perfectly, and I adored every song on this record and its predecessor, Candyass. While I admittedly don’t listen to this album or band as much as I once did, Orgy was the first band that really made me fall in love with music and was really the first band that I could say was a band “I” liked. Vapor Transmission 1ups their other two albums (especially Punk Static Paranoia) because I feel like it perfectly defined how awesome this band was more than any other. Favorite Track: Opticon
Honorable Mentions: These are a few albums that just barely missed the cut for my top 10 list, but here they are:
Shot Forth Self Living - Medicine
Republica - Republica
Simple Things - Zero 7
Discovery - Daft Punk
Version 2.0 - Garbage
1. Split - Lush: If it were not for the one album per artist rule, Lush would have completely dominated this list, with all four of their albums holding a place in my top 10, most of which would be in my top five. Never have a loved a band so much; their music is the definition of beauty to me, and their music is like an extension of who I am at the deepest level of my existence (and you thought some of my other descriptions were cheesy!). After discovering them one late night on youtube over 5-years ago, and 13-years after they disbanded, I am still in love with the music they created in their short, yet amazing existence. I highly doubt I will ever find another band I enjoy listening to more. Split, their third record embodies everything that I love about this shoegaze/brit pop hybrid band and then some. Favorite Track: Never Never
